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knickknacksandallthat · 4 years ago

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So...a small, self-indulgent hc I have on Andrew: he secretly loves frou frou drinks.

Look, cocktails are more expensive in general b/c they combine multiple ingredients, including several liquors, and usually take a bit of work to make, sometimes requiring a blender etc.

So the foster homes Andrew was in? Likely wouldn’t have had them. And even if they did, he wouldn’t have been able to sneak off and mix a margarita. He would have nabbed whatever was easiest to hide, like a single bottle or a can.

So it makes more sense that he was exposed to cheap beers, whiskeys, vodkas, etc. It was what he could get his hands on. And when you’re a first-time drinker? They all taste terrible.

So Andrew would have equated drinking early on as another means to an end. If you wanted to get drunk, then you drank this stuff. Even if it tastes like shit.

Therefore he figures that all alcohol must taste like crap. And he gets used to just dealing with it.

By the time he starts working at Eden’s, he sticks with what he knows. He doesn’t trust anyone, so he would ignore Roland’s attempts to make him anything different.

And besides, all he sees are girls and “softer” boys going after those type of drinks. And neither fits his “tough guy, don’t mess with me” image.

(And watching Nicky chug them doesn’t help with this)

So Andrew just kind of suffers along and tolerates drinking something he knows he can control himself with that also helps take off the edge.

And alcohol becomes even more meaningless once he’s on his meds.

But then Neil Josten comes along.

And this boy doesn’t drink. He doesn’t like hard liquors because it reminds him too much of bad memories. All those times his mother made him chug them in order to withstand the pain of her stitching him up? Not something he wants to relive.

But after everything goes down in canon, Neil finally can let down his guard. He’s out at Eden’s with all of the foxes, watching them let loose, and decides maybe he should give it another shot.

So the Foxes start him off with something classic. A strawberry daiquiri.

Because Neil loves fruit -and again, he’s kind of a newbie to the whole alcohol thing.

He takes a sip and immediately wrinkles his nose because damn- it’s so sweet. So without thinking, he pushes it off on Andrew.

And Andrew kind of shrugs because whatever. It’s alcohol. He didn’t pay for it. And they got the drink for Neil- not him. He knows Neil will just leave it. So he’s doing them all a favor really by not wasting it.

But here’s the thing: Andrew loves sugar.

So he takes that first swig and is like what.

No really. What.

Alcohol could taste like this? Like...WTF?

Then he downs the whole thing in ten seconds flat.

And of course, he doesn’t say anything, but Neil notices.

So then Neil keeps ordering things each time they’re at Eden’s, taking a single sip, and handing them off to Andrew. Peach Bellini's. Pina Coladas. Margaritas. Sex on the Beach. Hurricanes. Rum Runners.

And Andrew never says anything, but he takes each one. And he always finishes them.

Then one day Neil has a stroke of brilliance.

He waits until Andrew and him are in Columbia alone, when he pulls out a blender. Andrew’s brow lifts as Neil unpacks some ingredients that Andrew didn’t know they had: Kahlua, Bailey’s, Vodka. Chocolate syrup & ice cream.

And Neil makes him a Mudslide for the first time.

It’s something he’s only seen on a menu once or twice but he just had a feeling this would be something up Andrew’s alley.

And holy crap does Andrew’s world explode.

Now, whenever Neil and him are alone, they make Dirty Bananas and White Russians and Chocolate Martinis and Grasshoppers.

And while Neil still doesn’t drink much, he enjoys making Andrew something he can tell Andrew likes.

And slowly the other foxes start catching on.

Kevin, of course, is the first to notice. He’s caught on to Neil’s little game of ordering drinks at Eden’s, even if he’s not too pleased with the extra calories Andrew is now consuming.

So when he’s drinking in their dorm room and keeps catching Andrew eyeing up his vodka bottle and frowning at it, he finally gets up, grabs the orange juice from the fridge, takes out some Peach Schnapps, and makes them both a Hairy Navel. Then he walks back over to the couch and sets it down in front of Andrew without asking.

(Andrew lets the drink sit there for an hour just to spite him before he finally caves. He drinks the entire thing and then just stares at Kevin the next night until he makes him another. They never talk about it but it becomes their “thing”.)

Renee makes Andrew a boozy frozen lemonade, while she keeps hers non-alcoholic, and they drink them on Abby’s back porch in the summer while they look up at the stars.

Nicky makes them cosmos while they binge-watch some reality show, delighting in whenever Andrew makes a sarcastic comment.

Whenever the foxes all go out together, Dan grabs her and Andrew a Moscow Mule. (Only once has she gotten him to clink mugs with her, but she will never forget it)

At a festival once, Allison grabs a wine slushy for herself and slides another across the table to Andrew. Neither of them acknowledge the action, although Andrew does sip at it for the rest of the day. (And Dan has photo proof that it happened up on the team’s board. It’s one of the only pictures of Allison and Andrew together)

The one time Andrew and Matt are forced to do the breakfast run together while the other Foxes nurse hangovers after a banquet, Matt orders them both Mimosas while they wait for their order to be finished. They sit on a wooden bench by the door and chug the glasses together silently.

From then on, if they’re at breakfast together and Mimosas are available, Matt will always order two and give one to Andrew. And he has to hide a grin behind his hand because Andrew always takes it.

When Aaron finally breaks the news to Andrew that he’s marrying Katelyn (and wants Andrew to be his best man) he makes him a caramel apple butterscotch cocktail to sweeten the deal. (It works).

Because after all, Andrew never gets drunk. It’s not in his nature to be that vulnerable or out of control. But enjoying a single, sweet cocktail here or there? When he’s alone with Neil? Or with the other Foxes? He allows himself this one tiny indulgence.

And it pleases Neil to no end seeing Andrew enjoying them.

#andrew minyard #neil josten #andreil #frou frou #cocktails #headcanon #foxes #aftg #the foxhole court #all for the game #really ran with this #did i say small?#I meant in depth and detailed theory #totally self indulgent #has anyone done this before?#sorry if i missed it #this is totally soft

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dilfsenshi · 4 years ago

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hi. im going to give you my pasta tomato sauce resippy, ok?

youll need a liquidiser of some kind for this. a stick blender is the best for this, and if you dont have one and can afford one i thoroughly recommend it, def my fav kitchen appliance lol.

this is a great recipe that i make all the time. it makes a huge amount of sauce that you can then freeze and defrost whenever you dont want to cook. ive persuaded myself its very cost effective vs jars of sauce, but ive never actually sat down and done the maths to verify it lol. its def reasonably cheap though, its all veggies! this sauce always comes out a little different every time, which i quite enjoy :)

heres the ingredients list

1kg of tomatoes

2-3 medium carrots

1-2 sticks of celery

1 large onion (red onion is delicious on this, but brown is good too)

2 peppers (red + another is best but it doesnt matter too much)

garlic. i wont tell you how much you should use, i trust you. i tend to go for 5-6 cloves though

OPTIONAL chilli. i usually have a spare birdseye lying around

OPTIONAL mushrooms

OPTIONAL tomato paste/pure, if u live in a country where tomatoes are a bit flavourless (like the uk 🤕)

herbs and spices of your choice. recommended: oregano, paprika, chilli powder (if no fresh), mixed herbs, fresh basil

ok! you can make more sauce really easily by just adding more veg. i often use more than a kilo of tomatoes, its really not a precision recipe. its is technically very easy, it just requires a lot of veg chopping. it will take anywhere between 40 mins to an hour and a bit, depending on how fast you chop.

get a BIG pot and put it on low heat. chop your tomatoes into quarters w a serrated knife and put them in your pot. the idea is these will eventually break down. you may need to squeeze them down a bit with a wooden spoon. you dont need to wait for them to do so completely, just until theres enough liquid for your keep your other veg from burning

chop your onions and garlic and add them to the pot. youll want to do this with all your veg believe it or not.

the order i generally go in is onion+garlic > fresh chilli > carrot > pepper > celery. just roughly chopped is fine, just so long as it cooks! dont put the mushrooms in right now, the texture will be unpleasant.

once everythings in, youll need to add 1 1/2 tsp of sugar. this step is important, dont be tempted to skip it. itll cut down the acidity of the sauce and make it edible lol

it all needs to cook for about 15 minutes. if youre me, youll spend this time cracking open a beer and doing the dishes youve been ignoring all day.

once youre done with the dishes, your sauce will be ready for mushrooms and seasoning. you can add more herbs and spices later once youve blended your sauce, so dont go overboard. add the purée at this point, if using.

cook for another 10-15 mins, until your veggies are soft, then blend!

once its smooth, adjust seasoning and purée to taste and then add 1/2 tbsp of oil. i dont know what this step does but my mummy tells me to do it and i listen to her. keep your heat very low, as your sauce will spit a bit at this stage. cook for another 2-3 mins, and youre done!

i hope you enjoy my resippy and if you dont pls dont tell me ill get sad

#savoury #mine #sauces #freezable

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tfcocktails · 5 years ago

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THE SIMIAN SPECIAL

Simians come in many shapes and sizes, from the graceful chimpanzee to the hulking gorilla. It tends to reason, therefore, that the perfect cocktail combination would have to be just as varied! I wanted to create a drink which was slushie like because summer is here, and it just ran away with me. Get those blenders ready you soon to be devolved hominids. I suggest starting with the base of this cocktail. Once you start devolving it gets hard to use complex tools.

Smoothie base:

Ingredients

-1 Frozen Banana

-The juice of 2 Oranges

-1 cup milk

-1 cup ice

To start we need make sure and get good bananas. What you are looking for is yellow. Buy ripe bananas, even if they have a few dark spots. These are going to be frozen so no worries about wasting. Also, they are delicious to eat while you work. Just peel from the bottom and enjoy a classic treat. Fair warning, doing this will cause your hands to grow rougher. In the case of spontaneous gorilla-fication there might be some color shift and hair growth. This is a perfectly natural part of making this recipe. If you have concerns, pop a banana in your mouth and say eek!

Can you substitute the fresh squeezed oranges with OJ? Yes. Just use 1 and ½ cups, but it will not be as good you cheeky monkey. Juicing your own fruit puts hair on your tail (or arms depending on which you are transforming into). You can also swap out for Almond milk. Lactose intolerance is no excuse to avoid a great ape aperitif. The frozen banana is a must. Just peel and freeze it for a few hours. Throw all these ingredients in a blender and run it until you cannot not hear the ice popping around. You might need to spatulate it with a spatula. That is just you ooking.

Now we come to the choices. For those of you who want to hit the liquor hard, I suggest the Mad Monkey Martini. You will need:

Ingredients

-A martini glass half filled with the slush base. (Or any cup, but I think the martini glass is pretty!)

-1 shot vodka, I used Russian Standard

-½ shot Triple Sec

-½ shot banana liqueur. Use quality, taste it first. I used this weird stuff imported from South America. Probably not magic at all.

Pour each shot over the slush base and stir it until the drink becomes smooth. I stirred rather than used a cocktail shaker to help maintain the ice crystals. I like a chunky monkey smoothie! You will too. Remember to taste test. Everyone’s drink palette is different. Take a drink, scratch your chin, and ponder. Is it strong enough? If you do not feel some hair starting to grow on your face, I suggest extra vodka.

This drink is strong, and the slush base makes enough for about five cocktails! By the second one, do not be surprised to feel a tail snaking its way out of your pants. This will come in handy, as studies have shown a monkey tail is perfect for holding bottles of booze (A.P.Et al, 2020). This frees your hands up to hold more glasses. This is an important moment, please remove your socks and shoes. Set those toes free. Get a good stretch, and feel the bones move as they become hands. Pro simians can hold up to five glasses in one sitting. Ook it proud, monkey butt! Leftover bananas make the perfect after booze snack.

At this point your body is going to feel very devolved. This is a good thing! Remember to drink responsibly. However, for those adventurous simians who want something on the sweeter side might I offer the Dangerously Devolving Daiquiri! You will need:

Ingredients

-A martini glass half filled with the slush base.

-1 shot White Rum (I used cheap Captain Morgan)

-1/2 shot Limoncello (If you can find Orancello use this. Going to have to try making some myself.)

-1/2 shot Banana Liqueur

Again, just pour the smoothie mixture into the glass until it is half full. Then top with each of the alcohols and stir. The drink will become extra smooth and silky. In fact, every stir of the spoon is practically hypnotic. You will have to drink this cocktail. Monkey see, monkey do. Surprise, the one with knuckles on the ground is you! Fighting gravity is pointless. Let yourself fall to the floor like a good ape. You can still hold your glass and drink. This time the cocktail will be smooth and sweet, with all the best notes of banana and citrus.

Just relax and feel the cold booze taking away all your worries. Human troubles are for humans. You are now one well primed ape. Beat your chest, have several more. Did you know this smoothie also makes a great base for a workout recovery drink? It is so refreshing you will not worry about how swole your arms are getting.

Good ook. Whether you become a musclebound gorilla, cheery chimpanzee, or manic monkey this drink can get the job done. Remember, to try and catch a glimpse of your reflection in the glass while you indulge. There is nothing finer than to catch sight of your facial features devolving. It is so zen how your brow flexes and becomes more prominent. Again, it is perfectly natural at this point for your face to press forwards into a muzzle. Flat mouths are a human affectation. Remember, the larger the mouth the more bananas that you can fit in. Trust me, you want to be able to eat them a bunch at a time.

Again, remember to drink responsibly while you are still smart enough to plan ahead. Invite some friends over for a rousing night of D&D. This can easily stand for Drinking and Devolving. Feel free to half or double this recipe to suit the appropriate number of ookers.

Hey Mr. Cocktail Maker, you hoot and howl, why not add the alcohol in with the blender so I don’t have to stir? Simple, my good, dumb, monkey follower. You never know how many drinks it will take to turn you into a drunken ape. Wasting delicious banana smoothies is a sin. This stuff makes an excellent anti-hangover drink after you have polished off your glasses. Just add in some extra OJ, lemon juice, or fruit juice of your choice and enjoy. Trust me. Nothing is better once your taste buds have devolved than a fresh fruit smoothie.

Warning, banana addiction is a serious problem for some simians. It can cause them to indulge in all kinds of monkey shines in search of the next fix. Hard to turn back into a human when you are itching for your next hit off the yellow stick. Then again, why would you ever want to turn back?

#furry #transformation #cocktail #recipe

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living-dead-parker · 6 years ago

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Makeup - P.P

Summary: Free makeover for the Avengers; courtesy of Y/N Stark and Peter Parker

Warnings: maybe cussing and idk shit about makeup so plz don’t hate me lol

Word Count: 1.5k

Tony Stark never really thought he'd be in his current situation. The same could be argued for almost every other situation he's been in, so at this point, he's not sure why he's surprised. Not that it's bad, because this is for anyone and everyone. However, it's not something he actively thought about. Not something he actively sought. In fact, he never even thought this was a possible outcome of anything. But alas, here he is; in his daughter's bed listening to how Peter knows about doing makeup, with his face beat.

Beat in a completely different way than usual.

"So are you feeling a bright flamboyant look or a dark brooding look?" you ask the man. Peter sits diagonally across from him while you sit in front of him. His eyes are set on the giant makeup case you have. Well, one of, at least. His gaze moves back towards you and he looks so concerned.

"A broodingly flamboyant look sounds nice," Tony responds to his daughter. A wide smile grows upon your lips as you jump up. You grab hold of his hand and pull him up. He nearly falls as you drag him to the vanity just a few feet away from your TV. Peter is quick to take off the movie that is currently playing and replaces it with the sound of one of your many playlists. Tony seems a little hesitant as he sees you grab one of the two cases filled with makeup. You open the big rosegold case from the top, showing a hollow top with a mirror.

From the corner of his eye, Tony can see Peter pulling up a chair and sitting at the edge of the vanity. Tony's not so sure why the boy is hooked on watching his daughter work on some makeup, but Peter always seems so intrigued. Ultimately, Tony decides to get comfortable and leans back in the chair. He scrolls through his phone, deciding to figure out how Instagram works. He doesn't see the point in it but ultimately decides on making an account because he wants to be in the loop. Plus, he found your finsta and he gets a laugh at how you explain every Avengers encounter. That or all your stupid rants and Peter's equally stupid comments.

"Alright dad, I'm gonna do some foundation and we're really gonna hit your under eyes with tons of concealer," you begin explaining as you begin pulling out brushes and pallets and plenty of other things, of which Tony does not know the purpose. "Peter, can you please wet the blender, baby?"

Tony mentally awes, but chuckles as Peter eagerly jumps up and does as he's asked. The young man returns with a pink egg-looking thing in his hand. Peter takes his seat as you begin putting makeup on your father. He continues scrolling through Instagram. He'll start laughing at the most random things he sees. You're already a long way into the process. His whole face has been coated with at least one layer of something. You've begun working on his eyes now. His eyebrows are done, eyeshadow applicated, and now you're working on his eyeliner. He's really beginning to look good and Peter is just as shocked as Tony.

"Hey-" Steve begins as he and Nat walk into the room. His brows furrow as he sees Tony in your vanity chair as you hover over him with some makeup in hand. "What's going on?"

"Y/N is doing Tony's makeup and he looks amazing in it!" Peter compliments. You blow him a kiss, which he catches and slaps on his cheek. "Wanna have your makeup done?" Peter asks. Steve chuckles and shakes.

"I don't wear makeup, plus Y/N is busy," Steve responds. Nat is stood there under the door frame and she's stunned into a silence still. She hasn't moved one inch.

"Nonsense, I can do it!" Peter offers excitedly. He doesn't notice the glare you send Steve's way, telling him to just do it. Steve sighs and nods, moving towards the vanity. The song switches from some ACDC song Tony used to sing to you to Bartender by T-Pain.

Peter moves from his seat and lets Steve take over it as Peter looks over at all the makeup. For someone of your skin tone, you have a wide range of colors for foundation. In fact, you have foundation for someone of Loki's complexion -in fact, the only reason you'd bought it was to use it on Loki, he only trusts you with makeup- all the way to someone of Rhodey's complexion. No one really knows why but they don't question it. So Peter grabs a tone to match Steve's complexion as he's much paler than Tony.

As the two young adults work on the two men, the team begins to pile into the room upon Nat's request. She's initially called for Rhodey and Bucky to come in to see their best friends getting their faces beat. However; Vision, Wanda, Sam, and Pepper has all wandered into the room. Neither of you really noticed as they piled on to your bed or sat on the couch on the opposite wall of your room. Not after Steve had asked the question that started the almost two-hour story.

"How does Peter know how to do makeup?"

You'd paused for a few seconds to think of it, remembering the day as if it happened just yesterday once the memories came flooding in. "It was a little over a year ago," you begin as you move to look at all the lipstick colors you own. You'd gone for a black and burgundy look on your dad and it looked amazing. You opted for the burgundy matte lipstick. He's not a lipgloss type of man. "Peter was watching me do my makeup because I was bored, and he started jokingly trying to do his own look," you continue.

"Yeah, and so her makeup came out really good and mine made me look like a clown. She asked if she could do my makeup, to which I agreed," Peter continues. He begins working Steve's eyes, having finished with all the cheek and jaw stuff. "I actually really liked how I looked and it gave me a slight boost in my confidence, so I began to watch how she did her makeup, taking in every step."

Not even a full minute after, Tony was being replaced with Nat as she takes a seat in the vanity chair. "So, one day, I'm over at his apartment and I walk into the restroom and I see all these different makeup products, and I ask Peter if May needs an update on her makeup because it's all very damaged. Luckily, it was all cheap palettes, cheaper but functional makeup," you continue explaining, seeing you only have to work on Nat's contour, highlight, eyes and lips. You started right away on the contour.

Peter continues explaining how he admitted it was his, but while he knew where things went, he didn't know how to properly apply, how much and how to take care of it all. He describes how you brought him back, gave him lessons at least once every weak and how once you knew he had it all down, you took him to buy himself some makeup for whenever he wanted it. He explains how he doesn't do his makeup a lot, only when he really wants a confidence boost or when you go out with friends to gay clubs or something. You both explain how the makeup sessions strengthened your relationship and how it's been a staple to your relationship. All while this story is being told, you manage to finish Nat's makeup, as well as Sam's makeup. Peter managed to do Bucky's and Wanda's. Pepper began to do her own makeup, just touching up on it after you taught her your ways. Now Peter and you are finishing up on Rhodey's makeup, completing the whole team.

However, as you add the finishing touched to Rhodey's look and touching up your father's eyeshadow with a fuck ton of glitter, you're all being warned about a sudden attack on New York. None of you had time to remove your makeup, only enough time to barely suit up. You all run to grab your suits, quickly getting into your suits and heading towards the danger. Upon arrival, you see some space aliens attempting to kill civilians, so you and Wanda team up with Peter and Sam to evacuate. They were all shaken but they followed. While this was happening, Bucky, Steve, Tony, Nat, Vision, and Rhodey are all fighting. The battle takes a good few hours as you all kill these monsters. However, at the end of it all, the heroes are all beaten and tired. They're hungry and thirsty, and every other possible thing. However, you ask for masks off and once all the masks are off -well only five of them, already including you- you snap a quick selfie of everyone staring at you oddly.

"Your makeup, all of yours, it's still intact!" you say excitedly.

"Did we really fight with makeup on?" Steve asks. In record time too, so you might just convince them the makeup made a difference.

Please send in requests and feedback!! Send in asks about anything as well y’all, come talk to me!!

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sachigram · 6 years ago

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Hearts like Ours chapter 9

((click here to read on ao3!!!!))

Izaya has a list of odd habits Shizuo is starting to notice. It's impossible not to, since Shizuo insists on being in Izaya's space more often than not, but Izaya seems to take people knowing him so personally, like it's something foul and rude. Shizuo wonders a lot why Izaya is the way he is. That, at least, is something from high school that hasn't changed between them.

Izaya cares a lot about his appearance. It's funny, actually, that someone who belittles others for such flippant things probably cares more than anyone else. Izaya has a skincare routine that has at least ten steps. Shizuo never remembers to count them all, but Izaya's skin always smells like different things. Izaya also seems to have an obsession with his nails. He always mentions getting a manicure, but Shizuo doesn't really notice a difference in Izaya's nails. He just notices Izaya picking at them a lot.

“Don't you have a scale?” Izaya asks the day after Shizuo forcefully held him all night to make him sleep.

“No,” Shizuo says.

Izaya gives him an incredulous look, and then disappears into Shizuo's bathroom for a long time. He comes out looking perfect as always, but he looks unhappy about something. Shizuo knows better than to ask, since Izaya seems to just like to blurt out things on his own terms. Shizuo is in the middle of brushing his teeth when Izaya finally voices his thoughts.

“Your place is so basic. You don't have anything to groom yourself! Not even tweezers. How does someone like you even keep up with bleaching his hair?”

“It's easy. Roots show, go to the salon. It's not hard,” Shizuo says after he spits into the sink.

“But what salon do you go to? How do you afford it? It's not cheap. And you don't make jack shit, I already know how much you make,” Izaya says flippantly.

“Wha— Shitty flea! Don't snoop into my stuff!” Shizuo growls in vain. He knows Izaya already knows most of what there is to know about him.

Izaya hums and crosses his arms while he looks up at Shizuo inquisitively. Always thinking, that's two words Shizuo would use to best describe Izaya.

“Why don't I take you to my salon?” Izaya finally asks. There's a gleam in his eye Shizuo doesn't trust. Old habits die hard.

“No.”

Izaya pouts. “Oh come on. You aren't doing anything better, and you're going to follow me even if I go, right? So you might as well agree with me now.”

“Why do you care how I look?” Shizuo asks. Izaya rolls his eyes.

“I don't. It'll be fun just to watch you try to fit in with the other patrons. Also, it might be good for you to learn some proper grooming habits, lest your beastly facial hair consume your entire body.”

Shizuo rubs a quick inconspicuous hand over his chin to make sure he doesn't have stubble growing in. He doesn't. Izaya is grinning at him smugly when Shizuo returns to glaring at him.

“Don't you have something better to do today than to give me a makeover?” Shizuo huffs.

“Nope! I'm all yours for the day, Shizu-chan, isn't that exciting?”

“It's annoying. You're annoying.”

“And yet, you insist on being around me anyway. Perhaps you're a masochist. It would explain a few things.” Izaya turns on his heel and goes to grab his coat.

“Maybe I'll just stay here,” Shizuo says, but Izaya is already going out the door.

“That's fine. I've got no problems going alone. See ya!”

Shizuo waits a full ten seconds before following after him.

“Goddammit,” he mutters as he locks the door behind him.

***

The place Izaya drags him to is swanky and reminds Shizuo of the embodiment of a higher tax bracket. It's filled with women, some in chairs getting their hair done, others on the opposite side, getting their nails or toes done. The smell of acetone, bleach, and shellac burns at Shizuo's nostrils, but he has to admit, this is definitely nicer than the little hole in the wall he usually frequents every few months for touch-ups.

“Izaya-san!” A woman with wild red hair motions them over. Shizuo follows behind Izaya, who greets the woman like an old friend.

“Jeni, how are you?” Izaya asks, taking her hands in his and smiling in a way that makes Shizuo want to walk quickly in the opposite direction. He rarely sees Izaya being genuinely nice to people. It's weird.

“I've been great! Business is booming, as you can see.” Her curious eyes land on Shizuo. “You brought a friend?”

“More like a rescue,” Izaya says. “He doesn't even have tweezers, Jen.” Izaya takes his hands back and motion to Shizuo, then makes a face that the woman laughs at. “I'm hoping to shower him in my wisdom and have him actually retain at least a third of it. He's very stupid, you see.”

“I-za-yaaaaaa...” Shizuo growls menacingly.

“Well, this is something else!” Jeni laughs and then smiles warmly at Shizuo. “I don't see the great Orihara Izaya in forever, and when I do see him again, he actually brings in someone else.”

“Oh, make no mistake. I'll be getting my nails done while I'm here,” Izaya assures her. “Only if you're free, though. I don't want anyone else touching me.”

“Of course,” Jeni says flippantly. “I know how peculiar you are.”

They end up waiting a while. Izaya didn't call to make an appointment, and the salon is really very busy. Shizuo sits beside Izaya in cushy chairs, frowning as Izaya opens a fashion magazine. Izaya crosses his legs and seems completely content, and Shizuo has only sat for about five minutes before he can't stand it anymore.

“Oi.”

Izaya glances at him, closes the magazine, and offers his attention with only a hint of underlying smarmy asshole lurking beneath. It still makes Shizuo's teeth clench from reflex, and he's having to pry them apart before he slips and gives Izaya what he wants, which is clearly Shizuo's aggression.

“Why the fuck are you doing this?” Shizuo asks.

“I've never been thanked in such a roundabout fashion before, but I'm still happy to receive your praise, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says.

“I'm not thanking you. I don't see why we're even here. If you wanna do this namby-pamby shit, that's fine, but maybe just do it to yourself.”

“The fact you consider basic grooming as 'namby-pamby' is exactly what's wrong with the patriarchy. This is a lesson in hygiene and masculinity.” Izaya hums, and then smirks in that way of his. “Besides, you're too high-strung. I don't even know what an amoeba like you has to worry about, but I get tired of hearing you think. I can practically smell the fumes from your brain short-circuiting.”

“Yeah? And who do I have to blame for that, huh? Oh, let's see, the same guy who's been a pain in my ass since the second I met him?” Shizuo barks.

“Yes, but I don't even have an ulterior motive here. I'm not bothering you. If you want to leave, leave. The door is there, and honestly these ladies would probably be happy to not bleach your hair today. It takes a while, you know? But I am staying. I need some r&r.”

Shizuo chews his cheek, tastes blood, and then huffs. He watches with irritation as Izaya opens the magazine back up, and then in a last ditch effort to annoy him, Shizuo takes the magazine and throws it as far as he can across the salon.

“You know what I hate?” Shizuo asks when Izaya glares at him.

“Is it me? Please say it's me.”

“I hate the way you do things. How hard is it to say 'hey you've been stressed so I am taking you out today'? Is it that hard for you to admit when you're doing nice things for other people? It's like you coat every action in bullshit and then expect everyone to get it.”

“I don't know what you mean, as usual. You're here because you refuse to leave me alone. I'm here because I want to be. Thinking I'm doing any of this for you is incorrect, but if you want to see it that way, I can't stop you.” Izaya glances wistfully at his nails. “I really do just want to be pampered by beautiful ladies. Surely you can relate.”

Shizuo can't, actually. The woman who usually bleaches his hair could probably give Simon a run for his money as far as muscles go, and she wrenches at Shizuo's hair with a Godzilla grip so tight it's a miracle he has hair left to bleach. Sometimes Shizuo considers going back to his natural hair color, but he doesn't want to get confused for Kasuka. People only ever say he looks like Kasuka after getting close to him, but from a distance, with his golden hair, it's easier to differentiate.

“Yeah, okay, fine,” Shizuo says. “Thanks anyway.”

Izaya blinks, and then the corners of his mouth twitch upwards. “You're welcome.”

Izaya is called first, and he chats it up with Jeni, who seems so immersed in her work it's a wonder she can carry a conversation. Shizuo is collected by another pretty woman, who comes to escort him to her chair, and wants to know how Shizuo usually gets his hair done.

Shizuo doesn't have any answers other than the obvious one, and the girl's smile remains a patient one, and she's more than happy to take the reigns. Izaya wanders over a little while later, and takes a seat on the arm of Shizuo's chair.

“You look like one of those conspiracy theorists who wrap their head in foil to stop the aliens from reading their thoughts.”

“Yeah, this is taking forever,” Shizuo says.

“It's supposed to.”

“I do this all the time. Swear it's taking longer than usual.”

Izaya rolls his eyes, and then lifts his hand to take a piece of Shizuo's foiled hair between his fingers.

“It's being done right. Learn some patience, Shizu-chan.”

Shizuo considers this, and also considers his life at this point, which is definitely more bizarre than he ever could've imagined. He's in a beauty salon with Izaya Orihara, and they're behaving like old friends rather than two people who have tried to kill each other more than once.

He wants to voice these things and talk them out, but it's pointless. He can't articulate, and even if he could, Izaya is a human blender who mixes up the words and jumbles them into something else so it's insulting even when it wasn't originally. Izaya isn't ready to hear things that Shizuo wants to say. Still, Shizuo wants to say them.

“How do you know that chick anyway?” Shizuo asks, his eyes on Jeni.

“She works at the strip club Shiki frequents. She came to me for a job once.”

“What kind of job?”

“Ah, ah, Shizu-chan, what have I said about asking me about work? Don't. I'll never say anything you like.”

Shizuo wants to see Izaya's face but can't, mainly because Izaya is perched at his side and looking away, but also because Izaya rarely looks right at him anymore.

“Sorry, Orihara-san, but we have to rinse the bleach out now!” The peppy girl appears at Shizuo's other side and whisks him away to the sink, but Izaya is still perched on the chair arm when Shizuo comes back, though he's looking at his phone. He looks up at Shizuo finally and nods.

“Much better. Your roots were really bothering me.”

“Yeah, no shit. You only mentioned them all the time.”

“It had to be mentioned. Otherwise you would've kept thinking you looked fine, which you didn't.” Izaya goes with the girl and Jeni to pay the bill, which Shizuo doesn't even want to look at. Sometimes he feels bad about how little money he makes, but then he remembers it's not from lack of trying, and Izaya is the one who kept getting him fired, so then he just usually ends up angry about it.

“Your nails look the same,” Shizuo says bitingly when Izaya returns. Sometimes, most of the time, Shizuo can't help needling at Izaya, because he still thinks Izaya deserves it.

“You're lying,” Izaya says, clearly unconcerned. “If you're going to insult me, you should mean it.”

“I do mean it!”

“Please, Shizu-chan. You can't lie to me, and trying is pointless.” Izaya has his phone out again. “Shinra is adamant, and I'm tired of dealing with him. Don't you have your phone? He's trying to talk to you through me, and it's insulting.”

“Oh, no, I left it. Not working today, and you're here, so I don't need it.” Shizuo wishes now he'd sat still to have his hair dried, because it's cold and windy, but he's also just so happy to be out of that salon. Fair trade, he decides.

“How pathetically simple.”

“What does he want now?” Shizuo asks.

“Our presence. He's having a New Year's gathering.”

“I hate gatherings.”

“We can agree on that. Also, I'm not a fan of anything relating to the new year, though I do love watching people get so worked up about it. There's a certain thrill in the air when people convince themselves they can change everything in their lives in one night.”

Izaya has that manic gleam, and Shizuo tries not to be bothered by it.

“It's not even Christmas yet,” Shizuo says.

“It's almost Christmas, and Shinra always gets up in arms about the holidays. He uses them as an excuse to be even more obnoxious.” Izaya tucks his phone away.

“Do you celebrate the holidays?” Shizuo asks, feeling stupid because he's sure Izaya will be a condescending prick about it. Shizuo loves the holidays. Or at least, he loves what they represent.

“Not usually. My sisters sometimes invite themselves over, but we don't have a tradition. I suppose you do?”

“Kasuka is always busy, and I find reasons not to go to Shinra's. But yeah, I like Christmas. And New Year's. It's fun to do different shit.”

“Shinra would probably shit himself if we showed up to his gathering then. I never go either.” Izaya pauses. “I haven't been invited the last couple years, actually. But that's understandable.”

Shizuo can tell from Izaya's tone that Izaya doesn't find it understandable in the least, but surely some part of Izaya does understand just how intolerable he was for a while there. Shizuo understand how intolerable he was, so consumed by hatred. He and Izaya certainly used to bring out the worst in each other.

“So, let's go together,” Shizuo says. Izaya looks up at him like his head is on fire.

“Why, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, a grin forming on his face, “are you asking me out?”

Shizuo frowns. He shrugs. “Sure. Yeah, I am. Let's go.”

“In that case, it's a definite no,” Izaya says, going back to walking. Shizuo growls and wraps a hand in Izaya's hood, pulling him back forcefully. Izaya glares hatefully up at him, his hand in his pocket, probably holding a knife handle.

“What's wrong, flea? Scared of a crowd?” Shizuo baits. He can see Izaya not wanting to rise to it, but Izaya's eyes darken at the challenge.

“Of course not. But going with you—“

“So then we're going. Or I'll drag you there myself.”

Izaya's eyes narrow further, and then he huffs, looking away. He kicks his legs out, and it's only then that Shizuo notices he's lifted Izaya off the ground a bit. Izaya really does weigh nothing.

“You're the worst. I hate you.” Izaya straightens as his feet land safely on the ground, and then he turns his back on Shizuo again, resuming his walk. Shizuo follows, of course, noting that Izaya never said it wasn't a real date they're going on.

***

Christmas comes and goes. Neither of them acknowledge it. Shizuo meets up with Celty in the park to exchange gifts, but otherwise life remains the same. Izaya gets himself some swanky hotel room and Shizuo is given the privilege of having his own key, though Izaya maintains it's only because Shizuo would break down the door otherwise.

He's sitting on a bench with Celty, smoking a cigarette as she fawns over her alien stuffed toy Shizuo gifted her with. Finally she turns to him, her PDA already lifted.

How are things with Izaya?

Shizuo blows out some smoke. “Fine.”

Her helmet turns to the side. Define “fine”.

“We don't fight as much. But we sill fight a lot.” Shizuo shrugs. “I don't think we'll ever really not fight. But he's not so bad.”

Celty's shoulders shake with silent laughter. Wow. I never thought I'd see this day. You and Izaya. Who would've thought?

Shizuo smiles. “I used to think if I'd given him the time of day back in school, things would've been different. If maybe we'd have been friends. He was always around people though, and it pissed me off because I thought I couldn't be. And now I see he was around them, but he wasn't part of them. Izaya has no idea how to be with anyone. I think we could've helped each other there.” Shizuo takes another puff of his cigarette. “But maybe I'm overthinking it. Things probably wouldn't have changed much.”

Celty takes a moment to respond. You've grown so patient. It's wonderful to see, Shizuo. I'm glad you and Izaya have worked things out. You've even made him more tolerable. I'm happy for you.

Shizuo laughs. “He isn't more tolerable. He's the worst guy I know. Don't put those expectations on me.”

The next message on Celty's PDA has him choking on smoke.

Do you love Izaya?

He coughs, accidentally crushing his cigarette and splintering some of the wood of the bench in the process. He looks at Celty with watering eyes. “Celty—what the fuck, don't ask me that!”

It's funny that even without a head, he can see her expression perfectly. She's pouting at him, it's clear to see.

I think it's okay you love him. I was worried about you for a while. But then Shinra said you two were the only ones who could handle each other, and I thought about how right that sounds.

Shizuo grinds his teeth together. “I never said I love him!”

But you do.

Shizuo stands and brushes the ashes off his pants, hating where this conversation has gone. This isn't how any conversation should go.

“I'll see you later. Gotta get back to work.”

Her hand catches his wrist.

Are you coming over New Year's Eve? It would mean a lot to Shinra and me!

“Yeah,” he says.

Is Izaya?

He chews at his cheek. “Yes.”

She lets him go, looking entirely smug, and never has Shizuo so badly wanted to throw a bench in his life. He hurries away and tries not to think about what she said.

He fails miserably.

By the time New Year's Eve rolls around, Shizuo feels anxious in a way he never has before. He's never had to worry about things like this. No one has ever wanted to date or be around him. He has an awful reputation, which he built himself to keep people away, but somehow he still ended up in this position with Izaya, who is very vocal about not wanting to be around Shizuo either.

But Izaya is the only person who really ever stayed.

“This is so stupid,” Izaya says for probably the tenth time in an hour. “Why did you agree to this? Why did you insist I go? I already suffered one gathering with these people.”

“You were gone a long time,” Shizuo says, pulling on one of the sweaters he brought to Izaya's hotel room. Izaya's apartment will be ready in the morning actually, but Shizuo has already gotten used to this huge hotel. Still, the TV can't compare to Izaya's. Neither can the couch.

“It's not like I was missed,” Izaya says. “They only want me to come because they know you won't go without me.”

It's actually funny how mad Izaya is getting about this. He somehow seems more pissed than he was that night they tried to kill each other. Izaya is huffy and keeps throwing stuff around. His shirt is short sleeved because Izaya hasn't been able to find anything else to wear yet, and Shizuo is getting an eyeful of the mark on his arm.

“What are you looking at so smugly?” Izaya snaps, looking from Shizuo to his own soulmate mark. “You've seen it before. Stop looking at it like it means something!”

“You're so mad. Just pick a sweater. They're all overpriced and swanky, what does it matter which one you pick?”

“Appearances are everything in my line of work,” Izaya huffs.

“You aren't working. You're going to a party.” Shizuo crosses his arms and grins at Izaya, who scowls at him.

“I'm always working!” Izaya snaps. He finally picks a soft black sweater and pulls it on. The static dishevels his hair, and his expression is still sour.

“Cute,” Shizuo says without thinking. Izaya pauses and looks up at him, some of the anger replaced with surprise. Then he scowls again.

“Don't look so smug, you stupid beast,” he says, but his cheeks are tinted pink. Shizuo's stomach tightens, and then feels weightless somehow.

“Are you almost ready? It's been an hour of you throwing around your clothes.”

Izaya throws a pair of socks at his head in answer.

By the time they arrive at Shinra's it's after dark and freezing outside. It's already snowed a bit the last week, but the clouds are ominous overhead, promising a snowstorm soon. Shizuo loves the snow, but he doesn't want to get stuck at Shinra's. They'll have to keep an eye on the weather outside.

“You guys made it!” Shinra shouts, hurrying to them. He lunges at Izaya, capturing him in a nonnegotiable hug, which Izaya looks mortified over. Shinra releases him and turns to Shizuo.

“Don't even try,” Shizuo says, holding his hand in front of himself. Shinra laughs in that stupid way of his.

“Come on guys, it's an exciting holiday! Live a little.”

“You're more annoying than usual. Have you been drinking all day?” Izaya asks.

“I've had a bit! It's a holiday!” Shinra reiterates.

“On that note, I'll be going to where the alcohol is,” Izaya says, leaving Shizuo's side. Shizuo frowns after him.

“Remember last time!” he calls. Izaya waves him off.

“Well,” Shinra says, “if there's ever a time to drink too much, it's a holiday.”

“If you say the word 'holiday' one more goddamn time, I'm throwing you out the window.”

Thankfully, Celty comes over and saves him from a drunk Shinra, who goes back to his usual mode of clinging to Celty, barely caring at all when she shoves her fist at him.

Don't mind him. He's been cut off until further notice from drinking.

“Probably best for everyone here,” Shizuo says. Celty nods sagely while Shinra wails, somehow knowing what her screen said without even reading it.

There are a bunch of people in the apartment. Some people, like Kadota's gang, Shizuo recognizes. Others, he doesn't. But he's wary of everyone. Some of these people could know the guys going after Izaya, and Izaya is probably going to drink himself stupid again.

Speaking of, shit, Shizuo should find him.

Izaya is speaking to some guy in a suit, a glass of wine in one hand, his other hand moving through the air as he emphasizes his words.

“Everyone here is probably thinking of how different they'll be tomorrow. It's like an archaic process that still holds true and has meaning for a month or two, but then everyone gives up on the resolution and goes back to their basic habits. It's ridiculous to celebrate but somehow we get roped into it every year,” Izaya is saying.

“Is this your way of saying you don't have a resolution, Orihara-san?” Suit Guy asks.

“Of course not. True change comes from life experience and human trauma. But I do love hearing what other people are doing. How about you, Nikimura-san? Are you starting anything new tomorrow?”

“My wife signed us up for weekly pottery classes.”

“How nice. Do you have any interest in pottery?”

“No, but it makes her happy. And the deposit is non-refundable. So we'll be sticking with it.”

It's incredibly amusing to see Izaya partaking in such mundane conversations. It seems more likely that Shizuo should approach and find Izaya talking about blowing up the world or something. Then again, Shinra works with the same people Izaya does, and the suit guy has probably killed more than a few people. Shizuo decides to go get something to drink himself, because unlike Izaya, he does enjoy the spirit of letting go on a holiday. At least a little.

“Shizuo!” Simon barks at him. Simon is in the kitchen, standing by the food and drinks. “You come to party, too?”

“Wow, Shinra even roped you into this, huh?” Shizuo asks.

“I bring sushi. Sushi good for New Year.”

“You think sushi is good for everything.” Shizuo decides on some of the fruity looking punch he finds. It's sickeningly sweet. He's sure it's filled to the brim with alcohol, too. Who makes stuff like this?

“Shizu-chan!” Erika calls, bounding over to him. “You're drinking our punch!”

Of course.

“What's in this shit?” he asks.

“Stuff,” Erika says, grinning deviously. “It's a tipsy punch.”

“It's full of bad decisions,” Walker says, joining them.

“I'm not drinking this,” Shizuo decides.

“Good, your teeth will fall out,” Izaya says, suddenly beside Shizuo. “Why not drink something nice? Then again, your alcohol tolerance is through the roof. I don't suppose anyone brought straight vodka, did they?”

“Shut up, I can drink what I want.” Shizuo sees beer, doesn't want it. He grabs some of the same wine Izaya has. It doesn't taste good, but it'll shut Izaya up for a moment. He can nurse this all night and keep an eye on Izaya, who has a flea-sized alcohol tolerance.

Izaya smirks at him, and Shizuo is reminded again of the last time they drank together, and how Izaya wound up sick and miserable.

“Relax,” Izaya says, seemingly reading Shizuo's mind. “I won't overdo it.”

“Good. Don't.”

“So, are you guys fucking yet?” Erika asks loudly, drawing stares from everyone around them. Shizuo spits out some wine. Walker slinks quietly from the room. Izaya gives her a placid stare.

“Yes,” Izaya says. “Shizuo is a power bottom.”

“What?!” Erika shouts, looking at Shizuo with glee. Shizuo glares at Izaya, who looks pleased with himself.

“What's that even mean?!” he barks.

“Erika, really, clearly he's a virgin. I don't know what you want from me,” Izaya says, motioning to Shizuo.

“I can give you some pointers...” Erika starts, and Shizuo stomps over to Izaya, picks him up with one arm, and carries him to the other side of the apartment.

Throughout the course of the night, Shinra somehow gets even drunker despite being “cut off”, and at some point he starts playing music on the stereo, some fast, techno music. He dances, and no one really joins him, but clearly no one is as drunk as he is either.

“This reminds me of high school,” Izaya says into Shizuo's ear. He has to get close to be heard over the music, and Shizuo thrills at the feeling of Izaya's breath against his skin, feels goosebumps.

“Why?” he asks.

“Shinra and I have drank together before. He came over to my place because my parents were never home and of course I knew how to get alcohol. He said Celty would never forgive him for underage drinking so he stayed the night.” There's a gleam of joy in Izaya's eyes. “He got wasted, danced, and threw up the rest of the night.”

“Sounds like you, minus the dancing,” Shizuo says. Izaya pouts at him.

“I rarely drink that much!” Izaya defends. “Clearly I overdid it last time, but here I am, on my second glass of wine, completely fine!”

“Did you dance with Shinra? Back then?” Shizuo asks, trying to picture it. He never really hung out with the two of them together. Each and every time he got near Izaya, they would start their usual shit despite Shinra's wailing.

Izaya smiles widely.

“Yes,” he says. “Does that make you jealous?”

Shizuo grumbles. “Yes.”

“Well then,” Izaya says, downing the rest of his glass in one gulp. Shizuo tries too late to take it from him. “You're about to get really jealous.”

When Izaya crosses the room to Shinra, Shizuo at first can't believe what he's seeing. But then, Izaya has always been good at pretending to not care what other people think. At the end of the day, he's always posturing, but for now maybe, with wine coursing through him, he really might not give a fuck. Shinra makes a gleeful noise and the two of them drunkenly sway together to the cheers of the crowd. Celty is shaking her head, helmet gleaming in the apartment lighting. Shizuo is jealous, but he's also glad to see Izaya having fun. He doesn't notice Kadota by him until Kadota speaks.

“Man. You've got it bad.”

“What?” Shizuo asks, turning from Izaya's laughing face to Kadota.

“When Shinra told us you were Izaya's soulmate, we all didn't really know what to make of it. But clearly it's working out. You're good for each other.” Kadota takes a swig of beer and nudges Shizuo, who feels extremely warm.

Maybe he is tipsy. He forgets how much he's had at this point, has been too focused on making sure Izaya hasn't had too much.

“Shut the fuck up, Kadota,” Shizuo grumbles, but of course Kadota isn't bothered by it at all.

“Are you having The Talk with Shizu-chan?” Erika suddenly shouts, coming over and draping herself over Kadota's back. Togusa is with her, who waves at Shizuo.

“Yeah,” Kadota says.

“I tried to, but he ran from me!”

“Probably because you made it nasty,” Togusa says.

“I don't need a talk!” Shizuo snaps. “Get away from me!”

Celty appears like an angelic vision and shoves her PDA in Kadota's face, who shrugs. She turns to Shizuo and puts a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Don't listen to them. You can make move on Izaya in your own time!

“Is everyone here drunk but me?!” Shizuo shouts, wondering how the hell Celty even could be without a head. “Shut up about me and Izaya!”

“Are we torturing Shizu-chan?” Izaya asks, joining them as Shinra basically tackles Celty, begging her to dance. He holds his hand out and Erika hands him another glass of wine. Shizuo growls at her.

“No one's trying to,” Kadota says.

“I am.” Izaya grins deviously and pulls Shizuo to him, who goes willingly, albeit confusedly. “You're going to dance with me.”

“You're drunk,” Shizuo accuses, but he still holds onto Izaya, who is swaying in his grasp.

“Guilty,” Izaya agrees. “But I'm not wasted. That's about all you can hope for.”

“It is a holiday,” Shizuo says, and Izaya smiles up at him in such an unguarded way and Shizuo can only think of how beautiful Izaya is like this, and like always, even when he's being a pain in the ass. Other people are dancing now too, though Shizuo doesn't notice anyone else really. He can't look away from Izaya, who seems to really enjoy the attention.

The party winds down later after people start filing out due to increasing snowfall outside. Celty invites them to stay the night, which they both turn down. Izaya is definitely verging on wasted by this point, and so is Shizuo for that matter, who had to drink twice as much just to match Izaya. Shinra hugs them both, weeping big tears, saying they're all going to dance at his and Celty's wedding.

Izaya arranges a cab for them and they stumble outside together, Shizuo drunkenly holding Izaya upright, though Izaya is draped over him for the most part. It's even colder than before somehow, and the snow is drizzling on them threateningly, telling them to get home soon or else. Izaya's cheeks are red from the cold, and he still just looks so happy. Shizuo's mind is a hazy fog and he finds he's forgotten half the night but he doesn't think he'll ever forget this, Izaya looking up at him through glazed eyes, windswept and gorgeous. Shizuo touches his cheek and leans down, capturing Izaya's lips in a kiss.

Izaya pulls away quickly, wide eyed and panic stricken.

“What are you doing?” he asks, though it comes out soft. “You can't do that.”

“Sorry,” Shizuo says dumbly.

“We're drunk,” Izaya says. “So it's...excusable.”

“I wanted to do it sober, too,” Shizuo says. Before Izaya can respond, their cab comes, and they get into the warm car in silence. The driver looks back at them and asks where to, and Izaya gives him the hotel address.

“Looks like you guys will barely beat this storm,” the driver says. Izaya strikes up a conversation with him but Shizuo barely listens to it, too busy thinking of Izaya's lips on his and how much he liked the feeling. And maybe it's because he's drunk and barely aware of what's going on, but when the car stops and Izaya helps drag him outside, Shizuo is confused by how they got back so fast.

“Really,” Izaya huffs, tugging at Shizuo, “you were worried about me overdoing it. You're the wasted one.”

“Sorry,” Shizuo says again.

“Whatever,” Izaya says, a sturdy anchor at his side. They reach the room and Izaya helps Shizuo reach the bed. Shizuo topples into it face-down, ready to sleep a thousand years.

“Oh,” Izaya says suddenly. Shizuo looks up at him blearily. “It's after midnight.”

“Wha...”

He finds himself cut off by Izaya's lips on his again, Izaya's weight settling beside him on the bed. Shizuo groans and lifts his hands, pulling Izaya closer, licking wetly at Izaya's lips until Izaya opens to him. It's definitely uncoordinated, but neither of them are sober. And Izaya isn't pulling away even if Shizuo is sloppy. Izaya tastes like wine and like everything Shizuo wants, and when Izaya pulls away at last, pupils fat and lips red from abuse, Shizuo decides he loves him more than anything, then and there.

“Happy New Year's, Shizu-chan.”

#shizaya #hearts like ours #drrr!!#Shizuo Heiwajima #Izaya Orihara #drrr!! fanfiction

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crankyveggiegirl · 6 years ago

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Gaz Oakley’s ‘Vegan Mac & Cheese’ Review

Firstly, I want to start off by saying that Gaz Oakley has been one of the most influential vegan chefs for me in the kitchen. When I saw that he made a video making vegan mac and cheese I was a bit skeptical because many of the recipes from other YouTubers I've tried before in the past. After watching his video and seeing just how great it looked, I figured I had to try it out for myself. That being said, here is my review on his vegan mac and cheese.

His recipe uses almonds instead of cashews, which I had never heard before when looking for vegan mac and cheese recipes. Most recipes on this call for soaked cashews or potatoes and carrots but this one required neither. It just requires almond slivers, almond milk, mustard, nutritional yeast (of course), coconut milk, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper.

When I made it, I used whole almonds (it was all I had on hand at the time but next time I will being using slivers to make it creamier) which it did take a bit longer in the blender than required just to get it to the right consistency, but it still came out great. I also wound up adding a bit more spices than in the video like garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, more nutritional yeast, and a bit of smoked paprika just to fit my own personal taste buds.

I tried it 2 ways just to see how it would compare being eaten straight onto noddles versus being baked in the oven casserole-style. Before I baked it, I sautéed some fresh broccoli with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper then mixed it in with the noodles and sauce and topped it with a drizzle of olive oil (just so it wouldn't dry out) and panko breadcrumbs.

Eaten straight just mixed in with noodles was TO DIE FOR. I have never had a vegan cheese sauce come out as creamy as this one (trust me, I’ve tried them all). The flavors were a bit bland for my personal liking but when used as a base cheese recipe, you really can't go wrong. When baked, I noticed it dried out fairly quickly so in the future I think I will try adding more almond milk and coconut milk before putting it in the oven. It reheats very well too (I’ve been eating it the past week straight and I’m still not tired of it) so it would be great for meal prep or just to store in the fridge for whenever you crave it.

All in all, I give this recipe a 9/10. Only got a point taken off for the tiny lack of flavor but I am most DEFINITELY making this again. It was creamy, quick, and fairly cheap to make (I walked out of Whole Foods only having spent about $15 on the ingredients). I am going to play around more with the flavors and ingredients of this recipe but it quickly just made its way to the top of my favorites.

Give this post a like if you want to see more vegan recipe reviews from me.

#vegan #veganism #mac and cheese #avantgardevegan #gaz oakley #cheese #vegan cheese #youtube #youtubers #favorites #review #recipe review

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cblgblog · 6 years ago

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That modern au where Therese Belivet gets a job in the burbs of Connecticut to save up for that next semester of college she can’t afford yet. Babysitting/nannying for Tammy, a housewife with two kids whose husband is perpetually away on business and never seems to even call his children.

Tammy has what her kids call “Mommy’s Playroom,” and Therese, who just saw 50 Shades, panics a moment before seeing that it’s just a garage with a whole lot of stuff in it. Like, mini-warehouse store garage.

“Ebay,” Tammy says.

Well, Therese isn’t entirely stupid, at least she hopes not. At least it’s bikes and blenders and game systems, not drugs like in that one show where the burbs mom sells drugs after her husband dies. At least Therese thinks it’s not drugs. Still, it’s probably illegal and she shouldn’t be involved.

But the pay is really, really good and she gets to stay at a house in Connecticut until summer ends…

So, Ebay it is.

One day she sneaks the kids a treat they’re not meant to have until after dinner. “Our secret, okay?”

“Snitches get stitches,” Keri replies with a solemn little nod.

Therese is a little freaked.

Another time, Derek, who may be the cutest little boy on Earth, accidentally breaks her admittedly old and cheap camera while playing with it. He cries and apologizes, and then tells her she should just grab a new one out of the garage. “Mommy’s got lots.”

She calls her friend Dannie to whisper about how she thinks she’s working for a smuggler or something.

“Like heroin?”

“No! I don’t think. Blenders and stuff, bikes.”

“Oh. Well if it’s just bikes and blenders…”

“Dannie.”

“What? She’s hot, she pays well, and she’s got a pool.”

All very valid points.

Therese wakes up one morning to the sound of a motorcycle revving in the drive. Downstairs, she finds the hottest 80’s throwback of a woman she’s ever seen. Lou, apparently. Old college friends, though Lou doesn’t look the academic type.

“Belivet, huh? What kind of name is that supposed to be?”

Therese is fairly sure she’s being mocked as the blonde rests her booted feet on Tammy’s coffee table and gets smacked for it. But the accent is so hot, even if she is being mocked. “It’s um, it’s Czech. Um—”

“Um? What’s ‘um?’ Do you have to think about your own name? Is that your own name? Tammy, have you done a background check on this person? She could be a criminal.”

Therese is horrified and flustered.

“What kind of name is Louella?” Tammy responds. “Ignore her, Therese. She fell off her bike many, many times as a child.”

“Oh fuck off, Tam-Tam.”

Derek scolds her for using a naughty word and points to the swear jar. Lou produces a fifty and tells him to split it with his sister. Derek’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. Tammy rolls hers. Then Tammy says she might be going on a trip and can Therese handle the kids herself for a few weeks?

“I’d pay extra, obviously.”

“Oh, that’s not—”

“Sweetheart?” Lou cuts in. “Let her pay extra. Trust me, she can afford it.”

Therese tries very hard to focus on Lou’s words and not every other gorgeous thing about her.

She calls Dannie again later to say something big is happening, she thinks, something very, very illegal, probably.

“Okay but, you have the house to yourself, right?”

“No, Dannie. The children will be here. That’s kind of the whole reason I’m here.”

“Okay yeah but, they sleep, right? At night? Can I call a few people over to—”

“No. Dannie, what if she’s in with the mob, what if gangsters show up to murder us?”

“You watch too many movies. Anything else going on?”

“Other than the fact I’ll probably die? No.” Therese thinks about it. “I mean, there was this woman who showed up this morning…”

#Ocean's 8/Carol #Ocean's 8 #Carol #Therese Belivet #Tammy #Lou Miller #crack post #au

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greatdrams · 6 years ago

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The difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky

One of the big things that both long-serving, and newer whisky drinkers ask me is about the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky so today I'm finally getting around to writing it up so there is a reference point for it on GreatDrams.

The whisky world is not created equal, and there are ironies within the industry that many whisky drinkers simply do not understand, especially around the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky.

Blended Scotch whisky has been around for around 300 years, but has only been created commercially since 1840 thanks to the first Master Blender, Andrew Usher. Before this, whisky from single distilleries - single malt, of sorts - were so random and inconsistent in flavour that trying to sell them was nigh on impossible because, in no small part, the flavour variance between batches was significant meaning that one batch of whisky from Distillery X may taste great this week, but next week it may be like fire water.

I'm telling you this because to understand the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky properly, you should understand how the categories evolved.

So what is the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky?

The two basic types of Scotch are:

Malt whisky which is made from 100% malted barley

Grain whisky which can be made from any grain (usually maize or wheat) but has to include a fraction of malted barley too

Malt whisky has to be distilled in pot stills, grain whisky is usually made in column stills.

Here's the crucial detail that defines the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky:

Single Malt Scotch Whisky is also a blend, but it is a blend of malt whisky produced in just one distillery so in effect the word 'single' means 'single place of origin' whereas Blended Scotch Whisky is a blend of grain and malt whisky from multiple distilleries.

Some of the best examples Blended Scotch Whisky

Dewar's Chivas Regal Ballantine's Grant's Johnnie Walker Compass Box The Antiquary Cutty Sark The Famous Grouse Bell's Royal Salute

Some of the best examples Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Craigellachie Aberfeldy Laphroaig Lagavulin Aberlour The Macallan Glenrothes Glenfiddich Ardbeg Glengoyne Aultmore Smokehead

There are five whisky categories that you should be aware of:

Single malt whisky – malt whisky from a single distillery

Single grain whisky – grain whisky from a single distillery (unusual)

Blended malt whisky – a mixture of malt whiskies from different distilleries

Blended grain whisky – a mixture of grain whiskies from different distilleries (unusual)

Blended whisky - a mixture of malt and grain whisky, usually from different distilleries

The hierarchy of whisky bottling types

For some additional context around the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky, let's talk about age, maturation and some production quirks

The requirement to mature whisky for three years minimum was not passed into law until the Immature Spirits Act of 1915, yet as we know whisky itself has been around for two or three hundred years. However, whisky in the eighteenth century was largely referred to as ‘fresh from the still’ as it was effectively new make or very young spirit.

The Immature Spirits Act came in to pacify the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lloyd George, who was a passionate anti-boozer who felt that the ills of alcohol were damaging the United Kingdom during World War One almost as much as the enemies they were fighting at the time. He did have a point; there is credible evidence to suggest that young, unmeasured spirit caused a lot of damage to individuals’ bodies, hence the term ‘blind drunk’, to the extent of making them unfit to help in the war effort. Lloyd George proposed an outright ban on alcohol during the war, a prohibition of sorts, but that was met with the obvious outcry you’d expect from a nation partial to a tipple or two.

Then stepped in a chap called James Stevenson, a whisky man who went on to become the chairman of Johnnie Walker but at the time served the war effort by overseeing the Ministry of Munitions. He pointed out that without alcohol production during the war, there would be no alcohol available to make high explosives or anaesthetic amongst other things. A deal was struck. The man had a point.

In one simple twist of legislative fate whisky went from being a menace to the British society of the time to being a thought-through, planned and quality product.

So essentially, if you boil it down, the three year minimum maturation period for whisky was enacted to slow supply in order that the government could stop drunk folk handling munitions during the First World War.

Whilst the romance of ‘bottled when ready’ is lovely, the reality is a lot more practical and rooted in political tussles, as so many things in today’s society are.

And why is this important? Because this is why Blended Scotch Whisky became so prominent at the time - Single Malt Scotch Whisky could not be trusted not to hurt those who drank it, whereas Blended Scotch Whisky was much more balanced, gradually turned heads away from cheap brandy and cognac - helped massively by the phylloxera parasite that swept through Central Europe decimating vineyards through the late 19th Century - and was easier to drink and to enjoy.

If you were alive in the 19th Century you would only have known about blends, single malt as a commercial product and category within the whisky market has only existed for a few decades.

William Grant & Sons are credited as one of the companies behind this market innovation when they released Glenfiddich as a brand in 1963 and product to sell through surplus stock instead of simply being a component in their volume product of Grant’s Family Reserve (known as Stand Fast back then).

The big irony here is that Grant’s released Glenfiddich they ran with a campaign titled “You may never stand for a Blended Scotch again” thus ensuring that consumers saw Single Malt as superior to Blended Scotch Whisky.

While we are here, let's have a quick word on age in whisky

By law, to be allowed to be called Scotch Whisky it has to be matured in Scotland in oak casks for at least 3 years

Bottled whisky may be a mixture of casks of any age over 3 years

Bottles do not have to have an age statement, but if there is one, the age on the label must be the age of the youngest whisky in the mix in completed years

A whisky aged 3 years and 364 days is legally still 3 years old

Blended Scotch Whisky and Single Malt Scotch Whisky is commonly bottled at ages from 10 to 21 years, but there are also younger and much older ages. The current record holders are bottled at an age of 75 years from a G&M release of a Mortlach single cask.

One final bit of knowledge any budding whisky drinker should know about is around maturation

Most casks have previously held American bourbon, but also sherry casks from Spain are common. To a lesser extent other cask types like port, madeira, rum or wine are used as well. Most whisky casks are re-used several times by distilleries.

Maturation takes place in warehouses. The traditional dunnage warehouses have stone walls and an earth floor which is believed to create perfect conditions for maturation. But there are also modern racked warehouses with concrete floor and steel walls where casks can be handled by forklifts.

During maturation, the clear new spirit extracts flavouring and colouring substances from the cask that are both from the wood and the remains of the previous cask filling. Because the casks are not totally airtight some of the spirit evaporates during maturation.

This is called the angels’ share, depending on the climate and the location of the cask in the warehouse this loss is typically between 1% and 2% per year.

There you have it, a full guide to the difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky as well as a load of context to put into perspective why the two spirits exist and the various quirks around their production and legalities.

The post The difference between Single Malt and Blended Scotch whisky appeared first on GreatDrams.

from GreatDrams https://ift.tt/2Oiz9kO Greg

#whisky #GreatDrams

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tisfan · 6 years ago

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But Not to Me

Chapter One and Two

Chapter Three

Ahch-to - midnight

Tony Stark, the last of the Jedi order, shook himself awake. Even now, decades from his long-ago and wasted youth, the habit remained. He rose every day, across the galaxy, when the first of Tattooine’s binary suns would rise, shedding crimson light over the sands of the desert wastes.

I do not like Tatooine, but I do like saying Tatooine.

Oh, Rhodey, old friend, how I do miss you, Tony thought. He opened the door to the small village hut that he’d chosen for himself. Rocks and stone, the door built from timber the likes of which his limited childhood imagination would never have believed.

He stepped over the boy -- well, man, really, but as guileless as a boy -- who was sleeping, curled up, near the sheltered side of the door. He was shivering, even in his sleep, and Tony viciously suppressed a twinge of sympathy. Hadn’t he, too, been cold, when he first left the sands of home.

And what was it, he wondered, about desert wastelands that they seemed to produce Jedi? Was it a lack of living things, so far between them that the natural habits of man to reach out, to connect, led to firmer, and stronger connections. So used to a lack of water, a lack of life, that once in the larger universe where such things were plentiful, they were powerful?

Bah. Power was useless.

Power was worse than useless. It was dangerous.

He pressed one hand against his arc-reactor.

He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil.

“Yeah, and what does that make me?” Tony demanded of the empty air around him. Only the loth-cats were interested in the question, but they didn’t know the answer.

He trudged all the way down the stairs to the Falcon. Couldn’t Rogers from Nowhere have found a better place to land?

The ship was beautiful, lithe and streamlined and filthy and falling apart, the way it always was. Tony wondered if it had ever been new. He boarded. Nothing, seemingly, had changed. It had fallen into greater disrepair. Even the old Dejarik board was broken. The little monsters that had once had their reign of the concentric circles that made up the gameplay space, were gone.

Tony sat at the bench, feeling the old memories seeped in the duriplas and carbosteel. Little snippets of conversation.

How he had loved this ship.

How he had lived for this ship.

Once. Before he’d come to Ahch-to to die.

There was a faint scrape, wheel against metal.

DUM-E clattered into the lounge, a very old blender in his claw, the fire extinguisher resting against the base of his arm-platform. He made an inquisitive noise and sat the blender down in front of Tony.

“Old friend,” Tony said, running one hand down DUM-E’s support strut. “You’re holding up well.”

DUM-E clawed for the extinguisher.

“Aaaah, uh-uh-uh, yeah, no, buddy,” Tony said. “Nothing’s on fire, here.” There was no fire. There was no spark left in Tony. Nothing remained of that boy, the one who thought hope could fix anything.

DUM-E nudged the blender at him.

“Wish I could make you understand,” Tony said. “It’s all worthless. Good, evil, light, dark. Eventually, entropy takes over, and nothing orderly and good comes out of it. It’s over. The Jedi Order, the Republic, the Rebellion, it’s all just--”

DUM-E knocked the smoothie over into Tony’s lap.

“Cheap move, buddy,” Tony sighed. “It doesn’t matter what you do, or say. I’m staying here. There’s no hope left in the galaxy. There’s no point.” He knew that he was actively trying not to care, that he was forcing everything down in him that wanted to rise up, to help the galaxy. Innocent people would die by the billions with Pierce’s Hydra in charge.

But it was hard to know who to trust, it was hard to extend that hope again, just to watch it all crumble to ash.

DUM-E nudged him again. In his claw -- and the Force only knew where he’d gotten it from -- was the old arc-reactor. The one that Pepper had sealed in clear duriplas. Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

Steve woke with a start. He was cold, he was damp, and the ground was hard as stone under him. The ground was stone, under him. He really should have gone back down to the Falcon to sleep.

“Get up. At dawn, you’ll get the first of three lessons and I’ll tell you why the Jedi Order should end. You deserve that much. Fury deserves that much.”

Tony stalked away, his robes swirling around him.

Steve scrambled to his feet, looking this way and that in the pre-light, silver grey and merciless. What had changed his mind?

“What… what about breakfast?”

“Do you cook?”

Steve shrugged. “A little,” he admitted. “I can make coffee.”

“You brought coffee with you?”

Steve nodded. “It’s back on the Falcon,” he said. “Do you--”

“Yes.” Tony slammed the door again, leaving Steve talking to the ancient wood. The loth-cat nearby made a purring, inquisitive noise, and yow’ed a few times, like it was laughing at Steve.

“Oh, shut up,” Steve told it. It didn’t listen. It also didn’t go away. The cat followed Steve all the way down the stairs (dear suns and moons, why why why were there so many stairs?) and into the Falcon, where Steve rummaged through the pods he’d brought.

DUM-E was cleaning the floor, a mop in his claw.

“Are you doing something useful?” Steve asked him. “Did you see him? Did Master Stark come down in the middle of the night to talk to you?”

DUM-E turned, whapped Steve over the head with the broom. Beeped.

Stop asking stupid questions and get what you came for.

“Sacred island, bot,” Steve told him, rubbing his head. That stung. “Watch the language.”

If a bot could look condescending, DUM-E had managed it.

Steve packed the bag and headed back up the stairs. His asthma seemed to leap out of the mist and grass to see how he’d been doing without it, and he had to stop to dig through the bag for the medication the FX-7 had given him before he’d left the fleet. It worked, but like everything, left him dizzy and floaty feeling. And with the inevitable dread that this would not be the last time.

Climb finished, fire started, coffee made. Tony sipped from the mug with no evident delight, but the way his hands curled around the ceramics made Steve smile. Bucky had been like that, too. Hostile to daylight, until the rich liquid worked its way into his system. The smile faded as he remembered that there might be a reason for that. Bucky had been Tony’s student, once.

Before Pierce. Before Hydra.

“Tell me, Steve Rogers from nowhere,” Tony said, when his cup was empty. “What is it you know about the force?”

“Um,” Steve scrambled to get to his feet, to look competent, and eager. A worthy student. “It’s a power the Jedi have that… they can use to control people. And… make rocks float.”

“Wow,” Tony said, eyes widening as if he was impressed. “Every word you just said was wrong.”

Steve scowled. The sarcasm really wasn’t necessary.

“Okay, up here, sit down, close your eyes,” Tony said, patting an old and crumbling stone, covered with moss and bits of broken rock.

Steve obeyed with alacrity. At last! Someone to teach him… something. Anything. He hated being so confused and lost all the time, with everyone looking at him like they expected great things. He was just a kid from Brooklyn.

“Reach out--”

There was nothing, but Steve pushed his hand out into the air. Something tickled against the edge of his fingers. “Do you feel it?”

“Yes, yes, I feel--”

“That’s the Force, right there--”

“Really--”

Something sharp and thin slapped the back of his hand, like an angry teacher at school, scolding him for holding his pencil wrong. “No. Idiot.” There was Tony, hold a green reed and Steve, like the greenest of fools, had…

“Oh,” Steve said, embarrassed. “You mean reach other the other way.”

“With your feelings,” Tony said, eyes rolling.

“I’ll try again,” Steve said. Tony grabbed the hand that was still outstretched, pushed it onto the rock, fingers tented out.

“With your feelings, reach out. What do you see?”

Steve strained. It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, right up until it wasn’t.

“The island.”

“And beyond the island?”

“The planet, the galaxy. Green and growing things. Life. Below it, death and decay. That in turn gives way for new life. Me. Bucky… light. Darkness.”

“And between those things?”

“A… balance. An energy. A… a force.” Steve reached. The blackness that was Bucky, standing proud and tall, his hand outstretched to take everything-- “Darkness.”

“Fight it, Steve.”

“It’s calling me,” Steve protested. “Bucky’s calling me. He needs help--”

“The Winter Soldier is beyond help,” Tony said, bitterness cracking his tone. “He’s--”

“He needs me,” Steve insisted. He reached for Bucky, reached--

Darkness grabbed him with cold hands, pulling him down in the planet, promising him answers, ease to his pain, comfort. Home.

“STEVE!”

Steve opened his eyes with a gasp. The ground under him cracked with the strain, a sharp report like a blaster going off.

“The darkness in you,” Tony said, “calls to him. And you don’t even try to fight it.” Disgusted. “The Force isn’t a power the Jedi have. It’s arrogance to think the end of the Jedi would do anything to the Force. It’s just… there. Like gravity and light and inertia and entropy. It no more lifts the rock than a lever does. It’s a tool. And you’re a fool.”

Tony stormed off again and Steve didn’t even have the strength to chase after him.

Chapter Four

Ahch-to - mid-afternoon

Steve wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, now. Master Stark wasn’t speaking to him again, and he was bored and restless.

He took up his weapon and did some practice. If nothing else, he needed to be better. He’d barely beaten back the Winter Soldier last time they’d squared off. While Master Stark might be unwilling to teach him the ways of the Force, Steve knew enough, felt it in his bones, that he would face the Winter Soldier again.

There were many places on the island that seemed designed for Force practice. Each was seeped with lore, deep in the soil and the rocks. Steve placed his feet just so, and seemed to hear voices telling him to move, just a bit, swing from the hips. A flash of children, learning there. The shape of the rock spoke of blows landed on the target.

The lightsaber called to him, and Steve didn’t bother to resist that call either. If Master Stark wanted him to learn control, he’d control the things around him.

He swung, listening to the high pitched buzz, the deep and deadly thrum of the weapon in his hand.

Steve loved it.

He wasn’t sure why, or how. The thing that had frightened him so much the first time he’d ever seen it seemed to become one with the end of his arm, seemed to be his. He practiced as the sun set over the water.

Finally, sweaty and exhausted, he turned to see Master Stark walking away. Had the Jedi been there the whole time? Steve couldn’t feel him with the Force, not the way he could feel everything else. Somehow, Master Stark had cut himself off from the Force, had sealed himself away.

Steve sighed and followed Master Stark up the hill. (Honestly, what Steve wouldn’t give for a damn hoverbike around here?)

“Lesson two,” Master Stark said, as Steve approached, without even looking around. Stark’s cutting himself off from the Force hadn’t seemed to affect his ability to use it. “Now that they’re almost extinct, they’re romanticized, deified. If you strip away the legend, the few good deeds, and a really good catch-phrase, the legacy of the Jedi is failure, hubris. Hypocrisy.”

“That’s ridiculous, it’s not true,” Steve protested, but he was already doubting. What did he know of the Jedi? What did anyone know of the Jedi.

“It’s absolutely true,” Master Stark said. “At the height of their power, the Jedi allowed the Red Skull to rise, allowed Hydra to be formed, and everything resulted in the extreme sanction of the Jedi and most of their allies. They failed.”

“And you turned the tide,” Steve burst out. “Rebuilding, the futurist. Learning from our mistakes and moving on. Isn’t that the whole point?”

“Maybe,” Master Stark admitted. “The Avengers initiative, a handful of extraordinary people, to fight the battles that the rest of the galaxy never could. A grand idea, and like all grand ideas, doomed to failure as soon as real people got involved. As soon as the Winter Soldier got involved.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, my mistakes, I could count them for a decade and still never run out,” Master Stark said. “The Winter Soldier… he was… well, in those days, he was just Bucky Barnes. Earnest and strong, good arm, good eye. Good heart. I made the worst mistake. I fell in love.”

“What?” Steve’s voice went high and tight on him.

“Legendary Force Master,” Master Stark sneered, but it seemed he was sneering at himself more than Steve. “Too old to begin the training. The Jedi aren’t supposed to love, not individually. Not… not like I loved Bucky. He was beautiful, he was talented. He was funny, and sweet, and dedicated. I didn’t see the harm in it. We were in love. And because we were in love, I couldn’t kill him. And because I couldn’t do that… all of this. This happened. Because I was a fool. Because I didn’t know what I was doing and I thought I did. Because… because I didn’t try hard enough to be what the galaxy needed. Tony Stark, billionaire, genius, Jedi, playboy. Idiot. The whole galaxy is suffering because I had to play god.”

“What happened?”

Master Stark shook his head. “Pierce got to him, somehow. I don’t know. Tempted him. I sensed darkness in him, sometimes, while we were training. Anger. I thought it could be tempered. I was wrong. I went to confront him, had a vision. Terrible things, terrible things that he would do. By the time I said something, it was too late. He was already the Winter Soldier. My Bucky, my love, my life, he was gone. I didn’t know how to save him. He turned on me. Pulled the Temple down around my head. I guess he thought I was dead. Took a handful of my students, slaughtered the rest. Went to join Hydra.”

Stark sighed, sat down on the meditation platform. “I blamed Pierce, at first. Hydra. Everyone, except the one person who was at fault. Me. I failed him. I failed to protect him. I didn’t do enough, and he was vulnerable, and I let it go, because I loved him, and in the end, all I did was drive him away, let someone else turn him into a nightmare. The last time I saw him, he hated me. Hated everything that I was, everything I stood for. Everything we’d been together. The galaxy is where it is because I couldn’t do enough. I couldn’t love him enough to give him a reason to hold on.”

“He failed you,” Steve said, very gently. “But it’s not over. I can feel conflict in him. He wants to come home. He’s drawn to me, to you, to the Light.”

“That’s dangerously arrogant,” Master Stark said. “You think you can bring him back and all he’s doing is pulling you toward him. You see the closeness, how you’re standing near each other, and you fail to realize -- he’s the one with the knife.”

The Winter Soldier stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around his hips. “Is privacy not a thing for you?”

The boy, Steve, was there. “Believe me, I’d rather do this at another time.”

The Winter Soldier rolled his eyes and went on with his routine. He had wounds to think of, care to take. His arm vented a few times, letting water drain out onto the floor. The servos whined and twitched as the systems came back online.

“You’re not doing this,” the Winter Soldier said. “You’re not trained well enough, the effort would kill you. It would stop your heart to try to reach halfway across the galaxy, to what? Spy on me when I’m in the bath?” His mouth twitched, a little. Vaguely, he remembered. Gentle hands that cradled his skull, that sifted through his hair. There you are, snowflake. A fond voice. The Winter Soldier thrust it away, he wasn’t that man anymore. If he’d ever been that man to start with.

“I thought you were doing it,” Steve said. He held out one hand. “Why won’t you just come home and let us help you?”

“Us? Who is us?” the Winter Soldier demanded, gnashing his teeth together. Jealousy filled him; Steve was there, with Tony. They were us? “Did he tell you what happened? What he tried to do-- he tried to kill me. He doesn’t care about you, Steve. You should… you should go, before something happens to you.”

“No, no, Bucky. We’re trying to help you, we just--”

“Did he tell you what happened, that night?”

“Yes.”

The Winter Soldier reached, pulled at the connection between them. “No, he didn’t,” he said, finally. “He lied. Trying to protect himself, even now. The truth… depends on our point of view? Is that what he said? That we cling to ideas, reframed and represented… from a certain point of view?”

“He told me enough, he told me you tried to kill him, that you slaughtered your fellows at the Temple. He had a vision, he told me. Of what you would do.”

The Winter Soldier shook his head, let himself laugh. It wasn’t funny, it had never been funny.

“Of what he would drive me to do!” The Winter Soldier burst out. “He didn’t trust me! He came to me, full of rage, full of anger, full of fear! He saw that I would kill his parents, and he tried to stop it. He came to me, his lover, his friend, his beloved… with a weapon in hand, intent on murdering me in my sleep? What was I supposed to do? I fought back, because that’s what you do. You don’t ask why, when someone comes to kill you. You fight back.”

“You’re a liar.”

“And you’re clinging to ideals from the past,” the Winter Soldier said. “Let the past die. It’s over, it’s done. Kill it and put it out of its misery.”

Steve was weeping, and the Winter Soldier wanted to reach for him, to curl himself around that warm body, to find solace in love. He’d missed that, so much. Missed holding another person, caring about them. Having someone else who loved him.

“Let it go,” the Winter Soldier said, “and become what you are meant to be.”

Mine.

#Cap RBB #not to me #star wars AU #tony stark x bucky barnes x steve rogers

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yesimgoingtopeacecorps · 7 years ago

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The Guinean Peace Corps Guide to Packing

This list obviously isn’t perfect, but I’m sure if you’ve stumbled onto this blog post you’re looking for a good Peace Corps packing list, especially if you’ve just been accepted to Guinea and you’re getting ready to leave. I’m currently in my 6th month of living in Guinea and I’ve received a few things from home along the way.

Just as a reminder, you’re technically only allowed two large suitcases, at 50lbs each for the trip. However, I knew some people who paid extra for another bag, and, looking back, I should have just done that. It would have saved me and a lot of people at home money on the expensive overseas shipping to Conakry.

Things I packed:

Clothes

a note about clothes, try to get things that are quick dry or make for an active lifestyle. You will be washing your clothes by hand and you’ll want things that are very easy to clean, don’t show dirt, and don’t hold smells. I suggest Lululemon, Athleta, Patagonia, and those kind of brands. You can find cheaper and discounted clothes online at backcountry.com and Sierra Trading Post (also a great place to find any of the camping or hiking gear listed on here). You can also check out TJMaxx and Marshalls. Also, you’re going to get clothes made here and people are always leaving stuff “up for grabs” at the regional houses, so don’t pack too much clothes wise.

For girls, I will say, error on the side of caution when it comes to shorts, skirts, and tops. You can always cut things or have them tailored but where I live is pretty conservative and as much as I hate it, I wouldn’t be caught dead walking out of my house in a thin strap tank top.

3 pairs of pants that youcould wear in an office setting but also wear hiking (try Athleta for these)

1 pair of hiking or durable pants that you don’t mine messing up- I use mine to garden

1 pair of black leggings

2 pairs of running/workout leggings

3 pairs of shorts (try to make them longer/knee length)

2 pairs of compression shorts/spandex

1 pair of jeans

5 or 6 nice shirts (at least one long sleeved one, I promise there are places that it does get cold here)

2 or 3 tank tops

5 casual t-shirts/workout shirts

2 skirts (well past the knee and flowly)

3 day dresses

1 or 2 nice dresses (but not heavy or thick, the place where you train for three months is very hot)

10 pairs of underwear (check out ExOfficio for great travel underwear)

6 sports bras

2 or 3 regular bras

2 or 3 pairs of hiking/thick socks

7 pairs of regular running socks

1 pair of Chacos or tevas (I live in these shoes)

1 pair of running shoes

Hiking boots or closed toed shoes with a very good grip (the only real tourist thing to do in Guinea is hiking and you will definitely use them. I also use mine when gardening)

1 or 2 bathing suits (these are hard to find in Guinea)

1 good durable raincoat

1 lightweight jacket

1 sweatshirt

1 sweater/cardigan

Other wearables:

A good hat

Cheap sunglasses (you can buy more here and I’ve already broken three pairs)

Two scarves

HAIR TIES

Non-valuable jewelry if you like that sort of thing

A good backpack

A small foldable bag for market days

A purse

A small cross-body purse

Electronics:

INSURANCE INSURANCE INSURANCE (Clements Worldwide is the one I use. It was $150 for a year but it saved my life when I got robbed during training and was reimbursed almost $2,000 for the stuff stolen

My Macbook

A kindle or tablet- I use mine every day

An iPod (I also brought my old iPod touch in the case that I got robbed… it was definitely a smart move)

A smartphone (MAKE SURE YOU CAN REMOVE THE SIM CARD AND PUT IN A DIFFERENT CARRIERS SIM… I had a lot of friends have issues with that because they were tied to Sprint or another carrier that had the phone locked)

A lifeproof or otterbox case for the phone

A rechargeable external battery

A solar battery charger for phones (I recommend DragonX brand)

2 Luci Lights (look it up, it’s a solar light)

2 headlamps

4 power adapters/converters

A surge protector- trust me, my iPhone died my first month because there was a power surge and it fried my phone

Multiple charging cables for anything USB related

Three pairs of good earbud headphones

An external hardrive (2TB) (mine has hundreds of movies, tv shows, and workout episodes on it. I highly recommend this)

A digital watch

Home and Kitchen

Scrubba Wash Bag (look it up, in my opinion it makes doing laundry here a lot easier)

Duct Tape (if you forget everything else, remember to bring duct tape)

Electrical tape

Can opener- trust me on this one

Garlic press

A few good kitchen knives

Thin, plastic cutting boards

Three quick dry towels

Compressable pillow (I recommend ThermaRest brand)

An all purpose tool

Toiletries

Shampoo and conditioner (Seriously, you will want this. I ran out of both during training and there was no place to buy either of them where we were. You can also try LUSH bars, solid shampoo and conditioners, expensive but worth it.)

Dr. Bronner’s All Purpose Soap

Toothbrusth and toothpaste

Facial toner and cleaner

Face wash

Hairbrush

Lotion

Sunscreen (you are given some but I’ve found it clogs the pores in my face)

Basic makeup: eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, coverup, blush, and a small thing of eyeshadow.

Tweezers

Your favorite nailpolish

Headbands

Deodorant

Razors

Nail clippers

File

Alcohol wipes or a small bottle of alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.. Peace Corps doesn’t issue this and this has definitely saved me from infections a few times

Medical tape

For girls, Diva Cups (they will save you from using the crappy tampons medical gives us and keep you from having to buy pads, which are expensive)

Baby powder

Hairbrush

Mini bottles of travel hand sanitizer

Mouthwash

A few toothbrushes and a toothbrush top

Other Gear

A really good pocket knife

A few pens

Colored markers or crayons

A mini stapler

Rubberbands

A portable mini safe (I use mine here and just wrap it around the table leg. I keep all my extra money, my passports, and my credit cards in there.)

A mini sewing kit

At least two Nalgene water bottles

Liquid chalk markers (are cool for writing things on your walls and for using in the classroom)

Hair cutting scissors (multiple uses and of course, for cutting your hair)

Tape measurer

Wooden clothespins

Things I wish I brought:

My Birkenstocks or my Rainbow flipflops

A nice travel yoga mat

A nicer pair of dressy sandals

More packets of dried food (knorr pasta sides, etc.)

Cliff bars, energy bars, etc.

Tuna packets (you can find sardines here but tuna is almost 3 dollars a can)

Workout gear

More photos of my family and friends

A small projector (I got one brought over for me and cost me 85USD. It’s perfect for movie nights and doing presentations)

Lots of charging cables

A small and light extension cord

Small fan (you can also get decent ones here when you get ready to move to site, but not having one during training was brutal)

Essential oils (can be used to do all sorts of things, especially when it comes to repelling bugs)

A good set of twin sized bed sheets. (SHEETS ARE EXPENSIVE and the sheets here not always that comfortable. Dig up your bedsheets from freshman year of college and bring them along)

Here’s a list of things you can totally live without, but are nice to have:

For the Cook in You:

Rennet tablets (for cheese making- a project I’m still learning how to prefect)

A scoby to use to start making your own kombucha

Lots and lots of spices (you can buy them here but they’re expensive)

Measuring cups and measuring spoons

A small KitchenAid type handmixer and blender

A mini mortar and pestle

Beeswax

Cheesecloth

Small bottle of Truffle oil

Peanut butter

Lots of water flavoring or Gatorade packets

Oatmeal packets, dried food packets

Dried cheese powder (cheese isn’t a thing here and you’ll miss it more than you realize)

Bottle opener and wine opener

Any snacks you can think of that you can eat without preparation (training is rough when it comes to food verity, I legit ate a can of green peas once because all I wanted was something besides rice and sauce)

For the Workout Fanatic:

Soccer ball (I had a deflated one sent to me, just add it to a care package list you won’t want to take this with you)

Soccer cleats

Soccer socks

Resistance bands

Yoga mat

Arm band for iPod or phone for music

For the Gardener:

A good pair of gardening gloves

Packets of all kinds of seeds

A small hand shovel and small hand rake

For the Hiker and Camper:

A hammock with a mosquito net or a small tent

Carabineer clips

An ultralight sleeping pad

Compressable pillow (I recommend ThermaRest brand)

Moleskin for blisters

A dry bag to store your stuff when it rains

A steripen for water

For the Future Pet Owner:

*I got a kitten in Guinea and it was the first thing I did when I got to site. If you’re preparing to get yourself a furry friend, here’s a number of things you’ll want because buying anything pet related in country is super expensive

Cat or dog collar

Flea collar or medication

Small toys for them

Deworming medication

Things you can leave at home or could buy in Guinea:

High-heels. Trust me on this. You will never wear them (except maybe at Swear-In, but if you want there are places to find cheap heels here.) Save the space in your bag.

Most kitchen utensils (but I would suggest bringing at least one fork and one spoon)

A lot of books- theres lots of them here at the regional houses and if you bring a kindle or tablet, you can buy more or trade kindle books with other volunteers

A portable camping shower (you’ll get use to bucket baths and trying to set it up was much more effort than it was worth.)

A hair straightener and mini blow dryer. (You won’t use them)

That’s all I’ve got for you! I hope this list helps and if anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me or shoot me a message!

Sarah

#peacecorps #packinglist #lifeofapcv #howiseepc #theroadnevertraveled

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buffpattynyc · 4 years ago

Photo

What You Need to Know Before Buying a Ninja Food Processor

Do you have a Ninja food processor? Have you ever wondered what they are?

Yes, definitely. The Ninja blender is used to make numerous items at home. There are many ways that they are used. Many blenders are also used as multi taskers. This is where you can use it as a food processor.

The Ninja Chef Blender is a very popular and powerful blader. You can easily find one for sale at a reasonable price. If you are thinking of buying one then there are some tips that you need to follow. These tips can save you time and money. You should only buy a blender from a trusted brand that has been around for a while. You can get them in the market for cheap but you have to be very careful.

The NinjaGourmetBlender is made of high quality steel. This is very important for a ninja food processor. When you get it, make sure that you look for all of the parts that you need. You will need to pay for shipping but the results will be worth it.

The blades of the Ninja blender are adjustable. They are strong and durable. They are long lasting too. The blades that are included are very sharp and will help with many dishes. You can also get ones that will be sharpened for you.

It is recommended that you get a Ninja Chef Blader that has at least four speeds. Some people recommend that you get more than four so that you can blend the food faster.

If you want to get one of these bladers for the kitchen then you have to check out the NinjaBlend. This is one of the most popular bladers out there and it is very effective. It is very sturdy and very efficient.

The Ninja blender is a good choice if you are looking for something that you can use right away. They are easy to use and they are very effective. All that you have to do is choose the type that you think that you will use the most. and you will be ready to use it.

You can purchase a Ninja Blender for about $100. Some of them are even free. You can find the Ninja Blenders at your local store or online.

The Ninja Blender is a great product and one that everyone can use. You will love using this product when you go to the grocery store or cook in the kitchen. It can make your work easier and you will be able to make more dishes.

You can get the Ninja Blender in a variety of sizes. There are some that are big and some that are small.

If you are interested in the Ninja Blender you can find it on eBay. There are many people that are selling them for great prices. Make sure that you do your research before buying.

When you buy your NinjaGourmetBlender you will also receive a case. This case helps you keep the food items inside it protected from dust and other things that may damage them.

It is important that you take care of your Ninja processor and learn how to clean it properly. You need to make sure that it gets cleaned at least once a week. You should never use regular detergents or any other products on it. They will make the blades of the Ninja blenders dull.

The NinjaGourmetBlender is made in Japan. It was invented by Kenji Yamada in 1980. It was designed to be used by chefs in order to speed up the cooking process.

If you are interested in getting one then you will want to do some research and find a Ninja Blender that is going to meet your needs. It is going to help you enjoy the food that you cook.

Homepgae: https://buffpattynyc.tumblr.com

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phoenixfire-thewizardgoddess · 7 years ago

Text

so at current we have three doggos, one is a foster who has (through a lot of care and affection and training) reached a point where she is ALMOST ready for adoption to a furever home...

but there’s an emergency foster coming to us tomorrow, the poor little old doggo was horribly mistreated and the heartless cunts that had her left her to starve for 3 weeks in the hopes she’d die or run off... i don’t know how you can curse someone without knowing their names or faces, but i’ll find a way

she’s obscenely thin from the photos, but we’ll give her anything the vet decides (our doggos usually eat optimum dog food, appropriate to age, or age-appropriate and supplemented with puppy stuff, if they’re rake-thin and need to gain weight) but if there’s something else that will help, we’ll make it happen

there are so many foster families desperately trying to look after as many as they can, and some of the dogs and cats they rescue have such horrific backgrounds you just want to find the people who hurt them and peel their flesh off as they scream for mercy, have them look into eyes that say ‘you don’t deserve that, do you?’

they have been beaten, neglected, starved, whipped, burned, left to die of injuries or illnesses because ‘we can just get a new (animal) for cheap’, they are little old doggos and kitties who have known only one family their entire lives but apparently their age is now inconvenient and they’re turned in for a newer model (literally, people bring their old dog in to the pound, adopt a puppy and walk out, they can go straight to hell), abandoned at the side of the road, left to die somewhere bc they’re just a Thing and not part of the Family, the ones who were presents... up until people realised there’s EFFORT in raising an animal... bc puppies/kittens are BABIES and need to be taught how to live and feel safe... etc.

and the thing is... even the most damaged dogs and cats, the ones who can’t sit still, the ones who snap and growl and quiver in fear, even the ones who tear things apart, the ones who can’t stand the sight of men or raised voices or sudden movements or physical contact...

they all have the capacity for love

maybe it’s not the way you would anticipate, but it is there.

for example, an extremely anxious/damaged little fluffball of a doggo being cared for by an experienced carer... after six months of being unable to trust contact (spending the first few weeks hiding under the couch shaking with fear) actually came up to her human dad, as he was laying on the floor with her, and licked his head. She ran at the attempt of further contact (raised hand), but it really said, in her own way, that she felt safe there. She has sat on a lap and licked again, since, apparently; and her carer(s) are over the moon about it, because they never though it would happen

our foster fail (pupper we ended up adopting bc we couldn’t let her go) was so thin, and so scared when we got her; sometimes she still gets frightened, but she comes to get one of us if that happens. She knows she’s safe, and loved.

our current foster pupper, willow, was neglected and abused and terrified of everything. its a long story, but she was given to us as a complex case that needed care, and she’s come so far in a few months. from hitting the floor and submitting at every noise or movement, to only occasionally if very freaked (thunder, random fireworks going off with no warning -fucking carols by candlelight), she doesn’t destroy as much (attention seeking and anxiety behaviours), she doesn’t fight with her doggo siblings but instead plays, she can follow basic commands, she has lost a lot of the excess she came with (through proper mealtimes and games, occasional treats), little fucker is ridiculously smart too so she’s a challenge...

for example, now she’s less rotund than before... the little bugger realised she can slip through the dog fence. it’s like an octopus, she pops her head through, a leg, and zoop, out. she never goes anywhere, just sort of sits out there being smug, until we find her, the sneaky devil. or climbs on chairs to look out of things, or jumps on the bench when the humans aren’t looking to sneak things. etc.

very clever, and she’s confident enough to show that, now.

i had a point, but i think i forgot, but basically... do not get a pet for a gift, don’t get one if it doesn’t fit in with your lifestyle (this whole ‘on a chain out the back their whole life’ thing is BULLSHIT), you hesitate at the thought of dealing with an old dog, you are getting it to ‘teach the kids about death’ (heard that more than once), you only think its a thing you should have but don’t really want, you only want an animal that fits specific expectations (eg won’t bark, or wee on the rug, or chew your shoes, etc.) bc they all do that, at some point... etc.

people are cruel, and while there is no way to shove all of the offenders in a blender to atone for their sins (pear wiggler machine broke), the animals they hurt can be helped.

Do not get an animal unless you know what you’re doing, understand the effort and expense (worming, flea baths -do not use collars they can kill, food/meals, water containers and bowls, toys, beds, specialist shaving/fur trimming, accidental vet trips and annual check-ups and vaccinations, incidental issues, kitty litter, pooper scoopers, leads/leashes/harnesses, etc.), treats, training pads, understand that puppies/kittens will need training bc they are BABIES who need to be taught just like toddlers do (they will mess up but that’s normal, we all shat in nappies at one stage of our lives and no one holds that against us), that dogs/cats age and require different things, that they need stimulation and play, safety and shelter, love and affection, patience and understanding, boundaries and rules, etc. Just like kids.

Understand this animal joins your family, it becomes a part of it. It is a commitment, and you need to understand that the second they join your family it is your responsibility to care for them. From puppy or kitten to little elderly doggo or kitty who can’t hear all that great and sometimes pees on the rug bc of mild incontinence. It happens, it might be a little annoying or stressful,m but you deal with the situation. You are the only people they have known, the only family they have been part of and loved, they love you their entire lives (sometimes they are hyper-affectionate, other times animals show it by simply feeling safe enough to fall asleep near you, they’re individuals), so the most important thing is not abandoning them for something younger, newer, cuter.

Do not get an animal, unless you understand that this little life is dependant on you. You feed/wash/clean up after/play with/care for/love them all their lives, keep them healthy and safe... and it will not always be easy, but it is always worth it. If you make that commitment, you can’t just cast them aside when they’re no longer fun, when they’re no longer young and chipper, when they become ‘a hassle’. They’ve dealt with your shit this whole time, too, and you haven’t been kicked to the curb...

TL; DR - Do not get an animal unless you are prepared, informed (or willing to learn about how to care for them), and committed to caring for them their entire life. They are your family, and they will love you if you treat them properly.

There are too many damaged foster animals who have had physical, emotional and psychological abuse in their lives; who just need love, understanding, boundaries and kindness. Where ‘no’ means ‘stop that’ and not ‘I’m gonna hurt you for not doing what i wanted!’. Don’t contribute to their suffering, be sure you are in a good place in order to have an animal and be able to meet their needs.

Don’t ever get an animal as a gift unless there has been significant discussion about the situation beforehand; and please, stop leaving kids with animals, some kids are just the worst because they may not comprehend that a puppy/kitten (also a baby) is not a toy, and that’s why they do awful things.

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