#not like I see him as some. gourmet eater I don’t think he gives a shit but u know what I mean

[nevarroes]

hi where is gortash getting cheeseburgers

asking the important questions today fr….😭

burger duke chain restauranr in faerun its real in my heart💜 but this is also Gortash I think he’d get fucking gourmet cheeseburgers made by his kitchen lets not kid ourselves

[gunkbaby]

if Shuu was a human what would his top 5 favourite foods be?

ooh good one. This is tricky bc shuu is such a picky eater, but still has this ‘eat the world’ attitude, i think one thing abt human shuu aus rly neglect to compensate for is how closely tied Shuu is to the idea of being an apex predator, but I think you can still achieve it, and I will try my best! i do know a bit abt gourmet food! (There are actually a lot of books abt food critics and gourmet chefs who get 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕪 with cooking)

i feel like is also hard bc shuu would probably like everyone to think his favourite food is something rare and exotic so maybe he would twist the truth a little. Narrowing down specific foods is difficult but I will try my best!

Kaneki’s bussy

Orlotan - this fucked me up when i heard about it. But the practice of eating orlotan is utter decadence - to a ridiculous extent. It’s a bit like Foie Gras - the orlotan are wild caught and force fed to double their mass, then drowned and marinated in Armagnac and then cooked. It’s meant to be consumed whole, the bones spat out, and typically, the consumer is traditionally supposed to wear a napkin or towel over their face whilst they eat the bird. I can’t remember why - but I’ve seen it said that is either to maintain dignity when spitting out the bones, or to shield such a disgraceful act from God’s eyes. The latter sounds cool as fuck so i believe it. I love Jesus!!! I think Shuu would lap something like that up. I’ve yet to find something so dreadfully French in the matter of food, and I think he’d probably say this is his favourite food - if only for the amount of ceremony involved.

Cheesecake - Shuu always mentioning cheesecake in early TG and I would like to give him this one as a little treat. I don’t know a lot abt cheesecake bc i fucking hate the stuff but maybe he’d like something like Basque? Which is just burned custard(?) cheesecake - i was reminded of tiramisu but apparently it’s more of a soufflé. I think he’d probably go for something floral too - rose cheesecake’s probably a thing, lavender, peony. I don’t know if I see him as a sweet/dessert person. He’s more likely to enjoy richer desserts like cheesecake and chocolates.

Dark Chocolate - maybe a sneak! I am a Dark Chocolate Enjoyer so total bias but hear me out (yes i do also like black liquorice!). If it is less than 80% cocoa it’s too sweet! He’d be a 100% kind of guy, because bragging rights. I think he might enjoy it with some fruits, maybe with orange biscuits or raspberries. I think he’d like raspberries, they taste like little rubies to me. Dark chocolate goes good with almond butter, he might make it fancy - foamed raspberry with shredded chocolate over almond biscuits with coffee cream. we might call that a rather bizarre mocha, but shuu would say it’s a deconstructed tiramisu. the reason i think he’d choose dark chocolate is because i don’t think he’d eat sweets. Dark chocolate has a deeper taste profile, in my experience dark chocolate is always unique. This might appeal to Shuu. It goes well with far more flavours than typical chocolate - spices, florals, etc - i recently had dark chocolate almonds dusted in matcha! They were utterly divine. Dark chocolate is highly overrhated in my opinion.

Exotic Meat - this is a generalisation sorry 😢 But I believe it canonical - very premium cuts of meat from animals you might not typically farm - zebra, bear, crocodile, rattlesnake, that sort of thing. It’s really controversial for some reason and as a vegan I should be opposed, but I think wild hunting is leagues better than farming, provided it’s not an endangered species, but Shuu would definitely eat an endangered species. Maybe he likes to brag and his favourite meat is snow leopard, or something. Dodo. Dinosaur, even (he was There).

Fugu (pufferfish) - this is shorthand for ‘dangerous food’ lol! Without the danger of being a ghoul, we have to consider how a human shuu might chase this danger. He might hunt his exotic meats, but I think he might try and achieve this by also eating dangerous food - food that’s poisonous or toxic. a bit of a Russian roulette. I wouldn’t even put it beneath a human or a ghoul Shuu to eat something with worms! (Same tbh. Would.)

i think most of the above are what Shuu might want people to believe are his favourite foods, so I’d like to take some time to throw my other ideas in the ring.

I think he’d take comfort in Monte Cristo - if only because in a human universe, I would take it to be his father’s favourite food. He’d probably be given it as a child or something, so good associations. There’s not much rly to say else there, but the idea of Shuu eating a toastie fascinates me. If he eats it when he’s sad, i think he’d look like that little mouse video, but otherwise I think he’d eat a toastie with a knife & fork.

I mentioned dark chocolate earlier, but of course he might also like some luxury chocolates - i think of these wonderful chocolates i saw once, that had been dyed and marbled to look like planets and marbled, filled with pistachio or coffee foams. Wonderful. Straight from switzerland or italy. Maybe he would enjoy ruby chocolate too? I’ve never had it! I said no sweets but white chocolate has a time and place, but it works wonderfully with wasabi or miso - i made wasabi and white chocolate cupcakes once. Good lord. He would like that. White chocolate and nuts is also very good. When I was vegetarian, my guilty pleasure used to be salted liquorice dipped in white chocolate - but I don’t know if he’d like that!

i think he’d eat sea urchin.

Some drinks too! -

Coffee: specifically coffee with blue seaweed or Kopi Iuwak. He’s definitely tried it, but does he like it? Who knows? I’ve always wanted to try seaweed coffee. Kopi Iuwak is coffee beans that’s already passed through the digestive system of a civet. It sounds like a bit of a farce to me, but i don’t think it’s as repulsive as people make out.

matchaaaa - bias i just think everyone should drink matcha

moon milk - i’ve never had this bc broke but it sounds so good. I think he’d like the pink/rose milk the most! maybe the blue spirulina?

Nut milks - vegan bias but seriously who can honestly argue cow juice tastes better than a refreshing glass of cashew milk??? Shuu would probably have something like pistachio milk, tigernut, brazil nut, macadamia -that sort of thing! Stuff you can’t get from the shops!

People will probably kill me if I don’t mention escargot or frogs legs so. Obligatory mention. Personally I find that to be rather typical and cliched - ooh, mandatory french food! So bizarre! Whatever. Partly why this ask took me a long time to get to, is because I wanted to go through my books and notes. It would have been easy for me to sit here and type that human Shuu would eat lobster and ragyu and live baby shrimp in miso soup, but i think it’s too obvious. In my experience, there is so much more to get out of Shuu when you delve deeper and don’t say the first thing!

i also want to say, sometimes i see how we (westerners) talk about food from different cultures. lots of high-class gourmet stuff seems silly, but i dont care to mock it. i can’t enjoy food anymore, but it makes me happy that some people enjoy food enough to make it a silly and pompous hobby. But i think sometimes we look at frogs legs or zebra steaks, orlotan or fugu, fermented egg, people eating guinea pigs, chihuahua or cat, sometimes we have a tendency to say it’s gross and twisted, but i don’t think that’s necessary. if something tastes good, if an animal has good meat, then why not? eating the world is sometimes a good thing. not always, but sometimes.

This question made me think a lot, so thank you! I was thinking about a human shuu - all the stories you could make up! There’s a lot to sink your teeth into!

I’m sorry if this was incoherent last night i took 40 laxatives and i just drank 2 monster energy back to back I feel very sane!!!!

[reanbowful]

COMING IN HOT WITH THE AMAZING CONTENT! Thank you for the fantastic stories ☺️ Could I request a prompt for what the boys love languages are? Or how they love you for Ben, Alex, Gerard, and Jake? And Donald and Wolf as well if you’d like! If you’d like a more specific prompt, I can add to this!

Oh sheesh my first request! Thank you so much hihi! And of course you can 🤍

“love languages”

how the boys express their love for you and how they would like you to express your love for them

*slight nsfw on wolf’s part

(ben, donald, alex, jake, gerard, wolf)

ben park / park humin

I don’t think you guys understand how much I love this man. Like he’s so precious aaa

Okay, so I feel like, Ben’s love language would be quality time.

He’s very good at making people comfortable. Plus, he likes to play?

Not playing in a bad way, he just doesn’t like being at home doing nothing. So he’s always gotta be outside at some place before he really needs to get home otherwise he’ll go crazy from boredom.

Overall, Ben just likes to spend his time doing something with you. Anything that is. If you got no plans or can’t think of anything to do, he does.

So, what you will get from dating Ben will be:

amazing dates, absolutely no boring days with him, you won’t ever be lonely because he’s the “be there in 5 minutes” type of guy

Now, for receiving. I honestly think Ben would appreciate a person with an act of service love language.

Someone that he can lean on after a hard day. Or just a dependable person in general.

He might not show it, but there can be days that are tiring as hell with all the problems caused by the Union and what weird people wanting to fight him.

He just wants someone to take care of him when he gets home.

Cook something for him when you notice he’s hungry. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, even ramyeon would do. Although, plus points if you are a culinary student since he is a gourmet eater after all.

How to win his heart:

offer to wash his hair, cook for him (or bring him food if you can’t), treat his wounds

donald na / na baekjin

Donald’s love language is absolutely gift giving.

Look, he’s got the damn money for it okay.

He would be the type of guy who would spend an obscene amount of money on his person. You have a literal sugar daddy here.

And it’s not even like he just gets you whatever that’s expensive, no no. He would actually check your interest or notice that you probably need something AND gift it to you the next day.

If you tell him that you don’t like expensive gifts or simply feel like it’s burdensome, then he’ll get you something else.

Expect to receive daily flowers in your front doorstep from that day onwards.

I could also see Donald mindlessly making tissue flowers if you guys are at a cafe together and making a full on mini bouquet once you guys are finished with your drinks.

So, what you will get from dating Donald will be:

a (very) romantic dating life, your room filled with the little trinkets he got you (and you just can’t get rid of them, even the toilet paper flowers he made)

For receiving, I think Donald likes an acts of service person as well.

Donald prefers action over words, so he would appreciate it more if you show him that you love him rather than just saying it.

How to win his heart:

go shopping for him, clean up his office/room, nurse him when he’s sick

alex go / go hyuntak

Alex’s love language would probably be act of service.

He’s very action oriented and a romantic, so expect him to do a lot of those movie-esque things.

But honestly, it’s still hella sweet.

If it’s raining and you guys don’t have an umbrella? Stay there. He would run to the nearest convenience store to buy an umbrella for the both of you.

If you guys were walking home from school, give him your bag. He won’t let you carry them.

If you’re wearing a skirt and you have to tie your shoelaces, Alex would take off his jacket to cover your back.

He also would NEVER let you walk on the outer part of the sidewalk. If you ask him why, he’ll just say he likes to feel the breeze of passing cars.

Another thing is that he would take random pictures of you, but those pictures would honestly come out so well like actually pinterest worthy pics.

So, what you will get from dating Alex will be:

princess treatments, greatest support system, cutest couple pics

Alex would prefer a person with a words of affirmation love language.

He could feel slightly inferior at days with all the fighting and his desire to get stronger. So I feel like someone with gentle, encouraging words could just do it for him.

I feel like a genuine praise or a simple ‘I love you’ would really melt him.

How to win his heart:

tell him you love him and that you’re proud of him, send him handwritten letters, leave him cute little post its in his class or stuck to small gifts (like beverages or snacks)

jake ji / ji hakho

I feel like Jake’s love language would be quality time.

When something has Jake’s attention, he would focus on that one thing for a long period of time.

So if you’re dating Jake, you would have his undivided attention whenever you are with him.

Different from Ben, I feel like Jake would prefer home dates than going out dates.

Some activities I see you guys doing are board games, movie nights, or cooking together.

I could also see the two of you being absolute dorks and would have an existential crisis conversation in the middle of the night and end up not going to bed.

“Babe, what if the government are actually hiding a bunch of aliens underground and working them for fuel in exchange that they can live on earth because their planet was destroyed?”

It would end up in an actual heated discussion where you guys would drag Dean in to file in his opinion. Poor Dean.

So, what you will get from dating Jake will be:

endless home dates (low energy ppl come close), number one hype man, interesting fun facts one after the other

Jake’s preference as a person in the receiving end, I think would be words of affirmation.

He’s a soft hearted guy, so certain words and actions could really hurt him sometimes.

A person who could affirm to him that things are going to be okay, and that it was not his fault could really help him.

Overall, Jake seems like the type of guy who prefers reassurance even if it’s not certain rather than someone who’s so eager to see result and concrete actions.

Especially with all that’s happened with his brother, he just need someone to calm him down and for him to turn to or cheer him up.

How to win his heart:

assure him that things will be alright, visit his brother with him, just be a kind person in general, plus point if you like one piece

gerard jin / jin gayool

Gerard’s love language is most likely acts of service with a hint of words of affirmation.

Like Alex, Gerard is also very action oriented. He doesn’t talk much, but get things done quickly and efficiently.

HOWEVER, one thing to note is that Gerard is very emotionally intelligent. So, he’s good at reading the room and finding the right words to say. When to stay silent and simply hear you rant, and when to actually give his thoughts and advice.

No need for therapy, just vent to him.

He’s also a gentleman, so, like Alex, you can expect he will walk on the outer side of the sidewalk, hold doors for you, and all that.

But his acts of service would be a bit more toned down compared to Alex.

Sometimes you could even miss them.

I can picture him being the type of boyfriend that if you were sitting down while wearing a skirt, he would scoottt over to your side until your thighs close together so that you don’t accidentally flash anyone in front of you. (istg I’m getting butterflies thinking about this)

When you look over to him, he would just pretend nothing happens. But really because he doesn’t see it as such a big deal. It’s just the bare minimum to him.

Probably also the type of guy who would cover table edges when you reach down to grab something so that you don’t hit your head.

Guys istg get yourself someone like Gerard.

So, what you will get from dating Gerard will be:

princess treatment (but in a subtle way), comfortable dates, amazing listener

Now, when it comes to what he wants to receive from his partner. I feel like he’s good with anything, but if he has to choose. It would be physical touch.

I imagine he would be slightly shy in initiating contact, so he never really think that he would like it so much when you hugged him close for the first time.

From then on, cuddling on his sofa or in his bed became one of his favourite past time activities.

How to win his heart:

trace and kiss his scar when you’re lying down together, hold his hand when you guys walk together, kiss him goodbye after every date

wolf keum / keum seongje

Okay, Idk if anyone is going to disagree with me, but Wolf’s love language is probably physical touch.

See, Wolf doesn’t exactly do pretty words.

He’s also individualistic and prefers to spend his time alone.

And while he is action oriented, I can’t picture him to be the type that would be running chores for another person.

I feel like the way he would show his love for you is by how he touches you.

The violent, bloodlusted, Wolf Keum would be stroking your cheek with feathery soft contact.

Whenever he is with you, Wolf would literally turn into a puppy. (why is that so fitting I can’t)

A scenario I can see happening is when you guys are sitting together on a sofa, he will turn your body to the side and lift your legs up his lap to put your heels on for you.

He’s also not shy, so he would initiate almost every physical contact that he could to feel your skin.

If you guys have been dating for a while, he would ride his hands under your shirt when he hugs you from behind and nuzzle his face on your neck.

He thinks the back of the neck is the sexiest human body part.

If you guys are in a long term relationship, he would probably give them a few licks and nips while he’s at it.

But if not, just cuddling and listening to your heartbeat is also fine with him.

So, what you will get from dating Wolf will be:

great intimacy, the softest cuddles, and he smells good (this is very specific but I imagine he smells a bit like a clean baby’s blanket? IDK HOW TO DESCRIBE IT)

So now, is it expected or unexpected that Wolf would prefer someone with a physical touch love language as well.

I don’t think he cares that much about being praised or complimented, he just wants you to be someone he can come home to and hold him after a long day.

He likes it a lot when you stroke his hair as he lays on your chest.

But mind you, while he enjoys intimacy in private. He’s not very big on pda.

It’s not that’s he’s embarrassed or anything, he just wants to reserve those moments for the two of you without any interruption.

So, while he probably wouldn’t mind it if you are particularly touchy in front of a crowd, he would mostly prefer if you would just do it in private.

How to win his heart:

hold him to your chest, play with his hair, forehead kisses!!

[twilightknight17]

Yesterday on P3R, Elizabeth is the best of my friends so far, burger time!, and sadness that there was no dialogue option to ruin the police’s day.

First of all, I found one single butler outfit in Tartarus, for Junpei. Which… little weird that it wasn’t a full costume set, but okay. That’s cool. Now he can have a top hat while everyone else wears their uniforms.

After running around to fulfill a bunch of Elizabeth’s requests, including trying all the vending machine drinks, she finally asked to go out places during the day. And… I’m surprisingly delighted.

From an in-story perspective, it’s hilarious that spending time with Liz doesn’t just absolutely drain our poor introverted Minato, but I’m also pleased that it doesn’t take my afternoon slot, because my god, I’m reaching that point where I have so many links to juggle and they’re ALL during the day. X’D There’s no way I’m maxing everyone on the first try.

Anyway, it’s Monday, and I did great on my exams!

Mitsuru gave me a reward for doing well, but still doesn’t want to hang out with me.

Like, by all means, have high standards, but I just wanted to walk home together. X’’’D

But that’s fine. I’m gonna go do my first outing with Elizabeth, and then check on the student council.

Elizabeth is great to spend time with. She’s so excited to see everything. We’re spending our first outing in the mall, and even though she’s like… in the mall all the time watching the door, apparently she’s never walked around before?

She wants to make a wish in the fountain, and she’s… a little confused, but she’s got the spirit.

Can… Can I have some of that? Why are you charging me for compendium summoning if you have that?

It’s a shame that she insists on only going out in the afternoon, and not at night, because we’re missing a golden opportunity.

She keeps finding more fountains and being impressed, but then I suggested karaoke, and it’s a damn shame we didn’t get to actually witness it, because Liz cannot sing, and I was prepared to be so amused.

Velllllllvet, oh vellllvet~

Tragically, she’s not getting her wish granted anytime soon. I can just imagine Igor’s face when she requested that.

After Margaret and Yu manage to save humanity through dance, I guess he reconsiders.

Now it’s back to school to catch the student council meeting. Odagiri isn’t there, though, because he’s still busy looking for whoever left a single cigarette butt in the boy’s bathroom. Well, heck. Better go find him.

...I don’t believe in “Evidence is everything in court”, my dude, but you gotta have something. Just because this kid is a delinquent doesn’t mean he’s your guy.

Apparently this is like the third kid he’s accused like this. And they’re not enjoying being accused.

……...it was probably the wrong choice, but I let him get hit. He needs to tone it down some. Is this really my Emperor and not my Justice?

Dude. Stop taking out your trauma on the students.

Ugh. Well, that was a bust. I guess I’ll head home.

…….the roof? The locked roof? I haven’t been up there since the Magician attacked. Why?

Dude you’re the one who just randomly wants to go to the roof. I don’t want to be cornered by puns!

Oh, it’s just gardening. Okay. Actually, that’s pretty cool. And planting things doesn’t actually take any time, which is also nice.

Look at my tomatoes. They’re great. :D

The week continues, the teachers at my school continue to be useless.

Elizabeth wants me to win the Big Eater Challenge at WildDuck Burger, so I guess we’ll go give that a shot since no one is available for Tartarus tonight.

I see we’re going for many small burger instead of one big burger this time. Still way too much burger, even for this bottomless pit of a human.

We pop back into Escapade and run into this dude, who is struggling with the vibes.

And we make a new social link! Is… Is the “Gourmet King” in trouble with the mafia or something??? What is wrong with everyone in this city?

Starting to think the Dark Hour is making everyone crazy even if they can’t see it.

WE’VE LITERALLY ONLY HUNG OUT TWICE

Thank goodness, Akihiko is gonna take me out for beef bowls and we’re gonna have a nice normal evening of bonding.

...welp.

Kind of weird to be such a wacky fan for… basically a high-school senior on the boxing team. He’s not a celebrity, although the girls were making such a big fuss that some passers-by thought he might be. We ended up making a run for it, because he’s not thrilled with all the attention.

Well, now I have to call you Panda-senpai. XD

We find those girls again getting accosted by some dudes, and one of them challenges Akihiko to a fight. Which, biiiig mistake.

I kind of wanted to see him beat the shit out of all of them, but the girls called the police when they ran off, and the gang made themselves scarce as soon as the police showed up.

Despite explaining that they were the aggressors in this situation, somehow the police still think it’s partly our fault, even though nothing actually happened.

Do it. Give me the dialogue option.

“I’m sorry, officer, my parents and twin sister died in a horrible car crash when I was seven.”

Ruin their night. I don’t know if Akihiko has parents, either. I’m not sure. Either way, fuck them up with that bit of info.

But, no dialogue option. Officer Kurosawa stepped in to take over the situation, and let us head home. Thank goodness our weapons dealer has our back. XD

The next full moon is creeping closer, and Pharos still hasn’t come back to talk to me. He said he would. He hasn’t even technically told me his name yet.

Maybe next time.

[avinaccia]

A Completely Objective and Logical Ranking of Every Hetalia Character Song

New character songs are dropping,  I have too much time on my hands, let’s go. 

Also here’s a Youtube playlist for the ~✨nostalgia✨~

Bring it on in the tags 

71. Ah Legendary Class⭐The Awesome Me Highway [Prussia]: Absolutely tearing it up on the drums and on the vocal cords alike (I pray for Atsushi Kousaka). Great for the memes. 

70.  Happy Thoughts Museum [???]: This is listed as an official song but I had literally never heard of the title. Then I listened to it and BAM! Smack back to 2013 watching the teasers for the show on Funimation. Not sure I’d count it as a character song though...

69. (Nice)  My Song that is written by me for me [Prussia]: Deafened me but I can appreciate the industrial grind.

68.  My House is...Quiet. ~With the Trolls~ [Norway]: I have never heard this song, nor can I find any version of it online. By default it goes here and I am so sorry Norge.

67.  Make a Wish to Santa♪ [Sealand]: The discordant notes and childish exuberance only serve to make this sound like a demonic plea to Santa to eliminate the singer’s enemies.

66.  Heaven and Hell on Earth [Rome]: Rome sounds like he’s been in the corner of a restroom. Extra points for the metal version, minus points for the fact that the beach scene was replayed like 1764 times.

65. Canada Complete Introduction [Canada]: Quiet af until Kumacheerio shows up and blows out your speakers. they did you dirty my darling 😔

64.  It’s Easy!!! [America]: I don't think any video of this has ever stayed up for more than 20 seconds. Sounds cool, but like I was listening to 20 different genres at once, someone make him calm down.

63.  Bù Zàiyì the Small Stuff ☆ [China]: I cannot for the life of me find the complete song anywhere, clips have a cool beat though

62.  Let's Boil Hot Water♪ [Italy]: Exactly what it says on the tin..though a bit too close to elevator music for my tastes.

61.  The Fragrance of Early Summer [Japan]: Very ‘from the books’ Japan-esque song

60.  Peace Sounds Nice…[Baltic Trio]: All well and good until the radio demon shows up

59.  W●D●C ~World Dancing~ [America]: How a song can sound like it’s from 4 different decades at once is beyond me

58.  Overflowing Passion [BFT]: This is just drunken karaoke and I have 0 clue what’s going on #iconicforallthewrongreasons

57. Ren●Ren●Renaissance♪ [Rome+Chibitalia]: Wholesome Grandpa with Grandson content - barring the fact that Italy sounds on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Rome has had too much wine.

56.  Roma Antiqua [Rome]: Similar energy to any one of China’s songs - there’s a part of the song where it sounds like he’s singing in the shower, and I will never not laugh at [CENSORED]

55.  Country From Where the Sun Rises, Zipangu [Japan]: Very chill, very Japan, but just meh for me.

54.  Moon Over Emei Shan [China]: Good message, okay song.

53.  My Friend [England]: What a mind palace you must have Mr. Kirkland

52.  With Love, from Iceland [Iceland]: Three words: Heavy. Metal. Puffin.

51.  Having Friends is Nice...♫ [Russia]: Russia is the cutest thing ever

50.  Mm. [Sweden]: Smooth transition from WWE Smackdown to shopping at IKEA.

49.  Why don’t you come over? ~Beyond the Northern Lights~ [Iceland]: I don’t want to be mean but...this does sound like the second closing theme to an anime whose first closing was much more popular (à la Soul Eater)

48. Gakuen☆Festa [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Sounds like a 60s song of the summer but oh dear their voices do not go together. Hella cute though.

47.  Wa! Wa!! World Ondo [Main Cast]: One time I travelled 10 hours in a coach bus with a bunch of teenagers to a city of note in my country, and the only souvenir I bought was the fucking PAINT IT WHITE DVD. Perfectly chaotic, UN ĐĕùX~~

46.  In the Bluebell Woods [England]: In the album cover for this song he’s holding a guitar but this is not a rock song. Still has ‘running through the hills’ levels of dramatism though.

45.  Poi Poi Poi♪ [Taiwan]: You’re telling me that Taiwan, someone whose has *ONE LINE* in Beautiful World (which is criminal tbh what kind of representation-) managed to get an eNTIRE CHARACTER SONG???????

44.  White Flame [Russia]: There’s something to be said for a song that is 3x the length of any Hetalia episode

43.  Ich liebe… [Germany]: Baking cakes for your friends has never been so wholesome.

42.  We Wish you a Merry Christmas [America, China, England, France, Russia]: Nice to see they’ve gotten their shit together since United Nations Sta-hmm.

41.  Ah, Worldwide à la mode [France]: Sounds like a Disney Princess song, hard not to picture France frolicking in a field of flowers.

40.  Che Bello! ~My House is the Greatest!⭐~ [Italy]: Would not be out of place in an advertisement for Sea World.

39.  May You Smile Today [Japan]: THE feel good song of the summer

38.  Let’s Look Behind the Rainbow [Italy]: I will protect you.

37.  I'm your HERO☆ [America]: “Anyone who’s sad or sullen will be arrested” did NOT age well.

36.  Mein Gott! [Prussia]: Alternating headphone effect at the beginning is cool, so is the confidence...the actual singing on the other hand...

35. Nihao⭐China [China]: Listen, all of China’s character songs are great, I just can’t vibe with this one like some of the others.

34.  Pechka ~Light My Heart~ [Russia]: I’m still having difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that this and Winter were released at the same time.

33.  Pukapuka⭐Vacation [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Seems just a bit too much like they’re running on a treadmill that’s picking up speed and trying to sing at the same time. Peppy.

32.  Santa Claus is Coming to Town [Germany, Italy, Japan]: This is unironically the best song sung by this trio; can only vibe with for two months out of the year though.

31.  Excuse Me, I Am Sorry [Japan]: Japan’s character traits speedrun. Gives me barbershop quartet vibes for some reason but is catchy as hell.

30.  The Story of Snow and Dreams [Russia]: A superhero anime opening in the making

29. England’s Evil Demon Summoning Song [England]: Sir that is not how you roast a marshmallow, don’t cut yourself on that edge.

28.  Moi Moi Sauna♪ [Finland]: Exactly the type of song you’d expect and it’s wonderful

27.  United Nations Star⭐ [America, China, England, France, Russia]: This isn’t as much of a song as it is a four minute struggle for everyone to sing without America yelling every 5 seconds...Like a particularly musical episode of Hetalia.

26.  Paris is Indeed Splendid [France]: Paris-pa-pa-pa-paris

25.  Absolutely Invincible British Gentleman [England]: Poppy, rocky, polka-dotty

24.  Vorwärts Marsch! [Germany]: To quote the comment section: “This sounds like a German version of I’ll Make a Man out of you.” There’s some truth to that.

23.  Hamburger Street [America]: The product of America’s rapper phase. 8/10 because he’s trying so hard and because I can unironically sing along to all of this.

22.  Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy [Hong Kong]: A song that would absolutely destroy the ankles of anyone in DDR.

21.  I Am German-Made [Germany]: There was once a version that had Germany and Prussia singing at the same time and it sounded positively demonic and Broadway could never

20.  La pasión no se detiene ~Unstoppable Passion~ [Spain]: Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping...

19.  Fall in Love, Mademoiselle [France]: Sounds like it should be in Mozart Opera Rock, I have kiss kiss falled in love.

18. Embrace the Très Bien Moi [France]: This is the definition of SELF LOVE PEOPLE. 

17. Carrot and Stick [Belarus&Ukraine]: Absolutely DRIPPING in 2000s power ballad energy. The type of song that plays on repeat in the mind of the widow whose millionaire husband ‘mysteriously disappeared’ (and the only legit character song ever acknowledged by the anime)

16. C.B.C (Cowboyz Boot Camp) Vol. 1 [America]: AH MAH GAWWDDD

15. Winter [Russia]: Heavy metal fever dream and the perfect song for an angst-ridden teenager

14.  Seychelles Here ⭐ Vacation Island [Seychelles]: UN👏DER👏RA👏TED SONG👏OF 👏THE 👏SUM👏MER👏

13.  Nah, it will settle itself somehow [Romano]: One day I aspire to reach this level of chill

12.  Let’s Enjoy Today [England]: I will never not feel happy when listening to this.

11.  Einsamkeit [Germany]: Ludwig manages to air every single one of his worries about not being good enough compared to his friends and always being perceived as mean or uptight when he’s actually just a softie and now my heart hurts. 💔

10.  Aiyaa Four Thousand Years [China]: A very poignant and beautiful song about the passage of time and the inevitability of its passing; comparable to an ancient ballad complete with explosive crescendos and meaningful lyrics.

9.  Bon Bon Bon❤️C’est Bon C’est Bon! [France]: Peppy, cheerful, adorable, groundbreaking; has been my alarm tone for six years and I’ve yet to tire of it. 9/10 The moaning interspersed throughout has been an interesting wake-up call.

8.  Let’s Enjoy! Let’s Get Excited! Cheers! [Denmark]: This is on par with Everytime we Touch by Cascada in terms of rage potential unlocked (the good kind)

7.  Dream Journey [Japan]: Whoever’s playing the shakuhachi is absolutely KILLING IT. Dramatic, wonderful, great metaphors.

6.  Gourmet’s Heart Beginner Level [China]: Absolute banger, I’m a vegetarian but this would inspire me to eat shumai.

5.  Always with you...Nordic Five! [Nordic FIVVVVVEEEE]: Everyone harmonizes beautifully except for Denmark. Extremely catchy, number placement seemed appropriate. 

4.  Pub and GO! [England]: I love this trash man

3. Maji Kandou⭐Hong Kong Night [Hong Kong]: If you thought Denmark’s song was a banger JUST YOU WAIT. I WILL BLOW OUT MY SPEAKERS LISTENING TO LO-HA-SU.

2. Steady Rhythmus [Germany]: THIS SONG IS METAL AF. Seriously, if it can be classified as ‘hardcore’ by my father and his group of 50-somethings who have decided to single-handedly gatekeep the metal and hardrock genres, it can do anything.

1.  The Delicious Tomato Song 🍅 [Romano]: Beautiful, absolutely awe-inspiring, poignant, catchy lyrics with an extremely deep meaning that only years of meticulous research and analysis can unlock, Romano I love you.

BONUS: Closing Songs

5. Hatafutte Parade (World Series) 

4. Hetalian⭐Jet (The World Twinkle): The song is good, the dancing is cursed 

3. Chikyuu Marugoto Hug Shitainda (World⭐Stars)

2. Marukaite Chikyuu (Hetalia: Axis Powers): nE NE PaPA

1. Mawaru Chikyuu Rondo (The Beautiful World)

[ahjustroza]

hey hey! can i request a five senses with Felix? :3 thank

I hope I understood this ask right lol. Send another ask away if that is not what you meant!

Five Senses W/ Bae (SFW)

Touch

Let's start with how he feels like under your touch

Felix is very soft in general

I feel like he has some scars then and there from his days in the war

Some thin scratch marks on his hands that are barely visible and some other in different parts of his body

You can tell they healed well and are only visible if you take extra attention looking at his body

His hands are always moisturized and soft

He uses body lotion and most definitely smells amazing at all times

His hair is soft as well and again, smells great

I can picture him with small pimples on his forehead when he eats junk food or anything fried in oil 

But those are only present for max two days, then disappear

He refuses to touch his pimples because he doesn't want them to leave a scar

I feel like he is always warm too

Oh he does get cold for sure, but his body temperature is always warm

Cuddles with him is waaay too comfortable because of how soft and small he is

A couch potato almost

Now... the way he touches you...

His fingers wander on your body like feathers

Leave the spot he touches warm 

So so so very gentle

Felix is the little spoon but that doesn't mean he won't remind you of the power he has over you

He will touch your arms, lock your fingers and press his face to your neck or your chest 

Will rub his nose to your neck or your cheek, demand your attention

He will make physical contact with you or stay close to you every time and everywhere when you are together

Will press his leg to yours when you sit next to each other

Will lean towards you to rest his head to your shoulder on the road to somewhere, or just when you go on a date together

He will make sure your shoes are touching when you sit across from him at the table

He will also do your eyeliner if you ask or just when he see you interested in eyeliners

He will also let you touch him anytime you want while other people are absolutely not allowed to touch him without asking

Smell

Felix smells good almost all the time

He does get sweaty after a difficult day out but takes shower immediately when he has the chance

He doesn't like heavy perfumes but he loves floral and light scents 

Felix is also very sensitive to smells

He will notice if you change your perfume right away

Will be able to guess what exact scent it is too

But he will also smell whatever you ate during the day too lol

If you eat fried food he'll know

He will ask you if you want to try his good scented body lotions, conditioner, very pretty looking bar soaps, etc. 

He will decide which scent suits you the best and after that day you are simply not allowed to have any other scent as perfume

He knows what you like and what you don't so when he decides the smell that suits you, it will almost 100% be a scent you will also like

Sight

Well he is a sight himself, isn't he?

He enjoys aesthetic looks and tries to keep his own aesthetic in everything he owns

That means he can be both cute and terrifying at the same times

He likes luxury because he grew up in such a lifestyle 

Old habits die hard, and he keeps luxury in his aesthetic at all times

Even when his aesthetic can get scary in the idea

Like taxidermy 

Or books written with blood

Or necklaces with bird skulls

When someone sees those things they would think Felix is someone scary and even shady

But the soft look he gives to people makes the aesthetic look interesting more than freaky

Like he is a collector of necromancy related items

Similar to what we think about people that collect mummified bodies and opens up their own museum to show them to others

Taxidermy is probably very expensive too

He will probably get you gifts he finds interesting to look at 

Oh and as much as how he cares about his looks, he cares about how you look as well

He will notice small changes you make about yourself

He will know your body like the back of his hand

He'll know when you get cold and get you a jacket

He'll also know if certain fabrics make you uncomfortable and get you the most comfortable clothes 

The best thing about it? He'll make sure to make it all seem natural when he buys you something

Like he will say things like you will look gorgeous and you deserve such fine fabrics

Or match the colors of your clothes 

Nother thing about sight is that his glasses plays a huge role in his life

He always carries them with him

But you are the only person in the entire universe that he will trust his glasses to

He'll only let you hold his glasses and will know you will get them for him first thing in the morning

Or whenever he thinks he lost it inside the house

He only lets go of his glasses somewhere inside your shared house (if you live together) because he trusts that you will be cautious of any thread for him while he is vulnerable without a clear sight

He'll ask if you saw his glasses once every week

And he will also know that when he falls asleep with his glasses on, it is you that takes them off and leave them on the sofa for him

Each time you do domestic stuff like that he melts and panics at the same time

"shddjsdvdkfh Thank you" 

Hear

Difficult

Not sure what to say about this

Felix is probably able to tell where people are from by their accent

He also has accent himself

You know what this is gonna be wild but I think his accent might sound similar to the way Solas from Dragon Age sounds

I can't explain this with science but I have 

Feelings

He speaks another language other than the common language as well so

I also think he is sensitive to the sounds coming from nearby if he is giving attention

But I also think he would space out when he does one thing and not pay attention to what is happening around him

Maybe we can even say he is not the best multitasker?

Taste

He is a picky eater

Oh he eats a lot of things but strict about them

He is the kind to tolerate particular foods even though they are not the best but refuses to eat certain foods

He is a bit of a gourmet himself too

He is good with wines 

He is also partly good with eating a balanced meal

When he studies all day he will most probably skip meals but other days he eats his meals balanced

Also drinks a lot of water

Idk I just feel like Felix is always hydrated 

But I don't think he can cook

At all

So you either learn how to cook together or teach this child how to survive on his own

Cooking is a survival skill guys 

At least learn how to make pasta or cook rice 

He probably eats after midnight but refuses to admit it because he wants everyone to assume that he always eats his meals balanced and at certain times during the day

But no

Even the meals are balanced, they are not always in the hours he is supposed to eat

No schedules most of the time

If you can't figure out how to cook, he'll feed you with olives after midnight 

Romantically

[fangirlyah]

✦just an arrangement - Draco Malfoy x Reader (part 2)

summary: the return to the school year with the dark mark is hard enough, but now they must fulfill a more intimate request or they expect a happily ever after with an old death eater.

warnings: cursing and mentions of sex

word count: 2,383

a/n: hey! i think i will do at least 2 more parts to this story but idk so tell me what u think :) 

another thing, i imagine y/n with this dress: https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/623185667178835548/?nic_v2=1a1Y1Zk4c but you can imagine her with any dress, suit or whatever you feel most comfortable with 

that sunny morning, draco had received a letter from his mother.

my dearest draco, 

severus informed us about your relationship with the girl y/l. I am surprised that you didn't tell me sooner, according to your teacher your relationship is now three months old. your father is delighted with the news, so he wants to have you both this weekend to present you as an official couple. y/n's parents will surely inform her about it. 

we look forward to seeing you. 

much love.

your mother

when he had gone down to the slytherin common room and saw her sitting down, he assumed that she had already received the news. 

"magnolia brought my letter too, we are expected this friday for dinner" y/n explained mentioning her beloved owl.

"are you ready?" draco took a seat on an individual sofa in the living room, which was opposite hers. 

"i'm not going to lie to you and say yes" this was their first talk like that. it was the first time they spoke from heart to heart about the subject that united them so much, the darkness that surrounded them. 

when draco wanted to answer her, some first year children entered the common room and looked at them. they could not continue talking about the subject so y/n got up from her place to continue with their performance. 

"see you in the great hall, darling" leaving draco in shock, she placed a kiss on his forehead and went to the exit of the place. 

he sat on the couch for what he thought had been hours. still feeling her soft lips on his forehead and her sweet voice calling out a lovely nickname. unknowingly they felt the same, both trying to push out those feelings that fluttered in their stomachs whenever they were near.

that wednesday, the day they received the news, y/n was taken by her mother to hogsmeade in search of a stylish dress. having such intimidating and influential parents had its benefits as being able to leave to hogsmeade just to look for a dress in the middle of a typical morning. 

"looking for your little girlfriend, malfoy?!” one of the weasley twins shouted as they watched the blond boy look for his 'girlfriend' in the chaos of the great hall. draco only gave them a determined look, saying that he would only lend them his attention for a few seconds. "her mother came to look for her this morning and she hasn't yet returned" 

draco and y/n had spent their mornings apart and lunch was the time where they should make a daily show of affection. they had never reached the point of kissing but they knew that they should do so, in the way not to arouse suspicion. 

draco did not want to feel worried but the mention of y/n’s mother made him alert. when he was about to violently ask the twins how they had this information he saw her enter the room with a smile, which he thought was probably fake. 

he saw her walk the long way to him greeting many people giving them warm smiles and looks. for a moment he wished he was her and so that people would like him. 

 "hello, draco” the smile that involuntarily came out on his face was bigger than he would have liked. 

she was so close that he smelled her perfume and saw the sparkles in her eyes in the light. without knowing where so much courage came from, draco approached her face with the intention of kissing her lips briefly and giving their audience, that were staring at them, what they wanted. but she discreetly refused his offer of a kiss and allowed his lips to reach her cheek; despite the failed attempt, both blushed and y/n gave him a look that he could not decipher.

"where were you?” his long white hand took hers to sit on the table and start eating lunch, side by side. 

"mum took me to buy a dress, according to her your tie will be the same colour" 

"aww your first official couple's dinner! i want to see your dress y/n! where do you have it?" astoria was a causeless romantic, so she was always attentive to what they were doing or not. 

"it's in my dorm, i'll show it to you later” draco knew that astoria had something up her sleeve, because of the way she looked at y/n and how attentive her movements were; maybe it was jealousy, his parents had informed him that one of his suitors was astoria greengrass and that if he didn't find a girlfriend on his own, she would be an option as a future wife; maybe astoria's parents had already told her that too. 

the remaining days to dinner, passed in the blink of an eye. so when they least noticed, y/n was coming down from her dorm knowing that draco was waiting for her in the common room, ready to disparate and head for the malfoy mansion. 

he was standing leaning his back on an armchair, his hair perfectly combed and clean with an immaculate suit that made him look mature and handsome. his tie was the exact same colour as the dress that adorned y/n's body. 

she came down the stairs with an elegance that she wore in her day to day life even though she was not wearing such fine clothes. when draco saw her his heart turned as he was grateful that he was bringing home such a beautiful companion. 

"hello draco" y/n greeted him cordially when she reached his side, he seemed bewitched and although he tried to hide it she noticed and was happy to see that she was not the only one impressed. 

he said, "are you ready?" gently his hand approached hers, to take her and travel by magic to his home. 

"you don't want to know the answer" 

despite being in high shoes, y/n landed on the manor door as if it were nothing. the big black door was not a very cheerful welcome, but both knew they had to enter with the best of faces. 

and so they did. draco took the initiative and entangled his arm with y/n’s to start their performance. 

as soon as they entered the house a wave of people looked at them; many more than they expected. their parents had told them that the guests would not exceed fifteen people but in front of them were at least thirty wizards and witches. 

"well hello to our guests of honor!” bellatrix made her way through the crowd to greet her nephew and the pretty girl who accompanied him. 

draco’s nerves were too noticeable so y/n, and her theatrical skills, had to take the lead.   

"good night everyone..." there were many pairs of eyes on them, all quietly waiting for the couple to debut the night "you all look very elegant...emm thank you for receiving us on such a beautiful night" 

y/n parents were looking at her proudly from the other side of the room. both they and the malfoy were swallowing the farce like a shot of imported whiskey, worshipping the new alliance; their children's relationship guaranteed wealth and power to both families. 

"say something, draco" y/n whispered, keeping her eyes and smile up high. 

"thank you so much for the great organization and preparation, we appreciate it" with that said, each guest seemed to agree and continued their previous conversation. 

they were all adults except blaise zabini and the greengrass sisters. draco thought that seeing people his age would calm his nerves but it did not. 

they all exuded airs of wealth and elegance as they spoke and drank such expensive drinks. y/n thought that by collecting all the money from food and drink she could help the weasleys build that new room that molly wanted as a knitting workshop. 

draco and y/n moved among the guests, still with their arms intertwined, to meet their parents in front of one of the tables with gourmet snacks that surely had taken the elves hours to make.

"welcome draco and y/n" lucius was the first to speak when he had the teenagers in front of him. 

“you two look so beautiful together!” y/m/n watched how their clothes matched and was proud to have insisted y/n to wear that dress. 

“we are all amazingly happy for the two of you" it was really striking how well they looked together, side by side pretending to be a couple that they were not. 

"may i ask, how did this happen?" a newcomer bellatrix asked them with a questioning look.

the nerves of both of them grew, as they had not organised any pre-dinner stories to tell and leave people satisfied.

"emm...we used to meet a lot in the library and one day draco came over, we started chatting, and that's how we fell in love" draco had to swallow so hard that his throat hurt. her voice had sounded so convincing, that he was overwhelmed to hear that they were in love. he didn't know how y/n had managed to sound so real and at the same time invent on the fly; he didn't know much about her childhood but assumed she had developed that skill at that stage of her life. 

"we want to know all the details!" astoria greengrass took y/n’s arm to get her off draco's side faster than light. 

people were eating and drinking as if there was no tomorrow, while they were questioning the recent couple who had been separated by the living room for an hour. 

in spite of the distances, draco and y/n looked at each other constantly; y/n thought it was to continue their pretense of teenagers enjoying love, but draco could not take his eyes off the girl, with that dress decorating her body as if it had been handmade for her. 

y/n had heard questions from how many children they planned to have, when they planned to get married, to whether or not he kissed with his tongue a question she questioned herself

draco, for his part, had been shot with questions from how they had met to whether she was good in bed or not; he had not needed to act angry when he heard the question, he was angry without the need to act. 

until his aunt reappeared. 

"dear nephew, how has the night been treating you?" 

"very well, aunt. how about you?” blaise had quickly disappeared when he saw bellatrix make an appearance; what a pussy, draco thought.

"oh great, i’ve been chatting with y/n for a while ...how did you meet again?" 

"emm...in the library a few months ago" he knew that his aunt did not believe that they were a couple. at that time, draco begged merlin to please make y/n appeared at his side and help him with his lack of skills in what pretending in front of death eaters was all about. but she was talking kindly to a woman, who seemed to be watching her so closely that in the muggle world y/n could have been x-rayed. the girl was not easy to read, she pretended so well, that if she was uncomfortable or upset it was difficult for draco to find out. as bellatrix continued to talk to him he wondered if any of her friends could read her to the point of acknowledging her discomfort 

"I thought you already knew each other, you know the y/l and the malfoys are families who hang around each other a lot" her voice was analytical as if she was waiting for draco to break character and spit out the truth. 

"in the library we really met, just y/n and draco not y/l and malfoy" draco knew that if y/n had heard him at that moment, she would be proud. 

"do you plan on having kids?” draco had a moment of lucidity and recognised that it was probably one of the questions his 'girlfriend' had been bombarded with; it was almost impossible that his aunt would been asking him about future children, she hated them. he did not know what y/n’s answer had been, so when he saw her alone he apologised gently and approached her, quickly but without looking desperate. 

y/n was pouring some pumpkin juice into her long glass when the blonde appeared beside her. 

"you would not know the amount of nonsense i have been asked, people really are gossi-" 

"kiss me" he whispered, causing her to leave her glass on the table confused.

"excuse me...what?"  

"my aunt is suspicious, do it now" 

it was strange, her first kiss was going to be with a boy who pretended to love her. y/n had imagined this moment completely different, but there was no choice. 

so when draco took her cheeks and kissed her sweetly as if she could break at any moment she let herself go with it. she rested her hands on his chest and let draco move his lips over hers; he had to erase any doubt that someone at the party might have, not make a scene; so they parted away after a few seconds. 

it had definitely not been as y/n expected; because she had loved it and wanted more. but when she saw that draco turned his head in search of some distrustful look, she wanted to run to the guest bedroom and curl up to cry. y/n remembered that it was all a farce, something she had forgotten the instant his lips touched hers. 

she didn't know that draco had turned his head so that she wouldn't have seen him blushed. he thought that the tickling on his lips and the bubbles in his belly were visible to her, because they felt so strong that his brain seemed to get dizzy. 

"good job" what? good job? what was that? she hadn't finished a herbology essay, why did he say that? draco wanted to punch himself, he had been an idiot. 

y/n was about to say something random to avoid awkwardness, but her mother called from afar so that she could introduce herself to some newly arrived adults; and she left, leaving draco with a shy smile that he was too confused to answer. 

what did he feel in his stomach?

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: Here’s a tasty treat from BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle 😋.

Es: “Pudding.” (line from XBLAZE)

Would the 14 Symphonia Characters eat this kind of Pudding? 

I know it’s a Flan over here (Mai even called the Pudding a Flan in Episode Extra of BBTAG), but in Japan it’s know as Custard Pudding.

In XBLAZE, it looks like this 🍮 as it’s from the store. In BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, it looks the picture displayed here as it’s specifically made gourmet pudding that Valkenhayn makes (Rachel Alucard bought Es’ assistance in Episode BlazBlue, Persona 4 Arena, Under Night In-Birth and RWBY with a mountain of gourmet pudding). *~*~*~*~* I’m going to go off exclusively the “gourmet” version, or the one shown in the picture rather than the standard flan or custard pudding because those are kinda plain and I think a lot of the characters who would like the gourmet version wouldn’t really care for the plain one without fruits and other additions. Lloyd: The only preference I’m aware of for Lloyd is that he hates tomatoes so I’m pretty sure he’d eat it. XD Colette: Colette really likes fruits so 100% she would eat it and probably add even more fruits to it. Genis: Genis doesn’t seem too picky about sweets so I bet he’d eat it. Probably likes the whipped cream topping and cherries best. Raine: Would eat it but would also probably add weird things like nato or lemon since lemons are her favorite. Which I guess wouldn’t be too weird since the one above is served with a citrus that looks like either orange or tangerine. But still, straight lemon is kind of weird. Still, as a lemon-eater myself, Raine is 100% valid and also probably a raccoon since other than me and Raine, raccoons are the only other creature on the planet that will eat a lemon straight. Like. I eat the pith and rind too. Cut lemon into wedges, put them in a plastic bag, let them macerate in their own juices and get tender... then just... eat them. Tastes like Lemonade. So Raine and I are I guess the weird people sticking straight lemon on things. XD (I get it from my mom since mom eats her rice with lemon and Raine tried to make rice-stuffed lemons as a recipe and everyone in the party was disgusted. XD) Sheena: I think Sheena might think the texture of the pudding/flan itself is weird, but she would probably like it and would probably also like the plain version. Zelos: Not enough melon. He’d steal the melon off of Regal’s. Zelos would trade the whole dessert to anyone and everyone at the table in exchange for the melon pieces and probably wind up with at least half a melon. Speaking of which, I’m not familiar with the exact type of melon used here. It clearly has the skin of a cantaloupe but I’ve never had a green cantaloupe. Presumably it would taste like the melon gum I once got with the bill at a Japanese restaurant in which case I do not blame Zelos one bit for trading his flan for more melon. XD Apparently designer fruits are a big deal in Japan, so Zelos could probably afford that $27,000 melon experience. XD Regal: Finding out Regal doesn’t like coffee isn’t that surprising because coffee is bitter and does, in fact, taste like muddy water if you don’t add anything to it in my opinion. Too many tannins for me. But I checked and apparently Regal doesn’t like CUCUMBER OR MELON. Like, bruh, IDK what to tell you, but cucumber barely has any flavor, let alone anything objectionable! Cucumber vaguely tastes like “green” water. Like “Oh, this water had some sort of vegetable in it.” And while I don’t really like cantaloupe, I don’t HATE it. I’ve had bad cantaloupes before that were REALLY disappointing that I didn’t enjoy eating, but I’ve also had really good cantaloupe! So I guess he’d eat it if you took the melon off of it. Still, kind of a shame. Presea: Presea probably doesn’t have strong preferences so she would try it. I’m not sure she would like the plain one but I think she’s one of the few people in the cast that could eat just the pudding part with nothing added. (I still stand by my coffee opinion for her though, even though the game wants to hammer in that she just doesn’t care. Coffee is serious business and I guarantee she has a preference on that. It’s MY HEAD CANON AND I’M STICKING TO IT! XD) Kratos: Would probably eat it, both the plain and gourmet version. Probably not something he would set out to eat and would only eat it if it’s something he had to. Not a favorite, not something he hates. Something that’s just so unobtrusive that he literally forgets it’s a food for 100 years at a time because he just DOESN’T care because it’s not particularly remarkable. Emil: Would probably eat it but I’m not sure if he’d like the plain one better or not because the game doesn’t make it 100% clear whether he had an issue with Colette’s cooking because it was primarily fruit because he doesn’t like fruit or if it was just that he wanted MORE than fruit. Cooking for the party wasn’t as big a mechanic in DotNW as it was in Symphonia, so while Monsters had favored foods, all we know about Emil is that he doesn't like herbs, doesn’t like Colette only cooking fruits, and enjoys steak and loves fried chicken and that last one we only know from info outside of DotNW. Marta: Would eat the gourmet kind and probably not like the plain one. Probably prefers parfait.   Alice: Not only would she eat it, I bet she really likes it, especially the bouncy texture. But if you call her out for liking it, she’ll whip you.

Decus: 100% likes it just because Alice likes it. Richter: Doesn’t seem like a big custard fan, honestly. Would eat it if it was offered to him but also probably prefers a parfait. Probably hates the plain version because it just “tastes like sweet mush.” I don’t really see him enjoying the texture much either. Like, you could offer him mint jello and he’d probably like the flavor and hate the texture. Would eat the fruit and probably give the flan/pudding to someone else. Pontus the Polwigle: I know no one asked but Pontus would probably love it and this is my firm belief. Wiggly food for the wiggly boy. 

[snarksandsarcasm]

Goblins

The Green Plague

Styx mentions he awoke in a dried-up lake bed after the Fall of Akenash. The cutscene at that point shows that it isn’t entirely true. A lot of the tower and its inhabitants got pulverized in the process of the fall but there are still big chunks of wall and stones in that dried-up lake bed beneath. The tree as well, due it’s magical properties, remained surprisingly intact, just got crushed and broken under the weight of the structures around it. A lot of amber vaporized (possibly poisoning the area making it very unsafe for non-Amber-creatures to enter), the rest came down in its liquid form to become a shallow lake at “ground zero”. The tree is not producing Amber anymore and will just rot away over the next couple decades.

Within that Amber lake the strange reaction of spawning creatures continued and rakash rise regularly. With every rakash risen the amount of amber decreases so eventually all amber is used up to create all these goblins. That is when the infestation of Styx-duplicates ends. (I think by the time of OOAM this has happened, and all goblins that remain are now those living their regular life, which would mean they could be eradicated if it wasn’t for some independent regular breeding goblins).

Since these rakash were born of the Amber, similar to Styx being reborn in the cocoon, they are fully functional living creatures, free from any mental connections to elves or even each other. But they are all made from the same base model and thus are all male, sharing the same genetics with limited conscience and intelligence. They are like rats… or dogs… following their instincts to eat without consideration and have a distinct violent aspect to their being. But capable of being taught, as Sarkyss shows us. OOAM goblins appear a lot more vicious, the SoD ones more like sad puppies that don’t know any better. 

Ground Zero was left alone for a couple of reasons.

There aren’t any survivors other than those who were on airships at the time of the fall or not in Akenash in the first place.

The area got covered with raw Amber that isn’t easily dealt with by humans or other non-Amber creatures. The elves are now for sure not willing to help in any recovery efforts due to the death of their own kin.

There is too many rakash around that will tear any human or other being apart (they may have attacked and potentially eaten their own creator, but other than that they are not cannibals).

The area in general isn’t easily accessible. Akenash was already afloat somewhere in the mountains, possibly for secrecy reasons, far away from the civilisation going on in the mainland. The steep mountain walls and jungle forests probably don’t allow many people to live there and with the rakash roaming about I can imagine even that one big trade route is being avoided for a long time to come.

The Goblins

This is my own take on this but I want these little creatures to thrive as their own race and not be doomed to extinction in this world. What follows is a very short paragraph on how that came to be (and I may cover that in more detail in another time). 

Styx had made use of a human the last decade before The Fall of Akenash and taught her some of the things he knew as a shaman, scholar and scientist. After the Fall, this human let’s go of the dream of ‘becoming an Orc once more’ and instead aims to make these new creatures ‘whole’. Nearby ‘Ground Zero’ she utilises an old laboratory of Styx and starts to experiment on female orcs. Ruthlessly and of all ages. (Sarkyss Predecessor!) After two decades the result are 10 - 20 female goblins. A destructive earthquake allows them to escape into the surrounding mountain forest. (Eve was left behind in the only, small cocoon grown to the tiny World Tree that decided to live after the Fall. She escapes some time later, when the other goblins try and fail to recover the small World Tree.)

This group of females lives hidden in the forests of the mountains. The other rakash are not immune to the presence of females and flock around them. The females have the upper hand in intelligence and communication and they run their tribe and developing society with iron fists, so to speak. They have very tribal structures, with the Eldest being the head of the tribe and surprisingly in these critical first years of their existence, disagreements between the females are rare as they share the same existential desires. 

The males protect the females at all costs and do little more than hunt for food and wait nearby to be on hand to be a lucky chosen one for the next mating season. Breeding is strictly organised. One female may have several, but strictly the same partners. Their children don’t get to pick and choose. Partners are chosen according to the greatest genetic difference among them (even if they do not know exactly how they make that decision consciously) and cheating/adultery is met with violent death of the next child born to the female. 

All knowledge comes from the Elder Females. Many things are instinct, such as knowing that shelter is necessary and being clothed helps to protect from the elements. But making tools and weaving etc comes from their orc lives and they slowly teach the males and their children in these tasks. Basic tools can be crafted and huts can be built. Leaving the tribe is generally forbidden but those who do despite of that, may never return or face being killed. So knowledge from the outside cannot come (back) in. The Elder females are very strict. Since the rakash are going to be around for some time, you may see confused young males wondering why their dads all look the same and can’t speak. But these mute forefathers are certainly always kept in loving memory of every goblin born. 

These goblins are Amber creatures and use Amber from the growing Tree in the laboratory. However, they are not as dependent on it as elves are and use it surprisingly not to the extend they could. Thus, these goblins have a lifespan of around 80 years.

Eventually, with the help of Styx, this goblin tribe opens up more and allows knowledge to come in. Aiken brings in the craft of writing and drawing, Styx gives their leather and wood work a boost, Eve can teach them new hunting methods … and well, eventually the goblins start to have contact to other races and maybe a century later they have established trade deals going on and maybe another century later, the first goblins are allowed to enter a human or orc university. xD

Food

I think goblins are primarily raw food eaters and omnivores, with their preferred food being fish, chicken and other small animals and insects, as well as nuts, fruits, vegetables and mushrooms. While Styx and Eve can use fire to cook they actually rarely do so. Lesser intelligent goblins may also have discovered fire for cooking but them too, are not inclined to use it for cooking purposes. When any goblin ‘steals’ food, they don’t take the plate from a nobleman's dinner table… they grab the fruits and fish from the market stalls.

One advantage this has is their oral health. They rarely need to brush their teeth and just take basic care such as removing bones and other large food objects for healthy gums.

Food could be preserved by leaving it to dry, or coating it in a layer of thick Amber or submerging it in an Amber solution (pickled). But generally goblins don’t think ahead like that and don’t preserve food. They aren’t gourmets either.

Goblins CAN eat human as well (see rakash in SoD Prologue). However, they aren’t at all their preferred source of food. They are big and cumbersome to move, to prepare and eat. Preference always goes towards smaller animals. 

Since all rakash can throw up stomach content to poison other food, they are naturally protected against most poisonous food that would otherwise kill the eater. Such as certain frogs or mushrooms that humans stay away from, have little effect on goblins.

Health

Since rakash are ‘born’ as adults, leaving the Amber environment behind, they grow old and die eventually. I set that at around 50 years. The Amber will help them over injuries and sickness but as they do not, like the elves, continue their exposure to Amber, they will lose that element of eternal youth.

Age of rakash: 50 years Age of “normal” goblins: 80 years Styx and Eve: Couple of centuries (their intensive training and knowledge allows them to ‘regenerate’ their Amber and use it’s rejuvenation qualities. Not forever, like the elves, but for a long time.)

Amber skills

Both males and females can utilise the Amber flowing in their body, albeit in different ways.

Females can secret Amber like spit in their mouth, which they can use to:

feed others with it (give them an energy boost)

thicken the texture of Amber and create a sticky glue (like bee propolis)

the thicker textured Amber can also be used as an antibacterial and wound-healing substance (that is why it is part of the health potion Styx mixes in SoD) and no-one bats an eye when a female spits into wounds or licks over them

spit on/lick other creatures to temporarily control them / read their thoughts (this requires a lot of training and intelligence)

Males and Females can:

Use Amber vision with a bit of concentration

Become invisible (after training)

Throw up their stomach content to poison

Styx alone can vomit a clone (and with is use the re-materialising through one of his clones skill as in SoD). This is probably linked to him being a directly mutated orc, first generation goblin so to speak.

For some reason, within Styx, the Amber does not display it’s ‘wireless Twitter’ function. This might be because the World Tree from which the Amber came from that is now running in every goblin’s blood, is no longer alive. There is no radio tower anymore, so to speak. Nonetheless, the Amber came from the same source and I think it does still create a connection between the users, especially if they were to actually exchange their own Amber fluids with each other, like during mating. It would be more of a sensual connection, where the emotions, pleasures and pains of the other become clear and part of your own for a limited time. 

Mating and Birth

Goblins have an actual mating season at the start of the year. Females are able to get pregnant only around 1-2 weeks during that time. Of course, sexual contact is possible at any other time, too, but during mating season it can be a bit more hectic than usual. xD After around 6 months the ladies give birth to usually one child. Twins are possible but one usually remains underdeveloped and dies after birth. Young are born in a soft/solid amber cocoon, which must be opened straight after birth and is then consumed again by mother or father. This also means, there is no after-birth, it all comes out in one go.They are fed their mothers milk (with a good dose of Amber, obviously) until they are ½ year old. 

When a female hasn’t conceived she would in the course of a day, get her period and discharge the empty amber cocoon. This also, she would eat.

While the act of copulation is a private one, the mating season as a whole is celebrated and goblins look with excitement towards the new matches made and the first timers in this this year. Similarly, since all females will give birth to the kids at roughly the same time, the Birthing Season is equally celebrated and well prepared for. 

Goblins smell. Surprise. xD No, I mean, pheromones, invisible smells. Lone females, if they dare to travel (Eve….) will always be found somehow by the lads. It is a good idea not to pee anywhere near your resting place, or else the males will have sniffed you out in no time. Although, in all honesty, they just surround the female and start to protect her, bring food and make maybe some mild advanced outside mating season but that’s it. Females can have their sad-SoD-rakash harems.

Also, for males: Amber is part of their body and so also present in their semen. Whether this liquid causes harm to humans and other non-amber creatures, however, I haven’t decided yet. I think it doesn’t turn out as bad as Aaron’s disfigurement, since this Amber may not be the exact same as raw Tree sap. Still, contact with it might cause skin irritation, burning sensation, maybe also some form of intoxication similar to the drug abuse of Amber and other minor side effects. Another little detail: I suppose females enjoy male semen as much as males like the Amber breastmilk or spit of females. Gobs are truly all over each other.

Growing Up

Goblets develop quicker than human children, especially their motor skills. After around a year (when typically the next child can come) they are able to eat, drink, pee/poo, walk, run and climb on their own. Doesn’t mean they don’t need the supervision though. They are like small tiny chimpanzees, they like to play hide/seek, wrestling, brawling, making others fall etc. I think 15 is an age where they’d be treated like adults, the 5 to 6 years prior to that as the age of adolescence. Styx left his tribe at age 30, finally being regarded as an adult free from his father’s reign, but I think that signified more the intellectual independence to know enough of life now to make good decisions. The first century for sure, the goblins don’t ever get that freedom. You are part of the tribe forever, with your small, precise, restricted but safe place within it.

[marziyoudumbass]

dates with the Allies

pairings: america x reader, england x reader, france x reader, russia x reader, canada x reader

synopsis: what kind of date would the Allies take you on? (also I didn’t do china, but did do canada. I’m sorry, I can’t write him)

============

alfred f. jones

100% would take you on a classic movie date

It’s probably a horror film too

Picks you up and drives you to the theaters

Tickets were already aquired so you just walk straight to get some snacks

Loads up on popcorn, candy, chocolate, ect

Are you looking at xyz snack for too long? He buys two

Gets slushies (or soda if you want, or water)

You’re scared for his bank account (movie theater food is expensive)

It ends up being a bit hard to carry but you both manage

You go to the back of the theater

You share a mega huge container of popcorn

You brush hands like in a cliche movie

Half the popcorn is gone before the movie even starts

He starts off all confident 

“Its not gonna be that scary.”

“If you get scared I’ll protect you”

His brave acts crumbles at the first jumpscare

Lowkey clinging to you

If you’re scared, though, he’ll toughen up on the outside

He’s still a baby though

He’ll protect you as much as he can

Stress eater? Stress eater.

By the time the movie ends he’s calmed a little

Has a death grip on your hand (but not too hard bc he doesn’t wanna hurt you uwu)

Drops you off and probably kisses you on the porch

Overall 10/10 would recomend

arthur kirkland

Hmmmmm

I’m thinking he’d do a nice romantic dinner date

He’d be all gentlemanly

Picks you up at 7

“You look amazing, love.”

He’ll open the car door for you and other little things like that

The restaurant is really fancy but not super snobby

There’s a valet and everything

You end up having a nice table

Its kind of secluded and overlooking the rest of the restaurant

It’s a classic candle-lit dinner

You order and do all that stuff

While you wait for your food you talk

He’s as charming as ever

Compliments compliments compliments

It’s a fairly intellectual conversation

But you also joke around together

Your food comes and you eat

The main draw of this type of date for him is being able to talk to you

He gives you a pretty necklace

It goes by rather quickly :((

He’ll take you to his house afterwards

You continue your date there

OVerall 9/10, nice conversation and atmosphere, not super eventful

francis bonneyfoy

Okokokokok

You’d expect him to also do a cliche dinner date, BUT 

I think he’d take you on a longer date then the rest would

It might not even be considered a date with how extra he is

You’re 100% going to France for this one

I think he’d take you to Disneyland in Paris

Maybe you’d drive, maybe you’d fly on a private jet, same dif

You’d go for Parc Disneyland first

You go to Phantom mannor, tour Sleeping Beauty Castle, go on Big Thunder Mountain, and even Space Mountain.

It’s a fun packed day!

You skip out on the food in Parc Disneyland

“It is nowhere near what you deserve, mon cher!”

(The food isn’t even good anyways)

After the park closes he takes you on a sweet picnic

Has a few candles but most of the light is from the moon

Probably bought you jewelry beforehand and presents it during this time

Loads of delicious, homemade-gourmet French cusine

Wine is a given

He might feed you

He compliments you but in the most extra ways

Makes you blush

Overall 100000/10 take me to Disneyland Paris please

ivan braginsky (baby)

He’s so sweet with his date

Like France, it would be more of a day out--just not as extravagant

It starts off as a simple walk through town

I like the idea of it snowing lightly

It's early mornimg

You’re both wearing coats and gloves, he’s holding your hand

You can’t really see his face, from your angle his scarf covers it

He’ll take you into little shops, if you want something, he’ll buy it for you

Would totally take you into a little clothing shop and buy you your own scarf

It’s probably a bit too big, but it’s the thought that counts

I think you’d mostly be in silence, just enjoying each other’s company

Small talk does occur, but only once in a while

You also window shop a bit, just looking through the big glass panes to see if anything interests you

He’s super considerate

“Are you having fun?”

“Would you like to go inside, любимый?”

“Are you cold, подсолнух?”

He just wants you to be happy

You then go to a small coffee shop

You sit in a corner and have coffe/hot chocolate/tea

I think he's not really a normal coffee kind of guy? Like, if he drinks coffee it's rarely coffe, cream, and sugar

He likes more lattes and macchiatos but doesn't mind a good cup of coffee

He's a huge softie for you

Stares at you across the table but lovingly

Like, he adores you

He can't believe you're his, his little sunflower

Overall 11/10 vv good and sweet

matthew williams

I think it is possible he does something like Russia, an early morning cafe date, but not at a cafe

He takes you to a cute little breakfast place

It has a very welcoming feel from the outside, like you just want to go in as soon as you see it

It's probably cold outside, so when you walk in, the warmth hits you like a freight train

To the far end of the dining area, there's a little fireplace, it's not real but still radiates immense heat

I think he'd take Kumajirou with you unless he wants it to be special or you don't like Kuma you monster

A nice big, cozy booth? Yes, only the best for you bb 

Matthew, in contrast to Russia, likes a good, strong cup of coffe. A nice, simple one; two sugars, cream if he feels like it.

Honestly all these boys spoil you, and Mattie does it with pancakes

The place has some of the best pancakes in Canada, second only to Matthew's own

Everything you want, he'll pay for it

He orders the 'Unlimited Pancake' meal for himself (with unlimited syrup and butter)

He might be sweet but he's not the pancake eating champion for nothing

He thinks you're so amazing

So sweet, kind, mindful, you can see him

Even if that's not how you describe yourself, he makes you out to be an angel

The conversation is never lacking

He's an incredible listener

Baby is so whipped, everyone can see it by the way he hangs onto every syllable that comes out of your mouth

Even though he doesn't talk much, he does ask questions

 "How have you been?"

 "Are the pancakes good?"

"Do you need more syrup?"

When you're finished, he'll pull some strings to get dessert from the dinner menu

He lets you get what you want, but not too much because he cares about your health uwu

You get home and riddle

Overall 9.9/10, such a sweet date but I like waffles more than pancakes (don't tell him I said that)

[in-tua-deep]

I’m lovin’ this responsible Luther au. The mental image of Luther going about his normal day with koala!Five gives me strength. This guy is clearly trying his best and probably reads a lot of parenting books. Does he make Five go to the therapist he found? Does he ask Allison for advice on feeding a kid who eats like a fussy toddler? Does Diego drop a puppy in Five’s lap and run because making life difficult for Luther will never not be fun?

(original post being referenced here)

YEAH honestly I’m digging Luther being responsible for kid Five because he’s very awkward but very genuine bless his little heart,,, he’s slightly better at interaction than canon!Luther because he hasn’t been isolated on the moon for four years letting his interpersonal skills waste away

UHHH he probably does end up having Five see a psychologist and also some like,, tutors to Five’s distaste. “Just because the apocalypse is impending,” Luther says, “Doesn’t mean you can let your education slide, Five. If we’re working to stop the apocalypse, we’re also working to have a future after the apocalypse. And having an education is a part of that.”

“We never had tutors before.” Five points out, crossing his arms and frowning.

Luther shrugs, “Well, Mom came programmed with everything we needed for our education. We don’t have her right now, and I can admit that you surpassed me in maths years ago and since you’ve already shot down school - homeschooling and tutors it is.” 

Five isn’t really a fussy eater so much as his concept of edible vs. inedible is,, kind of messed up?? Bugs? Edible. Dairy products and some other foods? Not so edible after months without refrigeration and exposure to the elements. And since getting sick in the apocalypse would have been really dangerous he’s right to be wary tbh

So it’s just a lot of Luther putting something in his mouth and making exaggerated “Mmm!” sounds while Five glares at him because despite the name he is not five years old thank you Luther. And letting Five look at food packaged for expiration dates. and sprinkling in plenty of foods that have long shelf lifes. They eat a lot of pasta. In general though Five’s tastebuds have been sort of burned away by starvation so he’ll eat pretty much anything he deems to be ‘edible’ that’s put in front of him, regardless of actual flavor. 

And neither of them are exactly gourmet chefs over here. I doubt Luther nor Five have ever really cooked in their lives besides like, maybe one day making cookies with Grace or something. Diego cracks eggs straight into his mouth and Klaus eats dumpster bagels so I don’t trust them. So it’s probably Vanya who realized what disasters all of her siblings are and ends up like,, bringing over casseroles and other goods they can pop in the freezer and thaw when necessary (which brings them all closer together because no one wants to get on Vanya’s bad side when she’s the one feeding them, not even Diego)

Allison mails them cookbooks for beginners like the passive aggressive sibling she is. Luther isn’t too sure whether it’s feasible though because no matter how badly they mess up a recipe together Five can and will eat the result without complaint (he has a thing about wasting food) and frankly Luther doesn’t want to be arrested for poisoning his baby brother who he also lowkey kidnapped from his father?? (what’s the legality here,, Five was born in 1989 so legally he should be 25 the same as Luther so really Reginald can’t legally make Five stay, right?? Right?)

UHHHH in this au I think if Diego is the one who procures the dog he actually gets Five a therapy dog, perhaps at the suggestion of the psychologist, to help deal with,, u know,, Five’s rampant PTSD. Diego absolutely does not consult with Luther (he was the one to pick Five up from therapy the day the doc suggested it) and him and Five just bust into the apartment with this dog in its vest and are like “HEY LUTHER MEET MR. PENNYCRUMB.”

(Luther disapproves greatly but Mr. Pennycrumb also allows all of them a level of mobility they didn’t have before, because Five is okay staying home alone as long as he has Mr. Pennycrumb with him if absolutely necessary. The family still don’t like leaving him on his own, but if he can wait fifteen minutes by himself between sibling shifts then it would allow for more flexibility at the very least)

(Mr. Pennycrumb sleeps in Luther and Five’s bed at Five’s absolute insistence despite Luther buying the dog his very own dog bed to try and prevent this very issue.)

Honestly though the whole family is pretty surprised at how much Luther stepped up in this au like he’s trying his hardest to be there for Five and it means a lot ;v;

but yEAH touch starved Five just being piggybacked everywhere or carried everywhere by Luther who is now using his super strength for important things like carrying his thirteen-year-old brother to combat that severe skin hunger going on and Five getting more and more bold until he’s just climbing on Luther like a jungle gym while the others watch in amusement. For his part, Luther just allows himself to be manhandled and holds his arm out straight while Five hooks his legs over and hangs upside down. 

Man if this had been post serum Luther I could have made a monkey joke but I made this au with pre-serum Luther so i cAN’T the world is an unfair place

give! me! gentle! giant! Luther!

[sebcastellanos]

Shipping meme: timeatom?

oh god i’m finally filling this out. oh god. i have never loved a ship as much as i love timeatom it’s kind of frightening

send me a pairing and I’ll tell you who:

falls asleep on the couch

RIP!!! and only because ray would make the effort to go to bed when his insomnia stops being a horrid bitch. on rip’s end it’s more “raymond doesn’t like when i spend my 2-4 hours of sleep every 2 weeks on the floor, so i suppose i ought to find the nearest normal surface to use instead”

rip will absolutely slide into bed just to spoon ray though (or jetpack considering the fact that little spoon ray is so much taller). he doesn’t sleep much but he’ll sometimes just lie there with his eyes closed breathing calmly

makes friends with the neighbors

it’s gotta be ray. they find some stupid home somewhere in the 21st century (rip is going by ‘michael’ now, and he takes ray’s last name so that there isn’t any weird record of michael jon carter jr. in 2018) and it’s like. it’s fairly suburb-y because they both have inklings to have children one day and 1) ray grew up in a nice neighbourhood, so he wants his kid to be the same; 2) rip’s last family lived in the apocalypse so he honestly doesn’t have high standards for this so he’ll just listen to ray

and anyway. the point is it’s one of those neighbourhoods where people do in fact greet the neighbours and rip doesn’t know how to Deal With That. but ray is very excited about it and he does, in fact, accept the casseroles they give him, and he manages to join a book club and goes jogging with all the mums in the morning. rip has like one (1) friend and it’s only because one of the jogging mums tells ray about her husband who really likes woodworking but not talking to people much and he’s like actually he might get along with michael

is the adventurous eater

rip and his apocalyptic child upbringing on all accounts… ray’s one of those (formerly?) rich people who isn’t much for weird rich people gourmet experiments and what weird food he does like (see: butter in his coffee) is more silly than anything ~adventurous and also significantly adapted into his everyday diet rather than something he tries out of nowhere. give ray a good mac n cheese any day

once when they’re out of meat in the freezer rip ends up catching a lizard with his bare hands and gets this very brief look on his face and ray has to tell him WE CAN GO TO THE GROCERY?? and rip’s like hmm. yeah you’re right

hogs the covers at night

ray, who likes his comfort and his softness and the reprieve of a nice, comfy sleep… and rip will just cuddle up to his blanket-covered self because ray is weirdly furnace-like. is it the male model muscles?? is it because of the WARMTH of his kindness??? god who even knows

forgets to do the dishes

rip doesn’t necessarily forget as much as ray insists on doing it. rip does the laundry though and they divvy up the chores for wiping surfaces and hoovering and whatever based on location

tries to surprise their partner more often

ray!!! has so many!!! fun ideas they can try!!! and as long as they don’t have to spend extended amounts of time interacting with strangers then rip will more or less do anything that ray thinks is cool. they go to museums and art galleries and theme parks and lecture series and tourist traps

and ray finds things for streaming that rip might find interesting or surprises him with a new book in the library or pulls things like “so for that pasta you’re eating? you guessed it– i replaced the cheddar cheese with something else! guess what it is!” (and you bet your ass rip actually does try to guess, but he doesn’t know what the kinds of cheeses are, so ray ends up giving him an introduction to cheese literally he just loves to share knowledge and rip loves to listen to him)

leaves dirty laundry on the floor

i want to say they have a good system of putting their laundry in the respective laundry basket whenever they’re done? but if it’s a nailing scenario then ray cares a little bit more where his pants are thrown than rip does

stays up til 2 AM reading

rip, and only because the verb is “reading”. they both stay up pretty late, but their choice of what to do staying up late differs. ray reads as well, but he does a whole assortment of things like tinkering or watching movies or tv series or an anime or two. rip tends to stick with reading unless he’s hanging out with ray, and sometimes when he doesn’t care for whatever ray’s watching he’ll be in his space but reading instead of watching the screen

sings in the shower

rip is more likely to. ray makes up speeches in the shower and talks to himself and sometimes switches between his practised speech and pretending to be an interviewer. you know how it goes

takes the selfies

for a guy from the future rip is surprisingly averse to smartphones. like he knows how to use them but he doesn’t know how to use them as Effectively as ray does. ray knows filters and he knows where they should stand and how to hold the phone up to get the right angle/lighting and whatever, and rip just trusts in him to do this

the only time rip is the one taking pictures on the smartphone is when ray says stuff like “oh!!! i want a picture with this!!!” and rip’s like “all right hand me your phone then”

(ray will teach him very basic smartphone camera picture taking techniques and rip will commit all of them to memory)

plans date night

ray is more likely to plan something more elaborate but not ALL the dates he plans are elaborate. but for big things like anniversaries or valentine’s or what not ray tells rip to leave it up to him and rip is more than happy to hand the responsibility over because, like, rip doesn’t know how to?? have a date??? what is a date in the vanishing point????? hell, what is a date in a post-per degaton world????????? he literally has no fucking idea, this is probably the most peaceful relationship he’s ever had (and by that i mean it’s the only relationship he’s had that doesn’t have the looming threat of death hanging over his head because of baddies or because of the apocalypse or whatever other stupid things he had to deal with in his relationship with miranda and their marriage in 2166)

[drivelings]

TWtaH - Plot

Just in case work absolutely decimates me and I can’t finish the story somehow. Below is pretty much every single plot point from chapter 16 onward. It's not that I've given up, but I've been spinning my wheels and I am reaching my limit. This has almost everything I wanted to write about minus some specific details.

The Watchpoint now faces a dilemma: their food supply is dwindling and they know they’ll have to either go out to buy food everyone (which increases their conspicuousness) or get Chef’s arrangements back in order. The latter is not an option anymore since Chef effectively sabotaged the relationship between the restaurant and Overwatch.

Additionally, Overwatch still has Talon agents they have to feed.

Overwatch ultimately decides to dump the Talon agents over the border of Gibraltar (the Line) and have contacted Coeur d’Artichaut for help because of Asim’s logistic connections.

Asim refuses and basically makes it clear that he’s sacrificed a lot and did not ask to be involved in an international crime or get a whole restaurant business dumped on him. He’s tired and just wants to be left alone to pick up the scraps of a business that Chef just threw upon him.

In the end, Asim gives Overwatch a contact for them to sort things out. There’s a moral dilemma here where it’s unclear who is in the wrong, but both sides have their own reasons.

McCree sorts things out in person.

It’s decided Overwatch will drop Talon off over the border in a few days.

Meanwhile, in Overwatch’s kitchen:

Several things have been destroyed and needs replacement. Lot of utensils, glassware, etc.

Brigitte volunteers to fix it all up and Torbjorn helps out when he gets the chance.

Because the kitchen’s stuff is old, lots of the old styles can’t be replicated or found in production anymore, so they all do some Frankensteining and the kitchen is repaired with spare parts. Everything works, just looks weird.

Some agents are clearly uncomfortable with being in the kitchen, especially the veterans who know it’s supposed to be off-limits.

No one really goes into the Cellar except Fareeha and Torbjorn. They have a job to do down there, but Athena still warns everyone to keep things respectful for Chef’s sake.

The Cellar is slowly getting security upgrades, but it takes some time to order the supplies. So as of now, Athena’s systems are connected to the Cellar’s systems via cables running through the Cellar door.

Symmetra set up some turrets over the Cellar door. She’s disgusted with the way the kitchen looks now because it’s disorderly. She organizes things to the best of her ability.

Rotation cooking schedule is implemented via lottery. So far, Lucio, Mercy has been cooking.

On Lucio’s turn, everyone finds out that Symmetra is vegetarian and can’t have meat.

On Mercy’s turn, they find out she’s not a very elaborate cook. Dry toast, yoghurt,

Zarya, Junkers, and a few others have issue with this.

Lots of tension because it’s hard to go out constantly to buy more food for the big eaters and there are people with very specific food preferences.

Tracer reminisces that it wasn’t like this when Chef was cooking. She wonders what’s different--is it because Chef knew all their food preferences or is it because there was someone dedicated to handling such a basic need?

Hanzo’s turn is coming up.

Overwatch has their internal meetings. Almost everyone is back on base. Genji is running around and Hanzo is clearly avoiding him still. But he thinks about Genji a little more now.

Winston is also debating about what to do about Chef.

Solider: 76 isn’t talking about getting rid of Chef now--it’s way too late and risky.

Ana talks to Hanzo a little about the current situation, teases him and tells him to talk to Chef about cooking. She’s heard that he’s not a great cook and hints that after Mercy's attempt, she wants something a little more substantial.

Hanzo talks to Chef, finally. His feelings are vaguely making itself known, but when seeing someone you are starting to care about so down in the dumps, the conversations are a little awkward.

Chef has been left in the dark about all the decisions that are taking place and isn’t aware about what’s happening with the kitchen.

You have absolutely any idea how terrifying it is to have raison d’atre getting yanked out from under you?

Chef’s basically cut off from the restaurant by choice of Asim and Argus who can’t keep playing middleman in an international crime between two morally dubious organizations and the world government and a bunch of regulators while still trying to run a charity restaurant.

And the agents are cooking their own food (who are realizing it’s not as easy as just ‘cooking your own food’, but it’s normal for Chef, so it’s not like it’s particularly recognized as difficult).

Hanzo swallows his pride a bit and asks Chef for some help to grab some ingredients. It’s a secret from Mercy who doesn’t want Chef running around.

Chef is on board because it’s freedom.

Chef was visited by a lot of people who has been instructed very strictly not to talk about stressful stuff.

They leave some clothes with Chef because McCree started it.

Hanzo comes to pick up Chef before the ass-crack of dawn. They’re sneaking out, so it’s best to do it when no one is around.

Chef is wearing some weird clothes--McCree’s serape, D.Va’s cap, Mei’s yeti slippers, Ana’s sunglasses, all worn over hospital clothes. Hanzo is in business casual clothes (because that’s all he has) and even he disapproves of Chef’s appearance.

Look, Chef didn’t have a lot of clothing choice being stuck in the medical bay.

Hanzo insists on Chef changing--they are both supposed to be incognito. This weird outfit is anything but.

Hanzo accompanies Chef to get clothes because he doesn’t actually know where they are. So, to his horror--because Mercy was very, very, very explicit in not inducing stress--they’re headed back to the kitchen.

Chef gets the surprise of a fucking lifetime because the kitchen is not the same kitchen anymore.

But anyway, that gets pushed through quickly enough. Chef leads Hanzo into the Cellar. Hanzo, remembering that Chef may remember the site of being gunned down, just rushes down the hall past where the blood stain is still chillin’.

Stopping in front of a door, it’s revealed that it’s a dorm room. Hanzo waits while Chef changes.

Chef takes a moment to think about the gunshot wounds, debates whether it’s worth it or not to bring pain medication on the trip.

Nah.

They go down the tunnels again because they figure they might as well if they’re trying to sneak out.

Chef stops at the tunnel fork that leads to the weird vault-thing that the Junkers were spending all their time in. 

Chef doesn’t actually know the Junkers are there.

They don’t take the truck when they go past it. Hanzo insists he’s strong enough to bring back all their shit, but Chef insists on taking a dolly. It makes them more conspicuous, so Hanzo refuses.

Basically, it’s a date.

They talk on the shopping trip, Chef reminiscing about the past while pointing out different stalls and teaching Hanzo different things about ingredients.

Hanzo’s enjoying himself, actually. He’s mentally taking notes about the stuff Chef is teaching him. He gets to taste samples of fruits and stuff. They’re surprisingly good and somehow better than the stuff he had when he was with the Shimada clan. Sure, they don’t look very pretty, but they’re flavorful and juicy and crisp and--they’re just good.

They talk about what Hanzo wants to cook and Chef gives some tips as Hanzo talks through how he’s going to make his meals.

They’re picking up bulk ingredients.

Eventually, they pick up rice--the huge sacks of them. Hanzo basically flexes and shows he can carry all that, the ingredients, and Chef, if necessary. 

Chef gets tired eventually. The pain is beginning to kick Chef’s ass and out of stubbornness, refuses to take a break.

Hanzo pulls a, “But I’m hungry,” and forces them both to stop at a breakfast place. Chef still can’t eat anything, so he just gets Chef a drink.

They talk a little bit more about a few more personal things. Like what Chef plans to do now and what Hanzo wants to do with his situation with Genji.

He doesn’t really want to talk about it in a public place, but Chef indicates that Genji cares--Genji talks to Chef and mentioned a few things.

At some point, Hanzo holds Chef’s hand. Originally, it’s to make sure Chef can keep up the pace, but eventually, it’s just forgotten about.

At some point, Chef is staring off in the darkness, thinking that there’s something there. Hanzo’s danger senses are going off, so they are forced to return back to the Watchpoint.

Mercy, Genji, and Zenyatta are waiting for them and greet them before they get to the Watchpoint. Genji, for protection purposes, Mercy for medical reasons, and Zenyatta to keep the peace.

Hanzo brings all the stuff into the kitchen to start on breakfast without speaking to Genji while Chef gets escorted back to the medical bay for more pain meds and treatment.

Chef basically knocks out for the rest of the day--it was exhausting.

Wakes up near dinner time and finds a covered dish sitting on the bedside table.

It’s curry from Hanzo.

Chef, despite the nothing-by-mouth order, begins to eat the curry and rice.

It’s a lukewarm, overly thick, too salty, and the rice is a little dry. It’s not conventionally good or gourmet, but Chef begins to cry. It’s fucking delicious for some reason.

It’s the first time in years that anyone has cooked anything for Chef for the sake of goodwill. Chef begins to remember Head Chef Richard talking about love again.

Usually, when Chef eats, it’s either leftovers the Chef made out of necessity or test creations from other chefs who want a critique or just test dishes for the restaurant.

Remember the title of the story? The Way to a Heart? Yeah, this wasn’t just about the way to Hanzo’s heart.

Chef gets sick because, again, ‘nothing-by-mouth’ order. So, Mercy is angry. However, when Hanzo comes back, Chef lets him know the curry is delicious. While Hanzo is sure it’s not 100% sincere, he feels good about it. He gets a glimpse into the satisfaction one can get from just serving food to others.

Chef is back in the kitchen to clean and get things back in order with Symmetra while everyone else is discussing strategy.

Chef is making tamales because it’s easy and just to have something to give to the agents for the big mission. It should be easy, but knowing Talon, it might get tough.

So the mission to get rid of the Talon agents is underway.

Hanzo, Genji, Ana, Soldier, Lucio, and McCree are off to escort the Talon agents they have as their prisoners away. 

McCree, Ana, and Soldier insisted on going because Talon. 

Surprise. Reaper’s waiting for them.

It becomes a hell of a brawl.

Ana and Hanzo are at their perches while both Soldier and McCree are trying to chase after Reaper who was apparently assigned to get back those Talon agents who, by now, know Overwatch is almost fully operational. 

Reaper is also a great distraction because there is an attempt by Talon to get into Overwatch’s Watchpoint.

Yeah, the remaining agents at the Watchpoint isn’t about that life and puts a stop to that real quick. Though it’s not like Talon tried very hard.

Later, it’s revealed that Reaper wasn’t taking the attack on the Watchpoint too seriously. It’s an apology to Chef. He’s the one who has been keeping tabs ever since the whole attack on Chef happened.

At some point, Genji is overwhelmed try to clean up after Soldier’s and McCree’s asses, and inevitably gets damaged to the point to temporarily being unable to move.

Hanzo rushes down and throws himself into the midst of a fuckton of enemies while facing his own flashbacks and eventually the past and present overlap and he gets some breakthrough where he unleashes his dragons on the battlefield.

Ana is exasperated because she can’t fucking believe she’s babysitting so many people. Lucio is doing his best to keep up.

Reaper is cornered by McCree at a point who throws a tamale at Reaper. 

Why? Because McCree has an inkling about what’s happening and the tamale is to remind him about what matters. Reaper makes a telling comment about the Chef (”dishwasher”) that indicates he’s been watching and very aware of what’s happening.

Reaper insists he doesn’t need to be lectured by a kid and disappears after a few more choice words about McCree’s life choices, pulling back and giving Overwatch a victory.

It’s not much of a victory when you have both Shimada brothers wiped out and McCree emotionally shaken. Soldier’s also a bit shaken but he has to keep it together. Lucio is fucking exhausted because healing these fools and keeping up with them is exhausting.

They return to find out the Watchpoint was attacked, but no one was seriously injured. The Shimada brothers get emergency care and Chef is immediately concerned.

When Hanzo wakes up, it’s been a day or two. Genji, already functional, yells at Hanzo for being a moron. Who would be happy about him attempting to sacrifice himself like that?

This is their reconciliation scene. It’s awkward, it’s painful, but Hanzo finds himself a little lighter and not as full of regret as before.

The brothers talk a bit and Hanzo finally takes that first step toward recovery. 

Chef comes to visit, still recovering, but not unwell enough to not cook up something for Hanzo’s recovery.

Artichoke soup.

It has great sentimental value to the chef, not that Hanzo knows this, but it’s easy to consume and warm.

Hanzo’s feelings get a bit deeper.

When Hanzo gets a moment to escape the medical ward, he finds Genji chilling somewhere in the Watchpoint, humming a familiar song their mother used to sing.

They talk a bit about the past, agree that it’s a work in progress, and they’ll work through it in small steps.

SURPRISE. THIS WAS A HANZO REDEMPTION FIC ALL ALONG.

Eventually, the Watchpoint gets itself back into order.

Winston plans on announcing Overwatch’s return to the world.

Chef returns to the kitchen, now on a schedule--those who do not eat in the designated time will be dragged down to eat. This is so Chef finally has a healthy sleeping schedule.

There’s more group meals.

Hanzo and Genji have their meal together. Chef joins them for this one. D.Va’s taking pictures of Hanzo and Chef smiling at each other in that really tender way that no one’s ever seen before.

Fuck, I almost forgot: as thanks for the curry, Hanzo teaches Chef the curry recipe and they make it together.

Cue me describing my absolutely favorite curry of all time. Chewy, beautiful and fragrant short-grain rice, thick gravy that coats every grain and filled with shreds of pork and onion. Crunchy, crispy, and juicy pork katsu that is just full of flavor. Absolutely fucking delicious.

After talking with Winston and some advice from Hanzo, Chef decides to open up the kitchen and tell everyone about the secrets of the kitchen. Chef is now the master of it, after all, and shouldn’t be held back by the past.

Before that, Chef visits the vault.

The Junkers are there, sheepish at being found.

The vault contains a hydroponic plant that’s been restored with Junker technology.

This is the secret of the Cellar. An indoor, self-sustaining garden that acknowledges Gilbratar’s import issue and takes it upon themselves to create nutrient-rich and delicious ingredients.

Chef reveals the Cellar’s secrets, providing everyone with the map, talking through every room and its purpose. Overwatch debates repurposing the rooms since they will likely be moving from Watchpoint to Watchpoint once Overwatch becomes official.

It’s then that Hanzo realizes what the real treasure of the Cellar is.

Remember the dorm? Yeah. It’s heavily implied that the treasure is no alcohol or gold. It’s the chefs who serve the Watchpoint and Overwatch’s agents. The Head Chef was a huge sap for his employees, if a hard-headed sap.

Oh yeah, Coeur d’Artichaut?

McCree visits them while undercover as Joel Morricone and finds that they have a new owner: the previous Overwatch Head Chef Richard Sauveterre.

Richard sees through his disguise and grabs McCree by the neck for a cigarette break.

McCree tells him about Chef and Richard laughs at him, saying he doesn’t care about a child who left him such a huge mess to clean up. However, Richard implies that he cares very much and knows how hard Chef has been working and expresses some regret over having taught Chef in the way he has, leading to this outcome.

But Richard is happy for the chef who has now found the light.

Richard tells McCree not to tell Chef about his appearance here or else he’ll turn McCree into his “Meatload Surprise”.

Chef has come to terms with having fucked up everything, and while it’s not satisfying, does not contact Argus or Asim again except to leave an apology.

Chef has finally chosen to stay with Overwatch. 

Back at the Watchpoint, Hanzo and Chef are talking. Chef finally uses the miso that was kept in the fridge and Hanzo breaks out the cheesiest and most roundabout way of confessing:

“Will you make me this miso soup for the rest of my life?”

It’s a traditional (or antiquated) Japanese proposal, okay?

Yes. It’s something new and scary, but they’re both okay with it. Yay, the deal is sealed with a kiss.

Great. Story ends.

Nope. Epilogue.

Epilogue is two years later where Hanzo is sent with Baptiste and Mercy to go to a jailhouse. They take a car and Hanzo is dressed all business-like. Hair down, long trenchcoat on his shoulders, etc.

SURPRISE. Chef was finally arrested shortly after the end of the story for international crimes of assisting Overwatch during their time of exile, money-laundering, setting up a fake charity, and other financial related crimes.

DID YOU REALLY FUCKING THINK YOU CAN DO THIS WITH NO CONSEQUENCE?!! 

Not to say that Hanzo didn’t try to save the Chef. He tried, but Chef decided to face everything head-on. No more running away.

It’s basically a long flashback about how everything led to this.

It ends with Hanzo and chef meeting each other again, Chef jumping into Hanzo’s arms and forehead touches and kisses.

They’re finally bringing Chef home and now their relationship can really start.

[nellpire]

[1206xx] Nell - Paper interview (translation)

Q: Should we start with a lighter topic? What's making you happy recently? All: Performing! Jongwan: It gives us energy, so we love it. We give off energy ourselves but the energy we get from the crowd is much greater. We're dead tired afterwards, but during it's like we don't even know what ‘exhaustion’ means. That's thanks to the crowd's energy. And the foot massage this time was really great, too.

Q: Foot massage? Jongwan: See, some people came to give us foot massages before the gig. Jaewon: We invited them.

Q: Was that an example of your agency taking care of you? Junghoon: We asked for it. Haha.

Q: Do you often get foot massages? Jongwan: I do. Although I went more often back in the day. Sports massages!

Q: Do you not have a skincare routine? All: None at all! Jongwan: I noticed you didn't ask 'Do you have a skincare skincare routine' but 'You don't do skincare?'. Jaewon: One look at our faces and you knew, didn't you. All: Hahahaha.

Q: Four years ago, Jaekyung said "I hope that when the four of us meet again (after our military service) we've gone through a musical and/or mental upgrade". So how was it? Did you come back upgraded? Jongwan: I think everyone except for Jaekyung matured. Jaekyung: I've grown, too. I grew taller (laughter) Jaewon: I don't know if I've matured musically, but maybe as a person. Jongwan: I think we've just gone through a natural process. There's a lot more to consider once you go from your twenties to your thirties. And surprisingly, some things have gotten easier, too. I've realized there are many things I can’t have in my own way. In relationships, for example. When I was younger I used to obsess about my relationships with others but now I just think, 'the people who will come will come, and the people who will go will go'.

Q: How was the reaction to your fifth album in comparison to what you expected? Jaewon: We don't think about that while working, but I do think people have liked it as much as we hoped. Jaekyung: It's interesting. You know, we've shared these songs between the four of us only for several years. It's interesting, showing those songs off to so many people all at once. Now they're songs we can't control anymore. While that's great, it also feels weird. As the albums pile up some things get easier and some things get harder. Jaewon: Nothing gets easier. Things I thought were easy become harder, and the things that were hard stay hard. Jaekyung: That's because things get clearer as we go along. We can tell easier than before what a good sound is, what's useless, and what sounds go into what kind of music. Jongwan: It gets harder the clearer we are on what we want to achieve. When you only have a vague idea of what you want you can go in any direction, but when you have a clear image of how you want it to sound and it doesn't come out that way, it can be very stressful. That's the reason why we took so long to make this album.

Q: (Nell's hands get busy as soon as the food we ordered arrives) Are none of you picky eaters? Jongwan: We eat everything. The show I want to guest on the most is Gourmet Road (laughter)

Q: Do you meet up often even when you're not promoting? Jaekyung: Yes. We're neighborhood fiends (Songpa-gu olympic park area), so we meet often even when we're not working. Not just us, but our whole friend group. Me and Jaewon were elementary-middle-high school classmates, and Jongwan was in our class in middle school. We became friends with Junghoon in high school, but we all grew closer later.

Q: In comparison to your school days, who has become the most sly? Jongwan: Junghoon. Junghoon: It's possible that I was sly back then too. It's just that it took a few years for the guys to get close and see who I really was. They told me I was kind all the time back then (laughter) Jaewon: It took us years to get close to you? Wasn't it like six months or so? Junghoon: The first one or two years were so awkward it stressed me out a lot. It was even worse when our other friends joined. If we go to that neighborhood all elementary, middle and high school friends get together, you see. Now they’re my close friends of ten years as well, but back then I felt very out of place. They'd all talk about their school, so we had no memories to share.

Q: Where did you live at that time? Junghoon: In a nearby neighborhood. It was in Songpa-gu too, but near Gaerong. The others lived in Bangi. They're only two stations apart, but the gap between us turned out huge.

Q: You must have had friends in Gaerong, so why go all the way to Bangi? Jaekyung: He got swept up by our flood. Our friend group was that big. Even the head manager at our agency has become close with our friends. Jongwan: It's a fairly charming neighborhood. Jaekyung: Once you enter, you never leave.

Q: Oh~ Please invite me too sometime. Jongwan: You'll either love it or detest it.

Q: Why would I detest it? Jongwan: We talk a lot of nonsense. Junghoon: Crude nonsense. Jaewon: And we hate pointlessly serious talks. Jaekyung: And anything unfunny. One time a friend tried to make us laugh through something unfunny and we froze him out for five years. All: Hahaha.

Q: What do those friends say about Nell's serious(?) music? Jongwan: We're a group of around fifteen people, and most of our friends used to be musicians. There's another band of four people just like us, too. The guy we froze out for five years was also a musician. By now they all have different jobs, but since we're all musicians at heart we’re very serious when talking about music. Jaewon is only ever serious when music is involved.

Q: Who's the funniest? Jaewon: Everyone's funny. We have different styles. Jongwan is great with jokes strangers would never understand. You'll only understand once you're close with him. Junghoon: It's a double edged sword. Sometimes they're hilarious, but to some people... Jongwan: It's incomprehensible. Jaewon: Junghoon is great at throwing jokes at us out of nowhere. The style to catch us off guard. Junghoon: I bite once and move on. Jaewon: Jaekyung is funny using his expressions and movements. Jaekyung: I have an expression that can make any person in the whole world laugh. Junghoon: I saw it for the first time in our fifth year of elementary school but it still makes me laugh. He told me he'd show me ten different expressions and if I made it to the tenth step without laughing he'd grant me a wish. I grit my teeth and did my best but only made it to step three.

Q: Show me! Junghoon: He'll never show you. Jaekyung: I only show it to men. If you see it, it'll haunt your dreams.

Q: Then, could Jongwan describe his expression through lyrics? Jongwan: It's f****d up! All: Puhahahahaha. Jaewon: Sometimes I think Jaekyung is truly insane. One time we were on the KTX (train) from Busan to Seoul, and we were so bored we decided to compete and see who could hold their breath longer. I was happy that I could hold it for one minute, but Jaekyung put his life on the line and held it until his whole face was dark red. Did you hold it for three minutes? That's when I realized, wow, this idiot is actually insane.

Q: That's a new side of Jaekyung. He seems like he'd have sides to him that the other members never expected. Do you ever feel surprised by one another? Jongwan: It always surprises me to see Jaewon use manners around women. Junghoon: I'm surprised whenever Jaewon says something clever or analytical. All: Hahaha. Jongwan: Jaewon is really a wondrous man, whether there are girls around or not. But sometimes he'll be super polite out of nowhere. Jaewon: I'm a man of manners, I am.

Q: It looks like Jaekyung is good to women. Earlier when he laid out a napkin next to me, I thought 'he's full of manners'. Jaewon: He does have manners. But he can't meet with many women. Jaekyung: Why would you say that? I meet with women often! After midnight. All: Hahaha. Jongwan: He's probably the one who dates the most out of all of us. Junghoon: He's always been the most popular. Jaewon: Free man.

Q: It is because you don't want to be confined, or is it because you haven't met a woman who's willing to be confined? Jaekyung: I like dating. But I think the better it is, the more problems it brings. Plus I tend to be single-minded, which would be a burden for the girl. I think my current situation wouldn’t allow for anything other than a shallow relationship, and I can't stand that. Just going to the movies, just having dinner together, having to talk about earnest things when we're not actually serious -- I hate things like that. Also, when you date you lose a lot of time to think, you know. I find it tiring when people contact me when I'm playing music and I have to stop to tell them what I'm doing and where. Jongwan: That's how we live. I have never let dating get in the way of our music. When my partner asks me, "what is more important to you, music or me?" I always say "Music is more important to me. If you can't deal with that then you can go right now." I’ve fought and broken up a lot because of that (laughter) But no matter what Jaekyung says, he's always really good to his girlfriend when he has one. He becomes sharper. For example, when us guys go drinking together. If Jaekyung is in a relationship, he won't come if there are other women there. Jaekyung: Maybe we fight because I am good to them. I don't think about it much these days. I don't think I'd date right now even if someone approached me. Ah, but Junghoon always told me not to say it like a resolution... Junghoon: No matter what you resolve to do, this is what happens. I heard it from somewhere a long time ago-- was it you, Jongwan? Jongwan: Yeah. I read this book called 'The Monk's message', and it said that the reason why you're more likely to get divorced if you have a child is because you keep thinking you can't get divorced. That determination invites problems. And couples who don't have kids don't think like that.

Q: What kind of girlfriends do you wish your members would meet? Jongwan: A domestic girl for Jaekyung! A woman who takes care of him even more than he takes care of her. And I think Junghoon would fit well with a girl with a good sense of humor. Someone who can make him laugh. Jaewon: Jongwan needs someone who's like a sponge. Someone who's ok with anything! (laughter) Jongwan: Good! I like girls like that! (To their manager) Hey, throw me some sponges. All: Hahaha. Jongwan: But then again, I can't stay with women like that for too long. It's no fun. I say I like kind girls, but if you look at my exes most of them have strong personalities. The style who's charming, but not always easy to get along with. They probably see me in the same way. When we fight, we tear each other apart, and when it's good it's amazing.

Q: As for Jaewon-- All: (silence) Jongwan: This is sad. You won't even ask him since he's married. (laughter)

Q: Haha. Let me change the question. What do you think it the most important thing in a marriage? I'll give you options. One: finances, two: health, three: sexual compatibility, four: other. Jaewon: I think it'd be 'other'. All: No! It's health. Money is is useless if you're sick. Jaewon: (Immediate acceptance): That's true. I'll choose two: health. Haha.

Q: What was the 'other' you thought of? Jaewon: Love of course, love.

Q: If you had a younger sister and she was to get married to a Nell member, who would you pick? Jaewon: Junghoon. Junghoon: (mercilessly) You'll regret that. All: Hahaha. Jaewon: I picked him because I think even if he goes drinking, he'll go home afterwards and not cause trouble. Jaekyung: See, I really love my friends. But I wouldn't want my sister to marry a single one of them. Hahaha. Jongwan: I feel the same. They're great friends, but I'm too aware of their flaws.

Q: I heard Jongwan moved between several different countries growing up. Jongwan: I lived in Bahrain, Canada and Switzerland. We left Korea in my first year of elementary school and returned during my sixth, then left again in my third year of middle school and came back in my third year of high school. I got to know the rest of the members in middle school but we didn't get close until high school. When I got back to Korea, I joined a band. Jaekyung and Jaewon were playing in a different band at the time as well. I got to watch them play by chance and they were very arrogant. (laughter) And that's why I saved them. Jaekyung: I think that's when we were practicing for a festival. We met Jongwan and his team by chance when we left the practice room, and Jongwan said he wanted to watch us play. Jongwan: I had already heard people say Jaekyung was great at the guitar. It made me curious to see, but when I did it was truly tragic. (laughter) Jaekyung: He watched us while leaning his head in his hand and then he just left. He just vanished suddenly. Jongwan: I couldn't take even ten minutes of it. Jaekyung: Jaewon saw it and went "ah, I'm so f*****g annoyed!" He wanted to show his skills and was annoyed that Jongwan sneaked out. It was honestly tragic, but also hilarious. Jongwan: It's even funnier looking back on it now. A bunch of nineteen year olds trying to intimidate each other in that small practice room. It's a funny memory. (laughter)

Q: You described their performance as tragic, so why did you ask them to join your band? Jongwan: They were playing music that didn't suit them. They played well but were wearing clothes that didn't fit. So I asked Jaekyung to play guitar when I made my own team. One week later I asked Jaewon to play the drums, and one or two months later Nell was made when Junghoon joined. You know, if you go drinking with someone you can get to know their mind. Thinking back, we were young but I think we were all cool. All the other bands at the time would only play cover songs at their club gigs, because that was the way to get fans. But we've almost never played covers. All of us thought that was a given. We matched well in that sense. Jaewon: That's when the club scene was being revived and cover bands were very popular. You attracted an audience depending on what you copied. Which is why we weren't popular at all.

Q: You must have had a strong sense of self-respect, sticking to your own songs even though you were unpopular. Jaekyung: It wasn't self-respect. We did it because we found it fun. It’s only wow that all this time has passed that we look back and call it self-respect. Sometimes musicians ask, "do you know the rock bottom of musicianship?". The four of us know it. Jongwan: I think there are very few teams who know rock bottom better than us. We'd play seven times a week, but the combined audience wouldn't even add up to ten people. That's how we performed for almost a year. We stuck with it because it was exciting. Nowadays there are festivals and 500-600 seat clubs, but back then most clubs couldn’t house more than fifty people. Junghoon: If a hundred people arrived we'd be like, "seriously? No way!"

Q: Who were the popular bands back then? Junghoon: Dr. Core 911. And Crying Nut were popular from the get-go. Jaekyung: The sad thing is many decent bands started trying back then but almost none of them are still around. Jongwan: There's Pia. We first saw them in, what, 2000? They're still doing well, but aside from them there's almost no one.

Q: Many bands including Pia are partaking in Top Band 2 right now. It must make you feel all sorts of things. Jongwan: I don't normally watch TV, but I made sure to catch that. It was emotional. There's never been an opportunity to introduce so many bands on public TV before. I wish the charm of band music would be known far and wide. It's just that that one-time interest is dangerous, I've seen many teams who have gotten attention for things other than their music and then been forgotten. That would be extremely hurtful to the band members. I wish bands would get the chance to appeal through their music alone on broadcast.

Q: You must have met a lot of foreign musicians through your band activities. What do they think about the Korean music scene? Junghoon: I'm not sure about the band aspect of it, but I think the mainstream music scene is generally seen in a good light. Our idols' and mainstream singers' skills are much better than they used to be. We've also gotten better at producing. Jongwan: I have a producer friend in Philadelphia, a black friend. We spoke on the phone not too long ago and he said "I hear things are going well for Korea right now". I asked him what he meant, and he said that all these famous American songwriters and producers go to Korea to sign contracts. There's more money going around the Korean music scene than the American these days, so Americans want to come work here. Hearing that made me happy. Before it was always us who had to go abroad (laughter)

Q: Is your dream of advancing into Japan still intact? Jongwan: We're in the midst of consultations about it. We don't want to just dip our toes in and then withdraw. We want to be cautious so there's lot to prepare. And their management system is very different from ours in that it's extremely divided, so we have to discuss those things as well. We also have to consider whether to sing in Korean or English, so we're discussing many different points right now. Junghoon: We're not stubbornly holding onto Japan, exactly. We just want to expand our opportunities to perform. Whether that's in Korea, Japan or otherwise doesn't matter. Jongwan: Right, we want to play somewhere the environment is better suited to our needs. Just like how anyone would like to live in a good house, we want to work with talented staff members and perform where the sound comes out the way we want. I think that's what all musicians want.

Q: You've said that "Slip Away" refers to how "the more you want to hold onto something, the easier it slips away". In a world that changes by the day, what is one thing you wish wouldn't change? Jaekyung: My passion for music. And inspiration. Junghoon: The four of us. I wish our relationship wouldn't change. Jaewon: Me too, the four of us. And our attitude towards music. Jongwan: I wish things that have been around for a long time won't change. People these days have a tendency to dismiss old things as ‘outdated’. Old things have their own charm, and some are valuable simply because they are old, and I think it's a pity to constantly replace those things with something new. I wish they'd stay where they've always been, whether it's buildings, music, art or people.

Q: Should we take some time to let you ask each other questions? Jaewon: What's your least favorite thing to do as Nell? Jongwan: I realized this now: Taking pictures for magazines. Jaekyung: Jumping for photos. Lying down close together (for photos). Phew~ Junghoon: Now that you mention it that's what I hate the most as well. Other than that there's not much. It's not that I don't have things I dislike, but there's nothing so bad that it makes me want to die. Jaekyung: It's all for the band, so.

Q: Does Junghoon have something you want to ask? Junghoon: Other than music, what's something you want to do this year? Jaewon: Study English. We went to New York while preparing this album, and I was ashamed of how bad I was at English. Jaekyung: We were deaf and dumb. I want to study English too, and Japanese. There are many foreign music magazines where you can read experts explaining their know-hows. Jongwan does read them and explain to us, but I get stuck if I look for them myself. So I want to study English so I won't have to be so frustrated.

Q: What does Junghoon himself want to do this year? Junghoon: I don't think we'll have time for anything else than promotions. All: Hahahaha. Jaewon: This is how he attacks out of nowhere.

Q: Is Jaekyung curious about anything? Jaekyung: What are your plans after this interview? Jaewon: I'm going home. Jongwan: I want to go to the Nanji camping grounds. The weather is great for grilling meat and hanging out these days. It's been too long since I last went travelling. I want to go right this moment. What about tomorrow's schedules, you ask? It's fine if I go today and come back tomorrow. (laughter)

Q: Can you tell us about an especially memorable trip you’ve been on? Jongwan: Were we twenty three? The four of us and another friend went to Gangneung. That was university O.T. season so there were lots of students on the other floors of the condo we were staying at. We had lots of fun but we ran out of alcohol at dawn. We wanted to drink more and wondered what to do, so we decided to go the students' floor and try to get some from them. But as it turned out, they'd all drunk themselves to sleep. So we tried to wake them. "Hey, get up!" Jaewon: Since it was their O.T. they didn't know everyone's faces yet, so we pretended to be fellow students. Jongwan: No matter how we shook them they wouldn't wake up. So -- and this is terrible -- we grabbed the nearest bottles and ran away. Jaekyung: We didn't know what exactly what was in them, so we just grabbed some, thinking it looked like alcohol. Jongwan: The thing was, it was actually motion sickness medicine. I thought it was alcohol so I downed it all in one shot, and according to the others I was sleeping on all fours on the floor the next morning. It's hilarious to think about now. (laughter)

Q: Does Jongwan, who went through so much due to motion sickness medicine, have a question? Jongwan: If there was a girl you liked, what would you want to do with her? For Jaewon, it's assuming he didn't get married. Jaekyung: From trivial to big, I want to do everything. Jongwan: What are the big things? Jaekyung: I have to date first to know that. Dating and making music is similar in that sense. Because you never know in which direction to go. Junghoon: Like I said, I don't have time for anything other than band activities. All: Hahaha. Jaewon: I'd want to bring all my friends and girlfriend together and chat over some drinks. I used to do that often when we dated, but now that we're married and have a kid it's difficult to find the time.

Q: What about Jongwan himself? Jongwan: I’d want to play her body (like an instrument). All: Hahahaha. Jongwan: I'm sorry. I've been watching lots of cooking shows recently and they often cook and eat outdoors. I'd like to go somewhere with a beautiful view and eat together. And then play her bod-- haha.

Q: I'm asking this to fit the mood: What are you individual sexual fantasies? Haha. Jongwan: This is Paper, right? Not Maxim? (Maxim: A magazine focused on style for men, the content of which is often sexual.) All: Hahahaha. Jaekyung: I have to get a girlfriend first of all. Jaewon: Well, I have one. (Thinks for a long time) It's two characters, but I don't know if I can say it. Hahahaha. Jaekyung: This is what interviews are~ Jongwan: You have to protect your family! Jaewon: (Uh-oh) Pass.

Q: Hahahaha. What about Jongwan? Jongwan: I've tried it all, so. Huhu. I'm an honest person so I speak up if I want something. These days I often long for the fluttering and romance of the past. You know, the older you get the more open you become about sexual things. I often dream about the kind of relationship in which you're aware of how precious your emotions are. Junghoon: I seriously don't have any sexual fantasies. Just the basics! All: Basics? What even is that? Junghoon: Just sex! There's not much else I want to try. Even when I watch porn, I'm not interested in different positions and stuff. Jongwan: When you say 'basics', you don't mean doing headstands or something, right? All: Puhahahaha!

Q: (The rest of the 19+ talk has been edited out) Okay, okay~ Let's change up the mood. You know, sometimes it's easy to be a bit narcissistic. Jaewon: (Flexing his shoulders and legs like Popeye) Like this? All: Hahahaha. Jaekyung: Now we're stuck in this mood! What are we going to do about this?! Jaewon: I get narcissistic after our concerts when we're all complimenting each other. "You did great tonight", "your singing was on point", things like this. I love that. Jongwan: For me it's when we finish writing a great song. Each song contains several long processes, you know. Writing, arranging, recording, etc. So when a song turns out well, of course I'm happy, and feel like we all did well. Junghoon: For me it's during performances. It’s not that I think I look cool. But when thousands of people come to see us, talented engineers put their all into our sound and the lighting technicians do their best to make us look good, I feel that the work we do is really amazing. Jaekyung: I think Nell itself is joy, that I'm drunk on the fact that I got to do this with my friends for this long. Basically, I think I'm similar to Jongwan. We can keep making music, but of course it doesn't turn out well every time. So when it does, we get drunk on it.

Q: Nell have gone strong for thirteen years without replacing any members. Jaurim, who have been around even longer with their fifteen years, picked the secret to their longevity as 'individual activities'. I'd like to hear Nell's thoughts on individual activities. Jaekyung: For now, we're not sure. Doing Nell right now is overwhelming enough. We’re busy as it is.

Q: I don't think you need to limit activities to music related things. It could be business, too, and-- All: We'd stop each other! Junghoon: We know better than anyone that we have no talent for things like that, you see. Jongwan: Stocks? I taught the others myself. That they shouldn't do it (laughter) As long as we know what we're doing, individual activities would be fine. As long as we know that Nell is the most important thing and it doesn't cause the band any harm, that is. But of course it'll be hard. See, I think passion has a limit. If you give sixty percent to something, you can only give forty to other things, so you have to find your balance. As long as you distribute yourself well, it should be okay.

Q: These are the member's individual weapons, right? Voice, guitar, drums, bass -- if they were living things, what would you want to tell them? Jaekyung: (to the guitar) "Make the right sounds, won't you!" 'Just focus on yourself', something like this? (laughter) Jaewon: (to the drums): "You've been through a lot." Junghoon: (to the bass): "Let's do well, I'll do my best as well." Jongwan: I'd say thank you. To my voice, but to music itself, too. If we didn't get into music we’d have lived very ordinary, perhaps boring lives. Because we're originally fairly shy. We're living satisfying lives thanks to music, so I'm always grateful.

Q: Will we see you in concert at midnight on the 24th of December this year as well? You always used to play at that time before. Jaekyung: We're planning to. Junghoon: Last time was in 2007. Christmas Eve is Jongwan's birthday, too.

Q: Is having your birthday on that day a good or a bad thing? Jongwan: There's not a single advantage to it. I share a birthday with the most famous person in the world, so I can't win. I say "I'm working on my birthday" half joking, half seriously, but to be fair I'm the happiest on stage.

Q: If someday in the future there'll be a movie about Nell, what would you pick as the opening and closing song? Jaekyung: Wow~ I think we'd have to make new music for such an important cause. Jongwan: If we were to pick from the songs we've already made, I'd choose Take Me With from our first album as the opening song. It's the first song we recorded in a proper recording studio. For the closing song, I'd say 12 Seconds from our fourth album, we always play it last at our concerts. At some point it became our final song.

Q: What would be a good title for the movie? Jongwan: The title of our first indie album "Reflection Of". Since it's our story, I think "Reflection of Nell" would be good.

Q: I see you have a lot of affection for your first indie album. Jongwan: It's because there are so many memories attached to it. I lived in Ilsan back then, and all the members camped out at my house for almost a month while we made the album. It's far from perfect but at the end of the day, it’s our beginning.

Q: It's gone out of print and can't be purchased any longer, but do you each have a copy? Jongwan: I don't. I honestly don't own any of our CDs. As soon as we release an album, I start thinking of the next. It could come off as cold, but it's just that I look towards our future music rather than the songs we have already made. That’s what I want to focus on.

Q: Nell's lyrics often revolve around the past, but I suppose your music itself is the opposite. Jongwan: Yes, we don't obsess about the past.

Q: I enjoyed today's interview with you. Jaekyung: It had the four steps of composition (introduction, development, turn and conclusion).

Q: "The basics" played a huge role. All: Hahaha.

Feel free to use, but please credit Nellpire.

[sparkledfirecracker]

Last chapter 😩, but it’s been a lovely journey so far, so lovely, thank you again for allowing us to follow their journey and sharing this amazing piece ♥️

As he pointed out - with a cheeky grin - we’d just been given an excuse to spend another month enjoying the process of trying any chance we got.

Even then life and needs don’t stop, so enjoy the ride 😂

Because Grayson was starting preschool.

Oh no, my favourite little man is growing up so fast.

under the recommendation of Chris’ mom

Mama Evans for the win here 🏆

“Hi!” Grayson greeted the two women as they opened the door of the classroom and welcomed us cheerily. “My name’s Gray!”

🤩 this kid is just a lottery ticket, I’m curious to see what he’ll act like when he really has to go and be separated from mum and dad.

Chris and I introduced ourselves as well as Grayson gasped at the sight of the many toys around the room and bolted off towards them.

Of course, natural instinct. So ssssshhh Whitney, let the child play.

“No, no, he can play,” Sandra chuckled. “It’ll give us time to chat without him getting bored.”

See, no problem, let’s have boring grown up chats 🙈

“Nothing major,” Chris shrugged. “He’s super confident and social, he’ll probably take it all in stride. We just wanted him to see the space and meet you before the first day so he’d have a bit of familiarity.”

Hahahaha I think these two are having a harder time adjusting to Gray growing up so fast than the actual student himself 🤣

“Oh, he’s a big eater,” Chris chuckled. “He loves food, he’d probably snack all morning if you let him.”

🤣 which child wouldn’t? Especially if it’s something sweet, so Gray will be coming with a gourmet chef who preps him whatever whenever at preschool, great idea, hahahaha

“That makes sense,” I agreed. “He is great at using the bathroom though and he’s not shy about letting us know when he needs to go so he should be okay.”

Must say those children are the best and the funniest. Especially when they go through the ‘I’m fascinated by poop’ phase.

Chris let out a sigh of relief and I smiled, but it wasn’t something I had been particularly worried about. Grayson definitely had his selfish moments as most children did, but he had a big heart and loved to play with other kids so I didn’t think he’d kick up too much fuss about sharing the toys.

All will be fine, don’t you two worry about that 🥰

“There’s one other thing I’d like to talk about,” I hesitantly started. “Chris hates bringing it up, but we would really appreciate it if there was a certain amount of discretion about who Grayson’s dad is. He really is just a normal dad with a weird job so when he’s not working he’ll probably do pick up and drop off just as much as me and I know some people might recognize him, but if we could just not make a big deal about it, we’d really appreciate that.”

Hahahaha as funny as it is, I felt her cringe, but I love that she’s sticking up for her man and wanting him to be comfortable. Lol imagine him being hit on by the playground mums 🤣

“Of course,” Sandra nodded. “We don’t care at all who any of the children’s parents are and all of our families this year are really nice, I can’t imagine that any of them would do anything that could put the safety of any of the children in jeopardy.”

I’m curious if in other years they have encountered Karen’s 👀, because the wording hints at it though.

“We understand completely,” Trish smiled. “If anyone asks, we’ll be as discreet as possible and I can assure you that we’d never let Grayson leave with anyone who hasn’t been approved by you.”

There goes my chance of taking bubby when the parents are being ridiculous tiny children again and arguing.

(Disclaimer: I don’t condone kidnapping, this is fiction people)

By the time we left that afternoon, we were all feeling very excited about Grayson starting at preschool the following week. He was thrilled with all the fun toys that he’d get to go back and play with and Chris and I were excited for this next big milestone in his life. It was hard to accept how fast he was growing up, but he was so ready to get out there and start learning and making friends that it left us feeling very confident in our decision to start his education.

Bubby needs to stop growing up so fast, he’s such a great child and I don’t want him to change, because children can be so mean to one another😔.

“It’s just hard,” he’d insisted when I teasingly called him out on it. “It seems like just yesterday that he was learning to walk and now he’s starting school.”

I had a massive giggle about this, because that look, it’s a look, it’s pained, worried, happy, sad and excitement all in one.

It wasn’t until we walked into the classroom that I started to think we might run into some trouble as Grayson froze at the sight of the other children running around. Suddenly looking very shy, he hid behind Chris’ leg and refused to walk any further.

That’s it, grab the child and walk out of there, right now, don’t do this to my sweet bubby.

Grayson had no interest in responding as he buried his face against Chris’ thigh.

Nope we’re done playing, let’s go home, play with dodger and do some Dino puzzles.

“C’mon, bud,” Chris chuckled. “You’ve been so excited all morning.”

Dude really? You really decided to chuckle, he won’t want to move now at all.

Grayson peeked out and nodded his head before moving back just enough to take Chris’ hand. Relieved that he was looking a bit braver, Chris led him into the little room where each child had a spot for their things and looked around.

Maybe I was wrong, but I’m still wondering if there’ll be tears. If so, Gray is going to come home with me, no room for discussion.

“It starts with ‘G’!” Grayson cheered. “It’s right there!”

Precious little bean, protect him at all cost. If any of them other kids is being mean, I shall be mean and I don’t care that I’m much much older than they are.

“Good job,” Chris smiled, following as Grayson pulled him towards it. “Can you put your inside shoes on by yourself or would you like some help?”

👀 is that a thing? Inside shoes for school? Or in this case preschool. I am fascinated by this.

“The blue one is my favourite,” a little voice informed us after we’d been playing for a few minutes. All of our heads turned, almost in unison, to see a little boy standing on the other side of the table. “His name is Thomas.”

😁 THIS SHALL BE GRAY’S FIRST BESTIE.

“My name’s Jake,” the little boy introduced himself. “Can I play too?”

🥰 so pure and so easy. Also why did I think of Chris’s character Jake Jensen 🤣, oops

I smiled proudly at his willingness to include his new friend and we watched them play for a few minutes before I nudged Chris and pointed to the door. He nodded in agreement and turned to Grayson.

You should be proud of that, because he’s a damn great child.

“No, Daddy, you have to stay!”

Oh no here come the tears. I’m not ready! He’s not ready! We’re both not ready for this separation anxiety to start kicking in!

“You have to stay, buddy,” Chris insisted as he stood up. “But we’ll be back really soon and you can tell us all about your day.”

Oh no, this is going to be horrifying and if they’re unlucky this will continue to keep going for weeks on end.

“No, Mama, don’t leave me here!”

SHOT TO THE HEART RIGHT THERE. NOOOOOOO DON’T DO THIS TO MY FAVOURITE FICTIONAL CHILD

“What’s going on, Gray?” I asked. “You were so excited about starting school and you’ve already made a new friend.”

Here’s mama going to work him through his overwhelming emotions 🥺

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this at all,” Chris murmured to me over the sound of Grayson’s tears. “Should we take him home?”

Yes, but also no, if you do he’s rewarded for kicking up a storm.

“Why don’t we stay for a few more minutes?” Chris suggested, looking close to tears himself. 

Oh meatball, don’t cry too, my emotions are already bubbling from the tiny child, not you too, I can’t handle this. At least Whitney is strong in this 😌

We played with them for almost ten more minutes - by which point Grayson had completely calmed down - before we made another attempt to leave, but again, Grayson instantly burst into tears and clung to my legs like he would never see me again if he let go.

Sweet baby Jesus, Gray, enough, let’s go! I can’t take this anymore! I need ice cream from all this stress, what flavour do you want buddy?

I could practically hear Chris’ heart crack in his chest at the sound of Grayson’s desperate plea, but I knew that the best thing would be for him to stay so I held firm despite my own growing heartache about leaving.

This made my heart crack too, reading this with very teary eyes.

“It’s totally normal,” she assured us. “It’s hard to say goodbye on the first day, but we’ve got lots of really great things planned for today. I was even going to read a dinosaur story later.”

Thank goodness for teach coming in with a massive rescue. Now run for it guys, bolt out of school like your skipping class.

His little voice was timid and hesitant, but the tears seemed to have momentarily stopped and I was relieved.

I know for sure that if Sandra didn’t step in, you would’ve taken him home.

“That’s pretty cool,” I told him as I squatted down to his level. “You can go with Sandra and check out the book and then when Daddy and I come back, you can tell us all about it, okay?”

Oh no, not again, my heartstrings can’t take it 😩

His lip quivered, but he nodded his head and I felt a wave of pride at how brave he was being despite how nervous he clearly was.

Thank the heavens above, he’s staying.

It wasn’t until we got out to the parking lot that I heard a sniffle coming from Chris. I stopped walking and grabbed his hand, tugging enough to get him to turn and face me.

🥺 not just Gray keeping a brave face, but dad too.

“I know, I know,” he nodded. “It’s just fuckin’ heart breakin’ when he’s crying and begging us not to go.”

😭 yes it hurts, these two are braver than I am, I would’ve taken him already, I did already. Heart wrenching 💔

“That’s true,” Chris chuckled. “I think I owe her an apology for putting her through that because man, this is fuckin’ rough.”

Hahahaha yes you do meatball. Treat mama Evans to something nice, because it’s a few years overdue.

“Well, I have something to distract you,” I told him, feeling butterflies of anticipation in my stomach as I pulled back enough to look up at his face. “My period is late. Only a couple of days, but I think we should probably go buy a pregnancy test.”

That’d be icing on the cake really, wouldn’t it 😊

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Chris asked, reaching to take my hand before tugging me towards the car. “Let’s go!”

Hahahahahaha I wonder from who Gray’s inherited his excitement 😂, because this looked awfully familiar to earlier excitement sprees of Gray.

Peeing on a stick was always an uncomfortable thing. Even more so when there was a grown man, a few steps away, staring at me and willing that stick to provide a certain result. 

Peer pressure 👀, hahaha, let’s sing a song 🎤: I always feel like somebody’s watching me, And I have no privacy (ooh ooh)

“I know that, but you’re putting a lot of pressure on me and it’s making it hard to relax.”

Hahahaha sweetie it’s okay. Shoo him out of the room.

He turned to face the wall and I laughed.

This is so pure, funny and innocent 😂

He sighed dramatically, but did as I asked and slipped out the door. Once he was gone, I was able to relax and do what I needed to do before sorting myself out, grabbing the test off the counter and going out to meet Chris. He was pacing around the room when I walked in and I smiled at the sight.

Gray is definitely his child, hahahahaha. He’s such a nervous nelly, not to mention he’s probably chewed off every single nail, because anxiety. Also a warning thought, they’re doing this test together now, the last time Whitney just broke the news 🥰

“Me too,” I smiled, but after a moment of thought I made another confession. “But I’m scared too. I’m scared that it won’t be positive, but I’m also kinda scared that it will be.”

Oh no, but understandable. Everything will work out just fine.

“I know what you mean, but I have no doubt that we can do this,” he told me, his confident tone putting me at ease as he took my hand in his. “I’m sure there’ll be an adjustment period, but Grayson will be an amazing big brother and we’ll make it work.”

We’re keeping this man for sure. Yes! He’s so good in settling her worries.

“It is kinda hard to imagine,” Chris agreed. “But once we get used to it, it’ll be amazing.”

“I think you’re right,” I decided, stretching up to place a kiss on his cheek before sending my gaze down to the test in my hand. “And I seriously hope you are.”

The blood just drained from my face, but excitement rose. It feels illegal to be a part of their little happy moment 😍

Chris glanced at the test in my hand before springing up from the bed with a cheer of joy and excitement. I barely had time to put the test down before he pulled me to my feet and wrapped his arms around me and I couldn’t help, but laugh as he showered me with kisses and gratitude as if I had any more to do with our latest accomplishment than he did.

Definitely illegal, such an intimate moment of joy 🤩

I am done, I’m a crying mess, Gray is going to be a big bro. What a journey, I’m super excited to see where their journey will continue. I’ve got a few hunches, but I like to be surprised too. Also very curious how they would break the news to Gray and how they would prep him for this new little arrival.

This was marvelous, such an emotional chapter yet ended on a happy note ♥️. As always thank you for allowing us all to follow this journey, it’s always such a delight 🥰

Gaze on the Shore

Summary: As the world starts to reopen, tentatively hoping the worst of the pandemic is behind them, Chris and Whitney face a new set of challenges. With busy work schedules and the pressures of normal life looming on the horizon, will the foundation they’ve built through lockdown be strong enough to keep their relationship steady or will they crack under the strain?

Chris Evans x OFC

18+

Part of the Once Bitten/More Hearts series

Part Nine

Note: This is the last chapter of this part of the series, but there will be more! I’ve already started working on it so hopefully it won’t be too long until I can start posting it. Thank you so much to everyone who has liked or commented on the series so far, it really means a lot to me. I love hearing all your thoughts so feel free to comment or send in your predictions for their future!

_____

Part Ten

A few weeks after we returned home to Massachusetts, Chris and I were both disappointed by the arrival of my period. We were prepared for the possibility that I wouldn’t get pregnant the first month we started trying - especially since our ability to try was limited for most of the first week that Chris was home - but we had hoped that we’d beat the odds and were a little disheartened that it hadn’t happened. There were a few days of moping on my part which I blamed on the hormones that came with that time of the month, but with Chris’ gentle nudging I managed to shake off the melancholy feelings and replace them with determination. As he pointed out - with a cheeky grin - we’d just been given an excuse to spend another month enjoying the process of trying any chance we got.

And we absolutely took advantage of that opportunity. We could barely keep our hands off of each other and spent every available moment working towards our goal, but when we weren’t focusing our energy on trying to have another baby, we were giving it to the child that we already had who was going through a transition of his own.

Because Grayson was starting preschool.

Keep reading

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Cease Asking Him So Many Questions, If You Desired Him To Be Yours!

NYC (Wire service Health) - Like victims from in person intimidation, kids who experience web intimidation are prone to psychological wellness as well as material usage problems - but devoting even more opportunity corresponding with their moms and dads could help safeguard all of them from these harmful consequences, a brand-new research recommends. Reddish as well as gold are actually terrific colors to use for these suppers and also don't forget to burst out the punch dish for eggnog. Not one thing a number of us with busy lifestyles possess time to accomplish. Our company desire easy dishes that may be made for supper in an issue from mins. Our company've also shown to you our focus on strengthening attendee retention with our Red Aristocracy system. Under these conditions, the only things served coming from the left are side recipes as well as supper rolls which will definitely also be actually gotten rid of coming from the left. Our company left Bobby Vinton's Blue Velour Theater with his songs rolling around in our heads. That is actually also helpful to make a budget your Thanksgiving supper recipes at the same time. Finally, for pudding, as portion of the Supper Triad for $12.95 our experts obtained a perfectly sized preference of Italy. A worst case scenario for having diarrhea after eating meat would be actually establishing allergies to red meat. The objective from the rehearsal dinner is to produce a relaxing setting that is actually fun and also pleasurable for everybody that has actually worked doggedly to create today an exclusive one. They tried to say to the hideous duckling that he does certainly not be part of in their household just because he looked other. Many of our outdoor supper gatherings are actually stored during the night, so we need to have adequate lightings for our visitors to become capable to view. Ted Watson - Senior Supervisor from Planning as well as Analysis, Reddish Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc While the blue staff all condemned Clemenza, Ramsay dealt with Man for his shortage from fight-back, however commended him for his hard work. Suiting up to blow away for a gala dinner may be the best as well as very most reliable method to improve your condition as well as present your keen eye for design. Try to plan to make sure that you cook for the entire day instead of only for the lunch or supper. On the contrary, my affiliation for blue willow china, despite its own Mandarin derivation, is actually mostly points to carry out along with England, English lifestyle and English etiquettes. Reward/punishment: The reddish staff went sail boating, had a seaside dinner as well as went mambo dancing, while heaven team needed to fumigate both home kitchens and http://Healthystyle-Byagnes.info prep them for the black connection supper service. Keep your caught blue crabs in a container or even vacant container (a timber bushel fruit container works terrific), out of the sun as well as under a wet rag. Points make a mistake occasionally; its own regular, judgment and also perseverance are beneficial qualities to translucent these times. Don't let the fancy French title throw you off from purchasing this set, given that it is actually an outdated standby for joining reddish meat products - therefore meat eaters see. Now it is the turn from Golden nuts children as well as teens to start boasting concerning their dinner sets. I want to attempt capturing some blue crabs and educating my little ones a little much more since you have enlightened me some. There is actually the main thing I would certainly love to carry out in lifestyle which is actually having a Many thanks giving supper with United States folks.

Our day was finished with however an additional fantastic supper and also an English Premier Game suit which was actually being shown on a big screen in a club contrary our hotels and resort; this was a pretty uninspiring activity though. Many people coming from the north climates, as a matter of fact, primarily think about these varieties a rarity to the supper or even dinner table.