#or look into getting another burner-- even less preferable.

[jvzebel-x]

🦋

[aliensupastar]

shouldn’t feel like a crime

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Carmy Berzatto/GN!Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: You finally try Carmy’s cooking. Follow-up to “not wrong, but not right”

Part I Part III

Warnings: minor angst, comfort, fluff, depiction of an eating disorder, food and eating, healing?

A/N: first off, thank you all so much for the love on the first part! i wrote it as a comfort during a difficult time and it was so nice to see people enjoy it. i didn’t intend on writing more for it, but a few people asked for it and i finally got an idea for a follow-up! as a disclaimer, i wrote most of this before season 2 came out and edited it afterwards, but there are no spoilers. gif by emziess <3

Carmy is a good boss. You know this, you’ve known it for months. His sometimes-abrasive idiolect aside, he runs the restaurant like he cares about every brick that built it, every burner the crew uses to make each dish, every ticket that comes through that god-forsaken machine on the expo station. It makes any screaming match easily forgivable, and any nightmare lunch rush endurable. 

What you didn’t know was that Carmy could also be a good friend. Since your stint in the emergency room he’s made good on his agreement with you, without ever being overwhelming. He’s instead mercifully subtle. There’s a few bottles of lemonade kept in the office’s mini-fridge now, for when you get dizzy. He’s lent you that coat of his a few times, when the night air ends up chillier than you predicted that morning, and you’ve left your own jacket at home. And he never fails to give you a look, during the busiest hours at the restaurant, communicating quickly, and quietly: Are you good? And you know if the answer is no, he’ll let you take a breather without a single complaint, but you always respond with a quick nod and push through the rest of the shift.

In turn, you do your best not to worry him. You take vitamins and get better sleep and try to stop pushing yourself to the brink of passing out. You even eat one of your safe foods in front of him, at family while everyone else enjoyed the samosas Ebrahaim had cooked up that day, and for once it felt good to eat; the constant playful bickering and banter a welcome distraction from the usual stress that follows your meals. 

It’s nice. Maybe you don’t necessarily feel like you’re getting better, just more… stable. Less like you’re in a free-fall and more like you’ve got both feet on solid ground. 

When you go to leave after closing up one night and find that it’s raining, impeding you from making your usual trek to the train station, you turn back and head to the office. And a few months ago, you might’ve been too nervous around Carmy to even ask to stay in the restaurant an extra hour, preferring to brave the cold rain and let your clothes get soaked and heavy rather than hang around. You’re relieved, now, to find Carmy right where you left him when you said goodnight just a minute ago, ready to save you from a miserable trip home. 

“What’s up?” He asks when he spots you. 

“It’s raining.” You tell him, nodding your head in the direction of the back door. “Didn’t bring an umbrella. Do you mind if I stick around for a bit, just ‘till it stops?” 

“Yeah, it’s no problem, I’ll be here finishing up for a while, anyway,” He says, then continues after a brief pause. “Y’know you really gotta stop relying on that iPhone weather app.”

You scoff, shaking your head at his teasing. 

“You know I��m too lazy to start using another one.”

“I’m just sayin’.” He pushes out of his chair and walks past you, into the kitchen, grabbing a sponge and the container of soap water he uses to clean the countertops. 

“You want help?” You offer, already taking off your coat and tossing it onto the office chair. 

“Nah, you already clocked out. Don’t worry about it.” He replies, not even looking up as he begins to scrub, but you pick up a sponge anyway and get to work on the counter behind him. 

You fall into a comfortable silence for a while after that, only broken by the sound of rough sponges scraping away at the grime and the faint patter of rain on the roof of the building, and part of you wishes you had more opportunities for this. More time spent with him, outside of the hustle and bustle of the restaurant, even if it’s spent cleaning. His presence has become something you’d rather not avoid, even if it makes your heart race; the unique scent of him on the coat you’ve borrowed is becoming familiar, comforting. 

“Glad it wasn’t busy today.” Your train of thought is interrupted by his sudden comment, but you quickly nod. 

“Practically a miracle, for a Friday.” You agree, hearing him chuckle behind you. 

“Didn’t need that shit today, anyways, not while I’m on,” He says. He was working the stovetop today, alongside Sydney, making an efficient team as they churned out dishes quicker than the customers could file in. It made your day a little easier, the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen while you savored the downtime granted by the slow day. 

“I’ve never tried your cooking,” You say offhandedly, but your words make him pause and look back at you, eyebrows raised in surprise. 

“Really?” He asks, and you nod. “You’ve worked here for months, though.” 

“I know.” You shrug. 

“How come?” 

That makes you stop scrubbing, turning slightly to look at him. 

“Think you know the answer to that one, chef.” You tease, before continuing to work. He huffs out a laugh, but keeps staring at your back while you scrub. 

“I could make you something.” He finally says, and it makes you truly stop, turning to face him fully. 

“Y’all just cleaned this whole kitchen.” Now it’s his turn to shrug. 

“I don’t mind.” You give him an incredulous look.

“I- If you think I’m gonna help you clean the stove and the plates again, you’re wrong.” Carmy just shakes his head, tossing his sponge back into the container of water and grabbing a few clean pans. 

“C’mon, I can’t have you walking around saying you’ve never tried the food at the restaurant you work at,” He says. “You like spaghetti?”

He’s casual in the way he asks, but you’re still standing by the counter, eyebrows raised in shock. Your mind is starting to race, the way it does every time you’re faced with food, but Carmy’s already pouring olive oil into a saucepan and brandishing his chef knife to chop an onion. 

You approach the stove he’s standing at carefully, like it might just burst into flames, and you can already smell the familiar scent of garlic and olive oil and god, he’s only been at it for a minute and it already smells like heaven in this kitchen. 

“Smell good?” 

“Yeah,” You practically breathe out. “Shit, smells amazing.” 

He smiles at that, a rare thing to see on his face. He’s thoughtful for a moment, before saying:

“This is, uh, Mikey’s recipe, actually.” 

Your eyes widen, a bit taken aback by his mention of his late brother. At least, his mention of Mikey to you. 

You’d learned about what happened to Michael just a few weeks after being hired, after having witnessed the heavy silence that overtook the room when he’d been mentioned, and asking Marcus after work what all that had been about. Since you received your explanation, you’ve tried to mind your own business when the melancholy that came with Michael’s memory returned, giving those who seemed to know him best room to process before getting back to work. 

Carmy’s never talked about Mikey to you directly; no one has. You’re not sure what to say. 

“Mikey, that’s… your brother, right?” You ask hesitantly, even if you already know the answer before Carmy nods. 

“Yeah. He used to run this place, before it was The Bear.” He tells you. 

“Before?” Your confusion and surprise seeps into your tone. “What was it before?”

“Still a restaurant, but, quick service. Italian sandwiches. We weren’t called The Bear, we were-“ He chuckles, caught up in reminiscing. “We were called The Original Beef of Chicagoland.” 

“No shit! This used to be The Beef?” He nods his confirmation and you’re instantly brought back, the memory faded like an old photo that’s been shoved into storage and forgotten. The only thing that wasn’t hard to recall was the sandwich you’d ordered, practically dripping with flavor, the exact kind of comfort food you’d needed that day.

“Been here before?” He asks.

“Yeah, I just- I didn’t recognise it.” You’d sat at a table across from the friend that dragged you to the slightly shabby establishment, silently relishing in the deliciousness of your food before the panic could set in, so enraptured by it you didn’t even care about the booming voice coming from behind a door that presumably led to the kitchen. Not even when the person it belonged to came out to the front and-

“Mikey, was he like, tall? Black hair?” You suddenly ask, gesturing how tall you’d remembered the man being, and now Carmy’s the one that’s confused. 

“Uh, yeah. You- you knew Mikey?” He sounds a little breathless when he asks, but you shake your head. 

“No, but when I came here before, he was still running the place, I guess. And just… loud as shit. Hard to ignore,” You look up and meet Carmy’s eyes. “Hard to forget.” 

You both share a laugh at that, at the memory of his brother that he loved, and that you barely even knew. 

“Yeah, that definitely sounds like him.” The sweet smile stays on his face as he chops and sautées, refusing to let you do more than start boiling the spaghetti for him. All you can do is watch the pasta and watch him as he navigates his brother’s recipe like it’s pure muscle memory. 

As much as you like to steal glances at him during opening prep, you don’t get to see as much of him during service hours. You’re just as busy working front-of-house, keeping people happy and keeping Richie off your ass, as he is while he’s trying to keep up on dishes. You don’t get a ton of chances to see him like this, in his element. He plates the finished spaghetti perfectly, in two bowls, so you know he won’t let you eat alone. 

Still, the anxiety in your stomach rises when you accept the fork Carmy hands you, and you can’t help but pause. He does, too, and you know he easily recognises the cause of your trepidation. 

“What’s up?” He asks, his voice gentle. You shake your head, trying to rid yourself of the conflict in your mind, but you can’t stop yourself from saying it. 

“Do you… just, maybe have an idea of-“

“I have no clue how many calories are in this.” He answers your question before you can even ask it, and you can’t help but let out a breath of amusement — at yourself, at him for somehow knowing. 

It’s his gentle smile, one that lacks judgment or pity, that pushes you to finally swirl the spaghetti around your fork and take a bite and-

Oh my god. 

You can’t help the moan that escapes you during that first bite, ignoring Carmy’s chuckle at your slight dramatics. You can see why he’s hot shit in the restaurant world; the dish barely looked fancy or complicated when he’d made it, certainly not as complicated as anything on the menu, but somehow it tastes better than any pasta you’ve ever had. You would say you’re in disbelief, but you don’t pause long enough to think about anything but this, how amazing every flavor bursting on your tongue is.

Carmy finishes his pasta before you do, but he stands next to you till your bowl is empty, before taking it over to the dish pit and beginning to scrub down all the dishware he’d used. And you stand there for a second, staring at his back, unable to process all the emotion filling you as he washes your bowl. The bowl he let you get dirty, because he wanted you to be able to try his food. 

The utter warmth flooding your senses is almost overwhelming.

Then, despite your earlier protests, you pick up the sponge he abandoned earlier and get to scrubbing the stovetop down again. You ignore the few warm tears that escape your waterline in the process. 

You mindlessly follow Carmy around as he walks through each room, shutting off lights and locking the front entrance and office doors. When you inevitably make your way to the back exit, you push open the door only to find that it’s still raining, worse than it was hours ago. You can only sigh and lean your head against the doorway in defeat. 

“Need a ride?” Carmy offers easily. 

You think back to the frame that sits on the countertop out front, holding a slightly crumpled index card: “I love you, dude. Let it rip.” Words you’ve seen nearly every day since your first on the job; you just now realize they’re probably Michael’s.

It feels like too much. The letting you stick around, the pasta, the�� everything. 

You nod anyways, accepting Carmy’s offer, letting him lead you to his car, and he lets you lead the way home.

[tongue-like-a-razor]

Less Talk | Part IV

Jake Seresin x F!Reader

Summary: Jake can't stand Bradley's best friend. What's more, he's probably in love with her, which really pisses him off.

CW: mild angst, brief violence, unresolved sexual tension, swearing, drinking, SO MUCH PINING

Part I | Part II | Part III | Masterlist

“So?” Bradley asks, smirking up at Jake as he gulps down some orange juice with a slight cringe. “How was last night?”

Jake gives him an annoyed look, turning off the burner on the stove with a little more aggression than necessary. He lifts the lid off the egg poacher and grabs a plate in silence.

“That good, huh?” Bradley says.

Jake shakes his head crossly and lets out a disgruntled sigh, sliding a couple of eggs onto his plate. He holds up the poacher and looks at his roommate. “Want some?”

Bradley nods, rising from the table and walking into the kitchen. “Thanks.”

“You can thank me by being less irritating,” Jake says tersely.

Bradley snorts. “My, my,” he says, taking his breakfast back into the dining room. “Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

Jake sets his plate down and looks at Bradley sourly. “What did I just say?”

“Alright, alright.” Bradley holds up his hands to indicate that he’s done riling him. “We won’t talk about it. We can pretend it never happened.”

Jake takes a bite out of his toast. “Nothing did happen.”

Bradley is watching Jake with a sympathetic grin. “Does that disappoint you?”

Jake rolls his eyes. “For fuck’s sake, Bradshaw. What’ll it take to get some peace and quiet around here? Between you and Y/N, I haven’t had a moment’s rest.”

Bradley eyes him patiently. “I’m sorry, man,” he says. “I’ll stop. But I’m here if you need to get something off your chest.”

Jake gives him a flat look. It bugs him when his friends demonstrate love and compassion, and Bradley Bradshaw is notorious for that shit. His genuine desire to help makes Jake uncomfortable as fuck. He prefers the ribbing any day of the week; at least he could respond in kind. “There’s nothing on my chest, Rooster,” he says harshly. “There’s nothing on my mind,” he continues. “Nothing going on anywhere.”

Bradley nods at him skeptically. “Okay.”

Jake sighs loudly, ensuring that Bradley is aware of just how irritated he is. “Except,” he says, pausing to take another bite of toast. “Your damn bestie is a fucking nuisance.”

“How so?” Bradley asks, trying to contain a grin.

Jake scoffs. “Well, for one thing,” he says. “She unplugged our fucking fan.”

Bradley’s eyebrows converge. “She what?”

“Yeah.” Jake nods. “And she called me a moron.”

Bradley makes a face. “She did not.”

Jake shrugs. “More or less. Whatever. She told me I ‘helped her’ yesterday, whatever the fuck that means.”

 Bradley squints his eyes, smiling. “I think it means you helped her.”

Jake stares at him bitterly. “I’m not planning on being her friend,” he says.

Bradley shrugs. “You don’t have to be her friend.”

“I don’t like her.”

Bradley raises his eyebrows. “Okay.”

“Why are we even talking about her?” Jake lets out another frustrated sigh.

Bradley grimaces. “I don’t think I started it this time.”

Jake looks up at him, distressed at his escalating resentment toward you and Bradley and the damn grackles outside the kitchen window that just won’t shut the fuck up. He steadies his breathing. “Have you heard from her this morning?” he asks quietly. “Is she okay?”

Bradley nods at him calmly. “Yeah,” he says. “She’s okay.”

…

“Whose idea was this?” Jake asks, walking into the Hard Deck with a sullen expression. For an entire week, he’s been expending an unthinkable amount of energy just to keep you off his mind. He hasn’t, for a second, let himself think about your unbearable tendency to debate every single word that comes out of his mouth. Nor has he been ruminating on the way your eyes flash with excitement whenever you’ve constructed an irrefutable argument. He hasn’t thought about your smile, or the way you had wrapped your arms around his neck. He certainly doesn’t remember what you’d said to him, or your warm breath bathing his skin, or how the curve of your waist felt in his hands.

And now, apparently, he has to spend an entire evening with you because your boyfriend wants to get to know your friends. Jake isn’t your friend. What the fuck is he even doing here? Except trying desperately to not think about you.

“This is a big step for him,” Bradley says under his breath. “He’s never even wanted to meet her friends.”

Jake inhales deeply, trying to relieve some of the aggravation he feels. He sees that the rest of the squad is already settled near the back of the bar, and that you are standing by one of the pool tables, watching Mustang line up his shot. Jake holds back a grin because you look bored stiff and, just like that, he forgets all about his endeavor to keep you strictly off his mind.

Payback shoves a shot into each of their hands the moment they arrive but Jake glances over his shoulder to look at you. You’re already watching him so he gives you a polite nod, unsure how the two of you should interact now that you no longer blatantly hate each other’s guts. You approach Bradley to give him a hug and then hesitate when deciding how best to greet Jake. He gives you a sympathetic smile, which you return with noticeable relief.

“How are you?” Jake asks, pointedly eyeing Mustang, who hasn’t even looked up from his game.

“Great,” you respond, a little too cheerily. But Jake knows you better than to buy that shit. He gives you a skeptical sort of grimace and you end up shrugging with a soured expression. “I’m fine,” you amend your statement.

Jake nods. “That’s more like it.”

You snort. But just when Jake begins to relax into the comfortable routine of back-and-forth quips, Mustang straightens his back and saunters over to where the two of you are standing.

Jake lifts his gaze, looking at him lazily. “Mustang,” he says commandingly.

Your boyfriend furrows his brows as though he’s confused by the nickname, which Jake finds hilarious, because what an idiot. “Actually, it’s –”

“Doesn’t matter,” Jake responds curtly. He turns to you with a tight smile. “Enjoy your evening,” he says, and then he walks away. He doesn’t check to see your reaction to his, admittedly, ill-mannered exit, but he’s not about to waste his time chatting up a man he absolutely loathes. Even if it’s what you might want.

But he doesn’t get far before he feels your fingers curl around his arm. He glances down as you try to yank him backward with your tiny hand, accomplishing nothing but drawing an amused smile from his lips.

“Yes?” he says, eyeing your hand before meeting your gaze.

“What the fuck was that?” you ask. “He just wanted to talk.”

Jake shrugs. “I don’t want to talk to him.”

Your grip on his arm tightens defiantly and you say, “You didn’t want to talk to me either, remember?”

Jake watches you with a smirk. “What makes you think that’s changed?”

You stare at him impassively, not in the least impressed with his jibe. You let go of his arm with a hard look. “My mistake,” you say coldly.

Jake raises his eyebrows in response to your irritation. “Why does it even matter to you that I talk to him?” he asks, glancing at Mustang who’s gone back to his game without a second thought. The only person Jake’s resistance seems to be bothering is you.

“Forget it,” you say moodily.

Jake watches you walk back to your boyfriend with a mixture of disappointment and jealousy. He grimaces when you lean your head onto Mustang’s shoulder and he shrugs you off to walk around the pool table and observe his opponent’s shot. Jake closes his eyes for a moment, imagining what he’d do if you were to rest your head on him. He’d probably be paralyzed with shock, for one.

“Cheers,” Bradley says, bringing his shot glass to the one Jake is still holding in his hand.

Jake nods. “Bottoms up.” He hisses as the vodka burns its way through his system.

…

Several drinks in, Jake is failing miserably at his self-imposed task of disregarding your existence. Every so often, he glances in your direction, incapable of ignoring you entirely. You’re wearing ripped shorts which fit loosely around your hips, and he makes every attempt to suppress the desire to strut right up to you and sink his hands – or his teeth – into the flesh that’s exposed whenever you lean into the table to aim.

And don’t even get him started on the utter mayhem that descends upon his body every time you bend over. Your perfect ass is not only a distraction but a downright detriment to his sanity, which he’s feeling slip away little by little with every successive turn you take. You have no clue how to hold a cue stick and you’ve yet to sink a ball, but watching you try is unquestionably riveting.

Mustang is no longer playing; he quit the minute you decided to participate. Jake notes that he hasn’t made a significant effort to socialize with your friends and is rather spending the bulk of his time conversing with a couple of women at a neighboring table.

Jake considers joining you for a game, maybe showing you how to position your bridge hand. Maybe standing right behind you as you bend forward to take your shot. Maybe bending down with you to help you aim.

He sucks in his cheeks uncomfortably; if the mere thought of teaching you to play pool is arousing him, he should probably stay as far away from that table as possible. He gulps down the rest of his drink and stands up anyway, watching you giggle as you pocket the cue ball. He cringes, bothered that he finds you all kinds of adorable when you’re laughing at yourself. You seem much happier when Mustang isn’t by your side, and yet, when Jake finally resolves to approach you, you set your pool cue down and glance around in search of your boyfriend. Jake lets out a heavy sigh and heads instead toward the dartboard where Payback and Fanboy are starting a fresh game.

Jake’s barely concentrating on the board, however, because he keeps glancing over his shoulder to watch your conversation with Mustang. The two of you seem agitated with one another which isn’t altogether surprising considering your less than agreeable nature. He smirks to himself, pleased at the apparent instability of your relationship.

Jake returns his attention to the dartboard, trying to focus on the matter at hand despite the ridiculous hold you seem to have on him. Except that, a few minutes into the game, he hears a commotion at the far end of the pub. He turns to see you aggressively skirting tables as you try to outrun Mustang, who is chasing after you. Instantly, Jake drops his darts on the nearest surface and starts in your direction through the crowd. When he closes in, he can see that you’re visibly shaken as Mustang seizes your wrist and pulls you toward him forcefully. You try to twist away in protest, but he only clings harder.

Jake grits his teeth as he pushes past the last patron standing in his way, and then he grabs Mustang’s forearm while simultaneously driving an elbow right into his jaw. Not a second later, Jake delivers another blow with the back of his elbow. Mustang pivots from the strike and Jake uses this momentum to hike Mustang's arm behind his back and bring his palm down on his spine, sending him, face first, into the ground.

Mustang scrambles to his feet the moment Jake releases his arm, staggering slightly. But Jake doesn’t wait for him to recuperate before shoving him backward into an empty table. In his weakened state, Mustang easily loses his balance and crashes into the table with a thunderous clatter.

A chorus of cries erupts in response to the brawl and Jake can hear you screaming for him to stop in the background. But he’s too far in it to stop now. He lifts Mustang off the table by his shirt and sends him flying backwards once again, this time with his fist.

That’s when Bradley appears, dragging Jake away. Jake runs a hand over his mouth, breathing heavily. His mind is somewhat foggy despite the overwhelming rage in his gut.

“He’s down, man,” Bradley says under his breath. “He’s down.”

Jake nods, steadying his breath. He turns to look at you and the moment he sees the tears streaming down your face, he’s struck with an awful sense of regret. You’re watching him lividly, shaking your head.

“Y/N,” Bradley starts, but you hold up a hand.

Without a word, you spin around and head for the exit. Jake goes after you, despite Bradley’s compelling arguments against it. He crashes through the door and sprints after you across the lot.

“Hey!” he yells. “Slow down!”

You whip your head around aggressively, coming to a halt. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” you cry.

Jake comes to a stop before you, slightly out of breath. Only, now that he’s here, he’s got nothing to say.

“What? No elaborate comeback? No stupid joke?” you ask in revulsion.

He watches you soberly. He can tell that you’re pissed at him, but it’s different from all the other times he’s upset you. This time, you aren’t looking for a sparring partner, you’re looking for a fight. “Are you okay?” he asks.

Your eyebrows twist in outrage. “What do you think?”

Jake exhales sharply. “I meant your hand.”

You blink in confusion. “I wasn’t the one who punched him, Jake.”

Jake gives you a flat look. “He grabbed you, Y/N,” he says, his panting amplified by the anger coursing through him at the mere memory of the event. He reaches for your hand and lifts it to eye level as you watch on with a slight cringe. He weaves his fingers through yours until your palms connect as he examines your wrist.

“Are you insane? He barely touched me!” you exclaim.

Jake meets your gaze sharply. He watches you gravely, his eyebrows creasing in slow motion. “Has he done worse?” His fingers tighten around your hand. If you respond with anything other than an emphatic ‘no’, he’ll be leaving the Hard Deck in a cop car, and Mustang in an ambulance – if he’s lucky.

You viciously rip your hand out of his grasp and start walking. “Mind your own business, Seresin,” you mutter.

Jake watches your back as you march away. He stuffs his hands into his pockets and curls them into fists, contending with the riot of emotions assailing his person while trying to keep his cool. “Stop walking,” he says firmly, wincing at the authoritative tone in his voice.

You freeze at his words, which takes him completely by surprise. He’s watching you cautiously as you turn back to face him, bracing himself for your wrath. But you simply glance up at him, silent and utterly unreadable.

Jake steps forward hesitantly. “Progressive contamination of aquatic ecosystems, I can’t get you to shut up about,” he says levelly. “But when it comes to something as important as –”

“Water pollution is important!” you protest.

Jake gives you a critical look. “Is he hurting you?”

You avert your gaze. “No,” you answer quietly.

Jake shakes his head and starts walking back toward the bar.

“Jake!” you call after him. “Stop.”

Jake slows his pace but only stops once you’ve caught up with him and put a hand on his arm to keep him from going any farther. He glances at you, ignoring the surge of heat generated by your touch that’s unequivocally clouding his judgement.

“I’m the only one doing the hurting,” you say guiltily. “And you, apparently.”

“What are you talking about?”

You sigh. “I just broke up with him.”

Jake stares at you, speechless.

“Which is why it was really shitty of you to beat him up,” you say, looking back at him pointedly.

He glances over your face in a mild stupor, still reeling from the news. He furrows his eyebrows, trying to snap himself out of the reverie, and retorts, “I barely touched him.”

Read Part 5

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[whole-bunch-of-hcs]

Teddy Lobo Arranged Marriage

HCs plus a blurb/shortfic at the end, there is nsft content so be warned. Request by @ghnaim24

Teddy doesn't like being told what to do

At all

And he doesn't like feeling cornered or controlled. This is not a man who handles responsibility well or even willingly tbh

But he agreed to this bc it's not like he can refuse if he wants to inherit (which he does) and it's not like this will have all the rules a 'real' marriage does so who cares. Just another way to stay on top

Plus you're an only child and a woman so this gives him a leg up over Mandy- this is something he can do for the Lobos that she can't (yeah he's exactly that petty)

So he doesn't really have any set idea of what you'll be like in his head and doesn't care cause at this point you are a concept to him- a means to an end.

Then he actually meets you. The shy act is kinda cute but come on you're a mafia boss' kid, you've gotta be holding out on him

Except you're not. What he sees is what he gets with you. For a while he's not sure what to make of it bc no one in his world is like you.

Eventually he decides he's on board and wants to make this arrangement actually work bc it's one thing to be married but it's another to enjoy it and he doesn't want a miserable wife right?

(Kinda in denial sure but he's got the right idea)

He takes you out with him and tries to keep you away from all the nitty-gritty. He gets it in his head that you're all sheltered and shit and the reality of this life (that you have also been leading since way before he knew you) would damage you.

Gets on his guys' asses for doing uncouth shit when you're around and everything it's sweet but dude. Come on.

Absolutely FLINGS money your way. You don't even need it but you're never paying for anything ever again. He'll actively encourage, no demand, that you get more and more expensive taste.

His mother likes this less than he does but he's used to her being mad at him

Speaking of which, your gentle and shy nature taps into a more vulnerable side of him so you're about to hear shit he has told NO ONE before

Your wedding is going to be more extravagant than certain royal weddings have been. It's practically a multi-day affair. It is the epitome of ostentatious and why shouldn't it be? Two mafia families are marrying and more importantly he is marrying you. That's worth some serious celebration.

Nsft-wise... boy does he have a lot going on

Furthest thing from a virgin like. Ever. Man was a SLUT all the way up until he met you and he has the experiences to prove it

Good thing: means he knows what he's doing. Bad thing: he has a skewed idea of what normal is

He'll be willing to try anything and everything you like and he is EAGER to show you stuff you might not have even known about

You will be discovering at least one new kink cause of him

He's a switch too so he can really adapt to whatever you want from him

Prefers filling a specific role though, when in a relationship. Likes the stability of knowing his place cause he's dorky like that

Has nipple piercings idk why I'm so sure of this but he does

If he's a dom he is NOT very gentle and if you need him to slow down or ease up you gotta tell him that.

He likes it when you're demanding, when you tell him what you need, when you make him almost wonder who's really in charge (but he is HAPPY to remind you)

If he's a sub you better not be gentle with him. He's a hardcore masochist and he promises he can take it (he has no pain tolerance he just likes pain a lot for some reason bc he's a freak)

He will tell you exactly what he needs too so don't ever worry that you're not fulfilling his needs.

"What're you eyeing, babe? What's good?" Teddy asked. He needed to know so he could tell the waitress, and he'd probably bribe her with absolutely no subtlety to make sure a few other tables were put on the back burner so you could get it sooner.

"I dunno," you answered. "The seafood boil looks really good but it's fifty dollars, Teddy, that's insane. I'm not paying fifty dollars for bugs that live in the ocean."

"Well you're not paying for anything so it doesn't matter," Teddy said. Immediately he wondered if that sounded like he was taking a dig at you. You didn't seem to think so though so maybe he did good? If you did that cute little nose-exhale and reached up to play with the necklace he got you he'd know he won.

You did. I'm an actual good boyfriend now, holy shit, he thought.

"Fine," you said. "Fifty dollars for a lobster and some crab legs."

"What, that's it?" Teddy asked. "Get the upgrade that's got like oysters and sh-all that."

"Teddy that's fifty-seven dollars, that's insane."

"So am I, babe!" He laughed. He had a nice laugh, you thought, when he wasn't playing it up for some reason.

"Yo, Teddy, your mom's calling," one of Teddy's "boys" said, running over, phone in hand. "Wants to talk about the patrols in the French Quarter. 'Pparently one of the beat cops 'round that joint forgot he likes money so she wants you to get a guy out there and-"

Teddy waved his hands frantically. "Hey, hey- not in front of her, man, are you fuckin' stupid?" He grabbed for the phone. "Hey, Mom, I'm out with y/n right now-"

He got up, leaned over to plant a kiss on your cheek and slap some money down on the table. "Go ahead and get a little tequila, the top shelf stuff that doesn't give you a hangover, while you're at it, and- hey, Scraps, if I'm not back when the waitress comes you tell her my girl wants the deluxe seafood boil and we don't care how much it costs, yeah?"

He was adorable, as far as crime-boss nepo-babies went.

[merbear25]

I don't know if this is something that has ever been done before, but now when you opened requests again, you have a chance to do it: Judge x reader fluff. Yes, you read that right.

Female reader, who is a personal assistant for Judge.

Preferably, Caesar has a cameo appearance, but Judge is the focus of the story.

Hey, hey! I was thrilled to get a request for Judge! He's one of the few characters in One Piece that truly fascinates me. This was my first time writing for him, so I hope you like it. 💜💜

After years of convincing himself that emotions weren’t necessary, that they got in the way of the pinnacle of success, he was reminded of another reason he’d buried them. A familiar ache that was first felt long ago was now seen as a nuisance, and yet he chose to suffer through the displeasure because it meant being near you.

CW: SFW, fem!reader, fluff, slight angst, pining, takes place during Egghead, reader is Judge’s personal assistant, includes Caesar

Pangs of a forgotten heart (Judge)

Beakers holding liquids varying in color lined the work station. The bunsen burners’ flames ignited in a pattern crucial to the concoction being formulated. He leaned down to examine them more closely, allowing their array of colors to tint the white walls behind them. Jotting down each bubble, puff of smoke, and subtle change in pigment, he was immersed in a world where only work filled his thoughts. Yet, somehow you were the only one able to pull him out of it.

The sound of the door sliding open fell on deaf ears. Coming into view behind the beakers accentuated your beauty, each curve being captured even under the boxy lab coat.

“I’m in the middle of something.” Firm but not rude, his tone never crossed into cruelty when it came to you.

“I know, but these reports came in and contain information you may find useful.” A softness that didn’t mask obvious hints was a specialty of yours. 

With a slightly agitated sigh, he straightened his posture. The extension of his hand was promptly greeted with the reasonably thick stack of papers. A barely concealed groan left him once feeling the weight of them.

“I’ve already had a look and marked them by relevance.” You gestured to the color-coded tabs, each one carefully placed to draw in his attention to the applicable bits.

Thumbing through it, his expression remained void of praise and gratitude. Such adoration wasn’t for anyone’s eyes—deemed unfit to share freely or at all. His humph was the extent of approval typically, although you didn’t mind. His gaze fell on you: a woman who’d given nothing less than her full competence and admittedly still continued to surprise him even after the years working for him. 

A lump formed in his throat; your eyes held a sincerity in them he couldn’t find anywhere else. A tightness arose in his chest; no matter how cold his stare was, your smile never fell. A sense of dread dawned on him because he remembered this feeling all too well. With a nod, he dismissed you and was left alone once again.

Those pale walls only felt cold after he met you, and the hours spent alone conducting research only felt agonizingly long after sharing conversations with you. Placing the stack of papers on the table, he rubbed his eyes. They felt heavy and stung from the teasing bitterness he reserved for himself when moments of weakness threatened his very foundation. Cracks had already formed though, and they deepened the longer he kept you around, spreading across every pillar of his philosophies:

Vulnerability—he wouldn’t be so low as to subject himself to that. The weak must be weeded out, leaving only those born to lead to create a world worthy of living in. A reality as cruel as this one, the meek would never inherit the earth, instead being destined to pave it.

Weakness—it came in the form of tears, regret, and even compassion, things which took years to rid himself of. However, his discipline still wavered, which threatened to send the walls he built tumbling down. The softer side to humanity refused to leave his side, pestering him at the most inconvenient times.

Strength—a firm stance he took to bear his ideals. The brains and the bronze: strength started with the psyche and trickled down to the muscles that would carry out each finishing blow. Trampling on the feelings that kept one in the dark to then free them from their shackles. Untethered and untamed: the world was now theirs to claim.

But no matter how sure he thought he was, your mere presence sent his mind whirling and that pang in his chest to coil around his heart. A gasp escaped him as he held himself back from embracing the humanity he lost with the death of his wife. Dismay kept him at bay, riddling him at any chance of forming connections, and yet he would catch himself looking for you. Perhaps you wouldn’t talk to one another, instead sitting within the other’s general proximity, working together in silence.

Intrusive thoughts flooded his already chaotic mind. Snippets of you refused to leave him in peace. That lump in his throat grew. Suppression of his deepest desires were resurfacing. The lid that’d been placed over them wasn’t what it used to be. A moment of clarity flickered so quickly he nearly missed it.

Hesitantly, he pushed forward only to hear that nails on a chalkboard laugh billowing down the corridor. A grimace was half-heartedly concealed when the gangly man who’d gone through phases of colleague and a thorn in his side veered into the lab once spotting Judge.

“What's with the face?” Caesar demanded. Clicking his tongue, Judge turned his back to the horned man. The cold shoulder irked him more than a retort would have. “Fine, be that way. I only came in here to get something that useless assistant of yours forgot.” 

Looking up for a split second, Caesar’s eyes met Judge’s—daggers pierced the Clown to his very core. Startled at first, the initial reaction faded as a smile spread on his purple lips. “Oh, I see. Hmm, I can’t say I blame you.” He flipped through the folder he needed as he casually stepped towards the door. “Though, she is a bit too soft for my liking.”

Why did that bother him so much? It wasn’t untrue to call you as such, but that word was like venom to him. No, he knew exactly why and he loathed that you held the same qualities as her. Loathing your tenderness was a defense to keep him from feeling more than necessary, and that sweet smile that came with it made the burn singe that much more intensely.

The only way out is through kept echoing in his head.

Long stretches of brick walls lined the rug paved hallways. A mission that was guided by his heart but chaperoned by logic, he convinced himself that this was the solution to the current madness wracking his brain. Not following his routine of berating his own and others’ emotions opened his heart to fear: of rejection, humiliation, and the return to loneliness with his tail between his legs.

But there you were, working diligently like always. A subtlety of concentration on your gentle complexion gave a contrast to the deadly chemicals you were handling. You had a keen eye for spotting complimentary compounds. Self-taught which left him stunned, but under him you’d made remarkable progress, fine tuning your skills to perfection. 

While he loitered, that word repeated the longer he looked at you. Perfection— it suited you nicely. Goggles still secured over your eyes and gloves covering those delicate hands, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. When you noticed him, your expression softened.

“Are you going to come out of the doorway?” Your light tone tangled with an airy laugh. He kept his arms crossed as he approached you, not quite willing to open himself up entirely. Despite him avoiding eye contact and his stiff stance, there was something different about him that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. 

You paused as a question rolled around inside your head, but ultimately, you decided it wasn’t important. He wasn’t the type to openly express himself, you knew that, so instead you updated him on the most recent bits of information he needed to stay informed on. You inched closer to him, allowing your body heat to mingle with his, which to your surprise, he did the same. After a few more minutes of discussing work, he lowered his arms and permitted the budding interest he took in you a chance at something more.

[batsarebetterthanpeople]

Alright. My most recent foray into the Izzy drama has revealed to me that there is a problem in the Izzy stan community, and I love helping the less fortunate so I'm going to give the people a little crash course in how to use tumblr. Me and many of my mutuals have done some or all of the things that I'm about to show you in the interest of a more enjoyable tumblr experience. This is directed at a specific tumblr community but is universally helpful so if it breaks containment I am sorry.

We're gonna start off with the basics here. Blocking people. If you see a post you don't like. If you think a take is horrible. A person is just giving you bad vibes? HIT DA BRICKS my friends. You can never see another post from this person by clicking on their blog, clicking on the elipses, and hitting that block button. Thank you to my beloved mutual @ourflagmeansgayrights for letting me use your blog to display what I'm talking about.

I understand that some people might feel bad about blocking someone. You shouldn't tho. The person might find out and get a little salty, but you don't know them and they can't do anything about it so who cares? I personally have over 40 blogs blocked and honestly I should have more.

Next, onto something a little more challenging. filtered content. You're gonna want to go to your settings. here's a picture with the directions to the settings menu helpfully highlighted.

When you click on the settings it'll take you to a page like this

I have already scrolled down a bit. You can scroll down until you see the portions that I have ever so helpfully highlighted. You're gonna want to click the little pen icon on the far right. When you do it should look like this.

You're gonna want to type exactly what I've typed into that box, and then you're gonna want to hit that Add button. When you do it will appear at the bottom of your filtered tags list like this.

Congradulations. You don't have to look at another post that's mean to Izzy. I know I sometimes tag posts that are not that mean to Izzy as izzy critical because I know you guys will hate it and I want to spare you, so please. It's for your own good. and it takes about 20 seconds.

Finally, turning off anons. I've seen a lot of you complain about anon death threats. I get those too. I just delete them when they come in my ask box because I don't actually take them that seriously but if they're bothering you there is a way to get rid of them for good, and you are already half way there if you're in the settings menu blocking the Izzy critical tag.

On the side of the settings menu theres a little list of all your blogs. You're gonna want to select the one you don't want to get anons in. You have to do it separately for each blog but it's pretty easy.

It's gonna take you to a page where you can edit your blog. You want to scroll down until you see this

And then you just want to smack that second button. You can even smack the first if you don't want to receive questions at all, but if the anons are your problem I'd recommend the second one

Anyway, hope this helps, because literally everyone I know does some or all of these things in order to mitigate online harassment and curate our online experience. Obviously if someone really wants to harass you they're going to. Some of my mutuals with anon turned off have had people make burner accounts to message them. But the great thing about that is, you can just block the burner.

OH! I nearly forgot! There's one more thing you can do. Say you don't want to turn off anon, but you keep getting one really annoying bitch in your inbox and you suspect its the same person twice because of the affect or whatever. Guess what. If you click the three dots next to the message you can block them too!!! I've sent two nasty anons to the shadow realm this way. I would have sent more but unfortunately you cant delete the message after you do this so it leaves a number in your inbox even if it's not there anymore. I prefer to just delete them unless someone is spamming me.

Also if you don't like my tone in this post I'm giving you permission to use the information contained within this post to hit that block button babey. See you never. I'd love to be your first block. I'll pop your block cherry for you baby. It'll be so satisfying.

[atlascooks]

Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti aglio e olio is a very simple pasta dish. To accommodate my health I have taken and adjusted the recipe.

Ingredients 1-2 cups of red lentil pasta (or another protein heavy GF pasta) 1-2 tablespoons of chopped garlic (I usually use jarred which isn't as strong as fresh so I use more of it) salt pepper parsley oregano crushed red peppers lemon juice olive oil

Instructions 1. Put a pot on to boil (I always start on high heat). Once boiling, add salt then stir in your red lentil pasta (I lower to medium heat so it doesn't over boil).

2. While the pasta is cooking, put on a pan with olive oil and the chopped garlic. This should work at medium or medium low heat depending on your burner.

3. Once the garlic is turning golden, remove from heat and add the crushed red peppers (optional for heat), salt, and pepper to preference.

4. Taste the pasta. When it is your ideal texture, cut the heat and strain it. Once strained, put the pasta in the pan with the oil and garlic and return it to low heat. (I do not strain it but use a cooking spoon with holes to place the pasta in the pan with the oil. This is one less dish to wash)

5. Sprinkle the oregano, parsley, and lemon juice to preference onto the pasta. Mix then serve hot.

Notes below the break line.

Authenticity has been pretty much torn apart by smarter people by now for its classism, racism, and general nonsense. Authenticity also only works as a social construct if you live in a metropolitan area and are able bodied (at least in the US). So now I will defend my deviations from the traditional recipe:

I use lentil pasta because I need protein with every meal or I burn out. Even non gluten carbs can be a trigger if I eat too much so the lentil pasta balances me out. You can also make the dish with any GF pasta and some chicken or steak. If you need a veggie, I suggest tossing some spinach into the pasta water right before you strain it. I have found Barilla has the best, most accessible red lentil AND gluten free pasta. I don't use cheese because pre-grated cheese in stores has a clumping agent in it and grating my own cheese is very taxing. If you can grate your cheese, I recommend looking up how best to integrate cheese into the dish. You can probably forgo the lemon juice and oregano if you can figure out the cheese. I use parsley and oregano because it is good. Remember that authenticity isn't real, let alone the goal when cooking at home. The goal is that it is something you can make and it taste good. That's all. I like oregano and parsley. If you like them, use them. You can also skip them if you don't like them. The same can be said for the lemon juice. You can also not use the red pepper if you don't like heat.

This is just the way I prepare it because it works for me and my situation. I hope other people with POTS or other chronic conditions get something out of this. Thank you for reading!

[rayneydayss]

^^my go to when i need greens and fiber is roasting a pan of broccoli drizzled in olive oil and whichever spices i want that day in the oven or air fryer on 450 for 15ish minutes, the tops come out crispy and I usually like them dark like nearly burnt

also!!! one really great way i’ve been introducing vegg into my daily is making an omelette type breakfast, my partner and I call it an eggdilla

basically it’s a large scrambled egg patty w veg in it, used like a tortilla in a quesadilla, covered w cheese and folded in half

i usually dice red and green peppers (and hot peppers if i have them), white onion, and fresh baby spinach, as well as fresh garlic if I feel like it

I chop the spinach so finely it’s barely noticeable other than the green tinges in the eggs—a trick I do is I gather a bunch of similarly shaped leaves into a stack, cut off the stems, then roll the leaves together using the longer side of the leaf to roll up from. Once they’re in a tight round bundle it is easy to thinly slice all the leaves at once, cutting along the shorter side. Then once they’re all sliced one way I slice them the other way a few times to make small pieces. This is also just a really satisfying process to watch cause the spinach strands begins to unfurl as you’re cutting it lol

Throw onions and peppers in the pan first (good smallish-medium nonstick pans are the best) with butter or oil, dealers choice, and any seasonings you like (Huge fan of Tony’s Creole ‘More’ Seasoning if you like a lil kick, and red pepper flakes are always a fav). Cook on low-med heat stirring occasionally until the onions start getting lightly browned, then add spinach and stir, turn the heat down to just above low and let the spinach cook down a bit. Once the spinach has shrunk turn the burner off.

You can leave the pan and let the veg cook a lil more while you prepare the eggs. I crack 2-3 (large breakfast for me) in a bowl and add a splash of cold water, which will make the eggs fluffier and allow them to spread out nicely. I usually mix some spices into my eggs too, but not salt, not until the eggs are cooked. Usually black pepper and some other stuff. Whisk the eggs really well with a fork, you should see air bubbles and all the yolks and whites mixed.

Then, pour the eggs into the pan of veggies, using a rubber spatula to skim all the egg off the inside of the bowl, then to mix the eggs and veg into as even of a consistency as you can get. Turn the heat to just above low. If u like spicy I like to swirl in sriracha at this stage and mix it thoroughly as well

And now you wait. I have always found it stays intact the best if I leave it the fuck alone for at least 4-5 minutes. Then I use the spatula to slowly and gently separate the lip of the egg from the pan surface, only doing the edge at first, all the way around. If you start pulling pieces leave it alone for another few minutes. You should be able to tell when the egg is firm enough when you start trying to lift it, and when you feel confident you can push the spatula a lil deeper and try to lift it enough to see the color of the bottom of the egg tortilla. A golden brown is a good color, you can go lighter if you prefer but it probably won’t stay together as well.

Once you’ve confirmed the bottom looks good, now is the fun and tricky part. Using the rubber spatula and a large (not metal) flat spatula, you will attempt to flip the egg. Usually I wedge the smaller spatula under the middle of the patty and use it to guide the larger spatula under one half (or more) of the patty, then move the smaller one to a position that will loft as much of the rest of the egg as possible. You have to flip it quickly, the more time you fiddle w it not in the pan the fuckier it’s gonna get, so just go for it and if it works, awesome, if not you probably got most of it where it should be, with the less cooked side on the bottom—you can finagle any pieces that went astray or got folded and reconstruct them into a circle, the cheese melting will connect everything

So, yeah, next is cheese. Whatever kind of shredded or sliced cheese your heart desires, I like pepper jack or sharp cheddar. I will never tell you how much cheese to use. Measure with your heart and your lactose intolerance (or dont bc i ignore mine always) and spread it over all or half of the cooked top of the egg. By the time the cheese melts you can check on the bottom of the egg to see what the color’s like; this side doesnt have to cook mearly as long cause all the middle egg was cooked through already. Depending on your preference, when the time is right use the spatula to fold half over the other. Sometimes I like to add avocado slices w some salt and pepper on top.

Ways to cut I’ve found the best: in squares to be eaten w a fork, or, if you like bread w your eggs, I like to have mine on toast, and if you cut the eggdilla in half and each half again to make triangles, two triangles fit on each slice of toast rather easily for the most part

It’s not the most easy recipe but it is yummy, tested by ur local autistic chronic pain stoner

i mean this in the gentlest way possible: you need to eat vegetables. you need to become comfortable with doing so. i do not care if you are a picky eater because of autism (hi, i used to be this person!), you need to find at least some vegetables you can eat. find a different way to prepare them. chances are you would like a vegetable you hate if you prepared it in a stew or roasted it with seasoning or included it as an ingredient in a recipe. just. please start eating better. potatoes and corn are not sufficient vegetables for a healthy diet.

[bestfatburnersupplements]

Best Fat Burners Supplements - Did It Work? I Share My Results

Weight loss comes as a great best fat burners supplements challenge to everyone. With so many temptations and bad choices around us, and so little time to do what is right for us, it is no wonder that so many find weight loss so difficult. After reading this article it will not be as difficult anymore.

In order to lose weight, stay away from fast food. Fast food often contains large amount of complex carbohydrates that have a much higher chance of turning into fat, rather than energy. Also the fat content, sodium content, and sugar content in a lot of fast food type meals can be incredibly high. If you are in a rush and need to eat, look for any grilled items and stay away from obviously bad items.

A great way to lose weight is to avoid eating late at night, before going to bed. Most people don't realize that eating late at night is bad for you and that you're more likely to store all of that food as fat. It's best to eat a light dinner, instead.

A good way to lose weight is to incorporate healthy fats into your diet. A lot of people are scared of the word fat, but what most people don't know is that there are good fats that are crucial to our health. An example of a good fat source is salmon.

Water is the drink that is most conducive to weight loss. Juice, tea, soda and coffee are high in calories. Water is inexpensive, calorie-free, and contributes to a feeling of satiation.

When trying to lose weight, incorporate low-fat or non-fat yogurt into your diet. This is extremely beneficial because of the fat burning capabilities that yogurt possesses. The cultures found in yogurt not only help burn fat, but provide other excellent effects such as aiding in digestion, and boosting the immune system.

A great tip that can help you lose weight is to be aware of all of the myths out there regarding diet and weight loss. Starving yourself, for example, is one of the worst things you can do to your body. The weight loss is only temporary and you can become seriously sick.

A great tip that may help you lose weight is to purchase some new workout outfits. Once you know you've forked out the money for workout outfits, you'll be more inclined to follow through with your weight loss goals because you don't want all that money you spent to be wasted.

Another tip to help you lose weight is to eat a high-water fruit such as an apple, peach, or grapefruit right before dinner. The fiber, water, and overall bulk of the apple will displace some of the room in your stomach that would otherwise have been available for food.

Fidgeting during the day at work or school has proven to help increase the amount of weight that you lose. Moving your arm or leg back and forth can add up to calories shed over time. Implement this at work or school to shed a few extra pounds each week.

Believe it or not, many restaurants do not list all available food preparation options on the printed menu. Most of the time, chefs and cooks are willing to oblige reasonable requests from diners who prefer to have their food pan-seared or broiled rather than fried, or cooked using healthier alternatives like sunflower or olive oils instead of lard or other animal fats.

If you buy a daily lunch while you are at work you can burn some calories by walking a few blocks to go and get it instead of opting for delivery. Even if your job has a cafeteria inside the building, you should still go out to get the exercise.

Drink some water before you consume your food. Drinking water actually makes you feel less famished, thereby, cutting down the amount of food you will eat. If you are at a party, grab a drink that's low-calorie. You can keep sipping your drink and be less tempted to eat around the food table and drink cocktails.

Don't worry about your Body Mass Index when you're losing weight. Better measures of how well you're doing are your health, how you're feeling and the loss of inches, rather than pounds. Even weighing yourself can be deceptive, since an increase of muscle will also increase your weight, which can lead you to believe that you're not losing fat.

Keep track of your weight loss progress, but don't necessarily obsess about the numbers on the scale. Keeping track of the progress you makes helps you to feel better and more motivated; but sometimes going by what the scale alone tells us leads us to nothing but disappointment. This is because often, if you are losing weight with exercise, you build muscle that can add to weight even as you get thinner. Instead, think about the differences in how your clothes fit and your mood.

You can lose weight through exercise by engaging in relaxing but physical activity, such as Tai Chi and yoga. Research has shown that women who practiced Tai Chi regularly reported less stress and more energy. This energy can allow you to engage in more activities throughout the day, benefiting your weight loss goals. Also, through its focus and control, Tai Chi helps you to build lean muscles and balance.

One of the things that you can do if you want to lose weight is to avoid being hungry. Make sure that you eat regular meals and snacks. A good way to battle hunger is by eating food that is rich in protein. Studies show that protein helps you feel full longer and therefore it will be less likely for you to overeat.

The task of weight loss is teeming with difficulties and hardships. Simply put, it is an extreme challenge. You cannot expect to win without the right advice and guidance to just be successful at weight loss. You can however, gird yourself with good guidance and then reasonably stand a chance to lose weight.

For Reference

PhenQ

Lanta Flat Belly Shake

Ikaria Lean Belly Juice

Alpilean

LivPure Weight Loss Reviews

[bestovenkitchen]

Does Oven Use Gas

Cooking with an oven can be a great way to prepare meals for family and friends. But have you ever stopped to wonder if your oven uses gas or not? It’s important to know the answer, as it affects how you use and maintain your appliance. In this article, we take a look at whether ovens typically run on gas or electricity. We also examine what homeowners should do in order to determine their own oven's power source. So let’s get started and find out the answer to the question: does an oven use gas?

Types Of Ovens

I'm sure you've heard of the different types of ovens available, but do you know what type of oven uses gas? The answer is not all ovens use gas. In fact, some of the most popular ovens today don't require it at all.

Induction cooking relies on an electromagnetic field to heat food directly in a pan instead of using gas or other direct heat sources. This makes induction cooking incredibly safe and efficient as there's almost no risk for fires or burns if anything were to spill over onto the cooktop. Plus, since there's less energy loss, your meals will cook faster compared to traditional methods like those used with gas stoves. Convection heating is another way to prepare delicious meals without having to worry about gas or any other direct heat source. A fan is used to circulate hot air around the interior chamber so that food can be cooked evenly while retaining moisture. This method also helps reduce overall cooking times when compared with conventional ovens which rely solely on radiant heat from a small number of heating elements. So whether you're looking for something quick and easy or just want to save money by avoiding expensive fuel costs, these two options provide plenty of possibilities for creating tasty dishes without relying on harmful gases.

 Gas Ovens

I love using gas ovens in my kitchen. They are easy to use and provide a great way to cook delicious meals. Gas ovens heat up quickly and offer precise temperature control, making them perfect for cooking times that require certain temperatures.

Plus, you can adjust the flame while cooking so your meal is cooked to perfection every time! Gas ovens also come with useful features like a broiler for searing meats or melting cheese on top of dishes. I find it especially helpful when roasting vegetables since you can raise the temperature without overcooking them. You can even add wood chips onto the burner below if you want an extra smoky flavor! Overall, gas ovens are incredibly convenient and efficient appliances that make cooking fun and enjoyable. With its quick heating capabilities, precisely controlled temperatures, and numerous features, it's no wonder why more people turn to gas ovens when they need something reliable in their home kitchens.

Electric Ovens

Moving on from gas ovens, electric ovens are another popular way to cook. These ovens come in various sizes and feature a range of different cooking methods that can be used to create delicious meals. They often have multiple shelves or racks inside the appliance, allowing for simultaneous cooking of several dishes at once. In addition, electric ovens usually offer more precise temperature control than their gas counterparts and some models even include built-in self-cleaning options for added convenience. Electric ovens also tend to provide a wider variety of features than gas ovens such as convection cooking capabilities which help ensure uniform heating throughout the interior space. Some models may even come with special pre-programmed settings that allow you to quickly select your desired temperatures and cooking times without having to manually adjust any controls. Additionally, many modern electric ovens now offer advanced safety features like automatic shutoff when the door is opened or left open too long so you don’t have to worry about burning yourself or wasting energy while using them. Overall, electric ovens are a great choice if you prefer precision cooking methods and want access to additional features not available in gas models. Plus they typically require less maintenance compared to other types of appliances since most parts can be easily accessed for cleaning and replacement if needed. So whether you're looking for an easier way to bake cakes or simply want an efficient and reliable way to prepare dinner each night, electric ovens could very well be the perfect fit for your kitchen needs.

Determining Your Oven's Power Source

I'm trying to figure out what type of fuel my oven uses, so I'm looking into identifying the fuel source and checking for gas connections. I'm not sure if it's a gas oven or electric, so I'm checking the back of the oven for any gas lines or connections. I'm also checking the user manual to see if it specifies what type of fuel source it uses. I'm hoping this will help me determine if my oven is gas or electric! Identifying The Fuel Source Hey there! Are you trying to figure out if your oven uses gas or electricity? You've come to the right place. I'm going to help you determine what fuel source is powering your oven so that you can be sure when it comes time for cooking and adjusting the temperature. First, check behind your oven - take a look at the back of it where the cords may be connected. If your oven is powered by electricity, then you should see an electric cord plugged into either the wall socket or a power strip. On the other hand, if it's fueled by gas, then you'll typically find a flexible metal pipe connecting from the rear of the oven to a gas line in the wall or floor. In addition, many modern ovens have digital control panels which will list both their cooking temperature range as well as whether they use gas or electric heating elements. So if all else fails, just refer to this information and you should have no further questions regarding what type of energy is fueling your oven. Checking For Gas Connections Now that you know how to check for an electrical connection, it's time to move on and look at gas connections. If you suspect your oven is powered by natural gas or propane, then the first thing to do is make sure it has proper ventilation in order to meet safety requirements.

You should also confirm that all fuel lines are properly connected before attempting any cooking. To be extra safe, consider calling a professional technician if you're unsure as they can perform regular checks for fuel leaks or other potential hazards. Finally, always remember to double-check the manufacturer’s instructions regarding what type of fuel your oven requires.

Safety Considerations

I'm sure many of us have heard horror stories about gas ovens, so it's important to consider the safety requirements when deciding whether or not one is right for you. Ventilation is key; you should ensure that your kitchen has adequate ventilation to prevent a buildup of dangerous gases and fumes from occurring. Installation costs can vary depending on the type of oven you choose, but in general they will be more expensive than electric ones due to the necessary fittings and extra care taken during installation. With all this in mind, gas ovens are still popular options for home cooks who want reliable heat control and even cooking temperatures. It’s up to each individual homeowner to decide if these benefits outweigh any potential risks involved with using them.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Much Does A Gas Oven Typically Cost? The cost of a gas oven can vary depending on the model and features you choose, so it's important to do your research. Generally speaking, a basic gas oven may run between $400-$800 plus installation costs. If you're looking for something with more bells and whistles, be prepared to pay up to several thousand dollars. And don't forget that not only will you have an initial purchase price, but ongoing running costs as well! What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Gas Ovens Compared To Electric Ovens? When it comes to comparing gas and electric ovens, there are a few advantages and disadvantages worth considering. Generally speaking, gas ovens tend to cook food more quickly than electric ovens due to their higher temperatures. However, this could mean that you have less control over how your food cooks since the heat can't be easily adjusted. Additionally, depending on the size of each model, one may offer more cooking space than the other. Lastly, when it comes to price comparisons between both models, a gas oven is typically more expensive than an electric option. All in all, choosing between a gas or electric oven depends on personal preference as well as budget constraints. Are Gas Ovens More Energy Efficient Than Electric Ovens? Gas ovens are often seen as more energy efficient than electric ovens, but it really depends on the fuel source used. If you have access to natural gas sources your oven could be cheaper and better for the environment in comparison to an electric one. However if you're using propane or another type of liquified petroleum gas then the efficiency drops significantly and can actually increase environmental impact compared to electricity use. Ultimately, when choosing between a gas vs electric oven, considering your available fuel sources is key! How Do I Know If My Oven Is A Gas Or Electric Model? Figuring out if your oven is a gas or electric model can be tricky, but it doesn't have to be. To start off, you should look at the type and fuel source of your oven. If it's an induction range then it's most likely electric. If not, chances are you'll need to take a peek inside and see what kind of igniter is used - this will usually tell you whether you've got a gas or electric oven. You could also check the back panel for any labels that indicate which type of fuel source your oven uses. Once you're sure about how your oven works, you can use that info when deciding on future upgrades or repairs! What Safety Precautions Should I Take When Using A Gas Oven? When using a gas oven, it's important to keep safety in mind. Make sure you have the proper ventilation requirements and that your oven has been properly installed by a licensed technician. When cooking with a gas stove top, always turn off the burner knob before turning off the igniter switch. Be sure not to leave any clothing or other combustible items near your burners when they are on. Lastly, never use an open flame near a gas appliance as this could lead to an explosion!

 Conclusion

In conclusion, gas ovens are a great choice for many homeowners. They usually cost less than electric ovens and can be more energy efficient depending on the model. However, it is important to remember that safety precautions should always be taken when using any form of appliance powered by natural gas. Overall, if you're looking for an affordable and reliable way to cook your meals, then a gas oven might be right for you. Using a gas oven isn't complicated; with just a few simple steps I'm sure anyone can get up and running in no time. From researching the different models available to taking all necessary safety measures while in use, this type of cooking appliance offers both convenience and affordability. With careful consideration and research into what works best for your lifestyle, there's no reason why you shouldn't consider adding a gas oven to your kitchen! Read the full article

[incitomniaveritas]

The flickering form of the man flips open a book he had taken from the library he had just left. On Earth, it is hardy, and he feels pleased to have something so well used in his hands as he hears a door click open and fleeting sensors notice electrical use before him. On Earth, he can see through holographic eyes, and although he was preferring to read while walking through the ruins, he sees the give of unnatural colors. He stares at her for a little bit. #F9F9F9 rounded whites, #AFE7FC rounded blues, #F0B0FE round pinks. 

A human on the moon, just like his assumptions. But something else was also a foot. Flowing robes, lack of equipment to breathe, and a general lack of the universe's natural physics. Sound in space, or at least something passed via some telepathy or echolocation for the sensation of sound, and the cadence in her steps shows power he cannot mimic.

He casts a look down at his book again as he continues to step forward to match, until he stops with a sizable distance between them. For his own hologram's safety as her words pass through his beacon and translates accordingly. She does not wish him here, and her shock lasts mere seconds before waving him off. Shooing him away, even. He'll keep his dissatisfaction to a tightening jaw under the plaster head for now. 

“I'm afraid I'll be pushing my welcome upon you a while longer.” His cadence is curt, but he keeps his tone light. It'd be unfortunate to be banished so soon. “I've come from beyond the stars, if you will, and through spatiotemporal gaps—not just through spacetime itself—to look through the eyes of humanity. I've been meaning to request an audience, yet…”

He slowly inclines his head around the moon, as if he needed to scan the horizon for something. “I could not find one Kiana Kaslana anywhere, save for public records and passing news sources. Moreover, I could not get an audience at Saint Freya during this time of year.” 

Though he was loath to admit, he could have tried harder via that avenue. But he much preferred hands-on work rather than relying on bureaucracy, especially as it grew clear he was on the back burner for more pressing matters. He's rather likely to only apply again to them should this fall flat and his device in the ground be shattered. 

He's now more animated vocally, prodding but no less intrigued. “For you see, I am interested in the distribution of knowledge and the creativity of all humans. But I've found myself locked out of knowledge time and time again looking up about this Honkai and the information pertaining to your human civilization—”

The wonder of space never truly gets old, and especially not space from the perspective of another universe and from the far right of the galaxy it sits in. The great polymaths—physicists, to be precise, who pioneered a stage to entertain on—noted that they all converged on agreement for one consensus. The harmonium in the universe to have its own precise physical constants is far too convenient to be anything except inestimable. The variables of each potential match of weight for protons lead to cellular death; one proton is too heavy and it decays, leading to many multifaceted potentials of universal failure. Impacting stability of the nucleus, changing properties all together, potentially altering the chemical properties, breaking the binding effect—

He continues his train of thought out loud next. “—and all of it leads back to the essence of humanity. And what is a human in the ever-expanding and evolving universe? What say their Herrscher, Miss Kaslana?” 

@voidrifter

Every Tree That Reaches The Sky, Starts as a Shoot

kiana kaslana & veritas ratio thread 一 " This Is Humanity "

[layzeal]

What would Wei Wuxian canonically wear at each point of his life: A Self-Indulgent Analysis

The novel isn’t very descriptive at all when it comes to WWX’s outfits. All we know is that he began wearing black after he crawled out from the Burial Mounds and didn’t stop since, but even his black outfits can tell a story so!! Let’s see what we’ve got (fun fact: not even the red ribbon is mentioned! only as an easter egg that showed up in the incense burner extras two years later!! buuut i’ll be considering it canon here because it’s fitting and also who cares)

This is analyzing how each adaptation dolls him up with and which one had the best idea according to me, based on fully unbiased points such as “i like it” or “i think it’s neat”, or even “this doesn’t make any sense why is this here?”

i’m really just here to show my thought process of why i like each of these outfits for these events and have no intention of “convincing” anyone of anything, so if you’re wondering “Hey op do you take constructive criticis--” no i do not, let’s go

WARNING..... LONG, VERY LONG POST

Edit 1: Change of preferred design for Ressurection Edit 2: Correction about Qiongqi Path outfit Edit 3: added special mention from new audio drama episode!

1. CR Study Era / Yunmeng Da-Shixiong 

Winner: MDZS Audio Drama (SpoonKid’ & Tai’s art)’s Gusu white guest disciple robes and/or YMJ purple disciple robes

Special Mention: CQL

Sorry guys but there is only one correct answer here, and that is: PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE PURPLE!!! he is the YMJ DA-SHIXIONG, there is just NO WAY he would wear literally any other color!!! “Oh but Madam Yu had him wear different colors because he’s not part of the family” THAT DOESNT EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE, HE’S STILL A DISCIPLE!!! AND A VERY IMPORTANT ONE AT THAT. It’s purple. that boy wears purple and continues to wear purple all the way until Lotus Pier falls

If i’m feeling extra self-indulgent i’ll have him wear white during his CR study era because i can’t see the Lans enjoying a bunch of different colored uniforms in their highly aesthetic home and also WWX in Lan white is incredibly seratonin-inducing, like what’s next?? Gonna get married to a lan and wear it everyday??? heh. but yeah in my heart they all wear white, and if not, WWX has to wear purple, none of that red-and-black thing most of the fandom sticks to

CQL Special Mention

 i LOVE the choice they went with for the white disciple robes!! unlike the AD which has LWJ wear the same type robes of the guest disciples, CQL was very throughout in giving the disciples different styles of robes WITH COLOR ACCENTS!!! TO IDENTIFY MEMBERS OF EACH SECT WITHOUT BREAKING THE AESTHETIC. 10/10 big brain idea, love it!!

HOWEVER i cannot give CQL the cake because.... WWX does not wear purple or any outfit that identifies him as a YMJ disciple, WHICH DRIVES ME INSANE. i know that WWX occupies an awkward place in the sect where he is more than a disciple but less than family, but having his clothes always be too different to fit one or another just... idk, it takes me out of the story everytime. AND THAT RED..... LOOK, WE’RE GONNA GET THERE, BUT IT IS!! NOT!!! TIME!! FOR HIM TO BE WEARING RED!!!! a big flaw here is that already he has too much of the aesthetic he wears as YLLZ, so when he actually transforms it’s just kinda???? okay??? what changed???? not a fan, should have gone with either a lighter blue or more of a purple tone, and REMOVE that red from the skirt, her time will come, just not now!

EXTRA SPECIAL MENTION: Baoshan Karo’s illustrations for the CR era. god i’m SO HAPPY that WWX in Lan guest disciple robes are officially a thing in some editions of the novel now (1) (2)

2. Qishan Discussion Conference

Winner: MDZS Manhua’s red ceremonial uniform

Special Mention(?): Novel cover by Qianerbai

This one was eaaaasy because it’s one of the few occasions where we’re told what Wei Wuxian is wearing, which is the “red, round-collared robe with narrow sleeves, tied with a belt of nine rings—the juniors’ ceremonial uniform during the Qishan Wen Clan’s Discussion Conference” (fanyiyi translation).

CQL doesn’t cover this arc so it’s out. The Donghua still keeps them in those initial designs, the Audio Drama’s only art of this moment "First Meeting with Wen Ning" has him in YMJ purple (which i would be happy with in any other occasion), so all we’re left with is the manhua!! my second favorite adaptation wahoo!!

the artist maotuanxjj made us all a favor in making WWX look extra handsome in his red uniform which follows the novel’s description to a T, so well done!! amazing!!! 10/10!!!! (can i just mention how i love this style of bangs for OG wwx? i wish the manhua had kept it that way ahhhh)

Qianerbai Special Mention

So i wanted to put this here because YES we do get to see him in the red junior uniform, but......... this is the novel’s 3rd volume, and i’m quite sure it’s meant to represent the Phoenix Mountain hunt, which they were NOT wearing red for, so??????????? anyway the uniform is still perfect though, just not on the right moment of the story

3. Wen Indocrination Arc

Winner: MDZS Audio Drama (SpoonKid)’s purple YMJ disciple robes

quick and simple: the answer is the same as the Yunmeng Da-Shixiong, purple!! which once again, SpoonKid is the only one who has represented as such in an official art, so here it is two more of them, as a treat.

4. Yiling Laozu

okay you guys will have to be very patient with me now, because what the fandom mostly refers to YLLZ is actually 3 different stages of his life (+1 bonus) which directly affect whatever he is wearing, and the only thing in common they have is that WWX will be wearing black (OR NOT?)

i went back and forth with how to present this one, and in the end i decided i won’t be announcing a “winner”, because most adaptations only have one look for him in this stage (a great look let’s be real), but it’s not particularly realistic or even canon-compliant for it to be so, so i’ll be looking at adaptations that do change his look during his era and see which are more fitting for each moment

4.a) The Return

Favorite outfit: Donghua, Manhua & Audio Drama’s black/red large robes with wide sleeves

no competition here AT ALL, this outfit SLAPS!! if i have one (1) complaint it’d be the donghua’s fire motif on the sleeves, it just doesn’t make sense for him to wear something so similar to QishanWen’s uniform, but other than that the aesthetic is on point!

the large robes make WWX look bigger, more intimidating and mature. THIS is the look of a man who spent 3 months in hell, eating corpses and fighting the resentment just to crawl out half a ghost half a human. the silhouette is so different from what he had before, it really feels striking!!

about the colors: THIS is the one point in the novel where we know he starts wearing black and red on a daily basis! and it is no coincidence his color palette is the exact same as the ghost flute Chenqing, they’re one in the same, carved into a different shape the Burial Mounds, made for the purpose of leading the dead.

Red is a very strong and lively color, but it’s also a color of extremes. it can mean the most positive and the most negative things, and for Wei Wuxian, what will be very telling about his fate and mental state is how much of it is present in his outfits. He’s always had a red ribbon on his hair, the strong, bright and passionate boy that he was, but things have changed,  wei wuxian is back, but he came back wrong. Pay attention to the red from now on 🔴

for many people, the outfit above is not only his “i’m back baby” outfit, but also the one that defines him for the rest of the following events, and that’s perfectly fine! it is one HELL of a good design! buuuut since i’d never make things easy for myself, let’s look at some other ones

4.b) Sunshot Campaign

Favorite outfit: CQL’s black robes and red inner robes with narrow sleeves and shoulder padding

Special Mention: Zelda CW (i know she’s not an offcial MDZS artist but i NEED her art to explain my point here)

NOW is the time for the red skirt to appear!! man can you imagine if they hadn’t shown him in black and red before and then boom! he shows up in this color palette? it’d have been soo good. ANYWAYS, notice the colors!! Red inner robes, black outer robes, fancy shoulder padding, a red skirt that feels quite striking. Remember what i said about WWX and Chenqing matching and being one in the same? in this stage of his life, such resemblance is even more important, you CANNOT separate WWX from the Ghost Path at this point.

RE: The design, this is a wei wuxian who has now returned to the cultivation world. He took a nice bath, had some soup, took off those clothes that he probably stole from corpses, took his YMJ money and got himself a uniform to kick some QishanWen butts! i like this one for the Sunshot Campaign much more than his poncho look from earlier because i just find it a loooot more fitting for a soldier, ESPECIALLY ZeldaCW’s interpretation over there with the shoulder padding and sleeves that almost look like a cape (and the small YMJ lotus symbols around)

The silhouette isn’t as intimidating as before, but it doesn’t have to be, he’s no longer a resentful ghost haunting the dreams of Wen soldiers. He’s a commander, carrying a military tally of his own, with the favor that the right hand man of Sect Leader Jiang ought to have. He’s become a respected and feared war hero, but that people still look down upon due to his cultivation and refusal to carry a sword. That made him have to carry himself in a proud and arrogant way which years later even WWX himself will recognize as obnoxious. ALL I’M SAYING IS, i find this clean silhouette and design much more fitting for this stage of his life than the loose and ruffled look he had previously, ya feel me? More military-feeling, less angsty ghost man.

(also this is my fav look for YilingWei Sect AUs but that’s neither here nor there)

4.c) Burial Mound Settlement

Favorite outfit: CQL’s grey+black, coarse overalls with red sleeves and belt

(farm boy wwx is SUCH a treat for us, thank u xiao zhan)

LOOOOOVE THIS LOOK SO MUCH!! One major irony in MDZS is how WWX is named the “Yiling Laozu” and is at his most feared in THIS stage, when he is actually in his most harmless form. CQL in general really nailed the vibes of the Burial Mound Settlement as a farming community, we see people in coarse clothing doing all sorts of manual work, there is really no difference from them and any other farmers, no identification at all that these people are Wens other than their surname. And people think he’s forming his own sect, pfff

at this point WWX is really only worried about 1. keeping the barrier of the BM safe 2. keeping everyone fed 3. locking himself in his cave and working on his inventions . As much as he IS still doing plenty of use of demonic cultivation, it doesn’t come close to how he was using it back during Sunshot, leading entire armies of corpses everyday with nothing but resentment. Here, the Ghost Path is still part of him, but it doesn’t define him anymore, he’s much closer to a poor scholar than anything else, and his clothing reflects that!

anyway, coarse materials, slim silhouette, presence of red but much less saturated, looking very soft and cozy, 10/10

Special Mention!!

Spoonkid’s YLLZ!WWX from the new incense burner Audio Drama extra! Notice how the YLLZ is also wearing comfy clothes instead of the usual robes she’s drawn him in for mid-sunshot campaign! We know that the incense burner puts wwx’s in his original body, likely the one from shortly before his death, so it makes sense he’d be wearing something more casual like this!

EDIT

BEFORE WE HEAD TO THE NEXT ONE

so something i had COMPLETELY overlooked and it’s 100% my fault is that, for Jin Ling’s 100 day celebration, Wei Wuxian buys and wears a new outfit that is white. YEAH. I never noticed it, and a apparently many people didn’t either? Thanks to my dearest HellingLaozu on twt for pointing it out!

Unfortunately, however, no adaptation gave us this outfit :’( we were robbed!!! interestingly though, by the time WWX gets unfrozen and heads to Nightless City, he is wearing black once again! Maybe WN and WQ changed him? no idea! could have been an overlook on MXTX’s part, could have been implied in some untranslated part, I’ll have to analyze it more in-depth later!

Since we have no visual reference of him wearing white robes on Qiongqi Path, I’ll maintain my pre-edited text below that assumes he buys a new black outfit instead

EDIT: so it’s technically not official art, but Changyang (that one official artist) did draw the one and only art of the YLLZ in white i’ve ever seen, and it’s gorgeous, check it out!!!

4.d) Nightless City

Favorite outfit: CQL’s black robes with bright red at the sides + red inner robes and cuffed sleeves

Special mention: Novel cover by Qianerbai

now this.... this is A Look. do i even HAVE to tell you to look at the colors and the presence of red? gosh, it’s almost popping out of the screen, it’s incredibly telling to what is happening in the story now

the reason i particularly love this look for the Qionqi Path and Nightless City events is that we ARE TOLD that WWX used WQ’s money to buy not only the pretty tassel pendant for Jin Ling’s gift, but also to buy a new outfit for the ceremony! (edit: it was a white outfit. i’m silly. pls honk my clown nose) GUYS, HE DOLLED HIMSELF UP TO MEET HIS NEPHEW, he wanted to make a good impression so bad 😭 goddammit jin guangshan

anyways! the outfit above is very fitting for it! as always all we know is that he was wearing black, and of course WWX wouldn’t want to give up his YLLZ vibes, he still needs people to fear him if he wants to keep the Wens safe, but the outfit is very nice and clean. You can see it’s nothing too fancy though, nothing too elaborate esp compared to what he used to wear before, but it’s good enough to meet with the Jiangs again! it’s not like the Jins would like him even if he came dressed as an emperor. (edit: this paragraph doesnt rly apply anymore but i still like it, so it stays)

so during the day it’s just that: nice, clean, still striking but not too intimidating. During the NIGHT though??? ohhhh that red starts POPPING so hard it’s almost all you can see, him and Chenqing are once again matching perfectly, and after losing his two closest friends and hearing of how these “righteous people” are vowing to invade their settlement even though they’ve promised not to hurt anyone else if the wen sibs gave themselves up? well, he’s ready to commit some murders <3

if you asked me “hey lace what would you wear to crash a party and go into a hopeless descent into madness as you lose everyone you’ve ever loved?”, probably a nice lil outfit with some satured red on the sides.

Qianerbai Special Mention

I can’t help but feel like that CQL look look was inspired by th *checks when the 2nd edition of the Pinsin edition was released* [it was July 2019] [i am now VERY confused] ok so i was gonna say CQL took inspo from this novel cover, but i just realized as i type this that this cover was released long after the show finished filming so now i’m??? HM??? COINCIDENCE??

anyway this look that WWX has in the qianerbai novel cover is VERY good too, has all of the pros i mentioned above when it comes to color and “yeah i can visit carp tower and see my nephew in this AND kill a bunch of people 3 days later”. if the CQL look had a red belt i would honestly be even more sold! honestly if it wasnt for the white inner robe, this could have been the winner as well!

5. Ressurection

Winner: MDZS Donghua’s black/red short outer robe and white underrobe

EDIT - NEW WINNER: MDZS Manhua’s black short outer robes w/ red accent and white underrobes

[so yes the text below was for the donghua, but then my dearest @10000111100101100 brought attention to WWX’s ressurection look in the manhua and WOW, somehow i’d forgotten about it!! and it’s even more fitting!! so yeah new winner <3]

GOD I LOVEEEE THIS LOOK FOR MXY!WWX SOOOOO MUCH, i may be a bit of mxy simp we all know that but ugh!! it’s so good!! i forgot the name rn but these short robes coupled with the disheveled hair and trousers is just. idk, it gives him such a youthful look that is especially fitting for the absolute gremlin energy that WWX brings upon ressurection!

the outfit is dark, but it isn’t like what he wore during his YLLZ era. Of course the black and red are still very pronounced, he did just get dragged back from the dead by a demonic ritual he wrote down himself, and has no qualms about commanding corpses, digging graves, and creating talismans as soon as he can walk again. my man is back in business!! though of course, his mentality is different now, he’s fully aware that he’s got nothing rooting him down, no responsabilities, no one to protect, free to do whatever he wants!! and then promptly forgets all about it as soon as few teenagers look like they need help lmao

basically: this wei wuxian is very dependent on guidao, but thanks to his new freedom, it’s not to a level that could endenger him or cause major problems if he lost control. This outfit passes the message well by still having dark colors, though mostly on a grey scale, with red left only for some accents on his lapels/belt/ribbon. he doesn’t look intimidating, or fancy, or scary at all, he’s really just vibing, good for him!

also is that a white inner robe? ohoho... some changes are already beginning to take place

6. Present & Post-Canon

Winner: MDZS Audio Drama’s black outer robes + white inner robes and pants, with a red accent only on the ribbon/chenqing/belt

Special mention: CQL’s post-carp tower black outfit + white inner robe

if this post feels like i’m tooting the horn of the MDZS audio drama it’s because i am. SO!! for those who don’t know, the AD’s design for WWX is quite unique! in all versions he’s always seen wearing a dark robe with loose sleeves on top of a white inner robe. his pants are usually white as well and so is the belt

do you notice the almost complete absence of red? it’s usually left only for his ribbon, and more rarely, his belt, but that’s it!! of course, through most of the present timeline, chenqing is nowhere to be seen. obviously that doesn’t stop wwx from using demonic cultivation, but once again, it is in a far smaller scale than he did back in the day, and usually only low level spells (that on his hands become powerful)

all of that red has beem almost completely replaced by white, and if that makes you think that it’s because he now has lan wangji by his side to protect him, congratulations, you get a kiss on the head and a cookie. the word that comes to mind for me is: soft. this is what this AD outfit makes me feel. Soft. WWX is no longer controlled by his debts and duties, he doesn’t have to solely rely on demonic cultivation to protect himself, LWJ offers him that freedom and protection now, what he’s been craving since his first life, and that’s visible not only in his color palette but in the silhouette as well: his sleeves are long and flowy, but his black robes don’t outright consume him as they did back when he first crawled back from the burial mounds. LWJ’s influence is seen in his new easygoing disposition, that unlike his youthful energy, it’s far more calm. he’s matured and grown into that love and trust and man it feels SO good to see!!

CQL Special Mention

i always really liked this cql outfit, and for quite the same reasons as i’ve mentioned above! the feeling of calmness, trust and safety it gives to WWX is so great it makes.... well, soft! a total lack of red, a black robe over white inner robes (LWJ’s... inner robes), and it’s very fitting for this part of the narrative as well. WWX just woke up from being stabbed at Carp Tower (which in the novel is also when he starts noticing his own feelings for LWJ) and things get quite sweet and domestic. LXC tells us the story of Madam Lan, cql wangxian have that nice little moment in the snow that totally doesn’t end in sex, they see the rabbits together, leave CR, wwx plays wangxian.mp3, they either meet mianmian (cql) or jump into a pile of hay together (novel) and it’s basically just all so so sweet.

the reason i can’t give it the cake though it’s just that it would be better imo if it followed the AD footsteps and gave him loose sleeved instead of narrow, and added a bit more white, just to REALLY show LWJ’s influence in his current mental state, but other than that it’s a very nice looking outfit, with great vibes, very simple but very domestic!! love it!

i ended up putting waaaaay too much thought into all of this lmao, but anyway!! these are the outfits i believe are the most fitting to each stage of WWX’s life, according to the novel’s descriptions and my own personal interpretations. i love how all the adaptations expanded a little bit into it and allowed us to pick and choose our favorite ones. MDZS is one hell of a good book but it really is made even better with the added thought of fan and other cretaive insights

if you made it to the end, congratulations, i honestly didn’t think anyone would read this *gives you another kiss on the forehead and a cookie*

[wordsbymae]

I just can’t help it girl! I’m just like you,a freaky girl with a cop kink!I would prefer the dark navy blue uniforms please!!It’s for sure in the 50s or 60s.I find this absolutely hilarious!!!It never occurred to me that there will be people outside of the US who would have fantasy scenarios taking place in the US the same way a lot of Americans daydream been in countries like Japan or South Korea. also, I decided to combine him into another OC I had, Cody.He was a OC that was put at the back burner due to the lack of characterization.now I have a chance to use him.Later, I’m going to introduce his twin brother, Connor (not identical) and his childhood best friend Stanley. I love the incorporation of the porno mustache. It definitely solidifies his character!!Great thinking!!!Cody and reader naturally became friends from living in the sameneighborhood. They probably met in the second grade arguing about which gender became the first human, but eventually became a “who came first? The chicken or the egg?”.He wouldn’t understand his obsession of wanting to constantly be around her or tease/pick on her. It never occurred to his younger self that he may have a crush on her. it wasn’t until she rejected to be his eighth grade formal date(he asked her out cuz of a prank but it didn’t make it hurt any less) and she dance with another boy that he finally realize,and since then the teasing had turned into more of harassment. always catcalling her when she is on her way home or school from his truck.He became a known delinquent in school. Starting fights with random boys.In 12th grade had beat up Chase Fields at the night of homecoming,who coincidentally was her homecoming date.not only did Chase not dance with her but dance with another girl and proceeded to make out with said girl in the school parking lot.it wasn’t until Cody had found her crying by the main staircase before trying to comfort her in his truck, and taking her home.Was a very strange night for the both of them.She never had to worry about the embarrassment of being left on the dance floor by her date because of news circulating of Cody’s recent suspension.Violence is nothing new to him ever since he was a kid,it’s all he saw.It’s what drove his mother to abandon him and for his grandmother to gain custody of him and his brother.I think would really interest him about being in law enforcement, is the sheer power they have over people. As a kid, he always found his father to be not only the most powerful,but the most intimidating and scariest person he has known.It wasn’t until he saw his father with a bullet in his back after a threatening standoff with a deputy, that young Cody’s perspective has shift.He’s so badly wanted to escape the helpless and defenseless little boy he once was, but a feared and respected man.The order of who got their darling first would be Cody, Stanley and finally Connor.Cody is a tall and fit young man with dirty blonde hair that is always slicked back with not a single strand out of place. he’s a particular man,especially about his appearance, taking in immense pride in his clean look. He is very eugenic. Not going past two days without showering. but ironically enough, the sweat or the grime off reader doesn’t bother him at all. So technically I have three OCs,and when we’re done discussing Cody we’ll go onto Stanley next, but I hope you like this and feel free to add anything(doesn’t have to be related to anything I said)I love hearing what you have to say. You’re able to create tiny details that really make the character shine and solidify. Even just by giving him a mustache had caused me to have a new waves of ideas of him so thank you.the funny thing was I was on TikTok when I heard about somebody getting harassed by a cop who use to bully them in high school and I was thinking”oh no, sounds like a living nightmare”but then I had a lil slutty thought “What if I got fucked by said cop” And BOOM! he was born.If you haven’t already noticed, I have a kink for imbalance power systems ;))))))

PT 2. Sorry!!! It was supposed to be an ask it was late in the night

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That is ok! no need to apologise! Everything is better when you imagine it in a different time period. It adds fun to it! One downside is I spend a while trying to find historically accurate clothes cause I need a full wardrobe change between scenes. I love the background on Cody and please please keep me updated on any other of your OCs! I love them so much and cause I had to put a pause on mine till exams are down I've been missing the whole expansion of my OCS so please let me live vicariously through you! I loved this so much^^^^ you are so talented at bringing characters to life and you put so much thought and effort into them. Thank you so much!!! I've always liked making up stories but never thought myself very good at the whole storytelling bit (especially in person) and not to get too deep but I've been struggling with self-confidence for the last two years (really my whole teenage and young adult life but last two years of been the worst, mainly due to illness), and while I'm nowhere near better or amazing with my self-confidence and self-esteem I have noticed an improvement since I've started writing. it's only little but being able to create something from my own mind and being proud of it enough to show it to the world and being able to say I created that has helped me. I still have a bit to go but the moral of this story is being online friends with you and our chats have really helped me so I just want to say thank you! You've been so kind to me and I wish you all the best!

anyway moving on to some thoughts I've had!!

Ok, so very different course but it's a new oc I've been kinda thinking about, while it'll be a while before I write for him (i want to do more for my current OCS first) I want to put it into writing and see what you think.

Ok so when I was writing my Viking oc (who's done quite well, wasn't expecting that) I had originally wanted to write a barbarian oc. I know it's been done a million times but I really like the idea of it. I really like the idea of the spoils of war sorta thing, it just really scratches an itch in my mind. The whole raiding and pillaging and then being swept away by this dirty, rough man as it you are nothing but a treasure to be stolen, a prize to be claimed. but! I was thinking of doing something a bit different just cause I did that for my Viking man.

I was thinking of the reader (I'm gonna have them be gender neutral for this one) being nobility ( i fucking love it when the reader is nobility, I wanna wear all the fancy clothes), the youngest child of two of an aging and dying king. the kingdom is being ravaged from the west by nomadic barbarians. this isn't new. every now and then word reaches the capital that some poor village of little consequence was destroyed and pillaged by raiders. It's nothing some soldiers along the border can't prevent. but this time it's different. it's like they can smell your father's sickness. they can sense vulnerability. They haven't stopped on the border, instead, they have rushed into your kingdom heading straight for the capital, butchering all in their way. Your older brother is forced to rush to the front lines, ready to try and fight them off. you on the other hand stay behind with your father, helping him through his sickness. but it isn't enough and your father dies asking you where your mother is (buried in the palace chapel).

you send word to your brother, only to receive a reply asking for your presence on the front lines. technically your brother is already king, has been since your father's last breath, but you are assuming you've been asked to the front lines to see his mock coronation until his formal one in a few months' time. upon arriving you see that all is not well. your men are sick and starving, while you hear reports of the barbarian's men being strong and well equipped. when you reach your brother's tent you are shocked to see three barbarian men standing with your brother, who is looking guilty.

thats when you are told that a deal has been made. your hand in marriage for the safety of the kingdom. you wail and beg but your brother has made up his mind, you should be happy he married you to their king, you still will be royalty. you knew you would one day be married off, it was your duty as the second child, but to a savage? you are introduced to your future husband. a giant, thick, beast of a man. he has no manners and picks his teeth with bones. the marriage is held and all seems well for your brother, his kingdom is safe and has made his formidable enemy an ally. or it seemed to be going well until your husband slit his throat and his men slaughtered your brother's guards. you could do nothing but scream as blood tainted your clothes. you were sure you would be next, instead, you are dragged away to consummate your marriage. your brother's blood still dripping from you as your husband plays with your brother's crown in one hand. with your brother dead and your kingdom too weak to resist, your husband is now king by law and you are but his plaything.

hope you liked it!! I do kinda wanna make it female reader or afab at the very least just for future breeding shenanigans but ill see what the reaction is when I write the first bit. feel free to add anything you like even for a female reader!

[teddybasmanov]

A two-part post prompted by the last video.

Part one: what are you doing to me, Joanne?!

Let's establish something real quick: I am not simping for Blake. The guy has literally just walked out of a torture cellar - he has (of I recall quite literally as well) blood on his hands. I don't know what do you have to do to make me sympathize with such a person. (I do know, but it's so specific, that Mr Redacted isn't pulling that one on me any time soon.)

My first thought of course was: so, the simple way of getting them into your cult didn't quite work out so you decided to go the long route? Well, newsflash Machiavelli, it's not working either. "I want to be closer to you." And I want you as far from me as possible and preferably behind bars.

And while this can be very true and he can very well only want the listener for their unknown powers. And while the sentiment stays anyway. That might also not be the case. He might actually just want to be their friend (or something more) and help them (how he sees it) be it with their sleep or their life. (Yes, I also like the idea that he was the one causing them sleeping problems.) The fact that he had just "interrogated" a defenceless unempowered person doesn't mean he's incapable of human emotions and impulses and vice versa - genuinely wanting to reunite with your college friend doesn't make him any less of a bigoted douchebag.

That's what I meant by "demonizing the bigot makes you stop recognizing bigotry in yourself and your close ones" - because a bigot is not necessarily someone who wants to destroy love and friendship. It's someone thinking (afraid even if you will) that their love and friendship are in danger because of d(a)emons, or humanborns (or queer people, or people of colour, or jews etc.)

Part two: I̵̢̙̙̔̔ s̴͙͍̓͌͜͝e̴͓͖͔̓͝e̵͓̞̠͐̚͝ y̸͚͚̙̓͘o̸̞̙̘͐͐͠u̴̪͋͒͜ t̴̢͍̙̐̔̚o̸͔͓͊͊̕o̵̼͕͙̽͝.

We all know I'm a pessimistic paranoic that's just a fact so take this with a grain of salt. After that "slap on the face" video and the recent promise of comebacks for some stories which were put on the back burner for a while made me think...

Did our beloved content creator get tired of writing sweet sappy things (and of us asking for it)? Maybe it was a hard year, I don't know, but the content is getting darker and the pauses between dark content are becoming shorter and shorter.

In the beginning, everything was more or less fine - sure Brachium is in the first dozen of videos and Adam happened but these were single videos (or one and three-fourths videos) and around them was what? Yeah, David and Caelum and early-on Ivan (which is not exactly my cup of tea, but that's not the point). Then on Halloween, we dipped our toes into some truly darker things - Echo, Vega happened, Invisiboi (hi, baby), but what did we get on Halloween itself? Asher and David!

Then The Deal happened and as much as I love complaining about how several miles of rope was made from the nerves pulled from me before The Cost, it wasn't actually that stressful and it ended amazingly. Of course, we had an incredibly daunting Vincent video just before Valentine's day, but it was in between two very very sweet audios. And after that, we had an absolutely wonderful summer with all the BAs and Hot Boi Summer. It wasn't definitely all rainbows and sunshine - even during the summer we had the solstice and James appeared (which is kind of a good thing, but whatever) but there was always something else.

This is when things began to deteriorate. Imperium happened. But it wasn't real right? It was a parallel universe it couldn't harm us? Well, the end of the world still seems very real (I'm still hung up on it yes). (And also it was a whole month non-stop.) We had Afterfluff and Friendsgiving and Hot Boi Winter after that, so that must have fixed the situation. Well, not really, because after a month of hell, we had two months to breathe (more or less, I'm looking at you, the last Avior's video) and boom.

Another one. But this time it's so real - come a bit too close to the screen and you can touch it. And breaks are for losers, by the way, because after the Inversion itself we had two office boyfriends videos and that seems to be it for the foreseeable future because after the goddamn Aftershock the bone isn't even thrown to us on Valentine's day - we're getting bloody Blake. If that's not a sick joke I don't know what is.

And don't get me wrong - I'm not saying the content got worse (if anything, the quality has gone significantly up) or that the author isn't in the right to do whatever he wants with his own creation. I'm just saying that the pacing has changed a lot and I'm not sure my brain can exactly handle it.

[bountyhunter-s-bane]

Thunderstorm

Pairings: Cad Bane x M!Reader

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 1.6k+

Summary: Cad Bane and his apprentice hunter (Reader) wait out a thunderstorm on Ryloth. Neither seem to have much fondness for the weather (content warning for astraphobia)

---------------------------------------------

Your latest hunt brought the pair of you to Ryloth. Not perhaps the wide welcoming landscapes or the friendlier towns (under siege by the Separatist forces), but every planet seemed to have a hidey-hole for the less hospitable kinds of people, such as smugglers and bounty hunters such as yourselves. This one was a bar stuck into the side of a cliff and surrounded by dozens and dozens of ramshackle huts for refugees trapped on the planet, either trying to eke out a living or waiting for the first opportunity to get to somewhere safer.

Cad Bane left his freighter outside the outskirts of this shanty town, and instructed you to stay and keep watch whilst he got to business. As you were left sitting there and waiting, staring at the lack of scenery, you figured you would have preferred to join him at the bar. The air was muggy and heavy and the wrong kind of warm, all alluding to the thick black clouds gathering on the horizon. Where you were now however was bright sunshine, and to keep from melting you took shelter under the wing of the fighter with Todo as company. The droid kept up light conversation, both of you bouncing discussion back and forth regarding your latest job. This one was apparently meant to be person gathering over information gathering, something that Cad tended to interchange depending on the current prices going. Both were often available after all, and both could be equally dangerous and fleeting. But for now, you were waiting on your contact to gain the whole picture for what you and Cad would be collecting.

The clouds were almost overhead before Cad returned from his meeting, about as stormy as the oncoming weather.

“Trouble?” you asked.

“Our information and money source didn’t turn up on time,” he grumbled. “I commed him only to find out he’s not going to be in until tomorrow. Waste of time.” He turned and thumped a hand against the side of the freighter, face wrinkled up further from frustration. You remained calm, albeit disappointed as well. The waiting times between missions were often the dullest times you had to deal with. Being made to wait reeked of a particular kind of person that neither of you enjoyed working for, so long as they paid up at the end.

“So we stay the night, wait for him in the morning,” you said, folding your arms as you lean against the side of the freighter. Cad looked down to you, an expression of grim resignation on his face. Taking a moment to rub at the bridge of his nose, he heaved out a tired sigh.

“That’s right,” he replied. You watched him as he slowly sat down on the ground next to yourself and Todo, digging into his coat for a toothpick to start chewing on. His irritation was rolling off him in waves. If you disliked being made to wait, he hated it. Sure, he could be patient while waiting on a target to come out into the open, but there was a difference between patience and being practically grounded on the planet. As he stared up towards the line of black clouds, he felt a gentle weight lean against his side. You shuffled quietly into more of a comfortable position, thinking perhaps that the motion was subtle, up until he raised an arm away from you and draped it heavily over your shoulders.

“The view’s nice at least,” you commented.

“I can agree to that. ‘Least until that storm hits.”

 -

The storm finally broke a few hours later, the tension in the air about as thick as soup. Cad tasked you with going out and finding a place to get food from, which was much easier said than done when wandering about a ramshackle village. Eventually you were able to find a Twi’lek family serving out some wrapped up meals, a couple portions of which you obtained having bargained several credits and an hour of small-talk. It was difficult to bring in any information into this place, so people were getting what they could however they could. While the family seemed keen to move on, they weren’t going to risk getting a ride out with a bounty hunter and his apprentice, it seemed.

A sheet of rain cascaded down, causing you to flee back to the freighter, shielding several foil-wrapped parcels of hot bread and hunks of dried meat under your coat. There wasn’t exactly a kitchen or a section of the ship where a person would sit and eat, and so normally you and Cad would simply eat meals in the freighter’s cockpit where there were seats. Tonight Cad had set up a small burner for heat and extra light, over which you could hang up your sodden coat. With the majority dampness deposited to dry off, you handed over his portions in silence and plopped down into one of the seats. Raindrops pattered across the front viewport, filling some of the empty space as you both dug into the meal.

“It’s weird. It’s raining but still kind of warm”, you commented.

“That’s Ryloth storms for you. Be grateful for the warmth, it’ll get real chilly at night”, Cad replied.

Lightning flashed in the distance. You counted the passing seconds under your breath and around mouthfuls of food. Eventually the grrmmm of thunder sounded, but not before several other flashes of lightning had struck. The distant sound sent cold shudders down your back.

“Shouldn’t we be worried about the ship?” you asked nervously.

“It’s parked close enough to the cliff. Natural lightning rod. It’ll be fine,” Cad replied, hand-waving your concern. He trusted his own intuition on keeping his possessions safe, and so leaned back in his seat as he watched you sit back as well. 

“…I can’t actually remember the last time I saw a proper thunderstorm.”

“Don’t be sappy, lad. You get used to them, and sure get to hate them with some of the planets we gotta work on.”

“I’m not being sappy. I’m being grateful.” 

The lightning got closer, brighter. The thunder started to sound closer to each flash, becoming more harsh until it wasn’t a grumble and more of a CRACK. Cad blinked slowly, feeling more lethargic with the evening rolling in but still very much perceptive of the room. The lightning kept him on edge - too similar to a blaster flashing blue. He could see each flinch you made, the way you recoiled from the viewport in time with the loud thunder. It wasn’t the usual sort of fear he saw on your face when the pair of you faced a situation that had gotten out of hand, that sort of fear came with excitement and adrenaline. This fear was paired with a cold helplessness. 

“C’mon, get up,” he grumbled, getting to his feet and pulling you up from your seat as well, reaching out for the burner. “It’s getting late. It’s quieter in the bunk room anyway.” 

“It is?” 

“Yeah. Makes it easier to sleep and all.” For all his snark, there was an ulterior intent to Cad nudging you out from the cockpit. Discomfort remained in his gut even after moving you away, even now in the soft quiet where you relaxed. No rumbling thunder in here. True to Cad’s earlier warning, it’d gotten quite a bit colder, even in the cramped interior of the freighter’s bunk room. The burner was set on the holotable and cranked up, but that wasn’t going to keep anyone warm without hugging the little machine, and no-one wanted to burn the engine fuel for a cosy night if you were on ground instead of in space.

The silence turned weirdly heavy as you kicked off your boots and Cad draped his coat over one of the seats. You were already shivering from the change of temperature, and Cad wasn’t looking too hot either. By the time you’d set aside your jacket, you were glancing from your own personal bunk to the space that was blankets and leathers and pillows that Cad had built up for himself over time. While you were glancing at the bunk, Cad was looking at you. You were pretty sure you both had the same idea. And while you were hesitant to suggest it, Cad was anything but shy.

“Peh, get over here.” He grabbed your wrist and tugged you over the bunk. “If you got ill from the cold that’d cost us both credits and time.”

Your continued hesitation got you a firm nudge in the back that sent you teetering over to fall into the bedding.

“Kriff’s sake, that was uncalled for!” you snapped, much to Cad’s delight.

“Come on, you were acting like I was going to bite you.” His sly smile became a grin. “I mean, unless you-” 

“That is a conversation for another time,” you said, feeling heat rise rapidly in your cheeks. Cad snorted, sitting down into the bunk as well.

“Seems like the perfect time for this conversation.” Whatever response you had died on your lips as you felt a slight rumble through the ship, just noticeable enough to catch your attention. Cad noticed it too, the heated look in his eyes fading as the moment slipped itself into the cold room, and he settled in close to your side. 

“....So….” Your words trailed off.

“Just get your rest. And stay close to me.”

 -

Rain clattered softly off the metal overhead as the thunderstorm passed overhead. Sometimes you could feel another rattle in the metal of the ship, and you wondered whether it was thunder or your own imagination. Cad was fast asleep, but part of you knew that he’d be awake the moment something bad happened. He’d also managed to coil himself around you, contact generating warmth while one arm rested heavily over your chest. Possessive. Comforting. For all his grit and teeth (and you did think about those teeth more than you probably needed to), he pulled out stops to keep you alive and well under his wing. You’d noticed this protective streak with all his possessions, and wondering if he considered you as such. And really, how bad was that in the end, when he held you like this and gave you that smug grin that caught your tongue so often.

You relaxed and let yourself fall asleep as well, to the sound of the rain.

[worldwidebt7]

Hell[L]ing || 05

§ — Pairing: Chimera!Taehyung x Empath!Reader (with mentions of Reader x Other Members)

§ — Genre: SciFi AU, fluff, angst, smut, horror

§ — Wordcount: 2,974

§ — Rating: M § — Warnings: None. Just an awkward AF encounter.

§ — A/N: Gone for so long, but not forgotten! I love this story, and I don't plan on letting it die any time soon~ I need a manager-- I've got way too many projects! Anyone want the job? LOL

Summary: You moved out into the wilderness to live a calm, peaceful life. Your abilities made it impossible to live in crowded places, so even if you wanted to you couldn’t return. But when something happens outside the realm of even your normalcy, you start to think that maybe having everyone else’s emotions bearing down on you isn’t such a bad alternative to being trapped with your own.

You were definitely beginning to question your decision-making skills, or lack thereof. Any sane person would never let a man they met once into their isolated house on a rainy day— it was an exact recipe that stereotypical horror films follow. And you were to be the soon-hunted lead female. Whether or not you get killed milliseconds before the credits started rolling depended on how you treated the situation henceforth.

Standing in your bathroom, you contemplated your options as your fingers ran over the plush fabric of the grey towel you intended to hand to the soaking wet gentleman currently standing in your kitchen. First, you could continue on the path you were currently set on: heading back down the stairs to help the supposedly sick boy dry off and offer him a warm drink. This would most certainly end poorly if your expertise of the genre was anything to go by. Assist the helpless stranger, let his quirky personality charm you, then die. Not preferable.

You could, adversely, call the police or one of your friends to come save you and distract your company until they arrived. This would be the smarter move, though you have your doubts that the situation warrants such a reaction. Besides what your extrasensory abilities allowed you to perceive, your neighbor has done nothing to make you think he holds any ill-will against you. Having him forcibly removed from your home would only certainly sour his opinion of you.

Your last option, from what you could organize from your frayed thoughts, was to expedite option one, in which you dried him off, warmed him up, and sent him on his way before any amount of intimate time passed. You figured that this was the best option, even if it weren’t particularly the safest. You had no reason to suspect the boy of any violence or threat, but he made you inherently uncomfortable either way.

His emotions began to blip at a faster pace— nervousness, worry— were the rate of his emotional markers linked to his heart beat? That was something new. Well, everything dealing with this boy’s emotions was new to you. Taking a deep breath, you turn and leave the bathroom. You suppose your prolonged absence has made your guest begin to panic, and you really didn’t want to have his sporadic emotions to get more intense; you were already feeling the beginnings of a headache.

Scurrying down your wooden stairs, you felt his interest perk at the sound of your footsteps. Anticipation— but gentle anticipation. Warm, welcoming; you almost wanted to hurry to put yourself back in his line of vision, and as you stepped back into the kitchen, you felt the wave of relief that washed over him. His accelerated heartbeat kept the bursts of emotions abrupt, but they were soothed, a welcomed change from the abrasive concern.

His eyes were locked onto your form, taking in every miniscule movement you made. You made sure to avoid his gaze and cleared your throat as you stepped in front of him.

“Here,” You held out the towel for him to take. “You should probably dry yourself off…” He eyed the soft fabric for a moment, a shy gratefulness melding with slight apprehension. You sent him a warm smile when a few moments had passed and nudged the towel towards him a bit. With that, he tentatively reached forward and gently took the cloth from you. You retreated your hand swiftly and as he brought the towel to his chest you sidestepped towards the counter. “I’ll make something warm for you to drink, yeah?”

As you busied yourself, you didn’t see him lift the towel and softly burry his face in it, drying himself. You did, however feel the warm glow of comfort sprout in the air like quickly blooming flowers. With your back turned to him, you didn’t bother hiding the pleased look on your face. Finally— you thought— an emotion from him that didn’t barrage your senses.

With water heating up in your kettle and the packet of cocoa already retrieved from the pantry, you no longer had anything to distract yourself with. In an attempt to make this spontaneous visit less awkward and less unnerving, you turned to make light conversation. To begin, what on earth the sickly boy was doing wandering about in the rain.

“So…” you started, catching his attention immediately, his nerves returning. “Your name is Taehyung, right?” you received a delayed nod. “I’m Y/N. Ah, though you already knew that, right? From last time?” Another nod. Talkative, this one. You supposed you should get straight to your most burning question at the moment. “I gotta ask… I did extend the invitation, but… is there something I can do for you?” He visibly stiffened and the blips of his anxiety sped up with what, you were sure of now, was his increased heart rate. Oh, the headache. Perhaps you should rephrase. “W-what I mean is, since your health is poor, why’d you come over when it was raining of all days?” This seemed to calm him, as the frequency of his beats trickled off.

He didn’t answer you for a long while, opting to look down at the floor in contemplation. You did your best not to stare— you didn’t want to spike his unease once more— but you were finding it difficult to do so, seeing as the wet boy in your kitchen, now that he was up close and personal, was too beautiful to bear. Your previous appraisal of his other-worldly appearance was far too lenient; how could anyone like him possibly exist at all? And his dark hair— curled more from its damp state and hanging further over his obsidian eyes— only seemed to add more depth to the perfection of the features it framed. How utterly unfair it was for someone to be so beautiful.

“I—” you just about jumped at his voice, breaking the silence, but not cutting through it. The melodic depth of it filled the room. “…bad day…” he was pensive with his words— giving you all you needed to know and no more. There was no deception to him, but he was clearly safeguarding information, keeping it locked away.

You gave a thoughtful hum, but you couldn’t hide the shock and confusion you felt. He came to you because he was having a bad day? Someone he didn’t know and only met once before? You couldn’t help but feel this was… odd, for lack of a better term. And he seemed to realize this as well, as his eyes never once met yours. His apprehension was understandable now, and his fear of being turned away— he really had no reason to be here.

Still, your heart warmed at the thought that he had come to you for comfort, as unexpected as it was. And, slowly, the majority of your concerns over the situation began to melt away. Yes, he was a strange boy, yes, there were things about him that were odd and seemed unnatural, but… there was nothing aggressive, or dangerous about his intentions. He seemed more like a child than anything else with how small his large frame looked; like he was trying to curl in on himself.

A sharp whistle pierced the gentle atmosphere and both you and Taehyung jumped nearly out of your skin. You recognized the sound as your kettle quickly after having your nerves fried, but your guest was immediately on the defensive, his fear refusing to subside as he took a pathetic few steps back from the offending object.

“Sorry!” you called out to him and you turned on your heel to remove the kettle from the stove. His confusion was evident, and mixed with the other strong emotions bombarding you, you were almost inclined to say that he’s never heard the shriek of a kettle. The noise subsided as you lifted the item off the heat, turning the burner off in the process. “Phew— that scared me!” At your laughter, his confusion turned into curiosity, and his fear ebbed away.

You emptied the chocolate powder into one of your mugs and promptly drowned it in the hot water from your kettle, the smell of hot chocolate immediately permeating through the air. You se the kettle back down on the stove before stirring the drink, your neighbor’s curiosity only heightening. You turned back to him and beckoned him forward, placing the mug of hot chocolate on the island in front of him in hopes he would sit. When he did nothing, a breathy chuckle escaped you.

“You can sit down if you’d like,” you offered, hoping he would oblige. You realize that this directly opposes your original plan to make this visit as quick as possible, but his uncertainty had found it’s way into your heart. You weren’t sure if it was because he was often ill, but he seemed so unsure of how to interact with other people, like he hasn’t had much social interaction before. It was endearing in a way, and even though there were still some things that concerned you about the readings you got from him, you felt inclined to spend time trying to unravel him.

Or you could simply be suffering from your own solitude.

Either way, you smiled when he slowly made his way over to the counter and seated himself on the stool that the mug sat directly in front of. He still had the towel you had offered him clutched to his chest and seemingly hadn’t dried much more than his face with it. Cautiously, he eyed the mug of steaming liquid.

“Do you not like hot chocolate?” you asked, suddenly aware that it’s possible for people to have different tastes. Or worse, because of his illness he couldn’t drink it at all? “Oh, I’m sorry! Can you even drink hot chocolate? I should have asked before. If there’s something else—”

“No! I—” you blinked, surprised. It was the first time he had spoken so suddenly or with so much conviction. He seemed shocked by his own voice, and immediately receded into himself, almost as if berating himself for his outburst. He chewed on his lower lip, “…I’ve never had it… hot chocolate…” you blinked again.

“Really?” He nodded, and his hand slid forward, reaching for the mug. When you saw his fingers wrap around it, you realized how large his hands were— yet another ridiculously beautiful feature as you couldn’t help but think about how elegant the lines of hands were curved around the dwarfed mug. If he noticed you staring, nothing in his demeanor showed any discomfort at the attention, but you were quick to correct yourself when you became aware of it yourself. “Are you sure you can have it…?” you didn’t want to accidentally poison your neighbor if he was allergic to chocolate. A shake of his head did little to reassure you.

“I’ll drink it,” he said with confidence. He raised the mug, his other hand joining the action as the ceramic was completely eclipsed. It took you a moment to realize that he may not be are of the heat.

“Oh, wait, that’s hot—!” you were too late, and you watched him take a rather large sip from the cup. You blanched, expecting him to burn himself, but he only lowered the mug back to the counter, both hands still firmly encasing it, seemingly unaffected. Huh. Well then, wasn’t that odd?

After a moment of deliberation, excitement burst through the air and Taehyung’s eyes lit up. He quickly took another sip of the drink and from the rush of emotions you knew he was absolutely thrilledby the taste of hot chocolate. You stifled a good-natured laugh, not wanting him to think you were making fun of him, and settled for an endeared smile as you leaned forward to rest against the island counter. Why were you so scared of this boy again?

“I’m going to guess that you like it?” you couldn’t help but tease him a little, and, thankfully, he didn’t seem to take offense; he was far too enraptured by the sweet beverage before him. He nodded happily.

“Thank you,” he said, cheer popping in the air around him, making you want to squeal at his child-like wonder at something so simple. Still, you had to wonder— how is it that he never had hot chocolate before? And if he hadn’t had something so elementary, what else had he not been privy to and why? You suppose you could chalk it up to him being ill often, and if such is the case, he must have been sick for much of his life. You wondered who had been in charge of his health all these years and why they refused him such small pleasures such as hot chocolate, making you again second-guess giving him the cocoa treat. But the pure bliss he exhibited bade you believe that just one cup wouldn’t hurt and that it was surly worth it.

He had been so wrought with nerved when he appeared at your back door that any positive change in his emotions was a welcome one. Perhaps he would leave having a better day than when he came. You could only hope.

“I’m glad you like it,” you said simply before moving on, trying to keep whatever stilted conversation you had going. “I’m surprised you came here if you were having a bad day… did you and Seokjin fight?”

At the mention of his roommate’s name, he stiffened, some of his anxiety returning. You must have hit the nail on the head, because as his fingers fidgeted around the mug he looked off to the side towards the floor. You felt bad immediately, not wanting to sour his mood again.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t pry,” you straightened a bit at your mistake, readying to correct yourself if given the opportunity. “If you want to talk about it, um…” What could you offer him, honestly? Why would he divulge the details of his roommate quarrel with you? He barely knew you. Still, he did come to you— as a source of comfort, as a distraction, or as escape, you’ll never know. You did know that you may be his only choice out here in the remote wilderness and so, to an extent, you felt a certain obligation to offer him support. After all, should something happen to you, he and Seokjin were the only ones in miles that could aid you, and you could only hope that they would do so without hesitation.

However, he shook his head, signaling that he didn’t wish to divulge the issue. More mystery then, it seems. You nodded and gave no further attempts to interrogate despite the burning questions that nagged at you, knowing full well about the need to keeps certain things to yourself.

“I…” he began, suddenly standing. Startled, you too took a step back from the counter as well. “I should go…” he placed your towel on the island next to the half-empty mug after a long moment, seemingly disappointed to part with it. Taehyung hesitated, but eventually took a large step away from where he had been seated and began to make his way to the back door.

His sudden, hurried departure had you reeling. You had wanted a brief, eventless encounter, so letting him leave now would probably be for the best. Yet, despite all your concerns, you were still opening your mouth.

“W-wait!” you called after him, stepping out from behind your countertop. He immediately halted in his tracks, shifting slightly so he could see you out of his peripherals. His uncertainty thrummed in the air like drums, making your otherwise silent home ridiculously loud. “The… the rain…” For the first time in the last ten minutes, you peered outside your window, expecting to see the previous torrential downpour. However, to your surprise, it had calmed to a drizzle at some point during your neighbor’s momentary visit. When had that happened?

Sensing that you didn’t have anything else to say to him, Taehyung continued his journey to your glass doors slowly. You watched him with a rock settling into your stomach— this didn’t feel right to you, and as he opened the door, you called out to him again.

“Taehyung,” this time, at the sound of his name leaving your mouth, his head spun around completely, eyes wide and panic vibrating from him. No, not panic; something akin to panic, but not quite so negative. Something warmer… ugh, trying to decipher his emotions was like learning a new language. So, instead of feeding into your present headache, you continued, immediately embarrassed by what you say. “Come back again sometime… we can have lunch.” You felt the heat in your face from your blush and then, unexpectedly, it was as if the very space around you was placed under a heat lamp and Taehyung’s not-panic set your nerves on fire. What the hell was going on?

You didn’t have time to dwell, because as soon as the shocked, anxious boy recovered, he nodded quickly and slipped out the door, taking his blips of emotions and quickly disappearing into the tree line separating your properties.

With his departure, you could finally breathe, and you found that a tightness that you hadn’t been aware of begun to unravel in your chest. Your migraine, which you were hoping would leave with your neighbor, proceeded to hammer away in your skull. As much as you wanted to dissect your more than odd exchange with the onyx-eyed boy, you couldn’t imagine thinking about much of anything in your present condition.

“Bath…” you groaned, massaging your temples and groggily treaded your way upstairs to soak away the pain in scalding, fragrant water.

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