#sadly there is no cabbage

[pansyofthesouth]

Was anybody going to tell me that little Mac got so excited on Christmas Day 1985 when his family stole that house and he got a Cabbage Patch Doll? 😭

Or was I supposed to live normally after all that information????

[archaictold]

it's time, y'all!!!!!! zhilan will be attending the halloween party as a spooky jiangshi! he won't absorb your qi, but he will be checking out the punch bowl thank you very much. you can expect him to be just about anywhere—taking in the atmosphere, dancing with friends, excitedly scoping out people's costumes, you name it! this is his first halloween experience, so he's going to be making the absolute most of it. zhilan's put a lot of effort into his attire, too! having even donned a fake pair of pointy canine teeth and greyish body paint, he's well-dressed for the part! as for clothes and general appearance, you can find a handy reference right over here. :^) starter call to follow soon!

[leafcabbage]

ive rewatched the most recent white noise ep SO many times dude like. i need them to upload another im BEGGING them to upload another ive heard this john lennon bit so many times PLEASE PLEASE GOD

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for acting apathetic about my chickens?

(CW for animal death/animal attacks)

I (14F) have had chickens my whole life. We usually have around 15~ at a time, and we get chicks that we raise around every 2 years. They live in my backyard, and me and my dad mainly take responsibility over them. I love chickens in general, but mine especially because I helped raise them. For a while, the chickens + my cats were my only friends. I just think they are neat.

Anyways, one big part of owning chickens is recognizing that sometimes they die. When the chicken is lucky, it lives 5+ years and passes from old age. Sadly, not all chickens are lucky. It is a garentee with having a flock of chickens that at least one will get eaten or attacked. If you have chicks, eventually you will end up with one that hatched sickly and it will die too. This definitely isn't a part of having chickens I like, but it's the truth.

I was talking with my brother (18m) about chickens recently and he brought up the time one of our chickens got snatched and eaten by a fox. He asked me if there was anything more we could do to prevent that from happening again, and I told him no, we've done everything we can. He then told me he hated that fox, and asked me if I did too, which once again I said no. More specifically, I told him that "I think it's sad, but obviously the fox was hungry. At least it got fed." My brother got flabbergasted, asking how I could say that. We had a bit of an argument on if that was an appropriate comment to make, where I ended up saying more or less the exact contents of the second paragraph. Now, my brother is insisting I don't care about the chickens and am heartless for thinking about them like that.

I disagree with him. I think you can acknowledge that death is a real possibility and still dislike death, and being realistic about bad things that can happen is important. I care a lot about my chickens. When they die, I dig a hole and bury them someplace pretty, and I always recite a prayer to them. They all have names, but truthfully I do forget them. I dig up worms for them as snacks, I hang up cabbages like piñatas for them to play with. They are safe, and I don't think being accepting about the fact they may die makes me bad.

Personally, I don't think there's an asshole here, but my brother does and I'm not completely sure. I would also like to add that I am autistic so other people struggle with reading my emotions, so my brother probably has good reason to think I don't care. I hope I wrote this written ok!

[bookofthegear]

The floor of the room opposite the sea monster’s head is deeply and unexpectedly indented, which you learn when you step down, turn your ankle, hop sideways, nearly turn your other ankle, and wind up frantically windmilling your arms to keep from face-planting on the floor. There is no preserving your dignity, but at least no one but Jimmy heard you squawk.

The treacherous floor most closely resembles a giant waffle, with the raised walls and shallow depressions. You count eighteen on a side, each about a foot square. Most of the squares contain nothing, but four of them hold the skulls of some kind of rodent with bright orange teeth.

You carefully note down the locations of the skulls. If this were a normal dungeon, that would be the key to a puzzle somewhere, but you’ve about given up hoping for anything so straightforward around here. Still.

On the right hand wall, there is a large opening, running nearly half the length of the wall. Through it, you see an unexpected wall of green, and hear the rustle of…leaves?

You cross the waffled floor and discover a room full of plants that should absolutely not be growing down here, far away from the sun. Nobody seems to have told them that, though.

Sadly, they do not appear to be cabbages.

[darkbluekies]

17:38

Mafia!female!yandere OC x reader

Warnings: knives, blood

Jerry sits by the kitchen island with her phone in her hand. You've asked to cook and usually, she doesn't let you, but today she's feeling bold. What could go wrong when she's supervising?

"What are you making?" she asks without looking up from her phone.

"Kimchi."

Jerry puts down her phone and smiles. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans over the table.

"No way, my mom used to make that for me when I was a kid", she smiles sadly.

"I thought that I wanted to try to make it for you", you say.

"You're so sweet, baby. Go wild. Let's see how good of a housewife you are." She tilts her head. "You'd be a pretty cute housewife, wouldn't you?"

"Why are you asking me that? Shouldn't you know?"

Jerry grins slightly. "I think you'd be a very cute housewife."

You pick up the cabbage and wash it thoroughly. Jerry let you come with her to the store to buy it, surprisingly enough. She was very stiff, always glancing around to make sure no one was looking at you weirdly.

You pick up a knife and position it over the cabbage. There's no way you can ferment the entire thing in one piece.

"So that's why you wanted to buy so many spices", Jerry thinks out loud.

"It wasn't too expensive, right?" you ask over your shoulder. "We bought quite a lot."

"Nah, and even if it was, I can get money easily. Don't worry. You should have gotten yourself that ice machine you saw."

"It was too expensive."

"But you'd have ice right now, wouldn't you?"

Jerry raises her eyebrows teasingly. You shake your head disapproving and turn back to your cutting. The wet cabbage becomes an ice rink and the knife slips, cutting your ring finger just over the final rinkle. You gasp in pain.

"What?" Jerry asks quickly, all hints of amusement gone. "Did you cut yourself?"

"Yes", you hiss, holding your hurt hand in your free one. "I'm bleeding."

Jerry shoots up from her chair quick enough for it to tumble back, down on the floor. She hurries over to you and inspects the hurt area.

"Shit, baby, you have to be careful!" she exclaims and pulls your hand over to the sink.

The cold water rinses the wound, causing you to hiss again. Jerry's heart is thumping in her chest. How could she ever think that this was a good idea?

"Stand still", she tells you. "I'll go get a bandaid for you."

She runs into the bathroom and comes back a minute later with a beige band aid in her hands. She removes the plastic layer and wraps it gently around your ring finger. Carefully, she lifts your fingers to her plump lips and kisses it softly.

You look at the cabbage.

"Don't think about it", Jerry tells you. "You're not going to continue. This was a stupid idea. Why did I ever think it was okay for you to use a knife? I trust you too much. Fuck sake. You hurt yourself. Get out of the kitchen."

"It's just a little cut …", you say. "I wanted to make something special for you. I had it all planned …"

She cups your cheeks between her hands.

"I know, baby", she says comfortingly. "And I'm very grateful that you wanted to do something for me, but what kind of girlfriend am I if I let you get hurt, hm? My number one priority is to protect you."

"I know, but …"

"I'll continue this. Go sit down in the living room. People like you shouldn't be allowed into kitchens."

You sigh and leave for the living room. The very second you round the corner, Jerry bites down on her hand, grunting. She feels so bad.

Nonetheless, she finishes what you've started. She looks at the prepared kimchi with a sigh. You're too good for her. You wanted to make one of her childhood side dishes … for what? To make her happy? Why do you care about her happiness after what she's done to you? Jerry shuts her eyes to stop whatever tears want to escape.

"Stop it", she hisses for herself, pressing her palms to her eyes. "Stop fucking crying, you piece of shit."

She gathers herself and cleans up. You look up when she enters the living room.

"I don't want you in the kitchen again", she says monotonously. "Do you get that?"

"It was just an accident, Jerry", you sigh. "The knife slipped. The cabbage was wet and slippery. There will be accidents while cooking … you know that."

She shakes her head firmly. "Not in my house. You're not allowed anywhere near anything sharp. You're too clumsy."

You're about to talk back, but keep your mouth shut, knowing better than to argue with her when she's angry.

[barbwritesstuff]

Idk man something about Mc burying themselves in dirt to have a meltdown in peace is so sadly silly to me like-

Oh, where's Mc?

Eh, they're just... Underground i think

What do you mean underground?

Like... Underground

Like in dirt underground or...?

Yeah.

... Oh. Okay.

"Is the vampire in the veggie patch again?"

"Yeah."

"We should buy them their own sandbox or something. This isn't good for my cabbages."

[twstfanblog]

Okay I’m gonna bite WTF do you mean by ‘magic baby’??? Like what’s doing on there? Was Finley made by magic? Did a spell go wrong and Vil got knocked up? Potion go wrong and instead of a whatever potion now there’s a baby in the cauldron???

Evil Queen Vil just kinda had 'Baby?' marked down on his evil calendar of conquering lands via fancy dinner parties and poisoning water supplies. Thought it'd be a good accessory, he'll see when he finds out what color it is.

Potions master, he made a potion that was SUPPOSED to boil down into a baby so that he didn't have to sacrifice his figure. Sadly, Epel confused the baby potion and Vil's homemade fertilizer and spread the baby potion in Vil's potion ingredient garden. Vil is furious but just takes it as a sign that he wasn't meant to have a baby then. (He can't send Epel away like he did with Neige; he just got him.)

But at the end of summer, a fuck ton of cabbages sprout all over Vil's potion ingredient garden. He orders Rook to clear it out while he tends to other matters. Half a day later, Rook is standing in front of him with a big smile, a bunch of cabbage, and a bouncing baby boy.

Vil:

Vil: Where did you find that?

Rook: In a cabbage!

Vil: Rook, I am serious

Congrats, Vil, you got your baby. No pregnancy required!

[phoward89]

Based on this ask

Coriolanus Snow, for as long as he could remember, had always linked the scent of roses to his mother, Demeter Snow. His mother was too sweet for this world. She was very beautiful, but vapid. She didn't have a grasp on the hardships of life, being sheltered from them due to her standing as a young lady from a wealthy Capitolite family. And, of course, Coriolanus' father, Crassus, kept his wife with a heart of gold and who enjoyed singing love songs and playing the piano at his Corso penthouse with his mother while he served in District 12 as the Commander.

Coriolanus' vaguely remembers how his mother always sang him love songs from the days before Panem. Oh, how she sang to him all of the classics, ballads, and operas she enjoyed. She would also pick him up and sling him on her hip, singing to him while helping her mother-in-law tend to the rooftop rose garden. A garden that she always smelled like.

But one day, when he was 5, tragedy stuck. Coriolanus was going to be a big brother. His mother, Demeter, was expecting a baby girl. It wasn't planned (at least it wasn't on Crassus' part) but the new addition was going to be a little bit of newfound joy in the Snow family. Much needed joy considering the rebellion breaking out in the districts.

Demeter had gotten Coriolanus all excited about becoming a big brother to a little sister. So excited that he couldn't wait for the baby to come. His mother said that her name was going to be a floral one. Calla. Like the calla lily. Coriolanus wondered if his baby sister would smell like lilies when she was born since she'd be named after them.

But Coriolanus discovered one fateful night that his baby sister would not smell of lilies, but of the stench of death and blood when she was born. That she'd struggle to breath with too tiny lungs and struggle to stay warm with her translucent skin covering her nearly 2 pound body. That his baby sister would die wrapped in a blanket as he held her in his arms, sitting by the roaring fireplace as his Grandma’am and the cook tried to save his mother, who was hemorrhaging in the birthing bed.

Sadly, Demeter Snow bleeds to death in the birthing bed after going into premature labor at 7 months due to the sudden bombing by the districts. Yes, the official start of the war between the Capitol and their allies and the Districts had triggered off a premature labor that had proven deadly for the delicate woman that was too softhearted for this world. The woman who smelled of roses, always powdered her nose with rose scented powder, and enjoyed singing love songs and playing the piano.

As the war drew on, the Snow family had to make sacrifices to eat and stay warm. Since the Capitol was under siege for a few years, food was scarce and so was fuel. The Snow family, thankfully, had their neighbor Pluribus to help them acquire lima beans from the black market. He was also able to give Grandma'am Snow some cabbage seeds to grow in her garden.

Fuel was hard to find, but thankfully the Snow penthouse has a fireplace. And in order to keep the flames fanning, Coriolanus had to sacrifice his beloved picture books to the flames. The books his mother always read to him and to be burned to stay warm. Just like his mother's prized baby grand piano had to be chopped up for firewood. It was either freeze to death in the bitter winters in the valley of the Rocky Mountains or sacrifice sentimental items to use us fuel for flames of warmth

The latter was the choice Grandma'am Snow made for her family. Of course, she had help from the neighbor, Pluribus with chopping up the piano; she even shared the wood from it for his help.

After the loss of his mother's baby grand piano, the only thing Coriolanus had left of his mother that was tangible was her silver compact full of her rose scented powder, her bright orange shawl, and a picture of her with him slung on her hip as a baby.

Coriolanus took to smelling his mother's compact for comfort whenever he was feeling anxious. The smell of roses, his mother's scent, always seemed to calm him.

And it was like this as he grew into a young man.

Until one day he's sitting in the front row seat of his morning class and in walks Dean Casca Highbottom with a new girl in tow.

You.

“Class, I’d like to introduce you to Miss Y/N Halvir.” Dean Highbottom waves his hand towards you while informing the class, “She's the daughter of Colonel Javani Halvir, the war hero, and she's just transferred here District 2 where her father was stationed at PK Base- The Nut.”

You're nervous, standing in front of the entire class. Everyone's eyes are on you, scrutinizing you; judging you. But a pair of icy blue eyes that belong to a boy with a prominent nose and light golden curls makes you feel like the air has left your lungs as they pin you with a look you can't distinguish.

“Mr. Snow, I'm assigning you the task of showing Miss Y/N around the Academy.” Dean Highbottom told Coriolanus, who just gave the dean a curt nod. Dean Highbottom turned to you, only to say, “Please have a seat between Mr. Snow and Mr. Plinth.”

But before you could even ask who those boys were, a broad boy with dark curly hair smiled warmly at you and the icy eyed boy, who made you feel a bit uneasy from his gaze, subtly nodded to the empty seat next to him.

You walk over to your newly assigned seat and place yourself in between your new classmates, Plinth and Snow. The dark haired boy, Plinth, smiles and introduces himself as Sejanus.

“I’m from 2, but I moved here right after the war when I was 8.” Sejanus informs you before asking, “How long were you in 2 for? Do you miss it?”

“I was there long enough and no, I don't miss it there.” You tell your classmate.

Coriolanus can't help, but stare at you in awe. For one, you couldn't wait to leave the district your father was stationed in for the Capitol, but the other reason- the real reason he was in awe over you was because of your smell. Your scent was one he hasn't had the luxury to smell in a long time.

You smell like roses.

“I'm Coriolanus Snow; I'd be honored to become your friend.” The blonde boy smiled, extending his hand out for you to shake.

“I think I'd like that.” You smile, shaking Coriolanus hand before turning your attention to the lesson being taught.

And during the entire class Coriolanus finds himself drawn to your rosy scent instead of paying attention to the lecture being given. Roses fill his nostrils faintly and it's intoxicating. All he can do is fall into a feeling of comfort, since the scent of roses always eased his anxiety. He's positive that you'll be a warm, gentle soul like his mother was because you smell like roses- just like she did.

And because you smell like roses, Coriolanus is determined to make you his girl; his one true comfort in a life of anxieties and unknowns.

Tags: @kuroosbby001 @purriteen @poppyflower-22 @meetmeatyourworst @whipwhoops @bxtchopolis @readingthingsonhere @savagenctzen @ryswritingrecord @erikasurfer @tulips2715 @universal-s1ut @thesmutconnoisseur @squidscottjeans @sudek4l @wearemadeofstardust0 @mashiromochi @gracieroxzy @belcalis9503 @shari-berri @aoi-targaryen @whiteoakoak @spear-bearing-bi-witch @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons @qoopeeya @mfnqueen1 @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @v-love @swiftieblyth @joyfulyouthlover @lady-harvey @chxrrybomb22 @marvel-hiddles-stark @xjinnix @devils-blackrose @zombicupcake3 @jacesvelaryons @tempt-ress

[natashaslesbian]

Babysitter

From the ‘Tiny Dancer’ series

Natasha had no choice but to leave you with Uncle Bruce when she goes away for an overnight mission. It turns out, Bruce isn’t the best babysitter

Word Count: 1.2k

Pairings (Mom!Natasha x Daughter!Reader) (Bruce Banner x Kid!Reader) (Wanda Maximoff x Kid!Reader)

Warnings: none I think :)

————

“Ok tiny dancer” Natasha said as she left a gentle kiss on your cheek “you be good for uncle Bruce ok?” You nodded your little head and gave your mama a sad smile “I’ll be good. I promise” your mommy gave you a tight hug and made a quick exit. Trial and error had discovered that a short goodbye left you much calmer than a long buildup causing you to breakdown when Natasha closed the door. You turned away from the elevator and headed back towards the avengers private living room “Natasha will um- mommy will be back soon y/n” Bruce tried his best to console you, he was still pretty new at this. Until now, Dr Banner had never looked after you alone, he had always shared the babysitting responsibility with Clint or Tony or whoever was at the compound while Natasha was away for a mission. “You wanna…watch tv?” Bruce said “yes please” you replied as you took his hand, much to his surprise.

You spent 3 hours in front of the tv, you usually did right after Natasha had left for a mission. It took a little while to bring out your bubbly personality. “heeeyy y/n” Bruce said as he returned with your dinner “I’ve made your favourite!” Beckoning you towards the dinner table “Dino nuggs?” You asked “yes. Dino nuggets indeed” your uncle said as he helped you up onto the chair. Natasha had left strict instructions on how you liked your dinosaur nuggets to be made and what you would eat them with, you were horrified when you looked over the plate of burnt nuggets and cabbage as a side “ew!” You exclaimed “what’s this?” Bruce had tried his best, he couldn’t find the sweetcorn you usually had with this meal so he settled for cabbage in the hopes you would at least try it “it’s some yummy cabbage y/n, with your dino nuggets” he handed you your little plastic pink fork which was instantly thrown across the kitchen and clattered on the floor. “Don’t want caby thingy!” You yelled “what about the nuggets?” Bruce tried to deflate the situation “they’re b-burnt!” You started to cry “don’t lik-like them burnt!” You climbed down from your chair and made a fast exit back to your bedroom. “Great” Bruce huffed.

Uncle Bruce tried to tempt you with every other option he could think of for dinner, even takeout. You, however, were having non of it, you wanted your dino nuggets. Dr Banner accepted defeat and returned to the kitchen where he spent 3 hours perfecting your dinner to your high standers. It was almost your bedtime when you finally sat down for your second attempt at dinner, you had long ago stopped complaining about your rumbly tummy and could barely keep your eyes open while you ate the last few bites. There were still more mountains to climb before bed, but luckily you were exhausted so you didn’t put up much of fight during bath time. You fell asleep way after your usual bed time and Bruce near enough collapsed into his bed down the hall.

The scientist felt a small breeze against his hand in the early hours of the morning. He shot awake when his handed was tightly tugged. His minor scream as he awoke had you backing into a corner immediately “sowry uncle Bruce” you whispered “oh y/n��� he panted “it’s alright, um- are you okay?” He asked as he pulled back the covers “I had a bad dweam” you whispered “oh- ugh” Bruce was baffled, having no idea how to help you “do you wanna- um - have some milk and then um go back to bed?” He offered “well, mommy usually lets me stay in her bed” you sadly said, missing your mama so much. “Right, well” your uncle scanned his brain for any ideas, sharing his bed with you wasn’t exactly his first choice “would you like me to read to you?” He offered again. You drew your gaze down to the floor and sighed “no, it’s ok” you said as you turned on your heels and went back to your bedroom. Bruce gave you a sympathetic smile and rolled back into bed.

It wasn’t until a little while later that he realised the problem hadn’t quite been solved. He could hear your small whines out in the corridor and prepared himself for your re-entry. “Shh y/n, it’s alright” a familiar voice said. Bruce tumbled out of bed to investigate further. Upon opening the door he found an exhausted looking Wanda holding you snug in her arms pattering up and down the corridor. “Wanda?” Dr Banner asked. The brunette must’ve just returned from her solo mission. She shot her crimson eyes at the scientist and he immediately cowered away “why did you send her back to bed crying?” Wanda managed to whisper but also shout “she-she just walked away, I didn’t know what to do!” Bruce stammered, scratching the stubble on his chin. “She just needs some love and cuddles Bruce, just go back to bed I’ll look after her. Properly” the witch didn’t spare a second glance as she took you down the hall to the living area. Bruce excused himself to head back to bed, feeling very defeated. It wasn’t all his fault, he had zero experience with caring for kids and he did try his best.

Natasha wasted no time in heading straight to your bedroom when she returned in the early hours of the morning. She came to a halt in the living area when she saw you fast asleep on top of a dishevelled looking Wanda, who was also fast asleep. The widow was confused but before she could find Bruce a small whimper caught her attention “mama?” You whispered “hey baby girl” your mommy said as she came and scooped you up into her arms. Finally she was home and you were back in the safest place on earth “where is uncle Bruce?” She asked “uncle Bruce is a bad babysitter” you crossly said as you rubbed your eyes, Natasha couldn’t help but giggle slightly. “It’s okay sweethearts, mommy’s here now” she said as she kissed your hairline. You let out a big yawn and another pair of hands came to hold you “hey Nat” Wanda said “Bruce is in his room, I’ll take her to bed” she said, knowing that deep down Natasha was probably quite angry with Bruce. You willingly let Wanda carry you back to bed and fell straight back into dreamland, knowing your mommy was home again.

You woke up an hour later to a commotion outside your bedroom. “I gave you the easiest job Bruce!” Your mom said “how do you burn nuggets? I mean seriously!” You giggled slightly and crawled out of bed towards the door to listen closely “I’m so sorry Natasha I just didn’t know what to do” Bruce pleaded “if Wanda hadn’t had come home she would’ve been left scared and afraid because of you! I am never leaving my daughter with you again Bruce!” Your bedroom door clicked open and both avengers turned to you “hey baby, did you have a good sleep?” Natasha said as she came to give you a cuddle, you hummed contently and lifted your arms up signalling that you wanted your mama to lift you up “let’s go get some breakfast yeah y/n?” Your mom asked “yes pwease” you tiredly said as Natasha headed for the kitchen. You pulled back from her shoulder and looked back Bruce, he smiled. You on the other hand stuck your little tongue out and have a cheeky look at your uncle.

It was safe to say that Natasha wouldn’t be leaving you with Bruce anytime soon.

————

This is crap I know I’m sorry :/

-Astara

[sleepytoycollection]

So a funny thing happened today.

Today was the day of the local toycon, and I was very well behaved. I only bought things I'd already been on the look out for (not pictured, but I got replacement shoes for my Strawberry Shortcake dolls!), and no impulse purchases. Sadly a lot of the things I was hoping to find were not to be found, but oh well. Good for my wallet I guess. Still had a blast talking with other collectors. c:

One thing I've been hoping to thrift for a while is a Rainbow Brite doll (I know I could just buy one online, but where's the fun in that?) to go with her horse friend I thrifted a year ago:

But I hadn't had luck with that, so when I found one cheap at the toy fair, I bought her. (Got Rodger too, bc I've been wanting a small plush of him to go with my custom Jessica.)

Anyway, after leaving the con, my ride wanted to go by goodwill, and guess what I find there?

A Rainbow Brite, the exact same as I bought at the fair LMAO

Granted, the one from the fair is cleaner and in better condition, but there's a twist!

They're variants!

The one on the left (the goodwill one) is the Taiwan version, and the right (toy fair) is the Hong Kong version!

It's easier to see in person, but there's a lot of little differences between them despite being otherwise the same doll. Taiwan has more hair, but a blurrier face printing with lighter colors. The skin tones (and fabric skin tones) are different, and other such little details.

Goodwill had a lot of other 80's there toys too, I bought the 2 G1 MLP (I'll show them later), and another woman bought the Care Bears and Cabbage Patch dolls.

I can't believe I finally thrifted one the literal same day I finally decided to buy one elsewhere.

[notgilderoylockhart]

"Duck Foie Gras Terrine, pickled fruit, roasted apple bonbon"

Duck foie gras, with pickled red grapes and a roasted apple bonbon, most likely candied, topped with gold leaf. And what seems to be some pickled red cabbage on the side.

2. Venus Clams

Venus clams with dill and red chilies in oil. Inside the oil are specks of red, which could be chili flakes. There also seems to be a few drops of balsamic vinegar between the clamshells and a dollop of green pesto. If you zoom in a little more, there also is something that looks like white foam, which would fit the sea theme of the plate.

3. Pig Foot

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess this might be a play on the recipe for Maple Glazed Pig's Head with Lobster in Martin Picard's book Sugar Shack Au Pied de Cochon. The bloody sauce might be a red wine reduction. There is a small amount of what looks like mashed potatoes under the foot.

4. Mussels with tomatoes

The mussel meat is arranged in a circularly inside a baked tart shell, with the occasional melted tomato in between. Next to it is an entire mussel as well as a decorative sprig of parsley.

x

5. not shown

x

6. not shown

7. "Ajoblanco, bread, crushed almonds, galic, olive oil, salt, a garnish of green grapes"

Ajoblanco is a cold soup made from exactly those ingredients. We sadly don't get a close up of it. Pity.

8. "Rabbit Three Ways"

We also sadly do not get a close up of this dish, but we do see a something resembling a stuffed pastry on Daniel's fork in a close up. From left to right, I'd say we can see a rabbit pastry, a bacon wrapped tenderloin and a braised leg here.

9. Steak

Alas, again, we do not get a close up, but I can't make out anything other than 2 giant pieces of steak. The steak is cooked medium, a blood-less perfect pink, which is the culinary standard, when a guest doesn't give a temperature preference for their meat.

10. Dessert

This might be a pavlova with strawberries and ice cream. There are a wide variety of meringue shapes, some dollops, some piped with a star shaped tip, a slightly larger one for the strawberry ice cream to perch on top of and another, even larger ring shaped meringue, for the second white ice cream. The empty space on the plate between the meringues is decorated with cut up strawberries and what seems to be powdered sugar.

[linghxr]

My trip to Taiwan

I took a break from posting because...I went to Taiwan! This was my first time going there, and I was mostly in Taipei. I had a great time and took many, many photos. I'll share some highlights here (along with commentary) to commemorate my trip.

Left: Liberty Square 自由廣場 Right: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial 中正紀念堂

You can't tell here, but there was a row of porta-potties directly to the left of the archway. That was a funny sight. There was also a stage in the middle of the square. Maybe they do outdoor concerts?

Left: Tamsui Old Street 淡水老街 Right: "Sidewalk"

Besides the main roads, most streets lacked raised sidewalks. Instead, they had a painted path. I had to get comfortable being very, very close to cars and other vehicles.

Left: Motorbike parking lot near Tamsui Old Street Right: Covered sidewalk.

I’ve seen motorbikes before in China, but Taipei took things to a new level. Motorbikes were absolutely everywhere. I even saw this parking lot exclusively for motorbikes. They rule the streets.

In the busy downtown districts, you often don’t need an umbrella due to the covered sidewalks. You can walk for blocks and blocks while staying covered. This was pretty convenient on rainy days.

Left: Jadeite Cabbage 翠玉白菜 at the National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院 Right: Umbrella rack (also at the museum)

Confession—I didn't think the National Palace Museum was that good. Probably because I've been to the actual Forbidden City in Beijing. And sadly, the Meat-Shaped Stone wasn't on exhibit.

In the US, some stores will provide a plastic bag for your wet umbrella. In Taipei, many stores had a rack or basket outside instead. Most were not as secure or elaborate as the one pictured.

Left: Eslite Xinyi Store (bookstore) 誠品信義店 Right: Sun Yat-sen Memorial 國父紀念館

I bought a couple books and a Yoga Lin CD at the Eslite 24-hour bookstore. I only planned to swing by, but I think I spent 2 hours there. I definitely recommend checking it out if you're in Taipei.

Taipei 101 台北101

It was overcast when I went to Taipei 101, but the view was still nice. On the bright side, there was NO line. 101 is by far the tallest building around, so you really feel that you're looking down at the city.

Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園

Taroko was the only place I visited outside of the Taipei/New Taipei City area. It's in Hualien county on the east coast. There were so many betel nut stores in the countryside on the way there.

Left: Pond at NTU 國立臺灣大學 Right: 228 Peace Memorial Park 二二八和平紀念公園

Taipei has the best parks! They really put American parks to shame. Before going, I didn't understand why so many Taipei parks are tourist destinations with 4.5+ star reviews, but now I totally get it.

Elephant Mountain 象山

I didn’t realize how mountainous Taiwan is. Taipei is cradled by mountains, so there are many places to hike, even within city limits. I braved the rain for the famous view from Elephant Mountain.

Subway billboard 臺北捷運

The Taipei Metro/MRT was amazing. So fast, clean, frequent, and convenient. US subway systems are a joke in comparison. These are from an amusing series of billboards promoting riding etiquette.

Some other observations:

I was quite impressed by all of the English signage in Taipei. I think it would be very easy to navigate even if you don’t know Chinese. Many stores and small eateries had menus, signs, etc. in English.

I knew Taiwan had many convenience stores, but I was not prepared to see a Family Mart or 7/11 on every block. Someone needs to open this style convenience store in the US ASAP.

I saw numerous adds featuring Korean actors like Son Ye-jin and also kpop groups like IVE and NewJeans. I also heard kpop playing at various stores, whereas in America, I only hear it at Hmart.

I was struck by how many street signs and subway stops names used pinyin romanization. There was a lot of inconsistency and mixing of different romanization systems. For example, you have Taipei vs. Beitou (same character: 北).

There were many Japanese stores, pharmacies, and restaurants. Upon further consideration, this makes sense given Taiwan's history, but it stood out to me nonetheless.

Overall, I had a lovely time in (mostly) Taipei. As a big city (but not too big) surrounded by beautiful nature, there's something for everyone. I already want to go back! Of course I also want to see some other areas of Taiwan too. Maybe next year.

[shoku-and-awe]

From a while back, but this was a lovely last meal at a restaurant that has sadly moved away :( I'm glad we made it back before they left!

They gave us a little satsuma-age fish cake with ginger and green onion, and without even checking the menu, we ordered their addictive fried burdock root chips and cabbage with spicy miso. Also got a few sticks of yakitori, and cheesy stuffed green peppers.

We also got a horse mackerel namero (kind of like a sashimi tartare), and that came with an exciting surprise.......

The deep-fried skeleton of the fish it came from! Nothing goes to waste. This is called hone-senbei (骨せんべい / literally, 'bone cracker') and it fucking *rocks*. It's so CRUNCHY and salty and satisfying (and honestly not especially fishy). It's always a treat!

[catindabag]

i saw this photo of coryo and lucy gray and it reminded me of your crack au:

the peacekeepers do not get paid enough to deal with the capitol's resident cabbage boy and his new best friend ✨lucy✨gray✨baird✨ practicing for panemvision

True! 😂 Peacekeeper Joe really needs a salary raise (ASAP) just for dealing with our crazy Mentors’ shenanigans! He at least has the right to judge them in front of their faces.

Sadly, most of Panem’s Peacekeeper budget and allowances were allocated to the ✨Bichon Frisé Puppy Party Program✨ last year. #BestGranGranEver #RavinstillRizz #justpresidentthings

[bookofthegear]

For lack of any other direction, you head west along the catwalk to the open doorway in the wall. To your total lack of surprise, it leads to another concrete hallway running north-south.

Opposite the doorway is a fossil, or at least the sculpture of a fossil. Obviously the labyrinth isn’t old enough for REAL fossils to have formed, and they wouldn’t form in concrete walls anyway. You think. That’s more a biology question, really.

What the fossil actually is is also a biology question. It’s about four feet tall and very, very long. You seem to be somewhere in the middle of it. It’s a…snake? Maybe? Lotta ribs, anyway. No, there’s some sort of fin on its back, you can see spines…

It can’t possibly be a sea serpent. Those are just giant squid or random whale penises! (You remember THAT biology fact, but who wouldn’t?)

Hmm, unless it’s a sculpture of a fossil of a sea serpent…

Based on the direction of the spines, you walk south toward the head. Eventually you find it, though the beast is at least forty feet long, if not longer. It has a weirdly smushed face, with a gigantic round eye and a tiny, disapproving mouth. More impressive is a topknot of spines erupting from the head like a party hat, only a little distorted by fossilization. It also has two long…deely-bobbers…on the underside that stretch back for several yards.

“Is deely-bobber the technical term, boss?” (Jimmy has to spell the word letter by letter, as this is not a standard phrase in interpretive dance.)

“Absolutely,” you tell him, studying the sea serpent in all its questionable glory. Can’t possibly be real, of course. You almost bought it until the deely-bobbers and the topknot, but that was just gilding the lily. The artist needed to quit while they were ahead.

There is a doorway on the east wall opposite the head and the corridor continues to the south.