#the best thing about February is that peppers get started :)

[artificial-condition]

Finally peeled and preserved the rest of the garlic cloves from the summer harvest. They’ve been in a bag separated but unpeeled and I’ve been slowly using them until now.

They’re not canned but instead hot vinegar is poured on the peeled cloves and they stay good all year in the fridge. The vinegar makes it to where no bad bacteria can grow on them and the enzymes from the garlic prevent the garlic from absorbing and tasting like vinegar. Just fish out however many cloves you need and use like normal!!

Hardneck cloves are in the jar on the left! They’re so much bigger and I like them so much more. Easier to peel, bigger cloves, and you get garlic scapes (delicious) before harvesting the bulbs. Last year I ordered mostly softneck and a little hardneck and this year I flipped it so that next year I’ll have primarily hardneck :)

Also, a lot of the newly planted garlics have popped! It’s not preferable for them to pop before spring but my weather is unpredictable and it happens every year. The cold will kill them but they’ll come right back in the spring 🌱

[hollowed-theory-hall]

re.: the weasleys + parenting

what's always bugged me most abt percy's fight with arthur (especially in the fandom, where everyone's like 'oh, he turned his back on harry and betrayed his family to side w the ministry) is that. that's hardly what the fight is about at all. the fight is about the fact that percy, an 18yo kid who just got promoted to his dream job instead of straight up losing any chance at ever being Minister (because they tried to scapegoat him into taking the blame for the crouch business even though he managed to keep the whole department running while his boss wasn't even there), comes home all excited to tell his parents that "Hey, he's not unemployed and bereft of any and all hope for his biggest dream", but rather that his skills and competence got recognized by The Most Important Man In The Government, and molly and arthur look him straight in the face and go—"no you didn't."

there is no mention whatsoever that they even try to be gentle about it, that they congratulate him first and then bring it up later like "just be careful around Fudge, he's always looking for people to get information from and you are the best of both worlds, close to the action and actually good at the job he hired you for", nothing of the sort. they straight up don't even consider how any of those factors might've weighed in Fudge's decision to hire him.

and, perhaps worst of all, they have no faith in Percy. he tells them "I'm working for the minister", and not only do they not spare a second to be happy for him over this frankly momentous achievement (or at the very least concern for the position it puts him in), they jump straight to conjectures and accusations. "you only got this because of Harry" has got to crush Percy, who was raised to believe that good things come to honest, hard-working people and who has been working for this since he was a small child. and it digs the knife deeper when you realize that most of his siblings have basically replaced him with Harry. Harry, who also plays Quidditch and also keeps throwing himself into death-defying dangers and overalls fits much better into the family dynamic than Percy ever has.

and there's just this. crystal clear implication that they do believe Percy would spy on them. he's so Different and Other and Un-Weasley/Gryffindor-like and they've alienated themselves from him so absolutely that they can't see any reasons he wouldn't willingly and consciously jeopardize his parents' livelihood and Harry & his siblings safety just to stay in the Minister's good graces, when if anyone's actually at risk of losing their job for siding with Dumbledore is his father, who's still working there quite merrily and continues to so for a long time afterwards.

Percy, who runs into a freezing lake mid-February while attending an international event as Crouch's replacement to make sure Ron is alright, who pesters Ginny to eat and have a pepper-up potion most of her first year bc she doesnt look well, who tails Harry and Ron a lot of their second and third years bc there's something petrifying kids and then Dementors on the grounds and a mass murderer on the loose and they all just think he's being willfully bothersome like no you idiots he's worried.

of course he left. of course he left. what did he have to gain by staying at the Burrow, beyond fresh home cooked meals harassment and disagreements? why wouldn't he leave?

sorry I have a lot of feelings about this.

No need to apologize, this is brilliantly written!

I don't even feel like I need to add anything as you summed up the Percy situation perfectly.

But I can't help myself because I love discussing the Weasley family dynamics, so it's a bit more rumbley than my usual...

Percy cares so much for his family. When Voldemort is revealed and the war actually starts, he puts all his disagreements with his parents aside to come and help and make sure they're okay, because he cares. And still, he is being shunned and treated like an outsider.

Arthur and Molly Weasley are just really good at alienating their kids because it isn't just Percy.

Somehow all of them succeded in feeling like outsiders in a family of 9. Bill shows frustration with his parents and only returns to Britain because of the war, Charlie's in Romania for most of the series. Fred and George run away the moment they can and are treated like trouble by their parents most of the time (Molly and Arthur assume they are selling stolen goods from Mundungus when they hear they have money, not that they, idk, somehow earned it), Ron has a whole complex of low self-esteem and a tendency to blame himself for everything. Ginny is isolated from her brothers as the only girl and youngest...

And Percy cares and tries to be the best and most responsible sibling and gets scorned in turn.

Harry and Ron do acknowledge Arthur's and Molly's accusation towards Percy was awful and that he was right to respond negatively in OOTP. Ron is just sensitive about their family's financial state which soured Percy to him after Percy blew up at their dad (rightfully so, honestly, I'd say way worse to Arthur if it was me).

The thing is, Percy also gets scorned by his siblings, not just his parents (like Fred and George do). He gets grief for trying to be responsible and for wanting his siblings to do well in school and not get in trouble, Fred and George lock him in a pyramid...

That being said, do I think Percy is perfect? No, he is pretentious and overbearing at times, but he is a child in a large family who tries to find a place to fit himself in. According to child psychology, usually when it comes to siblings, the eldest would usually (at least in childhood) try to be everything the parents want (Bill), and then each next sibling will carve a different niche for themselves, and we see this with the Weasleys. I think the twins being born right after Percy and demanding a lot of attention from their parents from a young age as they were little troublemakers from the start is a big reason why Percy chose the niche of being bookish, ambitious, and responsible for himself. To contrast himself with them and his older brothers and get some attention from their parents.

I'm not a fan of the epilog (like everyone), but I find it hard to imagine Percy being close to his family post-books. I think he never fully got over the sting of not being seen as skilled and competent and that his parents believed he'd turn on them all without a second thought. Nor do I think he should just get over it.

Like, I'm really salty that Percy was the only one to apologize:

“I was a fool!” Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. “I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a—a—” “Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron.” said Fred. Percy swallowed. “Yes, I was!” “Well, you can’t say fairer that that,” said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled Percy into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father. “I’m sorry, Dad.” Percy said.

(Deathly Hollows, pages 512-513)

Like, yes, it's great he was smart enough to realize the ministry is corrupt, but this demand only for him to apologize when Molly and Arthur Weasley were just as much in the wrong. Fred and George weren't beacons of sainthood here either. But none of them have apologies demanded of them. None of them are demanded to confess they are "morons". Just Percy.

Who even after his apology is still an outsider. Probably always will be one.

You said it best: "Why wouldn't he leave?"

And that's what we see him do (if temporarily).

[i-only-ever-asked-questions]

Good Omens Through the Decades

UPDATED!

This is a timeline of all the events that have happened related to Good Omens, from its inception to its publication to its future plans; editions, adaptations, failed adaptations and the like.

I originally wanted to have this post ready for the anniversary in May, that didn't work, it just kept getting larger. Then I wanted to do it for the anniversary of Season 2 in July, that didn't work either, for the same reason. So I am just going to post it now, a random date and hope for the best LOL. And guess what? After a fun and fruitful chat with another fan who prefers to remain anonymous, I added a couple of events a few trivia here and there (thank you!). So, a little bit of warning: it is loooong, lots of things have happened in 34 years. At the beginning I was going to put all the references at the end of the post, but they are a lot, so I put them in a document instead.

*Yes, of course I am aware of the allegations. But this is about the history and the world of Good Omens which is so much bigger than one person, even if that person started the whole thing. It is ours now. It is Terry's and Rob's. It is David and Michael's, Douglas McKinnon's, David Arnold's and the rest of the cast and crew. It is Colleen Doran's, Dirk Maggs's, Terry Gilliam's, Vicki Larnach, Jim Hare and Jay James Moody's. It is Stephen Brigg's and Martin Jarvis's. And so many other people who have brought or will bring its many iterations to life. It is the fans'.

1985-1990 - The Book

1985, Jan - Terry and Neil met for the first time when Neil interviewed Terry for Space Voyager magazine after "The Colour of Magic" was published [1,2] *For years they both wholeheartedly believed it had been at a Chinese Restaurant during February. Some time after Terry passed away Neil found his diary for 1985 where the entry said it had been in January at an Italian Restaurant [3]

1987, summer - Neil wrote the first 5000 words of a story and sent it to a few friends, including Terry; "An exchange in Marlowe’s The Jew of Malta, combined with a late night viewing of The Omen and a love of Richmal Compton’s immortal Just William stories, had put a story into my head, about a demonic baby-swap that goes wrong, in which the Antichrist grows up to be a nice kid, with a dog and a gang" [1,4]

1987, Oct - Sandman began and William the Antichrist went into the back back back burner [1]

1988, spring? summer? - Terry called Neil and offered to either buy the idea or write it together; "About a year later I took it out of the drawer and did see what happened next, even if I couldn’t see how it all ended yet" [5]

1988, summer - They wrote it together (do you really need a reference? 😉)

1988-1989 - First draft took about nine weeks. After Richmal Compton's estate did not reply to the request of using William Brown and his world, William became Adam, Pepper and War became female and the book got a new title (Good Omens by Neil) and subtitle (The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry). The second draft took about four months. There were still about five more months of polishing and editing and auctioning and more editing [4,6] *Good Omens was the first Terry book that ever went to auction. It ended up going for £150,000 [7]

1989, Halloween - During the World Fantasy Convention in Seattle, Terry and Neil started plotting what could become the sequel to Good Omens and called it "668 The Neighbor of the Beast" [6,8] *The real-life experience of trying to piece together the plot of a soft porn movie using little free increments from hotels' pay-per-view over time probably made it into the sequel around here [7]

1990, May 10. Book published in the UK - Hardback published in the UK by Victor Gollancz (with whom Terry had already been working) to be followed by paperback by Corgi on May 23, 1991 [8,9] *After the first UK edition was published (Gollancz), several changes were made to the text to make it easier on US readers and to polish it a bit. The new text was used by both the US publishers (Workman) and the UK publishers of the paperback (Corgi). Gollancz was unaware of this alternate text until about 2009. They started using the Workman/Corgi text starting with their next edition in 2014 [9]

1990, Sep. Book published in the US - Hardback published in the US by Workman to be followed by paperback by Berkley on March 1992 [9,10] *UK editions list Terry's name first and US editions list Neil's name first. This was done because Terry was more known in the UK and Neil was more known in the US [7]

1991-2004 - The Movies

1991, Feb - Hollywood Studio Sovereign Pictures hired Terry and Neil to write an adaptation of the book for a movie. The studio had some specific requirements such as Crowley owning a night club, Aziraphale working as a curator for the British Museum, Tadfield with an abandoned pier and a miniature town in it and Satan. They ended up rejecting the script anyway [11] *It was at this point that Terry suggested Buddy Holly's "Every Day" as the theme for Good Omens. In this script some of the angels used for the series got started like Gabriel and Sandalphon and a big sequence had them use their haloes like frisbees inside the British Museum [11,12,13]

1992, Jan. Movie Script - Terry declined to write a second script, but Neil stayed and wrote one. In October the company got taken over and all dreams of a movie died [11,14] *In this script Crowley tries to run away to Alpha Centauri

2001-2002. Terry Gilliam Movie deal - Since about 1999, when he obtained the rights, and throughout the 00's Terry Gilliam tried hard to make a movie. The closest he came to it was in 2001-2002 when he got as far as casting the parts (Johnny Depp as Crowley, Robin Williams as Aziraphale, Mme. Tracey and Hastur, and Kirsten Dunst). But he couldn't get a US studio to invest the last $15M and the movie project collapsed [13,15,16] *Terry had received, back in 1989, a copy of the book asking for a blurb. The letter got lost and he thought the book had been sent as a pitch for a movie [16,17]

2004, Jun 20th - Hill House Publishers created the "Neil Gaiman's Preferred Edition Series" with limited editions of American Gods, Anansi Boys and Neverwhere. As a bonus for the subcribers, Hill House printed the 1992 movie script under the name "A Screenplay." Only 500 numbered and 52 lettered copies were ever made [11,18]

2005-2010 - The Sequel (and the Audiobooks)

2005, Jun - Terry and Neil met at the Audie Awards in New York and plotted a little more of the sequel. This was when the South Downs bit was thought up [19,20]

2005, Dec. Crowley and Aziraphale's New Year's resolutions - The list of resolutions came out sometime between Christmas and New Year's at Harper Collins' website [7] *The well-known idea of Crowley gluing coins to the sidewalk is not in the book at all, it came from this list

2006, Feb 28. New edition - The book was reissued in the US as a hardcover in two different versions. The text is the same but one version has a white cover with Crowley and Neil's name listed first, and a second version has a black cover with Aziraphale and Terry's name listed first [7,21] *This time the explanation for the authors' name order was to make sure the book could be found both under "G" and also under "P"

2006, Jul. Briggs Audiobook - ISIS released in the UK an unabridged audiobook read by Stephen Briggs in CD, MP3CD and cassette (it won the 2008 Audiobook Download of the Year by audible.co.uk) [22,23]

2009, Nov 10. Jarvis Audiobook - HarperAudio released in the US an unabridged audiobook read by Martin Jarvis in CD [24] *Martin Jarvis is the same narrator who recorded the Just William audiobooks, a nice Easter egg related to the origins of the book

2010, Sep 23 - Terry and Neil had dinner at a sushi restaurant in Cardiff and decided that the book should be adapted as a TV series and not a movie anymore (as per Terry Gilliam's advice). And if it goes well, the rest of the story, the unwritten sequel, should be adapted too [8,13,15] *It was around here that the idea of the sushi restaurant cameo with both of them being patrons started

2011-2013 - The Stage (and a failed TV series)

2011, Feb. Terry Jones TV series - Terry and Neil agreed to a deal to adapt the book into a four-part TV series made by Terry Jones and Gavin Scott. At the end they didn't quite like the script though [13,25,26]

2012, Jun - Amy Hoff's The Cult Classic Theatre was granted permission to adapt the book to a stage play [27] *One of the conditions was that no footage would be taken/made available and the script would not be shared/sold

2012, Aug- Narrativia was established as the production company that would handle all of Terry's work adaptations. The production of the TV series and of The Watch were then transferred from Prime Focus [28,29] *Narrativia was first revealed at "The Watch Team Interview" panel during the Discworld 2012 convention on Aug, 26th [28]

2013, Mar. Stage Play - Amy Hoff's play was presented on March 20-23 and 27-30 at the Cottiers Theatre in Glasgow [30]

2013, Apr - BBC drama producer Heather Larmour pitched a radio drama adaptation to the BBC [31]

2013, sometime. The Musical - Vicki Larnarch and Jim Hare, "two hippies from Sydney", had met with Terry and Rob about six months prior. Terry's interest had gotten piqued when they showed him The Chattering Order Nuns song and he asked them to come back with a showstopper and a few more songs. They came back with "All Living Things" and they got the green light to go forward with the adaptation [32]

2013, Dec 11 - In a meeting at The Groucho Club, Terry and Neil enter into talks with the BBC to adapt GO to TV [33]

2014-2015 - The Radio Drama

2014, summer - Dirk Maggs adapted the book into a Radio Drama and gave Terry and Neil a cameo as police officers pursuing Crowley [31,34] *In July, Neil advised Dirk to get Terry's recording asap, before he couldn't do it anymore. They did it in the summer and that day ended up being the last day Neil and Terry saw each other [35]. The rest of the recording happened during autumn [13]

2014, Aug - Terry asked Neil to make the TV adaptation of Good Omens, "I know, Neil, that you are very, very busy, but no one else could ever do it with the passion that we share for the old girl. I wish I could be more involved, and I will help in any way I can" [12] Neil, of course, said yes

2014, Dec. BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation - The six episodes aired between December 22nd and December 27th, 2014 on BBC Radio 4 [36]

2015, Jan 15 - Random House UK released the BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation in CD [37]

2015-2019 - The TV series (and some luxury limited editions)

2015, Mar 12 - Terry passed away 😢

2015, Mar 25 - Terry's funeral. As soon as Neil got back home, he started writing the script for the TV series [12] *Sometimes signed copies of the third draft of the pilot (dated 25 July 2015) appear in eBay

2015 - Jay James-Moody joined the team to produce the musical [32]

2016, Aug 1 - First read-through of the series script [38] *The scripts were finalized right before SDCC 2016 which was held July 21st-24th [39]. Both Maggie Service and Tim Downie were present in this read-through [40]

2017, Sep 18 - 2018, Mar 10. Season 1 shooting - Season 1 started shooting at St. James' park (with the 11 years ago scene) and ended in Cape Town, South Africa [13,41,42] *The read-through before shooting occurred on Sept 13, 2017 [43]

2017, Nov 13 - Full development reading of the musical at the York Theatre in Chippendale, Sydney, Australia [32,44]

2019, Feb 8 - The social media campaign to promote Season 1 started with a tour of the Chattering Order of St. Beryl, an acapella choir that traveled to different cities for events and TV shows [45,46]

2019, Apr 25. The Chattering Order of St. Beryl's video - The video "That Brand New Baby Smell" was released in YouTube [47]

2019, May 3 and 4 - Workshop production of the musical at IPAC in Wollongong, Australia. About ten days before the series premiere Vicki, Jim and Jay showed Neil and Rob a recording of this show [32,44,48] *Although a full recording of the workshop exists, they are not allowed to share it until it is finished

2019, May 21. Companion Book - A companion book to the TV series with interviews and behind the scenes photographs written by Matt Whyman was published by William Morrow [49]

2019, May 21. The Script Book - Headline Publishing Group released a script book in both hardback and paperback (The US edition by William Morrow followed on Jun 11th). All editions of the script book include an "Other Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" deleted scene. An exclusive edition for Waterstones included an additional deleted scene (Aziraphale in the 1800). A hardback edition limited to 1000 copies with white cover included four different deleted scenes (thugs visiting the bookshop, Leonardo DaVinci, the televangelist and Crowley clothes shopping) and a series of sketches made on set by Lorna May Wadsworth. On Jan 15th of 2020, a paperback edition with the white cover was released; it contained all five deleted scenes from the other editions and a sixth one (Aziraphale trying to sell a book); this edition does not include the sketches however. [9,50] *The script book was created so the production could pay for the death of Agnes Nutter, a scene (and a character) originally written by Terry which was too expensive to film [3]

2019, May 23. The Illustrated Edition - The Pratchett Estate and Neil agreed on a revised definitive text. It was published in five versions collectively called the Definitive Edition. Two versions were published by Gollancz which they called the Illustrated Edition; a standard hardback with black cover and a limited edition in a slipcase with white cover signed by Paul Kidby, the illustrator [51,52]

2019, May 30. "Unholy Night" - The Chattering Order of St. Beryl's released their album "Unholy Night" on Amazon Music and other digital platforms [53]

2019, May 31. TV Series - Season 1 premiered in Prime Video 😊

2019, May 31. Soundtrack - Silva Screen Records released the soundtrack in CD, vinyl and mp3/wav download [54]

2019, Jul. The Definitive Edition - The other three versions of the revised text were published by Dunmanifestin, the company established by the Pratchett Estate to handle Terry's intellectual property. All editions were limited: The Occult Edition (July 1st) with only 1655 copies in a black clamshell box, the Ineffable Edition (July 4th) with 666 copies in a deluxe box including ephemera, and the Celestial Edition, made to order with only 24 copies [52,55]

2019, Aug 2. The BBC Radio Drama Collectors Edition - A vinyl box set by Demon Records included four LPs printed in black and white in illustrated wallets, commentaries by Neil and Dirk and a set of tarot cards. An Amazon exclusive limited edition of 500 sets also included a print signed by Neil [56]

2019, Aug - Neil pitched Season 2 to Amazon [57]

2019, Oct 28. Blu-ray and DVD - Amazon released the series in DVD, Blu-ray and steelbook limited edition Blu-ray (PAL) for the UK. The US version (NSTC) followed on November 5th in both DVD and Blu-ray, there was no steelbook edition for the US market [58]

2019, Dec - John Finnemore joined as co-writer of Season 2 [57] *In this meeting, John stated that he needed to know the ending before he could write so Neil came up with the ending of Season 2 in about 5 minutes right there and then

2020-2025 - TV Series Season 2, a new Audiobook and some other adjacent projects

2020, May 1st. Lockdown Video - A short video about a phonecall between Crowley and Aziraphale was created by Narrativia and The Blank Corporation for the 30th anniversary of the book. It was released in the the official YouTube account of the Terry Pratchett Estate (@terrypratchett6025) [59]

2020, summer - Neil started writing the script for Season 2 beginning with the opening scene for episode 1 [57] *The last scene written was Gabriel organizing the books by first letter of first line. It was planned as the last scene for Episode 2 but at the end got moved to another place [60]

2020, Sep 16 - Season 2 was officially greenlit (along with Anansi Boys) [61]

2021, Mar 26 - The Hillywood Show announced the Good Omens parody project [62]

2021, Jun 29 - Amazon announced Season 2 in a press release [63]

2021, Oct 18 - 2022, Mar 1. Season 2 shooting - Season 2 started shooting in the Bathgate studio. Some scenes were shot on location in different parts of Edinburgh and other areas [64,65] *The read-through happened over October 14th and 15th, three episodes per day [66], David had to attend via zoom since he was still in isolation from Georgia's covid [67]. On the other hand, Michel McKean (Shadwell in Season 1) was present for that zoom read-through but had to be drop out also for covid reasons [68]. Peter Davison (David's-father-in law) was asked to play Job's part after shooting had started (possibly replacing Michael McKean?) and Ty Tennant (David's son) was cast too after shooting had started but through audition [69]. Maggie Service was in the very first shot of the season and also in the last day, first one in last one out as she said [70]

2021, Nov 2. Full Cast Audiobook - HarperAudio released in the US a full cast audiobook with Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and David Tennant as Crowley. The audiobook was later released in the UK on January 14th, 2022 [71,72] *The original cover for the audiobook was designed by Henry Sene Yee; a lavender background with drawings of Crowley and Aziraphale facing away from each other. After Season 2 was released, the cover changed to one of the promotional posters [73]

2023, Mar 15. Good Omens HQ - The Terry Pratchett Estate and Neil Gaiman created Good Omens Headquarters. The headquarters launched official accounts in several social media platforms and a website that keeps track of collector's items as they are being revealed [74]

2023, May 10. Good Omens Parody - The Hillywood Show's parody premiered in their YouTube channel (thehillywoodshow) [75] *Amazon Video partnered with Hillywood to announce the premiere date for Season 2 within their parody video. Neil, Maggie Service and Daniel Mays appeared as guests

2023, Jul 28. TV Series Season 2 - Season 2 premiered in Prime Video 😊 *As part of the promo campaign two days before the premiere, Amazon screened the first two episodes in cinemas in several cities free for Amazon Prime members

2023-2024 - The Graphic Novel

2023, Aug 1. Graphic Novel - The Kickstarter campaign to fund the graphic novel adaptation with Colleen Doran as illustrator launched [76] *At its closure, 36,867 backers had pledged £2,419,973 (notice it is pounds, not dollars)

2023, Aug 25. Season 2 Soundtrack - Silva Screen Records released the soundtrack for season 2 in CD, vinyl and mp3/wav download [54]

2023, Dec 14 - Season 3 was officially greenlit [77]

2024, Apr 18 - The Graphic Novel Pledgemanager site launches for people who missed the Kickstarter campaign or to add extras to an already existing pledge [78]

2024, Jul 13 - Vicki Larnach, Jim Hare and Jay James Moody appeared as virtual guests at Nullus Anxietas 9, the Australian Discworld Convention 2024 held in Adelaide, to talk about recent push for the musical [79]

2025 - The Future

2025, January - Season 3 is scheduled to begin filming [80]

2025, Spring - Graphic novel is scheduled to be released [76] *The original release date was in July of 2024, however in April of 2024 it was announced that it would need to be pushed to the Spring of 2025 (Update #20)

There should be a special mention of a fan created musical parody for YouTube that was in development in Russia by 62Media. This was completely fan made and not connected to the Pratchett Estate, Neil, the BBC or Amazon (which is why it is not in the list). Unfortunately it had to shut down due to COVID [81]

Fun fact: During the tour to promote the book, back in 1989-1990 the song "Shoehorn With Teeth" by They Might Be Giants became the unofficial anthem of the tour since that is what they always ended up singing when things went too crazy [82]

[balkanradfem]

This post is a continuation of the growing seedlings in my apartment, since that one got very long! If you want to read about growing little seeds from the start in your home, you can read that too.

Last time I set some seeds in damp paper towels, and sealed them in a plastic bag in order to germinate them; it's been a few days, so I'm checking if any have germinated yet. And they have!

This is how the tiny germinated seeds look like, they've started growing roots in random direction since they're in a paper towel. Some of them still didn't germinate, so I wrapped them back in, and they'll activate in a day or two. The basil seed that looks like a little snake in the bottom, has already went a little too far; the plant has already abandoned the shell and I can see little leaves are out, I'm not sure if that one is going to make it, but I'll give it a best shot. The rest looks good! I'm going to plant them.

From this step on, one must treat the germinated seeds very gently; if you break that very fragile sprout, they're done for, that is all they have to collect nutrients with. The seeds only have as much energy stored in them as it takes to break the seed, get out, open first two leaves, and grow their roots an inch or so, for every step after that, they're relying on those leaves to collect the sunlight, and then later, roots to draw nutrients from the soil. So they're just a little blob of energy and potential that has been awakened and is now testing the world for survival ability.

I prepared some soil and cups, and filled the cups with damp soil, just like the last time. I'm going to gently place the seeds just a tiny bit under the soil, so they don't have a lot of trouble getting out. Then I'm peppering bit of airy soil on them, again, very gently so nothing breaks. Then I'm spraying them with water, they should never dry out, and placing labels on all of them because it's impossible to remember what you put where. This isn't a lot of seeds to plant at once, this method usually germinates slowly across a few days, so you're never overwhelmed with how much there is to plant, and I appreciate that.

Since all of my cups have holes at the bottom, for drainage, I'm putting them into watertight plastic containers.

And then they're joining the gang! I've marked all plants in the picture that have broken out of soil.

This isn't the usual way to plant things; normally people will sow the seeds in late February or early March, and sow exactly the amount they need, that is not what I'm doing right now. I'm putting these seeds early, because if they make it, they're going to make a first wave of early plants. I will risk planting them out earlier, and if they don't die of frostbite, they're going to be the best established, most early producing plants. They'll give me food sooner than the rest of the garden would. This risk paid off for every single year I did it, and these plants would grow to be the biggest and the strongest.

Now, growing these seeds inside so early in January might be frustrating, because it will happen very slow, with low success rate, notice some of my first seeds didn't even get out, but that doesn't bother me, because I'm basically going to germinate new seeds every two weeks, so that I could plant them in waves. The reason why it's going so slow right now, is merely because of how little hours of the sunlight we have. If you're ever growing plants in fall or winter and they're not thriving or they're dying and being unhappy or leggy or sick, it's often got nothing to do with you, and everything to do with the weather, temperature, and the amount of sun there is in the day. When the weather gets sunny, light, warm, damp, even slightly windy, these plants will start growing like nobody's business. It's the same with the garden as well, if it's not regularly blessed with sun and rain, it will be slow and annoying, and then bursting with growth as soon as it gets rained on. Hours of the light in the day determine how fast your plant is going to grow, and if you're relying on the sun like me, you can't really do much about it, just keep your plants in the lightest spot in your place.

Planting in March is way more satisfying because the plants will make progress in a week, what plants in January make in a month. Those hours of sunlight add up! But, I want some early plants, and I love to gaze at the slow growing babies too, so I will make it thru this.

[dolce-tenebra-toscana]

La Squadra taking you on a date on V. Day

i know, i know is not V Day anymore!! But i had the biggest writer's block and i didn't like anything i tried to write :(

SO, i'm super late, but i still hope you'll like this one my little caramel drizzled cupcakes!

Risotto: " Concert Date "

You and Risotto had lots in common, but the one thing that really connected your souls was music.

Him, knowing this, decided to recreate your first encounter at the local music shop; so he woke up earlier than usual and started writing on sticky notes that left on your bedroom's door and kitchen's counter before getting out of the house.

After finding those notes you decided to put on your favourite outfit and happily followed the instructions, that lead you to a very familiar music shop; you saw from afar the tall, stern, goth man that stole your heart a long time ago and when you approached him, he kissed your cheek and opened the door for you.

The scent of incense, the light dust on the shelves, the hundreds of vinyls waiting to be listened and maybe brought home, everything was just like that rainy october day...

You spent the morning listening to music, then grabbed lunch at your favourite kebab place, went to the beach to bother other couples just for fun and when the evening came...Risotto tossed you a helmet and drove you out of town with him.

You let the february breeze hit your face, hugging your boyfriend from behind while he rode his chopper ( no one except Melone knows about his motorcycle, and it has to remain that way ) and after a while you both stopped in front of an old warehouse and once you opened the door...you started laughing and bawling your eyes.

It was a concert, but not any concert, it was the band who played at the local music festival the day he asked you on a date the first time!

The two of you started making your way towards the stage and once you were under it, you let yourself go: headbanging, singing, screaming....It was perfect!

At a certain point Risotto embraced you, and kissed you with all the passion he was capable of and of course you happily reciprocated. You didn't care about anything in that moment, everything was just right.

Formaggio: " Soccer Date "

Formaggio loves 3 things in his life: You, food and " A Roma"; he was grateful to his favourite team for many good memories but meeting you was the best.

So he decided for V Day to bring you with him, with a VIP pass to see the derby Roma-Lazio and meet the whole team!

He knew what people may be thinking: bringing your gf to see a soccer match on the sacred day for lovers? ewwww!! But they didn't consider one lil detail: you!

You were a Roma's fan even more hyper than him: you liked the adrenaline, the camaraderie, the ups and downs after every match...and that's what made him fall for you.

He worked his butt off for months, took more missions (even with illuso, that says a lot about how much he loves you) and even robbed a couple of " Poste Italiane " to get the money but in the end he did it!

You had to work the whole morning, but the promise of your lover to make you spend " the best night of your life " made you go through the whole deal of snobbish costumers and unpleasant people at your job.

Once you got out you saw Formaggio grinning in your direction, wearing his " completo da Stadio": Roma's shirt, hat, gloves, scarf and even a trumpet! He ran towards you and swept you off your feet, peppering your face with kisses.

Hand in hand you ran to catch up the last bus, already filled with other Roma's fans and once the two of you arrived in front of Stadio Olimpico, you thought you were going with with the other fans but Formaggio stopped you; the two of you were escorted from another entrance and instead of the stadium...you got inside the locker room...with the whole Roma's team welcoming you and yelling "Buon San Valentino rega!!" (ooh what money and some threatening to the manager can do...sometimes being in the mafia has it's perks)

You couldn't believe all this, you were just screaming and jumping and asking autographs here and there...When HIM came foreward holding a bouquet of red and yellow roses: Roma's team leader Francesco Totti.

Er Pupone smiled at you and Formaggio and, after wishing you a happy V day, asked the assistants to lead you to your vip seats where you watched the rest of the game with such happiness and you were literally vibrating on the spot. Formaggio looked at you with loving and adoring eyes, feeling so lucky to have you in his life.

Once Totti sealed the deal, humiliating Lazio once again, the two of you cheered with the rest of the fans and kissed under the victory fireworks, holding each other like no one else in the world existed.

Illuso: " Spa Date "

Illuso was picky with everything: picky with food, clothing, accessories, people...especially the people he chose to date.

At first the two of you didn't like each other at all, he was so sobbish and straight up mean! He ordered you around at your job, treating you like a servant whenever he went to have his spa day at the beauty center you worked. He pushed your buttons in so many ways one time you just had enough and straight up threw his drink in his face yelling that no matter the masks and treatments...he still was ugly af inside! You had this staring contest for a long time before making out on the sauna bench and being almost caught by your boss!

You both now laugh at that memory and look with tenderness at the path you walked together from that day; Illuso matured (but shows this side only to you) emotionally and you on the other hand learned to stand up for yourself more; that's why he decided to treat you good on V day this year.

He called your boss and asked/bribed her if he could rent the massage room, the one with the jacuzzi (it was your favourite) for the day and promised to be very careful with the equipment. After some convincing ( and 500,000 lires ) she said yes and so instead of going to work and help girls prepare themselves for their dated...you were the pampered one for a change! And by a very sexy masseur.

Illuso made you change with the soft bathrobe the spa gave the costumers, with your bikini under it, and started giving you massages while you laid on the bench.

Your mind was floating: the candles, the roses, the champagne, the oil and his hands on your body were everything you could ask for and more...

Once your massage session was over, the two of you moved to the jacuzzi and cheered to your relationship with the champagne and sharing a tender kiss between the bubbles, yes he was still kind of a jerk for the other 364 days of the year...but he was your jerk, and to be honest you weren't that better yourself... but you didn't care, you had each other and the world could off itself if it didn't approve.

Melone: " Festival/Carnival Date "

Melone can make everything romantic, in his own weird way...But he tries and that's what matters to you.

Melone organise surprises and bring you gifts basically every month but what kinda worries you is that your beloved purple weirdo doesn't know what the word " simple " means: one time he said he got you a lil something to ease your loneliness when he was gone, and you ended up with a cat! One time you said that you would have loved to own a pair of Gucci shoes...AND HE LITERALLY ROBBED A GUCCI BOUTIQUE FOR YOU!

You had to sit with him and talk about the way he can show you love without going over the top, but you had this conversation with Melone so many time in the end you just gave up.

He wanted to surpass himself this V day tho, he wanted to bring you to the most special place in his proud tuscan heart! So he texted you that morning telling you to wear your cutest outfit and to be prepared to be surprised in the evening...And so you did.

You spent the whole day doing your hair, makeup, showering, nails, choosing your outfit and also thinking about what he had in mind this time:maybe he booked a super exclusive resturant, or maybe he was going to bring you to a resort out of town...Or maybe he bought you a pony like you wanted when you were 6!

You held tight during the whole ride with him still wandering where the heck you two were going...only to stop in front of pure tuscan chaos: food stands, folk music, wine and laughing people verywhere, there was also a tiny carnival in the back of the park.

you asked confused where thw two of you were and he proudly yelled " Welcome to La Sagra del Tortello e del Cinghiale cittina mia!!" (this event is actually a very famous festival in my region, i go there every year and is amazing) and waited for your reaction with big puppy eyes.

You remained speechless for a long time, confused and actually not knowing what to say...But then it hit you! This was Melone's hometown!! He was sharing with you such an intimate part of himself, not even his teammates knew about the place he came from; they knew he was tuscan but the city has always been a mystery.

You started giggling and hugged him so tight you actually cracked his back (he was also thankful for that, his posture was the worst) and thanked him for this gift. He smiled even more and after takig your hand he showed you around, offering you typical food of his land, dancing with you while the folk music hyped the whole town with it's cheery tunes...In the end the two of you sat on a hill, watching the lanterns being lit up and flying in the sky, under a pine tree.

He covered your shoulders with his jacket and as the two of you snuggled he asked shyly if you had fun, you answered by kissing him and saying if you could travel around tuscany more often...

he said " Of course cittina mia, but what do i always say?"

you laughed and answered " Gli unici posti da levare di torno, sono Arezzo, Pisa e Livorno " ( the only places to erase from existance, are Arezzo pisa and livorno. I have nothing against these cities personally but the meme about us tuscans being petty with each other that much is real ahah)

Melone hugged you and said " Well done tesoro! Di molto bene!!"

Ghiaccio: " Home Date "

Ghiaccio hates cheesy stuff, he thinks relationship are private matters ad no one should be seen parading hearts pillows, roses, matching shirts and all that crap...But that was cause by years of rejection and bad love stories.

When the two of you got together you quickly learned that his love language was a silent one: leaving you the last slice of pizza, always lowering the toilet seat after he went to the bathroom, cooking dinner if you felt too tired to do that... You appreciated all this and always made sure to let him know that! But sometimes you craved that romcom bullcrap you saw on tv, you wanted to be surprised with flowers, go on dates where you could show the world that you two were happy together and stuff like that; but you knew Ghiaccio and all these fantasies had to remain in your head..

He decided to try this year tho, he decided to REALLY try to make something romantic for you: he called risotto and asked him for a free day, ordered your favourite takeout, got tons of beer and your favourite drink, rented your favourite movies, got all the blankets he could find in the house...Damn he even baked you a cake!

He wanted to show you properly that he cared this time, and he was gonna succed in his mission!

You came home expecting nothing, as usual in this particular day but once uìyou opened the door your mouth went agape: the room had soft lights, candles, flowers...And a very embarassed Ghiaccio waiting for you on the couch with a little box in his hands.

The young man mumbled a " Happy Valentine's day tosa..i love you" and you just had to pepper his face with kisses and hug him; you sat next to him and asked what made him change his mind, he just answered that you deserved something nice for putting up with him all this time.

The two of you spent the rest of the evening eating your favourite food and the cake Ghiaccio baked, watching movies, playing videogames and just chilling, if before you did dream about the romcom v day, what your boyfriend prepared for you this day was way more romantic and thoughtful.

Just a little before midnight, he gave you the box he was holding at the beginning of your specal night, and once you opened it you started crying happy tears: inside you saw a necklace with a crystal snowflake, the one you saw in that jewelry months ago but was too pricey for you.

You hugged Ghiaccio, that reciprocated and held you tight with all the affection his stubborn ass could show...in the meantime on tv the reporter talked with the distressed owner of a jewelry, but robberies happens everyday and this was no special..right?

Prosciutto: " Travel date "

Prosciutto had one plan in mind: get the hell out of La Squadra's radar! He spent too many V day hoping to be alone with you, and in each one the boys came out of nowhere made him look like a fool at a certain point!

But not this year, no this was the year where he planned everything one step ahead of his teammates and he was going to make you feel like the princess you were in his eyes!

He booked a flight to bring you to the city you always wanted to visit in Europe, a fancy hotel room for two nights and bought you an item from your favourite fashion brand ( he is classy and so is his lady )

You woke up at 3 am on february 13, and with a very sleepy voice asked him if something was wrong, he only answered " We have one hour before Illuso or Melone notices we are gone. We have to hurry picciottina mia"

At hearing those words you suddenly woke up and dressed as quick as possible, grabbed your luggage ( prosciutto prepared both his and yours the day before ) and ran to the airport; once you saw the plane leaving the land you both high fived and relaxed for the first time in a week. Prosciutto knwe his friends were only goofing around, but Valentine's day was special to him and he wanted to have one without problems with his girlfriend for once!

The landing went smoothly and after a quick taxi ride you got inside the hotel room, what you saw in front of you was everything you could ask for: champagne, rose petals, a fireplace, your favourite dish and strawberries covered in chocolate...

You turned around and held his face, caressing his cheek and leaving sweet kisses all over it ( you loved the gap between his teeth and slight overbite so much, it was too cute ) and lead him to the bed.

You spent all day in your bedroom: talking, loving each other, eating and drinking the goodies the hotel gave you and when the evening came you both dressed up and went to dinner to a typical resturant of the country you chose to visit and once your heard the bells of midnight ringing, you shared one last kiss, wishing each other a happy Valentine's day and hugging tight like you always did,praying to spend many many more valetine's days like this one in the future

Happy late V day everyone :D and sorry for the delay, love you all cuties and i hope life is treating you good <3

[shinygoku]

With the Beatles (1963)

Time for part 2 of CutCat Reviews Beatles Albums now it's February!

An iconic picture to be sure, but I'm not wild on it. Maybe it reminds me too much of trying to fit pictures into a small MS Paint Canvas? lol

Like with Please Please Me, I think there's some songs that slipped under the osmosis radar and that I ain't heard in full. Though I think the only albums I've listened to from start to finish all in order are the 1 CD, Revolver and Sgt Pepper, so I'll stop mentioning it on these early and the later ones... We're also still in "a fair few Covers" country, so will I be as mild on them as I was on the Non-Boys of PPM?

SIDE ONE

It Won't Be Long: I first heard this fairly recently, on the radio that was playing in another room. My thoughts weren't that strong, other than that "She Loves You" does the Yeah! repetition better lmao. Having been able to it properly since, though, I'm a lot warmer to it! It's optimistic and energetic, and the even higher amount of Yeahs is funny (though I maintain that SLY easily wins the Yeah Battle... but more on that when I reach it~). Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!!

All I've Got To Do: This one seems to get slept on a lot... it's pretty solid, but it doesn't really offer any particular Iconic moments. The chorus shakes things up in a nice way but it seems Sticking Power ain't something it has. It's one of many songs that go to show how amazing this band was, as this isn't bad, but it's been left far behind by the other songs they've blessed us with, innit?

All My Loving: Now THIS is a memorable song! Such a jaunty guitar with the direct words! A real narrative is being laid out, albeit as an assertion of future things being promised~ Ah nuts, it blasted my memory of the previous song outta my head... XD - Seems this is the only one that got Red Album'd in this list? Wild that it's only the 1, but I think the right choice was made.

Don't Bother Me: George time! I'm not clear on if the narrative here is a post-breakup or if he's being dramatic about a spell away from the GF, but the main crux is that he doesn't want non-GF contact at that point in time. It's much moodier than most'a their stuff from this time, and there's more damn nice instrumental work.

Little Child: The title on it's own has me somewhat 8(, and the lyrics unfortunately confirm this [albeit Dancing on it's own ain't that bad, but one knows Dancing is often a euphemism in songs like this, or a precursor to more]... I'm sorry for such a negative, potentially pearl-clutching response. But also the music isn't charming me enough to coax me into softening my view. The first real Dud of this album, imo.

Till There Was You: Now THIS, I like! I was baffled why this seems to fly under the radar of Iconic Beatles Songs, but I since found out it's a cover, so that's probably the explanation. The lyrics are decent but the real appeal is that absolutely gorgeous guitar work and bongos, they provide such a warm feel~ It's also giving me strong "Anime Ending Credits Sequence" vibes, which I'm quite partial to ^w^ ...Issit just me or does Paul gain a slight Irish accent when he says "no, I never heard (them/it) at all" :0c

Please Mr. Postman: This I DID know was a cover from the start, haha! It's a very catchy song, but even with my sizable Beatle Bias, I can't really commit to declaring this one as the best... it's very good and very listen-able, but it may be that the definitive Mr Postman is somewhere else...

SIDE TWO

Roll Over Beethoven: Again, it's a cover, but I've not heard Chuck Berry's OG take at the time of writing. The song is pretty groovy, George's vocals ring nicely. I'm not dazzled, but I like it well enough :>

Hold Me Tight: Another Beatles original, another one that tends to get omitted from Mentions...! It's nice, but a lot plainer than most'a the stuff, lacks a certain Pizazz

You Really Got a Hold on Me: Another cover, one I've prolly heard before by a non-Beatles act, while this one is another Fine, Inoffensive romp that I lack strong feelings for lol

I Wanna Be Your Man: Now I know this one was somewhat famously given to The Rolling Stones, and I even heard that played on the radio too. When it was their version, I wasn't impressed. Sung by Ringo, as it had been intended initially? ....I'm still not that impressed. Mostly in the lyrics, it's real repetitive! But my Ringo bias keeps it afloat, and it's odd Mid-ness makes it more memorable than others on this album.

Devil In Her Heart: A good cover, this! George doing nice vocals and the candance to the title is catchy, and ooooh the instruments in the background are also fun, are those maracas I hear? It gets bonus points for the harmonies disagreeing with the lead too, hehe

Not A Second Time: The last original of this album, and it's not really doing it for me. Something about it kinda blurs into itself. Their later betrayal type numbers are more my bag, baby

Money (That's What I Want): And we're closing the experience with one more cover. I dig the instruments, most notably the piano, but the song itself is just, like, whatever lmao, Maybe it's too overtly materialistic and a bit listless? Man oh man does the Pink Floyd Money blow this outta the water lmaooo

CONCLUSION

Best 3: It Won't Be Long, All My Loving, Till There Was You

Blurst 3: Little Child, Not A Second Time, Money (That's What I Want)

Overall Quality?: An improvement over Please Please Me, though in a way it's more level quality makes it a bit harder to pick the best at least best songs in it. Most of the covers are again decent but not amazing, and the originals are hit and miss. Unfortunately it seems side 1 got the Lion's Share of memorable, fun numbers, leaving side 2 with also-rans, though in that is Devil in Her Heart at least!

🪲🪲🪲🪲

On the next part, it shall have been (?) A Hard Day's Night and its all-original song lineup! Just the Album though, if I'm looking at the Film it'll be another, separate instalment ^w^;

[bookclub4m]

Episode 189 - Romantic Comedies & Humorous Romance

This episode we’re discussing the fiction genre of Romantic Comedies! We talk about the difference between “fun” and “funny,” crossover romance genres, cataloguing romance fiction, and more!

You can download the podcast directly, find it on Libsyn, or get it through Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast delivery system.

In this episode

Anna Ferri | Meghan Whyte | Matthew Murray | Jam Edwards

Things We Read (or tried to…)

The House Witch by Delemhach

A Witch's Guide to Fake Dating a Demon by Sarah Hawley

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston 

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake

Take Me Home by Lorelie Brown 

I Kissed a Girl by Jennet Alexander 

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Other Media We Mentioned

When Harry Met Sally… (Wikipedia)

The Bear (Wikipedia)

Nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

The Martian (Wikipedia)

Golden Globes change comedy rules after controversial win for The Martian

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Beetlejuice (Wikipedia)

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare

You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Judgment (video game)

Bridgertons Series by Julia Quinn

Crazy Stupid Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

A Very Merry Bromance by Lyssa Kay Adams

The Duke Who Didn’t by Courtney Milan

Cats (2019 film) (Wikipedia)

Links, Articles, and Things

Episode 119: Regency Romance

What does a happily ever after look like? (romance novel covers)

Sensible Chuckle (Know Your Meme)

There Is Only One Bed (TV Tropes)

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

Does the Dog Die?

20 Humorous Romance by BIPOC Authors

Every month Book Club for Masochists: A Readers’ Advisory Podcasts chooses a genre at random and we read and discuss books from that genre. We also put together book lists for each episode/genre that feature works by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour) authors. All of the lists can be found here.

Courting Samira by Amal Awad

The Wildest Ride by Marcella Bell

A Proposal They Can't Refuse by Natalie Caña

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao

How to Find a Princess by Alyssa Cole

You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

Game On by Seressia Glass

Manhattan Dreaming by Anita Heiss

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson

Much Ado about Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli

The Stand-Up Groomsman by Jackie Lau

Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee 

The Secret to a Southern Wedding by Synithia Williams

Pride and Protest by Nikki Payne

Tastes Like Shakkar by Nisha Sharma

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa

The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu 

Give us feedback!

Fill out the form to ask for a recommendation or suggest a genre or title for us to read!

Check out our Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, join our Facebook Group, or send us an email!

Join us again on Tuesday, February 20th we’ll be talking about our reading resolutions for 2024! 

Then on Tuesday, March 5th we’ll be discussing the genre of Dark Fantasy!

[rabbitcruiser]

National Tartar Sauce Day

French fries with ketchup. Chicken wings with barbecue sauce. And fish with tartar sauce. These pairings of food with sauces are classics that just about anyone will love. And today is the day to celebrate the sauce.

Specifically, it’s National Tartar Sauce Day! So get ready to grab some seafood and pile on the tartar sauce!

History of National Tartar Sauce Day

While National Tartar Sauce Day is a fairly recent celebration, it has roots that go back to approximately 1400 years ago. When Pope St. Gregory declared that people should abstain from eating meat on Fridays, the people started eating fish, instead, since it wasn’t considered to be flesh. The significance of Friday is that the Christian tradition believes that Jesus Christ died on a Friday.

In the 1960s, the rules changed a bit and many people of the Catholic tradition began abstaining from meat on Fridays only during the Lenten season. Lent is the period of time that falls 40 days (not counting Sundays) prior to Easter. Many people still continue this tradition of eating fish on Fridays during Lent.

And of course, with the tradition of eating fish regularly often comes the delicious addition of tartar sauce!

National Tartar Sauce Day was founded in 2017 by Frisch’s Big Boy, a chain of classic restaurants in the American Midwest. The restaurant established the day in celebration of the sauce that pairs so well with fish, which is eaten in larger quantities during this time of year.

In fact, National Tartar Sauce Day is a rolling holiday that follows the religious calendar and always falls on the first Friday of Lent, either in late February or early March. So get ready to enjoy some seafood because it’s time to celebrate National Tartar Sauce Day!

How to Celebrate National Tartar Sauce Day

Get involved with celebrating National Tartar Sauce Day with some of these fun ideas:

Order Up Some Fish with Tartar Sauce

Of course, the best way to pay heed to National Tartar Sauce Day is to enjoy some with a serving of fish. Head out to a restaurant that serves seafood, like Frisch’s Big Boy, for instance, and order up a plate of fish with tartar sauce. Even McDonald’s serves its Filet-O-Fish sandwich with a portion of tartar sauce on the bun!

Try Making Tartar Sauce at Home

Those who are feeding a family or who just prefer to eat at home might want to have their own fish fry on National Tartar Sauce Day! And what is the best thing to serve with that fish? Well, it’s the sauce, of course!

Making tartar sauce at home actually isn’t very difficult at all and only requires a few ingredients. The main base is mayonnaise with a few other ingredients, like mustard, sweet pickle relish and lemon juice. For additional flavor, some people might prefer to add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, black pepper or capers.

Pile the tartar sauce high on the plates, right next to the fish, and watch the family dig in!

Source

[puzzlebean]

Here is part two of my Femslash February 2023 masterlist! I had a lot of fun creating all these works and I hope people enjoy reading them 💗

Sunrise [Avatrice, Warrior Nun, 100 words, General]

Ava and Beatrice watch the sunrise together.

Home [Danbeau, Marvel, 100 words, Teen and Up]

Sometimes Carol feels like a shell of who she was. Being around her family helps. At least she's home again.

Ice Cream [Bishlova, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Yelena and Kate go on an ice cream date after their mission.

Everything Has a Reason [Alisha/Kiko, Lightyear, 100 words, General]

It feels like fate somehow, Kiko thinks.

Among the Stars [Alisha/Kiko, Lightyear, 100 words, General]

Alisha has a hard time with everything that happened but then she meets Kiko and things start looking up.

Wedding Night [Gwen/Morgana, Merlin BBC, 100 words, Mature]

Gwen and Morgana enjoy their wedding night.

Coffee [Wenclair, Wednesday, 100 words, Teen and Up]

Wednesday likes sweetness when it comes to Enid.

A Safe Place to Stay [Sharon/Sarah, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Sarah provides Sharon with a safe place to stay. It becomes so much more than that.

The Best [Sharon/Sarah, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Sharon is very much in love with her girlfriend Sarah.

Serenade [Sharon/Natasha, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Sharon sings for Natasha and it sounds like love.

Darcy’s Person [Jane/Darcy, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Jane is Darcy's person.

Crush [Clary/Rebecca, Shadowhunters, 100 words, General]

Simon teases Clary about her crush on his sister.

Everything Gets Better With You [Alisha/Kiko, Lightyear, 100 words, General]

Kiko is looking foward to going on another date with Alisha.

Opposite Sides [Bishlova, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Yelena can't help but like Kate.

It's Okay [Carol/Rogue, X-Men Animated Series, 100 words, General]

Anna doesn't trust herself to not hurt Carol again.

She's Special [Jessika/Rey, Star Wars, 100 words, Teen and Up]

Jess knows there's something special about Rey.

Welcome [Lulli/Vanessa, Lulli 2021, 100 words, General]

Lulli hears Vanessa's thoughts. They are not unwelcome.

The Future [Elena/Vanessa, Lulli 2021, 100 words, General]

Vanessa asks Elena to be her roommate.

Close [Elena/Vanessa, Lulli 2021, 100 words, General]

Elena is glad she and Vanessa have gotten close.

Tattoos [Pepper/Natasha, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Natasha wants to belong to Pepper.

Happy [Jessika/Rey, Star Wars, 100 words, General]

Rey asks Poe if Jessika has mentioned her.

Not A Mystery [Daisy/Hazel, Murder Most Unladylike, 100 words, General]

Hazel realizes she has feelings for Daisy.

Day Off? [Deb/Pam, Q-Force, 100 words, General]

Deb wants to enjoy a day off with her wife but they are interrupted.

Never [Allison/Lydia, Teen Wolf, 100 words, General]

Lydia loves Allison even though she will never have her.

Agonizing [Johanna/Rachel, The Sandman, 100 words, General]

Johanna knows she must leave Rachel.

Totally Adorable [Elena/Vanessa, Lulli 2021, 100 words, General]

Elena and Vanessa make dinner together.

Understood [Jacqueline Box/Stat, Q-Force, 100 words, General]

No one understands Stat like Jacqueline does.

Passport [Monica/Wanda, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Monica goes on the run with Wanda.

Last Forever [Aneka/Ayo, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Ayo thinks about when she first fell in love with Aneka.

Indulging [Lucienne/Gault, The Sandman, 100 words, General]

Lucienne thinks she deserves to indulge every now and then.

Proud of Her [Deb/Pam, Q-Force, 100 words, General]

Pam is proud of her wife.

Proposal [Avatrice, Warrior Nun, 100 words, General]

Ava asks Beatrice to marry her.

Fortunate [Elena/Vanessa, Lulli 2021, 100 words, General]

Elena is happy with the way her life turned out.

Carefully [Wenclair, Wednesday, 100 words, General]

Wednesday and Enid talk about Enid's parents.

Desires [Sharon/Emma, Marvel, 100 words, Mature]

It's pure lust. Sharon is okay with that.

Devoted [Mary/Shannon, Warrior Nun, 100 words, Teen and Up]

It's hard to love the Warrior Nun.

Changes [Daisy/Amina, Murder Most Unladylike, 100 words, General]

Daisy learns that some changes are good. Amina is one of them.

Hold Me [Wanda/Natasha, Marvel, 100 words, General]

Natasha takes care of Wanda after a hard mission.

The Light [Sharon/Sarah, Marvel, 100 words, General]

No one knows Sharon like Sarah does.

Can't Wait (It's a Date) [Elena/Vanessa, Lulli 2021, 100 words, General]

Vanessa asks Elena on a date.

A Dream [Alisha/Kiko, Lightyear, 100 words, General]

Alisha is happy with the way her life turned out. She hopes Buzz finds the same.

[malcohen]

the loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly ;

Character Name: Malcolm Cohen

Character Age: 33

Character Birthday: February 1, 1991

Gender & Pronouns: Male, He/Him

Time in Tonopah Valley: 2 years

Occupation: Bouncer at The Raven

Gang Affiliation: Hellraisers

Neighborhood: Downtown

Face Claim: Paul Mescal

BASICS.

Sexuality: Bisexual

Ethnicity: White

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue

Height: 5'11

Hometown: Dorchester, MA

Education: High School Degree; Completed Associates Degree in Psychology during time in prison

Languages: English

Relationship Status: Single

Children: None

STATS.

Personality Type: ENFJ-T

Moral Alignment: Neutral Good

Positive Traits: Easygoing, Empathetic, Honest, Protective, Supportive

Negative Traits: Addictive, Defensive, Paranoid, Indecisive

Mental Health: Depression, Addiction

Fears: Ending up alone forever.

FAMILY .

Father: Joshua Cohen

Mother: Marie Cohen née Doherty

Siblings: Hannah Cohen (deceased)

BACKGROUND. (tw: drug abuse, overdose)

Born in Boston to a normal middle-class family. His parents didn't make amazing money but they had all they needed never went without.

Mal struggled with depression from a young age and, in turn, started acting out. Joined a bad crowd, started experimenting with drugs, got suspended a lot. It was a cry for help but his parents, despite their best efforts, just didn't know what to do.

Didn't go to college but started bartending at a local pub and eventually got his own place in his early twenties. Parents thought this would get him to grow up but all his newfound freedom made things worse. Drug use started getting out of hand and Malcolm turned into someone his family didn't recognize. Still, they tried to be supportive.

Things came to a head in his late twenties though when his sister asked him to buy her Adderall so she could study for her law exams. He gave her a few pills from a new stash that he figured would do the trick. Unfortunately, the pills were laced and Hannah died two days later.

His parents hired a lawyer for him, but kind of used it as their last parting gift, cutting him off once and for all after his sentencing. He got a deal and plead guilty to manslaughter, serving 3 years in prison. The guilt ate at him alive, knowing it was him that should have been the one to die, but after some time, he decided he needed to turn his life around.

Malcolm has been sober for 5 years, out of prison for two. Instead of contacting his parents after his release, he thought it better to let them be. Even if they could mend things, the relationship between them could never be the same. He harbors no ill will towards them and understands that his actions were unforgivable.

Ended up moving across the country to Tonopah at the suggestion of his cousin Maeve, hoping for a fresh start. Eventually got hired at The Raven as a bouncer.

His growing friendship with Nate, his boss, quickly led to an invitation to become a prospect for the Hellraisers. Although he was initially cautious and trying to avoid trouble, the Hellraisers offered him a sense of belonging that he had been missing for a while. About a year later, Malcolm became a full-fledged member of the MC.

He finds that he's the happiest he's ever been mentally since getting sober, even if his circumstances aren't so great. He even leads AA meetings from time to time when they need someone. Tries to be very in touch with his emotions and do good deeds for others whenever he can.

He's generally pretty soft spoken, but at work or otherwise he isn't afraid to get in someone's face if they're out of line. He's from Boston, he's had his fair share of tussles.

He loves being outdoors and going on long hikes.

Has an 9-year-old french bulldog named Pepper that he adopted from the local humane society after getting out of prison. He credits Pepper with keeping him sane during those first few months.

[strawberryclothing]

Baltimore Orioles Corbin Burnes 39 Signature Shirt

Cleveland Wizard Collage T Shirt The most Cleveland Wizard Collage T Shirt thing she did on a regular basis is that she could tell if I was starting to go into an asthma attack. She would wake me up at night by licking my face. If I wouldn’t get up, she would then bite my hair and pull it. She kept at it until I got up. She knew I needed to use my asthma inhaler.

Baseball Team Brooms Piling Up In Cleveland Simpson Shirt However, Amber has never been a really Baseball Team Brooms Piling Up In Cleveland Simpson Shirt cat. While my boyfriend’s cat immediately attacked the virtual fishes and insects with fervor, Amber just stared at the screen blankly…she does make some taps once or twice but she didn’t have any interest in it, just sitting and following the motions with her eyes.

Baltimore Orioles Corbin Burnes 39 Signature Shirt I thought she wanted water. She was Baltimore Orioles Corbin Burnes 39 Signature Shirt me like she does when she wants water. And doing the same to my mom. She was going back and forth from room to room yowling and scratching at us. My mom finally woke up. She felt shaky. Then she saw the blood. She barely had enough strength to yell out for me and I woke instantly.

Andy Pettitte New York Yankees Number Circle Signature Shirt First, when my Andy Pettitte New York Yankees Number Circle Signature Shirt went to the local animal shelter to pick out a kitten, he said he was initially overwhelmed and unsure how to choose just one from among so many. He saw a tiny black and white kitten alone in a cage and asked why that was. The staff explained that they caged the cats according to how they were brought in and since this little guy had been found alone, he was caged alone.

Funny I love myself to death shirt This statement implies that when someone spends money, the Funny I love myself to death shirt disappears. However, whenever money is spent, the money still exists in the hands of the recipient of that spending. Then when that person spends that money they received, again, it does not disappear, it is transferred to the recipient of THAT spending etc. At the end of all that spending, at the end of the given time period, the money used will still exist and can be considered as savings, in someone’s pocket. So someone making that argument for the macroeconomy must be talking about something other than spending of money. Perhaps they are talking about wealth. Perhaps they are implying that all that spending depletes wealth.

Best Red hot chili peppers tour in maryland heights mo on july 30 2024 poster shirt I don’t leave everything up, but I do leave our tree up. All the Best Red hot chili peppers tour in maryland heights mo on july 30 2024 poster shirt have a special meaning, and we like to look at them, talk about them, and remember the times associated with each one. Having that glittery, softly lit beauty in the front room just gives our house some cheer in the bleak days of winter. Also, we always get a live tree, and I can’t bear to trash it until it completely dries out. It takes a long time to decorate, so all that work seems more worth it if the tree stays up a long time. One year, I left it up until St. Patrick’s Day. Usually, though, it stays up until mid- to late February. As long as it looks fresh and healthy, I leave it up. I started this tradition about 6 years ago when we had an especially beautiful tree. The day after New Year’s Day as I was about to start the take-down, I remarked that I hated to do it because the tree was so pretty. My husband said, “Just leave it up, then, if it makes you happy.” So I did. We have three sons, and I like to think they will have memories of this tradition.

[collegestrugglemeals]

Good Evening! It is February 15th, and HUDS (Harvard University Dining Services) is beginning to roll out a new menu. We thought it would be fun to start a food blog and track these changes, maybe share some dhall hacks as well! (And if this silly project gains enough traction, maybe it will expand to sharing fun "college struggle meal" anecdotes. What crazy things have you cooked/eaten as a ravenous college student? Let's discuss!)

We're only gonna say this once: This blog respects all the HUDS workers, and in no way is this blog meant to belittle or insult them. It's hard work cooking for however the hell many college students are on this campus! We will try and keep things mainly positive and constructive, but please take any complaints with a grain of salt. Or pepper. Or barbecue sauce if you would BRING BACK THE FRIGGIN BBQ SAUCE ALREADY AAAAAASDFGHJKL;

Anyways, if you're a Harvard student reading this, hi! Submissions and Questions are always welcome, whether you are asking which HDUS salad is best, or submitting your own chili bar concoction. If you're a college student in general and have your own "struggle meal" story to tell, please feel free to share it! Have you ever eaten ramen with a pair of plastic knives because you didn't have any chopsticks? We have. It was...Interesting.

Other disclaimers: this blog is (probably) gonna be about food only, not how to get into Harvard or what we think of whatever recent scandal is going on lately. This blog is going to be run anonymously for however long we feel like, and shamelessly promoted on Sidechat (we are very shy). Anyone publicly claiming to be College Struggle Meals is almost definitely lying.

Ok! We think that covers all our bases. Happy eating, folks!

[chrissmissus]

The Offer

Pairing(s): Dark Tony Stark x reader, (dark) Pepper Potts x reader

Summary: Sometimes we just need a push in the right direction,

Warnings: this is an 18+ fic. This chapter contains breaking and entering, threatening and choking. No smut this chapter.

A/N: Well it is finally here, the long wait is finally over. I’m gonna try and stay consistent just bare with me lovelies, I’m so proud of myself. Love y’all lots, enjoys!

It all started when Pepper Potts came into the bakery. Never in a million years had you seen a woman so beautiful in there with her solid black heels and strawberry blonde hair.

1 year ago

“Welcome to Sweets! What can I get started for ya?” You were smiling brightly because it made the customers feel more welcomed. The last thing you wanted was for your annoying boss to tell you to do so. That you look so much prettier when you smile.

“Hi,” she beamed as she directed her eyes between you and the menu looked so sophisticated in her power suit, kinda like a lawyer, “I’ve never been here unfortunately,” she grinned giving you her full attention “So tell me what you think is best,”

“Well, no shocker you haven’t heard of this place, it’s kinda a hole in the wall,” you shrugged your shoulders as dusting your hands off on your apron. “I love the lemon blueberry cupcakes. The blueberry are the sweet while the lemon is the sour.” you smile as you tell her this, rememberingthe last time you ate them.

“I’ll get a dozen of them than.” You looked at her a little shocked but didn’t say anything not wanting to look unprofessional. No one had ever asked what you liked and actually got it. It made you feel important, needed.

“Ok I’m all over it, Ms?” You look with a questioning look for her name.

“Potts.”

That was the first time you met Pepper and she began to come in every single day and order something new each time. You two become close, sharing life stories like how she was born in February, how her real name is Virginia and more intimate things. You told her about your rough upbringing and how your in college to do better for yourself. You didn’t tell her everything and she didn’t pry, but she knew there was more.

It wasn’t long before she offered you a job. At first you thought catering but then she later clarified she meant work for her. It would be triple the price and you could live in her house rent free. She knew you hated your boss, the fucked up hours he made you works and the down right nasty comments he would say to you. She didn’t want to see you go seeing as you need the money for college. Even though it sounded amazing, you told her you had to think about it because you really wanted to focus on school, so she left her number so you could call her when you figured it out. For three days Pepper didn't come to the bakery and you were still thinking. Tomorrow is the weekend ,your time off, so you would have time to yourself and to think about the offer. I mean this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, right?

You walk home because the bakery isn’t too far from your apartment or that’s what you tell yourself as you walk 4 blocks to your place. As you thankfully reach your last step of the stairs you think about how cheap and lazy your landlord is for not installing an elevator and how you have to suffer because you live on the fourth floor.

You open your door and toss your bag to the closest couch, not caring about the pretentious inside of it. You put your back to the wall, right beside the door and slide down until your butt is on the floor then you begin to violently yank your shoes off which leaves you breathless once they’re off. You look straight for a second, while trying to catch your breath but you see a silhouette on your far couch and it scares you. At first you thought it was your mind playing with you like when you mistake the jacket on the back of your door for a demon at night but never in history has a jacket turned on the light.

You had turned away because it was so bright but when you look back to the seat you were stunned to see a man you didn’t recognize sitting in your apartment. The more you looked you realized it was Tony Stark. Why was Tony Stark sitting in your apartment? How did he get in? Was he going to kill you? Why is he here? Tony Stark? He is the most dangerous man in New York. He is known for trafficking drugs and guns all over the state. He makes other mobs pay him for safety on his territory or they die. He has killed fathers and mothers and children, as far as you were concerned he is an awful person.

“Well hello princess,” he smiled at you. “I thought you would never come home.” You continued to stare at him like he would disappear any moment, like he wasn’t real.

“A- are you gonna kill me?” You said it so quiet but not on purpose but from fear as tears well in your eyes. He laughed at you, you are terrified shitless. Why is he laughing?

“Now why would I do that huh?” He had this fake shocked and confused look on his face. “Do you really think that low of me?” Yes. You shake your head from side to side, too fearful to say no.

He walks to you and gets down on your level. You look down not wanting to make eye contact with a killer but he gently pulls your chin. A single tear from your right eye falls down your face as you think about your last moments. You think he might say something, but he doesn’t. He lets go and begins to walk around in your living room, his shoes echoing throughout the space.

“You know my wife came home with these pastries saying she got them from a little bakery in town,” he pauses to turn to see if you’re paying attention. “When she began going everyday well, I couldn’t help but wonder what was taking all her attention, but all I found was you.” He was smiling but it did feel right.

“So you’re going to kill me?” You brokenly asked, wanting to know if you should unlock the door so the EMT’s could get you in the morning. He again turned his head to you.

“Let me finish,” he said with a sharp tone to match his glance before walking to your kitchen and looked around more, but stops at your fridge to look at all the things you had on it. Pictures, magnets and drawings from the kids that come to the bakery regularly “I watched you for a couple weeks,” weeks?? “And I couldn’t help but see why she was so infatuated by you. You’re sweet, you gave a kid a free cookie when he couldn’t get it himself so he wouldn’t feel left out, and I mean what is your secret to making such good desserts,hmm?”

“ I-I don’t know,” more tears continue to fall from both eyes. He nods his head as he eats your raspberries that he took from the fridge while leaning against your kitchen counter. You’re still sitting beside the front door and you think about running for it. His laugh pulls you from your idea.

“And here I was thinking you would say love or some bullshit like that. You’re a smart girl so you know if you run, the men I have posted outside will bring you right back here, and let’s be honest you don’t have the energy to run down those stairs,” Barely had any to get up them in the first place. You move a little bit to feel your butt and he gives you a death glance. He goes into the hallway and all you could think about was how bad you wanted him out of your house as you continue to let single tears fall from your eyes.

When he came back he has a picture frame in his hand. He had taken it off your picture wall on the other side.

“Is this your best friend? How cute,” he has this fake halfway smile on his face while you had fear coursing throughout your body. You stand up but stay still. “Look at you. So cute.”

“ W- W-,” he nods his head like he was telling you to spit it. You exhale very annoyingly but you didn’t let it show as you angrily wipe your tears away. “What do you want from me? I don’t know your wife.” You sound stuffy even though you wanted to sound aggressive.

He put the picture of you and your best friend down on the living room table as he walked closer to you.

“Monday when she comes in to see you, you my smart girl are gonna tell her you’re done thinking and that you want to work for her, you got it?” The look in his eye kept you quiet “Because if not I would have to pay a visit to that adore bff of yours, am I understood?”

You didn’t even have a minute to process what he had just said to you before he grabbed you by your throat and pushes your head back. It felt like he was trying to pull you from your head and he did. The feeling of hands around your throat sent an alarm through your body.

“Am I understood?” He says slowly and leans down a bit. You nod your head rapidly so he could take his hands off your throat. He eventually did let go and you gasp for air.

“Oh stop it I didn’t even squeeze that hard.” Easy for him to say, he wasn’t the one being chocked. He snickered and for a moment you wondered if he knew what you were thinking. He leans down to whisper in your ear.

“I’m glad we had this talk princess,” he brushes your shoulder ever so slowly, like he was your romantic partner. “I hope you remember everything I said, I will be seeing you soon.”

You kept your eyes closed as he opened the door beside you but you didn’t miss it when he said

“Oh and let’s not tell Pepper about this ok? ” And with that he was gone as quietly as he came. You slide down the wall again feeling all the blood leave your body.

Pepper Potts

—-

After the events of Friday night, you stayed in bed the whole weekend. You didn’t do the laundry or clean the apartment or go partying. When Monday rolled around and it roll around quick, you didn’t want to go to work, but you didn’t want Tony back in your home. So you got up and got dress, hopped down the stairs and did your 4 block walk.

When you walked in you saw Pepper sitting in a chair, like she was waiting for you. She smiled at you but you continued walking. You felt so betrayed. Her husband came and threatened you to take her job offer. Why would she do that? Why you?

You walked to the back to put your stuff up and put your apron on. When you walked back to the front she was at the counter, and you took a sharpe breath.

“Good morning Ms. Potts, what can I do for you?” You really pushed that Ms part. She was taken aback, you never called her that. You didn’t look at her, you looked down at the ordering machine.

“Um,nothing today,” you had to look up from the machine. She was still smiling at you “I was just wondering if you thought about my offer.” You stopped what you were doing to look at her. You want to say fuck no but you remembered what Tony had said to you and you pulled yourself together. You take a deep breath and prepare yourself to lie as you look up.

“I’ll take it,”

“Oh I’m so excited, I thought you would say no,” you would have if it weren’t for her fucking husband and you could help but soften at her happiness.

You were into deep

[xoxo-teddybear]

He’s Lost - Bakugou Katsuki - Part 1

Bakugou x f!reader

Warnings - Angst, Physical Harm, Cursing, accused Cheating, Katsuki’s insecurities

BAKUGOU’S MASTERLIST

A/N: This is my first writing piece but this has been stuck in my mind since v-day is coming up so I had to get it out. Plz enjoy!!

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Summary: Y/N is so busy around Valentine’s, her lack of attention towards her Pomeranian is causing him to freak out and do the worst of the worst

Love is in the air! The birds are singing, The breeze is blowing, the setting sun is shining, and the explosive teen is.....well, bruting.

Can you blame him though? Y/N’s been a little distant ever since February started. Even right now, instead of enjoying their time together in a quiet park, she’s staring down at her phone doing who knows what.

Why? Was he not good enough? Has she gotten tired of him? They’ve only been together for a little over a year. Is she talking to someon- no. Katsuki stopped himself from thinking like that. There’s no way his precious teddy bear would ever do that. Not only that, he was the best there is. Why would she even try to go?

“You dumbass. You’re missing this.” Bakugou sighed. “Huh? What? Missing what?” Y/N looked around looking for whatever “this” was until Bakugou grabbed her chin to force her to look him in the eyes. “THIS DUMBASS! US! You’re so focused on that dumb phone. Jeez, can’t a guy just get his girl’s attention.” Bakugou said dramatically.

It wasn’t that Y/N wasn’t giving him attention, it’s that it wasn’t the same. Yea she right there snuggled into his arm. And yea she was petting his hair just the way he liked. And YES, she was peppering his face with kisses from time to time. But it all felt off? Like only half her energy was put into the love and affection.

“Suki, aren’t u being a little dramatic. I’m right here with you baby. I’m sorry if I’ve been a little distracted. Come here dummy.” And as Y/N pulls Bakugou in for a tighter hug all he can do is release a “hmph” while falling into it...until her phone went (ding!) once again. And she went to check it. Once again.

Bakugou was getting tired so he got up and suggested they’d head back to UA. Y/N only got up and began to walk beside him, hand in hand, while still checking her phone time to time. And Bakugou was getting sick of it

*Wtf is she doing on that piece of junk? What could be so important she would half ass our entire evening together? .....Could she possibly be talking to someone else?............no.* Bakugou let those negative thoughts die down as they continued their journey back.

——————————————————————————

A few days later

“COME ON!!” Bakugou screamed as he realeased a blast towards Kirishima. When Bakugou invited him to train, The red head initially thought it was to ...you know..TRAIN. But after some time, the blonde’s best friend began to see the bigger picture.

“Dude. What’s up with you man? We always go full on during training, but it’s not even like you’re trying to hit me. It feels like you’re just taking your anger out on me.” Kirishima said.

“Congrats on noticing shitty hair, I’m glad somebody’s noticing my damn mood.” Weirded out by his friend’s unusual openness, the red head continued to ask.

“So what’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“But you just-“

“NOPE!”

Bakugou exclaimed as he began to gather his stuff to leave the training area. “BAKUGOU!” Kiri shouted. “WHAT!” “.......it’s Y/N isn’t it?”

Upon hearing that, the blonde turned to look at his best friend with this sad puppy dog look. And man, if Katsuki had doggy ears, everyone would see how low they’d go. His best friend didn’t need to see it though, he could tell those ears would be 6 ft under if they were actually there bc there’s nothing hiding Katsuki’s vulnerability when it comes to Y/N. As the two best friends go to sit on the bleachers, Bakugou takes a deep breath before saying his thoughts.

“I think Y/N is cheating on me.”

“................HUH???!!!!”

Kirishima went from “caring and considerate” to “WHATDIDHESAYYY” in seconds. Y/N L/N?? Cheating?? Ok. Y/N was one fiesty girl, and she definitely had sass, power, attitude, and a little mischief, but she also had kindness, compassion, consideration, and honesty flowing though her. Not to mention extreme loyalty. There’s no way.

“Look man, with all due respect, I think you’ve finally lost it.” The red head laughed. “I’m being serious shitty hair.” The blonde stated. “She’s been so distracted lately. She’s always with me but it’s like her mind is also somewhere else. And not to mention that damn phone she’s always on now. She can’t go 30 minutes without checking it at least twice. And not only that, when she does leave to do whatever, she’s gone for hours at a time! What’s a guy supposed to think with all of that?! I mean it’d make sense if she wanted to leave. I get it, I can get loud, and yell, and I get angry a lot but.. she knows I never mean it, right? I call her a dumbass like i do everyone else...ugh but she isn’t just everyone else, she’s my girlfriend and she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.....SO WHY TF IS SHE CHEATIN-“ before the blonde could continue, his best friend cut him off.

“BAKUGOU” “WHAT??!!” “....talk to her.” Kirishima said. “What?” Bakugou asked. Kirishima continued. “Cheating is a real sensitive topic in a relationship. I don’t wanna give my opinion on something that could ruin something amazing. C’mon man, we both know Y/N isn’t like that but who am I to tell you what to do. I wanna help, I do, but I think it’s best if you go to her with all this. Honestly though, if you asked me, Y/N would be the last person I’d ever think of when it came to cheating on ANYTHING. Especially the guy she cares so much about.” And with that last sentence, Kirishima stood up from his spot and pat Bakugou on his shoulder before exiting.

With Bakugou left with nothing but his thoughts and Kirishima’s advice, he left and headed straight towards your room.

——————————————————————————

“Shut up!” You excitingly screamed though the phone. “You really found the last part?”

“Yup, it only took about 6 different stores across the entire city.” Shinsou sarcastically replied. “You owe me.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know and I appreciate it. Katsuki’s gonna love his gift!” You said.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, you’ve been preparing only the best Valentine’s Day surprise for the best boyfriend in the world. You’ve been so busy planning your surprise that I guess you could say you haven’t been giving Katsuki the massive amount of attention he’s used to from you, but you can definitely say it’ll all be worth it when he sees one of his presents that you’ve been working on. A silencer for his gauntlet blasts that not only decreases the volume of his attacks, but also increases his attack power. You remember how Bakugou had vented about his attacks being too loud that they scare people, but when he tried to keep them quiet, the attack isn’t as powerful so saving can be quite difficult. He only spoke about it once, but you could see the look on his face whenever he was out using his quirk around civilians. So why not give him a device that’ll help with his loud little problem. Now were you a support class student who knew how to make support items? Hell no. But were you a loving girlfriend willing to give her man the best Valentine’s Day ever? Hell yeah.

The piece of gear would’ve been easier to make IF it weren’t for a pesky piece of the project getting destroyed by Shinsou after he made Denki electrocute himself while he was right next to your prototype on the table. So to make it up to you, Shinsou went all around town looking for the piece you needed to complete your support item for Katsuki. Finally, all pieces had come together.

“He better. That damn bastard doesn’t know how amazing his girlfriend is. Instead of ignoring his ass these past few weeks, you sent ME to get all this shit for you so you could keep your precious Pomeranian happy.” Shinsou said while rolling his baggy eyes.

As Bakugou approached the outside of your dorm room’s door, he heard your voice.

“You know, you’re so right. That Pomeranian is unaware of just exactly how amazing I am. I really could’ve left whenever but I stuck around.” You snorted. “Well I’m glad I had you with me through it all Shinsou.”

*Pomeranian? SHINSOU?!? Through IT ALL?!?!? YOU WERE WITH THAT PURPLE HAIRED, SLEEP DEPRIVED ASS MIND CONTROLLING FREAK?!?? AND YOU WERE WITH HIM THE ENTIRE TIME YOU’VE BEEN DATING BAKUGOU?!?*

Oh to say Katsuki was pissed was an understatement. He felt all these emotions hitting him all at once. Anger, Disgust, Pain, Betrayal. It all became too much for him before Katsuki ran away from your down with his bed down and silent tears hitting the floor. When he let himself fall to the floor in the privacy of his room he screamed into his hands. His first love, his first real relationship, his teddy bear betraying his love, loyalty, and trust for over an entire year. After hours of crying, Katsuki was able to pull himself into bed. He couldn’t even bring himself to shower even though he spent all that time in the gym with Kirishima. He just wanted to sleep to escape reality. As he looked at his phone, he saw 1 missed call from Y/N, and 1 text saying “Goodnight love💗💥!” Bakugou scoffed at the text. Figuring u must be texting Shinsou the same thing. As Bakugou placed his phone down, an evil thought came to mind. Ruin her.

Bakugou smirked to himself as he had this pyscho and sinister look on his face. He would ruin Y/N. They haven’t officially broken up yet, so he could hurt her just as she hurt him. And Bakugou wasn’t stupid or so he thought he’s aware Valentine’s is coming up, so why not break little Y/N L/N’s heart on a day dedicated to nothing but love and happiness. It’ll be the perfect revenge on a little satin like her. Bakugou finally turned on his side with an evil, satisfied smile, and fat tears in his eyes once more.

——————————————————————————

The next morning, Katsuki got up with a broken heart, but he figured if he wanted his plan to work, he had to fake this smile. Getting up, getting ready, and getting dressed was business as usual, but meeting up with Y/N in the morning was now off the schedule. Instead of going into her room to check on her like he usually does, he just went straight to breakfast and straight to class without speaking to anyone.

With Class 1-A seated and Mr.Aizawa at the head of the classroom, the students can finally start their first lesson of the day. Until, the door slid wide open. There stood an exhausted and quite frankly dishelved Y/N. “My apologies sensei. I was up late last night and overslept. Please forgive me.” Y/N said as she bowed her head in sorry. “Just take your seat L/N.” The tired eye teacher said.

As Y/N walked to her desk, she noticed Bakugou wouldn’t even glance her way. She was a little thrown off since it would be normal for him to at least give her a judgemental look for sleeping in, but no. Nothing.

Bakugou on the other hand was writhing in agony. Oh how he wanted to check on Y/N and make sure everything was fine, but that voice in the back of his head couldn’t help but tell him to ignore her since she’s a cheater. She may have been the girl he’s loved dearest, but she was also the one causing his heart to shatter.

After a few classes, Y/N tried to approach Bakugou several times, but each time he brushed her off. And when the bell finally rang for lunch, you can bet Katsuki was the first one out the door. Y/N followed him of course, in worry and concern.

“Babe! Baby! Katsuuu!!! KATSUKII!” Y/N whined for her boyfriend to at least look at her but once again. Nothing. Bakugou wanted to hug her and hold her tight but he couldn’t. Not after what she’s done. Right before Bakugou entered the cafeteria, Y/N pulled him aside and held onto his wrists.

“Baby? Hey, what’s up with you? I’ve been calling your name and trying to talk to you but you keep brushing me off. You also didn’t stop by this morning. Is something wrong, love?” Y/N was hoping for something. ANYTHING at this point. And it was like the gods heard her prayer because she definitely got....something. “My bad.” The blonde haired boy dryly replied. “....Oh, um, ok suki.” The poor girl just thought her dear boyfriend was having a bad day, so she just left it alone and let him go. But still, even on his worse days he would at least visit her in the mornings. As they sat down with the bakusquad, the entire table noticed how Bakugou sat up and moved across from Y/N after she chose to sit next to him like usual. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife, and Kirishima could already feel what had gone down. He at least knew his bro didn’t talk to his girl. Not manly at all.

——————————————————————————

Valentine’s Day

During lunch, Kirishima has finally decided to speak to Bakugou about this whole thing. He hasn’t been getting any updates since their time in the gym, so when it was just him and his best friend having lunch together, he went for it.

“Man what the hell is going on with you and Y/N? I’ve noticed you’ve been avoiding her like crazy,” Kirishima said while stuffing his face, nervous about the answer. “I was right all along.” The blonde sadly spoke. “She’s been cheating on me since the start of our entire relationship. And with that baggy eyed freak from 1-B.”

Kirishima couldnt believe what he was hearing. He almost choked on his food. Y/N was actually cheating. I guess people don’t know people as well as he thought. “.....wow...I’m sorry man.” The red haired friend said. He was at a lost for words and didn’t know what else to say. *sigh* “don’t be. It all goes down tonight.” Bakugou said with a sad smile. “What do you mean?” His friend asked. The blonde looked at him right in his red eyes. “I’m breaking her heart tonight, on the one day of the year dedicated to love.”

Meanwhile

Instead of going to lunch, Y/N spent her time finishing up Katsuki’s surprise in his room. Yeah, he’s been having a bad past few days so why not bring him a smile with these amazing gifts on the day of love. Although Y/N didn’t really feel the love today (due to Katsuki again being so distant and ignoring her “good morning blasty💥💗!” And “Happy Valentine’s Day my love♥️!” Texts) she was determined to make sure Katsuki knew just exactly how much she loved him. She was almost done setting up in his room. Rose petals on the bed, Candles everywhere, 4 different gifts including his new support item made by you, his favorite meal is going to be set here on his table, and you and him together spending every loving second with each other. Y/N didn’t realize that because of her setup, she missed the entire rest of the day. “Meh, so worth it when I see the look on Suki’s face.” Tonight is going to be perfect.....or so you thought.

You didn’t expect to find Katsuki in your room, sitting on the edge of you bed waiting for you with his head hanging low and his shoulders slumped.

*maybe he has a surprise for me....? Yea that has to be it!* Y/N happily thought as she closed the door.

“Suki!! Happy Valentine’s Day!” Y/N said with all the love in her heart as she ran and jumped on the boy for a hug. But Bakugou didn’t say anything. He didn’t move. He just glanced back up at her, giving her this cold stare. Y/N was too busy professing her undying love for her boyfriend to even notice his scary silence. “Suki I’m really glad it’s you who I have in my life,” the love sicken girl bashfully spoke while looking at the ground. “You make me so happy and I feel so blessed being able to spend my life with you in it. I really hope you know just how much I care and lov-“ Bakugou couldn’t listen to this bullshit anymore. He pushed Y/N off of him just before she could say those 3 words that would get him to break.

“Hey! Suki? Why would you do that?!” Y/N exclaimed while standing back up. “I hate you.” The blonde spoke coldly. As those words left his mouth, Y/N heart and world were falling apart. Her eyes went wide open and her jaw slightly dropped. As she was about to say something else, Katsuki cut her off with “I’m breaking up with your dumbass. Right here. Right now!” Bakugou yelled. Y/N was in shock. She felt hurt, pain, she was just feeling so broken.

As tears filled her eyes, she asked “w-why?” as she tried to reach out to him. “Why? WHY?!” Bakugou screamed as he stood up above her slapping her hand away. “THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN WHY, Y/N. YOU’RE A FUCKING CHEATER, THATS WHY!” The blonde yelled in her face. Y/N couldn’t believe it. He thought she was cheating? Why would she even do that? She already has the best person in the world for her so why? “DONT EVEN GIVE ME THAT “it didn’t mean anything, Suki!” BULLSHIT. I DONT GIVE A FUCK, CUZ YOU’VE BEEN CHEATING ON ME AND PLAYING ME FOR A DAMN FOOL THIS ENTIRE FUCKING TIME!” Bakugou went on as his voice began to crack while tears flowed down his porcelain face. “YOU LIED TO ME. I GAVE YOU MY ENTIRE BEING AND YOU FUCKING LIED. YOU DUMB FUCKING BITCH, I CANT BELIEVE I EVER LOVED A SORRY EXCUSE OF A PERSON LIKE YOU. I HATE YOU SO DAMN MUCH, I DONT EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE FUCK I SAW IN YOU!” Y/N’s heart hit the ground. No actually, it went 6 ft under because after all that he’s said, her heart is dead. Broken. In agony. “Suki I-“ “DONT FUCKING CALL ME THAT L/N.” Hearing him refer to her with her family name hit so hard. “KATSUKI PLEASE! I DIDNT DO ANYTHING I SWEA-“ as Y/N tried to reach out to him, he interrupted her again and pushed her hand away. “I SAID DONT CALL ME THAT!”

The blonde yelled, except this time....he didn’t only yell. The burning scent of smoke came into his nose and the loud explosion could be heard throughout the building. The product of what he just did came to him. He just attacked the love of his life. As much as Y/N hurt him, Katsuki still loved her with his everything. And the fact that he subconsciously attacked her broke him even more. Y/N’s screams of pain reached his ears, as he looked down and saw his precious teddy bear with a burned arm and fat tears on her face, crying in pain.

Bakugou ran down to her level to try and help her. “Y/N! Hey, hey teddy bear look I’m so-“ Y/N pushed him away before he could continue. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU BAKUGOU?!” Ouch. His family name felt like poison coming from your tongue. “Princess, I’m sorry I didn’t-“ “SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK FOR ONCE YOU FUCKING IDIOT!” Y/N screamed as she stood up to face him. “I DIDNT FUCKING CHEAT ON YOU. WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT WHEN YOU’RE THE BEST DAMN THING THATS EVER HAPPENED TO ME?!..ah!” Y/N was cut off by the stinging of her wound, and Bakugou couldn’t do anything but stare. Y/N grabbed onto her wound before continuing. “I love you Bakugou. I wouldn’t even dream about doing wrong by you. I thought I was a good girlfriend or at least a good person-“ Bakugou quickly interrupted “No! Y/N you are, I just-“ “If I am then what the hell made you even think of me so lowly? What the hell did I do to make you question my loyalty? What the hell did I do that was worthy of you burning my fucking arm?!” Y/N cried out.

Silence fell upon the room. It felt like hours before anybody said anything. Both people had heavy tears in their face now. One crying because he realized he was an idiot and harmed the girl who did nothing wrong, and One crying because she did nothing wrong but ended up being a villain in her loved one’s life. Y/N broke the silence with a scoff.

“You know what Suki?” Y/N said looking him in the eyes. “Yes teddy bear?” Bakugou quickly replied with wide, desperate eyes upon hearing the loving nickname, thinking they would move on from this horrible incident. “Get the fuck out.” Y/N said in a low voice. Bakugou was shocked. He knew he fucked up horribly but after realizing the truth, he can’t leave you! He loves you too damn much for that! “What? Y/N please listen to me, I’m sor-“ “I DONT GIVE A FUCK! Leave..please.” The sad girl cried. Bakugou grabbed onto her shoulders begging her to not end this. “Y/N please! Please princess! I’m so fucking sorry! I’m an idiot, I know, and I definitely don’t deserve you but please I can’t lose you.” Bakugou said with tears falling down his face. “Please don’t do this to us. Please don’t do this to me, I’m BEGGING YOU.” “Bakugou-“ The sad boy cut you off, shaking his head, “ NO ITS SUKI. YOUR SUKI. YOUR KATSUKI.......please teddy bear I need you.......h-here let me help yo-”

You harshly pushed the boy off of you and as he tried to desperately go back to you, you used your quirk to keep him at bay. “Bakugou Katsuki. I’m leaving this room since you won’t, and I won’t come back until I know you’re out of my room.” Y/N began as she looked at him with cold, sad eyes. “From now on, you won’t have to worry about this bitch because I’ll stay out of your life, I swear. Don’t look at me, don’t touch me, DONT EVEN TALK TO ME. Just leave me alone....we’re done.” And with that Y/N ran out of her room, and out of the building, needing to get away from the place for a little bit. She could deal with her wound later. She just needed to get away. Bakugou just stood there in sadness and shock. As much as he wanted to run after you, he figured he’d give you a little breather. You guys could fix things in the morning...right?

Bakugou waited an hour in your room waiting for you, but you were right. You really weren’t coming back until he left your private area. So that’s what he did. With a heavy heart, he picked himself up and dragged his feet back to his dorm. He looked like a mess. He knew he did. Messy hair, red swollen eyes, dry lips. His entire body screamed heartbroken. When he open the door, instant regret and love hit him at once. His room was covered with rose petals and flowers, there were candles everywhere, heart shaped balloons all around, he had 4 different boxes of gifts, and two plates of extra spicy curry was set on his table, obviously cold now. What caught his eye was that one of the gift boxes had a note attached to it. With tears in his eyes, he read it.

Hey Suki! It’s Valentine’s Day! I love you to the moon and back and so much more. There’s no words that are able to describe the way I feel about you. You drive me insane in all the right ways and I love it! Lol. I hope you like your Valentine’s Day surprise. I’ve been working for weeks on it, so I’m sorry if I’ve been a little distracted. I know I’ve been kinda absent these past few days but I promise I’ll make it up to you love! Hopefully I can start with this gift that I’ve been working on. Enjoy your brand new grenade silencer! Made it myself just for you. There’s nothing else in the world like this. I love you Bakugou Katsuki!

(P.S. If Shinsou from 1-B gives you shit about it, it’s because I made him drag his ass everywhere to look for a missing part so I wouldn’t have to leave you so much)

XOXO, Your forever teddy bear <3

As he quickly opened the gift, he saw it. A silencer that would attach to his gauntlets to make the sound quieter and the blast even more powerful. It was incredible. You are incredible. He only ever mentioned the sound of his blasts once, and you listened and you fixed it.

Bakugou shook as tears began to fall onto the paper. He couldn’t believe it. Everything started coming together now. The reason you were so distracted was because you were setting this up for him. You were always on the phone because you were assembling pieces and ordering gifts for him. You weren’t cheating on him with Shinsou. You were making sure he could find something that you needed for him. Y/N L/N was truly the best girlfriend in the world. Scratch that, she is the best girlfriend in the world. No scratch that too, she’s just the best, period. And Bakugou’s idiotic self ruined everything for him. All because he couldn’t have a little faith in his teddy bear. As Katsuki cried and cried, he set everything aside.

He took the petals off his bed. He didn’t deserve it. He blew out the candles around his room. He didn’t deserve it. He popped the balloons, and ignored the food. He laid in bed with more tears than ever, and looked at the ceiling. He finally turned to his side to fall asleep, but not before grabbing the picture on his bedside nightstand. A picture of you and him. He remembers that picture oh so clearly. It was his birthday, and while he didn’t want to celebrate, you did everything in your power to make it the best one yet. And you did just that. Bakugou hugged that picture so tight, because he didn’t have you in his arms tonight. He didn’t think he would ever have you in his arms again. So Bakugou Katsuki continued to cry until he was asleep, escaping from the reality of him losing his love, his teddy bear, his princess, and his Y/N.

Bakugou Katsuki never lost, no. He’s always been ahead, always number one, always the best. He always won and achieved and nothing ever stopped him. Except this time, the only thing that stopped him and caused him to lose, was himself. He lost. He lost his everything. His world, his rock, his heart, his Y/N. He’s lost without her in his life, and at this point he thinks he’s lost at life. There was nothing that could fix him unless it was you coming back to him.

Bakugou Katsuki? He’s lost.

A/N: HOLY SHIT! That was my very first writing piece and it was just a Drabble of a thought I’ve been having. Sorry if it’s a little off and weird, I’m still new to writing but hopefully I’ll get better. This was NOT spell checked so my apologies for any mistakes. I hope you enjoyed reading this! Thx for the love!

[anotherghoul666]

Good morning and happy almost New Year, AnotherGhoul ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

I wanted to pop in and wish you the very best going into 2023, but also it was an excuse to come ask you a few questions about AO3 Wrapped

How about... #5, #19, and #29, if they haven't already been answered

Hey Cait!! ❤️ Thank you for your well wishes! Right back atcha buddy! Happy new year and may 2023 bring you at least one thing, one change, one passion, one discovery that will deeply fulfill you and bring you true happiness ❤️

Onto Wrapped!

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? Oh, easy, A Loosened Heart (Corrodes the Shield). I fully expected this one to flop because no smut. This was a fic I had to write for myself. It's a personal piece, because it's me processing a lot of my lingering feelings and emotions from the big injury I got last spring. Right after bloody guitar Dew happened and I wrote Surface Tension (in a 48h frenzy where I posted it before I could let my anxiety brain convince me not to, which is partly what started this adventure of mine into this beautiful fandom), once I realized I could actually write more about these characters and make this a Thing, one of the very first images (and notes on my phone) I got for a fic was Dew in the tub. Dew fallen at the bottom of the tub, miserable and crying and tearing his hair out with pain and despair and hatred for his flesh suit (I've been on the Hurt Dew 2k22 train since before I knew the agenda was a thing, what can I say). I got the image in a flash while getting in the shower and seeing the tub next to it out of the corner of my eye, where I myself, a few months prior, had sat miserably crying trying to wrestle with my own body's limitations and my temporary disability. I needed to write a character going through my pain. And I needed to write them getting fixed by a partner like I was by mine. I just needed to. This piece was an unavoidable piece of writing for me. If I hadn't latched onto the Ghost fandom, whatever fandom was gonna be next, or original characters for all I care, this would have gotten written. I didn't write it for anyone's eyes, I wrote it for me. To purge shit. So to have any reception at all for it was surprising, because I geared up for a flop. But to have the feedback and comments I got on it. The amount of other people out in the world that found my fic and said "I've felt the exact same way". "I was injured in a similar way and I feel seen". "I'm in recovery from *insert injury here* and this was meaningful to me". "I had a partner take me through shit like Aether did and this feels real". Like. I never expected this fic to be seen, and instead it touched people's souls. It made people cry, in a positive way. In catharsis. That's fucking beautiful and I did not expect a single person to find reflection of their lived experience in this fic. Just goes to show no human experience is unique and we're all in this together.

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Besides Aether/Ifrit that I'm currently exploring, I want more Ifrit in my life, and I'd like to see what's up with Ifrit/Dew. I also want to tackle the ghoulettes. The Femslash February challenge is the perfect excuse for that, but I want to pepper them out through the year after February is over too. I want to tackle Cirrus and Cumulus' bound. I want to tackle them with Sunshine as a throuple. I'm also itching to knock out the Copia/Aether I've had in my notes since very early on in my venture into the fandom, and potentially more Papa/Ghoul dynamics in general, to see if there's something there for me. Obviously I'm also gonna touch base on all the classic ghoul pairs haha ;)

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? So I think I've mentioned this in a couple ao3 comments before, but I'll reiterate here: in all my fics, there's maybe 1 to 4 lines or passages I let my inner poet go feral over. I keep the creature in check, because I don't want to bog down my texts, I aim for rhythm and flow when I write. But. From time to time I feed the beast and I indulge. I jokingly call those passages "The Line" even tho there's a few per fic haha, and it's kind of a back and forth joke with my beta to see if she picks up on The Line(s). It's also an extra tasty treat when a reader in the wild picked up on one and points it out in my comments. There's a few of those I could name, but for the challenge, I'll point out this one from Make my Blood Rush (Slow Down) (tw/ for blood if someone's made it this far but isn't down for blood and injury descriptions): "Mountain sank his fangs in Dew’s neck, like biting an overripe fruit, honeyed flesh giving in, blood like the richest tasting juice flowing on his lips and down Dew’s nape in glistening rivulets of carmine delight." Ain't that some poet wanker shit all over this bitch and I LOVE IT XD ❤️❤️❤️

[spideyspeaches]

Valentine ↬ p.p

A/N: this is so self indulgent and also happy Valentine's to the EST/PST timezone!!

If you saw me reposting this because I posted only half of it, no you didn't 🤔😘

Wc: 1.6k

Warnings: mentions of gummy bears (the one with cannabis), smut (mentioned) Mopey Peter XD

Summary: Peter Parker wanted to spend his Valentine's with the most beautiful girl in his college. But him being him, he chickened out last minute from asking you out, completely ruining his mood. Thank god for his roommate though and his girlfriend though. (This fic makes no sense nsdjjsjfj)

Pairing: College!Peter Parker x Reader (18+)

Masterlist

Cutie potatooie

Peter looked at the window outside of his room, the pitter patter of rain reverberating in his eardrums as he sunk down the soft mattress with a sigh.

One could say his sullen mood was because of the dull weather outside in New York city, or it could be because he didn't have a date for Valentine's.

It wasn't often that one caught Peter Parker sulking because he didn't have a Valentine date, it was a rare sight.

There was this one time he had asked Gwen Stacy out during the senior year of high school, but she ended up moving out to Oxford before they could celebrate the fourteenth of February. Things didn't really work out with Liz because of her dad and MJ, well he ended up becoming her awakening factor about her sexuality. He respected that, absolutely, he was even honoured that he was the reason she had the guts to come out as bisexual.

So he didn't really keep his hopes up in the dating department, up until he met You in college. MIT had a huge campus, and Peter Parker was ready to kiss the fates just for making him bump into you, the most beautiful girl he had ever come to know.

Call him dramatic because there are of course, other girls who were just as beautiful and attractive as You, but in his eyes, You were the most beautiful human to have ever walked earth. It was the sway of your hips and flick of your wrists that had him, capturing his heart enough for his brain to malfunction in your presence.

It was a shame that he hadn't asked you to be his Valentine for today's party. In his defence though, You didn't really know him well other than as a classmate, or your roommate's boyfriend's roommate, and he was a naturally shy person. He barely had the guts to talk to you when you were sitting right besides him during class.

"Come on man, how long are you going to sit there moping? You know I would ditch today's plans for you right? Claire would understand." His roommate, Cade said.

Cade had always been his best friend next to Ned (no one beat Ned in this race, god he fucking missed him. He missed May and Tony and Pepper and Morgan and Rhodey and the list went on and on, he was sad for another reason now).

"Okay Candace." Peter muttered, not looking up from his bag of gummies. He had a feeling they were stoner patch ones, but he didn't care. It wasn't like they were going to affect his metabolism anyways.

What he did care about was that he wasn't on a date with you today and it was completely his fault. He had been a bumbling bambling baffoon when he had gone to ask you out in the least cheesy way he could think of, and had ended up stuttering something along the lines of "roommate" and "date", just as the bell rang, cutting him off like the little gremlin it was.

"You know that's not my name Pete." Cade muttered, stealing some of the gummies before scrunching his nose and spitting them out with a muttered curse.

"Do I look like I fucking care?" Peter grumbled, wiping the lenses of his glasses on his sports t-shirt, nearly chucking them across the room when it just smudged the stain, wiping it with his cotten bedsheets instead.

"Well you gotta get up anyway, Macy's is having a special offer for the singles tonight." He said, snatching the bag from Peter's hand, who's scowled at him before flopping on his bed with a groan. He was definitely starting to feel the effects, but he knew it was temporary, probably would last an hour before he was back to his mopey self.

"Why do you have to remind me that I'm single when you have a girlfriend yourself?" Peter groaned, dragging a hand across his face, a murderous expression on his innocent little face.

"Sorry man I'm just trying to cheer you up! You know what? Come with me, I'll take you to Claire's dorm and then you can have a sleepover with Y/N, you can even play doll dress up but for the love of god, get up from that bed. How long has it been since you washed those sheets? They stink!" The darker man said, his voice taking a higher octave, pulling him by his leg to drag him out of the sheets.

Being the little shit he was, Peter scrunched his fists in the sheets, nearly tearing the seems off.

"I'm not five that you're setting me up on a playdate with your girlfriend's hot roommate."

"Well you're acting like you're five right now, and I will call aunt May if you don't get out of here right fucking now!"

"Okay okay jeez Candace calm your man tits will ya." He rolled his eyes, sitting up with a wince as his head gave a pound, the aftereffects already setting in.

And that's how he found his way through the girls dorm, with his roommate by his side as Cade navigated through the empty hallways, eerily silent in contrast of the loud banger music playing in the club below.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Peter whispered, clutching onto his friend's hand as if his life depended on it, the smell of wet grass and mud distracting him from his thoughts. The girls dorm had a really pretty garden, and he admired it as much as he could from his window without feeling the judgmental stares of the girls thinking he's another one of those pervs.

"Your over thinking is going to give you premature ulcers." Was his only response, flicking the doorbell you had installed in your dorm.

He swore his breath stopped when he heard the tell tale click of the door hatch clicking open, your face peeking out of the door as you let them both in.

You would be lying if you said that your heart didn't speed up when you saw Peter Parker standing outside of your dorm.

You weren't the kind to get jealous easily, but you were envious, maybe even a little (only a little, a little pinch) jealous of your roommate for having a boyfriend. You didn't usually pay attention to your relationship status, but you were only a little salty about the fact that you would not be spending the day of love with the person you've been in love with since you entered the campus of MIT.

You had thought of asking him out several times, saying fuck to gender roles, only to back out last second because you were not sure you would last a second without melting just by looking at his brown puppy eyes.

You gave yourself and him a last chance, hoping either of you would make a move to at least ask each other out on the fourteenth of fucking February, only to be disappointed when that didn't happen.

So you were excited when your roommate told you that your long time crush Peter Parker and you were going to be in the dorm together (alone), heart beating erratically as you saw his face come in your view.

"Hi." You said shyly, pursing your lips to suppress a chuckle as you saw his cheeks heat up, rose red blush rising up in the cutest way possible.

"Hi." He responded, his breath stuttering in the empty dorm.

A few minutes went in silence, him shifting awkwardly in his place as you tried not to look at his body. You couldn't believe the nerd was hiding all of this underneath hoodies and sweatshirts.

Damn, he's hot. You thought, realising that you said that out loud when he stuttered you a look.

"I didn't mean to say that out loud." You said, opening your mouth to apologise again, before he cut you off with a kiss. You were startled by the sensation of his soft lips, surprise leaving you too petrified to move your lips.

You counted up to five before you heard his trademark Peter Parker stuttering apology.

"Oh- I'm I'm so sorry I you don't have to kiss me this is my fault oh god I'm so stupid-"

And it was you who kissed him this time, mystified by the way your lips fitted with his perfectly, like a lock in a key ready to open.

In the end, your impatience won out, his wandering hands on the bare skin of your waist enough to send fire up your veins.

Your hands were all over him in a matter of seconds, your legs straddling his thighs as he kissed you ferociously, messing up both your and his hair.

"Here's to a happy fucking Valentine." You muttered against his lips, smiling as he snorted a response, tickling your slides with his slender fingers.

"Happy fucking Valentine to you too sweetheart." He whispered back, picking you up with ease and throwing you to the nearest bed.

"I hope this isn't going to be a one time thing." You said, watching him undress as you yourself removed your top and your shorts, leaving you in your undies and his in his boxers.

You knew he was muscular, but damn there was a whole another story going on under those clothes. Your mouth practically watered at his chisled abs, his smirk making your patience wean out as you scrambled to being him closer to you.

"I wasn't hoping it would." He said, kissing you softly this time, punctuating each word with a soft kiss. You gave a breathy moan, digging your fingers into his back muscles, realising in the way they moved, the thin chain now exposed as it sat cool on your skin.

"Good, cause I really really like you, Peter Parker."

"I really really like you too, Y/n, L/n."

A/N: what have I written 😪🤚