#the ginger jar is from Japan

[timeguardians]

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A plate full of thick noodles in a light sauce, topped with carrots, cabbage, scallions, red pickled ginger, and vegetarian beef. Second image is a close-up showing the texture of the beef. End ID]

焼きうどん / Yaki udon (Japanese fried noodles)

Yaki ("fried" or "grilled") udon combines thick, chewy udon with vegetables, seared meat, and a savory sauce. It's flavorful, filling, and, if you already have udon on hand, fast!

Udon have a place in 和食 (washoku; "Japanese food" or "harmonious food")—'traditional' Japanese food that predates the increased opening of Japan to foreign trade and influence in the Meiji period. Yaki udon, though, like curry udon and yakisoba, is a more recent entry into Japanese cuisine, and is associated with 洋食(yoshoku; Western-style food).

Udon may be purchased dried, frozen, or, if you have a local east Asian grocery store, fresh; or, you can make them yourself at home.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

A couple different types of sauce are commonly eaten with yaki udon; instructions to make each are given below.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

For the dish:

2 servings (400g) fresh uncooked udon (180g dry; 500g frozen)

1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced

3 leaves green cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 inches (55g) carrot, julienned

3 scallions, cut into 2-inch (5cm) pieces

3 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp neutral oil

Ground black pepper, to taste

Benishoga (pickled red ginger), to garnish

Green "cannonball" cabbage (the kind most commonly sold in the U.S.) is the type usually used for yaki udon; if you choose to use napa cabbage, add it in a bit later in the cooking time than the rest of the vegetables.

For the meat:

1/4 cup (9g) heo lát chay or bò lát chay (optional)

1 cup hot water

1/2 tsp vegetarian 'beef' stock concentrate, or 'beef' pho seasoning

Heo lát chay (vegetarian pork slices) or bò lát chay (vegetarian beef slices) are Vietnamese meat replacements that can be found in the dried goods section of an Asian grocery store. They may also be labelled "vegetarian food," "vegetarian meat slice," or "vegan food." Pork belly is the most common meat used in yaki udon, but any meat or seafood substitute will work—or just omit the meat.

For the sauce:

Version 1:

1/4 cup usata sosu (ウスターソース), also often known as sosu (ソース)

1 tsp Japanese soy sauce, such as Kikkoman's

The linked recipe is for a from-scratch version of usata sosu, but you can also check my yakisoba recipe for a quick version.

Version 2:

Another common choice of sauce for yaki udon combines mentsuyu and soy sauce, instead of combining usata sosu and soy sauce (in the same proportion given above). If you don't have mentsuyu, you may substitute for it by combining:

2 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce

2 Tbsp sake

1 tsp mirin or granulated sugar

3/4 tsp kombu dashi powder, or powdered shiitake mushroom

Along with the 1 tsp soy sauce from above.

Instructions:

To cook the noodles:

1. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a rolling boil. Shake excess starch off of the noodles and add them to the pot.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally with chopsticks or a pasta spoon, until the noodles are cooked through and no longer taste raw. This will take 10-13 minutes for fresh or dried noodles, and 13-15 minutes for frozen. If your frozen noodles are parboiled, they will only need to be blanched for 30 seconds to a minute: be sure to read the package instructions.

The noodles should be slippery and neither hard in the center (if dried) or mushy on the outside, but firm and "koshi" (こし or コシ; "with body," "al dente").

3. Drain and rinse with cold water to halt cooking and rinse off excess starch. Set aside.

For the meat:

1. Whisk stock concentrate into hot water until combined. Add heo or bò lát chay and allow to soak until rehydrated.

2. Simmer lát chay and stock in a small sauce pot until all the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

For the dish:

1. Heat a large skillet or wok on medium-high for several minutes and then add oil. Sear lát chay, turning once, until browned on both sides.

2. Add sliced onion and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent.

3. Add carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, and black pepper and stir to combine. Fry for a few minutes until vegetables are softened.

4. Add noodles and scallions and, using tongs or a spatula, stir to combine. Cook for a minute, until scallions are wilted.

5. Add sauce ingredients and stir. Cook for another few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Top with more black pepper and benishoga and serve warm.

[shrikeseams]

[For Halloween] Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! You get... a treat! A recipe for Pickled Asian Pears with Lemon and Ginger!

Makes about 2 pint jars

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Asian pears, or any other sweet, firm pear (3-4 pears)

• 4 (2-inch) pieces of lemon zest (use a paring knive, not a zester)

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 4 slices fresh ginger (or several slices of pickled ginger for original recipe)

• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar

• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 cup white wine vinegar (5%)

• 2 tablespoons mirin

Select pears that are firm and on the small side. Peel them, cut them into quarters, and core them.

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, ginger, sugar, salt, vinegar, and mirin in a medium nonreactive saucepan off-heat; don’t worry that the sugar is not yet dissolved.

Add the cut pears to the pan to coat them in the acidic brine.

Meanwhile, fill a second medium saucepan with water and bring it to a simmer.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pears to the simmering water, leaving behind as much of the brine as possible.

Simmer the pears until they turn white and are just cooked through but still quite firm, about 6 minutes.

The pears should be pierced easily with a fork, but you don’t want them to overcook and get mushy.

Drain the pears and transfer them to 2 clean pint jars (I used a single quart jar), packing them tightly and tucking them under the curved “shoulders” of the jar.

Bring the brine pot to a boil, uncovered, stirring to dissolve the sugar, about 2 minutes.

Once it’s boiling, turn off the heat. Divide the ginger and lemon zest between the two jars.

Pour the brine over the pears in the jars to cover completely (reserve the leftover brine).

Tighten the lids on the jars immediately and let them rest on the countertop for 1 day before moving them to the refrigerator, OR

Process in a hot water bath for 10-12 minutes.

The pears are ready to eat in 3 days, but taste even better after 5.

They will keep their flavor for about a month in the refrigerator, but the color will begin to change after 2 weeks. Annotated, from Karen Solomon's e-book, Asian Pickles: Japan, published by Ten Speed Press.

[blkiiiii]

old ichigo x black!y/n excerpt … unfinished.

once again, there she was. sitting by the river. skipping rocks with every jarring throw.

ichigo just didn't understand. how could she be so comftorable near this river.

why this one?

what was so haunting about this area that drew everyone near it, including him?

he tried not to think about it every time walked home from school. but it was impossible not to when he saw y/n there.

the worry in him wanted to pull her from that area. to save her from an impending doom. to keep her from ending up as another tragic soul being washed aside.

just like his mom.

but he continued to mind his business and push back his worries. no use in fighting if there was no hollows in that area anymore... but it still didn't guarantee that she was safe.

one day...

his curiosity got the best of him.

"hey!" he yelled out.

the girl turned around and looked at him. ichigo and y/n continued to stare at each other. ichigo was confused. she was just gazing at him.

not a word left her mouth.

even her facial expression was blank.

ichigo slowly walked down the concrete steps and made his way to her. y/n watched his every step.

ichigo couldn't understand why he was so worried about her. this girl in particular wasn't extremely special. she wasn't a hollow. she didn't have any prominent spiritual energy.

she was normal. so why was she so intriguing?

ichigo stared at the river’s current right beside her. they both stared in silence.

"so...what brings you here, ichigo?" y/n started out. she wanted to make conversation.

she didn't want to be awkward with him.

"how do you know my name...?" ichigo replied.

"we go to school together, wise one.”

ichigo looked at her perplexedly.

he was terrible at names and faces.

but she didn't look familiar. she was different.

"sorry... i've never seen you around. my fault."

"it's fine. wasn't expecting anyone to know me." she sighed.

"i'm new to town as a foreigner, but i've already been outcasted. go figure." she explained.

y/n chucked another pebble.

"i'm y/n. nice to meet you, ichigo."

ichigo awkwardly smirked.

"so... why do you think you're outcasted y/n? you seem like you'd be real popular." ichigo snarked.

y/n shrugged her shoulders.

"well my hair seems to bring alot of enemies for some reason." y/n said while pointing at her tight curls.

y/n pointed at her face.

"and i think my looks do too. i don't get it. it's just my appearance. i think i look normal, but i guess people think otherwise."

she started chuckling lightly.

"i wasn't admanant in looking like everyone else. i just wish people wouldn't avoid me for shit i can't control, you know? but i've learned that i don't need these people's opinions plauging my psy-"

"god you talk alot. woe is me, type of stuff." ichigo laughed.

she glared at him.

"don't get me wrong, i understand how you feel about looking different. have you ever seen a natural ginger in JAPAN?"

y/n looked at his hair and started laughing.

(to be continued… unfinished)

[pocketsrestorations]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: 1930s Orange Kutani Nippon Japan Tea/Coffee Set Bone China Japanese Geisha.

[raniaamri]

Everyday is sushiday!

Hello everyone, my name is Rania Amri and i'm 16 years old. I was 15 when I discovered sushi, it became my favorite food. I like to eat it every sunday, sunday is my sushi day. Most of the time I go with my sister to 'Ocean sushi', which is a restaurant in South- Antwerp. But sometimes I just order it home from a friend that sells it through social media.

Background

A sushi roll is a food of Asian origin that features rice and seafood wrapped in seaweed (nori). Until the end of the twentieth century, sushi rolls were only available in restaurants. Today companies prepare them for retail sale in grocery stores. Although a few of these companies use mechanical sushi makers to shape the rice and add condiments, the best quality sushi rolls are still handmade. An expert sushi chef, can roll and cut six to eight sushi rolls in a matter of moments. It is not the desire for faster production that has led some companies to use the sushi robots; rather it is a shortage of chefs.

History

As early as 500 BC people living in the mountains of Southeast Asia wrapped fish in rice as a means of fermentation. In Japan, alternating layers of carp and rice were placed in a covered jar and kept for up to a year. During this time, the fermenting rice produced lactic acid, which brined the fish. When the jar was opened, the carp was eaten, but the rice was discarded.

According to a Japanese legend, a kind man and woman placed rice in an osprey's nest. When they checked the bird later, they found a fish nestled in the rice. While eating the favor, they noticed that the fermented rice had imparted a distinctive flavor to the fish. Before long, sushi shops were popular spots on the streets of Tokyo. One of the first, Sas Maki Kenukesushi, opened in 1702 and was still operating at the turn of the twentieth century.

How to make sushi:

Half a sheet of nori (seaweed) is spread on the makisu. Then rice is spread on the nori. The shamoji makes a groove in the middle of the rice.

Strips of seafood and/or vegetables are placed in the groove.

The makisu is used to roll the nori around the rice and other ingredients. After rolling, it is manually pressed into a square shape.

The sushi roll is removed from the makisu and cut into pieces (3.8 cm).

The shokunin places the finished sushi rolls on small wooden tables. Fresh slices of ginger are also usually placed on the table, along with a side of wasabi.

Six main types of sushi

There is a difference between Japanese-style sushi and Western-style sushi, so you might find that you prefer one style over the other. There are six main types of sushi found in restaurants.

Sashimi is a very popular dish at sushi restaurants. Sashimi is raw fish, served in long slices known as hira-zukuri. Wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger are also commonly served as garnish.

Nigiri is a type of sushi made up of molded structures of vinegared rice topped with slices of raw fish. Not all nigiri is made with raw fish, although the simplicity of this sushi is loved by many and allows you to enjoy the most flavors from the fish.

Chirashi means ‘scattered’ and is similar to sashimi in many ways. You will be served a bowl of vinegared rice topped with raw fish slices and different garnishes. Fruit and vegetables are sometimes also included in this dish.

Maki is one of the more commonly known types of sushi that you might find in grocery stores and restaurants. Maki is rolled sushi cut into bite-size pieces wrapped in a thin layer of nori. Fillings will be within the Maki and wrapped in vinegared rice within the nori. The filling is made up of vegetables, fish, or other meat.

Uramaki is similar to Maki, although the rice is on the outside of the nori rather than the inside. The nori will be wrapped around the filling. This type of sushi often comes with lots of toppings and sauces that you can dip the pieces into.

Temaki is another type of sushi rolls, although they are made by rolling the nori into a cone shape. This cone is then filled with rice, vegetables, and fish. Also known as hand rolls. Temaki is too large to be eaten with chopsticks and therefore are commonly eaten with your hands.

Sushi rolls have been more westernized than other types of sushi, perhaps for their aesthetically look or that they’re easier to eat. The United States have created their own unique take on Maki sushi, which are very tasty yet not too traditional.

This was all I had to say and for the people who haven't tried sushi yet, give it a try! But don't blame me if you get addicted. 🙂

[gojology]

Honey and Sugar Tea.

the request :

pairing : gojo satoru x gender neutral reader warnings : cursing. wordcount : 859 a/n : haha this is so cute, i hope this does u justice because as i’m writing this i also have a headache LOL. i actually went somewhere yesterday and it was like an 8 hour trip front and back and I vomited 10 times. I still have a little dizziness :( also new theme aha? idk i kinda like this..

       It has been an unusually quiet, tranquil day for Gojo Satoru.         This is rare for many reasons. It seems like every other day, well, no, more like every day now, a new special grade curse has gotten out on the loose that only he himself could destroy with such ease and relative grace. Even though he is the strongest sorcerer of all time- one can only handle so much work.        If anything, it was a more of break for him to not be pestered by Ijichi with his many phone calls. He had actually muted his phone this morning, he’d handle Ijichi’s scolding later.       As Gojo hummed, drumming his fingers against his legs, he slacked off carelessly on your couch, catching a breather. Gojo loved your place, with the many open windows, curtains blowing in the gentle hazy breeze. If you listened closely, you could hear the chirping of happy birds; fragile little life forms they are.       On the lucky days, he would come home to something potent- perhaps red bean paste left on the counter, mochi dough in a porcelain bowl with a covering over it and as if he was a kid, carefully and quietly taking quick finger swipes at the paste before eventually all of it is gone. Too many times had you cursed him out due to his untamable urges, yet he knew you loved him anyways.       “Gojo?” you croak groggily. Snapping out of his daze, he turns to look over at you before running over to your slouching frame, giving you a large and warm hug. Something’s not right, though, your usual scent of cleanliness and all things nice has seemed to evaporate into thin air, replaced with sweat.       “Pumpkin!” he shoves his hands deep into his pockets, promptly dropping the bag of jars of honey he was meaning to gift to you that was swaying back and forth around his wrist prior. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve been through hell and back, well I guess it’s only natural if you’re dating me..”        You turn away, obviously you’re uncomfortable- but from what? Is all Gojo is thinking, was this a bad time to visit?        “Bad headache...” you breathe out before limply flailing into his arms, he catches you quickly, and you’re leaning so close into his chest, you could hear his heartbeat raise quicker. The thumping felt good against your head.        “Woah there, here lay down on the couch, I’ll make some soup and tea for you... Your head’s burning up.” he carried you over to the couch bridal style, your neck snugly rested on his forearm, his other hand under your legs.     He placed a large and calloused palm onto your forehead, and you relish his touch. It wasn’t often that he came to your house.         “Anything you want me to add?” he cooed, to your surprise he isn’t ignoring you for other trinkets in the messy living room, and you nod as he brushes a few stray stands of hair on your forehead.        “Make sure to add honey and sugar, maybe ginger?-”        “Wow! When did you get this?” he excitedly inquired, picking up something from the floor- you just didn’t quite know what it was. It’s almost as if once the words honey and sugar slipped out of your mouth, he’s off into his own world.        Speak of the Devil.     As your eyes adjusted, you’re mortified. It’s a horribly cheesy t-shirt that Shoko had gotten you when she went out to the market. She thought it was hilarious at the time, which it was, but maybe not when you’re on the verge of dying.        “Shoko got it for me.�� you reply, a hint of annoyance in your voice, “now- what about that tea?”         Too late, Gojo is now leaning over your window sill, ecstatically examining your succulent that you had gotten 2 weeks ago.         It was custom made by a nice old lady at a beautiful hole-in-the-wall shop you had found while strolling the streets of Japan, for free might you add. On it was a beautifully detailed picture of two Red-crowned cranes. You still remember the little brush dabbling at the surface, wise hands carefully looking after every stroke.       “Wow! Look at the details of this thing!” he turned to look at you, and all you can imagine is those big blue puppy eyes of his- how it always made your knees go weak.        “Did you make this?” he glances back down at the succulent before turning back to you.        “No, babe. Now please-” your head is throbbing more then ever now, and you swear you’re about to drop dead or projectile vomit any second now. “PLEASE, for the love of GOD- MAKE ME MY TEA. PLEASE.”        Gojo gives you this shit-eating grin, and you just can’t help how it graced his features like that. You almost regret raising your voice at him, keyword, almost.        “Oops~ I forgot.”        You swore to yourself that day that the next time you’d see him, you’d tackle him to the floor- just as revenge. Actually, you didn’t know if it was possible with his stupid infinity.       Whatever, you’ll catch him off guard later. 

[omkarahillss]

Guide to Herbal Remedies & Magic with Practical Recipes

Cinnamon is a warming tonic & great source of magnesium, fibre, iron & calcium. It is a powerful antiseptic, with antiviral & antifungal properties & is often indicated in cases of viral infections, fungal infections & colds & flu. It is a mild emmenagogue, making it useful in cases of sluggish & painful menstruation. Cinnamon can be used as an appetite enhancer. It can also lower cholesterol & thin blood clots and best immunity booster products in Jaipur. It chases chills, prevents colds & warms the hands & feet of those who feel cold all the time. Cinnamon is used to enhance digestion, prevent nausea, treat coughs & generally for health problems of the respiratory & the circulatory system.

A cup of cinnamon tea, made by steeping a cinnamon stick or a scant teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon in a cup of boiling water for 10 minutes, is a good way to prevent the flu. Cinnamon tea also eases menstrual cramps, soothes sore joints, relieves gas pain & allays that feeling of fullness after a big meal. A sip or two of cinnamon tea before meals improves digestion & prevents acid reflux. Those who drink cinnamon tea regularly will have less cavities, stronger gums & fewer insect bites. Cinnamon tea is a gentle but effective remedy for both childhood diarrhea & infestations of worms. In India, cinnamon tea is regarded as a remedy against halitosis, nausea & vomiting. It is a strong stimulant for the glandular system & is very warming, so it is good for relieving the symptoms of colds, flu & sore throats. Cinnamon can be taken internally for fibroids, flatulence, intestinal cramping, inflammation, rheumatism, oral infections caused by candida. The bark of the stem & the oil obtained from it are useful as antiseptics, astringents & carminatives; the oil obtained from the leaves is used as a flavoring agent & for local application on certain rheumatic pains. Essential oil of Cinnamon has anti-coagulating, anti-microbial & antioxidant properties. Cinnamon may significantly help people with type 2 diabetes improve their ability to respond to insulin, thus normalizing their blood sugar levels. The essential oil of cinnamon is a good substitute for clove oil in treating toothache. It is particularly effective in killing the organisms that cause periodontal disease. Inhaling the warm, spicy & sweet scent of this spice can boost brain activity & memory. In China, Japan & Far-East countries, women who do not conceive & wish to strengthen the uterus take cinnamon powder. In such cases, you should take a pinch of cinnamon powder in 1/2 tsp of honey & apply it on the gums frequently throughout the day so that it slowly mixes with the saliva & enters the body.

Polycystic ovary syndrome can also be cured by using cinnamon daily, which will help jump start a woman’s period/cycle & promote fertility.

Because of its warming & stimulating properties, cinnamon is used to boost vitality, improve circulation & clear congestion. It is a well-respected digestive aid, particularly for cases of overeating, bloating & sluggish digestion & one of the best herbs around for stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Honey & cinnamon is used as a cancer treatment which kills microbes inside the cancer cells.

PRECAUTIONS:

To be safe, caution is advised for anyone with liver problems. Due to its blood-thinning effects, people should stop taking cinnamon in quantities greater than use as a spice at least one week prior to surgery. Close monitoring of blood sugar levels in diabetics is warranted to avoid unsafe lowering of blood sugar. People with prostate problems should avoid cinnamon. Large doses of cinnamon bark can cause changes in breathing & dilation of blood vessels. Once pregnant, you should not take cinnamon because it stimulates premature labor & uterine contractions. Very large amounts of powdered cinnamon can cause poisoning. Symptoms begin with central nervous system sedation, characterized by sleepiness & depression. This is followed by tachycardia & stimulation of the vasomotor center, which causes increases in intestinal peristalsis, respiration & diuresis.

RECIPES:

The flavor of cinnamon complements cooked apples, fresh fruit, fruit punches or mulled wine & is also very tasty in spice cakes & cookies.

Simmer Cinnamon sticks with milk & honey for a warming beverage.

Mix 1–3 tsp of ground Cinnamon powder in 1 cup of hot water. Let it steep for 10 minutes. Strain & drink to cure diarrhea.

For Cough:

Make a tea with ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp cinnamon & 1 clove per 1 cup of water. Sweeten with 1 tsp honey & drink.

Expectorant Cough Syrup:

120 ml water 120 ml honey 1–2 tsp dried mullein leaves 1–2 tsp dried white horehound herb 1–2 tsp dried rosemary leaves 1–2 tsp powdered or chopped cinnamon bark 1–2 tsp dried chopped ginger 1 pinch of cayenne Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat. Simmer, uncovered, until the mixture has reduced by about one-half. Remove from the heat & strain. Cool to room temperature. Take 1 tsp as often as every 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator.

Cinnamon & Scallion Tea for Cold & Flu:

Finely chop one scallion. Put it into a teacup & add 2 slices of raw ginger & dash of powdered cinnamon. Fill the cup with hot water, let the herbs steep & drink the tea. Cinnamon & ginger induce sweating, while scallion clears sinuses.

Cinnamon for diabetes 2:

Take at least 1/2 teaspoon a day, which is critical to “soften” the cell membranes. Cinnamon mimics insulin, thus it may lower your need for insulin immediately.

Cinnamon-Ginger Tea for Menstrual Difficulties:

1 tsp chopped cinnamon bark 1 tsp chopped dried ginger or freshly grated ginger root Pour 1 cup boiling water over the herbs. Cover & let steep for ca 30 minutes. Strain & sweeten with honey. Sip slowly. Prepare & drink as often as needed, until cramps subside. Both cinnamon & ginger are reliable aids for relieving stomach & menstrual cramps. A warm poultice or hot-water bottle placed over the pelvic area can also be helpful.

Herbal Decoction for Uterine Tumors:

1 part turmeric 1 1/2 parts licorice root 4 parts cinnamon bark 5 parts peach seed Simmer slowly 30 g of dried herbs in 700 ml of water for 30–60 minutes in a covered pot. Strain & drink 1/2 cup 2 -4 times a day, between meals. Take 6 days a week. Tumors of the uterus, including uterine fibroids & cancers, very often involve blood stagnation. Ovarian cysts can also be placed in this category. Turmeric in diet helps dissolve these growths. Since the uterus & ovaries are not well-circulated area & growths there resist treatment, this decoction is invaluable for speeding the re-absorption of tumors, cancers & similar growths in the lower abdominal region.

Cinnamon Honey:

½ cup honey 1–2 tbsp cinnamon powder Gently warm the honey & then stir in the cinnamon. Stir a teaspoon of the honey into warm water or herb tea.

Cinnamon Tincture for Stabilizing Blood Sugar:

100 ml chopped cinnamon bark 80-proof alcohol (brandy, vodka) Place the cinnamon in a glass jar. Cover with alcohol. Let steep for 4- 6 weeks, shaking daily. Strain through a fine-mesh, stainless-steel strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard the cinnamon, then bottle the liquid. Take ½ tsp 2x a day for 5 days. Continue in this manner for several weeks, or until blood sugar levels normalize.

A Soup for Joint Pain:

Cook until done 1 cup pearl barley with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 pinch saffron & 1 piece Dong Quai (tang kuei) Add a pinch of following herbs as needed. For water retention: 10 juniper berries For weakness & chills: fenugreek or ginger

Warming Happiness Tea:

handful of lime flowers 1 orange,wash & slice sprinkle of cinnamon or bit of cinnamon bark Place the herbs & orange & cinnamon into the heat proof jug. Pour over ~1 l boiling water, let infuse, covered 5–10 min. Drink while warm with honey.

BEAUTY:

For Bad Breath boil 1 tsp cinnamon in 1 cup of water. Cool. Use frequently as a mouthwash.

Warming Cinnamon Bath Salts:

3 tbsp cinnamon powder 1 tbsp ginger root powder 1 cup sea salt Stir the powdered herbs into the salt. Store in a sealed glass container. Add ¼ cup of the bath salts to a bathtub filled with warm water. Stir well.

For acne, blackheads & pimples mix finely ground cinnamon powder in 1 tsp lime juice & apply on affected areas frequently.

To improve the complexion add a pinch of cinnamon powder to ¼ tsp honey & apply on the face. Let it dry then wash it with water.

MAGIC:

Cinnamon is used in magic for deep spirituality & healing, protection, scrying & power. Its can retain energy.

Cinnamon can be burned for protection & to attract money, stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers & aid in healing. Cinnamon when burned as an incense, raises high spiritual vibrations, aids in healing, draws money, stimulates psychic powers & produces protective vibrations.Cinnamon incense is one of the most common & probably the most used form of cinnamon for protection. Burning the incense works in a similar way as using it as a charm except you are converting it by burning it. To unleash its power, you can also put a pinch in your food, tea or hot cocoa. Laying cinnamon sticks along window sills will protect from the unwanted energy. You can put cinnamon sticks or fresh powdered cinnamon in your purse or a pouch to carry with you, it works in the same way & act as a protection charm.

Cinnamon has a high vibration & can be used to increase our own vibration. It can be used in this way to reach our higher selves, a higher state of spirituality. While the cinnamon spice is related to the fire element, the tree itself is ruled by the moon. The moon with her loving Lunar energy stimulates our higher selves & thinking. Cinnamon, being ruled by fire & the moon elements can provide protection as well as assist us in increasing our psychic or clairvoyant energies.

Cinnamon is great for drawing love & money & it also adds speed/force to your workings. Cinnamon can be good for bringing quick cash. Put a pinch in your wallet or your spare change jar or attach a dollar bill to it & watch your money grow.. Shop-keepers can sprinkle cinnamon chips & sugar on their door-step to encourage good trade. Cinnamon can bring luck in games & gambling.

Fill a green or gold sachet with Cinnamon to draw money & success or to use as a healing charm. A purple sachet can be used to increase your magickal &/or psychic powers. A pink or red sachet of Cinnamon can be worn, carried with you, or placed under your bed to draw love or to promote lust. Use a white sachet filled with Cinnamon to increase your spirituality & to confer protection.

Cinnamon is a very powerful herb for prosperity. You can also take this bath for five consecutive days & pray for financial improvement. Do not be specific about the amount of money or from where it should come from. Let the universe do what it wills & bring you the solution.

Prosperity Bath:

1 cup of cinnamon powder 2 cups of parsley (dried or fresh) This bath uses cinnamon to attract prosperity & money into your life. Take this bath during the waxing phase of the moon for maximum effect.

Protection Amulet:

Tie 9 cinnamon sticks together & hang them above your doors to protect your home from unwanted people & energy. As always, intention is key here. With every step you take in tying the cinnamon to placing it decoratively or not above your doors imagine what it is you want. We communicate with our energy & not so much with our verbal or mental intellect. This must come from a deep desire in your heart to will this into being. Remember that the cinnamon is a constant reminder of this desire for protection, for wealth, for strength or whatever it is that you desire the cinnamon to help you with.

[mxvladdy]

A Break

Part Duo. Some fluff, some plot. I guess? I just like writing this one. 

Chapters: 1-2-3-4

Two

Hanzo left later that evening with a chaste kiss and a promise to call when he could. You watch him go, waving him off from your little balcony stopping only when he became lost in the sea of people below. The gold of his ribbon disappearing in the blur of faces and colors. Alone again you flop down onto your bed staring watery-eyed up at your ceiling fan. The quiet around you no longer the comforting kind, his soft-spoken presence a larger comfort then you thought. Already you missed the feel of him draped over you in bed, his gentle snoring in your ear.

Glancing at your alarm clock you debate whether it was worth it to get up and do something with your evening or just call it an early night. Fuck it. You were gloriously sore and sleeping sounded amazing right now. Work could wait for tomorrow. Laziness winning over you rose kicking off your leggings slipping under the covers of the freshly made bed, courtesy of Hanzo. Stretching out on his side of the mattress you reach out to your bedside table, fingers ideally pulling Hanzo's latest gift to you.

The metal of the pendant was cool to the touch. The light silver chain of the necklace shone brightly from the twilight outside. Thumbing over the tiny owl impression on the drachma you smile longingly. Slipping it over your head you tuck the coin under your shirt.  

Greece. What an adventure.

You wished he could have stayed longer this time to talk about his travels. Greece had been a place you dreamed of going when you were younger, but gave it up to get your career off the ground. That was your life now, bookkeeping and payroll. Our business needed you more than you needed to travel. Perhaps one day you could feel confident enough to leave the shop for a world tour. Or maybe even a romantic getaway with Hanzo, see if you were really compatible.

Admittedly your romance had been a whirlwind from the start. A drunken kiss with a handsome stranger that should have led to nowhere but a musty motel room followed by an awkward goodbye. But instead, you woke up with his number and a promise of an actual date. Half a year later Hanzo had a drawer of clothes and a toothbrush in the bathroom. Snuggling in deeper under the sheets you yawn clicking off your lamp drifting off with your phone clutched in your hand. You sleep peacefully wrapped in your boyfriend's warm floral scent till a light buzzing wakes you. Your phone vibrates, the light blinding you when you unlock it. Not that you care.

Hanzo (3:14am): 

Shuttle just landed. Be safe for me.

You (3:14am):

Always will :*

And you too please! I find myself rather attached…

Hanzo (3:16am): 

Ha. I will try not to freeze to death.

Hanzo (3:16am): 

Perhaps you could warm me up next time?

You snort wrinkling your nose at his flirting.

You (3:16am):

Yes sir! But it’ll cost you

Hanzo(3:20am): 

A price I will willingly pay.

Hanzo(3:22am): 

I must go, I’ll call when I get the chance.  

You (3:23am): 

Goodnight! Miss you already

You wake late the next morning groggy but warm, tangled in the sheets. Alarm screaming obnoxiously close to your face. Blindly, you swipe at the phone silencing the noise and rise. Waddling groggily you head to the bathroom to get ready for the day. You arrive an hour late grinning ear to ear. Your friends and employees glancing up smirking at your poor excuse for calling in sick yesterday. You let them work heading to the back to get your workload started for the day. Setting up in the back of the store in your favorite corner you look over your new assortment of dried leaves, flowers, and fruits.

The background noise of the shop and quiet music overhead lulling you into a comfortable trance. You hum under your breath pulling your scale closer to you blatantly ignoring Tabatha. She circles you like a hawk, keen eyes looking for any opening to start grilling you. The heat of her gaze latching on to the blemishes and love bites you didn’t even bother hiding. Placing your pestle down you sigh turning to her. “Ok. Ok. Lay it on me girl.”

Tabatha moved in fast plopping down next to you grabbing your pile of dried lemon rinds. “In all the time I have known you I’ve never seen this.” She starts shaving the rinds down smaller. “You skipped work, unannounced. During peak season!” She rounds on you dumping the shavings into their allotted jar. “I’m so proud!” You laugh tension you hadn’t noticed you were carrying in your shoulders dissipating. “I’m serious!” She continues. “All this time and I’ve never seen you finally blow off some steam till he showed up.” Tabatha smiles and leans closer flicking a soft curl ticking your ear. “You know you have to bring him around for drinks and leftovers sweets. Shit, the rest of the team wants to meet him too! Your pictures don’t do him justice.” You nod promising to ask next time he came to visit.

The rest of the day moved on from there at breakneck speed, the front portion of the shop bursting with patrons. The back with employees running about, fresh herbs, pastries, and coffee carafes in hand. The din of your business running smoothly a comfort to your frazzled mind. You finish your newest blend with a flourish, sprinkling dried ginger into the jar closing it with a satisfying ‘snap’.  

“Yo Boss! Can you cover the front while I take my break?” Switching places you wish your employee a good break. Perching at the register you make small talk with a few regulars as the evening lull hits. Greeting a cluster of teenagers as they entered you pause mid conversation taking in the new customers coming in behind them.

Oh. Well, this was rare. Omnics came in from time to time sure that wasn’t unusual. You make it a point to welcome everyone equally, as did your employees. But omnics always came in with human companions or solo to pick up an order or gift. And they most certainly never glowed. You eye the two curiously. The green one wandering aimlessly picking up different jars of teas and homemade jams before being over a display case of brightly colored macaroons. The other taller one was dressed in baggy pants merely looked at the counter before making eye contact.

“Ahh~ greetings.” He spoke. His voice, while naturally monotone it held an underlying tone of levity. “I wish to inquire about your tea selections. I have heard you have a unique variety.”

“Oh course!” You blush embarrassed that you were caught staring. “We have a small selection of in house blends, but the bulk of our products are sourced from fair trade shops from India, China, Japan, and Africa.” You recite by heart pulling out your display tray. The omnic looked down at the cards reading each selection as you described them nodding along patiently.

“What a peculiar name?” He picked up your latest custom blend. Southern Dragon. “How do you come up with the names?”

“I let my staff pick and vote on names. But this one-” You smile softly popping the tin open. “I named after someone.” The tea itself didn’t look like anything fancy sure. The blend of reddish-brown sticks looked like something someone could scoop up outside, Tabatha had joked about it often. “ Hojicha, roasted in house with dried ginger and imported nashi pear. This is the first season we are caring it as I like to buy fruits only when in season. It isn’t one of our most popular yet, but many customers have appreciated the mild caramel flavor and slight sweetness of the peaches and gentle tang of the ginger.”

“I see, that sounds very pleasant. I would like a bag of that and perhaps the sharp lemon for my pupil.” You nod scooping out the desired amounts into two small bags weighing them swiftly.

“And anything for you?” You smile less genuinely at the smaller omnic as they all but swaggered over. You had felt his gaze the whole time you had been chatting.

“Hmm.” They leaned on your counter visor not leaving you, long metal fingers clicking on the marble counter top. “I’d take a small shortcake and a three-pack of macaroons, the matcha ones; if they come with your number.”

You freeze choking on your smile, even the other omnic seemed surprised.

“Genji-”  

“We have our business number on the bottom of our boxes and bags, and a popular online storefront.” You ring him up quickly handing him his order.

“Mmm. I was hoping for something more...personal.” They continued voice dropping low into a slightly clipped purr.

“No.” You cut them off quickly, smile gone. “I have a boyfriend.”

They gasp in mock shock. If they had lips you were positive they would be stretched into a shit eating grin. “What a lucky man.” They tip heavily turning without another word to the door, phone out texting animatedly. You look blankly at their abandoned companion waving a hand uselessly at the door.

“I apologize. He sometimes forgets himself. I hope my pupil didn’t offend? I would like to return at a later date.” They bow low in compensation. “I will have him apologize properly when we meet again.”

Meet again… You jerk your head awkwardly still processing what in the world just happened.

“Woooow,” Tabatha drawls wrapping an arm around you watching the two take their leave, the taller one levitating the moment they were outside. “ Wow . Popular with all types huh? Thought I was gonna need to come in here an’ knock heads.”  

“Please,” You scoff recovering to wipe down the counter. “That has to be one for the books, right next to that time I fell in the school fountain at graduation. All white- like a dumb ass.” Tabatha howls with laughter already walking back to your shared office.

“A beautiful day in history. But damn that green one was mighty pleased to hear you were taken.”

“Ha-ya.” You frown rubbing your arm. Now that you think about it it was kinda weird. Perhaps they were a friend of Hanzo’s. He never spoke of omnics, cowboys and old vets, but you would think highlighter green would stick out.  

Tabatha came back talking to the last of your closing staff noticing you were still looking out the window. “Hey- you ok?”

“Yea-yea. Just thinking about it now.” Your friend frowns discarding her armload to lead you back into your office dropping you in your chair.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. But how ‘bout you get started on the paperwork, and I’ll cover the front in case they come back.” You agree already pulling a stack of orders to you booting up your computer. You get a few hours of work done in peace as your employees filter out for the night, bidding you and Tabatha a good night. With a huff she collapses to the couch watching you work for a moment.

“You forgot didn’t you.” Hmm? Tabatha meets your blank stare dark brows raised into her hairline prompting you. Blinking you try slyly to look at your calendar. Was it someone's birthday? Anniversary? “ Gurl ." She jokes. "Dick that good you forgot whine and cheese night?” Oh. Oops. 

Whine and cheese night had been a tradition since grad school, then when you went into business together. Every last Sunday of the month you two had a few too many drinks and bitched about anything that came to mind that month. Tabatha chortled grabbing your keys and turning off your monitor. “Good thing I remember. I got some new vintages and some fancy cheeses I stole from my girl’s fridge.” She leads you out of the shop locking up the building pushing you out into the brisk night air. You walk the short distance to your flat listening to her talk rapidly about her upcoming trip with her girlfriend to France. “Handsome take you anywhere yet?” She asks finally taking a breath at your front door.

“Does the city fair count?” You ask flipping on the lights to your kitchen. You glaze at your friend's face. Clearly it did not. “He isn’t around often enough to do something like that. Not that I mind,” You add quickly trying to get your piece in before she decides to cut in, her frown growing. “We had plans to rent a beach house for a weekend but he had an emergency at work. After that, we just do stay in dates or stuff around town.”

“What, he always on call or something?” Tabby flops hard onto your floor pillow kicking off her shoes. “Or like too afraid to tell his boss off?”

You snort passing your lounging friend an overfilled glass of zinfandel. “Bit late for the background check ain’t it?” She accepts the wine gracefully wiggling deeper into the cushions stealing your remotes. “Besides, I like just having lazy days here. He travels a lot for work so I’m sure that gets exhausting. I doubt a road trip would be relaxing for him. I like just having him here even if it is to just sleep.”

“Rrrriiiggghhtt. ‘Sleep’ .” She snorts looking wholly unconvinced as you settle into your favorite recliner sticking your tongue out teasingly. The two of you get lost in your favorite show then, talking on and off between mouthfuls of pizza and chips. “So-” Tabatha rises a few hours later popping her back. Eyes going to the liquor cabinet dramatically. “Wanna bring out the good shit and tell me all about your impromptu to vacation day?” She wiggles her brows, popping the cork out of your favorite gin bottle pouring you way too much. Downing your first glass in one you hunker down for a long night.

For the second night in a row, buzzing wakes you. The vibrations sharp and rhythmic against your thigh. Groggy from booze and gossip you dig around your chair. “‘Ello?” You mumble wiping drool from your cheek.

“Ah. My apologies-I forgot about time zones. Would you like me to call you back.” Hanzo. You perk up a little stumbling over your passed out friend to your bedroom door.

“No-no. I wouldn’t want to miss this.” You beam rubbing the sleep from your eyes clicking your door closed softly. The haze of the day prior leaving you with his smooth voice, his soft chuckle in your ear made him feel like he was there. The warm presence on your back instead of your sweat-soaked tank clinging to your frame.

“The same can be said for me- but I really should let you sleep. I merely wanted to hear your voice before my… shift started.” Faintly you could hear the sounds of laughter and clinks of plates in the background.

“Where are you?” You ask beyond curious, hoping for a satisfying answer. He paused again, the sound of merriment and chattering fading into the background. “Breakfast and a shift change. It was my turn to cook along with a friend. He had an idea for a 'traditional American breakfast'. It is very hearty, the others are excited. I expect I'll have heartburn for the next week now.”

“Aww! You’ve never made me breakfast!” Ah shit. “Not that that’s a problem!” You backpedal. “Life is hectic and we both have hard schedules.” Silence. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Hanzo shushed you gently over the phone. “No, you are more than within your right. I do not do all that I would like with you, yet you set aside time for me every time you can.” You snort into dead air. It wasn’t that hard for you, Tabatha all but forced you to take weekends off from work.

“It’s ok. Don’t make it feel like a duty, love. I just… wish we could do more couple like stuff you know?”  You twine your fingers feeling childish for even complaining.

“I understand that feeling, I have been neglectful. Allow me to make it up to you?” You hum faking thinking hard on your answer. “ Darling.”   Your chuckle behind you hand practically hearing the pout on his elegant face. He continues with a huff. “After this assignment I’ll ask for personal leave. A few weeks perhaps? We can do whatever.”

“I like the sound of that.”

[thotsforvillainrights]

Could we Chisaki/Kurono/Mimic/Toya/Nemoto with a s/o who is ginger, and has blue eyes, which is really rare ? I am ginger myself, and i never see something about us, and it would be amazing if you would write about it !

(I'd like to first start by saying you are probably way gorgeous. I can see it in my head through the description. Secondly this is one of the more specific requests I wont be changing it. If you might not fit into it, sorry in advance!)

~Ginger Hair, Blue Eyed S/O~

~Overhaul~

-When he found you one day in public, he swore you just weren't real. Sure there were foreigners in Japan but he had never seen someone naturally with your hair and eye color at the same time. He wanted so badly to speak with you, but he's never really done this before. So he just decided against it. Unfortunately, you stayed on his mind morning, noon, and night. What if I never see them again??? He was pretty close to tracking you down with his resources until he heard the doorbell ring. Because he was on the surface sipping tea with Pops, he heard it pretty easily. "I'll get it" He said as he left the room quietly. There you were, delivering the food they ordered earlier. He almost collapsed! Lucky for him this was your last order of the day, and when Pops came out and saw his son acting like this, he knew immediately that the young man was in love for the first time. Pops asked you to come later for dinner after you clock out. You agreed and Kai had to manage his emotions of he'd scream.

~Chronostasis~

-Probably met you while he was away on business overseas. While he was supposed to be rooting the Hassaikai drugs in your country, he ended up becoming interested in you instead. He would go on dates with you while the lower members that came with him handled the work. When it came time for him to leave at the end of the month, he gave you his number to keep in contact. You two kept a long distance relationship going for the very longest until you finally caved and asked him to let you live with him. He replied "I've been wanting you here forever now. I'm sending money for the ticket. Be safe y/n, I hope to see you soon baby."

~Mimic~

-Joi was in his normal form while he stood in line at the post office. He needed to mail something off before he could leave and enjoy the rest of his off day, but the line felt like it wasnt moving. He was starting to get frustrated until he heard a soft "excuse me" from behind him. He was fuming until he turned around and saw your face. Suddenly felt a weight lift from his shoulders. While you were busy asking him for directions, he was lost in your eyes. Then the empty weight on his shoulders were replaced with nervousness for the first time. He was talking to a very gorgeous person and had no idea how to say something without freaking you out. He settled for giving you directions but when you asked him to accompany you for lunch, he felt his head spin. I'm gonna be honest...You two ended up dating officially after 3 months of constantly seeing each other. His favorite part is the fact that he didn't need to keep his constant form to impress you. In whatever form he took, you still love and respect him.

~Setsuno~

-Its hard to say how exactly you two got together but it was somewhere along the lines of a romantic comedy movie lol. Once together, he explains to you everyday that he isn't just interested in your looks. He wants you to know his love for you is based mainly on your personality. Your beauty is both inside and out, and he doesnt feel like he deserves it most of the time. He spends a lot of time taking dozens of candid photos of you to set as his phone wallpaper. Other times he admires you without saying a word. You can see the love in his eyes though. He might give you a cute nickname once he decides what to settle with.

~Nemouto~

-To him you are like a diamond amongst other gemstones. You're unique to him, one of a kind as far as he's ever seen in real life. He often finds himself accidentally fawning over you even when he's at work as well. It's a whole lot of "I wonder what y/n is doing today?" And "Goddness, y/n looked absolutely beautiful today. Like something unreal for this planet." Everyone is getting a little tired of it honestly. No offense! They love you, but Nemouto is constantly blabbing about you instead of holding a conversation about anything else. You have to tell him to tone it back a bit before he actually does. Another thing is that he gifts you multiple orange items as a tribute to your hair. His tribute to your eyes goes the same way. (Sorry if it's not your favorite colors! Nemoto goes a little wild sometimes). He's in the 'most likely to shoot someone for talking bad about your appearance' club.

»—————————–———————————————————–✄

TIp Jar: https://cash.app/$YuTakeyama

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A bowl full of whole and ground spices in various shades of red, orange, and green. End ID]

カレー粉 / Kare ko (Japanese curry powder)

Kare ko is a spice blend that spread to Japan in the late Meiji era as a result of British imperialism. The blend (like curry powder in general) originates from a British approximation of a range of South Asian spice profiles. Domestic manufacture and sale of kare ko began in 1905 with Hachi; S&B, who began production in 1923, currently hold the major market share.

Kare ko is adapted to Japanese tastes, and is usually not very spicy. It is dominated by coriander, turmeric, and cumin, but also contains spices such as fenugreek, cardamom, clove, and star anise, as well as dried herbs including sage and dill. Popular comfort dish kare raisu ("curry rice," a pairing of rice and a curried stew featuring carrots and potatoes), uses kare ko as its primary source of flavor; kare ko is also used to make curry ramen and curry udon.

The benefit of making this spice blend at home is in its freshness and its customizability—play around with the proportions of different spices until you get something you like!

Recipe under the cut.

Patreon | Tip jar

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp (3.5g) coriander seeds

1 tsp (2.6g) turmeric

1 tsp (2.5g) cumin seeds

5-6 pods (1/2 tsp; 1g) green cardamom

1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg, or 1/2 tsp pre-ground (.6g)

1/2 tsp (2g) fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp (.7g) ground ginger

1/2 tsp (1.3g) ground garlic

1/2 tsp (1.5g) yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp (1g) fennel seeds

1 cm piece (1/4 tsp; .7g) cassia cinnamon

1/2 tsp (1.3g) black pepper

1/2 tsp (1.2g) paprika

1/2 tsp (1.2g) cayenne pepper (optional)

4-5 (1/4 tsp; .5g) whole cloves

2-3 (1/4 tsp; .5g) allspice berries

2 Mediterranean bay leaves (laurel)

1 star anise pod (2g)

1 tsp chen pi (dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel) (1.2g)

1/4 tsp (.2g) dried thyme

1/4 tsp (.2g) dried sage

1/4 tsp (.2g) dried dill

Pinch MSG (optional)

Pinch asafoetida (hing; optional)

Chen pi is commonly used in Chinese and Japanese cooking and can be purchased at an East Asian grocery store.

Though Japanese curry powder is ultimately drawing from South Asian cuisine, recipes for it tend to call for Mediterranean bay leaves rather than Indian bay leaves (tej patta; really a type of cinnamon leaf).

Instructions:

1. In a dry skillet on medium, toast large whole spices (cinnamon, star anise, green cardamom, cloves, allspice) for a few minutes until fragrant and set aside. Repeat with smaller seeds (coriander, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, and fennel) and bay leaf. Set aside and allow to cool.

2. Remove skillet from heat. Toast ground spices and dried herbs, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from skillet.

3. Grind all spices and herbs in a spice mill or mortar and pestle and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

[yellowcanna]

Two Sides, Same Coin

Summary: Since the beginning of Quirks, Yokohama has announced independence from Japan and closed itself from the rest of the world.

To this day and age, no one knows what lies within the city of Yokohama—or that was what the public was made to believe. In reality, Yokohama has long fallen into the control of the world’s largest criminal organization known as the Port Mafia.

Follow Class 1-A as their principal organized a field trip to Yokohama! In their short trip there, they must change their perspectives and learn exactly what it means to be justice and what it means to be villains.

Rating: T

Genre: Crossover, hint of shounen-ai (boy love)

Pairing: Contains mild Soukoku (Dazai x Chuuya) and Shin Soukoku (Akutagawa x Atsushi) if you squint

Author: Canna / Yellow Canna

Available on AO3!!

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CHAPTER 13

MOONLESS NIGHT (NIGHT 3: TUESDAY)

This story has been beta'd by Momentary_Flight

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Sunday 8:32pm—Yokohama

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 “What the fuck is this?”

Shigaraki Tomura stood at the top of a building as he stared down at the brightly lit street below him.

People were walking  around like normal.

People were going about their night like normal.

People were laughing like normal.

And all of that added together was anything but normal.

“This is…Yokohama?!” Spinner gaped in disbelief before he whirled around to Kurogiri. “Didn’t you say this is a city ruled by criminals?”

"It's…supposed to be," Kurogiri replied unsurely.

"Then perhaps we ended up somewhere else?" Magne looked up at the clear night sky. “I don’t see any signs of that barrier we broke through.”

“Maybe this barrier also has a warp power?” Toga suggested.

“So…are we in Yokohama or not?!” Twist shouted in confusion.

“Are you blind?” Dabi snorted at his companions.

Before an argument could break out, Shigaraki spoke.

"This place is Yokohama."

“Indeed.” Mr. Compress twirled his staff around before pointing it down at the street. “Take a closer look at those people.”

Everyone looked back at the people walking about. They only needed a glimpse to know what Mr. Compress was referring to. After all, where e lse in the world could they find a bunch of people looking like the carbon copies of each other?

“Old Humans…” Magne mumbled before her head snapped up upon catching a glimpse of a shadow from the corner of her eye. “They sure are annoying. They’ve been following us since we came through the barrier.”

“Can we kill them?” Toga was already reaching for her knife.

“Forget them.” Shigaraki’s blood-red eye darted to the narrow alleyway beside the building they were on. There were three punks at the bottom, each of them armed with a baseball bat as they chattered and smoked. "We need to find a temporary hideout."

Half an hour later, the  group arrived at an abandoned warehouse. It was run down and filled with dust, but it at least had a proper roof. It was a perfect temporary hideout for them.

Shigaraki walked around the warehouse, leaving footprints on the dusty floor.

"C-can you please let me go now?" The man in Magne's grip asked with a trembling voice. He was  from the trio back in the alleyway.

“Yeah, you did a great job.” Shigaraki strolled back to the man and wrapped all five of his fingers around his face.

Everyone watched with cold eyes as the man shrieked. His body began to disintegrate into ashes, starting with his face. Once the body was fully gone, Shigaraki looked down at his palm, then to Kurogiri.

“Kurogiri, can you warp us out?” 

Kurogiri’s glowing yellow eyes narrowed before purple mist erupted from his body. The  villains watched as the dark mist flickered. It tried to form a warp portal, only to disperse before trying again.

After  several failed attempts, Kurogiri ended up opening a portal three meters beside him. 

"I cannot warp us back out," Kurogiri said as Shigaraki picked up a small piece of cement that had fallen from the wall. "It's the same as trying to warp us inside  the city. My Quirk isn't able to go past the barrier. It seems that I can now only warp within the city."

Shigaraki tossed the piece of cement into one end of Kurogiri’s portal and watched it  fly out from the other.

“So we have to crawl through that hole we made if we want to leave?” Magne frowned, not liking that idea.

"But what exactly is that barrier?" Spinner asked. "None of our Quirks worked on that thing, not even Shigaraki’s. I’ve never heard of any material that can do that.”

"I am afraid I do not have  an answer to that," Kurogiri replied as purple mist took the form of a human body once more. “The master had spent years researching the barrier of Yokohama, but he was unable to find anything. The only thing he was certain of is that Yokohama’s barrier is neither technology nor power.”

“Oh?” Mr. Compress perked up in surprise.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Twice gaped.

Dabi raised a brow as his fingers lightly tapped on the crate he was sitting on. He gazed up to the sky, looking through the hole in the roof and to the stars twinkling in the night.

“You’re not saying this thing is alive, are you?” The raven-haired  villain asked.

"No, I do not believe so," Kurogiri replied.

“What else can you tell us about Yokohama?” Mr. Compress asked.

“I have nothing more.” Kurogiri shook his head. “I have already explained to you about Ability users. The master rarely  spoke of Yokohama.”

Rather than not talking about it, it was more like something  had happened in the past that made All for One not want to think about it.

Truthfully, Kurogiri knew he shouldn’t have allowed Shigaraki to come here. Since a long time ago, All for One had instructed all of them to  never go near Yokohama. Unfortunately, with All for One’s capture, Shigaraki was in a mess. He had completely lost his way and only calmed down after they received information of U.A High School planning a class trip to Yokohama.  

It was the mention of Yokohama that pointed out a new path for Shigaraki. As the master's disciple, he too knew about the situation within Yokohama. The master had told him how dangerous Yokohama was, but he wanted to see just what a Hero-free world was like with his own eyes.

“I want to see it…”   Shigaraki told Kurogiri when the latter tried to stop him. “The hidden boss behind the final one.”

Kurogiri glanced at Shigaraki who was standing in the middle of the warehouse.

Perhaps the master had anticipated this as well.

"For now, we need information," Shigaraki announced as he turned to his team. “Dabi and Mr. Compress will go out and gather information.”

“Eeeh?” Toga whined. “Then what about the rest of us?”

"We wait here," Shigaraki said as he sat down on a dusty old chair.

“No! I want to go out too!” Toga complained.

“Same here!” Twist shouted, raising his hand like an elementary kid.

“Now, now, calm down.” Mr. Compress waved his hands to calm his comrades. “We’re in the enemy’s territory. It’ll be risky for us to split up too much. We’ll bring some food back, what do you all want?”

Just like that, Mr. Compress smoothly put out the flames before it even ha d a chance to ignite.

"Also, if those guys out there follow you, let them," Shigaraki added. “Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

"We know that much," Dabi muttered as he and Mr. Compress headed outside.

Thus began the League of Villains’s first night within Yokohama.

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Present

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 “For a couple of brats, you have some guts to come into a nightclub." The orange-haired man said as he came to a stop before the kids.

“W-what do you mean?” Kaminari stammered. He didn’t know why, but there was a strange pressure slamming down on him when he met the man’s eyes.

“What’s it to you?!” Bakugou shouted, standing up. “We can be here all we want!”

“Y-yeah!” Mineta joined in, finding some confidence through Bakugou. “We’re legal!”

The red-haired man snorted out a laugh. “Listen here, kid. No adults would ever call themselves legal.”

“But we’re all sixteen! We can be here!” Kaminari argued.

“Yeah, for Yokohama citizens that is.” The man replied, causing all of them to freeze up in shock. How did they get found out again?!

“H-how—” Mineta spluttered, unable to finish his sentence.

“Anyone can tell with one glance that you’re outsiders.” The man spoke with amusement lacing his husky voice. He looked over to the waiter. The moment their gaze connected, the waiter hurriedly walked up to him with his hands folded behind his back and his posture straight.

“How may I serve you, Chuuya-sama?” He inquired respectfully.

“Tell me what these kids order.” The man called Chuuya said.

“Yes.” The waiter bowed before he began listing out the drinks in perfect order from first to last.

“Sakura Martini for the lady in the inner booth.

Sake Blossom for the lady with the ponytail.

Peach Fuzz for the russet-haired lady.

Tangerine Ginger Sake Sangria for the lady with earmuffs.

Matcha Highball for the long-haired lady.

Raspberry Sake Tea for the lady in the outer booth.

Sake Bomb for the gentleman with ash-blond hair.

Red Eye for the gentleman with red-hair.

Umetini for the dark-haired gentleman in a varsity jacket.

Cassis Grape for the petite gentleman.

Lychee Martini for the gentleman with blond hair and a black streak.

Fuzzy Navel for the blond-haired gentleman in the brown trench coat.              

Mango Margarita for the strong-looking gentleman.

Samurai Caeser for the blond gentleman with long bangs.

Ginza Mary for the gentleman with the blue scarf.

Lemon Drop for the gentleman with the knitted hat.

Sake Mojito for the warmly dressed gentleman.

Japanese Sling for the gentleman with glasses.

Shochu Melon Citrus for the green-haired gentleman.

Umeshu for the gentleman with split coloured hair.”

The waiter barely took any breaths in-between as he recited the long list of orders in what could only be described as perfection. The students stared at the waiter with wide eyes. No one had any idea how in the world that waiter pulled it off.

When the red-haired man gave the kids a pointed look, more than half of them ducked their heads in guilt—like children caught stealing from a cookie jar.

“Remove the alcohol in all of those and replace it with something nonalcoholic.”

“Yes, Chuuya-sama.”

“Hey!” Bakugou hollered but was ignored by the two adults.

“What about the Spirit Bomb, Chuuya-sama?”

“Why the heck are you asking him?! I’m the customer here!”

“Hm.” Chuuya waved his hand dismissively, looking as if he couldn’t care less. “Replace it with milk.”

“As you wish.” With another bow, the waiter walked off to bring the kids their new orders.

“HEY!!!”

“Kacchan!” Midoriya hissed softly, looking back at the man every now and then as he tried to calm his childhood friend down. After all, this person found out who they were and could kick out any minute. The fact that the man even let the waiter give them drinks meant that they were being allowed to stay.

Fortunately, Bakugou was aware of this as well. He grumbled as he plopped himself back down into his seat, refusing to speak another word to the singer.

“After you finish your drinks, leave,” the redhead told them with his arms crossed over his chest. “Kids should act like kids and go home by their curfew time.”

“…Yes,” they replied dejectedly. They watched as the redhead leaned against the wall, seeming to have no intention of leaving. It was obvious that the man had his eyes on them now.

There was a moment of awkward silence as they stared at the man who was just scrolling through his phone.

“Um…Chuuya-san?” Midoriya called hesitantly. That was what the waiter had addressed this man by, right?

The singer looked up.

“Are you the owner of this place?”

The redhead didn’t respond. He stared at the boy, to the point where Midoriya was starting to fidget in his seat, wondering if he had said something wrong.

“Well,” the man closed his phone and shoved it into his back pocket, “I guess you can say that.”

Midoriya blinked at the vague answer. Did he mean that he wasn’t the only owner?

"We are sorry!" Iida, the ever responsible class-president, stood up as best as he could in the limited space of the booth and bowed at the man. "We didn't mean to intrude into your club like this! Thank you for letting us stay!"

A waiter walked up to Chuuya and held up a tray with a single glass of wine like an offering. The red-haired man took the glass by the stem and swirled the red fluid inside around. His movements were swift and elegant.

"I'm only letting you stay until you finish your drinks," he told them, taking a small sip at his wine. "‘Being out this late isn’t for kids like you."

"We're sorry." Yaoyorozu dipped her head in shame. As a straight "A" student growing up in a good household, she had rarely ever been scolded, so this was a harsh hit on her.

“We’re sorry as well.” The rest of the class except for Bakugou followed.

“Um…Chuuya-san, we saw you singing on the stage, you were super amazing!" Uraraka said as the other girls instantly nodded in agreement.

“Yes, it was amazing!” Ashido praised.

“I’ve never heard of anyone that can change pitches like that!” Jirou added.

“Yeah!” Hagakure was waving her hands in the air.

For the first time since he appeared before them, a smile lifted the redhead’s lips. It was a small smile, but with a handsome face like Chuuya’s, a small smile was enough to get the girls flustered.

Thankfully for them, it was at that moment that three waiters came over to their little corner, each of them carrying a tray of colourful drinks.

Everyone watched with stars in their eyes as they received their drinks. Each of them came with a paper straw and fruits decorating the rim of the glass.

“…It’s so good!” Ashido beamed when she took a huge sip of her drink. "It's like cola, but raspberry flavoured! I can even taste the tea!”

"You're right, this is good!" Uraraka gasped. “It’s all bubbly!”

“It’s sparkling water,” Asui croaked happily.

“I didn’t know sparkling water and plum juice could taste so good! Hey Todoroki, is yours the same as mine?” Sero asked, looking over to Todoroki whose drink looked identical to his.

“Yes.” Todoroki smiled as he looked down at his glass.

Despite not having any alcohol, the people that made these drinks took the effort to make them resemble the pictures on the menu. While everyone was admiring and tasting their drinks, Bakugou was glaring at his milk.

The milk was poured into a rocks glass with one gigantic ball of ice floating at the center. There was a layer of coconut flakes over the surface and around the rim of the glass. As the finishing touch, there were two cranberries skewered by a toothpick balancing on the tip of the ice.

It was obvious that whoever made this was trying to give this glass of milk a wintery theme.

However…it didn’t change the fact that this was just a stupid glass of plain milk.

“Woah Bakugou! That milk looks so good!” Kirishima commented, not noticing how the look on Bakugou’s face was getting worse.

“Yeah, that milk sure looks great, Bakugou!” Sero whistled while trying to restrain his laughter. 

“That’s the fanciest milk I’ve ever seen!” Kaminari didn’t have the restraint that Sero did and was clutching onto his stomach as he laughed.

“Let us see over here too!” Ashido called from the other table. 

With a roar, Bakugou grabbed his glass. He tossed the cranberries away and dumped the entire glass of milk into his open mouth. The rich milk floated down his throat, but Bakugou had completely forgotten about the large globe of ice that was now stuck in his mouth.

The boy's face distorted from rage as his teeth ground against the gigantic ball of ice. Bakugou could spit it back out, but his pride wouldn’t allow that to happen, so he ended up sitting there trying to grind the ice apart with his teeth.

The other students quickly went back to talking about their drinks. They’ve known Bakugou long enough to know when to stop their teasing. As they talked, the grinding sound of ice continued to echo by their ears.

“Um, the money—” Yaoyorozu stood up, about to pull out her wallet when Chuuya held up a hand to stop her.

"It's on the house,” the singer told them before waving one of the waiters over. "After you're done, this guy will escort you out the back door. It'll be bad for business if a suspicious group of people like you walks out the front door."

"Thank you so much! We appreciate it!"

“Yes! Thank you!”

"Thank you!"

An echo of thanks came from the students, but the man only brushed it off. Those bright blue eyes only gave them a brief look before he turned, his jacket flapping around him as he walked away.

The waiter that the redhead had called over just stood there dutifully, looking as if he was going to keep standing there until they finish their drinks. Under the man’s stare, there was no way anyone would dare to overstay their welcome. They hurriedly finished their drinks and followed the waiter to the back door that was next to the bar.

There was nothing in the back aside from a long, plain white hallway. At the very end of the hall was a door made of wood. No words were exchanged the entire time they walked. Some of them wanted to talk to ease up the strange atmosphere, but the presence of the waiter made it hard for them to find anything to talk about.

Once they had arrived at the wooden door, the waiter opened it and the cool night air blew in. The man held the door open with one hand folded behind his back and bowed. Startled by such formality, they walked out the door one by one, bowing back and thanking the waiter as they went.

The sky was completely dark.

The street they came out to was just as empty as the street by the club’s front door. The street lights were functioning properly, but it didn’t make the place any less eerie.

Midoriya glanced back at the building they came out from. Unlike the front of the club that had nothing but a black door, the back looked more like an ordinary house. There were windows and all, but the hallway they walked through clearly didn't have any other doors that lead to the rest of the house.

He frowned, feeling as though he had overlooked something important.

The moment the last person—Koda, walked out, the waiter closed the door shut. In the silence, everyone could hear the clicking sound of the lock being turned on the other side. They stared at the door, then to one another, and finally to the empty street.

Perhaps…they should have asked for directions?

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BAM

The slamming sound of the iron door was drowned out by the music and voices. When a group of oddly dressed people (especially one with hands all over his body) walked into the club, it attracted some attention, but the people around just brushed it off as some weird early Halloween cosplays.

Shigaraki Tomura looked around the club before his eyes landed on the glass staircase with black-suited men standing guard.

“There.” He walked straight towards the stairs with his hands tucked in his pockets.

When those suited men saw them approaching, they immediately blocked their path.

“State your business,” one of the men demanded.

"Tell your boss we're here to see him," Shigaraki told him.

The guards didn’t seem put off by his attitude. One of them went up the stairs, most likely to report while the other two continued to stand guard.

The League of Villains didn’t mind the wait. They stood there idly, taking their time to look around the club.

Shigaraki eyed every person that passed by them. After taking in his surroundings, his eyes eventually landed on that stage. There was a band playing and a singer singing, but that singer was only mediocre in terms of looks.

Nothing about him stood out.

This made Shigaraki frown as he thought back to all the information Dabi and Mr. Compress had collected.

For an organization that controlled an entire city, there was very little information about them. The top brass within the Port Mafia were a complete mystery, yet strangely enough there was information on the boss himself—as well as those next in line to the position of boss.

The first and foremost piece of information they found was about the succession battle—or the Selection War as they called it. This peaceful little city wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed. It had only been two short days and they’ve already discovered countless organizations moving within the shadows.

And whenever there was movement, there were always two individuals involved.

The White Reaper and the Rabid Dog of the Port Mafia.

It was as if all the eyes within Yokohama were on these two so-called successors. While they couldn’t find any information as to what their powers are, one thing for certain is that the White Reaper and the Rabid Dog were no friends. Everyone in the underground knew that if these two were put in the same room, they would tear each other apart and wouldn’t stop until one side is dead.

The next piece of information would be about the boss of this joke of a crime syndicate.

It was said that four years ago, the previous boss of the Port Mafia suddenly retired, handing over his position to the current boss. Where that retired boss went, no one knows. All they knew was that the new boss was formerly nicknamed Demon Prodigy in the underground world.

While they weren’t able to find out why he had gotten such a name, they were able to come across some interesting gossip, and that was this club right here.

It seemed that the Port Mafia boss had his eyes on one of the singers. Since that singer only sings on Tuesday nights, the Port Mafia boss will always come to the club at this time without fail.

Shigaraki looked up when the guard came back down and gave a curt nod to his companions. Without a word, they stepped aside, making way for the uninvited guests. Shigaraki didn't spare these grunts another look as he walked upstairs with the rest trailing behind him. 

Although he looked completely laid back, Shigaraki’s mind was turning as he played out countless scenarios of what this Demon Prodigy would be like. At the same time, two phrases continuously circled inside his head.

These were phrases that were heard repeatedly during Dabi and Mr. Compress’s investigation. Whenever the Port Mafia was mentioned, these two phrases would turn up without fail.

“Those who oppose the Port Mafia will be crushed by vicious gravity.”

And,

“Double Black.”

Shigaraki exercised his fingers as he arrived at that last step. Ruby red eyes locked on to the man sitting in a black round armchair with guards lined up beside him. There were three guards on each side, each of them dressed in the same fashion as the guys at the staircase.

The leader of the League of Villains had run countless simulations inside his head of how their first meeting would go.

…Never had he imagined it to be like this.

“Oh my!” Magne had to suppress a delightful gasp as the rest of the League of Villains arrived. Like Shigaraki, their eyes naturally fell to the person sitting at the center of the platform.

The man has short brown-hair curling at the tips and was dressed in tailored black suits with a long maroon scarf hung on his neck.

And sitting on his lap was another man.

This second man was dressed differently than the rest of the suited men here. Anyone could tell he was one of those locals that came to a nightclub to have fun. His clothes were disheveled with the straps of his tank tops falling off his shoulders and his jacket pulled down to his elbows.

Long slender fingers of the brown-haired man slid into those wavy orange locks. At first, he stroked the hair as if it were the finest silk, but the next moment he fisted the strands and pulled harshly.

The orange-haired man fell back with a sharp gasp leaving his open mouth before the rest of his voice was sealed by a pair of hungry lips.

Even with the loud music, the League of Villains could hear the moans and slick sounds being produced between these men’s connected lips.

None of them could see the face of the brown-haired man. With his head turned to the right, the only thing they were able to see were the bandages covering his left eye.

When Shigaraki snapped out of shock and disgust, he noticed that it wasn’t just the face. The man’s neck and even his arms were covered in bandages. The leader of the League of Villains furrowed his brows as he squinted at the redhead.

This must be that singer the Port Mafia boss had his eyes on.

Finally, the brunet pulled away from those kiss swollen lips with a wet pop. The sound made Shigaraki gag, but he held it back. His crimson eyes were locked onto the man like a hawk as he watched that face slowly turned, revealing a single dark eye that stared back into his.

“You’re the boss of the Port Mafia?” Shigaraki frowned. He had imagined countless times what this person would look like…but he never would have guessed for him to be so young. As grating as it was, the brunet looked around the same age as him.

“And?” The man leaned back against his chair, not forgetting to pull his little boy toy along. “Who might be asking?”

Shigaraki’s brow twitched. From how casual and laid back the other was behaving, it was obvious that this man didn't view them as a threat at all. 

No, it wasn’t just him.

Crimson eyes fell to the redhead. He was comfortably nestled against the Port Mafia boss like a cat. His head was tucked under the Port Mafia boss’s chin and his fingers played around with the man’s scarf. He occasionally rubbed his cheek against the man’s neck and whispered words they couldn’t hear while blue eyes filled with mockery looked down upon them.  

"You've been watching us for the past two days," Shigaraki stated.

“It’s common knowledge to introduce yourself when you’re the ones that came to me,” the Port Mafia boss pointed out. He grabbed the hand of the hooker that was traveling a little too low and brought it up to his lips for a kiss.

Seeming to take this as a sign to continue where they had left off, the redhead sat up. He wrapped his arms around the brunet’s neck, leaning in for a kiss when he was stopped by a slim finger pressed against his lips.

“Be a dear and go sing me a song.” The brunet spoke softly to the redhead, but loud enough for the League of Villains to hear. With the same finger that touched the redhead’s lips, he hooked the man’s tank top straps and pulled them back over his shoulders. After that, he grabbed the black fedora by his side and placed it onto the other’s head.

The redhead wasn't happy. He glanced at the guests and let out a small huff. He slid off the Port Mafia boss’s lap and sauntered around the table.

He didn’t even look fazed by the group of disturbingly dressed people and walked forward as if expecting them to make way for him. The League of Villains naturally wouldn’t step aside, but the redhead had no intention of backing down either.

In the end, he roughly shoved past them. Each villain received a rude knock on the shoulder as the hooker forcefully walked through them and down the stairs.

“The heck’s his problem?” Twice wondered out loud.

Never had any of these villains been ignored by ordinary civilians like this. It was one thing for the Port Mafia boss, but another thing entirely for a lowly prostitute.

This helped them become fully aware of their situation.

These people of Yokohama—none of them saw them as threats.

"We are the League of Villains," Kurogiri spoke with a hand against his chest as a polite gesture. “We have simply come to pay our respects to the boss of the Port Mafia.”

The brown-haired man crossed his right leg over his left and laced his fingers together over his knees. “Ah yes…” he said as if just remembering, “that little gang that All for One made.”

Shigaraki’s eyes narrowed when the man brought up his teacher’s name. While All for One was no longer a secret to the public after his fight with All Might, Shigaraki had a feeling there was more to it than that.

“Tell me, who came up with the name? I’m quite curious as to who is the one with such a…tasteful naming sense.”

Anyone could hear the sarcasm dripping from the man’s tone as they watched his lips curve upwards in a mocking smile.

“You—” Spinner was going to step up but Shigaraki quickly held out a hand, stopping him in his tracks.

“You know about All for One,” the young leader of the League said with certainty.

“Unlike your world that prefers to keep secrets from their citizens, Yokohama is extremely open about our history.” The brunet leaned forward and picked up the glass of whiskey on the table. He swirled the golden fluid inside the cup as ice cubes clattered against one another.

Shigaraki watched this man's movements carefully. In enemy territory, they couldn’t let their guards down. Every movement, every word, Shigaraki was trying to decipher just what this man’s intentions were.

"Have you heard of the story of Icarus?" The Port Mafia boss suddenly asked. No one in the League of Villains responded, but the brunet didn't mind the lack of response and continued. "Despite his father’s warning, he grew too confident in his newfound ability to fly and flew too close to the sun. In the end, his wings melted off and he drowned in the sea.”

“What is your point?” Shigaraki gritted out.

“Oh? You don’t understand?” The man blinked innocently. “Then perhaps you’ll understand a fairytale better? Once upon a time, there was a little ant that viewed the world around him with contempt. He didn’t understand why he should work for the sake of the colony just because he was born as an ant. So when a mysterious power began to appear, he used all of his tiny legs to grasp onto this power. He decided that instead of continuing to serve the Queen, he would become the King and create a new world governed by new laws.”

The clanking sounds of ice cubes continued as the man swirled his glass around and around.

"He gathered his little ant followers and beat the opposing ants that stood in his way—including his brother who had hatched out of the same egg as him. He successfully took over the colony, but, overgrown with confidence, he decided to take over the world. As the first step in his conquest, he decided to target the elephant that lived near the ants' nest. With his little army of ants, they stormed into the elephant's territory…only to be squashed under its feet."

The man grinned at the League of Villains and took a small sip of his whiskey.

“They tried to bite the elephant, but their jaws were so weak and small that they couldn’t even break through the dried mud clinging onto its skin. They tried to crawl towards the elephant’s face and ears, but the elephant only needed to stomp its feet to shake them off its body. They tried to overwhelm the elephant with their numbers, but all the elephant needed to do was blow through its trunk and the ants would be swept away into the wind.

In just a matter of minutes, the army of ants was no more. The only one that remained was that tiny little ant that started this fight. In a panic, that little ant jumped into the ocean to escape the elephant, not knowing how it was so insignificant that the elephant never even saw them as enemies, but mere pests."

As the brunet spoke, he slowly poured the whiskey onto the floor, little by little until only ice cubes were left.

"A funny story, no?" The Port Mafia’s boss looked up, his dark eye locking directly with Shigaraki’s through the gaps between the fingers on his face.

Shigaraki was seething. His hands were clenched tightly by his sides and his body was shaking with rage.

Kurogiri tensed, ready to warp them out any second. It wouldn’t be wise for them to face off against the Port Mafia on their territory. Just as the dark purple mist on his body began to flicker, Shigaraki’s shaking stopped.

Kurogiri stared at Shigaraki in surprise. He hadn’t expected the boy to be able to restrain himself and force himself to calm down under such blatant provocation.

“So...” The Port Mafia boss leaned back to get comfortable in his seat, like a child would before playing his favourite movie. “What does the League of Villains want from the Port Mafia?”

"I came with a proposition, but it looks like there's no need anymore," Shigaraki spoke in a dull tone, causing the man to raise his brow.

"HEY, ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!" A voice screamed so loudly that it felt like the entire nightclub was shaking. “WHERE’S YOUR ENERGY?! DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE ALL DONE!”

A massive wave of cheers shook the club even harder than the loud voice had. The League of Villains turned. From this high up view, they were able to perfectly see the stage below. A familiar redhead was standing on the center of that stage, holding a mic in his hand and surrounded by a band.

“IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! THE NIGHT IS JUST STARTING, SO LET’S HEAR SOME REAL CHEERS!”

If possible, the cheers increased by tenfold.

Dabi was frowning.

Spinner had to cover his ears.

Twice, affected by the mood, cheered along with the crowd.

Magne also looked quite interested.

Toga just yawned.

Mr. Compress tapped his staff lightly against the floor.

As for Shigaraki and Kurogiri, the two of them only spared a brief look behind them before focusing back onto the Port Mafia’s boss. Said boss didn’t seem to care much about them, as he too was focused on the stage below.

“Hit it up, Tachihara!" The redhead snapped his fingers. The booming sound of guitars echoed across the club as the crowds roared.

“Woah uh oh—oh oh!

Woah uh oh—oh oh!”

The drummer with a bandage across his nose sang into the mic as his drumsticks danced across the drums.

“Woah uh oh—oh oh!

Woah uh oh—oh oh!”

The colourful spotlights that had been flashing across the club were replaced by flickering red lights. The yellow spotlight that had been shining on the stage also bled into red. In an instant, everything within the club was swallowed by the red light and at the center of that light was a single man.

“Woah uh oh—oh oh!

Woah uh oh—oh oh!”

Blue eyes slowly parted, looking across the crowd and towards the VIP section. At that moment, the redhead’s aura completely changed—as if he had become a completely different person from when he was sitting on the Port Mafia boss’s lap.

He pressed his lips into the cold metal of the mic and began to sing.

“What is the true identity of this uncomfortable feeling

Which lurks gently inside of you as if being entangled

Soaking me so empty that it burns me out

And having the chaotic afterimage lingering!

Receiving unwanted stimulation and peaceful contradiction at the same time

Making me subtly and exquisitely crazy!”

Shigaraki clicked his teeth at the disturbance, but he looked back at the Port Mafia boss and continued where they got cut off.

"I've always wondered what a city ruled by criminals was like," Shigaraki said as he held his hands up. “Everything that Villains have been fighting for—a world completely free of the existence of Heroes and law which Yokohama has achieved...”

The League of Villains all stared at the Port Mafia boss sitting high up on his throne.

“I’m super troubled to taste the act of being loved

Continue to pay for the pain it brought

Opening a trance enough to make my heart shiver for a moment

I’m being controlled by the increasing anguish

Even though I know it’s only a Momentary Love.”

“It’s nothing but a joke.” Shigaraki’s hands fell to his side from the lack of motivation. “The boss of the world’s largest crime syndicate is here drowning himself in alcohol and hookers while the city is being run by a government that is still functional. The Port Mafia is nothing but a joke." Shigaraki huffed disinterestedly as he turned and began to walk off.

The rest of the League followed him. Obviously, they shared the same thought.

“Even though I deemed this stretched love to be no good

I thought that I wanted to hear more of your pure and innocent voice

That I heard while gazing at the night sky

The moon up there is beautiful.”

Shigaraki only felt the red light around him brightening before his entire body was slammed into the floor. The marble tiles underneath him shattered from the force. He let out a dry, breathless cough, having the air knocked out of his lungs. He tried to move, but it was as if an invisible force was crushing him from above.

He couldn’t even lift a finger!

When red eyes darted around, he realized that he wasn’t the only one. The rest of the League was the same. They were all lying within a crater created by the force, all of them unable to move. Shigaraki practically broke his neck trying to turn his head just so he could look up at that man sitting high up in his seat.

That single blackened eye was looking down at them with a smirk lifting his face.

“I’ve thrown away those regrets of love 200 million years ago

This uncertain despair is a necessity

This wild and crazy dance which supposed to be flat, just like a scattered flower petal

I became too absorbed to it that I keep tripping my footsteps

Opening a trance enough to make my heart shiver for a moment

I’m being controlled by the increasing anguish

Even though I have this Momentary Love.”

“You know, it’s very rude to talk during a performance,” the Port Mafia boss said disapprovingly while tapping his finger over his knee. That seemed to be a signal as the six guards by his side whipped out their guns and took aim at the group immobilized on the floor.

Immediately, Kurogiri tried to activate his Quirk to warp them away, but they only saw a blur of black, and Kurogiri was gone.

No one could react to what had happened.

It was only when they heard a loud crash followed by the wind blowing by did they realize what had happened. This power—whatever it is—had flung Kurogiri away.

“Let’s try to forget you little by little, until I can remember you no more! ALL TOGETHER!”

“WOAH UH OH—OH OH!” The crowds sang to the song. “WOAH UH OH—OH OH!”

“I want to swallow a flood contains only of joy

I’m super troubled to taste the act of being loved~!”

“WOAH UH OH—OH OH!

WOAH UH OH—OH OH!”

“Gravity…!!” Shigaraki gritted his teeth.

"I wonder…just what gave you the impression that you could come and go as you wished?” The Port Mafia boss chuckled as he rested his elbow on the chair’s armrest and leaned his cheek against his knuckles.

“I want to swallow a flood contains only of joy

I’m super troubled to taste the act of being loved~!”

The singer grabbed the microphone stand and stomped a foot onto the speaker at the edge of the stage. “IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! SCREAM LIKE YOU MEAN IT!”

“WOAH UH OH—OH OH!” The crowds were practically hollering from the top of their lungs at this point. Their faces were all red, not certain if it was due to the screaming or the red lighting.

“Continue to pay for the pain it brought

Opening a trance enough to make my heart shiver for a moment!”

WOAH UH OH—OH OH!”

“This is Yokohama. Ants should crawl back into their hole.” The Port Mafia boss raised his glass of ice cubes, sending them a meaningless cheer.

“I’m being controlled by this increasing anguish—NOW SING IT!” The singer pulled the mic away from his lips and pointed it towards the audience.

“LEAVE THE KISS FOR LATER!” The crowd sang together in perfect harmony.

At the very back of the club, where no one paid any attention to, the members of the League of Villains were lifted into the air one by one.

“I’M BEING CONTROLLED!”

“EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT’S ONLY A MOMENTARY LOVE!!”

Their bodies crashed through the sturdy brick wall. The sound from the impact of their bodies and the shattering wall were drowned by the singing of the crowd. Within the quiet night outside, the villains flew across the street and smashed into the building on the other side.

Shigaraki slammed into the ground. He would have bounced off from the force and kept rolling, but Kurogiri appeared, warping all of them away and back to the warehouse that they set as their temporary hideout.

Even though Kurogiri intervened, many of them suffered heavy bruises and maybe even a cracked bone somewhere from the rough treatment. Shigaraki coughed as he painfully pushed himself over so that he was lying on his back and staring at the dirty ceiling of the warehouse. 

“Do you have your answers now, Shigaraki Tomura?” Kurogiri came over to check on the boy he was assigned to watch over.

“Ah,” Shigaraki slowly smirked.

Everything had gone according to his plans. All thanks to these Port Mafia bastards looking down on them.

Just from these two days of the Port Mafia watching over them, Shigaraki already knew that they didn’t see the League of Villains as threats. It was this underestimation that gave Shigaraki the confidence to waltz into their little party. If the Port Mafia had no intention of killing them before, they wouldn’t now.

This meeting only further confirmed this.

These Ability users obviously thought they were much stronger and looked down on people with Quirks. As the people sitting at the top of the food chain, it was even more so for them. These were people who wouldn’t bat an eye at a tiny ant crawling by their feet because, to them, they weren’t even worth wasting their time on. Even if that ant got in their way, the most they would do was kick it away. To those with their heads tilted so high up, allowing their shoes to become dirty from mere ants was the same as smearing dirt over their faces. 

That's why Shigaraki betted on the fact that the Port Mafia boss wouldn't kill them and lured him into using his power.

His bet was spot on.

“Crushed by vicious gravity…” Shigaraki recited as his body throbbed.

The way he was slammed down, lifted, and thrown…this wasn’t something as simple as turning gravity on and off. That man can freely change the gravitation of objects.

Shigaraki was a hundred percent certain that it was gravity manipulation.

Then here comes the main questions…

How many people can that man control?

What was the range of that power?

Were there conditions to activate that power?

Shigaraki recalled that man’s smug look and the way his fingers so gently held the delicate glass in his hand. For someone that had used his power on eight people, he didn’t look the slightest bit affected. His grip over the glass didn't change either. If it were a Quirk, there would have at least been some signs of strain on the body, but there were none.

Even though Kurogiri had explained that these Abilities worked differently from Quirks, Shigaraki was certain that even amongst Abilities, this gravity manipulation was amongst the strongest ones. Why else would that phrase about gravity constantly pop out in their investigation?

Shigaraki also knew that the power the man displayed was simply a demonstration. It was most likely not even a fraction of his real strength. That was the kind of person their opponent was.

Confident and arrogant—yet he had the strength and the brain to back it up. Shigaraki wasn’t going to naively think that the word prodigy only refers to his strength. The man was no doubt a cunning one. However, he was a young man who lived at the very top of the food chain, believing that the entire world revolved in the palm of his hand.

Shigaraki laughed.

He didn’t care how he looked to the others right now. All he knew was that he was going to crush that man. He will pull him down from the clouds and crush him along with that pitiful pride.

So what if the ants in the story failed to take down the elephant? That was a story from hundreds of years ago. The large elephant in that story was long gone. The only thing left behind was an elephant living inside a fortress created by its ancestor's remains. An elephant that had grown up without any natural predators around.

After this confrontation, Shigaraki was certain that the Port Mafia would remove their surveillance on them. For an overly confident and prideful man like that, he would purposely do it to further humiliate them and show them how insignificant they were.

Now, they have free access to this entire city.

“We’ll see who gets the last laugh, Port Mafia.” Shigaraki cackled.

The Selection War.

That will certainly be interesting.

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“This is bad!” Kaminari panicked as he looked around the empty street. How could there not be a single person around?! “We’re completely lost, aren’t we?!”

“What should we do?” Hagakure looked around at her classmates. “Should we call the teachers?”

“But if we call they’ll find out!” Ashido gasped in horror. She can already imagine their homeroom teacher’s face when he hears of what they did!

“Hey! Look over there!” Mineta pointed towards the park in front of them. Everyone looked over and saw the shadow of a person sitting on a wooden bench beneath a lamppost. Relieved that they had finally found somebody, they hurried over.

Once they were close enough to get a clearer look as to what the person looked like, all of them were shocked.

Sitting on the bend was not an adult, but a child.

They couldn't tell if the child was a boy or a girl, but the kid had split coloured hair like Todoroki. When the kid turned around at the sound of their approach and looked up, the first thing the teens noticed were those mismatched eyes.

The left iris had a circle, while the right was a star.

Having been born and raised in a world where people came in all shapes and forms, none of Class 1-A was surprised in any way by the child’s eyes. What surprised them was that when the kid turned, the doll in their arms became visible.

It was a grotesque looking doll bleeding out of its hollowed eyes.

“Who are you?” The child asked in a sweet, angelic voice.

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[rudjedet]

Ah, yes, the Holy Trinity of the Wok. I used to cook more Western food, but since a lot of boring health stuff blah blah blah, I had to limit my food choices. Now I find that many of the things I can cook taste best if I use a recipe from China, Japan, or Singapore. So I have a huge jar of minced garlic, a ton of ginger, and a fistful of scallions on hand at all times.

Niiice, I like the Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian kitchen best because the spice mixes/flavour profiles really agree with me. I like a kick, and a bit of heat, but with depth and I find that lacking in most European cooking. It’s in part to do with my anosmia, I think - I can’t taste the nuance in e.g. Italian food, it’s generally just bland and vaguely salty to me (although I’m a huge fan of mushroom risotto and cheesy polenta, but those are definite exceptions).

[rivjudephoenix]

Do you know what rivers favorite food dishes were?

From his favourite restaurant in Japan, Mominoki House, his fave dishes were eggplant with tomato sauce and eggplant baked with ginger. A Thai place he used to frequent said he liked Tofu Yum-Woon-Sen, Tofu Pad Ped and their Garlic Tofu Special. He also liked carrot juice (a lot), wheatgrass juice, pistachios, eggplant, nectarines, cherries, falafel, sprout salad, hummus & pita bread, bean burritos, veggie/tofu stir fry, vegetable tempura, tofu cheesecake, mushroom and avocado burgers, dolmas and snacking on strawberry and banana smoothies. He had a habit of binging on one food for a whole meal, like he would eat a heap of artichokes or a bunch of mangoes as a meal. One article described him as having granola and soy milk w/ strawberries for breakfast and tabouli, nori, blue corn chips, a tofu omelet and tahini dressing for lunch. He was also really into spicy salsa, he would just pick it up and drink it from the jar

[pocketsrestorations]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: 1930s Orange Kutani Nippon Japan Tea/Coffee Set Bone China Japanese Geisha.

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A spoon full of a dark brown liquid lies on a table in front of a jar of the same liquid. End ID]

Usata sosu / ウスターソース (Japanese Worcestershire-style sauce)

Japanese Worcestershire sauce, like its English counterpart, consists of simmered vegetable or fruit juices, sugars, vinegar, salt, and spices. It was first produced by Japanese manufacturers, who modelled it off of imported sauces, in the Meiji era (late 19th century); however, it did not achieve widespread popularity in Japan until after WWII, with the increasing popularity of Western-style food (洋食 / yoshoku).

Japanese Worcestershire sauce is commonly used to flavor okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and yaki udon; it may also be placed on the table in a sauce dispenser alongside soy sauce in restaurants or in the home. In western Japan, especially the Kansai region, it has become so prevalent within yoshuko that the term ソース (sosu), theoretically used to describe any Western-style sauce, usually means Worcestershire sauce.

Common sauces derives from usata sosu are 中濃ソース (chuno sosu), of a medium-thick consistency, and 濃厚ソース (noko sosu), also known as とんかつソース (tonkatsu sosu), of a thick consistency. Tonkatsu sauce also tends to be sweeter, while Worcestershire-style sauce is more heavily spiced.

This is the from-scratch version of a sauce that home cooks in the West sometimes make by mixing pre-made sauces (such as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and ketchup) together. Carrots, onions, tomatoes, fruits, spices, and herbs are simmered together to produce a tangy, fragrant sauce, more complex and punchy than the quick version. See my yakisoba recipe for my quick version—it’s still delicious, though mellower.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

To make Japanese Worcestershire sauce, you will first need to make a dashi (stock): this recipe calls for a combination of kombu and shiitake dashi and vegetable stock. You will then need to simmer vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices in the stock. Finally, the sauce should be blended and strained through a fine cloth to remove plant fibers. The sauce may be thickened at this point, if desired.

This recipe makes about 2 cups of ウスターソース (usata sosu).

Equipment:

A nut milk bag or cheesecloth

A large pot

A blender or immersion blender

Ingredients:

For the dashi:

6g (4” x 4” piece) kombu, dirt wiped off but keep white stuff, slit with scissors

3-5 dried shiitake mushrooms (10g)

2 1/4 cups water (to make 2 cups kombu dashi)

2 cups vegetable stock

Fruits and vegetables:

1 yellow onion

1 medium carrot (125g)

2 medium sweet apples (200g each)

1-inch chunk (10g) ginger

2 cloves garlic

1 rib celery (including end and greens, if available)

3 roma tomatoes

2 plums or prunes (optional)

Spices and herbs:

3 bay laurel leaves

1 tsp coriander seeds

12 whole cloves

2 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried

2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg, or 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 stick cinnamon (Indonesian or Vietnamese cassia)

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Dried bird's eye chili, crushed (optional)

Bay laurel leaves, or Mediterranean bay leaves, are the type of bay leaf most commonly in use in the U.S.A. and Europe. They will have small lines radiating outward from a central vein.

Cassia is the most common variety of cinnamon in North America; Chinese, Indonesian, and Vietnamese (Saigon) are common sub-types. Chinese and Indonesian cassia are thick strips of bark rolled into quills; Vietnamese cinnamon is too brittle to be rolled and is sold in thick chunks.

Seasonings:

⅓ cup soy sauce

6 Tbsp mild vinegar (balsamic, apple cider, or red wine)

2 Tbsp molasses or brown sugar

2 Tbsp date paste (or substitute more molasses or other sweetener)

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Thickener (optional):

3 Tbsp tapioca flour

Instructions:

1. Make the dashi. Make “first” dashi (一番だし / ichiban dashi) by soaking kombu and shiitake mushrooms in 2 1/4 cups cold water overnight. Then heat kombu and its soaking water, uncovered, in a sauce pot on medium-low and slowly (over the course of about 45 minutes) allow it to come to a simmer. Occasionally skim off the bubbles at the top to remove unwanted debris. You can skip the overnight soak to make "quick" dashi.

If you already have reconstituted kombu and shiitake mushrooms from making a past batch of dashi, make “second” dashi (二番だし / niban dashi) by simmering them in water for 1-2 hours. Second dashi is a bit less nuanced than first dashi, and so it tends to be used for sauces, stews, and glazes rather than soups.

2. Strain dashi and add 2 cups vegetable stock.

3. Prepare vegetables. Be sure to wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly, but there is no need to peel them. Chop or dice the carrot, onion, apples, celery, and tomato (smaller pieces, or diagonal cuts, mean more surface area exposed to the stock and so more flavor extraction). Remove seeds from tomato. Slice the reconstituted shiitake mushrooms from making the stock.

4. Simmer chopped vegetables in the stock, covered, for one hour.

Rather than simmering, it may be possible to use a juicer to extract the flavors from the fruits and vegetables, then simmer the herbs and spices in the resulting juice--but I have not tested the recipe this way.

5. Roughly crush coriander, cloves, cumin, and black peppercorns in a mortar and pestle or spice mill. Add everything in the list of spices and herbs to the stock and simmer for another hour.

6. Remove cinnamon and bay leaves. Use an immersion blender to roughly blend the sauce and then simmer, covered, for another 15 minutes to half an hour (the most surface area is exposed to the stock at this point).

If using a countertop blender to blend the sauce, allow it cool down first.

7. Allow sauce to cool. Strain through a nut milk bag and reserve the pulp for a soup or stew. I had three cups of liquid at this point.

8. Return liquid to the pot and add seasonings. Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes to thicken. Add tapioca starch dissolved in a bit of cool water if extra thick sauce is desired.

9. Taste and adjust sugar, salt. and black pepper (tonkatsu sauce tends to be sweeter than thin Worcestershire sauce, while thin Worcestershire sauce is more spiced). Add a pinch of ground nutmeg and clove, if desired.

Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for several months.