#the order of chickens can suck an egg

[realitybitesyouknowit]

Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death Relationships: Harry Potter & Voldemort, No pairings Characters: Harry Potter, Weasley Family (Harry Potter), Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, Andromeda Black Tonks, Voldemort (Harry Potter), Hermione Granger, Original Characters, Goblins (Harry Potter), Kreacher (Harry Potter) Additional Tags: Marriage Contracts, Albus Dumbledore Bashing, Hermione Granger Bashing, Molly Weasley Bashing, Arthur Weasley is dead, Snape is Snape, Harry Potter is So Done, Remus Lupin Bashing, most of the adults suck, but Kreacher is okay, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, rape is referenced but does not occur and is not graphic, contract breaking - Freeform Summary:

Harry is presented with an apparently unbreakable marriage contract and told he must accept it to end the war, or lose his magic and maybe his life. He decides he'd rather die a squib and looks for a way to fight back.

[artaxlivs]

Which came first? The chicken or the scrambled eggs?

Rated E: Smut below the line, link to the Ao3 is here.

"Boy, you know I love you, right?" Uncle Wayne says gruffly over his favorite Garfield mug.

Oh jeez.

Eddie wracks his brain trying to figure out what Wayne's figured out this time. The drug deals? He'd thought they were both silently agreeing that they knew but wouldn't speak of those. The Upside Down? Nah, Eddie covered that pretty well, gave the same bullshit story the Feds did. Maybe something mundane like Eddie not doing his dishes?

That's an age-old argument right there.

Damn it.

"I know you do, old man," Eddie sighs, finally just deciding to take whatever it is on the chin. "Say what you wanna say."

There's a brief pause while Uncle Wayne must gather his thoughts - and the irrational swoop of Eddie's stomach over that is gonna give him nightmares because his abandonment issues are wide and deep - then Wayne clears his throat and says, "Whoever it is that you been leaving in your bedroom to sneak out after I fall asleep every morning...you can just invite him out for breakfast with us."

Eddie chokes on his own coffee. Well, sort of coffee - it's a lot of sugar and milk with a splash of coffee.

Not her. Him. They've never talked about it but Eddie knows Wayne has always had his suspicions. But he wasn't ready to have this conversation before the sun was even all the way up.

Before Eddie can finish coughing down his throatful of coffee, though, Wayne is shouting, "Eddie's boyfriend - you can come out and have some eggs if you want!"

A loud thump and the sound of someone obviously scrambling up from a bed comes from Eddie's room. "Yes, sir."  A muffled voice calls back.

Staring down the short hallway in horror, Eddie has a minor freak out. Okay - major freak out. But silently and quickly because...ohhhh this tangled web he’s woven for himself....

"Jesus Christ, Wayne." Eddie shakes his head before dropping it on the formica tabletop. He doesn't have to look up to know that Wayne is smiling that little smile that he gets when he proves that he's still smarter than Eddie is sneaky.

Wayne pulls open the fridge and gets the eggs back out, adding three more to the mixing bowl to whisk up.

Eddie still doesn't lift his head when Steve comes out of the bedroom because he just cannot bear to meet Steve's eyes. He eventually does look up, though, when he hears Wayne swear under his breath and nearly drop the frying pan.

"Ain't you the Harrington boy?" Wayne asks, looking a little dazed, obviously not expecting Steve Harrington to be standing barefoot, wearing one of Eddie's band T-shirts and a pair of his own sweats, in their tiny trailer kitchen, hastily shaping his hair into order as he reaches his hand out to shake.

"Yes, sir. And, um, I'd appreciate it if you kept that between us," Steve suddenly looks smaller, "for now, at least. I'm not sure what my dad...um, well." He worries his bottom lip and crosses his arms over his chest protectively, tucking his hands tight against his body. "I just - I don't think he'd approve. My - my dad."

Approve of what? Slumming it in a trailer park with a petty drug dealer? Because contrary to what Wayne thinks, Steve is not Eddie's boyfriend. They sleep together but not together. It's just for the nightmares. Sleeping alone sucks.

Wayne is nodding, though, the crease between his eyebrows the only thing giving away that he's upset about what he's hearing. Eddie's really not sure what he's thinking but he doesn't ask because maybe - just maybe - if no one asks anything specific, they can get out of this breakfast without Eddie being outed or any of them being embarrassed.

Because, contrary to Wayne’s assumption, Steve does not know that Eddie is gay. Or that the all night spooning they've been doing for weeks now is not as platonic for Eddie as it is for Steve. Eddie's not crossing any boundaries or anything creepy or anything, he's just...pining. It's fine. He'll get over it.

If they get through this breakfast without Eddie being outed, at least.

Steve, of course, offers to help but Wayne turns him down, nudges him toward the coffee pot to pour himself a mug instead. Which he does. Scoffing incredulously, Eddie gets up and swipes the mug from him, pouring it’s contents into Wayne's almost empty mug before setting it in the sink and taking out a clean plastic cup with a faded Charlie Brown & Linus on it.

"Sit." He tells Steve and reaches into the fridge for the orange juice he knows Steve prefers. He ignores the arched eyebrow Wayne aims at him. Mind your business, old man.

Breakfast is just scrambled eggs and toast. It's quick and not too heavy so Wayne can go to sleep after. It's always been the one meal they're guaranteed to have together. Even when most teenagers were sleeping in until ten am or noon, Eddie has always gotten up around 6:30 because Wayne's shift ends at six and he comes straight home and takes a shower, then they have breakfast together.

"So...Mr. Munson-" Steve starts after he swallows a drink of his juice and settles into one of the cracked vinyl chairs.

"Just Wayne, kid," Wayne insists gruffly, setting the pan of eggs down on a pot holder on the table.

"Oh - sorry," Steve says, letting his eyes fall away. It's weird, seeing him cowed by Wayne. Steve doesn't normally do that with adults. He's a charmer. He charms them all. Mrs. Wheeler would force Nancy to marry Steve if she could and Mrs. Henderson thinks that Steve is the second coming.

"Don't gotta be sorry...Steve. Just - call me Wayne." He comes back with a plate of toast. The butter and jam are already on the table. Eddie loads up his plate knowing Steve will do the polite thing and take less than him.

Clearing his throat, Steve nods, "Yes sir - W-Wayne." He stumbles over the first name but then keeps going - "I was just wondering...about the hats? And the mugs?" He looks around like he's taking them all in for the first time.

With a little smile, Wayne looks from the rows of hats and mugs to Steve and then back again. "Those are all Eddie." He doesn't elaborate but Steve's already nodding with a warm smile.

"I had a feeling." Steve nods again, slathering jam on a slice of toast. "Let me guess - this is him taking the joke way too far?"

The sound that comes out of Wayne can really only be called a chortle. There's nothing else that fits. Eddie is so glad his mouth was empty because it's like nothing he's ever heard from Wayne and he would have choked on his food. As it is, he makes a little offended squawk that they both ignore.

"Yup. You know him well I see." Wayne nods at Eddie but looks at Steve. "He got me this Garfield mug and a matching hat for his first Christmas here and I didn't want to disappoint him so I went a little overboard about how much I loved them. Wore the hat and used the mug religiously." He lifts the Garfield mug up for a sip and lifts an eyebrow at Eddie.

Steve knocks his knee against Eddie's under the table and when Eddie looks over at him, he’s smiling a fond smile at Eddie. He ducks his head to hide what he knows is a blush on his cheeks, letting Wayne and Steve steer the conversation where they want for the rest of the meal.

It’s not until they’re washing up and Wayne’s waved goodnight to them both, that Eddie speaks again. He bumps his hip into Steve’s as Steve finishes washing and rinsing the plastic cup and hands it over for Eddie to dry. “Sorry about that.”

Sliding the egg pan into the soapy water, Steve dries his hands off on a towel, leaving the pan to soak and turns to Eddie, hip propped against the counter. ‘For what?” Steve asks, confusion evident on his face.

He flounders for a moment, trying to find a way to steer Steve away from the flashing neon arrow pointing to Eddie that screams “GAY” without giving himself away if Steve hasn’t gotten that idea. “Um, just Wayne and your dad and - you know, all of this.” He waves his hand around in a general all encompassing circle to include the trailer, his life and Eddie himself.

“Do you want to kiss me?” Eddie is pretty sure Steve asks but it’s so unexpected that his brain almost comes to a screeching halt.

“W-what?”

“I asked,” Steve says, removing the scant foot of space between them by sliding along the edge of the counter, “if you wanted to kiss me?”

Eddie swallows, a lifetime of fear balled up in his throat. It has long since threatened to choke him but this time he pushes through it. Because dammit - he’s jumped into a lake and swam after 3 other teenagers he barely knew, he’s tromped through an alternate dimension, he’s played Metallica in hell and outran a horde of demon bats. He’s faced a fucking Lich with nothing but handmade weapons. He can do this. He can.

“Yes,” it’s barely a whisper and made through trembling lips but Steve hears it because he smiles, warm and soft and the next thing Eddie knows, their lips are pressed together and yes, yes, yes. Steve’s lips are just as warm and soft as his smile and just a little demanding as he pushes past Eddie’s and slips his tongue into Eddie’s mouth. 

Steve Harrington tastes like orange juice and possibilities. And before Eddie can decide what to do with that, Steve is dragging him down the hallway and back into his messy, unmade too small bed. He’s pressing Eddie down on his back and leaning over him to kiss him again. He’s rolling his hips against Eddie’s, brushing their hard cocks together in a way that makes Eddie’s toes curl.

And it feels like every night they laid here together, whispering into each other’s shoulders, every night they spent cocooned in safety, every brush of skin on skin was foreplay, was flirting, was courting - that all of it was a lead up to this moment where they could slip easily from friendship to something more.

Eager and keyed up, Eddie pushes Steve’s sweats down to his thighs, follows by shoving his own down as well. Copying Steve’s movement when he yanks off his shirt and then they’re skin to skin, dicks rubbing against each other as they both grind and chase their pleasure together. Steve shifts, putting his thigh between Eddie’s and cupping his ass to pull him forward and there it is, they’re slotted together just right. 

Eddie feels a little zing of pleasure up his back as he ruts against Steve. They haven’t stopped kissing long enough for Eddie to even moan Steve’s name but it’s fine, it’s great, he’s so close already, just a bit more, he’s almost there. He thrusts up and Steve squeezes his ass again, pushing their bodies together. His hand slips around, dipping  between Eddie’s cheeks, sliding one finger down his cleft until it presses against his hole where, sure, he has touched, but no one else has. Steve slipping just the tip of one finger into Eddie is enough to send him tumbling over the edge with a muffled shout.

Eddie’s still twitching through the aftershocks when Steve moves his hand back to Eddie’s hip, Steve holds him still so he can thrust into the sticky mess that Eddie’s made between them. “That was, fuck, so hot,” Steve swears before he clamps his mouth to Eddie’s again, pulling a whine from him just before Steve comes with his own shout swallowed up by Eddie’s mouth.

Slowly, their breathing returns to normal, the sweat cools on their skin and Steve languidly traces one finger through the mess as it starts to stick to Eddie’s treasure trail. Finally, when Eddie can think clearly again, he asks, “So I guess this means you’re not worried that Wayne thinks you’re my boyfriend?”

“Worried?” Steve grins up at him from where he’s resting his head on Eddie’s shoulder. “I think we should make him dinner before he goes to work as a thank you.” He rolls up, propping a hand on either side of Eddie’s chest to look down at him with a fond smile, “I mean, how long would we have lain next to each other in the dark waiting for the other one to make the first move?”

Going up on his elbows brings Eddie’s lips close enough to Steve for a kiss but he doesn't yet, he just stares up at him for a moment, then, with complete honesty, he tells Steve, “I’d have lain next to you for forever if I had to.”

Check it out on Ao3

[wooahaes]

a healthy change of mind

pairing: non-idol!hoshi x fem!reader

genre: domestic fluff. established relationship au.

warnings: food mention. mentions that reader didn't enjoy her bday growing up. skinship.

word count: ~1.0k

daisy's notes: domestic fluff i love u i love u i love u-

There was always an odd sense of intimacy in tying someone’s apron for them. Soonyoung liked it most when it was you, because he could always press a gentle kiss against your neck when he was done… and you would do the same, giving him butterflies in his stomach all over again.

Today was your birthday, and Soonyoung was happy to greet you when you finally came home from spending time with your friends. He liked being the person who saw the way you melted a bit with exhaustion, the person who snuggled with you on the couch as you recharged your battery. He understood how that felt, too: sometimes after he spent his days with his friends, he just needed to rest in your company. There was always something so easy about being around you. He felt special that you could just snuggle up with him and relax. He’d watched you remove your makeup and take off the jewelry (all little things your friends had bought you over the years), and he stole a kiss from you after you’d shed your shirt to change into sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt. 

“I don’t wanna go out tonight,” you had sighed against his shoulder. “Soonyoung?” You lifted your head, meeting his gaze. “Can we cook?”

Soonyoung was not a chef. Hell, he didn’t really cook much at all. You’d taught him a little before, but he never felt any good at it. His food never tasted anywhere near as good as yours (although, strangely enough, you said the same when he made you scrambled eggs one morning to surprise you with how much he’d been practicing), and half the time he ended up burning something… But if you wanted him to help you, he would happily help you. It wasn’t the first time you’d ask him to do that anyway. He’d always stay by your side, chopping ingredients and preparing whatever it was that you needed him to do. 

Unfortunately, it did call for a visit to the grocery store. Soonyoung held the basket in one hand, and your hand in the other as you guided him around the store. Another day, you two would do a proper grocery store visit… But that was for another day, definitely. He carried the bags home, still keeping his fingers intertwined with your own. And then he tied your apron, and kissed your neck before you did the same for him. That was what led to now, as you passed him a pair of gloves and asked him to dice chicken for you while you started to work on a sauce for your pasta. 

“You know,” you’d been measuring out heavy cream when you spoke up, “I like my birthday now.” 

He glanced up from where he was carefully cutting chicken. “You do?”

“Mhm. My birthday always kinda sucked when I was growing up,” you shrugged. “I mean—It always kinda felt like they were about other people than just me. My cake always had to be something everyone liked instead of something I liked.” For a moment, you paused, and then looked up, waving a hand. “Not that I didn’t like it! I like vanilla cake just fine,” you shrugged. “But… I dunno. Ice cream cakes are nice. Cupcakes are nice. I just kinda wish it was my decision more often, y’know?”

Is that why you told him not to worry about a cake…? He just watched you for a moment, trying to gauge your thoughts. “It can be your decision now.”

For a second, you just stood there, processing that. “Soonie?” You looked up, voice so small now. “Can we order cake? It can just be two slices for delivery, but—”

He laughed, warm as ever, and nodded. “I’ll pull up the app when I’m done and we can look. Tell me more about your birthdays.”

You shook your head. “Nah. I mean… I never really liked being ‘the birthday girl’ with all the attention on her, y’know? I like what I can do now. Going out with my friends, and then just… getting to come home to you and do something laid-back.” With a blissful sigh, you continued to make the alfredo sauce for your pasta. “I like that I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not.” 

Something ached in his chest at that. You hadn’t told him everything about your past, sure, but you’d told him that you did hide things about yourself growing up. Your interests, your personality, all wrapped up in a tight package of anxiety that you’d say the wrong thing or do something and be hated. It was all irrational, and you knew that now, but as a child with anxiety? Soonyoung couldn’t fault you for struggling so much with it growing up. Yet something softened inside of him as he realized the implications of what you said: you felt safe being yourself around him.

Good, then. He liked being himself around you, too.

The gloves crinkled as they came off, and he tossed them into the bin before making his way over to you. You turned right as he wrapped his arms around you, pressing a long kiss against your lips before drawing away. 

You smiled at him. “Hi?”

“Hi,” he giggled. “Happy birthday. I love you.” 

You kissed him back, soft and sweet, before pulling away. “I love you, too, you dork.” 

Soonyoung drew away, already going for his phone to start looking up dessert places. He would have done this for you a thousand times over if it meant he could see that pretty smile on your face. And he knew he’d kiss that smile again when the night was over and you were back where you belonged in his arms.

Hopefully, you two could spend your next birthday just like this, too.

taglist: @twancingyunhao @wonuziex @synthetickitsune @staranghae @porridgesblog @weird-bookworm @bangchansbae @laylasbunbunny @bewoyewo

[howlingday]

Pop Off

Jaune: (Walks in) Oh! Hey, guys! What's up?

Yang/Pyrrha/Oscar: (Standing around)

Ozpin: Have a seat, Mr. Arc.

Jaune: Uh, sure... What's going on? Did I go rogue again?! I'm so sorry! I promise not to do again! Don't throw the book at me! I was young and needed the money and-

Yang: Alright, this is already off to a bad start.

Jaune: Huh? Oh, did I insult someone's favorite kid's show again?

Oscar: No, this isn't another Goof Troop situation.

Pyrrha: It's more serious than that.

Oscar: Slightly more serious.

Jaune: Um... Okay? So, what is this?

Yang: THIS is an intervention! Your dad jokes are out of control, Jaune! You have a problem!

Jaune: Dad jokes?

Yang: You know, like, "Can a kangaroo jump higher than a house?"

Jaune: Ha! Of course not! Because houses-

Yang/Pyrrha/Oscar: CAN'T JUMP.

Jaune: Y-Yeah... Alright, point taken. I'll, uh... just get some new material.

Yang: OR you could just stop! They're super lame!

Jaune: Yeah, but like, lame in a funny way?

Oscar: Eh... Not really...

Ozpin: I have to say, they're lame even by lame dad standards.

Pyrrha: I don't really see how they're funny.

Oscar: I think it's supposed to be ironic. Like, they're so not funny that they're actually funny.

Pyrrha: I don't think that's how it works.

Yang: Yeah, not to mention they're so ANNOYING when they're coming from you! I know when my dad came around and started spouting off dad jokes, it was cool or whatever, but he's not here and there's no need for another dad joke teller! We're doing this for your own good. Please, just stop...

Jaune: Wow, I... I had no idea you guys felt this way. But, if I can ask, what makes you guys the arbiters of comedy? Like, when does a joke become a dad joke anyways?

Pyrrha: Hm... I never considered that.

Oscar: Oh, actually, I do have an idea-

Yang: WAIT!

Jaune: (Grins) When it becomes...

Yang: STOP HIM!

Jaune: APPARENT! (Drops smokebomb, Runs)

Ozpin: GRAB HIM!

Pyrrha: (Catches Jaune, Holds him) Jaune! You need to stop! You're addicted to dad jokes!

Jaune: I used to be addicted to the hokey-pokey, too! But then I (Judo flips Pyrrha) TURNED MYSELF AROUND! (Runs)

Pyrrha: (Gets up) What does that even mean?

Oscar: That was pretty clever, but the punchline kind of falls flat. See, he didn't actually turn HIMSELF around and-

Yang: HE'S GETTING AWAY! (Chases)

Ozpin: (Enters warehouse) Ready yourselves, everyone... There's no telling what he has planned.

Jaune: (Echoing through the warehouse) YOU GUYS WANNA HEAR A JOKE ABOUT CONSTRUCTION?

Yang/Pyrrha/Oscar: NO!

Jaune: THAT'S FINE. I'M STILL... WORKING ON IT~!

Yang: Oh, that son of a...!

Oscar: I didn't think it could get this bad! How did this even happen?

Jaune: YOU COULD CALL IT A CHICKEN AND EGG SITUATION...

Pyrrha: As in... which came first?

Jaune: I'LL LET YOU KNOW; I JUST ORDERED BOTH FOR DINNER~!

Yang/Pyrrha/Oscar: (Groan)

Ozpin: YOU SUCK!

Oscar: We need to stop him! If we don't, then the dad jokes will spread to the rest of us! It's the most widely believed fact in history!

Ozpin: We can't let that happen...

Pyrrha: Should I use lethal force?

Oscar: Only if you have to-

Ozpin: Yes. Absolutely.

Yang: Hang on. What if... What if we lure him out by fighting fire with fire? Kill the dad joke by ruining the punchline. Follow my lead.

Yang: What do you call cheese you don't own?

Yang: NOT! YOUR! CHEESE!

Jaune: UUUGH...

Pyrrha: Oh, uh, I had a pencil with two erasers! It... didn't write very good.

Jaune: (Drops down) It was pointless! POINTLESS! COME ON!

Ozpin: GRAB HIM!

Jaune: (Tackled by Oscar and Yang) Rgh! Did- Did you know I could cut down a tree with only my vision? It's true! I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES! I tried to catch the fog, BUT I MIST! I used to hate facial hair, BUT THEN IT GREW ON ME!

Oscar: Don't listen to him! It'll spread!

Jaune: Can one bird make a pun? No, BUT TOUCAN~! HAHAHAHAHA~! (Dragged away by Oscar)

Pyrrha: ...

Yang: This... This is for the best, Pyrrha. (Pats, Walks away)

Pyrrha: ...

Pyrrha: Heh... Toucan~.

[carelessflower]

sunday recap 👚💅🏻

literally play all day lmaooo

me and my friend set up a date for today so we go have jjambbong ramen near the place. we also have some crispy pork with sweet and sour sauce. the noodle get a 10 while the pork get a 9. it the smallest portion on the menu yet it enough for two. also everyone get one fried egg and I mix it with kimchi, sweet and spicy sauce, chilli and soy sauce 9/10

next there was like a festival in range of the lunar new year and that our main destination, look at home crowded with shop and shoppers lmaoo

the many many outfit i have tried on, plus the one shirt I thought was cute (the blue one).

white lace shirt: so close to buying it but I remember I already bought one I similar style literally this week

red bow shirt: they got some get-two shirts with half-the-price thing going on but it like so skin tight

yellow shirt: I love big ruffle collar so bad but this one one size smaller than mine :((

black dress: again with big ruffle collar that doesn't suit me but I want them anyway. my friend said it make me look like victorian maid

gingham dress: kinda giving cottagecore flowers on hair maiden

what i bought...this is 2$...if you wanna yell at me...consider i am very beautiful and smart

some random stuff i saw browsing through the market. lmaooo look at that shirt and that store. also the bracelet is cute but way out of budget. the necklace look cute too but I already got too many jewelry. and the perfume:DD love sugar baby and something like called sexy, and some tea scent. the tea scent istg is a dupe of matcha meditation like bergamot, tea, white chocolate. maybe im considering hmmmmmmmmm it cheaper than matcha meditation

then me and friend went to mixue for some milktead (black sugar boba tea btw 7.5/10 wayyy too sweet) and got this little blindbag figure...it look like discounted chocolate candy. then we ordered like thai style spicy and sour chicken feet and cause the boba tea didn't allow outside food so we gotta go to the park near that and then there only one pair of chopsticks and then we drop it and gotta share using a stick. fun.

at least when we dropped sauce all over our hand we decided to go to the mall near there and it the right decision cause I gotta satisfied my perfume crave by going around sniffling again, these stores I never got the chance before! look at my trophy

hmmm first one i checked is diptyque , the candle smell amazing btw. for the perfume I like most of it cause it very natural subtle scent. check some stuff people rave about. didn't like l'eau papier that much, something about it was giving mineral to me. fleur de peau is good tho (alec scent btw). glad I didn't order philosykos out of hype cause I discover I dislike fig note so much lmaooo. love love eau duelle and do son. warm vanilla cake and very sophisticated white floral, which once again alec would use dont @ me

next is jo malone. their spray test papers are so cute. peony & blush is still so pretty, and I'll add bluebell into my wishlist. not very long lasting tho

tried delina exclusif and it definitely more rose than lyche compared to of delina. need to come back and smell other bottles tho. did smell meliora cause they said they dont have valaya in stock and it very much giving ice queen

when i saw memo paris stall i cheer, i laugh, i giggle. most definitely i finally got a verdict for sintra memo, which I almost ordered a sample before. it suck ASS bigger than alec's btw. smell like rotten milk with rotten dried fruits. i clearly dodge a bullet. smell marfa and madurai and it sooooooo alecore mecore me so genius core. inle are pretty and siwa is my type (sweet vanilla)

there some launching pop-up for a hair curling iron brand and like they were doing it for free and I thought why not. first pick freshly iron second pic was after 1-2 hours. i can say curly hair doesn't suit me lmaooooo

dinner with noodle cause im outta money

[thepoetjean-makes-stuff]

HOW TO ACTUALLY WRITE -- THE BASICS (AKA STEP 0-1)

(AKA ThePoetJean justifies their Master's degree and makes it everyone else's problem)

1) "WRITING IS REWRITING" AND WHAT THE HELL THAT MEANS -- No writing is law or set in stone upon the first draft, and whoever taught you that is a bum. Even permanent glue can be removed by nail polish remover, so why is editing your first draft no different? When writing for fun, oftentimes you can edit the post and clean up the story when things are no longer working (it's called a cutting room floor for a reason). When writing for publishing, you'll often be paired with an editor who'll send tweaks back-and-forth to you, chipping away at any structural mistakes or grammar flaws to bring out the point of your writing piece in the process. The first draft is just about getting the general vibes of the story down: like the batter for the cake recipe before you start baking it. This part is meant to be fun and messy and no one expects you to serve them go when you're just cracking your eggs open. Let yourself be messy cuz (burnt or fluffy), this is the first step to making your story, so no need to have something be all pretty and presentable the first time around! Again, a lot of writing is just rewriting cuz drafts are a thing so getting stuff down is most important. And another amazing thing -- if the story sucks, you can always change it later! You gotta trust yourself to get it done in order to get it out to the world one way or another, so go do that!

2) LEARN YOUR OWN WRITING PROCESS! -- (OH MY GOD PPL, LEARN HOW YOU TO THE THING IT'S HALF THE BATTLE!) Most of the struggles I see with newer writers is never learning how they write, and that sucks since have the joy of making things is making the thing -- so why make writing stories so arduos for yourself. Learn your own methods and use them whenever you get to writing! Learn the writerly basics like plot, structure, framing, character voice, setting, time period, etc and learn how best you can utilize them in your own stories! On a purely craft level: Learn ALL THE WRITING CRAFT and keep in mind that all writing craft is meant to be guidelines rather than hard rules. Learn many ways about how to write in general cuz no writing advice is one size fits all and being embarrassed of your process is dumb and hinders your creative growth. Trust yourself as a writer, you'll improve faster that way. Believing you can and believing it's possible is the first step to doing anything! (Plus all writing is rewriting anyhow to there's no need to feel embarrassed about something you can fix later, anyways, right?)

3) Read projects like your project in order to get a better feel of your project. Whether it be writing style references, basic literary craft examples, or just you want to break down the vibes of the stories so you can better emulate in your own -- GO AND WATCH/READ/LISTEN ETC TO WHATEVER STORIES YOU THINK WOULD MATCH THE VIBES OF YOUR OWN!! Now, this isn't a 1-to-1 copy, you're not mean to make a clone of the thing you like or take properties for the IP that you're into -- that's more along the lines of fanfiction (which can be fun and is ofc, super valid) -- BUT! To create your own stories, you need to learn where you get your ideas from, and learn how to implement, borrow, twist, etc from the story structures and properties you gather your inspo from. Other writers are your peers, not your enemies -- so treat their work and your own with the respect it deserves. No two chicken sandwiches are ever exactly the same; true artists steal from many places, so learn how to be a good thief (creatively speaking). Example from my own secret WIP novel: I'm writing a New Adult Urban fantasy novel with a dark, powerful lady protagonist that uses lots of philosophical themes, alternate history perspectives as well as using mythology as a basis for a lot of the magical roots and setting roots. Likewise, this a story about friendship and romance after major loss and trauma, and how to come back to yourself after grief, so I've been looking for stories that cover those themes in their plots, which has made the story a lot more fun to read and write outside of just being a cool concept to play with.

If you're writing a second-chance romance story, read romance stories. If you're writing a sci-fi story with lots of robots, read stories about robots. Presumably, you enjoy the same stories you're writing in concept if not in execution, so don't hesitate to seek those stories out, and break down how those stories work in order to scrap them for literary parts. You're smarter than you think you are, and breaking down stories is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, so please consider doing this as you go into your next project, your writing will thank you for it!

OPTIONAL:

4) If the story works better as something else, swap the format and see what happens.

Have you ever read something and been like "Huh, I like this book, but with how iconography is used in the actual text, it might be better as a movie or a comic book"? So have I!

So, if you ever feel like the story you're writing isn't working so well as a novel or a play, consider turning it into a movie or a webcomic! Of course, this is all easier said than done, and every writing format comes with its own rules and limitations, but I'd give it a try if you ever want to see your project from a fresh perspective! If nothing else, you'll learn something new -- and become a better writer for it!

Til next time, beloveds~

__

PS. Take all advice with a grain of salt. I am not your parent or your principal, I'm just a lady with a writing degree and a lil free time. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't, etc. PLEASE SHARE THIS POST AROUND TO ANYONE WHO IT MIGHT HELP! THANKIES :3

KOFI: https://ko-fi.com/thepoetjean

[tf2-headcanons-polls-confessions]

How good is each merc at cooking?

Merc Cooking Scale

Soldier 0/10

Everything he makes is poison. Or radioactive. Or stone. Or some combination.

That is, if there’s even anything left of anything after he’s done

Many, many, many, wild explosions have happened. Stuff that’d make Demo amazed.

He is banned from the kitchen.

Sniper 2/10

This man lives off instant meals.

He’s just the kind of guy who learned how to make what he likes and has stuck to that.

Not only that, but he would absolutely suck if he tried anything else. He’s not interested in learning, either.

He will eat plain wild game to survive if need be. He's got such bland tastes you can't convince me otherwise.

He does not like trying new food.

Medic 3/10 

 I don't trust him.

Pyro 4/10

They’re actually a pretty okay cook when they can focus! They enjoy helping around the kitchen.

Usually, they enjoy finger food that doesn’t require a lot of prep. They make those faces/pictures out of platters.

They are an excellent sweets maker. But when working with complex savory stuff things get much harder for them.

And when the stove is involved... well...

Somehow, though, their damage has never been bad as Solly’s.

Engineer 5/10

Man can cook a solid meal. He doesn’t, usually, but he enjoys it when he does.

His cooking is always super greasy.

His meals are also pretty limited. Really only knows how to make meat-based stuff like bacon, BBQ, eggs, chili, and roasts.

He’ll try his best if you can't/won’t eat meat but it's not the best.

His breakfasts are so good though.

Heavy 6/10

He’s actually a very decent chef but is brought down by the limited resources he had growing up

He’s had to find pretty much every way to cook a bear there is. His family and him are tired of bear meat but to fresh mouths it’s delicious!

He’s slowly learning how to include more variety in his cooking. Sandwiches were an easy introduction and are now his favorite food.

Cooking has become a hobby of his but he’s limited by his own pallet.

His cold meals (meals that don’t involve stove/oven/crockpot/etc., not literally cold food) are very good!

Spy (7/10)

He knows how, of course. He can make plenty of gourmet meals if need be like any respectable gentleman.

The problem is he hates actual doing it.

He can make a bunch if specific fancy meals very very well. They are delicious. They are beautiful. They are perfect.

But he can only make those things. He’s got absolutely zero creativity in the kitchen and could not tell you the basics of cooking.

He can follow a recipe but won’t bother to learn why you take the steps you take in it.

Demo (9/10)

He’s actually got a very similar story to Heavy but without the lack of resources.

He’s a mixologist. He’s a chef. He’s Husband Material.

After he went to live with his parents again, cooking became favorite chore.

As they got older, it also became an obligation. One he fulfilled with love and service.

He loves cooking for other people. He won’t ever really do it for himself. He likes sharing his meals much more than eating/preparing them.

It’s the social aspect for him.

Scout 10/10

Scout? How’s Scout so high up? It feels like he shouldn’t know how to do more than make toast, right?

WRONG.

His oldest brother is the best god damn cook in all of Boston. You bet your ass he spent his childhood eagerly observing him and their Ma.

From the time he was old enough to grip a spoon was eager to help out and prove himself.

He’s an excellent chef—and a resourceful one. He can make a gourmet meal out of five bucks.

Everyone is absolutely SHOCKED the first time he cooked for them. Spy accused him of ordering it from a restaurant to fool them but he was too genuinely knowledgeable/passionate about it.

His chicken meals are exquisite.

[jadewritesficshere]

Eddie cooks and Steve doesn't is a rule in their house.

Eddie is an amazing cook. He sucks at baking because he always stops following the recipes, but cooking??? Eddie could be a chef with how delicious the food is. Eddie learned how to cook out of necessity, and quickly found he actually enjoyed it. Eddie just gets distracted and lazy, tending to go for the quicker options that are still tasty. Put everything in a crockpot and push a button? Sign him up! Throw everything in a stew and stir it? Hell yeah! if he imagines he's making potions for a group of travelers well who really needs to know.

Steve, on the other hand, can't cook. He burns every thing he has ever made. He never really learned how, as when he had to take home ec in school he spent most of his time talking to Tommy and Carol. His dad had told him cooking was "a woman's job"- Steve wishes he could go back to his younger self and punch him for ever listening to his dad's misogynistic bullshit (hell, he would even punch his dad). Steve stuck to sandwiches and cheap frozen dinners, but most nights he bought fast food. It was easy and he always had money for it. He always made up for it by being active in sports (and he wasn't a total fiend he knew enough about health, some days he ordered a salad and grilled chicken sandwich instead of a burger and fries. He always drank diet soda, claiming it was healthier).

Steve never realized Eddie could cook. Steve had lamented over how he's a terrible cook, to which Eddie replied "oh me too". So, Steve had decided to try and cook Eddie a meal for their date one night. Of course day of, he may have set the oven wrong. And he maybe didn't know to cut the potatoes for mashed potatoes and just stuck them whole in a pot with milk. Eddie had come over early and they were kissing when a beeping noise was heard. The smoke detector going off is what alerted them to something being amiss. Eddie had taken one look at the burnt chicken and the smoke rising from the oven and immediately decided Steve was never cooking again. His eye twitched as he had lifted the lid on the pot, seeing a whole ass potato sitting in milk that was sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot, and slowly lowered the lid. Steve had tried not to cry, unable to look Eddie in the eyes as they opened windows to let the smoke vent out. Eddie had kissed his forehead and went to the fridge to see what was available. Eddie ended up making cheesy scrambled eggs, pancakes, and ham. Steve was still upset, disappointed and mad at himself. He took one bite before freezing and then looking up at Eddie. "Does it not taste good?" Eddie had asked. "It tastes like...betrayal! You know I can't cook and don't even mention you're a fucking wizard in the kitchen?" Steve had mock glared at him. "Oh excuse me, well you shouldn't have betrayal," Eddie went to grab Steve's plate and narrowly missed the fork that Steve had tried to stab at his hand, "You can take this food from my cold dead body!" Eddie had went to say something but Steve hunched over it and said "My precious" before shoving food in his face like a gremlin. Eddie's heart had soared at the fact that Steve had made a reference to something he knew Eddie liked even though he never read the books. Steve's heart soared at the fact that they wouldn't have to live on fast food and thought thankgodsomeonecanactuallycookthisissogoodholyshit.

That was the date that cemented the rule that Eddie is the one who cooks.

[tylejandro]

I found this "TDI survey" from 2008 and filled it out! You can too here.

Penname: Cavewomania

Age (optional; if you want use interval ranges like 1-100, etc): early 20s

Gender: Female

Location/Hometown (simply stating US or Canada is a'right): US

How did you start watching TDI?: I heard it was similar to Danganronpa, so I watched it when it was on Netflix.

If so, how did you become hooked/what episode got you hooked?: This question applied way better back in the day, but I got into TD again after 4 years of not caring about it much because I saw how many fics were coming out for Alenoah in 2023 and I was like “who’s Alejandro?” Now I’m here.

When did you first see it?: 2019

--

Favorite episode: In terms of fanworks, I See London. But I should really rewatch Island, it has some pretty good episodes.

Least Favorite episode: Hard to say? I don’t like a lot of the episodes necessarily but I’ve had a lot of fun rewriting some for my Aletyler WT fic. My Island knowledge is rusty and I’ve never wanted to really watch Action for some reason, I’ve only seen around the first four episodes.

I’ve heard Sundae Muddy Sundae sucks?

Favorite Gopher: Owen

Least favorite Gopher: Justin?

Favorite Bass member: Tyler, though I didn’t care for him until WT – during Island I liked Courtney.

Least Favorite Bass member: Ezekiel

Arrange the characters (including Chef and Chris) in order from most favorite to least:

Oh shit uhhh

1. Alejandro

2. Owen

3. Heather

4. Tyler

5. Noah

6. Gwen

7. Duncan

8. Leshawna

9. Courtney

10. Eva

11. Bridgette

12. Geoff

13. Lindsay

14. Sierra

15. Cody

16. DJ

17. Trent

18. Harold

19. Beth

20. Izzy

21. Justin

22. Ezekiel

23. Sadie

24. Katie

25. Blaineley

26. Chef

27. Chris

-ish, this is not a scientific list.

Which character(s) are you most like?: Beth & Tyler. I see a good amount of my young self in Beth.

Are you truthfully, really really obsessively in love with any of the characters?: Nope

If so, who?: I mean Alejandro is my fave, I just wouldn’t say ‘in love’? I’ve cosplayed as him.

Are you on crack?: Thankfully no.

Have you ever been to a mental hospital?: Hm.

--

Plot Questions..

Who let the dogs out?: Bark!

What came first, the chicken or the egg?: Egg first makes the most sense.

Why is the plane crashing?: It’s just thirsty.

Were you surprised when Owen won?: I don’t recall but I like that he did.

Did you see HxL coming at all?: Nope.

Did you expect Harold had gotten Courtney eliminated before they showed that scene?: I don’t recall.

Did you cry when one of your favorites got voted off?: Nope. Man I should really rewatch this show...

Did you laugh when any of your least favorites got voted off?: Most likely.

--

Character questions..

Your opinion of Chris Maclean: ‘Maclean’, ha!

He’s my least favorite but he’s fine. I think he’ll grow on me eventually but for now he’s just kind of there.

Does Chef creep you out, even the tiniest bit?: I guess?

Does Chef's cooking creep you out, uhm, alot?: I guess? Is something wrong with me, I didn’t really react to it.

Do you feel sorry for Heather?: She had it coming in Island – I really didn’t like her in Island and it was only until WT that I came around to her..

Why or why not?: see above

Has your opinion of any of the characters changed over the course of the show?: Absolutely. Harold used to be my favorite and I think Cody was my second favorite. Coming back to the show (because I changed so much as a person in between 2019 and 2023) was like a clean slate, though I shipped Nowen before because I’ve always liked both Noah and Owen.

Were you mad at Harold for switching the votes?: No, I don’t think so. I thought it was kind of cool.

Ezekiel or Eva: Eva. No contest.

Noah or Justin: Noah

Katie or Tyler: LMAO

Apples or Oranges: Oranges, they’re not huge like apples often are.

Izzy or Cody: Cody. Izzy’s really hard to write.

Beth or Sadie: Beth

Courtney or Harold: Shit – Courtney.

Trent or Bridgette: Bridgette

Lindsey or DJ: Lindsay

Geoff or Lewshana: Leshawna

Duncan or Heather: Heather

Gwen or Owen: Owen

--

Opinion of Trent/Gwen: They have some good chemistry, I like them aesthetically, and I’ve read some one-shots focusing on them, but ultimately I prefer them with other characters.

Opinion of Duncan/Courtney: They’re neat and I like how popular they are. If I was naturally more into F/M ships I’d like these two a lot maybe.

Opinion of Geoff/Bridgette: Aesthetically pleasing, but ultimately more interesting with other people in fanworks.

Opinion of Harold/Leshawna: I don’t like them together TBH, I prefer Leshawna/Heather or Leshawna/Courtney. For Harold, IDK, Harold/Ezekiel?

Opinion of Tyler/Lindsey: Aesthetically pleasing, but ultimately more interesting with other people in fanworks. Also Alejandro/Tyler is my favorite pairing in this series so I’m biased to be annoyed by this one – I ship Lindsay more with Trent than with Tyler.

Opinion of Owen/Izzy: I can see it, but also… IDK? Izzy is hard to ship with people and I really like Nowen.

Since Noah/Cody IS TOTALLY CANON WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, your opinion of NxC: They can be cute, and I’ve enjoyed fanworks of them, but I prefer both characters with other people. I simply don’t care about Cody too much.

Opinion of FANON: The shit.

If any, favorite fanon couples: Aletyler, Nowen, Duncowen, Djuncan, Lesheather, Gwourtney, Ezzy (as in Ezekiel/Izzy), Trindsay, DJ x Lindsay, Heatherra, Gweather, etc etc. Doing the ‘ship every character with one another challenge’ helped me expand my range a little. I even ship Gwody a little now – freaky.

--

Misc. Questions..

We're talking 100, 000 dollars. Would you be a contestant on Total Drama Island?: Hell no.

Would you jump off a thousand foot cliff into a lake full of hungry sharks?: Nope.

Would you be offended by Ezekiel's sexist remarks?: I wouldn’t be offended I’d just be annoyed and I would vote him out as soon as I could.

Would you last two days without any sleep?: I’ve tried, but to no success thankfully. A little over 24 hours is my max.

Are you good at dodgeball?: It’s been a while, I think I’d be okay at dodging but shit with aim.

How many times do you suspect you might possible be hit in the face?: ? I can’t punch to save my life.

Any special talents?: Hm, I can sneak up on people?

Would you join Heather's alliance?: No I’d hate Heather.

If you saw Izzy in a bear-suit (ONLY YOU DON'T KNOW IT'S IZZY!) during the camping episode, your first reaction: Oh shit is that a bear.

Your biggest fear: Naked in public? But to keep things in tone with the show I’d say being yelled at/being threatened after I’ve seemingly had a decent conversation with a person. (Can you tell I work in customer service?…)

If you recieved a heart-shaped coin purse given by Geoff, you: Give it back and hope he understands I’m not interested – I think he would.

Do you believe in 'bad luck'?: No but I think I’d avoid people with ‘bad luck’ if I thought I’d be annoyed by them/injured by them.

xD Can YOU take the heat?: I can follow directions but otherwise can’t cook really.

Would you get along with the rest of the campers?: As a 20 something, no. As a 16 year old, I’d be so confused with my own boundaries that I wouldn’t want to upset anyone – overall a worse way to deal with people.

Bootcamp. Your first reaction: Fuck.

Can you handle free-falling 5000 feet in the air?: AHHHHHHHHH

OMG, Harold saw your b***. You: Oops.

Were you able to eat the same way again the first few days after seeing the Brunch-of-Disgustingness ep?: Yeah, it’s cartoon food to me.

Would you be happy to see Eva and Izzy back?: It’s been a while. Wow I’m terrible at answering these.

Trent's elimination, your reaction: See above

Would you vote Bridgette off because she smelled really bad?: Yeah, I’d want the money.

Would you do well during the bike challenge?: That challenge is so confusing, I’d want to do well so I’d aim to get first.

Would you tell off Heather if you were Lindsey? (Simple enough): I wouldn’t have the guts...

Horror movies, yay or nay? No, though to be fair I never watch scary movies so maybe it wouldn’t be too bad.

Robotic racoon armies? Suddenly cute little animals don't seem as friendly: Sounds like a TF2 thing – maybe I could tame the raccoons with sour cream...

Out of the finally six, who would you least want to be chained to?: Duncan.

THE LOSER RESORT, EEEEEEEEE!: Sup losers.

Your opinion on Mr. Coconut: Can I eat it?

Your opinion on sticky buns: I looked in the thread this survey came from and apparently this is just a random question. Eh? I prefer other sweets like cinnamon rolls.

Your opinion on Heather's haircut: Honestly kind of relatable – I shaved my own head a couple of years ago and it was difficult and messy. It was my own choice though so I can’t relate to Heather on that front.

Before you found out who the winner was, Owen or Gwen? I was on Team Gwen.

[gojinka]

what are your ocs and agents fav foods!

:] 🥩

It’s hard (in the perspective of agent 1 and 2) to figure out what the Agents like to eat— when ordering food for the communications room, or even just hanging out after missions and way too long shows. Callie would just buy snacks, anything sweet and easy, coffees for all, sweetened a little too much, repeats of her own orders.

The cousins are both keen on getting good foods for everyone, despite the urge between all the agents to appear polite and eat anything in front of them, she notices the things they pick at.

Agent four is easy. Alligator will eat anything, anything as in anything. (Even if it’s not good, even if it’s not edible, she’ll pick up a paper wrapper from the ground and ask: “dare me to eat this?” and if you hadn’t known any better you’d think maybe deep down she wants to enjoy it.) She tends to like hearty, meaty, greasy fried foods, if it looks like you can’t finish it in one go: that’s the food agent four is gnawing on. Marie has been trying to get them to eat better options, because eating junk food and then running around isn’t the best combo, but she (literally) rather puke over the railings then give up fried chicken burgers and beer. She doesn’t like to eat mushrooms or salads (or anything healthy for that matter), but she always finishes her plate. She likes real spicy food, especially spicy chips and chicken.

(Alligator tends to open the mini fridge and drink orange juice straight from the carton. She’s often seen carrying something in her mouth. Says she’s “a growing boy.” )

Captain’s a little easier, too, they’re slightly picky but wholly love to try and eat good options, they’re mostly vegetarian? Just as in they don’t want to eat meats (but are alright with eggs and such in baking, as long as it’s not the focus of their meal.) So if the options are good healthy stuffs, and suit their diet, they’re good. July doesn’t like to complain much, but they ARE picky, they don’t like nuts / most grains / most BREADS, they don’t like most sauces or condiments (like ketchup and Mayo) they don’t like going out to eat much, and in general that don’t like the vague taste that most restaurant or fast foods have over home cooked. They can’t stomach a lot of food and tend to never overeat, except when Callie and Marie try to get them to loosen up by taking them out to eat. (Each time July says “never again. I’m not going. Remember last time?” And somehow still gets sucked into her Friday Outings.) Callie knows to keeps vegetable juice and canned teas in the fridge for July; since beyond water— it’s the only flavored drinks they like. July appreciates the added options left out for them.

July likes black coffee— but then again they like ANY kind of coffee, sweetened or not, they will drink 3 hour old coffee straight from the pot.

Agent 3– NEO 3– is probably the worst of them all, not as in “picky” just as in, “they’re quiet, they don’t talk much if at all, and they always pick at their foods.” They’re the youngest, been through a lot, a little homesick and a little bit stressed ever since their first mission (in ALTERNA. In the NEW INKADIA, with Shank, and Big Man. Grizz, DEEPCUT.) they don’t talk much about it but then again they don’t talk much at all. (This is due to not being fluent in Inklish, and in general are quite nervous and shy.)

Everything that gets put in front of them gets one or two bites out of it, they have a hard time stomaching most foods and usually wind up eating the same few things every day. Rice with any Teriyaki’d meat seems to be a favorite, and it’s the most filling of all the options. Agent 4 is the best at getting them to eat food, it seems that Saint likes to eat sliced fruits, though they don’t like the peel of apples and such.

Saint is often seen eating raw meat, to everyone’s dismay. They like it.

Saint does enjoy soda and cola flavored things. It doesn’t exist outside of Inkling territories, and they always ask for it when asked. (Shank will eat anything, and Shank doesn’t speak Inklish either; but she’s approaching the age where she’s capable of speech, so she can manage “Soda” and “Four.”)

Agent 8 adores all the food that Inklings cook, Octarians (despite the Octolings looking so similar and functioning nearly identical) have extremely different dietary needs. But 8 is wildly eager to see everything that the surface as to offer; eating street food and snacks and going out to try it all. They often get very sick due to the portions and ingredients used in Inkling food being very different to Octarian food, it tends to be much greasier and large, so Agent 8 usually doesn’t feel well after eating, they’re getting used to it, at least.

They get a little homesick, and it seems Salmonid foods are quite similar to Octarian foods, so Saint does like to eat food cooked by Agent 8… it tastes off, but it’s something, Valentine often eats foods like silkworm soup and plain white rice.

8 will take food from your plate without asking.

Fruit is expensive in Octarian Societies, so you can win their heart by buying them fruit desserts. They really love Lime flavors.

[antirepurp]

fuck it it's been eons im sharing my funny little recipe for making instant noodles not suck

Stuff you need

your favorite pack of instant noodles. or the next best thing whatever works

frozen spinach leaves (or alternative veggies)

egg :)

1 mushroom (optional but very recommended)

soysauce (abt 1-2 tablespoons)

fish sauce (5-10 drops)

lime juice (5-10 drops)

1-2cm fresh ginger (ginger powder's fine in a pinch)

Stuff you do

boil the spinach. add a generous amount of salt into the water as well as butter! shit's tasty. other veggies also love being boiled in salt. as an alternative you can fry the spinach if you'd like

prepare egg. i prefer to fry mine sunny side up in some oil bc it's quick, but you can also boil it. usually the point is to keep the yolk/yellow part soft so it mixes nicely into the broth and noodles but if you don't have to do that if you wanna do something else

chop/crush ginger and chop mushroom. crushed ginger releases more flavor than chopped but i like having little ginger pieces in my broth, and you can add more of it when it's chopped.

add ginger, mushroom, flavor packets into a pot with water. i paid for the flavor packets and im fucking using them ok. taste a bit to check the base taste before adding the good stuff:

soysauce, fish sauce, lime juice. that's my recommended order, anyway. taste frequently and start adding them carefully to adjust the flavor more precisely! the amounts i gave are generous estimates because i tend to just wing it

boil noodles. it's probably better to boil them separately, but im lazy and just add them into the broth. this will taint the broth with the forbidden noodle particles, so if that's not your thing take out another pot for them

add everything into a bowl and enjoy. wahey :)

Other tips I guess

you can go apeshit with veggies, and you can absolutely use fresh ones as well, though you should add them to the broth instead of prepping them separately. i think. idk i prefer to work with frozen stuff bc you can get a lot for cheap and they last for a long time

if you want to prepare protein that isn't an egg for this, go for it! i love adding leftover chicken whenever we have some, and things like tofu are pretty neat too

a lot of this recipe or whatever relies on the flavor packet as a kind of base for the broth, hence why i recommend picking a noodle thing you can eat as is for this. i've also noticed that this works particularly well for seafood noodles, but i've done it for other kinds as well and had cool results

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Lost & Found - Chapter Fifteen.

Because I'm going to be busy and nowhere near a computer tomorrow, I'm sharing the update a day early. It's a bit of a filler chapter, but we do have those on occasion. Enjoy, besties!

Previous chapters - One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen

Words - 3,022

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, Minors DNI. Recounts of kidnap, child trafficking, physical/verbal/sexual abuse.

Food smells. Emma was not used to returning home to find such wafting under her nose. Coconut milk, lemongrass, garlic and cilantro. They usually only ordered in when both were home to choose. Hmm. 

“Hey mister, did you order Thai food?” she called, hanging up her jacket, unclipping Axl from his leash and sliding her sneakers off, walking through to the kitchen. “Where the hell did you find a Thai takeout place in Santo-oh my god, you’re cooking.”  

Guero turned from the stove, placing the lid back on the pot he’d just stirred. “I am.” 

She was stunned. “You’re cooking, and you’re not burning anything!”  

He looked a little coy, his smile spreading as he greeted her with a kiss. “That part remains to be seen.”  

Setting her bag down, she basked in his affection, nails stroking the back of his head. “I'm shocked, this from a man who can't even boil an egg without making it look like it's been fossilised.” Moving to the pot, she removed the lid and inhaled deeply, the aromas making her mouth water. “Jesus fucking Christ, that smells good! Did you have help? Because I cannot believe for one second you followed a recipe without panicking.” 

Picking up his phone, he turned the screen to reveal an emailed explanation. “Lee. She sent me that this morning, instructions included.” 

So, that’s what he’d done with part of his day off, then, Emma reading through, laughing to herself. Lee typed exactly how she talked. “Put the chicken in with PLENTY of oil, but don’t fuckin’ let it start smoking, then keep it moving and wait until it’s GOLDEN BROWN, not fuckin’ cremated before you add the garlic and lemongrass! And for fucks sake, buy microwave rice pouches! My trust in you does not extend that far and I don’t want the damned wailing in my earholes if you end up burning it to the fuckin’ pan. Rice is tricky. Let Ben’s Original do that part for you.” 

“It’s gotta sit for a while now,” he spoke, arms sliding around her waist, mouth going to her neck as she placed his phone back down. “So, I got some ideas on how we can pass the time.”  

She felt herself be lifted, Guero seating her on the edge of the counter, beginning to undo her shorts. “But I’m all gross and sweaty.”  

Her complaint was met by a gruff rumble as he bit her earlobe. “You fucking smell great, as always. Now, shut up. I’m hungry.” He tugged at her cut offs and undies, slipping them down her tanned, slender thighs, her socks yanked free. He fixed her with the kind of stare that had her blood sparking, nuzzling her softly before kissing her with filthy heat.  

“God fucking damn, I love you so much.” His murmur preluded more of those steamy kisses, Emma tangling her fingers in his hair, her hands sliding to his back, pulling him against her. The heat of his skin whipped a tempest over her flesh, goose pimples rising, anticipating whirling.  

He felt it gnaw, his need eating at him with hungry teeth, yanking her closer to the edge of the counter. He pushed her body back a little, hands parting her thighs wide before he buried his mouth between them.  

The intrusion of a hot, wet tongue snaking between her folds had her eyes closing in bliss, hands gripping the edge of the counter, her head falling back with a soft gasp. The hungry suck he took sent sparks gleaming through her, muscles jolting as a soft purr slipped from her mouth.  

He literally growled around a mouthful of her cunt, fingers digging into her thighs. “Shit, you fucking taste amazing, mamas. God, you always get me so fucking hard.” Imagining the rigidity of his cock, coupled with the fast beat of his tongue across her clit had her trickling against his mouth, her arousal tingling her core as she panted, resting her feet up on his back as he ate her thirstily.  

“Mmm, you shouldn’t have mentioned that gorgeous, fat cock getting hard, because now all I can think about it getting wrecked by it,” she purred, her eyes a haze of allure as she stared down at him, the cute, yet sexually charged sight of her biting her lower lip making his insides pool molten.  

He turned his head, biting her inner thigh hard, the action making her gasp, running his tongue in a slow, firm lick over the red marks left behind, his eyes never leaving hers. “Yeah? Baby girl wanna get fucked real hard, does she?”  

Straightening, he yanked off his t shirt, Emma feeding two fingers into his mouth, grasping his jaw and pulling him close to her. “Yeah.” Her fingers slid from between his lips, turning her head to run a slow lick up his cheek, pulling off her vest and bra, all while fixing him with a look of roaring lust. “Now.”  

It acted like someone pouring an entire vat of accelerant upon his fire, but Guero held himself back, arching an eyebrow, shedding himself of his own clothes before shunting his body between her legs. One hand gently curled around her throat, the other grasped his cock, skimming the head through her soaking folds. “This what you want, huh?”  

“Mmm,” she hummed, her tongue flicking against his earlobe, teeth crushing in a soft bite. “So, so badly.” He turned his head, his mouth meeting hers, kisses of fiery honey exchanged as he finally caved and glided inside her. She pulsed around him, sucking him a little deeper, his grunt against her tongue a deep baritone that sent a spark flaring through her, his hand still holding her neck.  

The thick weight of him stretching her walls evoked her soft gasps, letting go of her clutch on the counter, arms wrapping around him, pulling him closer. Her nails slid over his back, a glide of sensual daggers, his grip on her neck releasing to instead grasp her thighs, pulling them wider, the roll of his hips sending him so deep into her she saw stars.  

He laid kisses to her throat, teeth peppering little bites, his groans all smoke and rasp as he pounded her voraciously, the wet slap of him filling the air as he fucked her. It rough and unrelenting, their mouths locked in blazing kisses, lightning striking tiny storms beneath their skin. He rutted her deep, fingers imprinting divots into her thighs, nerves lighting up as he felt her tighten around him, the velvet wet clasp heavenly.  

Lightning leapt up her spine as the hard shunt of his body pressed her clit, her thighs clenching at his narrow waist, her nails dug into his shoulder, the other knotted in his hair as her cries loudened, both chasing the dawn that primed to spill golden over their horizons. When that light finally shone and gilded, their groans reached crescendo, clung onto one another tightly as white-hot pleasure beamed through them, breathless and orgasm drunk.  

“Jesus fucking Christ,” she panted, stroking his face. 

“Yeah,” he breathed, moving to kiss her neck. “I’m amazing, huh?” 

“And so humble in your talents, mister.”  

He laughed, gently sliding from her, hands stroking her thighs as he lifted his chin defiantly. “I’m the fuck of the fucking century, and you know it!”  

With how proficient he was at making her come, she supposed she really couldn’t argue with that. His track record wasn’t every time for no reason. “Well, mister fuck of the century. I’m going to drink a cold beer in a hot bath. If I can walk.”  

Her wobble when she moved off the counter to her feet had him snort laughing, Emma picking up her clothes and taking them to throw in the machine before walking slightly bow legged to the bathroom.  

“Shut up!” she threw over her shoulder, Guero’s laugh filling the kitchen at her unsteadiness. One bath later, and she and Guero were curled up on the couch, eating large bowls of curry, curry that was neither burned or otherwise inedible. Quite the opposite.  

“You can do this more often, now that you know you can,” she commented, washing down a mouthful with a sip of beer.  

“I dunno,” he shrugged, “I had seventeen panic attacks making that, even with her majesties step by step instructions.”  

Speaking of her majesty, as Emma was laughing at his reply, her phone beeped, picking it up to find a text from Lee.  

‘Bish and I are going bowling, and I need other people there to distract from how fuckin’ much I suck! Come with? We’ll be there at eight. PLEASE!’ 

Putting the idea to Guero, she was met by noises of protest. “Hmm, nah. I’ve kinda gone full potato mode and I wanna stay that way. About the most energetic thing I’m planning on doing is piledriving you into the couch once I’ve digested.”  

Although that offer was tempting, Emma had been seduced now by the idea of an outing. “Oh, come on! Please? I haven’t bowled since I was a kid, and you’ll get to laugh at how abysmal I’ll likely be.” His face remained unchanged. “Please, honey, please, please?” Her gentle shaking of his arm coupled with her hopeful eyes finally got through, Guero smiling. 

“Fine, tell her we’ll be there.” He had a hard time saying no to her, knowing that of course she’d come from a life where she’d never been able to have anything her way. Her getting her own way couldn’t hurt either, he figured, Emma giving him a big kiss before jumping off the couch to go and get ready.  

An hour and a half later, donned in very bad shoes and drinking awful bowling alley beer, and Emma was showing that although after many years of absence, bowling was something she wasn’t too bad at. Lee, however... 

“Baby, aim central. Curve your arm,” Bishop advised, Lee chewing the inside of her cheek as she concentrated. She took her aim, the green ball leaving her hand and hurtling down the alley... straight into the gutter.  

She turned, her eyes fixing upon her husband, who to his credit did try not to look so thoroughly entertained. “It’s a damned good job I think you’re fuckin’ cute, Obispo Losa.”  

“What?” he laughed, shrugging as she sat back down with a huff. “I didn’t say a word.”  

Her eyes narrowed in an instant. “I see you, looking at me with that tone of voice.” 

He began to laugh immediately, transported back to many memories revolving around their time in the military together, and the one man she’d taken that very expression from. “You sound like Delaney, shit.” Guero and Emma looked blank, Bishop quickly taking his turn before coming back to explain. “Delaney was Luke Delaney, our commanding officer, and this guy was a fucking trip, I swear.” 

“He could be scary, that’s a given, but mostly he was just fucking funny as hell,” he continued, side eyeing Lee as his laughter grew. “One time, Lee didn't put everything required into her pack before we went out on training exercise, so Delaney punished her by finding this big assed rock that weighed roughly the equivalent of what she hadn’t brought and told her she would march with it. So of course, Lee being Lee, as soon as she got out on the march and around the first corner out of his sight, she put it down.” 

“Then he comes up to her afterward, right, and he fucking demanded to know where the rock was. She said, and I fucking quote, “Sir I lost your rock, sir! Couldn’t find another that big, sir, so sought a replacement, sir!” so then reached into her pocket and pulled out a fucking pebble the size of a goddamned grape!  

“We’re all trying not to laugh as she places it into his hand, Delaney is hanging onto it by the skin of his fucking teeth, and he fucking, he fucking just shakes his head, pulls a pen from his pocket and demands she sign her name on the stone. It stayed on his desk for the rest of his time there at the base because he knew he’d laugh at her audacity every time he saw it.” 

“That ain’t as funny as what he fuckin’ made you do a few weeks later in the mess hall,” Lee began, snickering immediately as Bish closed his eyes, reliving the mortifying memory. “This guy in our platoon, Ellis Bundy, there’s always one, ‘the guy’ as they’re known, and he didn’t follow Delaney’s orders to the letter, so he fuckin’ made him stand on the table and wave his arms while reciting the line “I’m a shit bird” over and fuckin’ over until told otherwise.  

“So Bish is fuckin’ killing himself laughing at him, cracking up, absolutely howling. Delaney spies it and roars, “Losa! On the table!” upon which he had to flap his arms and say “I’m a mocking shit bird” until he told him to get down! Inside, I was fuckin’ cry laughing at him, oh god!” 

“Ellis Bundy!” Bishop exclaimed, shaking his head. “That fool set off a goddamned live round in a tank one time, fucking deafened everybody in there, the fucking stupid cunt. Christ, he was a living shit show!” 

Hearing the stories of their miliary days warmed Emma, thinking it so lovely they had such a long history with one another. Friends for over twenty years, but as she’d learned from Lee herself, only married for eight after reconnecting many years after leaving the military.  

It was a beautiful thing, watching how in tune with one another they were, the party of four moving to the bar after their game, which Guero had won, and Lee and Emma had come in joint last place. Seeing a healthy marriage was something she wasn’t used to for the most part, of course only witnessing the awful abuse Marie had endured throughout her time captive within her home.  

Rocco’s hands had never reached for her with the same love that Bishop’s did to Lee, stroking her neck idly as she rested her head on his shoulder, listening to Guero tell her of his triumph following her Thai green curry recipe, little panic attacks aside.  

“Well, you ain’t ever gonna be as badass as Emma is in the kitchen, but there you are, you can do one thing at least now other than ignite chaos,” she commented, sipping her beer. “I swear, sugar. That fuckin’ thing you made with the bacon pieces, oh my god!” 

Emma thought back over her lunches made from leftovers she’d taken in recently, a box for Lee too unless it was a Friday, when the pair treated themselves to a delivery of burgers and fries. “The Bucatini all'Amatriciana?” 

“Yep! That's it!” Lee enthused, pointing across the table at her. “That one nearly made me get down on one knee and fuckin’ propose!” 

“And where would that have left me, sweetheart?” Bishop asked, entertained. 

“The spare room.” His wife’s statement roused a lot of laughter, Bishop furthering it. 

“Oh, great,” he rumbled, “you take a wife and I ain’t even allowed to watch. Fuck my life.” 

“Do I get to?” Guero asked, raising an eyebrow, Lee not answering for the excitement that followed after reading an alert on her phone.  

“Oh, baby look, they got last minute tickets for the midnight showing of The Exorcist at that little movie theatre just outside of town!”  

“Yeah? Get ‘em booked, we’re going,” Bishop nodded, Lee beginning to do exactly that. It had sold out prior to them deciding if they wanted to go or not, Lee putting her name down for email notifications should any cancellations arise. “Okay, there’s seven left. You guys wanna come with? I’ll get the tickets, y’all get the snacks.” 

Emma’s face lit up immediately. “Yes!” She then checked herself, turning to Guero. “Can we?” 

“Mmm, kinda wanted to call it a night after here. I’m tired,” he replied, his enthusiasm definitely not on par with that of his girlfriend.  

“Come on! You can sleep when you’re dead! Please, please, please?”  

He thought for a few minutes, Emma badgering at him some more before he finally relented. It might have been innocuous to anyone else, but Lee noticed it, just as she’d picked up on it in the past, too. Guero had a hard time telling Emma no and pretty much always caved to her wishes. With anyone else in his life, he’d have absolutely no problem with making his feelings known. A soft alarm sounded in her head, but she didn’t pay it further mind. 

Just over two hours later and they were sat in the packed out, independent movie theatre furnished with snacks and drinks, the iconic opening of the classic horror movie beginning to play, Guero wishing he had a coffee the size of the soda he held in order to stay awake. Halfway through the film, he found enough incentive, Emma repeatedly jumping out of her skin.  

“I swear,” he whispered, leaning close to her ear, his grin wide. “Watching you fucking crap your pants every five minutes is worth not being asleep for.”  

She nudged him with a soft elbow, offering him a kiss he happily granted her. It was close to 3am by the time they arrived home, Guero happy to faceplant the bed, glad outlaw hours meant he didn’t have to show his face until around 11am the following morning. As it turned out, though, Emma had other ideas.  

“Where are you off to, baby girl?” he asked, Emma kissing her way down his torso.  

“To say thank you for tonight in a way I think you might enjoy.” Might enjoy? Now, there was an understatement, Guero smirking to himself, feeling his cock swelling with anticipation. 

When her lips wrapped around his hardness, it was definitely the derailing of his original plans he preferred most that night. Sleep could always wait to be on the receiving end of the best blowjobs he’d ever received in his entire life. 

[vivithefolle]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well.

So, I was thinking about the Horcrux hunt, and I think these two parts get neglected in that fight.

First, Ron said that he thought in all this time they would have achieved something. I don't think he was wrong to assume that, because I think all this happened in November or end of October-start of November if I recall right.

Second, he told Harry that he thought Harry knew what he was doing. Its clear that Harry had no idea.

Unfortunately, these two factors, plus what he heard about Ginny, and the way Harry thought that the Forbidden forest is less scary, to me seems to make him angry at Harry, because Ron must have realized even with his injury that Harry really had no clue and running around is achieving nothing.

I think these two factors also need to be considered in some sense when Ron decided to leave. I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

No, no, it's better than just that, you know what's insane about that?

It's that Ron is right.

No, really. He's right. Look. Where was everything they needed to find again?

Gringotts. Hogwarts. At Voldemort's side.

None of these places are in any way shape or form "some random spot in the English wilderness".

They did get Gryff's sword from a random lake, but it's only because Snape put it there, KNOWING the Trio would come accross it.

Ron is portrayed as the one in the wrong, and therefore needing to apologize, over the Horcrux Hunt. It's treated as this most terrible mistake on Ron's part, this “abandonment” of Harry and Hermione who were so much more devoted to the Cause… except let's get real: Harry had no plan, and when prodded about it, had “Dumbledore told me to do it" as his sole excuse… except, Harry, Dumbledore told you “find the Horcruxes”, he didn't tell you “find the Horcruxes but only in the stupidest manner possible, without using any of the resources from the Order, without planning and discussing how to get it done, just run around the British countryside like some headless chicken I guess stuff will happen and somehow the Horcruxes will fall on your lap or something idk".

Anyone with a lick of common sense would realize Harry is flying by the seat of his pants, and that wouldn't be so bad if only he was willing to stop being a dick and actually PLAN SOMETHING instead of “leading" his friends around in circles in the world's most unbalanced Easter egg hunt. Because as he is doing it, he's just leading them right into a wall.

So to sum up: Ron and Hermione have the lick of common sense, however Ron (egged on by Teh Horcrux so we know it's really the evilness of Voldemort that's making him question Harry, because questioning Harry is the most evil thing you can do, it's not like he's being a complete idiot that's wasting everyone's time with his “Horcrux Hunt" since none of the remaining Horcruxes were anywhere in the British countryside-) decides he's done with this bullshit while Hermione, desperate to stay in Harry's good graces, prefers to suck up to Mr Chosen One; Harry tells Ron to leave, and Ron obeys, since it's asked so nicely. Harry then gets all surprised and promptly forgets all about how he is the one who told Ron to leave in the first place, rather than accept he was doing a terrible job of “leading" the Horcrux Hunt and sit down to try and salvage the fiasco.

Nope! Instead everything is shown as Ron's mistake and how he “wasn't strong enough" to stay with Harry and Hermione… except Harry and Hermione only succeeded in nearly getting themselves killed while Ron was away so yknow. Who's the incompetent one again?

Again, it's an example of narrative imbalance: Ron was right to leave. It's insane how this is treated like a huge fault of his when in truth Harry was doing buttfuck nothing, accomplished absolutely nothing and only wasted everyone's time WHILE MUGGLEBORNS WERE ACTIVELY BEING ROUNDED UP AND THE LONGER HE TOOK TO KILL VOLDEMORT THE MORE PEOPLE WERE DYING.

But, unfortunately, we can't have Ron be right about anything. We can't excise this tumor of a contrived plot point because we neeeeeed for Ron to be villainized and portrayed as "immature" for his terrible crime of... needing food because he's injured, and also he's sick of Harry's bullshit, HOW DARE HE BE SICK OF HARRY'S BULLSHIT, THAT'S SO EVIL.

(I don't know, spending 7 books watching an idiot run headfirst into danger to "save" people and only succeeding in putting people in more danger also made me kinda sick of Harry's bullshit ngl)

[whumpyourdamnpears]

HEYYYY :D

So i'm curious. How many animals do you have?! There's the chickens and Albus, are there any others?? Also how on earth do you look after them all? I can barely deal with one single dog and even then sometimes it can get overwhelming.

I hope things get better. I hope tomorrow is such a good day you forget all about the terrors that today has brought you.

You're great ily i'm sending you hugs 🫂

thank you so much!! I have a really shitty memory, so I probably will forget 😅 I took a nap though and that seems to have helped. I’m the kind of person that once I get crying it’s really hard for me to stop, so I’ll just keep crying and crying until I get really distracted or fall asleep and reset

so, I have three cats! Skittles, (12), Boo, (1), and Albus (six months).

(the cats in order)

I currently have seventeen chickens. seven of them are older, 5+ years old and nearing the days where they stop laying eggs, so we got ten chicks back in May and they are funky looking! I’ll have to take updated pictures of them all to update this post later

caring for them is a little hard, considering my mom can’t do it anymore with her fucked up hip and back, so their care is all on me, at least with the chickens. their care is kind of simple though: feed them, fill their waterer, let them out for the day and put them back inside. occasionally I need to clean out their waterers and their coop (we do the deep litter method so it’s not that often), which I can do on my own, but certain things I can’t, like carrying 50lb feed bags out to the coop and washing off poopy butts and fixing broken parts of the coop, which I get help with when people are willing to do so. my cats I feed and water and play with and trim nails with 2/3 of them (Skittles will murder me if I try. she gets them done at the vet). Skittles I have to put medicine on every night and she now has an exclusively wet food diet, which sucks from a cost and effort perspective, but I briefly had a hyperfixation with videos on what people feed their cats in a day, so feeding her is a little exciting for me, I feel like a little chef

I used to have two goldfish, but their care became too much for me to do on my own (chronic illness is a bitch) and the rest of my family refused to help me with them, so they ended up passing away :(

[set-underwear-to-no]

I think Bigfoot is blurry, that’s the problem. It’s not the photographer’s fault. Bigfoot is blurry, and that’s extra scary to me. There’s a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run, he’s fuzzy, get out of here.

Alcoholism is a disease, but it's like the only disease you can get yelled at for having. "Damnit Otto, you're an alcoholic!" "Damnit Otto, you have Lupus!" One of those two doesn't sound right.

I went to a Doctor, all he did was suck blood from my neck, do NOT go see Dr. Acula.

A severed foot is the ultimate stocking stuffer.

When I was a boy, I laid in my twin size bed and wondered where my brother was.

I'm a mumbler. If I'm walking with a friend and I say something, he won't hear me, he'll say "What?" So I'll say it again, but once again, he doesn't hear me, so he says "What?!" But really, it's just some insignificant shit that I'm saying, but now I'm yelling "That tree is far away!"

I was at a restaurant, I ordered a chicken sandwich, but I don't think the waitress understood me. Because she said, "How would you like your eggs?" So I tried to answer her anyhow. I said, "Incubated! And then raised, and then beheaded, and then plucked, and then cut up, and then put onto a grill, and then put onto a bun. Damn! It's gonna take a while. I don't have time. Scrambled!"

You know when you go to a restaurant on the weekends, it's busy, so they start a waiting list? They start calling out names, they say "Dufresnes, party of two. Table ready for Dufresnes, party of two." And if no one answers, they'll say their name again. "Dufresnes, party of two." But then if no one answers they'll just go right on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." ...Yeah, but what happened to the Dufresnes? No one seems to care. Who can eat at a time like this? People are missing! You people are selfish. The Dufresnes's are in someone's trunk right now, with duct tape over their mouths. And they're hungry - that's a double whammy. We need help. "Bush, SEARCH party of three! You can eat once you find the Dufresnes's."

some dudes like to talk a big game about how comedy suffers when people are afraid to offend but man, Mitch Hedberg was a white dude working in the era of peak offensive edgelord and his shit holds the fuck up so while most comedians will never come up with anything as timeless as “if carrots got you drunk, rabbits would be fucked up” they could at least make an effort

[lifechanyuan]

Life and Death Are Only Images. There is Neither Life nor Death in LIFE

Xuefeng

(Translated by Qinyou, edited by Peter)

The "Möbius Strip" tells us that LIFE and death are not opposites. LIFE is death, and death is LIFE. There is death in LIFE, and LIFE in death.

"The Yellow Emperor's Book of the Hidden Talisman" said: " Life is the root of death, and death is the root of life."

Babies cry when they are born. Why do they cry? Because life is bitter. How do you know that life is bitter? This is like a chick in an egg that has been hatched for 21 days pecking at the shell. Although it does not know how thick the eggshell is, whether it can be pecked through, or whether there is a vast world outside the eggshell, it must peck, that is its instinct.

What is instinct? Instinct is a kind of innate performance that biosomes can make without learning, such as chickens in eggshells pecking at them, bees making honey, migratory birds migrating with the seasons, mice digging holes, roosters crowing, etc. Babies cry as soon as they are born, and they know how to suck a breast, this is also an instinct. Everything has an instinct. If they do not have an instinct, everything will perish.

So where did the instinct come from? This involves the origin of LIFE. (Please see the Chapter of LIFE)

All things on earth are created by higher LIFE, and instincts are "embedded" in the structure and order of LIFE.

The purpose of this chapter is to talk about LIFE and death. Why do we say, "LIFE is death, and death is LIFE"?

To understand the true meaning of LIFE and death, we must proceed from the following three points.

First, do people have past LIVES?

First of all, let me reprint the full text of an article compiled by Wang Jiankang and Li Liming and published in Reader magazine.

"Unbelievable" Reborn Girl

In 1926, a lovely little girl was born in Delhi, India. Her name was Shanti Debbie. When she was just born, there was nothing abnormal about her at all, but when she was 7 years old, little Shanti suddenly said to her mother inexplicably: "Mom, I used to live in the city of Mathura." She also enthusiastically told her mother about Mathura and the situation at her home then. Later, Shanti mentioned this matter several more times. The parents were very worried when they saw their 7-year-old daughter talking about something irrelevant, so they took her to see a doctor. The doctor was puzzled after hearing Shanti's narration: "It's really strange, this child has no symptoms of mental abnormalities at all, how could she say these unbelievable things? Let's observe her for a while."

However, at the age of 9, Shanti still did not forget about her living in Mathura: "Mom, did I mention that I lived in Mathura before? I got married there and gave birth to 3 children! My name was Luqi when I lived in Mathura." Shanti also told her mother the names and characteristics of the three children. The parents became more and more anxious after listening to their daughter's intoxicated chatter, thinking that the child's condition was probably getting worse. And they often wiped away their tears in secret.

One day, a visitor came to see Shanti's mother. As soon as Shanti saw that person, she suddenly called out: "Mom, this person is my former husband's cousin! He also lives in Mathura." The guest was surprised when he heard Shanti's words and said, "Your daughter is right. I used to live in Mathura. But how did she know about it?"

After the incident spread, it attracted the attention of the Indian government, and a special investigation committee was formed. The committee brought Shanti to Mathura for on-the-spot investigation. Shanti has never left Delhi since her birth. But as soon as she arrived in Mathura, she was able to warmly greet the local people who came to meet her in the Mathura dialect, as if she had met a long-lost friend. When she came to the door of a house, she stopped suddenly and said to others: "This is the house I used to live in." She walked in the door, pointed to an old man, and said, "He is just the father of my former husband." Then, she recognized her two children, and she also told people about her previous LIFE in Mathura in detail, her association with her friends, the nearby landscape, and the school she was in at that time. The local people were very surprised when they heard her narration. What she said was completely correct, which was exactly the situation at that time. "So little Shanti is the one who was reborn.” The people who came to investigate this issue had to come to this conclusion.

In India, the ancient Buddhist country, there are really many reborn people. Swarrada Michaud is one of them. One day, when he was traveling by bicycle, he pointed to a house he had never been to and said that he had lived here for a period and talked as if he just thought of it. He also talked about the past. This surprised the accompanying family members. They ran into the village to inquire, and what Svalrada said was exactly what happened here decades ago! It is said that Svalrada has been resurrected three times.

There was also a young man in India named Gaspiel. He just died shortly. On the day a person named Yaqi died in a village 35 kilometers away, Gaspier suddenly woke up in the coffin placed in his home. When people pulled him out of the coffin, to their surprise, Gaspiel knew the appearance of Yaqi, who was far away in a foreign land, and all the things that happened in that village.

There are many examples of past LIVES recorded in ancient and modern Chinese and foreign books. We can’t completely believe what they say, but in the face of the facts, we can’t deny everything. We can deny that the statement of Tang monk in Journey to the West is the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi, but we cannot but believe in the theory of the reincarnated soul boy of the Tibetan Panchen Lama in Tibet. For example, Wendu Gongbao Caidan, the reincarnated soul boy of the Ninth Panchen Lama Sangdeng Quji Nyima, was able to accurately select the utensils used by the previous Panchen Lama from other identical objects, and even more surprisingly, he was able to call out the name of Gajin Pasang, who had sung for the Panchen Lama, from the crowd. Before that, the two had never met. Gongbao Caidan was not discovered by accident. After the ninth Panchen Lama passed away, the Panchen Xingyuan (An organization dedicated to protecting the personal safety of the Panchen Lama of Tibetan Buddhism) began to search for his reincarnated soul boy. After several screenings and selections among the 17 possible reincarnated soul boys, 6 were initially identified. After many more procedures, it was finally identified that Qutenge Longre Gyatso was the reincarnated soul boy of the Ninth Panchen Lama. However, Qutenge Longre Gyatso suddenly died of an illness. Why did he die suddenly? Because the real reincarnated soul boy was not him, but someone else. Having no choice, the Panchen Khenpo Conference Hall took the remaining five possible reincarnated soul boys to Kumbum Monastery. They wrote the soul boys’ names on papers, wrapped the papers in tsampa, kneaded the tsampa into balls, and put them into a gold bottle. After a series of prayers and other activities, they shook the gold bottle in front of the public. A pill jumped out of the gold bottle during the shaking. They opened it, and it was Wendu Gongbaocaidan's name on it.

In fact, anyone who was a human being in the last LIFE and reincarnated as a human in the next LIFE will definitely have a feeling of déjà vu about a place suddenly and dimly in your LIFE. In some places, although you have never been there, once you arrive, they must be reflected in your subconsciousness. You don't know what's going on, you just feel as if you have been here before.

Of course, if you were an animal in your previous LIFE, you will not have this kind of memory, but you must have a special love for a certain animal, and you are particularly disgusted or afraid of some animals; If you were a celestial in the Thousand-year World or the Ten-thousand-year World, you will not have this kind of hazy memory, but you will definitely hate the selfishness of human society, and subconsciously feel that you don’t belong to this world; if you come from the Elysium World, you don’t like meat by nature. Many wonderful hallucinations often appear in your mind, and you have an instinctive closeness to Buddhism.

to be continued