#then after the veggies were chopped and ready to go i tossed all the meat in a wok and cooked it up

[esleep]

i made korean tacos for dinner (no recipe just vibes + what i had in the fridge) and they were unbelievably delicious. my god.

[debiteful]

Are you still doin' writing requests? If so, could you write about a giant finding a borrower, with some unintentional fearplay on the giants part?

Content: apparent threat of harm, size difference (Giant/tiny), fearplay, hand held, crying, trapped under a bowl, ends on a positive note

Taking on a renovation by yourself was a monumental task. Thankfully the boundless strength of a giant made it much easier. Will spent weeks planning everything before he was finally ready to begin.

He started with the floors, tearing them up bit by bit. Beneath the boards there were scraps of fabric, bits of metal that seemed to have once been staples, and even an old cereal box. At first Will assumed whoever had built the place had been careless. As he progressed and found more trash, he began to see patterns. Strategic cuts in the cardboard here, nails running in a diagonal line without securing anything, and other such seemingly intelligent designs. 

Though it was odd, it helped click some puzzle pieces together. Rustling in the panty, socks disappearing, and soft yet shrill noises in the night. Something tiny was living in his home. By the looks of it they were taking things for their own purposes too! Nothing important of course, or he might've noticed sooner.

Now he had more planning to do. After all, he was tearing apart their home too!

Skip berated herself for the hundredth time for sticking around after that bean began tearing the place apart. Safe hiding places were growing fewer by the hour it seemed. It was impossible to predict where it would go to next, meaning she had to move all the borrowed things hastily. Already she had left a lot behind, and, to make matters worse, it had been found. Thankfully the bean hadn't seemed to catch on.

On the bright side, the renovation left lots of building scraps. Most helpful was the chunks of insulating foam. They were easy to cut and carry, and they could be used to build all sorts of things.

Presently Skip was trying to move them into the shed across the back lawn. She'd never lived out there because the temperature fluctuated too much. With insulation it might be bearable, and it would certainly be safer than in that madbean's house!

Unfortunately, the main house was still the best place to get food. Skip would wait somewhere secure in the evening until she heard the bean go to bed, then sneak out to get what crumbs she could. 

Tonight, a fallen cracker tempted her, but it was the crushed cereal on the counter that would be doable to bring home. She darted out from behind the toaster towards it, but she didn't get far.

Something caught her leg. As she fell, there was a grating sound. Then darkness. Something had landed atop her! A bowl? Probably.

Skip walked slowly with her arms out as feelers. Upon reaching the edge she tried to get her fingers under it and lift. That failed, of course.

She tried to fight back panic. Her shim and pry bar lay securely at home- this was supposed to be a quick in and out job! Essentially equipmentless, there were very few options. 

She took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. Mind a little clearer, she searched her memory for what direction she must be facing. Slowly she walked around the edge of the bowl to the side closest to the edge of the counter. At least, she hoped it was. 

Pushing with all her might got her nowhere. Getting a running start for the shove did about the same. Soon, Skip was throwing herself at the bowl in desperation. 

Battered and exhausted, she sunk to her knees. Body and tears fell to the countertop.

The rest of the night was spent filled with tension. Every sound was certainly the giant coming. Paranoid thoughts spiraled, centered around what the giant would do to her.

When at last Will did come, the sound was unmistakable to the trembling borrower. She had heard those thunderous steps a thousand times.

Skip envied the ease with which the giant lifted the bowl which confined her. Tilted up on one edge, it could now shove its gigantic hand beneath. She couldn't help but utter a little shriek as fingers as large as her groped around blindly. She didn't dare try to dart through the gap lest the bowl snap back down on a limb.

Dodging the fingers was difficult with no sleep or breakfast. The tip of one brushed her leg. The whole hand rushed her. A massive thumb pinned her to the pointer finger.

The bowl lifted slowly, so she had ample time to imagine the look on its face while she struggled. Her heart was racing wildly. Tears threatened to well up, but she had spent most of them through the night. Stinging eyes locked on to the enormous face.

The giant had quite the satisfied grin splitting its features. Its eyes flicked side to side as the giant took in its captive.

Likewise, Skip's eyes darted frantically. No sign of a weapon. Then again, with teeth and hands like these, it wouldn't need a weapon. Gracious it was absolutely gigantic up close, larger than she had ever thought.

The thunderous voice she had heard dozens of times was deafening at such a close range.

"Hello there," Will said in awe. The borrower was silent and flinched. He frowned and spoke more softly, "Who are you?" 

Even at a dull roar the sound was too much. Skip growled like an animal and bit at his knuckles. He inhaled sharply and adjusted the hold to pin her head. It wouldn't take much for those fingers to crush it.

Will put her in the jar he had for this purpose. Being moved through the air was a disorienting and unpleasant experience. If she was lucky, she would be too dizzy to see whatever killed her coming. Skip was genuinely surprised when she landed on something soft in the bottom of the glass.

Left on the counter, she didn't dare take her eyes off of her captor. He bustled around the kitchen humming softly. She was familiar with this habit of his- the sound echoed through the walls in the evening. For the first time she heard the lyrics of his little ditty, "Gonna cook you up, gotta cook you right up! First I gotta chop you up, then plop you in the pot to cook you up!"

Hearing the giant narrate his process sent a dreadful chill through her. He was going to cook and eat her!! 

More vigilant than ever, her gaze never left him. Eyes locked onto the shining blade of a knife pulled from the block. Watching the vegetables get chopped up brought to mind terrible images. The ease with which the bean could toss a heap of food into the pot brought to mind just how small she was.

Finally, the tears spilled out. Where they had been held in reserve, she had no idea. Frantic little hands rubbed one eye at a time. Delicate fingers brushed away tears without obstructing her view too much.

By the time the food was filling the air with its aroma, she still hadn't stopped crying. She watched through bleary eyes as he filled a ladle with the sauteed vegetables and brought it over. So she wasn't to be cooked: he was going to heap scalding food onto her! 

Skip scrambled to one side of the jar and slid her back up the wall. That one scoop wouldn't be enough to bury her here. 

Her warped upturned face looked back down at her as the ladle lowered. The giant stuck it right into the jar, then let go. What was its angle? 

Tearing her gaze from his intent face, she eyed the handle of the ladle. Yes, it should be doable. Three bounding steps took her to the ladle. Using her momentum she vaulted over the bowl of it and grasped the flat handle. Like she had done hundreds of times before, she shot up the metal beam.

Just as she reached level with the lip of the jar, the giant reacted. He shouted, a deafening thunderclap. Those enormous fingers engulfed her momentarily, then they knocked her back into the jar. Now one hand lay over the mouth of her prison, effectively sealing it.

Will crouched, bringing the jar to eye level. He spoke gently, "Hey, aren't you hungry? I don't know how long exactly you were stuck on the counter." When she didn't respond he pressed on, "I promise it's good. I didn't know if you ate meat, but I figured veggies would be a safe choice. Hope it's okay that it's cooked- do you cook? Oh nevermind, it doesn't matter. Hey- can you understand me?" As his eyes scanned for any response, he finally noticed the red eyes and wet cheeks, "Oh no, have you been crying? Why? I didn't hurt you did I? Oh- I might've scared you… I'm really sorry little one."

Skip listened to his continuous ramble. It almost sounded good natured… Could she have been mistaken? A small bubble of rage rose up and erupted, "Wouldn't you be terrified if some gigantic brute trapped you and started singing about cooking?!"

Will frowned in dismay, "I didn't think about it like that."

"Beans never think," she screeched, "They just kill."

The frown deepened then flashed to a smirk, "Bean? Is that what you call us? Why?"

Skip rolled her eyes. What a dumb question! ….why did they call them beans? That didn't matter right now. 

She walked over to the ladle and picked up a spear of carrot. One eye still on the giant, she took a bite of the tender veggie. 

He gave a big grin, "Is it good?"

She nodded, honestly a little surprised. "So, why did you catch me? Why feed me too?"

"Well, as you've probably noticed, I'm doing a little work on the house. I found some of your stuff and I worried I might accidentally hurt you. Considering you've never introduced yourself, I figured just asking you to come out wouldn't work. I wanna help you move somewhere safer- whether it's temporary or not is up to you."

"My name's Skip," she piped up.

"Oh, mine is Will," he said with another big smile. His teeth were hardly threatening now.

She smiled back. "Oh! Actually I was already in the process of moving most of my stuff."

"Really? Where?"

There was a moment of hesitation; her distrust of beans ran deep. "Your shed, outside."

"All the way out there?" His eyes widened. 

With a barked laugh, she nodded, "Yeah its pretty far. Not ideal, but I haven't a clue where you're going to strike next."

The harsh choice of words made Will frown a little. He recovered quickly though, "Well now you have the inside scoop! The entire upstairs is going to be left alone. There's also the kitchen. I- well, I still don't know what sort of places you like to live, but I'm sure there's some somewhere around here.

Skip considered her options. The upstairs was rather far away, but it was a big area so safer. The kitchen was prime territory for food and other bits n bobs, but the giant would frequent it. He seemed nice enough, but one encounter couldn't undo a lifetime of learning.

"Up the stairs should do nicely," she trailed off, already scheming on how to move all her stuff.

"Alright! Sounds good. So, is there anything I could help you move?"

The response was an absent nod before she realized what he asked. What was his angle? "Oh! Um, I guess."

They discussed what exactly needed to be moved and where. Though she was on her guard, Skip didn't notice anything untoward. The move went just as smoothly. Soon she was settled into a secluded gap beneath the floor, where she had moved all her stuff herself after he brought it to a nearby location.

By the end of it, Will was very pleased with himself. He had begun to make a new friend. What's more, she was his neighbour! He felt more at ease knowing she would be safely out of the way of the renovation.

[ofcloudsandstars]

Happy Yule!

I have plans to cook a nice Yule Feast tonight for my family and I, but I don’t really know what to do beyond that. I know that I don’t have to do anything if I don’t want to or don’t feel up to it, but I genuinely enjoy doing activities to celebrate the Sabbats and such. Any suggestions?

Also, I had really vivid dreams last night. I don’t fully remember them but I get bits and pieces and it’s just very odd. They were so fantastical and there were definitely elements of survival, overcoming difficulty and obstacles, even a concept of like war in some ways, and it was full of magic and mysticism and fantasy themes. It was very intense, and as I’m waking up, I am definitely noticing it affecting the tone and emotions of my day.

sorry if this is weird but first of all you are really beautiful 

secondly I agree that cooking at least 1 nice dish really makes the day. It’s just any other day we really don’t have themed dinners so it kind of makes it more special. 

When planning feasts I take into account how many people I am serving and dietary restrictions so if it’s a feast for myself I usually think of like 1 main dish including some veggies and a dessert since I can’t eat too much alone (I’ve tried and ended many sabbats with stomach aches lol). If it’s family/friends gathering then it’s usually like 2 veggie dishes, usually 1 being cooked veggies, another being a salad of some kind or for the colder months a puree like mashed potatoes, a meat main or if they are non meat eaters then a casserole bake of some kind and then I love baking for dessert cause it fills the house with a nice smell. 

-

For yule’s 2 veg dishes you can do like roasted parsnips and brussel sprouts with rosemary and pine & mashed potatoes (add truffle and/or cheese if your fam eats cheese). Everyone likes 1 whitish veg with cheese on it for this time of year for some reason like maybe it’s the visual of it being wintery. In England cheesy cauliflower is like a staple for food this time of year. 

Then for a main you can do a roast with red wine, chopped shallots and butter. If you guys do not eat meat then maybe something like a mushroom pot pie. I think you can get vegan puff pastry from a super market and just roll it out on top of a pie dish with sauteed veggies and mushrooms and voila lol. I think it’s the same vibe for mushroom wellington but I’ve never attempted at making a wellington in my life (let alone knew what it was until I moved here) but it looks like a nice filling vegetarian/vegan main dish for yule. (It’s basically a ‘meatloaf/veggieloaf’ wrapped in puff pastry). An even easier thing you could put together could be a veggieloaf and add some seasonal sauces on it and make it super buttery and full of spices. 

Depending on how much you like to cook and how much work you feel like doing you can either get a nice yule log at the market (they usually have some good creamy ones) or if you know a nice bakery by you check if they have any. Yule Logs can be sooo incredibly good, super easy to dish out at the end of the night and have with some icecream. If you can’t find one nor feel like buying it, you can toss together some red velvet cake. It’s the easiest festive cake I can think of that will be nice to put together next to all the food you’ll have to cook. Either red velvet (which is just a red chocolate cake with cream cheese lets be honest haha), a black forest cake (chocolate, cherries and cream) or a ginger bread cake depending on your preference. You can find the mixes ready made or if you have the flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, oil and milk its not too hard to make the batter for a plain cake and add the additional flavorings/colorings after. Alternatively you could end the feast with an array of cookies and hot chocolate since this holiday is big on cookies. Cookies can take way more effort to put together but they are a chance to be creative, combine arts and crafts with food and definitely make the house smell incredible. 

Another dessert idea is a sugar pear tart (get yourself the roll-out pastry and save yourself the time), it can be really easy to put together cause all you have to do is chop some pears and put them in a bag to soak with sugar, spices and wine. Let it sit for a few hours (probably as you cook the other stuff) then just throw the pastry over your pie-tin, add some jam to the bottom if you have any and line up the pears inside and bake for like 30min. 

Also I don’t know if your family enjoys drinking but maybe dishing out some mulled wine before the food can get them feeling festive and build up an appetite for the food to come. You just got to simmer some red wine with spices and sliced fruit. (It’s like a hot sangria haha). Alternatively there’s a lot of festive easy drinks you can toss together if they would like a cocktail like gin + cranberry and ginger ale will taste like a holiday candle. Whiskey + Ginger beer and cinnamon will work amazingly too. White Rum + Eggnog will go great for sweeter and creamier drinks, just add some simple syrup to the mix to smooth it out (or apply like light amounts of rum cause it could overpower the eggnog). Anyway if your family already has ~the liquor cabinet~ maybe see if there is anything in there you can turn into a festive drink or just get some mulled wine going. 

.

Also about your dreams it’s interesting you brought up war cause I definitely felt that vibe. Your dreams sound really insightful though. I am working on my 2021 year spread right now and there is some intense themes but that also could be cause of my Saturn Return is this year :/

Anyway I hope you have a great Yule! It’s wonderful that you are cooking for your family. 

[btscreatorscorner]

Project Summary: Travel with a few members of the team here at BCC as they sit around a bonfire and reminisce on the days of summer. We will tell you interesting stories about tales that may be a little exaggerated about the members of a group of 7 guys that we have come to love. 

Links to stories and edits will be added as they are posted!! We will reblog the stories and edits as well~ We hope you enjoy!

Seeing each other was honestly a dream. It felt surreal to be able to meet up and camp with so many people from an online network, and they were smiling and laughing as they talked in person (some for the first time ever). The lulling sounds of the ocean waves became a white noise to everyone as they set up their tents and gathered firewood. They were having so much fun talking together that time had passed quickly, evening fast approaching and the sun sinking into the horizon creating a sea of colors in the sky. The sight was truly breathtaking. 

Simi’s and Lillia’s eyes locked onto the waving group down the beach. “Welcome everyone,” Alexis smiled as she returned to the campsite after scoping out the beach. 

“Hey Alexis! How’s the beach look? Any shark teeth?” Lillia asked, returning to chopping onions in preparation for dinner.

"You say that like she'd know. Are we forgetting that she's the ‘blind’ one?" Simi replied, snickering at Alexis's squint.

From the small crowd gathering on the beach came a range of different accents. Some were easily pinpointed and others a little more difficult to locate. Lillia continued guiding everyone down to the beach, within the group was a small and rather tired Jester with a large bag. Situated at the bottom of her bag was some sort of rolled up bedding.

“Excuse me, sorry I’m late, airport customs tried to steal my Vegemite” Jester called, eyes gazing straight past Simi’s shoulder. With no hesitation she dropped her luggage in the sand, kicked off her shoes and sprinted towards the ocean.  

Halting mere inches from the water, she teetered, waving her hands and trying not to topple into the surf from her abrupt stop. 

“Almost jumped in with my phone and your American paper dollarydoos” she shouted, racing back to the group. 

Jester proceeded to empty out her pockets, dumping twenty and fifty dollar notes and her phone into her shoes and running full pelt back to the water. With a warrior cry, she dove into the ocean causing quite the splash before the water stilled ominously.  

There was no sign of her — had she disappeared? An alarming amount of time went by and the group shuffled nervously before she breached with all the elegance of a blue whale gasping and flopping onto her side. 

A few of the others joined Jester whooping as they splashed into the water, others set to tasks they thought were a little more pressing, like designating tents. 

With what little sun they had left, they had managed to hold a few fun activities and lots of conversations.

As the sun finally set the sweet cotton candy colors in the sky darkened and from its depths emerged twinkling lights, the mood changed along with it. Food was tossed on the grill, the inferno causing the aroma to fill the beach. Everyone’s mouth was watering, excited to finally dig in. 

Simi was trying to organize gluten-free buns on one side and regular on the other. “The veggie burgers have finished. I cooked them on their own so it’s all good. I’m about to cook the meat patties — last call for meat-free grilling” Lillia called to the group with a bright smile, expertly flipping the spatula in her hand and getting back to work when there were no complaints.

The large group slowly began making themselves plates of food and once everyone was situated, the group was silent for a brief moment before Alexis decided to strike up some conversation. 

“...I think that would be a great idea, don’t you guys think?” 

The sounds of wood crackling could be heard in the background. Sepha watched as the smoke turned into the black of the burning wood and then to the fire-y orange and undertones of red. It had only turned out that way when she watched as one of the women drizzled more fluid over the fire. 

Looking to her left, she saw a welcoming smile and couldn’t help but feel guilty for not hearing the rest of what had been said.

“Sorry?” Sepha asked, watching as the rest of the group surrounding the fire laughed at her in confusion. 

“What kind of scary stories are you into? You know… typical gory types or mystery, maybe romance—” Lillia repeated emphasizing the last genre. 

“Murder mysteries are the most interesting…” At this, Amunet smiled at Sepha’s response and she couldn’t help but return it. 

“I like romance! You know the ones where people just go camping to see the stars, and the moonlight and it just smells like chocolate and marshmallows.” All eyes followed the light voice which sounded across the fire, belonging to none other than Kyub. Gabi couldn’t help but share a hopeless shrug with Sepha, who poked at the fire with her long stick. 

The fire gave a loud crackle, “Sounds nice...but with this kind of night when there’s no moon and just the sound of nature around you — it kind of makes you want to tell scary stories for the fun of it.” Alexis seemed to agree to Sepha’s last sentiment and continued roasting the marshmallow. 

“You’re right, though. Just darkness and nature, makes me think of murder.” Bubbles started up again which only earned a dry chuckle from across the circle. 

Mae spoke up for the first time, saying “morbid, but sure, what the hell” as she fidgeted with her own stick, apparently inventing something the campers could only assume was a s’more kebab. She seemed to struggle immensely considering the graham crackers didn’t have any holes in them for her stick. But they all watched, intrigued, as Mae continued stacking: cracker, marshmallow, chocolate, cracker, marshmallow, chocolate, cracker—

“What are you doing?” This time, the voice came from just outside the circle, Amunet was returning from her tent wearing a thick navy blue pullover sweater. She was looking at Mae’s invention with an arch to her brow but otherwise unphased. 

“What does it look like?” retorted Mae,  gently waving the kebab around for everyone to see which earned a couple of laughs from everyone as a graham cracker broke off. Mae’s resulting cursing drew even more laughs. 

Lillia began to clap, “A’ight! Let’s start with some stories eh?” She looked around, giving everyone her signature friendly smile before settling on Sepha. “I think you should start some things off Seph, with you know, all that murder mystery enthusiasm you have.” 

“Huh?” She was caught off guard, looking to see everyone anticipating eyes had fallen upon her and when she looked around the waiting company, she could see Kyub giving a soft encouraging smile. The nervous laugh bubbled out of Sepha's lips before she could stop it, and with a scuff of her feet against the sandy ground she was ready. 

“I-um—you guys ever hear that phrase,” The cautionary pause gave Sepha time to think it over, “You ain’t Jiving man?” There was a quick shake of Bubbles’ head to her far left.

“I have no idea what that means.” Jester hummed stabbing at least twelve marshmallows with a long skewer-like-stick. Another culinary mad genius. 

“It’s from the 70s, all that slang shit. Supposed to mean: ‘Is that the truth?’ Or at least the equivalent to it.” That earned hums all around as Sepha licked her lips, wondering how to start off her story. Mae and Jester smiled encouragingly as Sepha shook her head to focus herself before diving in. 

“Well, that phrase kind of relates to this story...at least kind of...maybe...I don’t know,” Sepha watched as Mae grabbed at the remains of a broken graham cracker, her frustration obvious enough in the way she picked at the pieces but it only earned her a cheeky smile from Bubbles who was right next to her. “I’m sure you guys heard of the case of Ted Bundy right? You know, infamous serial killer.” 

“He was fucking insane and not even handsome. I don’t even know what girls saw in him during that time.” As she spoke, Jester’s face twisted like she had bitten into a lemon and all Sepha could do was nod in agreement. She watched the fire again, poking at it and watching the ash burn up to the surface. 

“Well...I’m gonna tell a survivor story. Her name was Carol DaRonch, one of Bundy’s survivors and—”

“We should call her Katie! For, you know, copyright reasons.” This time the voice belonged to Bubbles; it was soft but managed to grab everyone’s attention in time before they could all fully dive into the story. At her suggestion, Sepha nodded and chuckled, poking at the fire once more, sending an array of sparkle-like embers into the night sky. She quickly moved the toe of her boot just enough to not get any of the burnt ash on it. 

Sepha nodded vigorously again and continued.

“Yeah...yeah let’s call her Katie…” she licked her lips once more and looked up to see the dark depths of the night sky there wasn’t a cloud in sight. When the group stared at the fire they could almost hear the sound of Marvin Gaye. The campers could feel the heat wash over them, in a way that reflected the heat of Florida. 

“It was a college party...in the summer of 1974….” 

“Okay, well that was dark. Interesting, but dark. I like it.” Mae had shifted from her seat on a log onto the dirt beneath, slumping with her back against the bark lethargically. Others nodded in agreement.

“Shall we lighten the mood with a happier story?” Bubbles asked, lifting her hands to warm them above the lively fire. It was quiet for a second before Mae spoke up again.

“I have one.” She changed her posture to sit slightly straighter when all eyes were on her. “It’s about a couple that got turned into fairies while camping in the woods one summer night.”

“Is that a drug reference?” Lillia raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“No.” Mae frowned.

“Knowing you, ‘turning into fairies’ could mean anything.” Lillia shrugged, earning chuckles from the group. The fire crackled just as Mae sent a sharp glare at the woman, but her lips betrayed her as they began to curl upwards at the teasing.

“My story has nothing to do with drugs— but it does involve magic.” This caught the attention of the crowd. “Did you know that fairies occupy many wooded areas around the world? Yeah, they tend to hide from humans, but in desperate times they can use their powers to recruit our help, just as they did last summer. 

“It happened somewhere in the Rocky Mountains in August of last year…”

Those scattered around the fire were left captivated by the fantastical tail Mae had spun. They had even paused from their s’more-making escapades, each slowly contemplating the idea of fairies. Some eyed the surrounding area outside the camp, others picked up where they left off preparing more marshmallows for their delicious dessert endeavors. In amongst the slowly roasting marshmallows was one completely engorged in flames. 

“Uh, Jester your marshmallow is on fire?” 

“Yup, that’s how I like them” She grinned brightly with green eyes sparkling full of mischief as she blew out the fireball that had encased the blackened crispy confectionary that once resembled a marshmallow. She shoved it into her mouth and shouted “My turn!”

“I have a good one.” Jester’s sharp grin seemed to be hiding something. “Hold onto your hats, this one is from my trip to Greece. You must always be careful when you travel to another country because anything can happen.

“It started in Mykonos...”

“And that’s what happens when you meet strangers in another country. I should have learned from the first two times I went overseas” Jester shrugged “Wild stuff, though”

“Actually no” Gabi interjected, pointing her finger in a pause gesture while she collected her thoughts. 

“Nope” Kyub’s eyes were wide; she blinked, once, twice in disbelief. Before she shook her head as if trying to rattle the thoughts back into place.

“That’s famously not what happens when you meet strangers in another country” Gabi continued her thought with a small sound of concern. 

“Yeah, I’m with them — that is most definitely not what happens.” Sepha laughed as Jester looked up confused. “Most people don’t go home with strangers, though, so I guess you could be right.”

“I mean yeah, that one was my bad I guess” Jester laughed.

“Who’s next?” Amunet asked excitedly, wishing to listen to more of the nightly stories.

Kyub looked a little nervous but after taking a deep breath she was determined to unleash her summer tale by way of pictures on her phone. “Mine isn’t exactly a story, I have some photos that I took over the summer that I think really tell a story. It was in a cemetery” her voice was sweet and gentle. 

“We would love to see!” Alexis smiled reassuring the young girl. Everyone seemed intrigued by the idea of the photos and how they would tell the story.

“It’s up to interpretation...”

“That is amazing, how did that even happen?” 

“You know the saying, ‘a picture is worth one thousand words’ and you have two” Jester grinned “like he is keeping the flowers a secret or like the flowers are something he loves and cherishes but keeps hidden.” Other voices chimed in:

“It feels so sad.”

“It feels so jarring that the colour is stripped away.”

“I like to think the first image is kinda, like, wistful or reminiscing and then when he looks down it is the reality.”

The entire camp seemed hit with raw emotion. There was a collective look of disbelief and someone sighed “That is so well done.”

Everyone had finished their stories and games for the evening and numbers started dwindling as the late hour took the sleepy camp goer’s. They all were settling for the evening, tents and sleeping bags rustling in the background alongside the occasional giggle, whisper and yawn.

Rolling out the khaki green bedroll, was Jester looking small in the contrasting light from the fire and shadow from the night. 

“Jester, where are you sleeping, do you wanna share a tent?” Gabi asked, deciding to offer a shelter. 

“Nah, I got my swag, I’m gonna lay by the fire and watch the sky.” She laid back and squinted up at the stars. “You should visit my little corner of the world where the stars look like milk.”

Credits: Thank you @youarejesting for working on this masterlist and @kyub for doing the amazing banner! And thank you to all of our writers, editors and betas who worked hard on this project: @youarejesting , @kyub, @dead-starlight, @bubblebunnylia, @sweetnspicy93, @bussy-posts, @jiminniethemarshmallow​, @moccahobi​, @yourmoonchild1023​, @jung-hoseok-s-airplane​, and @hesperantha​ for betaing the masterlist!!! 

[guccybangtan]

just for the night - kim seokjin

pairing; seokjin x reader

genre; domestic, established relationship, fluff, tiny angst;

word count; 1325

disclaimers; reader gets a cut cooking, mentions of blood (not graphically), cursing, annoying siblings;

There was a specific reason you didn’t cook.

Oftentimes it ended in disaster. You’d cut yourself a plethora of times, as well as broken many dishes. There was also that one off time where you may or may not had forgotten about the kimchi stew; to the point where all the liquid boiled out and the rest of the ingredients were burned to the bottom of the pan.

So when Jin called you and told you practice would be running late, and that he needed you to cook dinner that evening, you felt a bit of your spirit die.

“Baby, are you sure?” You’d pressed Jin during the phone call, rising from your seated position on the couch where you had been cuddled watching tv.

“It’s just for tonight, Y/N,’’ you could hear how tired he was through the phone.

Sighing to yourself, you assured your lover that you’d do your best.

‘How hard can this really be?’ you thought to yourself as you began pulling pans out of the cupboards.

Opting to make stir fry, you began to gather the necessary ingredients from your fridge.

Chopping was easy enough, right? Then tossing it all into a pan to fry should be the icing on the cake. (So long as you didn’t burn the house down.)

You reached into the utensil drawer, grabbed your favorite knife, and got to work.

Cutting the chicken went by like a breeze. The thigh meat was so tender that the knife slid through like butter.

“Hey, google,’’ You spoke out loud, tossing the chicken into the pan, “play BTS.’’

The good thing about having a famous boyfriend was whenever you missed him you could always hear his voice. Sure, it wasn’t the same thing as the warmth of being wrapped up in his arms, or the honey sound of his laugh that reverberated through your homey apartment, but it was better than the cold that seemed to swallow you whole when you were alone.

“Sure,” the scarily human voice replied, “playing BTS on Spotify.’’

With Ugh! now being the soundtrack of dinner, you got back to work.

Cutting up the veggies proved to be significantly harder with your lack of knife skills, and you had barely made it through the bell pepper before you were ready to tap out.

‘How does Jin do this every night?’

You were almost finished with the broccoli when things began to go south. The sudden ringing of your phone had startled you mid-chop and before you knew it your broccoli went from green to red.

“Shit.’’ You cursed, wrapping a paper towel around the cut, snatching your phone up and smashing the answer button.

“Hello?” You seethed.

“Y/N!” Your sister’s cheery voice filled the line, “Are you busy?”

“Kind of?” You winced as you put her on speaker, removing the now pink towel.

“Oh, well I was just calling to tell you little Minjun took his first steps this afternoon!’’

Leave it to your sister to call at the worst possible time to gush about your nephew. He was a cute little guy, but he was her son, not yours.

“Listen, Y/S/N, I can’t really talk right now.’’ You said as you tried to wrap a bandage around your poor finger.

She continued on as if she didn’t hear you, moving on to the topic of how “ever since Minjun was born, Jinyoung won’t touch me!”

As much as you loved your dear sister, she could be over the top sometimes.

“Seriously, Y/S/N-“ you stopped mid sentence, the smell of smoke filling your nostrils.

Whipping around to face the burner, things went from bad to worse.

The chicken had burned, the bottom of each piece completely blackened.

“Seriously what? Are you there, Y/N?” You ignored your sister as you stared at your chicken, unsure of where to go from here.

“Fuck it,’’ you grumbled, dumping the pan into the garbage. Veggie stir fry, minus the broccoli would have to do.

“Nothing, Y/S/N, carry on.’’ You shook your head, tossing the broccoli into the garbage as well.

“Well..’’ Her chatter became background noise, intermingling with the music that still resonated from the google home.

You took more care in chopping the Zucchini and carrots, moving them into the pan from the cutting board, and adding the bell peppers on top.

��Maybe there’s more meat in the fridge.’

All that was left in your fridge was kimchi fried rice, a few cokes, and some eggs. 

“Of course there’s no groceries.’’ You sighed, leaning against the fridge door as soon as it locked into place.

You stood there, internally beating yourself up for burning the chicken.

It wasn’t long before the smell of smoke filled your nostrils again.

“No!” You cried, rushing over to your now crispy veggies, sifting through them to see if anything could be saved.

“What are you going on about?” Your sister stopped her story.

“I burned my dinner. Twice.’’ You shook your head, dumping the contents of the pan into the garbage for the third time that evening.

“Why are you even in the kitchen? I thought Jin banned you after the Kimchi stew incident?”

“He did,’’ You whined, “he was busy tonight so he needed me to cook. Big mistake.’’ You slumped down at the dinner table, burying your face in your hands.

“What are you gonna do?” Your sister asked.

“I don’t know, probably cry.’’

“Well, I’ll let you get to that, it’s time for Minjun to go to bed.’’ Without even saying goodbye, your sister hung up.

“Thanks for the help.’’ You groaned, letting your head fall onto the table.

“Who are you thanking? Are you cheating on me?” You heard following the sound of a door closing.

“Jin!’’ You exclaimed, shooting up from your place at the table, effectively knocking your chair down, “you’re back early.’’

“It’s an hour later than usual?” He replied, slipping his shoes off.

“How’d it go?” Jin asked as he walked over to you, pulling you into his embrace, “missed you today.’’

“Well,’’ you started, wiggling out of his hold.

Jin grabbed your hand, pulling you back into him.

You winced as he squeezed, your fresh cut taking most of the pressure.

“What? What happened?” Jin asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“I just cut my finger, that’s all.’’ You shrugged, avoiding his piercing gaze.

“That’s all?” He seemed unconvinced.

“I burned the food..’’ you admitted, “twice.’’

“Twice?”

You explained how your sister called and distracted you, leading to a cut and two burned meals.

“I tried to save the veggies, just cook them, but I got distracted again.’’ You said apologetically, “I’m really sorry.’’

Jin looked at you for a moment, holding you to his chest steadfast, letting laughter burst out the next second.

“Why are you laughing at me!” You smacked his chest, pushing him away.

“I- I knew things would go wrong w-with you in the kitchen,’’ he was bent over, full belly laugh causing you to smile a bit of your own.

“I grabbed some take out on my way back, figured it would be best to have a back up option.’’

“You’re an ass, Seokjin.’’ You smacked his chest again.

Jin grabbed your arm once again, pulling you back into his embrace.

“I’m your ass.’’ He sang, a smile gracing his features.

“Prove it.’’

“I brought your favorite.’’

“Point proven!” You leaped at the containers.

The two of you ate in silence, enjoying the good food and company.

“I love you, baby.’’ Jin mumbled as he rubbed your back.

The two of you cuddled up on the couch to watch a movie, ready to wind down and get some rest following the long day.

“I love you more, Jinnie.’’

You pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. It was enough to convey all your feelings without words.

Here, with your lover, enjoying life; there was no place you’d rather be.

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Quarantine Cuisine: My Granny’s Chicken Spaghetti

Alright. Storytime. I had a tiny Italian granny. Granny Alma. Big glasses. Plaid cotton shirts that she made herself. Curly gray hair drenched in Aquanet. If you want something to picture... picture Sophia from the Golden Girls, but some how taking even less shit. She was great. I miss her dearly... but she lives on in a way. I live in her old house. I still cook with some of her cooking utensils using her recipes. So in a way, I still get to have her cooking... in her kitchen no less! And she made sure her recipes got passed down. I still have some of the scraps of paper where she wrote them down... her handwriting and everything! Banana pudding. Chicken and dumplings. Tortellini soup. So this is my tiny Italian granny’s spaghetti recipe. She made it all the time. At least once a month if not more. It was her lauded and celebrated recipe... passed down to everyone in the family... And it is nothing like any tomato sauce recipe I’ve ever seen. No onions... no wine... no actual tomatoes even. It just uses tomato paste. In fact... that’s all it is. Just some garlic and olive oil, some tomato paste and water... seasoned with parsley and grated parm. It’s weird. Super weird. I’d call anyone who claimed it was a family recipe going back generations a liar. Except... when you think about it, it makes sense. My Italian relatives came into the country in the very late 1800s via the Mississippi rather than Ellis Island. And thus, I hypothesize that they couldn’t get a lot of the usual staples of home. Garlic, sure. Pasta? They could make that themselves. But tomatoes? Sure, they were here, but not the ones like back home. And then a few decades later, The Great Depression hits. And then corporatization of food supplies after that... canned tomato paste was probably the only tomatoes of any kind they could regularly get. So the recipe changed little by little over the years to the strange method it is today. And it’s delicious. Don’t get me wrong. SO GOOD OMG. Plus it’s most certainly the scion of Depression era cooking... which makes it good shelf staple quarantine food! And you can substitute protein like crazy! Don’t have chicken? Use chunks of Italian sausage links! Or make meatballs with beef or lamb or sausage. Or even better? add shrimp at the end and just cook them through in the finished sauce. Divine. Again... this is poor people pseudo-Depression era food... in my life, I’ve eaten squirrel, rabbit, and dove spaghetti. True story. So yeah. This is definitely quarantine food. Let’s recipe! 1 pound long pasta (we usually use angel hair, but spaghetti, linguini, or fettucini also work. This sauce is a little thin for anything chunky like ziti or farfalle) 3 TBS olive oil 5-6 cloves garlic, minced 4oz mushrooms, sliced (I like white buttons for this... also these are optional) 1 small red bell pepper, julienned (optional) 6-8 chicken thighs (bone in or boneless) 1 small can tomato paste 3-4 TBS flat leaf parsley, chopped (you can use curly or skip it) 3-4 TBS grated Parmesan cheese (Romano works too... or whatever’s in the green shakey-cheese can.) Salt and pepper (pro tip... this can be made vegetarian by just doubling the veggies and skipping the meat. Also slivered onion is delicious with this.) Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed pot and add garlic. Cook until fragrant but not browned (2-3 minutes at most) and add mushrooms and peppers and cook until just softened. Add the chicken and toss in the oil until starting to brown.  Add the tomato paste and stir well. Allow the paste to cook and stick a little to the pan, but don’t let it burn. Keep it moving. Add six cups of water and stir well (and pro tip: rinse out the tomato paste can with a little water). Bring to a simmer and add the cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley. Simmer for... awhile. An hour at least. Let this cook down slowly until it resembles a cohesive but still loose sauce.... think canned tomato sauce.  When the sauce is nearly ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta per the package instructions. Drain in a colander but don’t let it drain too long... you still want some water clinging to it. Dump straight into the sauce, toss well and serve with more grated cheese.

[fallintosanity]

there was going to be plot but young ignis and young noctis decided to have panic attacks instead

to be fair, young gladio is also having a panic attack, he’s just being quieter about it so far

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17

Future Ignis stood at the little camp stove, chopping vegetables with a deftness that belied his inability to see, while beside him Gladio carved raw steaks into kebab-sized chunks and slid them onto tarnished and battered metal skewers. Prompto’s stomach growled as he followed his future self up the ramp around the side of the haven, and Future Prompto chuckled. “Successful hunt, huh?” he called up toward Future Ignis.

“Indeed,” Future Ignis said. “You’ve excellent timing; we just returned ourselves. Breakfast will be ready in perhaps twenty minutes.”

“Great!” Future Prompto said, then glanced around. “Where’s everyone else?” 

“Disposing of the offal,” Future Ignis said. “Would one of you please wake His Majesty and His Highness?” 

“Go for it, bud,” Future Prompto said to Prompto with a grin that said he knew full well he was throwing him under the bus. 

Prompto rolled his eyes in response and ducked into the tent; he knew he’d need the full twenty minutes to get even one Noct awake, much less two of them. The older one was now sprawled across half the tent floor, his breath whistling faintly through his half-open mouth. Prince Noctis - Prompto’s Noct - was still curled in a tight ball against the other side of the tent. Prompto crouched beside him, reaching out one hand. He’d intended to shove Noct’s shoulder the way he usually did to wake him, but suddenly found himself unable to make contact. 

Prompto was a freak, a science experiment intended to be nothing more than fuel for the Niflheim Empire’s war machine. Noctis was the Crown Prince of Lucis, the primary target of that war machine. Future Prompto had said Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio didn’t care about Prompto’s origins, but from the sound of it Future Prompto had known them all for more than two years longer at the time they’d found out. Gladio barely spoke to Prompto, and Ignis was polite but distant. What if the three years Prompto had known Noctis wasn’t enough? What if something important had happened in those remaining two years that made the difference between he’s our friend and ditch the freak? What if— 

A hand wrapped around Prompto’s outstretched wrist and tugged him off-balance to fall against Noct’s chest. Prompto grunted in surprise and looked up, but Noct’s eyes were still closed. His arm wrapped around Prompto, though, pulling him close enough that Prompto could feel his heartbeat, his breath rustling Prompto’s hair, both rapid and unsteady enough that he knew Noct was awake. 

He squirmed uncertainly, trying to untangle his legs from beneath him even as part of his mind still wanted to pull away and avoid contaminating the Crown Prince any further. “Noct…” 

“Shut up,” Noctis murmured. A hesitation, then he added nervously, “It’s not - Carbuncle isn’t here, and I just…” 

Oh. Apparently Prompto wasn’t the only one to wake up to a panic attack after what had happened last night. He wriggled into a more comfortable position and got an arm around Noctis in return, tucking his head under Noct’s chin. “Yeah, okay.” 

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, until Noct’s heartbeat slowed and his grip on the back of Prompto’s shirt eased. But even that little motion was enough to set Prompto’s own anxiety off again. If Noctis found out what he really was, would he even want to touch Prompto anymore? 

Without meaning to, Prompto blurted, “I’m… I’m really your friend, right?” 

“Of coure you’re my friend, idiot,” Noctis said. He pulled back a little, which made Prompto tense up even more, but it was only to give him an incredulous look. “Where’d that come from?”

Prompto shook his head, already regretting the words. “It’s nothing, I mean, I…” 

“Prompto,” Noctis cut in. “We’re cuddling. If you were any more my friend it would be a front-page scandal in the Insomnia Times.” 

Prompto giggled despite himself. “Dude, I’m pretty sure the part where the Crown Prince ran away from home and went outside the Wall is the bigger scandal right now.” 

“Ran away with my friend I’m cuddling with,” Noctis teased. “This is going to be even bigger than when Lord Manufestaria got caught in flagrante delicto with his daughter’s nanny. Front page headlines, scrolling banner on TV, top of everyone’s news feeds. Maybe they’ll even bring back hawkers on the street corners.” 

“Titan’s ba—” Prompto started to swear, then remembered the conversation back in the water shed and choked on the words. “Augh,” he groaned, and buried his face against Noct’s shoulder. 

“What?” Noctis asked, then prodded Prompto in the ribs when he didn’t respond. “What?”

“Let’s just say my future self has ruined that swear forever,” Prompto muttered. 

Noctis smirked. “Good. You don’t sound nearly as edgy as you think you do when you say it.” 

“Hey, I’m plenty edgy!”

“Sure,” Noctis shot back. “That’s why you stole cuss words from Skynner from Dungeon Delvers.” 

“Busted.” Prompto put the back of his hand to his forehead in his best woe-is-me pose. “You got me. All my coolness comes from imitating video game characters.” 

Noctis laughed, and suddenly everything was okay again, at least right now. Prompto was still Noct’s friend, and Noct trusted him enough to be a replacement for the little Carbuncle figurine he kept under his pillow. They’d be okay. He’d be okay. 

He nudged Noctis. “Anyway, Ignis - Future Ignis, the scary one - sent me in here to wake you and future-you up for breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” Noctis sat up. 

Prompto grinned and made a shooing motion. “Go. I still have to wake up future-you.” 

“Good luck.” With that, Noctis climbed over him and out of the tent. 

Waking up Future Noctis wasn’t much different than waking up Noctis on a more typical day. Future Noctis groaned, swatted Prompto’s hand away, and tried to burrow under nonexistent covers before finally sitting up and blinking blearily. As much as he’d grown up to look like King Regis, he still acted like the laid-back, doofy prince Prompto knew. It was weirdly reassuring. 

By the time Prompto cajoled Future Noctis out of the tent, the others had settled around the embers of the campfire in the middle of the haven. The Noctises each got one of the four folding chairs by dint of being royalty, while Future Gladio had taken a third chair with Future Prompto perched precariously on his knee. Gladio stood stiffly behind Noct’s seat, hands folded behind his back like he was at an official function instead of a campground, while Ignis helped his older counterpart remove finished kebabs from the grill. 

Prompto hesitated, finally deciding to sit on the ground and use Noctis’s legs as a back rest. Ignis handed out kebabs to the Noctises first, then the Gladios, reaching past Prompto and Future Prompto awkwardly. Future Gladio chuckled. “Don’t gotta bother with rules of rank out here, Igs.” 

“Please don’t call me that,” Ignis said stiffly. “And if one only stands on formality when being observed, such formality becomes meaningless.” 

Future Ignis’s head tilted at that, though Prompto couldn’t read the expression that flickered across his face behind the mirrored glasses and the scars. Future Ignis said mildly, “Formality is no more than a tool to express a sentiment and impose an order upon the world.” 

Ignis tensed, pushing his own glasses back into place. “Our world has been turned thoroughly upside-down in the past twenty-four hours,” he said. “A little order is greatly needed.” 

Future Noctis shot a glance at his younger self over Prompto’s head; Prompto couldn’t see Noct’s face but he imagined it had much the same expression as Future Noctis: fond exasperation. Noctis said, “It’s okay, Ignis. Sounds like the normal order was gonna be tossed out the window in a few years anyway.”

Ignis’s jaw tensed, his cheekbones standing out in sharp relief; he turned away abruptly and resumed serving kebabs, though his shoulders remained stiff as a board. Prompto bit his lip, wanting to say something but not sure what. The expression on Ignis’s face when he handed Prompto a pair of kebabs was forbidding, and Prompto ended up saying nothing. He couldn’t afford to piss off Ignis yet, not before he knew where he would stand with him and Gladio after… after they found out.

For a few minutes the haven was silent as everyone ate. Prompto had missed dinner last night thanks to the daemons who’d kidnapped him, and despite the sickly paleness of the vegetables on the skewer, the kebabs tasted amazing. Fortunately, they had plenty of meat from whatever the others had hunted, so he didn’t feel too guilty for eating three kebabs by himself and stealing all of the vegetables off Noct’s. Ignis’s disapproving look almost made him give the veggies back, but the look was aimed at Noctis and Noctis returned it with a raised eyebrow that clearly told Ignis to back off. 

Trying to make up for it, Prompto finished eating quickly and popped to his feet, collecting the empty skewers from the others and taking them back to the little folding table Future Ignis had used for prep. Then floundered, because how did you wash dishes on a campground with no running water?

Behind him, Future Gladio called, “There’s a metal mixing bowl in the cooler under the stove. Pour some water in there and heat it on the grill, you can use that to wash up.” 

“I don’t suppose you have dish soap in there, too,” Ignis said, his voice studiously neutral. 

“We haven’t had dish soap for, oh, seven or eight years,” Future Prompto said cheerfully. “Either you scrub real good with a washcloth, or you use whatever bar soap is left over from the shower.” 

Crouched beside the stove, Prompto peeked over his shoulder in time to see the horror that flashed across Ignis’s face before he got his expression under control. Future Ignis said, in a gentle tone, “We’re used to it. I’ll not say it’s pleasant, but one can get used to many things when one has no other choice.” 

Ignis stalked over to Prompto’s side, not quite snatching the mixing bowl from Prompto’s hands and reaching for one of the water bottles on the table. “I thought the goal of us running away from the Crown City was to avoid a situation where we needed to get used to such things.” 

“Ignis,” Noctis said sharply. Ignis tensed, the muscles in his jaw working again. Noctis continued, “If you want to go home, you can. I know I’m asking a lot of you guys, and I’ll understand if—”

“No,” Ignis cut in. He closed his eyes and blew out a slow breath, though he didn’t turn to look at Noctis. “My place is by your side. No matter what.” 

Noct’s gaze flicked to Future Ignis, the hideous scars around his eyes, and he winced. Prompto’s stomach churned as he realized what Noctis - what Ignis - was thinking. Taking a deep breath, trying to get the words out before his brain could panic and shut down, he said, “You sure about that ‘no matter what’ part?” His voice came out normal, teasing, and inwardly he sighed with relief. “‘Cause you might want to step away to let him, y’know, go to the bathroom and stuff. Take a shower now and then. Maybe have some alone time.” He waggled his eyebrows. 

Ignis choked and nearly dropped the water bottle, while Noctis sputtered in indignation. Future Prompto said lightly, “He’s got a point. I’m pretty sure Noct was eighteen when he started sneaking books from the adults-only cabinet in the back corner of the comics shop.” 

“Seventeen,” Future Noctis corrected with an innocent grin. “Would’ve been sooner but the shop owner didn’t believe I was over twelve before then.” 

Noctis went red from his nose to his ears and Ignis looked like he wanted to do anything but have this conversation. Future Gladio laughed. “I still ain’t sure I believe it. I’d say try the beard again but it wasn’t exactly helping your case.” 

“It made me look too old!” Future Noctis protested.

“Sorry, my dude, hate to say it but it mostly made you look scruffy,” Future Prompto teased. 

“Still better than yours,” Future Noctis shot back. 

“Rude!” Future Prompto put a hand over his heart and swayed on Future Gladio’s knee in mock distress. 

They continued to banter as Prompto tugged the bowl of water from Ignis’s hands and set it on the grill. He was examining the sides, trying to figure out how to light it, when Ignis leaned past him and twisted a knob. Flames burned to life under the bowl and Prompto dumped the dirty skewers into the water, waiting for it to finish heating. 

Then Ignis said, very quietly, “I’m sorry.” 

Prompto blinked at him, sure he’d misheard - Ignis Scientia was apologizing to him? But Ignis’s mouth flickered in something that didn’t quite manage to be a smile, and he continued, “This was all… very sudden, but that’s no excuse for me to be rude.” 

“S’okay,” Prompto said automatically. “I mean, I get it. It was sudden for me, too.”

“Moreso for you than the rest of us,” Ignis said ruefully. Prompto’s heart skipped a couple of beats in terror before he realized Ignis meant the whole kidnapping thing last night. He didn’t know about the barcode, about what Prompto really was. Not yet. Then Ignis added, “Nevertheless, I’m glad you’re here.”

“Really?” Prompto said, and immediately wanted to die of embarrassment. He was eighteen, he shouldn’t squeak like the groupie girls that followed Noctis around school.  

But Ignis smiled again, this time for real, soft and warm as he shot a glance over his shoulder at Noct. “Noctis is… happier, when you’re with him. What we’re about to undertake… he’ll need that.” 

“Oh,” Prompto said. His cheeks were heating up, and not from the warmth of the grill. “He’s my best friend. I’ll stay with him as long as he’ll have me.” 

“Good,” Ignis said. He nudged Prompto gently. “Then go sit with him. I’ll handle the dishes.” 

“You sure?” Prompto said. “I don’t mind—” 

“Neither do I,” Ignis said. “Please.” 

Prompto studied him for a second. He suspected that as much as anything, Ignis wanted a few minutes to focus on a task away from the others, to compose himself and maybe try to not be so snappish. So he nodded and flashed a smile. “Thanks.”

[nancypullen]

Heatin’ Up the Kitchen

You guys.  Am I the only one ready to throw in my apron and quit this job?  I love to cook, I especially love to try new recipes and twists on old favorites.  But something about not picking my own groceries, the fact that each day is just a repeat of the day before, and that it’s a thousand degrees here in Tennessee - well, I just don’t want to be in the kitchen.  I used to cook 21 meals a week.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week.  A couple of months ago I started skipping breakfast (most days) so every Sunday I make a week’s worth of these cups for Mickey.

There’s a little bit of diced (cooked) potato, green onion, bacon pieces, and cheddar cheese in them.  He cracks an egg into it, stirs it up, and zaps it in the microwave for about 30 seconds. He stirs it again, cooks it another 30 seconds or so and he’s got a yummy breakfast.  He usually has a piece of fruit with it and declares himself full.  They’re so versatile. I’ve made them with lots of veggies, different meats or no meat at all, but this is the combo the mister prefers. It’s easy for me and he’s happy.  For lunch he prefers soup and sandwich or leftovers.  Per his request, every week I make a pot of taco soup (seriously, who eats soup in the summer?).  So breakfast and lunch are pretty quick - I slap together a sandwich for him while the soup reheats, throw everything on a plate, and he’s satisfied.  Dinner is a different matter all together.  I need to start doing meal prep for dinner so that we can just grab something and reheat it without having to turn on the oven or stand over a hot stove.  Actually, this was my dinner tonight.  It was perfect for a 96 degree day.

Vanilla yogurt, delicious plump raspberries, and a sprinkling of walnuts. It was plenty.  I sauteed some chicken for Mickey and tossed it over a big salad.   We’ve been eating a lot of roasted broccoli, though that requires turning on the oven. Ugh.  It’s so easy and yummy.  Just chop off some florets...

Why yes, those are brownies in the background - those were actually worth turning on the oven, trust me.

Anyway, toss your florets with a good drizzle of olive oil, and treat them to some salt and pepper. Then spread them on a baking sheet.

Pop them into a 400 degree oven and then mop your brow with a handy dish towel.  Roast them for about 25 minutes - more if you like them softer.  Toss your florets with some grated parmesan (Mickey’s favorite) or with a tablespoon of lemon zest (my favorite) and enjoy.  It really is that simple.  Great side for anything off the grill this summer.

If you’re willing to stand over a hot stove, at least keep the pots and pans to a minimum.  This meal requires just one pot and one skillet.  It’s a delicious pasta dish and if you’re a single or couple, provides plenty of leftovers which is always a win. I start by filling my pasta pot with well-salted water and bringing it to a boil. Then I heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add sliced onion and green pepper.  

The herbs and spices are key in this dish.  It’s full of big flavor.  You can use Italian seasoning (use plenty!) or this mix that I found online.  It’s easy to mix up a big batch and keep with your spices. 

I use a tablespoon of that mix in this recipe.  Half a tablespoon goes in with the onions and peppers, the other half goes in later.  Here’s a tip.  If you’re using Italian sausage, you really don’t need the extra fennel, but it doesn’t hurt. You could just use Italian seasoning and pepper it up.  If you’re using ground beef or ground turkey, you’ll want the fennel in there.  Either way you’ll want a little zip to it, so if you’re not using cayenne, black or white pepper to taste.  Can you tell that this is one that I made up as I went along?  But it’s good! Once the onion and peppers are tender, add your meat.  I had Italian sausage this time.  After I dumped it in I remembered that I only intended to use half because it was something like 19 ounces. Oops. We had a very meaty dish this time.

You’ll need a can of good crushed tomatoes.

Add the tomatoes to your meat and veggie mixture and stir in the remaining half tablespoon of Tuscan Spice (or whatever you decided to use).

Your water is surely boiling by now, turn the heat down on your sauce and drop your pasta into the water.  I can’t stress enough how much better this is with fresh pasta.  It makes a world of difference.  It’s still quite yummy with any dry pasta you have handy, but fresh pasta elevates it. If you’re using fresh, it’s only going to take about two minutes to cook,  If you’re using dry pasta, probably 9-11 minutes depending on the pasta you choose. Once your pasta is cooked and drained, put it back into the pot and pour the sauce over it. Toss that all together before serving.   In the past, depending on the amount of liquid in the crushed tomatoes, I’ve added a splash of good chicken broth.  If you want to make the sauce extra delicious, take it off the heat and stir a tablespoon of butter into it before tossing with the pasta.  That’s REALLY good. Would you believe that I forgot to snap a picture after putting our dinner into pretty white bowls and giving everything a sprinkling of parsley and grated parmesan? Dang it.  You’ll have to look at this photo of the leftovers being plopped into a container for the next day’s lunch.

Since this is sort of a made-up recipe anyway, tweak it to your tastes.  It’s not fancy, it’s not difficult, and you probably have everything in your pantry. Ingredients you’ll need -  1 green pepper

1 yellow onion

1 15 oz can crushed tomatoes

pasta

ground meat - Italian sausage, ground beef, ground turkey, your call! The spice blend is up to you, whether or not you finish the sauce with butter is up to you, whether you use fresh or dry pasta,etc.   Any way you go, it’s a quick dinner with big flavor.  It heats up the kitchen, for sure, but you’re not in there long.   Could this post be more confusing?  I said I’m tired of cooking and then shared more recipes.  One of the recipes is all over the place and I hardly even gave measurements.  Pffft, you guys get it, right? I think I may stick to yogurt for dinner from now on.  At least until October or November.  

Stay cool, stay well, and remember that ice cream is a dairy and dairy builds strong bones. Fight osteoporosis with a sundae!  Also, I’m a terrible life coach. Don’t listen to me. XOXO - Nancy

[todorokiaimee]

Blues in The Night 3. Cocktails For Two

Ch.1  Ch. 2 Chapter song

Prince Shoto: My apologies for keeping you waiting. It’s been a very busy week.

Prince Shoto: Would you happen to be available tonight for that date?

Prince Shoto: I know it’s short notice.

Aimee: Actually I am available. Have anything in mind?

Prince Shoto: I was thinking perhaps taking a cooking class together?

Aimee: Sure. I can eat. ;)

Prince Shoto: Great. Send me your address and I’ll pick you up around 6 pm.

Prince Shoto: See you soon.

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

Hatsume burst through Aimee’s front door on a mission. “Show me the closet.” 

Aimee led her friend to her bedroom, throwing herself onto the bed. “I have no idea what to wear,” she groaned dramatically. 

“Well, where is he taking you?” Hatsume asked over her shoulder as she looked through her closet.” 

“A cooking class.” 

“Hmm… So maybe something that won't stain easily,” the pink-haired woman hummed. ”So what kind of date are we hoping for huh?” 

Aimee sat up, leaning against her elbows as she quirked a brow. “What do you mean?” 

“What do you want your outfit to say? FOR EXAMPLE!” She pulled out a pastel pink sweater and a pair of jeans. “This says, ‘I’m here to get to know you and just have a good time.’” Next, she pulled out a fire engine red bodycon midi dress from the back of your closet. “But this says, ‘let’s skip straight to dessert, take me now.’” 

Aimee laughed nervously and took the scandalous dress back from her friend, stuffing it back into the closet. Why did I even buy this thing? “How about somewhere in the middle? I don’t want to give ‘take me now’ vibes but… it wouldn’t hurt to still look like a snack.” Aimee blushed at her statement before sitting back down at the edge of the bed. 

Hatsume nodded and dove back into her closet, pulling and tossing things out before handing her another outfit. “In that case, this is my pick. Go put it on!” She pushed the ravenette into the bathroom to change with a wide smile.

After changing, Aimee stepped out of her bathroom wearing a black off the shoulder bodysuit paired with a wine-colored flouncy mini skirt. She gave her friend a modest twirl before walking over to her full-length mirror. “I have to hand it to you, Mei, you know what you’re talking about. I didn’t expect that from a grease monkey,” She giggled, earning a playful smack on the shoulder from her friend. 

“Hey! This grease monkey cleans up well when she wants to!” 

Aimee turned around to check out her backside in the mirror. “Hmm. Are you sure about this skirt? Be honest, does my ass look too big? Volume vs surface area.”  

Hatsume hummed, tapping her chin and looking at her from all angles. “Surface area looks good. Not too wide, not too narrow.” she paused to look at her silhouette from the side. “Volume: it sticks enough to create a beautiful curve, without looking excessive. You’re a ‘big bootied beauty’ babe!” 

Aimee sighed and took her hand, gazing at her lovingly. “You get me.” 

“Of course I do. I’m a genius. Now let’s finish getting you all dolled up so you can catch you a man!”

The girls took their time getting Aimee ready when a knock on the door startled them back to reality. “That’s gotta be him… You can’t be here so just go back in the bedroom! There’s an extra key in the plant, so just lock up after you leave,” Aimee said while pushing her pink-haired friend towards the hallway. 

“Go get him girly!” Hatsume whispered with a wink. 

Aimee giggled lightly while walking back to the front door. She paused for a moment, brushing off her skirt, and adjusting her top so that just the right amount of cleavage was showing before opening the door.

There in all his glory, was Todoroki Shoto. He looked so handsome in his black turtle neck, as he flashed his signature small smile. “Hi.” Aimee couldn’t help the bright smile that appeared on her own lips as she took him in. 

“Hey.” A faint blush crossed his cheeks as he took in her appearance as well. She was breathtaking as usual, but the way her delicate décolletage was left exposed left him mesmerized. “You look beautiful.” Now it was Aimee’s turn to flush as she mumbled a soft thank you. “Shall we?” Todoroki offered his hand and she gladly took it.

After locking up and walking down the stairs to the street, Aimee looked at the parked cars aligning the curb, one wildly standing out. Todoroki took his keys out of his pocket, and with of a click of his keyfob, the car in question flashed its lights. Walking up to his Tesla Model X, he gave his keyfob another press and the front car door opened automatically, presenting its sleek leather interior. Man, this is a nice ass car, Aimee thought to herself as she slipped into the passenger seat. Shoto closed her door, before walking around to enter the car himself. 

“I didn’t know we’d be taking a spaceship on our date,” Aimee said with a small smirk as she eyed the large touchscreen display on the dashboard. 

Shoto quirked a brow as he pulled away from the curb. “You mean my car?” 

“Nope, pretty sure it’s a spaceship with wheels.” She giggled and it was music to his ears.

After arriving, Shoto escorted Aimee into the studio. They were greeted by the instructor and asked for their cocktail order. Aimee decided on a mojito while Shoto opted for an old fashioned. As they walked behind their cooking station, Aimee noticed a distinct lack of people. “Slow night tonight?” 

Shoto shook his head, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “Actually, I rented out the place for the night. I thought you might enjoy the privacy.” 

A surprised look flashed across her face before a smile fell on her lips. “Oh, I’ve never had a place rented out for me before. Thanks.” She turned away, putting on her apron, in hopes of hiding her small blush.

The class menu was balsamic pork tenderloin and root vegetables. The two got to work, following the instructor's directions. “So do you cook often?” Aimee asked as she trimmed the skin from the pork. 

“I like to, I wish could more often but patrols and paperwork often get in the way.” 

She hummed, looking up at the handsome hero beside her. “Hero work can be pretty time-consuming, huh?”  

Todoroki nodded while he chopped the veggies. “What about you?” 

“I love cooking. To me, food feeds the soul as well as the body.” She paused and chuckled to herself. “I also just love to eat, so I gotta love to cook by proxy.” 

Todoroki gave her a small smile as he started to season the vegetables, his eyes slyly taking in the sight of her thick thighs. You certainly don’t get those curves by skipping meals. He shook his head at his own naughty thoughts. “So what do you do for a living?” 

“I’m a middle school teacher.” 

Ah, that would explain the classroom picture on her Instagram. Shoto watched as she seared the meat in a hot skillet. “Teachers do not get enough credit. Especially middle school teachers. I know I was a huge brat at the age.” The sound of Aimee's soft giggle surprised the hero as he looked into her large eyes. 

“Now that’s rich, coming from the most polite man I’ve ever met.”  

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he turned his body toward her, effectively towering over her small frame. “You would be surprised. You’re not the only one here with a smart mouth.”

Aimee’s mind went blank as she stared up at the peppermint haired man. Did he just say what I think he said? Shit, that was smooth. They both held each other's gaze, not saying another word. It almost felt as if neither of them took a breath, gaging each other's reactions. It wasn’t until Aimee felt a sharp pain on her hand that she was brought out of the moment. “Ow!” She held her hand, having burned it on the hot skillet. 

“Here, let me.” Shoto gently took her hand into his, resting his right hand on top of the burn. He activated his quirk, becoming her personal ice pack. 

She smiled, feeling relief instantly. “Thank you.” 

Shoto gave her another small smile before letting her hand slip through his. “My pleasure.” 

Aimee smiled cheekily as she examined her hand, seeing her opening. “My hero to the rescue.” 

Shoto flushed a deep red at her comment. Her hero? Well, I certainly wouldn’t object. He quickly went back to preparing the meal, in hopes of hiding his red cheeks.

After putting the food into the oven, Shoto led Aimee over to a sitting area, to finish their now, second round cocktails. “So tell me more about your teaching career. I’m quite curious.”  

Aimee sipped her mojito as she crossed her legs. She didn’t miss the quick glance of Todoroki’s eyes at her thighs. Thank you, Hatsume. “Well, I love kids, so it seemed like a natural choice. I like being a positive influence on them during such a vulnerable time.” Aimee gasped as she remembered something, somewhat startling Shoto. “Actually, next week we’re having a Q&A for the kids. We’re inviting professionals to come in and explain how knowing English helps them in the workforce.” She nervously twiddled her thumbs as she continued in a soft voice. “I almost hate to ask, but would you be willing to come by and talk to the kids? I know they would be so excited.”  

Shoto instinctively knew she had a kind heart. But seeing her put herself out there for the benefit of her students really struck a chord in him. “I would love to.” A bright smile crossed her face that reflected into her eyes. Shoto never stood a chance. He would do anything for that smile.

After finishing their meal, they both entered the spaceship/car to drive Aimee home. The ravenette was bopping her head along to the radio when she saw a familiar storefront approaching. “Wait, do you mind if we stop here for a bit?” Shoto pulled over without hesitation, curious of what caught her eye. Opening the door for her, they walked into an old music store. Shoto followed behind an excited Aimee as she practically skipped down the aisles. “Here we are,” she smiled as she flipped through some old records, the sign above her head reading “Jazz.” 

Shoto peered over her shoulder, looking at the list of names she was flipping through. “So you’re a music fan?” 

Aimee hummed and nodded eagerly. “Yeah, I love collecting old jazz records. Reminds me of home. Do you ever listen to jazz?” 

He shook his head sheepishly. “I can’t say I have. I have to admit I don’t know the first thing about it.”

Aimee gasped with wide eyes as she put down the records and dragged him over to a listening station. “Well, then welcome to Jazz 101! The cool thing about jazz is it's one of the only art forms that is distinctly American.” Todoroki nodded as he put the headphones over his ears. “Here, let's start you out with one of my favorites.” She smiled as she pressed the play button on Ella Fitzgerald’s and Louis Armstrong’s “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” The sound of a trumpet filled his ears and a velvety woman’s voice soon followed. The smooth and soft melody enticed him, but it was really the lyrics that swayed him the most. Aimee looked up into his heterochromatic eyes expectantly. “Well, you like it?” 

Shoto couldn’t help the smile that pulled at his lips as he looked down at this woman full of surprises. “I do.” He pulled off the headphones and placed them back on the rack. “What other artists would you recommend to start my jazz collection?” 

Aimee smiled and tapped her chin. “My favorites are Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday… just for starters.” He nodded and started to look for those artists in the CD racks. “But, jazz is best enjoyed on a record. The music is more alive.” Todoroki hummed, walking back over to the record section, Aimee following behind. Aimee picked out a few records for herself as Todoroki found his picks. 

The store owner walked up to them with a warm smile. “Finding everything ok?” 

Shoto nodded, looking back at Aimee. “I think so. I would like to purchase a record player please.” The owner nodded and led them over to his selection of record players. 

Aimee tapped Shoto on the shoulder, much to his surprise. “You don’t have to get a record player just because I said so,” she whispered as she walked next to him. 

His eyes softened as he gazed down at her worried expression. “But the music is more alive on the records, correct? I trust your expert opinion.”

The store owner cleared his throat before presenting his supply. “These are all the record players I have. They’re all great, but this guy here,” he patted the box on the far end of the shelf, “is the top of the line.” 

“I’ll take that one then.” Aimee took both his and her records in her arms, as Shoto carried the record player box to the front register. 

“Will it just be the player and records, sir?” the store owner asked as he rang him up. 

“Yes, and the lady’s records as well.” Shoto gently took all the records from her arms and placed them on the counter. 

“You don’t have to do that! I was the one that wanted to stop in here after all,” Aimee whisper-yelled, earning a chuckle from the hero. 

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to. Besides,” he continued in a playfully low voice, “I drive a spaceship, remember? I think I can handle it.”  

Now it was Aimee’s turn to giggle. “Touché.”

After making their purchases, the pair made their drive back to Aimee’s apartment. Shoto parked in front of her building and carried her records up the stairs as he walked Aimee to her door. Unfortunately, their evening was coming to an end. Aimee fiddled with her keys before she went to unlock the door, hoping to find something say. Shoto looked cool as a cucumber as he watched her carefully. She opened the door and turned to look back at him as he handed her the records. “Thank you for such a lovely evening. I really enjoyed it.” 

The shy smile on her face was enough to make Shoto’s heart melt. “The pleasure was all mine. You’ll text me about the school visitation?” 

Aimee nodded, maybe a little too eagerly, shifting her weight awkwardly. “Good. I look forward to hearing from you.” 

A familiar heat crept onto Shoto’s cheeks as he gently took her hand in his, before bringing it up to his lips for a soft kiss, his heterochromatic eyes never leaving her increasingly wide brown ones. “Until next time, Aimee. Have a good night.”

“G-god night... Goodnight,” Aimee studdered as she softly closed the door. Wow. A squeal left her lips as she leaned against the door and did a little happy dance. Oh my God! I just went on a date with Todoroki Shoto! And I didn’t make a complete fool of myself! She giggled to herself and looked at her hand. I am never washing this hand again. Aimee was too engrossed in her dating victory to notice the body that leaned against the doorframe of her hallway, stroking Mochi in their arms. 

“So... did we get lucky or what?”

“OH MY GOD HATSUME! I swear one day I am going to swing first and ask questions later!” Aimee screamed in shock as she held her wildly beating heart. 

“Yeah, yeah, but how did it go?!” 

Aimee smiled widely at her pink-haired friend, biting her lip. “Pull up a chair, girl.”

Chapter 4

[riseatlantisss]

More than a mission

Sergeant!Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Takes place during WWII (before First Avenger). Before heading to a battlefield, Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes and his men take refuge in your farm. This is the story of how you two met…

Warnings: just pure fluuuffff, AND light smut ^^

Words: 2,5K

A/N: I have just reached 100 followers, thank you so much guys! I thought I would celebrate with this one-shot, I had a lot of pre Winter Soldier Bucky feels lately, so this is what I came up with! If you want, you can read my first one-shot here. Please don’t hesitate to leave feedbacks. An enormous thank you to the amazing @stangirl4eva and @theonlyonewhodidthereading for the editing! Enjoy!

It had become a routine, you tending to the house before heading off to the field. Since the men had gone off to fight your workload had tripled. You felt slightly indifferent about the war - you weren't directly affected out here - but you figured as long as they were giving their blood for freedom, the least you could do was make sure things here were kept up.  

Your thoughts are interrupted as you hear a loud rattling sound outside. You make your way quickly to the door, cracking it open to assess the new development. This was when you see him for the first time. Or rather them, since it was a truck carrying many men – soldiers, you remind yourself, even though some look like mere boys – that makes its way into your garden. The green vehicle, bearing on its side an American flag, stops next to the barn. One of the soldiers jumps out of the truck. He is tall and broad; his brown hair has grown out slightly from the regulatory Army cut. His eyes are a piercing blue. As he gets closer, you notice two things: first given his uniform and the fact that he is the one approaching you, he must be in charge; second, he is devastatingly beautiful.

“Good day Ma'am. I am Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes," he said, stopping a respectful distance away. You just stare at him blankly, not quite comprehending what is happening. He smiles then, his whole face lighting up and you are shaken out of your stupor.

“Er…Hello, Sergeant Barnes. I’m Y/N.” you manage to say. “What… What can I do for you?”

The Sergeant's smile gets bigger, and you wonder how that is even possible. He nods his head towards his truck, his eyes never leaving yours.  

“My men and I are on our way to the battlefield about five hours North of here. We received orders to requisition your home to rest and refuel. We are stopping here for the night, and then we'll hit the road in the morning.”His voice is deep and rings with confident authority. He was a Sergeant all right.

You raise your eyebrows in surprise. You had already been warned that some civil accommodations might be seized by the army for shelter and supplies, but you never imagined that they’d come this far into the countryside. You knew you were required to help, but the prospect of having to help this many men was daunting. Times were tough for everyone; you barely had enough to sustain yourself, let alone a bunch of hungry soldiers. Still, you had to do your duty.

As if he could feel your anxiety and hesitation, Sergeant Barnes takes a step towards you and gives you a warm smile.  

“Look, Y/N, is it? We really don’t want to be a bother. I’m just asking for a warm dinner for my men. We'll sleep in the barn over there, and we’ll be gone before you even know it.” His charm was on full display, a half-smile on his handsome face.  His voice was hypnotic, his smile dazzling. You were having trouble focusing on his words.

"In the meantime, we’ll be happy to help you out if you have some work to do in the fields or around the house," he continued, taking advantage of your dazed silence and offering you something he knew you couldn't resist.  

“Of course.” You said, shaking your head to clear it. “Why don’t you and your men leave your things in the barn. I have some more chores to do around the house, then I’ll see what I can do for dinner.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” You shivered at the way he pronounced your name. You didn’t know if it was because of that deep voice of his or because you were nervous having all these strangers around; the only thing you knew for sure? you were no longer feeling indifferent about the war.

“You’re welcome, Sergeant Barnes. The barn is open; I’ll drop by with some blankets and towels later tonight. You can use the pump to wash up."

“Great.” The Sergeant said, walking away towards the truck. “Oh, and one last thing," he  called over his shoulder, "call me Bucky.”

You were trying to get over the fact that men you didn't know were currently taking over your barn. As you cross the garden, you observe the soldiers unpacking the truck. Your eyes linger on Bucky; he's taken off his jacket, leaving him in just his military issue tee.  He lifts two large duffle bags from the back, tossing one over each shoulder; his muscles flex beneath his shirt and the veins in his forearm pop. You can't help the flutter in your stomach at the thought of what it would be like to be encircled in those arms.

Turning towards the barn, Bucky’s eyes lock onto yours for a brief second and your heart skips a beat. You quickly turn away, hoping he didn’t see your cheek flush with thoughts of his arms around you. There was something so magnetic about him. Shaking your head again you close the door and head into the kitchen. What in the world are you going to make for supper?

Bucky came to find you in the house later that afternoon. You were chopping vegetables and browning some meat for a stew, the heat from the stove sending sweat rolling down your brow.  Mopping your face with a bandanna, you turned to him, heart pounding.

“Is everything okay in the barn?" you asked hesitantly. “Do you need anything?”

“We’re good. I was actually coming here to see if …” Bucky averted your eyes, trailing off as he ran a hand across the back of his neck. The tall authoritarian Sergeant that had greeted you earlier had been replaced with a shy young man. It was adorable and you felt your heart soften. “…if you needed any help with, you know…dinner." He finally finished in a rushed breath.

His question took you by surprise and you smiled sheepishly. No man had ever asked you if they could help cook. “Well, thank you. But you really don’t have to...”

“Just… as a thank you” Bucky replied shyly.“...I don’t want to just come in and take what I need and then be on my way; just because I am fighting this war doesn't give me the right to take. You are fighting too in a way. And I just think we should be together in this.” Bucky smirked, and you noticed he was beginning to blush. “I mean, not together just... we should help each other out.”

You chuckled and politely told him that you didn’t misinterpret what he just said.

“Kitchen's this way.”

Shrugging off his jacket, Bucky follows you into the kitchen. His shirt is unbuttoned at the neck,  revealing the beginning of a very muscular chest.

"All right then," you murmur, looking around the kitchen. "You can chop vegetables. How are you with a knife?"

Bucky chuckled under his breath, his smile shining. "I'm alright I guess."

“Well, Sergeant”, you say amusingly. “Veggies are on the table. Why don’t you take this knife and get started?”

Bucky smiles appreciatively, putting one hand on his belly. You imagine he has not properly eaten in a while. Sitting down at the table he takes up where you left off with the carrots.

“Like this?” He asks, showing you the way he was awkwardly cutting the carrots in little pieces. Your knife was old and dull, but he was doing a surprisingly good job.

“Perfect.” You assure him.

You couldn’t help but smile seeing him so at ease in your kitchen; it was hard to imagine that this man doing something as mundane as chopping vegetables was the same guy commanding soldiers on battlefields. It was like he kept these two parts of himself separate; the domestic man was so different from the brief glimpse you had earlier of the war weary commander.  

It was really nice having someone keeping you company again. You had gotten used to living on your own and you hadn't realized how lonely you had become until you had someone to talk to. Bucky had been nothing but helpful and sweet with you since the moment he had arrived. After what felt like mere moments you realized his job was done. He stood and grabbed his coat, but instead of putting it on right away, he hesitated; it was almost like he was reluctant to leave.

“Thanks for the help, Bucky. I’ll bring out the stew when it’s ready.”

“Thank you. For this.” He says, hand rubbing the back of his neck and a flush creeping over his neck.

“You’re welcome but it’s really not that much. I wish I could do more to…”

“Not… Not the food.” Bucky cuts you off softly. “I mean, looks delicious and all, but I wanted to thank you for not asking me about the war. I felt like I wasn’t a soldier here with you, with us just talking… it was nice.”

He flashes you a weak smile. A heavy silence stretches on, and when Bucky looks up, it's to stare directly into your eyes. For a second you stop breathing, not quite knowing what is going to happen next, but definitely hoping. He slowly crosses the room and puts a hand on your arm, leaning down to kiss your cheek. His face lingers close to yours, his breath caressing your cheek.

You feel a rush a blood spread across your face. Your breathing quickens and your lips are suddenly dry. Licking your lips, you take a deep breath, as you try to prevent your heart from collapsing. Pulling up, Bucky places a finger under your chin, bringing it up so he can see your face. He smiles a sad, sweet smile and looks at you like your the last beautiful thing he will ever see. Sighing, he turns away and steps out of your kitchen, heading back to his men in the barn - leaving you with weak knees and confused feelings.

Late that night you lie in bed, restless. Bucky's face is there every time you close your eyes. Knowing you won't be able to sleep, you get up to pour yourself a glass of water. Not bothering to turn the light on, you get a glass and step towards the sink.  Looking out the window you're surprised to see Bucky smoking a cigarette in the garden. Feeling restless too, Sergeant?

Opening the window, you call to him. Turning, Bucky sees you through the kitchen window, and smiles as he walks towards you. “Can’t sleep?” He asks as he approaches.

You shake your head. A cold breeze blows in through the open window and swirls around the kitchen. "Would you like to come in for some tea?" you ask nervously, wondering where you got the courage to invite a stranger into your home in the middle of the night.

Bucky looks at you silently for a heartbeat, and it's like he is fighting a battle within himself. Finally he nods and heads to the door. You hurry to unlock it. "Please come in," you say awkwardly.  He pauses in the doorway before stepping inside.  Once again, he follows you into the kitchen.  

You go to the sink and begin filling the kettle. Without a word Bucky kneels beside the hearth and starts a fire with some kindling and logs from the basket. You approach him and silently hand the kettle on the hook inside the fireplace.

Noticing you are still shivering, Bucky stands and takes his jacket off throwing it around your shoulders. He stands inches from you and you can feel his warmth radiating out to you.

His hands linger on your shoulders and you don't dare move or breath. Time seems to stop as you wait for whatever is going to happen next. When he begins to slowly move away, your heart drops.  Without giving yourself time to think, you grab his hands, pulling him back close to you.

Opening your mouth to say something, anything, you are taken by surprise by Bucky crashing his mouth into yours, preventing you from speaking. You are only surprised for a moment before letting yourself completely sink under his kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck. After a while, you pulled your mouth from his to catch your breath.

“Were you always that amazing at kissing?”

Chuckling, he pecks you on the nose. “Brace yourself lady. I can do this all day.” He says mischievously before kissing you again with vigor as he pins you against the kitchen wall.  

He grunts impatiently as he undresses you. Burying his face in your neck, he licks every inches of exposed skin from your collarbone to your ear, pressing his chest against your naked breasts. Giving your ear a nibble, he lowers his head to your right breast, taking your nipple into his mouth. His teeth graze your swollen nub, and you inhale sharply at the pain and pleasure. Taking more of your breast into his mouth he laps at your nipple with his tongue while his lips suck at the sensitive skin around it.

Moaning loudly your fingers tug at his hair, scraping his scalp before running your hands through it. It felt like he was slowly devouring you and you were falling apart under him. Your body trembled and writhed under his strong grip.

Laying you on the floor, his eyes widened a little before leaning down over you, moving your legs further apart.

He looked into your eyes the whole night, making sure he didn’t miss any of your reactions, any of your moans, any of your caresses.

You wanted to remember every feature of his amazingly beautiful face. It wasn’t in your habits but you caught yourself praying for the war to end tonight so that Bucky could stay with you right here in this bed. As your bodies relax you let yourself collapse down onto his chest, and slowly drift into sleep, snuggled into his arms, feeling in heaven.

...You were awakened by the sound of the engine of the truck rattling outside. You reach out to the other side of the bed, your hand searching for Bucky, but didn’t find him. Sitting on the bed, you looked across the room and understood when you spotted him in full uniform with a serious look on his face that it was time for him to go. When he saw you were awake, he just smiled at you and sat in the bed near you.  

“We’re leaving.” He whispered. “I didn’t want to go before saying how thankful I am for the food, and the night and… everything else. I still wish we had met in different conditions, I wish I could have taken you to the restaurant, or dancing, I mean, on an actual date before this night happened, that’s what I would normally have done but I…”

You put your hand on his mouth to shush him.

“I’m sorry, but I wouldn’t want you to spoil the surprise. You can show me what you do on dates when you come back.”

“That sure is the plan” Bucky kisses you goodbye one last time.

You come back to me, Sergeant. You thought, as you watched him drive off to war from your bedroom window...

[ursapharoh05]

First Kill (Erik Killmonger)

Part three of my Erik fic. I rewrote this a couple times, it was harder than the others were but I like it all the same. Hit me up with some comments and fics, all yall are entirely too quiet. I’m an open book so ask anything. Thanks for reading!!

It wasn’t a shock anymore, to hear the thunderous sound of pounding on the door, the way it interrupts the obvious creaking and moaning coming through the paper thin walls as her cousins, deep in sleep, lay on her chest and legs. She’s grown again, all arms and legs, is what auntie says. The five little bodies pinning her to the mattress on the floor turn the tiny shared room,into a sweltering prison. Sweat beads on her forehead as she breathes in everyone's warm air, Auntie’s place was more fun when she knew she could leave.

The moaning stopped shortly, long enough for a hushed argument to begin before being interrupted by more man made thunder against the front door. She stares at the ceiling while some one, either her auntie or her new man, answered the door. One breath, there’s a yelp from the front door. Two breaths, Heavy boots on the creaky floor echo down the hall. Three— the dingy white door is flung open, beating against the wall with a crash. Light rushes in to blind her squinted eyes as all the little bodies around her jerk awake.

Eyes slowly adjusting, she soaks in the form. Tall, broad,and a wild biting smile. Her heart thunders while she sits up and forces a reverent whisper,“Daddy?”

The smile grows, “‘C’mere Lil girl, I’m breakin you out” it’s not an invitation, it never is when it’s daddy.  She wishes she could roll over and stay hidden in the dark, forget flashy Jaguars with spots. She wish she was darker, could melt into the shadow and wait him out. Instead she slides from the pile of limbs and stands in her MIT hoodie turned pajamas and her too short borrowed pajama pants. She doesn’t move,maybe he’ll come to her, truly come and get her. Instead, he offers his hand, and she pads across the old crushed carpet until he reels her in.

She doesn’t reach to be picked up,she’s taller now, older but, he scoops her up anyways. He does this on occasion, when he comes back from somewhere far far away. He’s more loving, cuddly, dad-like. She hates it, but a Jaguar doesn’t change it’s spots so why would it change its hunting tactics either?

She wraps her arms around his neck and tucks her head in the hollow of his neck. Aunties screaming is always loud when Daddy comes to get her, and it’s best to hide. Now isn’t any different, she screeches the whole way Daddy walks them out “Erik! You put her down! She isn’t yours anymore! You don’t get to take her! Erik! I’ll call the cops! Baby! Baby girl take my hand!”

Manicured fingers claw at little arms before suddenly auntie is pinned against the hallway wall gasping for breath while Erik holds her in place with a hand on her throat. “If you aren’t careful, you’re finna get on my nerves. Sweet thang here” He heft’s me higher with his free arm and moves in close to Aunties gasping face as the woman claws at his arm, his voice drops to a growl “Is just as much mine as she was her mama’s, so you, and that pussy ass scrub you got hiding in ya bedroom are gonna go finish ya fun and leave baby girl and me alone. Aight?”

The choking nod he receives is enough as he pulls away with a smile and continues on his way her throat looks bruised. He’s humming, or rumbling, she can feel it against her own stomach as he kicks the door open and skips picking up her shoes. He bounces them down the stairs and over one railing just to hear her squeak and hold tighter before he’s setting her down on a motorcycle and placing a too big helmet over her head “Chin up, lil soldier” He chuckles as he does up the strap under her chin and swings on behind her.

Speeding down the street and onto the highway, the wind seeps passed the worn edges of the visor covering her face, it dries her eyes out, that’s what she’ll tell her dad if he asks about the tear trails. Weaving in between cars, she doesn’t have anything to hold onto, she pushes back against the broad chest and tries to lean with him on his turns with her eyes closed.

She doesn’t remember them stopping but suddenly she's being lifted off the bike and her bare feet are being set onto the wet cement of the sidewalk, the helmet is undone and pulled off roughly. Daddy wasn’t soft, he was scarier when he was soft. Instead of being held close she’s thrown over his shoulder and lugged like a kill all the way up the many flight of stairs and through the door.

New apartment, same set up. He tosses her onto the couch and looks her over, assessing, reading. She stares back, not a challenge, never a challenge but, it’s always best to keep an eye on the biggest threat in the room. Her fingers itch to rub at the scratches on her arm.

The silence stretches before a soft click echoes in the dimly lit room, both bodies, big and small stiffen as a third member walks into the living room. It’s a female, shorter,  black, and dressed in bright red lingerie. The threat shifts.

“There you are babe, where’d you go? You left me waiting all alone,” The Woman has chosen to drape herself over Erik kissing under his jaw before light brown eyes slide to meet tired deep Brown “Whose this?” The purr leaves her voice.

She chooses to stay silent, keeps her eyes on the woman. If he has her, and they’re meeting...something isn’t right. She never gets to meet daddy’s passes. The woman straightens up but tightens her hold “Don’t tell me you want to mess around where the kid can hear us.”

“No.” Said too strongly, too aggressively, he’s quick to untangle himself from her and move to open the door again “ Time for you to go, Linda. Plans changed”

The woman snorts and glares, between the father and daughter “I come out here to welcome you back and get you relaxed, you have me waiting out here, you come back with a kid, and now you want me to leave? Aight, I hope you don’t go changing plans when things go down tomorrow.” Still she starts gathering her things, wraps a long coat over herself and walks to the held open door. Turning back for only a second she throws over her shoulder “The other two were cuter.”

Erik slams the door once she’s turned to leave, he’s raging for a long moment, stalking the length of the living room and snarling to himself words she’d never dare to say even as a whisper and then his eyes are back on her “You hungry? Let me cook for you”

It’s late,very late, she isn’t hungry, and she has school tomorrow. She follows him into the small kitchen anyways, head down but eyes soaking everything in. True to his word, daddy is digging in the fridge and pulling out what looks like actual fresh produce and groceries. He’s been talking, she was dumb enough to zone out she creeps to the stools at the counter and sits down after shifting a gun holster to the side.

“....My papa—your granddaddy, used to make this for me to help calm my nerves. We don’t have all the spices that wakanda had and he hated it but this always tasted like heaven to me” he’s chopping vegetables as he talks “He woulda got a kick out of you, woulda said you ain’t nuthin but skin and bones he’d feed you till you popped”

She wonders if that would be a good way to die, full of good food with a grandpa shoveling more on her plate. She decides there probably isn’t a good way to go into the dark place. She jumps when his voice rises above the sizzling of the sautéing veggies “You been practicing your reading?”

He’s moved onto cutting and seasoning  chicken but she knows it’s another test. He doesn’t care that she’s reading way above her grade level in English, or that her neighbor is teaching her a little Spanish when she helps with chores. She licks her lips and nods “Yessir, I read wakandan, I read all your notes”

The notes are usually hidden in places only she’d be looking and when translated were from what she could tell were nursery rhymes. They were written in women’s hand writing and very obviously worn. She made a point of keeping every single one hidden among her Pokémon cards.

He nods and moves the chicken thighs to the sizzling pan “kunye nolwimi lwakho lwezakhono?” He asks cooly.

“Ndiyayithanda ulwimi lobawo” She says back quickly sounding out each part of the words carefully. Learning a language was hard when you were talking to yourself in the mirror in the early mornings. She lifts her chin ready for anymore challenges he has to offer, if you posture enough maybe the barrage will stop.

The challenge is met with him sliding a bowl under her nose. “Stir this up till it’s all mixed, and tell me whatcha been doin’. “ She stirs and stirs and talks wearily, waiting for his verdicts. Every once in a while she’ll let her voice get lost in the sounds of meat browning and vegetables cooking and he’ll prod her to speak up. It goes on well after the food is done, and while they eat at the small table after scooting maps and ammo out of the way, and the conversation continues while they scrub the dishes and lay them out to dry.

Both of them are laughing breathlessly on the couch after a story of Erik’s first time cooking with his father for his mother, when they finally lull into silence. She can’t keep herself from leaning into the heaving chest of her daddy and cuddling closer and letting the words slip out as her eyes give up the fight to stay open, “I love you, daddy.”

She misses the stiffening of the body underneath her and the smile sliding from his face like water as he side eye glances at the curled up child on him. She misses when he lays her down on the couch in the early streams of light in the morning, and she misses the quiet gathering of the artillery, the shower and the final once over in the mirror as he ties up his dreads and puts on the gold rim glasses. She misses the click of the door as it closes.

She waits six days for him to come back, makes her own dinner until the little food runs out. She bathes and practices reading the thick journal left on the coffee table she imagines is a gift for her. But mostly she waits. And on the seventh day she grabs a knife and makes a quick and deep incision, the size of her thumb on the back of her wrist. She robotically adds the clay and the balm and wraps it tight. After, she grabs a stool, calls her auntie, is picked up and promptly dropped off with a child protective service agent.

She wishes she felt something other than resigned. It’s a shame, she thinks, that the first thing she kills is her chances to be with her father.

kunye nolwimi lwakho lwezakhono?= And your language skills?

Ndiyayithanda ulwimi lobawo=I love my father tongue

[kriskebob-blog]

Day 2: In which the real challenge is, can she keep it to one post this time?

Hello again friends. I have buddies who have been writing partners with me over many years, some spanning back to freshman year of high school. Any of them can tell you that I tend to provide a LOT of background information and context when telling a story. If you’ve made it with me this far, you too are now beginning to understand my verbose tendencies. But I’m really going to try to keep Day 2 contained to a single and readable blog post. Let’s see if I can pull it off. 

To my pleasant surprise, I sprang out of bed at my 6am alarm with no problem in spite of going to bed a bit late. I was excited to get this burrito bake thrown together and ready for Sam. Since I had prepped all the components the previous night, it didn’t take much time at all to assemble the burritos. I did have to get out the bullet to crush up some pumpkin seeds, which Dr. G advised me would make for a pleasant crunchy topping. I winced as I hit the pulse button a few times, hoping I wasn’t waking Sam. 

Once more I was assembling wraps. Here’s how they looked before I folded them over: 

Please note I prepped them literally on my stovetop because I HAVE NO COUNTER SPACE. 

Anyhow. They were definitely super full but since they only needed to be gently folded over and then placed seam side down, I got them into the baking dish no problem. Topped them with a few scoops of salsa and the pumpkin seeds and into the oven they went. Once they were out, they also got topped with some avocado. 

Here’s a few pics of the finished product. Please forgive the fact that I know nothing about photography, especially food photography. Like, does the rule of thirds still apply? I’m thinking no...

I proudly told Sam breakfast was ready and we devoured these. And... I have to say... it needed salt! Does this Dr. Gregor guy really know what he’s talking about? I couldn’t help but wonder. Sure, he knows about medicine and nutrition and stuff, but food needs salt, and nutritional yeast is a pretty unconvincing substitute on the palate. Hmmm. I decided I might have to do some further digging on this guy and his philosophy. I’d bought his cookbook pretty impulsively, after all. Don’t get me wrong - there were a lot of tasty things going on in this recipe, but I definitely felt like it needed more seasoning. Even a bit of hot pepper flakes or something would probably have helped distract my mouth from the lack of sodium it’d become so accustomed to. 

Sam went on his way to work and I settled in to relax with some trashy TV for a few hours. I felt like I’d earned it after all my running around yesterday, dang it! (Parents everywhere roll their eyes... I know, I know.) I got hungry around 10:40 and ate a banana and felt like I deserved an award for my healthy choice. When lunchtime rolled around, I didn’t really feel like assembling another wrap and we had a lot of shredded lettuce left over, so I put the chickpea mixture on top of that and had a salad instead. I realize I never actually commented on how the curry chickpea wraps came out last night. They were delicious! The sweetness of the apples and raisins helped distract me from the lack of salt, hah. Honestly a really nice combination of textures and flavors, and easy to make. I’d make it again.. probably with more salt but anywho...

Lunch was over and this was around the time I’d normally indulge in some chocolatey granola. I could feel the craving for chocolate kicking in, hard. Alright. Time to put together these no-bake brownies. This was another recipe that was super simple so long as you had a food processor or some kind of chopper - you literally just pulsed chopped walnuts with a handful of pitted dates, then added in a bunch of cocoa powder, and boom. “Brownies.” Dr. G. advised I use parchment paper to press this rather crumbly mixture into a square baking dish, so that it wouldn’t stick to my fingers as I evened it out. Worked like a charm. I pressed some chopped pecans into the surface, covered the pan in foil, and put it in the fridge. Dr. G. said it would need an hour to set before eating. Sigh. That was a long time to wait when I wanted chocolate now. I settled for some strawberries instead for the time being and began looking at the recipes I’d be cooking that night for dinner.

And thank goodness I did, because there were several things I needed to start prepping early. I would be making zoodles with a cashew cream sauce, which meant I needed to put the raw cashews in water ASAP so they’d have enough time to soak before dinner. Took two seconds, but you can see that you need to really plan out your meals and read the recipes well in advance if you’re going to cook this way. I also would need 1.5 cups of homemade vegetable stock or  water. Okay, I definitely didn’t want water in place of that much stock. I flipped to the vegetable stock recipe. It looked very simple to throw together, but it would need an hour and a half to simmer. I looked at the clock. About 1:20. I could’ve started it then, but I really wanted to get to the library. 

See, I’d done a little research after lunch. I wanted more detail about Dr. G’s nutritional philosophy than this cookbook alone could offer me. Nikki had told me about the book he’d written and I had seen it on Amazon. But I didn’t really want to pay for it, and also I wanted it now. It wasn’t available at my local library, but luckily a quick search of their databases revealed that the next town over had it. 

I drove on over to Tolland Public Library, feeling like an interloper with my Vernon library card, but it didn’t matter. I walked out triumphant and more surprised than I should have been at how huge the book actually was. I got home and got to work on throwing the veggie stock together.

This is before I added parsley and some other seasonings, but you get the idea. Took probably ten minutes tops to throw together. I set it to simmer and settled into my armchair to start reading Dr. G’s book. 

I was hooked. A professional sharing their expert knowledge on the science behind living a longer and healthier life is like catnip to me. I was thoroughly bummed by this part, though: To see what effect an increase in meat consumption might have on disease rates, researchers studied lapsed vegetarians. People who once ate vegetarian diets but then started to eat meat at least once a week experienced a 146 percent increase in odds of heart disease, a 152 percent increase in stroke, a 166 percent increase in diabetes, and a 231 percent increase in odds for weight gain. During the twelve years after the transition from vegetarian to omnivore, meat-eating was associated with a 3.6 year decrease in life expectancy. 

Damn it, Dr. G. You’re telling me I can’t eat a burger even once a week without being way more likely to die a prolonged and terrible death one day?? I hemmed and hawed as I read on. Eventually my stock was ready to take off the burner and cool. The next step was to put it in the blender and liquefy it. It made so much I actually had to do this part in batches. Dr. G. also directs you to take out a small amount and mix in 2 tablespoons of miso, which helps add some sodium but in a healthier way, since soy is good for you or whatever. Awesome. My stock was done. I put that away and went back to reading for a little while. 

Alright, still with me? We’re almost there! Just gotta get through dinner. According to Dr. G’s meal plan, this dinner should contain two parts: a huge salad, and also the zoodles with the cashew cream sauce. I honestly wasn’t sure where to start and decided to make the cashew cream sauce first. It was pretty easy - mostly ingredients I already had on hand at this point, such as the stock, blended lemon, yeast, miso, etc. I just had to chop up half an avocado and toss it in and boom, I had my cashew-cream sauce. The next part of this dish was to spiralize the zucchini and steam it lightly. Once that was done, you would combine it with the cashew sauce and some chopped grape tomatoes in one big pot just long enough to heat it through. “Avocado-cashew alfredo” is what Dr. G called it. He also suggested you sprinkle it with “nutty parm�� when it was done. Turns out nutty parm is a big heaping handful of nutritional yeast blended with a few handful of nuts. It does not taste nearly as good as actual parmesan cheese, but you knew that already, didn’t you? 

The salad was pretty simple too. Chop up a bunch of lettuce, mix in some baby spinach, some shredded carrot, more grape tomato, etc. The only part that took any extra work was making the dressing. I was really skeptical of the dressing because it had no oil in it. Just water. As a woman who married into an Italian-American family, the lack of love for EVOO in this book hurts my heart a little. But again, no half-measures! The dressing’s base consisted of water.... and then you add raw garlic, yeast, some almond butter, blended lemon, our old friend miso, fresh parsley, turmeric, the savory spice blend, and “salt free stone-ground mustard”. I don’t know what magical land Dr. Gregor lives in where he can purchase salt-free condiments - I stopped at the health food store on my way back from the library and even their condiments still have some salt. I just used the coarse-ground mustard I already had on hand. Finally, the salad also called for a healthy sprinkling of hemp hearts. 

Here are the finished products:

The verdict? Delicious!! Both dishes! I think it helped that I used normal-people mustard for the dressing, and I also added a healthy sprinkling of red pepper flakes to the zucchini dish while it was heating through. And honestly, apart from having to make the stock and be sure to remember to soak the raw cashews early in the day, this really didn’t take more work than a lot of other veggie-forward dishes I’ve made from omnivore recipe books. Less, even, because I didn’t have to worry about handling or cooking meat safely. 

I warned Sam about 5 times that there was dessert “but not like, a normal dessert. Don’t get too excited. It’s a healthy one.” We each took a tiny brownie square (Dr. G advised cutting the already small pan into 16 “brownies”... hilarious) and munched on it, eyeing one another as our respective brownies crumbled between our fingers. “Well?” I asked. “It tastes healthy,” he nodded. “Ha. Sorry,” I said. “No, it’s not bad. I do actually like it, but it’s kind of hard to eat without an egg to hold it all together,” he told me. I’d have to agree. 

And that’s a wrap on Day 2, guys! Since I didn’t have my lascivious FRIENDS luring me out of my healthy haven with their Cheetos and Harry Potter games (love you Tina :* ) I was able to grab some unsalted peanuts when I got my late night snack craving, and that was that. A day of fully whole-foods, plant-based eating, and it wasn’t that hard at all honestly. See you on the Day 3 post! 

 Gadget rec of the day: A spiralizer! You can get one for like 20 bucks on Amazon and turn vegetables into long ribbons that can almost trick you into thinking you’re eating a tasty bowl of pasta. 

Music rec of the day: “Entropy” by Grimes 

[nemesyis]

Cohabitation

Song Kyungil x Reader

Warnings: 18+, Fluff, Smut.

Kyungil balanced the last few boxes in his muscular arms as he attempted to shut the rear door of your hatchback.  “These are the last babe, can you get the door for me?”

You laughed as you took the top box from him before it fell. Opening the front door to your new duplex, you held the storm door for him so he could get inside without dropping the rest.  “Why are you so clumsy?”

“Only because I keep falling over you” he responded with a wink.

Rolling your eyes as you began to unpack boxes in the kitchen.  You had been dating your boyfriend, Kyungil, for two years and a month ago had made the mutual decision to move in together.  Between his job as a music producer and your successful series of horror novels, the spacious duplex was well within your means.  

He took the box next to you and began to unload dishes into the upper cupboards.  “We should think about picking out something we both like.  What do you think babe?”

You laughed, holding up two different dish towels. One was black and white checkered.  The other was black and embroidered with an little angry green man.  “What you don't like Zim?”

“It's not that I dislike Zim, I just think we could find some stuff we both like.  It would make the place feel more like our home instead of a place shared by roommates.”

“If we are going to go that route, we should probably do the bathrooms as well don’t you think?”

“Sure babe, I will get my keys.”

Looking up from your task in surprise “What, we are going now?”

“Might as well, unless you want to christen the place first” he smirked, landing a slap on your ass as he dodged into the hallway leading to your shared bedroom.

Dropping the towels, you took off after him.  He tried to shut the door to the bedroom but you shoved it open laughing.  He was ready for you and swept you up in his muscular arms and tossed you onto the bare mattress.  He followed close behind, pouncing and pinning you down.  He leaned in close enough for your noses to touch.  Glaring up at him in mock annoyance, you tried to shift his form off of you.  

“Kyungil” you groaned in exasperation, a smile threatening on the corner of your mouth.  Getting physical with him would only cause him to drop all of his dead weight on top of you.  Deciding instead to tickle him.  Slipping your hands under his loose Hulk t-shirt, you found the defined muscles on his ribs that he proudly referred to as his “tiger claws” and began to assault his sides.  

He burst into laughter and bucked upwards to get away from your onslaught.  “Babe, stop it!  Don’t tickle me.  You know how much I hate it”

“Then get off of me you big brute” you laughed.  Taking the opportunity to escape, you grabbed the car keys and made a dash for the door.  “If we are going out we might as well get some groceries too.” you decided.

Sighing in defeat, he adjusted his shirt and put on his favorite baseball cap and followed you out the door.

At the store, you stood staring at row upon row of bath towels in every color imaginable.  Your cart was loaded down with several color options.  Kyungil held up a solid black towel “Babe feel how soft it is.  We should get these.”

Glancing up from your choices, you felt the soft pile of the terry cloth and agreed “I like them, but are you sure about just solid black?”

“Why not?  We both like black.  Besides, I saw you eyeing the galaxy shower curtain and these will go with it.  Add in the stainless steel soap dish and toothbrush holder, and i think we have a winner.”

“Ugh… too many choices” you groaned.  You did like the galaxy print curtain though.  Smiling to yourself as he put the chosen items into the basket.  

“What about sheets Babe?”

“I’m sure that between the two of us, we have enough to outfit a medium sized hotel”

He laughed and took over pushing the cart.  You were going over your list as he went on about his plans for his ‘man cave’, also known as the spare bedroom.  “I can put my gaming stuff in there, a 65’ tv to play them on.  Set up a mixing board for my music, and…”

You tuned him out as you started towards the grocery aisles.  “What do you want for dinner tonight?”

“How about steak and potatoes.  I can grill them up and we can even put some steamed broccoli with it as well.”

“Sounds good.  You go pick out the meat and I will go grab the veggies.  Do we need milk or eggs?”

“Might not be a bad idea to grab them anyways.  I think my eggs went bad a couple of days ago.  I’ve been so busy packing and moving, I never had a chance to eat them all.”

Taking the cart from him, you waited until he disappeared into the refrigerated section to pick out the steaks.  Making  your way to the toy section, you picked out a matching set of nerf guns with extra ammo.  Burying the items beneath the new towels.  You then hurried back to the vegetables and grabbed a bag of potatoes and some a fresh stalk of broccoli.  You had just finished putting the green vegetable into its bag when he reappeared holding two styrofoam trays with large steaks under the plastic wrap.  “Do you approve babe?” he asked.

Inspecting the meat, you nodded your approval. You smiled up at him “I always like it when you show me your meat” you said in your most innocent voice.

He chuckled and put the steaks in the basket. Leaning closer he whispered “I’ll show you my special meat later”

You batted at him playfully and pushed the cart towards the dairy section.  Selecting a dozen jumbo eggs as he grabbed a gallon of milk.  You were just about to head to the front to pay and leave when he stopped and headed towards the pet section.  “I need to grab kitty litter and a bag of food.  Sihyoung and his girlfriend are bringing Moonie over later tonight.”

Your boyfriend had a cat.  A solid black cat named Moonbin.  His friend had been kitty-sitting during the move.  One corner of your new living room was taken up by a large cat tree.  You had made sure he put it far enough away from the curtains to keep them from being shredded.  It still had a view out the window so Moonie could watch the birds and squirrels that ran around in your backyard.  

“Where are you putting the litter box?”

“I figured we could put it in the spare bathroom for now.  We can figure out a permanent place to put it later.”

While you paid for the purchases, Kyungil bagged the items and loaded it back into the basket.  Thankfully he hadn’t noticed the nerf guns.  You had bagged them yourself.  You were finally ready to go home.

Once home, Kyungil helped carry everything inside.  He set about putting the groceries away as you took the new bathroom towels to the master bath and began to decorate.  You managed to hide the nerf guns in the bottom of your closet under your lower row of hanging clothes.  

Returning to the bathroom, you discovered that you forgot to get toilet paper.  You had one roll left and decided  you would stop by the store again tomorrow on your way home from work.  It wasn’t worth getting back out again.  

Kyungil called from the kitchen, “Babe, how do you want your steak?”

“You know how I like it” you called back.  “I’ll be in there shortly to start the potatoes.”

“Don’t worry about them, I’ve already started” was his reply.

You voiced your acknowledgment and began the task of making up the bed.  Choosing your favorite set of sheets.  Clouds and rainbows on a sky blue background.  You knew he secretly hated them, but would put up with them for your sake.  As you fluffed the comforter and smoothed it over, you looked up at the bare walls.  “Hey Sickness!” you called to him.  “What do you want to put on the walls in here?”

“How about that new piece I got last month”

“The abstract nude?”

“Yeah, I like that one a lot”

Eyeing the piece you picked it up and turned it upright then sideways.  You were never sure which way it was supposed to go.  It had been gifted to him by his friend Seunghyun as a pre-emptive house warming present.  Kyungil told you a couple of times that it was supposed to be you.  Unsure how exactly the tangle of blocky shapes was supposed to be you, let alone a human was a mystery.  “Which way is up again?”

He came into the bedroom and took the art piece from you.  He turned it completely upside down “This is the right side up Baby.  How about we put it over the dresser?”

Shrugging, you handed him a nail and hanging hook as he located the stud finder.  Finding the stud in the center of the wall, he passed the stud finder to you and picked up the hammer.  He was just beginning to position the nail when you passed the handheld device over his ass.  Looking over his shoulder at you and smiling “What are you doing?”

“It’s a stud finder right?  I was trying to find a stud” you grinned cheekily.

He shook his head and finished his task.  Hanging the painting on the wall.  “You’re trying to find a stud right?  Well you got one right here” he said, flexing his bicep at you.

Rolling your eyes with a smile you went to the kitchen to go check on the potatoes.  The pot had just reached a rolling boil.  You turned down the heat and placed the lid on the pot.  Taking your steamer basket and the broccoli out, you washed the vegetable and chopped the stalk up into florets.  Dumping the contents into your steam basket, you added water and put it on the stove.  

Kyungil came up and embraced you from behind.  Planting a kiss behind your ear.  “I love to watch you being domestic.  It is such a turn on.”

Arching into him, you rubbed your ass against his crotch and smiled “I know you do.  Just don't think I’m gonna become your little stay at home wife.”

“I would never assume you would.  But if you ever wanted to, I wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

Turning in his arms, you ran your hands down his chest.  Looking up at him from under your lashes you smiled.  “A lady of leisure? I don’t think I could ever do that.  My fans would never let me.  I’m in the middle of a series.  I can’t leave them hanging.  Not only that, I doubt my publisher would let me off that easy.”

Dipping his head, he stole a heated kiss and groped your ass before he took the pot of potatoes off the stove and replaced it with the cast iron griddle.  He brought it up to heat quickly and gently lay the steaks on to it.  The aroma of cooking meat and spices filled the kitchen.  He drained the potatoes and went digging for the masher while the steaks sizzled.  You checked the broccoli.  Finding them just tender enough, you removed them from the heat and dumped them into a bowl.  Adding butter and salt, you sat the bowl on the table.  

“They smell amazing.  I didn't realize I was this hungry” you confessed as you set the table.  

Your boyfriend opened the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of red wine that had been chilling all day.  He popped it open and set it in a bowl of ice.  “I don’t know where the ice bucket is” he laughed.  

You set the bowl of potatoes on the table and went hunting for wine glasses.  “Which box did you pack them in?”

“How should I know.  You packed your own kitchen stuff.  Don’t worry about it.  We can break the rules and use water glasses.  Just don't tell Seunghyun.  He might actually hurt us or send us to the inquisition for using anything other than wine glasses for this.”

The doorbell rang just as you were finishing dinner.  Kyungil answered and you heard the voices of his friend Sihyoung and his girlfriend, Kate, in the front entry.  The voices were accompanied by the frantic meowing of an extremely disgruntled cat.  “Yeah, he didn’t really like the car ride so much.  But he was a good kitty for us.” Sihyoung told his friend.  

“Come on in, Y/N and I just finished dinner.’

You wiped your hands and went to greet your guests.  Smiling as you shook hands with Sihyoung and Kate.  “So sorry it’s such a mess.  We literally brought over the last few boxes today.”

Kate smiled.  “No need to apologize. Nacho and I were the same when we moved in to our place”

The two of you and the other couple exchanged conversation for about fifteen minutes before they left.  Kyungil let Moonbin out of his crate and the only thing you saw of the cat was a black streak that flew down the hall and under the bed.  Any attempts by your boyfriend to coax the cat out were met with disgruntled growls and hisses.  “Just leave him be for a while.  He will come out when he is ready” you laughed.  

While he was distracted you took the opportunity to quietly open and load the nerf guns.  Leaving one with a note on the bed, you snuck out and hid somewhere in the house.  

Kyungil got to his feet and saw the toy laying on top of the covers.  A note with it said:

“I am somewhere in the house.  This is your weapon for the night.  Loser has to make dinner for a week.  Winner gets to pick their prize”

Grinning he went on the offensive.  Belly crawling down the hallway, he searched for signs of your feet behind the sofa.  Not finding you, he ducked into the guest bathroom and looked behind the shower curtain.  

While his back was turned, you took the opportunity to launch a stealth attack.  Popping off a shot at his back as you dove out of the hall closet and into the kitchen.

He yelped in surprise and turned in enough time to see you disappear around the corner.  He was in hot pursuit.  He took a flying leap, firing after you. He landed on the sofa and rolled to the floor as a couple of your foam projectiles bounced off of the cushions.  

You took off down the hallway again and dove between the bed and the wall next to the door to the master bathroom.  He chased after you laughing “You are so in for it Y/N.  Just wait till I win.”

He took cover on the opposite side of the bed as the fire fight went full force.  Moonie took off out of the bedroom in a flash of black fur as his hiding place became much to noisy as the two of you laughed till you couldn't breathe any longer.  Kyungil put his hands up in surrender.  “I give up.  I’m out of ammo.”

Laughing you held your weapon out in front of you.  As you came around the bed, he attacked and tackled you onto the mattress again.  This time you didn't fight back quite as hard.  He kissed you all over your face and neck.  You squealed as his hair tickled your neck.  Breathless with laughter you stared at each other smiling.  

As you lay under him, the tension became palpable.  He leaned down and gently brushed his lips to yours.  You met is lips half way and his kiss became hungry.  He pulled back and sat on his knees long enough to pull his shirt over his head.  You devoured the sight with your eyes.  You loved looking at him.  His bronze skin rippled over muscle.  Dragging your gaze back up to his face, you blushed.  He had caught you staring.  “Like what you see?” he asked as he bent back down to claim your lips once more.

Kyungil watched as your pupils dilated with desire and your breath became shallow.  He crashed his lips to yours with bruising force and ran his tongue along the seam of your lips demanding entry.  As your lips parted for him, so did your knees. He settled his hips between your thighs and rocked against your core.  He could feel your heat through your leggings and his jeans.  He groaned when you ran your nails down the expanse of his back before grabbing onto his ass.  

Your breath hitched when you felt his growing erection nudge against your sex.  It caused a shockwave of pleasure to ricochet through your body.  Moaning into his mouth, you urged him along with your hands.  When his fingers delved under your leggings and pushed your panties to the side, your eyes snapped open as they found the sensitive little nub of flesh and began to rub circles around it.  

“Please Kyungil, I need more”

“Begging already?”  

“Fuck you”

“Okay”

You grinned as he stripped off your leggings and panties in one tug.  You were in for it now and you knew it.

“Always such a brat” he smiled before he buried his face between your thighs.  ]

“When am I not”

This was all the answer you could give before he had you a panting wailing mess beneath his talented tongue.  Your entire body jolted as the deft muscle stiffened and flattened against your clit and sent you spiraling over the edge.  He tore a long and loud wail from you as you came on his tongue.  

“That’s my girl”

You lay there panting, coming down off of your high.  He pulled you upright and helped you out of your shit and bra.  As you lay back, he stood to strip off his jeans and boxers.  The sight of his hard cock dripping precum made your mouth water.  “Lay on the bed for me.”

He sat obediently and lay back on the mattress, his feet still flat on the floor.  You lay your upper torso across his belly and wasted no time in taking his entire length into your mouth.  He sucked in a breath and you sucked him down your throat.  There were perks for not having a gag reflex.  You held him as long as possible before you had to come up for air.  Swallowing hard around his cock before pulling back.  

“Fuck baby, you do that again and I’m gonna cum down that pretty throat of yours.”

“You becoming a minuteman on me?”

He laughed and flipped you over.  “I’ll show you minuteman” as he slid into your cunt from behind.  He pressed your chest to the mattress and began thrusting with long hard strokes.  

“Ffffuck… harder, fuck me harder!”

He obliged and picked up his pace.  Thank god your bed did not have a headboard.  The neighbors if they were home would have been subjected to the pounding against the wall.  As it was, they knew exactly what he was doing to you by your vocalizations alone.  Kyungil always reduced you to a moaning screaming mess.  

Arching your back as you felt the tightly wound spring in your abdomen snap, you came loudly.  Hips jerking wildly as your orgasm dripped messily down your thighs. Kyungil held on and fucked you through your orgasm, his own thighs drenched by you.  

“Im going to cum Baby, where do you want it?”

“Cum all over my ass” was your breathy reply.

Kyungil wrapped an arm around your waist as he chased his own pleasure.  His hips began to lose their rhythm as he neared his own end.  Fucking into you hard once, twice, and on the third he quickly pulled out and you felt spurts of hot cum land on your lower back and ass.  “Oh my god, how lucky am I to have a girlfriend with such a good pussy” he groaned, his body wracked with pleasure.  

You looked back at him over your shoulder, blowing your hair from your eyes with a puff.  “Just lucky I guess.  Now get me a towel.  Not one of the new ones.  I don't want to have to wash them just yet.”

He laughed as he left you in your face down ass up position to search for a towel.  “Which box did you pack those in?”

Groaning you called back “It was the one marked master bathroom”

“Its not in here Babe.  Sit tight, I will go look in the garage.  It might be out there for some reason” he said as he pulled on his boxers and walked out of the room.

“I swear to god Kyungil.  Just hand me any towel.  I’m going to have to wash all the bedding again as it is. I can throw it in with the comforter.”

“Good, I didn't want to sleep on rainbows and clouds tonight anyway.” he laughed.

“Asshole!”

-End

[thevintagebluebird]

Unpinned - One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies

New year, new blog post. As I sit here eating my chicken kielbasa leftovers, I’m inspired to reflect on my hopes and dreams for the months ahead. To say that the end of 2018 was a bit hectic and difficult would be…lacking. There were a number of days when I didn’t eat a single meal at home. There was a whole week when I didn’t spend more than an hour awake in my own apartment. I was working 14 hour shifts, drinking a whole lot of coffee, and enjoying an unhealthy amount of takeout. So here we are, dear friends - finally fancy free and ready to be a human again! Which brings us to:

A really lazy first recipe attempt! No but seriously, I read this over once and didn’t even bother to look at it as I cooked. Here’s my attempt at a barely-referenced version of Chelsea’s colorful One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies

Verdict: Is the Pintrest photo complete bullshit? - Not really, no

Is it crazy expensive/time consuming/confusing? - Nope!

Does it taste good? - It’s fine! I mean, slap a little sriracha on there and it’s pretty good, otherwise it tastes like healthy food.

One Pan Healthy Sausage and Veggies

Ingredients

2 cups (~1 small) red potato

¾ths pound green beans

1 large head of broccoli (~ 1 and ½ cups)

1 and ½ cups chopped bell peppers 2 large or 6-7 mini sweet bell peppers

9 ounces smoked sausage I use turkey or chicken, not ground sausage

6 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Serve with: fresh parsley, quinoa/rice, lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Line a large sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.

Prep the veggies: chop the red potatoes (pretty small pieces here so they will be tender in time), trim the green beans and halve (see video above recipe), chop the broccoli, chop the peppers into thick squares, and coin the sausage in thick slices.

Place all the veggies and sausage on a sheet pan. Pour the olive oil and all the spices on top. Toss to evenly coat all the veggies and meat.

Bake 15 minutes, remove from the oven and flip/stir all the veggies around. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender and sausage is browned.

If desired, sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the veggies and sausage as soon as they come out of the oven.

Enjoy with rice or quinoa and fresh parsley if desired.

I was feeling like a bit of a trash monster due to all the not eating anything healthy stint, so my only criteria for this meal was a) vaguely healthy and b) easy, so once I saw the words ‘one pan’ and ‘broccoli’ I was sold. Reading up about Chelsea on her blog I appreciated that she actually studied health/nutrition and didn’t write eight paragraphs about Jesus (no dis to those who love reading about the Lord’s blessings on a food blog, it’s just not my jam). Bonus points for meeting my three-word-title criteria.

So this isn’t exactly everything you need - I also grabbed a bag of carrots and threw a few in there, and you’ll notice a startling lack of cheese in this photo. It was not until three days later, while eating this dish as leftovers and writing up this blog, that I realize I completely forgot about the cheese element. Clearly all that overtime in December broke something in me. How could I forget the cheese. How.

Chop your big broccoli into little broccoli.

Chop your big onion into little onions. Chop your little garlic into even littler garlic. Drown all of the above in olive oil, aka nectar of the cooking gods.

The recipe calls for red potatoes, but Allan had grabbed a bag of mixed potatoes from the store so I just pulled out and used the ones that were vaguely in the red color family. Side note: there’s rice cooking in my beloved $5 CVS rice cooker in the background, but it’s SUPER SPECIAL rice, because it’s being cooked entirely in freshly made turkey stock that I made from my grandma’s leftover Thanksgiving bones. Awwww yis.

Chop them into what you think are small enough pieces and drown in olive oil.

Realize there’s no way in hell those potatoes are gonna roast through at that size, so after carefully arranging them on your pan, go back and take every single one off individually to cut it in half again.

Ahh, much better. Tiny ‘tatoes.

Since your guy doesn’t like peppers and your pan is a little lacking in color, chop up a handful of baby carrots and add them to the mix. This is really going off the rails though, because everyone knows that carrots are some of the hardest veggies on the block. By adding them in place of gentle, soft peppers, will I doom my dish to undercooked failure?!

Don’t forget your green beans! They’re annoying as heck to trim, aren’t they? Stupid little buggers, each a different length, slightly bendy, impossible to line up and chop all at once. Who do they think they are, anyway?

Admire your pan of raw ingredients after slicing your turkey kielbasa - it almost looks like edible food! Pat yourself on the back! You chopped a bunch of raw things and mixed them together!

MAGICALLY COOKED FOOD!

Now the point of this recipe was to make up lunches for the week, so line up all your matching take-out containers and fill ‘em up with special Thanksgiving-reborn rice, leftover spinach (and/or raw cherry tomatoes when you realize you don’t have enough spinach) and your beautiful sausage veggies. BAM. Three days of lunches for us!

Relax with your stuffed animals and a whiskey sour, you earned it.

Final final verdict: Silly easy, fairly healthy, and a good base for meal prep. 10/10 will lazily make again.

[diymeals]

Thai Calamari with Stir-Fried Veggies, Steamed Spring Greens, Roasted Zucchini, and Brussels Sprout Kimchi

Cleaning out your fridge and pantry after the holidays can be cumbersome, but the task becomes exciting if you know how to make use of leftovers. In fact, making use of leftovers is detrimental to reducing the amount of food wasted in the world. Did you know that about one-third of all food produced in the world is wasted every year? That’s about 1.3 billion tons, or 2.6 trillion pounds! Food waste is unfortunately inevitable with unpredictable circumstances like droughts or frosts, but we can definitely do our part to help reduce food waste dramatically. That quest starts in the kitchen; the less food we throw away, the more sustainably we can live. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, If merely a fourth of all food wasted around the world was salvaged it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people.

I made a lot of food over the holidays, so there was a lot to work with. I happened to have leftover calamari, but you can use shrimp, scallops, or even mushrooms in its place. You could also sub out the zucchini for another type of squash, this is just what was in my fridge. 

There are several different cooking methods and techniques used in this recipe and they are used for the specific flavors and textures they produce. It’s all too common in home kitchens to have the impulse to throw all of your ingredients into a single pan or saucepot. Balance is achieved by utilizing different preparations for ingredients that ultimately end up in the same dish. By steaming the greens, roasting the zucchini, marinating the calamari, and stir-frying the vegetables, a better flavor profile is achieved than if all of the ingredients were simply cooked together in one pan. Making use of this practice not only shows more respect for the ingredients but elevates an otherwise good dish to a great dish.

Recipe:

For the calamari:

1/2 pound frozen calamari rings, thawed

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks

1 cup greek yogurt

1  teaspoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon fresh mint

1/2 teaspoon fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the veggies:

2 carrots, cut into strips

4 green onion bulbs, cut on the bias

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, chopped

8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 tablespoons Brussels Sprout Kimchi from Bernhardt’s Fruit & Veggie Farm

2 teaspoons toasted sunflower seeds, hulled 

3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil + more for stir-frying

1 tablespoon Mirin

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon Sambal (or similar red chili paste)

Pinch of salt & white pepper

For the greens:

2 cups spring mix

Water

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

For the zucchini:

1 zucchini squash, sliced into 1/4″ rounds

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

First, thaw the calamari. Keep it in the bag, place it in a baking dish, and run cold water over the bag until the baking dish is filled. Use a plate or something with enough wait to keep the calamari submerged under the cold water. It’s important to use cold water because raw fish (and raw meat in general) contains bacteria that can cause food borne illness. These bacteria multiply rapidly when foods containing them are left at temperatures between 41 to 135 degrees Farenheit for prolonged periods of time. Not only that but hot water will actually begin to cook the fish, which we don’t want to do yet! Calamri doesn’t take long to thaw, but make sure to check that the water remains cold.

Add the remaining ingredients for the calamari to a blender and blend until smooth. Place the calamari in a bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel. Pour the marinade over it, cover, and keep in the fridge for at least an hour. This not only adds flavor to the fish, but will help tenderize it as well.

While the calamari is marinading, prepare the sauce for the vegetable stir-fry. The sauce is a vinaigrette that’s similar to the Duck Sauce you’ll find in Asian take-out spots but with way less sugar. You’re probably familiar with the term “vinaigrette” from browsing the salad dressings in grocery store aisles, but technically a vinaigrette is an emulsion of a lipid, vinegar, and a binding agent. An emulsion is a forced combination of two ingredients that wouldn’t normally blend together, the most common example being oil and water. Oil naturally sits on top of water because its density is greater, but they can be combined into a uniform consistency by whisking them together. The emulsion is only temporary, which is why we need the help of a binding agent or “stabilizer” to keep them together longer. In this recipe, the emulsion is formed between the toasted sesame oil and the Mirin, and the Dijon mustard and Sambal are the binding agents.

Mirin is one of my favorite vinegars because of it’s inherent sweetness and floral aroma. I could drink it by itself, but society frowns upon that. Place the toasted sesame oil, Mirin, mustard, and Sambal in a bowl and whisk until they’re combine and form a smooth consistency. Taste it, add the salt and white pepper, then taste it again. Adjust the seasoning to your liking if need be, but remember you can’t take away the seasoning once it’s added. It’s important to note here that to achieve the proper consistency for a vinaigrette you must use a ratio of 3 parts lipid (oil) to 1 part vinegar or else the emulsion will break and you’ll have a lumpy sauce. This is what it should look like:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl toss the canola oil, salt, and pepper with the zucchini slices, Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the zucchini slices out in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

For the greens, you’re going to need a vegetable steamer and an appropriately sized pot of shallow, simmering water. You can just use the greens as they come, but steaming them unlocks more flavor. I add rice vinegar to my steaming liquid because it imparts so much more flavor to the greens, plus the rice vinegar is a great way to balance the greens with the rest of the components. Once you have the water and vinegar lightly simmering, place the greens in the steamer and steam in the pot, covered, for two minutes. Do not let them wilt. 

If you have a Wok, go ahead and bust that sucker out. A sautée pan will work, but a Wok will get you the best results. This is because a Wok’s sloped sides and round bottom allow for the food to cook while the juices glide down to the bottom of the pan and reduce. It’s also much easier to stir and toss the ingredients.

Get your pan hot. Like, really hot. You should see a little bit of smoke. Take the calamari out of the marinade and set aside. Discard the marinade. Now get ready, because things are gonna happen fast from here. Add enough toasted sesame oil to the pan to just coat the bottom. Add the garlic, then quickly add the red and green onions. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and cook for another two minutes. Repeat the same process for the tomatoes. After all the veggies have been incorporated, add the calamari, the vinaigrette, and the kimchi. Let it cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the sunflower seeds. Go ahead and taste it and adjust the salt and white pepper level to your liking. For me, the inherent saltiness from the kimchi, the vinaigrette, and the calamari was just enough.

To plate, place the steamed greens on a plate and form a little dome in the center with some of the greens. Spoon the stir-fry into the dome. Take 4-5 zucchini slices and shingle them across the top in an arc.

I really enjoy the flavors of this dish, but what really brings it home is this kimchi from Bernhardt’s Fruit & Veggie Farm in Elgin, TX. They’re a sustainable farm that’s locally owned and really are some of the nicest folks I’ve met. This kimchi is made entirely with their own crops and can be purchased at Elgin Local Goods. 

Please leave any questions you might have in the comments section! Check back soon for more #DIYmeals!

[recentanimenews]

How to Throw the Best Dr. STONE Finale Watch Party

  We can’t believe it’s already time for this season of Dr. STONE to come to a close, but that doesn’t mean we have to be sad: instead, we think it means we should try and close out this season with a bang! Personally, I love pairing foods with things I’m watching for themed get togethers (or even if it’s just me and my partner), and Dr. STONE has given us two great options: Senku Cola and ramen. The best part? Both of these things are fairly easy to make, and you could get both of them prepared just in time for the big finale, sipping and slurping your way through the final episode (or, if you’re like us, the entire season from start to finish). No matter what, we think you’ll love these Dr. STONE inspired recipes, and the best part is they’re fairly universal, meaning you can make yourself some cola or ramen any time you want with just a few simple ingredients!

    First, let’s start with the ramen. Ramen is a fairly “simple” dish to make, although don’t let that fool you: there are many, MANY ways to make ramen, and some of them are far more intricate and skill-based than others. Ramen benefits from being a dish that is easy to add and subtract things to, though, and this recipe here is one such dish.

    Ramen Ingredients You'll Need: 

1 tbsp. Sesame oil

2 to 3 Cloves of garlic, minced (Or about 2-3 teaspoons of bottled minced garlic)

1 tsp. Grated ginger 

4 cups Beef broth (You can absolutely use vegetable broth)

2 cups Water

2 tbsp. Soy sauce (Add to taste)

4 oz. Button, shiitake, or other mushrooms 

1 5 oz. Package of ramen noodles per serving 

1 Carrot, grated

1 cup Thinly sliced bok choy leaves or spinach

2 tablespoons Chives or scallions

1 Hard-boiled egg half 

Proteins of your choice (We suggest char-siu pork or thinly sliced pork loin, chicken, or tofu)

  The only ‘difficult’ ingredient we find is the availability of ramen noodles, depending on your location. If you can’t find Asian markets nearby, don’t fret! A single instant ramen package actually has exactly the amount of noodles you need for one person (5 oz.); this may even be an affordable option if you don’t think you’ll use a whole package of fresh ramen noodles! As for the seasoning packet, you don’t need it for this recipe, so you can toss it or keep it for whatever other food science experiment you have in mind.

  To match the Dr. STONE vibe, we suggest rough, stone hewn style bowls, but really any deep soup bowl will work really well. A key with ramen is making sure your bowl is deep enough; ramen doesn’t work as well in very shallow bowls!

    Once you have your ramen ingredients ready, follow these steps:

  1) Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan to medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook until browned, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning (burnt garlic and ginger taste pretty bad!).

  2) Pour in your selected broth, water, soy sauce, mushrooms, and then raise the heat until it starts to simmer. (If it looks like it is going to boil, or starts to boil, just turn the heat down low and stir it vigorously. Don’t let it boil too much, or the soup stock will evaporate!)

  3) After about 5 to 10 minutes (however long it takes for your mushrooms to get soft), add your noodles. Cook until the noodles are soft, add in the bok choy (or spinach) and carrots, then immediately transfer to bowls. 

  4) From there, top accordingly: we suggest a half a sliced hard boiled egg, and some protein. Tofu is a great choice, regardless of if you eat meat or not, and we suggest firm or very firm tofu; you can even grill it slightly before putting it in your ramen!

  And there you go! If you want to get things prepared ahead of time, you can even cook the soup base and chill it before you add the noodles, veggies, and proteins, then simply bring it back to a heated temperature, add the noodles, and serve, and you didn’t even have to make the noodles yourself out of millet! We’re sure Senku would be okay with some of our pre-stone era shortcuts. 

Feel free to get really creative with that recipe, too; you can add tons of flavors to your stock. While it doesn’t follow traditional dashi style soup bases in most Japanese ramen recipes, we find that this works really well for a quick ramen dish, and it can be fun to let your guests pick various toppings and add them at their own leisure! It’s also a very simple dish to make Vegan; simply replace the beef stock, and use a non-meat protein.

By now, though, I’m sure you’re all curious about the real star of the show here: Senku Cola! Were you one of the few who tried to make your own after episode 15 aired? If not, you might be surprised at just how easy Senku’s recipe is to follow, as long as you abide by the steps we’ll outline here for you. And Mecha Senku is right: you really only need honey, carbonated water, lime, and cilantro. 

However, this is far more involved than the ramen recipe, and we’ll say right here: you will likely need to buy a mortar and pestle to properly complete this recipe. Many supermarkets sell them, so those aren’t impossible to find. While there are many debates on which is the best type of mortar and pestle out there, we recommend either a stone or ceramic one; most stores sell these. If anything, consider avoiding wood/bamboo ones, as they can absorb oils. You can also use a food processor or even a blender, if you want to skip the manual labor (or just can’t find a mortar and pestle). Just be careful that the food processor/blender doesn’t render your mixture totally liquid! 

Cola Ingredients You'll Need: 

¼ cup of Honey

1-2 Limes (depending on size), enough to get ¼ cup of zest from 

¼ cup Squeezed lime juice  

3 tbsp. (roughly) of Cilantro (otherwise known as ‘pakuchi’ in Japanese, or coriander leaves)

Carbonated water (We recommend one 8 oz. bottle per serving)

There are a few wrinkles to this list of items and the recipe. If cilantro tastes like soap to you, we recommend that you avoid using the leaves, and only use the stems: most research suggests the leaves are what cause the soap taste, and since you aren’t going to be eating cilantro, the stems will work just as well! In our various attempts, we actually used a little less cilantro sometimes to try and nullify any negative tastes people associate with it, which seemed to work well; you really just want the oils from it.

Once you have everything ready for your cola, we suggest doing these steps in order:

1) Chop up the cilantro, and zest the lime. If you do not have a zester, you can use a peeler, and you will need to chop the peeled skin into smaller pieces. 

  2) Juice the lime(s) into a separate container.

  3) Using the mortar and pestle, muddle the cilantro and lime zest. Once you start to achieve a paste-like consistency, you’ll want to add some of the lime juice to help continue breaking it down. It should look like a somewhat chunky green mixture by the time you’re done.

  4) In a saucepan or small pot, add the honey and heat it until it caramelizes, over medium heat. This step is VERY EASY to get wrong; you’ll want to give it your full attention. Once your honey goes from golden to a darker brown, you’ll have achieved caramelization. Transfer it from the pan to a cool container to avoid it further burning.

  5) Mix the honey, lime, some lime juice, and cilantro mixtures together. At this point, you can add additional parts of lime juice or caramelized honey, depending on your tastes.

  6) Using a strainer, pour the honey/lime/cilantro mixture into the strainer, draining the syrupy liquid from it into your desired glass. (If you're going to attempt to bottle the cola, you'll need to do an extra step.) Then, pour the carbonated water over the strainer and into the glass, which will create your cola! You can always add less water or more syrup mixture, according to your tastes.

  7) If you’d like to use a bottle, make sure the bottle is clean, and then use a funnel to safely pour the cola mixture into the bottle. You can then use a cork to seal the bottle up (before drinking, give it a quick shake!).

If you happen to have a soda-making machine in your home, you can actually follow most of these steps, and then have the machine do the last few parts for you! You may want to just change the recipe accordingly depending on the size of the bottle your machine uses. Also, you should have enough honey and cilantro/lime mixture leftover to make a few more servings, but feel free to make more of whatever you need to serve as many people as you expect! Once you’ve caramelized the honey and created the muddled lime and cilantro, they’ll both stay for a little while in a refrigerator, meaning you can always make a fresh glass of Senku Cola at your leisure. If you happen to be of drinking age, we found that Senku Cola mixes quite well with alcohol, too, so feel free to (safely!) give that a try. 

We do feel the need to state that you will likely find this does not taste like Coca-Cola; there are various missing elements here, so if yours doesn’t taste like that, then you’re okay! Senku’s Cola is a bit more similar to Cola styled candies and snacks that you might see in Asian markets, and you can change the flavor profile of your own batch by changing how much honey, lime, or cilantro you use in the mixture. It’s quite adaptable, and if you want to get really crazy, feel free to try out different citrus mixtures, adding spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and more!  

And there you have it, a perfect Dr. STONE finale meal: ramen and homemade cola! All you have to do is sit back, and sip and slurp your way through the Dr. STONE finale with your pals. And with both recipes being so easy, you can likely get them prepped well in advance of your viewing of the last episode. So don’t delay: hit up your local supermarket, get yourself some ingredients, and get yourself ready for an epic way to say goodbye (for now!) to Dr. STONE! 

Did you try either recipe? What did you think of them? Come back and let us know what you think in the comments! 

  ➡️ Catch up on Dr. STONE today! ⬅️

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Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

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