#this friend had mentioned that they would love if someone baked them bread. that it would mean a lot to them

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

.

[httpsserene]

𝐦𝐚𝐦𝐚 𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐚 - 𝐥𝐧. 𝟒 (& 𝐨𝐩. 𝟖𝟏)

summary: you and lando are blessed with a beautiful baby boy. content warning: fluff, humor, slightly suggestive at times, and mainly crack/shitpost energy. reader owns & works in her bakery in monaco. images used are not mine. pairing: lando norris x fem!black!reader (& platonic oscar pastry) genre: smau & written fic combination (it's a longgg one)

author's notes: y'all i'm warning you i took it too far this time. it's long aslllll. but it might be the best thing i've ever offered to f1 tumblr in my entire career.

grab a snack, drink, and tuck yourself into a comfortable position xxx

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imessage • preseason 2023

That’s how you find yourself outside of the MTC in the mid-morning two days later. You’re mildly…exhausted, after commandeering the kitchen in Lando’s Silverstone flat to make a sickening amount of banana bread to feed all of McLaren. After tipping your Uber to the MTC double what the ride costs (for allowing you to stuff his car with a hundred pounds of your decadent treat and helping you unload them into the lobby), you’re greeted with warm welcomes and hungry eyes from the staff. Eager to eat, they’re quick to find you a couple of carts to help you move all the banana bread to the communal area. You’re walking backward to make sure none of your sliced loaves fall, smiling with all the workers as they follow you through the building. Setting up shop, you hand out your sliced banana bread, chatting and catching up with everyone as they sing praises over your sweet treat. Word travels around the MTC quickly when it comes to you bringing baked goods and it comes as no surprise to you when you see a perplexed and overwhelmed Oscar Piastri join the line. You’re bursting with excitement and anticipation by the time he’s picking up his slice.

“Thank you for the banana bread,” Oscar expresses softly, his smile boxy.

“Oh, of course,” you dismiss his gratitude lightly, struggling to keep your cuteness aggression at bay, “I’ve been doing this for the factory since Lando joined–and I figured it would be a good welcoming gift for you!”

“Wait–are you Lando’s girlfriend?” Oscar chokes on his bite of bread.

You rush forward to pat his back, ordering for someone to get him a glass of water; you would hate to be responsible for the death of Mclaren’s rookie driver. When his airways are cleared, you exchange proper greetings and you are quick to make sure Lando has been treating him well. 

“Honestly, I should’ve known it was you” Oscar chuckles, “Lando cannot stop talking about you. Zak had to establish a rule that only allowed him to mention you two times an hour.”

“That must have been rough for him,” you snort dryly, “the rule was five times an hour last year. Anyways, Oscar–who do you main on Mario Kart? This could make or break our friendship.”

You find yourself enamored with Oscar as the conversation goes on. He stands and keeps you company as you continue to hand out banana bread. It’s mostly you doing the talking; Oscar’s quiet, a man of few words but he listens well. He has a sarcastic sense of humor that is similar to Lando’s yet completely different: Lando’s jokes are loud, Oscar’s are hushed. He’s humble, shy even, flustering when you lightly tease him. You’re well past having Oscar as your friend—you’re convinced that he’s achieved little brother or son status.

“Banana Bread!” Zak shouts as he walks up to the two of you, Lando at his side, “Please tell me this is your homemade version?”

“I would never settle for store-bought banana bread,” you gasp dramatically, “It’s homemade as always, Zak. This time I did my grandmother’s recipe instead of my own.”

The CEO practically jumps with glee and rushes to grab a couple of slices–he’s only had this version of the dessert once, and swore it changed his life. Lando walks to you, pressing a kiss to your temple before nodding at Oscar.

“What do you think, love, “Lando hums to you softly, “Did he pass the test?”

You blink up at him and whisper, “I invited him over for dinner tonight—do you think we can use one of the printers here to print out adoption forms?”

bahrain • 2023

After qualifying, it felt like you and Zak were the only people in the garage who remained optimistic for race day. Lando was less than pleased with placing 11th; he parroted words of positivity and hope for improvement but in the privacy of your hotel room he crumbled. He buried his face in your neck muffling just how low his expectations for this season are. You tried to convince him it was too early in the season—the first race weekend—to make that decision but, he was too in his feelings to see reason. 

Oscar was disappointed in himself for placing 18th. When he took off his helmet after returning to the garage, you could see the doubt in his skills lingering through his eyes. You pulled him to sit with you as you continued to wait for the second session to begin and gently reassured him that this wasn’t an accurate representation of his skills; Formula One is a massive change from Formula Two. Oscar nodded at your reassurance but you could tell he was still freshly in shock at his “terrible” performance so your logical advice wasn’t believed. 

On race day, however, you found your positivity dip as well. Oscar DNF’d on lap 13 and rage filled the spot that optimism used to inhabit. The Australian was handling his retirement better than you were; he brushed off everybody’s apologies and went straight to reviewing his data and watching Lando’s race—you, however, wanted to snap at any of his mechanics that walked by. It wasn’t like Lando’s race was any better if you could call what he was doing a race. Slow pit stops, six pit stops at that, the fast lap gamble failure, finishing last, and being two laps down from the race leader…Zak took one glance at you and quickly made himself scarce.

You rode back with both of the boys to the hotel and nearly cried for them with how down the mood was. On the walk to your rooms, Oscar attempted to exchange goodbyes with you and Lando before you cut him off.

“Uh-uh, nope,” you shook your head, “I pre-ordered dinner for us. Come eat?”

Oscar stuttered, “O-oh? I don’t want to intrude–”

“Oscar Jack Piastri,” both he and Lando winced at the sound of his full name, “I’m not going to let either one of you go to bed on an empty stomach. You’re going to eat dinner with me and Lan and you’re going to drink several glasses of water so I can make sure you’re properly rehydrated. Understood?”

“I would love to have dinner with you guys,” Oscar blinked at you in fear, “Also, how do you know my middle name?”

You laughed as you unlocked the door, holding it open for both of the boys as you walked in, “I had a wonderful conversation with your mother, of course.”

“When did you meet my mom?!”

australia • 2023

You were on the edge of losing your voice as you screamed and cheered with Nicole Piastri and Adam Norris for both of the McLaren boys and their double points finishes. The two drivers finishing in the midfield felt like the team had figured something out for Oscar’s home race (if you ignored how almost half of the drivers retired their cars). The Piastri’s invited everyone to a local restaurant to celebrate Oscar’s first points in Formula One, but before you and Lando headed out, the two of you nearly lost your minds.

The two of you forced him to pose with his car and take several pictures with it, strongly suggesting that he smiles big and wide for the camera. Fernando and Lewis walked by and burst into laughter, claiming that you and Lando were treating Oscar like a child. So, obviously, the two of you committed to the bit. You guys cooed and called Oscar’s name, clapping and jumping to pretend like he was a toddler whose attention needed to be grabbed to have him look at the camera. The rookie cringed in embarrassment, cheeks burning red as he tried to convince you guys to stop making a fuss over him.

Lando gasped, sickened at Oscar’s words, “Oscar! How could you say such a thing to your mother and me? We only want to celebrate our boy!”

You nodded furiously in agreement, nearly breaking character at the dumbfounded look that rose to the Australian’s face.

“What the fuck,” Oscar blurted out, yet he continued to smile for your camera.

“Oh my god!” You said appalled, “Lando did you teach our son that foul language?! I told you not to curse in front of the baby!”

instagram • bakewithyn • april 6th • melbourne ⚑

liked by, oscarpiastri, landonorris, mclaren, markwebber, and 413,257 others

bakewithyn: happy birthday oscar 🥳 there’s no birthday gift like scoring your FIRST EVER POINTS in f1 at your HOME race but !!! i’m super happyyy you enjoyed the 🐨 cookies i made for you (lando helped ig 😐) 🤗🤗🤗

tagged oscarpiastri

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📌 yninstagram ps! these are limited edition cookies at my bakery for oscar piastri day!!! first come first serve until sell out! all proceeds go to the australian koala foundation as it was oscar’s personal request 😇

➥ user charitable king shit fr 👑

➥ user FUCK i wish i was rich enough to visit/live in monaco

➥ user don't worry, they're nearly sold out already and the bakery opened three hours ago !!!!

nicolepiastri these were so tasty! i wish i had your baking skills

➥ yninstagram tysm mama piastri !!! i'm blushing

➥ user mama piastri???? im crying

user the koala photo with the bow 😩

➥user what r u talking about?? i only see a picture of oscar with a bow?

➥ user fr i only see oscar 😵‍💫

user "lando helped ig" what did he do? look pretty the entire time you baked LMAO

➥ landonorris actually i was allowed to put the ingredients in the bowls AND preheat the oven too 😤

➥ landonorris and i always look pretty wtf

➥ user omg...yn gave him the toddler tasks 💀💀💀

oscarpiastri the cookies were so good! they nearly tasted better than my first points felt

➥ yninstagram omg high praise from the man himself 🤯

➥ oscarpiastri had to fight my sisters to make sure they didn't only leave me with crumbs

➥ user oh i understand that eldest sibling battle

➥ user my little sisters bite i think they have rabies

➥ user oh what a shame. euthanasia is an option 🤗

miami • 2023

The energy after Miami was rightfully terrible. The car is shit; Lando lost a position from where he qualified to make him P17 and Oscar maintained his P19. It’s hot, and humid, and everyone in the garage is miserable. McLaren is a family. When the boys don’t do good, everybody understands and feels their pain. Nobody likes seeing the boys with frowns on their lips and sadness in their eyes, but it’s becoming a usual appearance during this season. So to turn those frowns upside down, you went on a hunt for some cold treats. You got Lando a frozen lemonade and Oscar an ice cream sandwich—it’s a safe choice, you hadn’t necessarily thought about asking him what kind of ice cream he prefers. 

You found Oscar staring at the wall, eyes focused forward but his mind somewhere else. You tapped him gently on the shoulder, offering him a small smile when he looked at you. He tried to offer you a smile of his own but couldn’t manage to hold it for more than a couple seconds. You presented the ice cream sandwich to him and he looked at you in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe you would give it to him.

“F-for,” his voice cracks awkwardly, “For me?”

You hummed, ruffling his hair and taking a seat on the couch next to him, “No, for the King of England. Yes–for you Oscar.”

He thanked you shyly and quickly began to unwrap the packaging, munching away happily. You took a second to text Lando your location and inform him of the frozen lemonade waiting for him, and when you turned to look back at Oscar—the kid was a mess. He wasn’t even a quarter of the way through the dessert sandwich and you’re convinced he managed to spill more of it than he ingested. The ice cream was painted across the lower half of his face and dripping down his hands–you caught a drop of it with a napkin before it fell and stained his shirt.

“Jesus, Oscar!” you scolded him, “I look away for two seconds and you make a mess!”

Oscar shrugged at you, feigning innocence, but you saw the staple redness of embarrassment begin to tint his chubby cheeks. You snapped your fingers in remembrance before you moved to rifle through your purse, Oscar staring at you with wide eyes as he continued to snack away. You exclaimed in delight, showing off a pair of wet wipes you remembered to bring with you. Oscar accepted the offered wipes and you watched carefully to make sure he removed all the smudges of ice cream from his hands and face.

“Hi, lovely girl,” Lando approached you, throwing himself onto the sofa next to you. He gave you a soft kiss on the lips and temple before grabbing his now lemonade slushy and taking a look at Oscar.

“Woah, mate,” Lando teased, “Did you lose in a fight against the ice cream sandwich?”

Oscar rolled his eyes and ignored Lando as he finished cleaning up. Once he was done, you gathered all of the dirty wipes on the table to be thrown away. You and Lando both watched Oscar as he ate the rest of his snack in fear of another mess occurring—and, then you had a bright idea. Leaning forward, you took a dry napkin and tucked it into the collar of his McLaren polo, creating a makeshift bib. 

“Lando, remind me to get our son ice cream in a cup from now on!”

twitter • may 14th

instagram • landonorris • may 23rd • monte carlo ⚑

liked by, bakewithyn, charlesleclerc, fernandoalonso, and 502,113 others

landonorris: does it still count as a date night if your boy and his best friend are building legos in the next room🤨

tagged bakewithyn, oscarpiastri, logansargeant

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user "your boy" WTF DOES THAT MEAN ‼️‼️‼️

user they're building legos before the race weekend starts 🤧

user has oscar been staying with lando since last week?

➥ user i thought he was just sleeping over for one night 🧐

adamnorris does this make me a grandfather?

➥ user what the hell is happening

➥ landonorris um? surprise haha 😀

bakewithyn it's a great date night! it's comforting knowing ozzy's in the next room over

➥ bakewithyn i have separation anxiety :)

➥ landonorris me too omg this was my best idea ever

➥ user this is like a reverse 13th reason- it's like my 1st reason i'm glad to be alive

➥ user ozzy 🫠

landonorris logan and osc just went silent. chat, should i be worried?

➥ user i'll bet my life savings that one of them has a lego shoved up their nose 😬

➥ user when kids go quiet it's never good !!!!

qatar • 2023

You cried an embarrassing amount of times this weekend. Your son won his first sprint race in his Formula One career, and his father—your boyfriend—was up there on the podium with him to celebrate. It seems like you have to make another special dessert for your bakery to celebrate both of your boys, but you can worry about brainstorming ideas when you stop crying into Andrea Stella’s shoulder in the middle of the pit lane. You’re sure that your face will be posted all over Twitter in a couple of hours.

A part of you wished that Lando had won the sprint race, just as he probably wanted the same thing. But, as both of you made eye contact with each other over Oscar’s head, the Australian rambling endlessly as he hugged his trophy on your hotel room floor, both of you knew that there was no better outcome this weekend than Oscar getting a taste of victory. Lando’s win will come in due time. A P2, P3 finish on Sunday was just the proof everyone needed of McLaren’s improvement and the threat they may pose to Red Bull next year. 

são paulo • 2023

You had the Grand Prix playing on your phone as you did some prep work for the bakery. The race ended and you couldn’t help but feel happy, yet relieved for the race to be over for different reasons. Lando had a wonderful drive today, and Oscar had the opposite; you were just glad it wasn’t a DNF for him.

You had only just begun wiping down the counters when the sound of the post-race show is interrupted by the ringtone you have set for Oscar. You paused quickly, scooping your phone up to answer.

“Hi, Ozzy,” you cooed gently, “How are you feeling? Sorry about your race buddy, that was unfortunate.”

“It happens, I guess. I feel like shit, mostly. Like I let the team down.”

“No way, Oscar! You’re not letting anybody down. Your race result today wasn’t the result of your skills, it was the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was a racing incident. If anybody tells you differently, let me know. I’ll rip their vocal cords out.”

Oscar’s laugh crackled through the receiver. “Yes, mum. I’ll let you know. I really want some of your chocolate chip cookies, they’re the perfect bad race remedy.”

“Well, I’m flying out in a few hours to meet you guys in Brazil so I can celebrate Lando’s—sorry, excuse me—your father’s birthday with him. I think there may be some time for me in my schedule to make some cookies with you.”

“Really? We should make some for Lando too! Wait, before you leave, I left his birthday gift—”

“—In our apartment, I remember! I already packed it in my luggage, I wouldn’t forget.”

“You’re the best, seriously.”

“Mhm, I know. Also, we should share some of these cookies with Charles too, his radio message made me cry.”

“Okay, he can have one cookie.”

“Oscar Jack,” you said dryly.

“Yes, sharing is caring or whatever. He can have like...two.”

instagram • bakewithyn • november 13th • las vegas ⚑

liked by, mclaren, landonorris, f1, oscarpiastri and 353,764 others

bakewithyn: happy birthday to lando norris. he's a pretty cool guy, a great dad, and the perfect boyfriend. love you lots, baby, and i'll love you forever xxx

tagged landonorris

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user wait is this a pregnancy announcement 😨

user this is giving engagement reveal

charlesleclerc bro. if i didn't know you guys i would think your caption was serious 😣

➥ bakewithyn get pranked LOL XD

➥ user oh i feel like i just got catfished

➥ user wait so lando didn't propose nor did he put a baby in her 😒

➥ user I WANTED A BABY NORRIS

➥ user oscar exists? he's literally their child

oscarpiastri no fr i thought i was about to learn i had a sibling otw from this post

➥ bakewithyn ozzy we would've told you???

➥ landonorris you literally bought the card for me

➥ oscarpiastri a boy can hope for a younger sibling can he not :(

➥ bakewithyn so close 😚 no you can't! hope that helps xo

➥ landonorris sorry osc, it's your mum's decision 🤷‍♂️

➥ user does this mean lando wants an actual kid

mclaren admin was terrified ngl 😅

➥ mclaren i thought you really posted an engagement and pregnancy reveal without letting me know 😭

➥ landonorris sorry admin, i'll keep you in the loop in the future

➥ user landoyn engagement soon??????

twitter • november 18th • las vegas ⚑

twitter • preseason 2024

miami • 2024

Lando had you pinned to the wall in his driver's room, with his hands tangled in your curls and his mouth devouring yours. Your moans are muffled into his lips as you grind against his thigh. You tried to multitask, struggling to pull his driver’s suit down. Lando lifted you slightly, encouraging you to wrap your legs around his waist and neither of you cared to pull away at the sound of your foot hitting his P1 trophy and knocking it over. One of his hands fell from your hair to grasp at the smooth brown skin of your neck, his palm acting as a warm weighted choker on your throat and you broke away from the kiss to moan. 

“Fuck, Lando—get naked,” you whined desperately, “we don’t have much time for you to tease me right now!”

Lando laughed as he moved to press kisses along your jawline and behind your ear. You felt his lips part on your skin, his breath ghosting over you causing goosebumps to rise, but it’s not his voice you hear.

“Lando, they need us for pictures—OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK,” yelped Oscar, the sound of his hand smacking over his eyes reverberating around the room.

You shrieked in surprise, pushing your boyfriend away from you as you speedily readjusted your clothes. Lando positioned himself in front of you, his back facing you allowing you a little more privacy as he speedily fixed his suit around his waist.

“Learn how to knock, kid,” Lando huffed, no shame found in his words, “You interrupted my winning celebration.”

You screamed in dismay, slapping the back of Lando’s head and Oscar began to stumble out of the room, bumping into the doorframe as he still covered his eyes.

“Yeah, knock in the future, I understand,” Oscar sounds like he’s about to cry, “I feel like I just saw my mum and dad having sex!”

instagram • bakewithyn • may 12th • mama's house ⚑

liked by oscarpiastri, alexandrasaintmleux, landonorris, and 551,012 others

bakewithyn: LOOK AT MY SON 🥺🥺 PRIDE IS NOT THE WORD IM LOOKING FOR 🗣️🗣️🔊🔊 (happy mother's day to all the beautiful mamas x)

tagged oscarpiastri

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oscarpiastri did dad get you anything 🙃

➥ user 👀👀👀

➥ landonorris well i would've if SOMEBODY told me we were celebrating this year 🤬🤬🤬🤬

➥ oscarpiastri i didn't know i *had* to tell you

➥ user wowwwww lando

➥ user shameful honestly 😕

markwebber happy milf day

➥ markwebber *mother's day sorry typo

➥ bakewithyn what the fuck ☠️☠️☠️

➥ user that was not a typo mark

➥ user sir u are not slick LMAO

➥ bakewithyn i mean...oscar wouldn't mind a step dad, his fatther didn't get me anything today :(

➥ landonorris AYO BABY PLEASE 🧎‍♂️

oscarpiastri you know what would be an even better mother's day gift? getting a puppy 🤭

➥ bakewithyn we are not getting a puppy ozzy.

➥ landonorris should've clued me in osc i might've convinced her for you

➥ oscarpiastri :[

monaco • 2024

You’re about to crash THE FUCK out. At first, it was a little half-joke. Oscar’s home race in Australia, his 1/16th home race in China, and his 3/16th home race in Italy. You originally thought his tweet about “searching for his Monegasque roots” was cute, but you didn’t expect Charles Marc Herve Perceval (Demon Spawn) Leclerc to step into your playing field.

Who the hell does he think he is? Offering to adopt your son? And, Oscar is going along with it? And, the Miami Grand Prix account making a “Certificate of Adoption?” You started to like Miami after Lando won there; and now they’ve betrayed you. Every fan jumped on the bandwagon, thinking that this was the most adorable thing to happen. Like Oscar hasn’t been your child the minute he stepped foot into the MTC in Silverstone. Like he didn’t give you a Mother’s Day present? The Monegasques have some nerve; you were close with Charles and Alex but, now they’ve encroached on your and Lando’s territory. You’re committing several murders today. 

You laughed hysterically when Oscar joined Lando and you for lunch, mentioning that Charles and Alex invited him to eat with the rest of the Leclercs at family dinner after qualifying. You agreed to let him but not without making sure Charles and Alex are qualified for the job. Lando also cornered you in the kitchen and persuaded you to allow Oscar to go; swaying you with the idea of a real date night. You never realized just how much time you guys spend with your son. When’s the last time you guys had a break from being “mum and dad?" It was an appealing offer, but you were serious about clarifying expectations to the thieving couple.

twitter • may 25th • monaco

instagram • bakewithyn • may 25th • date night ⚑

liked by charlesleclerc, landonorris, nicolepiastri and 236,978 others

bakewithyn: a little night off from parenting was needed x

tagged landonorris

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user okay mamiiiii

user all parents deserve to relax !!!

oscarpiastri do you even miss me ☹️

➥ user damn he goin through it

➥ charlesleclerc i literally just got him to smile and now he's crying again 😒

➥ landonorris your mum and i love you lots osc

➥ oscarpiastri :]

alexandrasaintmleux take full advantage of having no children in the house 😈😈😈

➥ charlesleclerc leo will keep him distracted for as longggg as possible 😏

➥ user lando only needs about three minutes 🥱

➥ user wow that's a really long time fr

oscarpiastri mama y papa

➥ user mama y papa

➥ user mama y papa

➥ user mama y papa

instagram • landonorris • june 16th • daddy's home ⚑

liked by oscarpiastri, angryginge, bakewithyn and 436,812 others

landonorris: father's day done right. my child and his mother made a cake for me, family photo slide two, and my son slide three. what more can a man want.

tagged bakewithyn and oscarpiastri

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user this man never misses a chance to call himself daddy

user too fucking funny 🤸🏾‍♀️🤸🏾‍♀️

bakewithyn happy father's day, daddy xxx

➥ user OHMYGOD 😖🤢🤮

➥ user on my internet⁉️⁉️⁉️

➥ landonorris even happier now x

user this new wave of parents concerns me...

oscarpiastri the cake was good wasn't it???

➥ landonorris it was perfect, seriously

➥ oscarpiastri i know you both said there's no way we'd get a puppy but hear me out i've thought of something better

➥ oscarpiastri working on giving me a younger sibling :]

➥ user YES BABY NORRIS ‼️‼️‼️

➥ landonorris @/bakewithyn ?

➥ bakewithyn ask me again in a couple of years

© httpsserene2024

[mountainsandmayhem]

Aisle Amore

Pairing: Marcus Pike x Female Reader Summary: You truly never know who you might meet in the grocery store. CW: no smut, all fluff. Flirting, mention of divorce, talks of food, more adorable flirting. Word Count: 3.4k AN: I've gone soft!! I couldn't stop thinking about how the couple in Wonderful Tonight and Netflix & Chill met and even though no one asked, this is exactly how they met. I worked in a grocery store for almost 15 years and I can tell you right now that I would to SPRINTING to the pasta aisle. Special thank you to @mermaidgirl30 for beta reading and both her and @littlevenicebitch69 for helping me come up with a title. Dividers by @saradika-graphics

To you, there’s nothing worse than asking for help. You’ve been fiercely independent your entire life, and these snapped ligaments have been testing you. Your friends say they don’t mind helping, but YOU mind them helping. The pain in your ankle has finally subsided enough that you can put a little weight on it and only use one crutch.

Freedom! 

You shut your laptop at 6 pm, change into something that isn’t pyjama pants and begrudgingly put on a bra. The first stop on your newly found freedom tour is the grocery store. Thirteen year old you would be appalled at how excited you are over this. You jot down all the ingredients you’ll need to make homemade pasta, marinara sauce and meatballs. 

Living in downtown DC has lots of perks, one of them being you can walk to the grocery store that’s just around the block. After gingerly testing your ankles a few times you decide you can walk there. Your dad’s voice echoes through your head, “This family doesn’t cry, take care of yourself, don’t depend on anyone but you”. 

The walk there is easy, it feels good to be out in the summer evening sun, soaking in the vitamin D that you’ve been missing out on the last few weeks. You grab one of those small baskets with wheels and head into the store. It might be dramatic, but it’s been almost three weeks since you’ve been out on your own and you feel that same hyped elation you had at 16 when you got your license and your parents allowed you to go out on your own the first time. Except at 16 you picked up your friends and went to the record store, you were much cooler in your youth. 

“Stick to the list,” you say to yourself, realizing you’re slowly becoming just like your mother. That’s fucking depressing. 

The first items are olive oil and flour, you crutch along, the sounds of metal clicking and the rubber bottom squeaking following you as you move along the shiny white tile floor. A song you vaguely remember hearing during your childhood plays overhead, Eric Clapton singing about a woman looking lovely. The bakery must have fresh bread, and the delicious scent of it makes your mouth water. 

Focus! 

As you turn down the pasta aisle, you brush past a man in a suit who’s looking at the canned pasta sauces, poor sap, and stop about ten feet away from him. The small bag of flour you need is on an easily accessible shelf but of course, there’s only one left and it’s all the way at the back. 

Marcus holds up a jar of canned marinara, silently humming along to Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton. He swears he hears his grandmother on his mother’s side rolling in her grave. She wasn’t Italian, but owned a restaurant and was definitely looking down at him ashamed that he was BUYING something she taught him to make.

Sorry grams, he thinks, just as someone hobbles past him, vanilla wafting behind her, temporarily replacing the scent of the fresh bread he’s also going to pick up. His grandmother might come back just to slap him for this dinner tonight. Granted, he did just return from seeing his ex and her new boyfriend so maybe she’d take pity on him. Bake him those gooey chocolate chip cookies he loved so much. 

As he turns to head toward the pasta he sees a woman who quite frankly takes his breath away. She’s so beautiful that he almost can’t take her all in at once. Her bare legs are toned and tanned, wrapped in long black biker shorts, paired with a plain grey t-shirt and unzipped black hoodie. One high top converse laced up on one foot, the other in an uncomfortable looking boot. Her hair is in a low messy bun with almost too perfectly placed pieces along her neck and face. She seems to invade every ounce of him, until all he can see is her and all he can smell is warm vanilla. His mouth goes dry, and his heartbeat fills his ears. 

This next bit happens so quickly that he doesn’t have time to even think about it. But you would later describe it as not one of your finest moments, and he would describe it as the moment that changed his life. 

He watches as you reach above your head, raising up on the tippy toe of your good foot. As you lean forward, your hollow aluminum crutch slips out from underneath you and falls to the ground. An echoing tinny bang startles you and you stumble, putting too much pressure on your broken foot. The sweetest sounding “Ouch! Motherfucker,” leaves your pouty pink lips as Marcus rushes to catch you. 

“Whoa,” he says as he reaches out to steady you, one hand wrapping around your hip, the other cupping your elbow, helping you off your injured leg. “Are you ok?” 

Your cheeks flush as you look up at him. “Sorry, thank you.” 

Your bright blue eyes wash over him, and something tugs behind his heart. Eric Clapton singing "Oh my darling, you are wonderful tonight" as he stands there temporarily stunned, unsure of where he is or what is name is. It's just you.

It doesn’t make any sense, you could be married for all he knows, but something about you draws him in. He didn’t think he’d feel this way again for a very long time, but he needs to find a way to keep talking to you. 

“Let me get that for you,” he says, his hand moving from your elbow, reaching up and easily plucking the flour off the shelf. 

“Thanks, I could have gotten it.” You say and he fights to stop from laughing. He can tell that you’re not someone who asks for help. No, you’re independent and strong willed. And fuck if that doesn’t just make that tug behind his heart pull that much harder. 

“I know you can, you just scared me.” He looks down at you softly as you stare up at him. 

He’s suddenly very aware that he still has one hand on your hip. Your shirt had ridden up as you wobbled, and the skin of your hip is soft and warm against his palm. He finds himself wondering if the rest of you is just as comforting. Just as an inviting. The light scent of your vanilla perfume fills the small space between the two of you. 

“Look,” he says, finding it inside himself to peel his hand off you now that you’re steady, placing your flour in your basket and bending to grab your crutch. “My grandma is already cursing me from heaven for buying canned sauce and boxed pasta. Can you please let me help you?” 

You open your mouth and then close it, almost like you’re trying to come up with a reason to not let him, so he quickly adds, “For my sake.” 

You laugh through your nose, shaking your head and taking your crutch from this incredibly handsome stranger. 

Please don’t be married. Or a total creep. 

“Smooth,” you say teasingly. 

He tugs at his white button up shirt collar. “Is it hot in here?" He fakes a dramatic cough, "I swear - she’s watching me.” 

You look up at the white painted ceiling of the grocery store. “OK, grandma. Chill. I’ll let him help me.” 

When you look back at him he’s smiling from ear to ear, and if you thought he was handsome before; well, fuck, there’s not even a word to describe how unbelievably charming he looks right now. 

He looks down at your basket before saying, “Do you have a big list?” 

“Umm,” you say holding out the special lined paper you have to make grocery lists. “I have a few things, ya.” 

His thick fingers brush lightly against yours as he takes the list. You can’t help but notice that he’s not wearing a wedding ring, score, his nails are trimmed short and his cuticles are nicely manicured. You assume he must have some sort of fancy office job, like a lawyer or an accountant. He seems to radiate stability and you didn't realize you could be so aroused by fingers.

“Are you making pasta? And sauce?” He asks as his brown doe eyes scan your list. 

“I am,” you say proudly. You might not be a world famous chef, but you take pride in your cooking abilities. 

He smiles back at you again. “Stay here,” he says softly, “I’m gonna grab a cart.” 

As he turns to walk away, taking your basket and his sauce with him, you notice the way his grey suit jacket clings to his broad shoulders. Accountant by day, muscle model by night? Muscle model? Great, he’s broken your brain. 

It doesn’t take long before you hear the distinct rumbling of the plastic wheels of a shopping cart heading your way. Just as your handsome stranger comes back into the aisle “At Last” by Etta James starts to play. 

“I’m Marcus, by the way,” he says, grabbing a box of pasta on the shelf and sitting it next to his sauce in the top part of the cart. 

You say your name and notice the tiniest glint in his eye as the sound of it wraps around him. “Well then, we’d better get going on this list.” 

He moves slowly, allowing you to set the walking pace. He’s taken your list and the entire thing feels almost too domestic, like you can envision yourself doing this every weekend with him for the rest of your lives. Maybe there would even be a kid in that little part where he puts his boxed pasta and canned sauce. 

“Alright, so we covered names and who grew up where. So, what do you do for a living?” You ask, snatching a bottle of olive oil off the shelf. 

“I - uh - I work in law enforcement,” he says. 

You look at him, then his tie, then back at him. With a hint of amusement in your voice you say, “Pretty fancy dress code. What are you? Like FBI or something.” 

“Yes, actually. And now that you know that, I miiiight have to kill you.” 

You laugh, “Sure know how to put a girl at ease, Agent Pike.” 

The way you say agent, all teasing and flirty, goes straight to his cock. He’s been called Agent Pike thousands of times over his career but it’s never sent a shiver down his body like that before. 

He runs a hand over his patchy scruff. “I’m kidding. About the killing part, not the FBI part.” 

“Thanks for clarifying,” you laugh.

Whitney Houston’s voice floats across the store, singing about dancing with someone who loves her. 

Neither of you is particularly paying attention to your list or what aisle you’re in. You snake up and down each aisle, both of you occasionally grabbing something you need. 

“What about you?” He asks. Something about the way he asks a question seems different. It’s like when Marcus asks something he’s genuinely asking, not just trying to force conversation. With every answer you give his eyes focus on yours, he nods and seems curious and excited to hear what you have to say. 

The bar is truly in hell if I’m turned on by a man who’s just treating me like a human. 

“I run a small online store for my, umm, for my designs.” This part is always awkward, men change how they treat you once they find out what you do for a living. You avoid his eyes, he’s so goddamn handsome and you’re already disappointed that he’ll soon give you an ick with how he’ll respond to your career, how all men respond. 

“Your designs? Are you an artist?” His eyes light up and he stands a little taller when he asks, he must love art. He’s going to be thrilled to find out your best friend owns a gallery, and probably even more thrilled when he learns you hurt your ankle falling off a step ladder she had you posing on as she painted you, and yes, you were completely nude. 

“No,” you laugh. “I design clothing. Sort of.” You continue avoiding his eyes and chew on the inside of your cheek as you grab some dried oregano and place it in the basket. 

“Hey,” he says softly, stopping by the spices, “You don’t have to tell me something you don’t want me to know.” 

“It’s not that. It’s just,” you stop, glancing up at his warm chocolate brown eyes. His Adam’s Apple bobs as he swallows, and you have the sudden urge to sink your teeth into his neck. “Men just usually treat me differently once they know.” 

He narrows his eyes at you and his lips curl into a tight lipped and curious smile. “That’s clickbait. Now you have to tell me.” 

“Or you’ll kill me?” You laugh. 

“Yes, FBI remember,” he says sarcastically. 

You take a deep breath through your nose before you begin. “Ok, I design and sell lingerie.” You try to sound as casual as possible, smiling sweetly at him before you start walking again. 

Marcus doesn’t follow along so you look over your shoulder at him. Is he blushing? 

“Well,” he says, clearing his throat and avoiding your eyes. “I don’t see how that would make someone treat you differently.” 

“Then why are you blushing, Pike?” You flutter your lashes at him as he catches up to you in the aisle. 

The pink of his cheeks deepened, “I’m not blushing. Pretty sure I got a sunburn when I grabbed the cart.” 

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard that being indoors during sunset is a very dangerous UV time.” You joke. 

He laughs, “You’d be shocked how many people don’t believe it.” 

You both laugh as you head towards the produce department for your tomatoes and onions. Elvis’s ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ comes over the speakers, and even though other people are shopping, it feels like it’s being targeted at just the two of you. You pluck a few tomatoes from the shelf and he opens the little plastic bag for you to place them in. 

He takes a breath to start speaking and you brace yourself for the inevitable. All men do it. They all either ask what your company is called so they can look up your Instagram later or they’re bold and flat out ask you to model some of your designs for them. 

“Where’d you learn to make pasta?” He asks, his voice quivering at the closeness of your body to his. 

“Umm, I sort of did an Eat, Pray, Love thing recently.” You say quietly, smiling up at him. It’s the tiniest movement, but you swear his eyes flick to your lips as your hand brushes against his while you reach into the bag. Your heart is pounding behind your ribs, it’s almost unfair how handsome he looks under these fluorescent lights. 

“Oh? Like you went to Italy?” His voice is low and nervous as he watches you picking up tomatoes, squeezing them gently and smelling them. Carefully choosing the best ones. 

“Yes. Without spilling my whole life story, I got married young and then divorced a few years ago. I just kind of needed a hard reset on myself.” You drop two more tomatoes in the bag and then side step, or more more like side hobble, to the onions. 

“Huh,” he says, “I can honestly say that I know exactly what you mean by that.” 

You both smile at each other, you swear you can see his pulse flutter in his neck before he says, “Unfortunately, I think we have everything on your list,” he finishes off his sentence by saying your name and it sends an explosion of butterflies in your lower belly. You don’t know if you’ve ever met someone who makes you feel like you have somehow known them for your whole life but is also brand new. 

“Sorry. You probably have places to be and I’m -“ Your voice trails off when he slowly steps even further into your space. 

“That’s not what I meant,” he says softly, his fingertips brushing against yours causing a buzzing up your arm. Just then ‘I knew I loved you’ by Savage Garden rains down from the speakers. Marcus laughs gently and continues, “Is it just me or has the music been interesting in here tonight?” 

You move your pointer finger just a hair so it brushes against his, “ya, sounds like the crab from The Little Mermaid is in charge.”

A laugh from his stomach passes his lips, it’s joyous and melodic and even though you’ve just met him, you want to make him laugh like that for the rest of your life. He’s smiling so big that you can see all his straight white teeth. His head tips forward slightly and the skin around his eyes crinkles. You’re both so close, he smells like mint and a new book and everything around you seems to fall away, blurring around the edges. It’s overwhelming. Dizzying even. He’s the one. You can’t explain it, but you were meant to be in this grocery, with this annoying boot and crutch. 

“That’s not quite the comparison I would have used, but yes.” His eyes dance around yours, still laced with amusement and happiness. “Is he a crab or lobster?” 

“I think he’s a crab,” you say, pulling your hand back from his to stop yourself from leaping off that cliff and into his arms.

“I think he’s a lobster,” he counters, stepping back but never breaking the connection of his eyes with yours. 

As you head towards the checkout you glance towards the shopping cart nervously, remembering that you walked here. 

Both of you pay for your groceries in a comfortable silence and he scolds you teasingly for trying to grab your bags. “Grandma is still watching.” 

The two of you head for the exit. “Did you park somewhere?” 

“No. I can take them from here,” you’re not going to let this man drive you somewhere or walk you home. That’s ridiculous. You are strong and you’ve already impeded his life enough. 

He lifts his eyebrow suspiciously and turns just a touch so you can’t reach your bags. “You walked here, didn’t you?” 

“It’s really fine, Marcus. It’s not far. Thank you for your help. You didn’t need to do that.” 

“I have an apartment that way,” he says, nodding his head in the same direction you need to go.

“Oh that’s very forward of you, but I know better than to go to a secondary location with a stranger.” And he does it again, that beautiful, happy laugh. “I’m in the same direction.” 

You walk down the quiet street. People always say they wouldn’t want to live downtown because it’s too noisy, but truthfully, after the work crowd disperses for the evening and the dinner rush parts, it’s quite peaceful. 

“How sure are you that he’s a lobster? Willing to make a bet?” 

He looks over at you cautiously. “Alright. I’ll play along. I’m 100% sure he’s a lobster. What’s the bet?” 

“Wow. Marcus Pike, does the FBI know you’re such a risk taker?” 

He says your last name and follows it with, “Quit stalling, what’s the bet.” 

“Ok ok. Once I’m off all the painkillers. If he’s a crab, I make you REAL pasta. If he’s a lobster, you take me out for real pasta.” 

You both stop at the same time in front of the same building, “This is me. So is it a bet?”

Marcus pulls a key fob out of his pocket, “This is also me. And yes, we have a bet.” 

You cross the lobby together, you select your floors and exchange phone numbers on the way up and then he finally gives you your bags. 

“Thank you,” you say, smiling at him sweetly as the elevator approaches your floor. “I appreciate you using your grandma to help me.” 

He covers his heart with his hand. “I would never!” 

As the elevator comes to a halt he glances up at you sheepishly and your heart almost breaks open right then and there at how devastatingly handsome and heart meltingly adorable he is all at the same time. 

You smile like a damn fool the moment you’re out of that elevator. Of all the ways you thought your night was going to go, it did not involve a very charming stranger making you all nervous and delusional. 

The second you get inside your apartment you fight the urge to prove yourself right and cash in on our dinner, but you already miss him, so you text him. 

Tag list:

@corazondebeskar @hiddenbabynyc @rainstorms-library @smutsmutslut  @sullyrocky44 

@keylimebeag @pimosworld @casa-boiardi @pedritoferg @paleidiot

@lorilane33 @pansexual-potatoes @jessthebaker @jasminedragoon @koshkaj-blog

@pedroswife69 @strawberri-blonde  @none-of-this-makes-any-sense @iloveenya

@javierpena-inatacvest @blazeflays @akah565 @pinkiec6-rubi @pedroshotwifey

@iluvurfather @ashleyfilm @mermaidgirl30 @untamedheart81 @littlevenicebitch69

[newtkive]

sweet tooth | luca drabble

just thinking about luca w a partner who has a crazy sweet tooth (like i do) and you never asking for a sweet treat but mentioning it nonchalantly but still not expecting luca to make you something.

first of all, your nickname would probably be sweet tooth or smth similar, let’s be so real. it would start by luca calling you that affectionately, but then it catches on w friends and family and you’re just dubbed sweet tooth.

in general, if you saw some type of dessert on a commercial or a tiktok that had you going ‘oohhh’ luca would scrunch his brows and almost seem jealous. “they used meringue, they should’ve used icing sugar.” he’d scoff judgingly and just see it as a challenge. after he would deem it doable, he’d store the information in his brain and literally make it better at work the next day.

just say the word and he will make it. telling your friends on the phone that macaroons sound good? cool, he wants to practice his piping technique with the biscuits anyways.

a japanese fruit sando? awesome he can make the sweet bread so fast, and the cream is no big deal. in fact he can just whip it up for lunch.

want a hersheys bar? first, that chocolate is trash don’t ever mention it to a european, especially your european chef boyfriend. second, he’ll make you the best stack of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and cookies n’ cream bar you’ve ever had (the cookies n cream one is so good, and you’d always say that and it would piss him off). anything to get hershey’s out of your brain.

you see those viral crunchy chocolate and pistachio filled croissants in new york on your phone and groan abt them? he can research the recipe and workshop it for a day or two in the restaurant kitchen, find a cute take out box to present it to you with to give you that full experience you’d get from the real bakery—you just gotta wait. even if it’s a couple days later, it’ll be waiting for you on the table, or pulled out from behind luca’s back as he walks through the door.

to be more specific, maybe at midnight when he doesn’t have work the next day, you guys are up watching a movie or just having pillow talk. saying smth nonchalant abt your cravings like “cookies sound so good right now luca.. don’t they?” your cheek is smushed against his bicep (which you’d much rather eat) so your voice is all cute and mumbled making his heart race.

“mhm.” he’d say. he’s got a lazy smile n a deep chuckle, voice laden w sleep since you’re the night owl and he’s just staying up to spend time with you. “you wan’ me to make some right now? that what you’re saying?” he’s clearly amused, knowing that you don’t expect him to but teasing you nonetheless.

“nono, it’s too late. you’re not allowed to leave anyways.” you would mumble again, arms tightening around his own in a hug. humming happily, a kiss from the chef would land on your head and you kinda forget about the dessert you want but luca doesn’t because he’s a chef and his literal profession is making desserts so why wouldn’t he?? when you want something he can easily make?? like his love language is giving, especially if it’s baking something for someone he loves.

the next day you’d still be asleep and wake up to the smell of cookies. savory was your forte in the morning most times but who could say no to starting their day with a yummy sweet when it’s presented to them, right?

it would take you a second to realize that 1. luca wasn’t wrapped around you like usual, etching a frown into your face, and 2. luca had to be the one making cookies. and he made the best cookies. you’d waste no time in grinning and hopping up to drag yourself to the kitchen. even more of the smell would welcome you, transporting you into some kind of dreamland—and if you really were dreaming you’d be so pissed bc the cookies being pulled out of the oven by your blond messy haired boyfriend look so fucking good right now (aside from the aforementioned boyfriend who is just as, if not more scrumptious than the cookies with only his flannel pants on).

arms would wrap around his waist from behind and luca would laugh muttering “hot pan” but you don’t give a fuck because you want him and those cookies now. if anything your arms tighten and you rub at his stomach sweetly from behind, a sign of affection.

“you made me cookies!” the grin would be so evident in your voice and so infectious that luca beams as he transfers the said cookies onto a pretty dish.

“and who said they were for you?” the tease is obvious and earns an eye roll. you don’t fall for it and he doesn’t expect you to, but you gently nip at his shoulder nonetheless. a dramatic ‘ow!’ comes from the tall man, laced with laughter. you snicker evilly, standing on tip toes to rest your chin on the same shoulder (no matter your height you still gotta do tiptoes bc that man is tall).

soon enough he’d plate the perfect chocolate chip cookies with a dash of sea salt that you spotted, and turn around. it would be your turn to be wrapped in a hug by strong arms, even lifted up a little just to hear your laugh. luca also likes to hear how surprised you get that he can lift you, even though to him you’re weightless.

it wouldn’t be long until you’re begging for a cookie even if he sets you on the counter, stern look as he assures you they’re still cooling off. like hellooo?? who cares?? but he distracts you with soft kisses on your cheeks, leading down to your lips until he pulls away and leaves you wanting more. the mumble from him that, “the cookies are probably cool enough now” has you forgetting your desire for him and replacing it with the golden saucers just waiting for you to demolish them.

hands on his shoulder, you’d firmly push him to the side and hop off the counter. the roll of luca’s eyes would be affectionate and endeared, since you were this excited for his cooking. you were his best customer after all.

your feet would have a mind of their own, floating towards the cookies like a cartoon man levitating towards a pie, lured by the aroma. you start ravaging like a hungry creature. one turns into three as you face your boyfriend, moaning with closed eyes at almost every bite inbetween telling him about what you two did in your dream (he baked you brownies laced with a golden syrup in your dream so you accredit your subconscious to manifesting this).

he would just stand there with a grin, hands on the edge of the sink behind him while leaning on it. usually dreams would be so boring to talk about, but luca swore he could stand there for an eternity just watching you eat his creations and talk about any dream you wanted to share with him.

of course, those cookies would be gone in two days. and in place would be brownies drizzled in a golden syrup that luca took home from work. the surprise would earn him a watery eyed smile, and he’d just shrug and say he had extra time to kill on the evening shift.

[planetcleer]

eddie kaspbrak loves cooking shows. like, he loves them. the food network is his favorite channel, and he watches everything from diners drives ins & dives to good eats to the pioneer woman, not to mention all the different cooking & baking competitions (gbbo is, ofc, his favorite) that crop up every year. eddie kaspbrak loves cooking shows, but eddie kaspbrak doesn’t know how to cook. it’s hilarious! it’s hysterical, even! because sure, for that brief period in college between sonia & myra, he learned some basics, like toast and grilled cheese and scrambled eggs, but for all he watches he’s pretty clueless in the kitchen. ask him to roast potatoes or make a soup from scratch and watch him flounder. he’s never had to do anything like that himself before, you know. he’s never been allowed to.

and it sucks, it does, because food is a form of love. and he knows that because, while he doesn’t have many memories of his dad, almost all of the ones he does have revolve around food. frank kaspbrak loved cooking. he loved best cooking polish recipes from his youth, stuffed cabbage and haluski (eddie’s favorite) and pierogis and chalka bread (eddie’s second favorite) and borscht, and eddie loved to watch. frank would hold eddie on his hip and let him see it all, even let him help sometimes, and when eddie got a little too big to be held, frank would drag a chair in from the dining room to the stove and hoist him onto it so he could stand and watch every step. while he chopped vegetables or showed eddie how to bread pork or worked on dough, frank would tell stories about his childhood, and how he learned to cook from his mother and his grandmother, and how he would cook with eddie until the recipes were all stuck in his head like they were stuck in how own, because they had never been written down before, and it made eddie feel close to him, made him giggle to think about his big strong dad being small and standing on a chair and watching just like him.

frank kaspbrak loved cooking, and then he got sick. very sick. the last memory eddie has of his dad is curling up with him in his hospital bed and listening to him whisper-rasp promises, with what was left of his ravaged lungs, of fresh chalka and pączki and haluski and potato pancakes once he got better. the trouble was that he never did.

lots of things changed after he was gone. eddie learned quickly that his dad hadn’t lied—none of his family’s recipes had ever been written down. he also learned that hospital food was not love, and neither was takeout, but that even though it was different, his mother’s cooking was, and even more so, over time she taught him that not letting him too close to the hot stove or sharp knives was love, too. cooking for him and not with him was love, keeping track of his allergies was love, teaching him to fear food that wasn’t good for him was love, because taking care of him was love.

myra seemed to know those things inherently, and when he married her, she showed him that she loved him in the same ways. she looked after him, she cooked for him, she made sure he stayed away from too much sodium and sugar and butter, she protected him from everything including himself.

and all the while, eddie kaspbrak loved cooking shows. well, he loves cooking shows. in the hospital, after pennywise, he watches a lot, and he learns, but not how to baste a turkey or throw together a corn salad. no, he learns that actually, takeout can be love when your friends sneak it into your hospital room to cheer you up, and yeah, okay, maybe hospital food can be love, too, when you have someone who will make you laugh about it or split your jell-o with.

he divorces myra once he’s out. his friends support him, and richie is quick to offer his home for eddie to stay while he gets back on his feet. eddie is just as quick to accept. they’ve always been best friends, haven’t they? he moves in more than he crashes. it sort of feels like they’re kids again. and, you know, richie tozier loves cooking. for the first time in thirty five years, eddie feels compelled to watch, and so most nights he perches on the other side of the island while richie pretends to be on a cooking show, just for him. it’s a fucking riot! but it’s something else, too. it’s special, because they laugh, and they talk about anything and everything and nothing, and they share their meals together every night, and it makes eddie feel close to him.

eventually, richie starts to involve eddie, calling him his lovely assistant, or his little sous chef. he walks eddie through the best way to cut up potatoes, or how to do a dry rub, or how to make an egg wash. eventually, he has eddie start sautéing the onions, or dredge and bread the pork chops, or throw together a fucking roux all on his own, without having to be shown. eventually, he starts to ask what eddie wants him to do, just as much as the reverse, and renames their imaginary cooking show after them both.

one year to the day after eddie moves in, richie shows him recipes he found online for chalka bread and some cabbage and noodle dish, i think it’s called haluski or something? whatcha think, chef k? eddie knows that richie knows exactly what haluski is. richie’s already gone and bought all the ingredients for both, and so they make them for dinner that night. richie lets eddie take the lead, and later he reaches across the table to hold his hand when eddie starts crying after the first bite. it tastes just like his father’s recipe, you know. it tastes like love and comfort and home. they wash up together after dinner, eddie scrubbing and richie drying as he yaps on in one of his voices, and eddie has to stop right in the middle of it to grab richie’s face with his soapy hands and kiss him. the rest of the dishes are left forgotten until the morning.

so yeah, eddie kaspbrak loves cooking shows, and he loves cooking, and holy shit, he loves richie tozier, too.

[thatoneguydownthestreet]

Yo! I really love your apocalypse yuu writings I keep coming back to see if it has updated.

I read the Lilia finds out part and when I read the "Epel gave Yuu an apple and he didn't know what it was" it got me thinking about it all night.

How would the first years react to Yuu not eating anything at all(probably other than bread) because he doesn't know what those foods are?

________________________________

FEM ALIGNED DNI

Yuus pronouns are he/him, although they're mentioned briefly

This is barely proofread so please excuse the grammar mistakes.

Featuring: Epel, Ace, Duece, Jack, and sebek (there is implied lilia at the very end but it is literally one sentence)

Warnings: Talks of starvation, Yuu's illness, and survivers guilt, so skip this if you're uncomfortable with any of that.

Also I know it's been over a month. I have no excuse. I just didn't feel like it. But I have been teaching myself how to draw so I can be a bigger simp to Jamil so that's fun ig.

________________________________

Damn bro, you really don't know shit huh?

Epel was excited, to say the least.

I mean, could you really blame him? It's not everyday that you get a big ol' crate full of the apples that you were raised with.

By all means, epel should've been long sick of eating apples. Having them almost everyday for majority of his life, dried and dehydrated in the winter, and fresh and juicy in the spring and summer.

But no, no epel felmeir loves those apples. Every single one he ate seemed to effortlessly send him back to the simpler times of his childhood. Where he would send hours upon hours avoiding his siblings and playing games with his cousins in the orchards and taking naps in the sun while he waited for his meemaws infamous apple pies to finish baking. And meemaw would almost always let him have the first slice! Of the ones she wasn't going to sell at least.

He really missed her...

He'd have to ask her to bake him another one this winter.

But just getting to read the letter she had wrote, along with his parents and one of the towns kids that always followed him around like a lost baby duck, put a smile on his face.

Yeah. He'd get to see them soon, and once he graduates, he can get them more money, and be strong enough to protect them if it ever came to that.

Unfortunately, as great as his parents apples were, they couldn't fight the natural forces of time.

Dear sevens- they'd sent him nearly three dozen apples! All high quality too... it shouldn't effect sales too much. The orchards were big, and his parents would rather give up that expensive family heir loom necklace that his mother always wore than start selling spoiled apples.

But still, epel couldn't possibly eat thirty-six apples before they all started to rot. Plus, he didn't know how long they took to ship to the isle of sages, so that cut the time frame even shorter.

.....Does Jack like apples?

Should he even be considering giving Jack an apple to begin with? Their relationship was pretty vague. We're they actually friends or just study buddies?

Study buddies can give eachother gifts too right? And plus, it's food, not a 24 carrot gold ring or something crazy like that.

It should be fine. Maybe he'll give one to ace too. They were friends. Surely.

.

.

.

Ace trappola would say he was a good friend. I mean, he wasn't the best by any means, but he was decent.

Yeah, he could be kind of a dick. But who isn't at this point, honestly, even deuce, even cater had their moments.

But he was still someone the people in his life could go to for things, usually physically, tangible this like food or an extra ball or something, but he wasn't completely useless when it came to emotions either.

You could come to him if something was bothering you. He probably won't help you actually fix it but he can at least make you laugh.

So why didn't you want to laugh?

You had taken your mask off a few weeks ago. And like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped on him he realized it was the first time he ever saw you eat any food here at all.

Were you eating at all before then? What about water?

Thank the seven you were only here for around a week. But surely, you were dehydrated.

(You were definitely dehydrated. Deuce gave you a water bottle and you chugged it like it was your only chance at life. Which, to be fair, it probably was your only chance at life.)

Ace didn't know what your life was like before.

Ace didn't want to know either.

He didn't do well with heavy topics, always changing the subject when one came up unless he was personally involved in some way.

Other people life didn't concern him, and that was something he lived by.

...but still.

This was going a bit too far, don't you think?

Ace shot a look to deuce, clear concern instead of the regular teasing, which caught his roomates attention faster than he thought it would.

Ok. So deuce had noticed too.

Just goes to show how obvious it was that something is very wrong here.

Now, because ace had never asked, and he probably never will, he didn't know what your relationship with food was like before you came here. But. It couldn't have been this right?

A person couldn't only survive on some bread and room temperature water, right?

You sat across from him at your guy's unofficial table in the cafeteria, drinking the water at a moderate pace, as you didn't want to deal with another scolding from a certain housewarden, doing your best to keep a careful eye on grim as he went to go get his food from the lunch line.

And thank the seven for that, really. If grim turned back and saw that you weren't watching him for even a second, who knows that kind of ruckus would result?

But all that aside, you were still scarily underweight. Seriously perfect, how were you even alive?

Ace looked at deuce again. Deuce looked back.

He sighed.

Ace never, ever thought he would do something like this.

But for sevens sake, you were one of his best friends. And Ace will be damned if he just let you do this to yourself.

So with a deep breathe, he looked at you, and then turned back to what he was pretty sure was an ex-gang member, and nodded.

And for once, deuce understood.

They had to do something.

.

.

.

You reminded Deuce Spade of that stray cat that his mother would always feed when he was a child.

Underweight, scared, scarred, and confused.

Always having an air if caution and paranoia, ready to react, as if anything could just jump out and grab you at any time.

But you weren't a cat, were you?

No. You were a person. Someone his age, maybe younger, that had obviously seen horrors he couldn't even understand. Which just made this whole situation even sadder.

Because if you lived like this, then what the hell was stopping him? What about his mother? What was stopping her from having the same fate?

Duece ignored the memories of his mother giving him food and taking none for herself, saying she wasn't hungry.

But he couldn't quite ignore them, nor could he ignore the pit in his stomach whenever he looked at you.

...Listen perfect, he doesn't know what you went through to be like this, but he knows damn well this isn't normal.

It can't be normal. Hiding this much food underneath your floorboards couldn't ever be normal.

The two of you were just hanging out in your room in Ramshakle. Grim was in the lounge, he was sure, and you had stared off into space before asking the date.

When he told you, you had a look of slight panic as you ripped the rug off from its place on the floor, and started pulling apart the boards.

And what for?

The reveal of a large stash of food, mostly non-perishables, but a few snacks here and there too.

Snacks that were about to expire, apparently.

You turned to look back at him, a sheepish look on your face, and what looked like a bag if chips in your hand.

Deuce didn't know what face he was making.

He just knew it wasn't one he'd want you to see

.

.

.

If someone were to ask Jack howl if he was your friend. He wouldn't know to to say.

I mean yeah, you helped save his entire dorms ass way back when, yeah, you and him absolutely went throught it during azuls little "episode", and yeah, the two of you had plenty of mutual friends.

But we're the two of you friends?

Jack wasn't sure.

Because by all accounts, you should be.

It didn't change the fact that you weren't. Not really. Not by his definition and not by yours.

So what were you?

Well, you weren't friends. That was already established. And you were too close to be acquaintances (he didn't think acquaintance fell asleep on each other in the botanical gardens, only to wake up five minutes till curfew and just haul ass back to their respective dorms with smiles on their faces), so...what did that leave?

Well... I guess it left this.

"Eat it"

"....huh?"

Jack didn't know you that well. But that didn't mean he couldn't see..this happening. And it definitely didn't mean he didn't care.

So here he was. Holding a pastrami sandwich about an inch away from your face, silently begging you to just shut up and eat it.

Come on perfect, he bought this with his own money. Just humor him, please.

You eyed the sandwich like it was the most untrustworthy thing you'd ever seen. Jack's not going to lie, it kind of hurt.

But it wouldn't matter if you ate it, so he sucked it up.

...at least he would if you'd actually take the fucking sandwich.

Seriously, it was starting to tick him off.

Jack briefly considered just varying off and giving the sandwich to ruggie or something, or just eating it himself. He wasn't the biggest fan of pastrami but who knows, maybe the school made it better.

Honestly, he probably would have done just that if the image if you leaning against the wall looking ready to pass out from, what he knew, was malnutrition.

The event itself actually happened around two weeks ago, give or take. Jack thinks the only real reason he remembers it so well is because, well, it was the moment.

The defining moment, the moment where it just clicked that something was very wrong here.

He already knew that of course, I mean, look at you.

But as it turns out, watching someone actively starve to death in front of you will keep you up at night.

His mind turned to ruggie for a split second, before forcibly shoving that thought down where all the other thoughts he didn't want to think about were.

Like that time when he was a kid with a crush on Vil....yeah, Jack's happy he got o er that one to say the least. Nothing against Vil, he's a great friend and all (they were friends right?), but them in a relationship? Yeah. No. Not happening. No thankyou.

...yeah.

Jack mentally slapped hi.self and proceeded to shove his weird thoughts down yet again and refocus on getting his not-quite-friend to eat.

You were leaning back a lot farther than you were a second ago, if you did that anymore you'd probably just end up on the ground.

...jack sighed. This was going to take a while wasn't it?

By the end of the lunch period, you had come to a compromise, jack you slip the sandwich with you and take the other half for himself.

You ended up splitting your half with grim, who reluctantly took it. You had actually eaten yours too!...after you took the while thing apart and inspected and obsessed over it like how he'd seen Rook do to his housewardens that one time!

But still, it was something.

It was a start. And that's really all he could ask for at this point.

.

.

.

Sebek didn't notice anything about you at first. And he didn't particularly care much either. He was a guard for sevens sake! He had a deep responsibility!

He had a crown prince, that he oh so admired, to protect! Not to mention silver, who he had to wake up at every given turn, and not to mention Lilia, who had recently been going harder on their training sessions.

So to waste his time with a human? With a weak little human that didn't even come close to his current list if priorities?

That's time he simply did not have!

...So why was he here?

He was supposed to be looking for his charge. His charge, who always seemed to wind up around the old, abandoned Ramshakle building and just dissappear in the nick of time.

It had been happening more and more lately, especially since that new perfect moved in.

He would be lying if he said he cared too much about him. Again, he didn't have time to be curious about some strange human boy with some strange past.

But still, he couldn't quite contain the way he jumped back when he'd first seen them.

Whoever he was, he looked so...sick.

...he didn't have time for this.

Turning back on his heel, he refocused his mind on finding his lord again, and quickl- wait- silver. Oh great sevens. Silver wake up!

Ok. Sebek really didn't have time for this.

...and yet.

Here he was, standing next to you, arms out ready to catch you at a moments notice if you really were going to collapse like he thought you were.

He hadn't been this close to you before.

And now he could see that you weren't just sick.

Great seven, you looked like you were dying...

Sebek zigbolt had always known humans were weak, fragile creatures. Never able to even light a candle next to faeries. Never able to light a candle next to him, and certainly not his young master.

But this was just pushing it.

Sebek was stronger than his human counterparts. He would long outlive them. He thought of silver for the shortest second and then quickly pushed that thought to the side. This was not the time. Buteven with those facts, sebek still knew that humans weren't made of fine glass. Even if the people in his homeland liked to act like it, Sebek still knew that humanity wasn't completely hopeless.

One strong gust of wind wouldn't knock them over.

One missed meal wasn't enough to do detrimental damage to their health.

Pulling one all nighter would barely put a dent in their day to day lives, aside from the obvious fatigue and.

But with you?

With you? Alwats looking like you could kneel over and die then and there on the classroom floor?

...

Sebek want so sure anymore.

.

.

.

Epel had eaten more apples than any normal person should ever be able to eat.

Sevens help him, his stomach.

Despite the waves of pain that shit through him every now and then, epel wasn't mad.

Yeah, maybe eating a whole eight apples in the span of two hours wasn't his smartest idea, but the sweet nostalgia that seemed to wash over him and warm his very soul? Yeah no, it was worth it.

So no. Epel felmeir wasn't mad.

And laying in a bed that was much too soft for his taste, a direct contrast from the slightly itchy blankets and the hard mattresses back home, epel glance over to the almost empty crate of apples that were sitting just under his work desk.

...As much as Epel wanted to eat them, he wanted to do this even more.

Epel sat up, ignoring his stomach pain the best he could, and began a mental list of all the people he knew. And then a silent debate over who deserved his families apples in the first place.

Ok. First up Ace.

Epel would say they were friends. Not close friends by any means, but friends nonetheless.

Epel could give him one.

Next was Jack.

...In all honesty, epel didn't know. We're they friends, or just simply homework buddies that occasionally hung out?

...he could spare one for Jack, maybe they'd be friends then if they weren't already.

Duece.

Yes. Just- just yes. That day on the beach had changed their relationship forever. Duece was like a brother to him at this point.

He was goddamn getting an apple.

Epel chuckled a little at the realization that he was treating this like one of those elimination gameshows his meemaw liked.

Ok...he had two apples left after that.

Sebek wasn't really his friend was he? He certainly didn't make it seem like he was. If anything, Sebek was trying his damnedest to make them all belive the exact opposite, really.

....maybe he should just give the apple to Rook.

Or Vil.

Maybe.

Ok. He has one apple left.

The two of you weren't really friends. But you were friendly. If nothing else, you had been nothing but kind to him so far.

And plus, you looked uh. Half dead. To put it nicely.

And so, with a smile on his face, epel took out the crate of apples and began placing them on a bag that would make them easier to carry around tomorrow.

He couldn't wait.

.

.

.

It's funny how your whole life can change in a single moment, especially when you don't even know what that moment was.

Why were you here? Where is here anyway? Surely, magic didn't exist right?

The air wasn't always this clean right?

Water wasn't readily available at the turn of a handle right?

People didnt...people werent...weren't....

Heh. Heheha.

Why.

Why were you here?

Why were you here?

Why you and not one of the kids? What the hell have you ever done but use up medical supplies in a fruitless effort to keep you alive.

Why was this world so...pretty. happy. Clean.

Why this world and not your own? What had this world ever done to deserve this luxury of life.

...What had yours?

What had you?

Out of all the base commanders, the medics, the farmers, or children, or any of the other apprentice kids that you sometimes had to work with.

You were here. And they were still trapped inside of that hell.

...You didn't deserve this.

You died. You were on that beach and you died.

You woke up in a coffin, but something told you this wasn't the afterlife.

That something being the blood that you coughed up the other day.

It wasn't from internal bleeding, you k ew that much. Rather, it was from you coughing so hard that something in your throat had ripped.

It really didn't matter. You had spent nearly half an hour in a panic, choking and trying to unclog your airways, while grim and the ghosts you had come to somewhat love, stood behind you, offering what little comfort they could.

It wasn't the first time this happened after all.

You were still bedridden for a good two days after that. Thank God for the weekend.

Time passed in a blur while you were like that. It always did, mostly because you were asleep ninety percent of the time. The other twn being dedicated to medicine and a vain attempt to get food you knew you couldn't stomach to stay down.

So no. This wasn't the afterlife.

It was just a beautiful second chance that you didn't deserve.

It was so confusing.

And this was so confusing.

What..is this weird red thing being handed to you?

Epel looked at you with a hopeful expression on his face. It reminded you of the little girl you used to look after...

You take the..thing.

Glancing over to your right, you watch Ace take a large bite out of it with a smile on his face.

Ok. So not poisonous. Good to know.

You saw Duece do the same thing.

You felt Jack staring at you, but you didn't dare look at him.

[lyralit]

4.1.24 - the importance of learning new things

As much as I think academic & work focus is incredibly important going into the new year, one of my other goals is to practice doing more: to learn all of the things I want to do, in addition to work, in addition to writing. I want to know how to do thousands of little things, and I think the longer we wait, the less likely we are to do them.

Picking up a new hobby doesn't have to be buying a dozen textbooks and spending hundreds of dollars on lessons because you might have the slightest interest: it can be from whatever you have here, now, and you'll never learn if you don't get started.

Some of the things I've been getting into (as I've mentioned before) are baking & crocheting. it just feels so cozy and nice & I love the idea of comfort.

here is a list of things I want to / you should try that's new!

learning a new language. fifteen minutes a day, I kid you not. I'm learning latin on duolingo and I don't ever think about it, but when I do it (25 day streak 💪🏻), I'm starting to notice my improvements

consuming good media. and that's not scrolling for half an hour on tumblr. it's books—deep ones and silly ones and ones about romance and dragons and apocalypses. it's movies! I watched keira knightley's pride and prejudice twice in the last few months, and also three men and a baby which is something I never thought I would watch, but it was quite funny I think. and I learn from it: I cannot write humour or romance for the life of me, so it's basically studying to write (is the self-gaslighting too evident?)

learning to crochet. I made a silly little headband today, after scrolling through pinterest and desperately wanting one. I started crocheting in december to give as gifts (I completed none of my wips, much like when I write) and used the tools I had around me: an old rainbow loom hook and whatever string I could find. now I'm proud to say I can read somewhat fluently crochet acronyms.

baking. I keep saying this. I know. but when I tell you a two years ago I was exploding cupcakes in the oven and last month I made bakery-style cookies...I made bread! a loaf of bread! (in a bread machine, but it's so good and I instantly made another. there is one in the bread machine right now). honestly it just made me feel that much better about improvement, and trying new things, and that is the mindset I want for the new year.

learning to code. in all honesty, I never thought I was a compsci - engineer kind of person. then this year, out of sudden (masterminded) urges, I joined a bunch of tech and robotics initiatives, and maybe it's the sense of community (I can rejoice in finding another nerdy group) but now I am happily chauffeuring myself to these meetings 4h a week. I'm looking into pursuing more into the fields of eng and science. and I'm learning some code from one of the friends I've made!

starting a blog. ...I know most of the people who linger around my blog stay for the writing content (the last posts have turned this writerblr into a digital diary, and I'm only half sorry for that). but since I've joined tumblr (almost three years ago now!) I've got to meet so many wonderful people (including you!) and want to try so many things.

and I get it. it's overwhelming. so here are some starting goals that maybe I'll try also.

start doing art. -> make a card for someone as a gift.

learn a new sport & start exercising. (I'm trying out track & field in the spring, so stay tuned to figure out how that goes) -> see if someone will come play ball with you. do 1 or 2 youtube workout videos a week.

film videos of your daily life. it doesn't need to be for posting! -> edit together clips you've taken for a last year recape.

start a scrapbook. -> print out photos and dig up construction paper. decorate a page.

make a poetry journal. -> go on pinterest to read poetry! pin styles you like and set fifteen minutes to writing.

make a regular journal! -> write once a day. just try: goals for the day in the morning, or a recap at night.

try your hand at gardening. -> research plants that grow well in your region. see if any of the seeds you may have at home are useful. water your lawn. buy a plant and try to keep it alive (set reminders, leave it in front of your sink)

learn to make candles. -> watch a youtube tutorial. see if you can play around with candles you already have.

play chess. -> see if someone will play chess with you. no? chess.com is right there. go make an account. go find a stranger.

learn to play an instrument off youtube. -> maybe you have a piano sitting around, or a guitar you've never touched. you don't even need to master it. pick a song you like and google that. no instrument? maybe there's a way to play drums with home items.

go for a run. -> once a week. a set time. just shoes and the outdoors. too cold? go to a gym and use a treadmill. maybe that's not possible? skip rope.

start / join a book club. -> just you, or some close friends, or people online. a book a month. talk about it.

** on that note, would anyone like to join a tumblr book club? slide into my asks and maybe we can get a blog list!

thank you for reading again <3 until next time.

k.

[valriety]

SDV: Bachelor Baking HCs <3

Post Type: SFW, Fluff, Platonic/Romantic x Reader, Mentions of Family in Alex and Shane.

Characters: Sam, Elliot, Harvey, Alex, Shane, and Sebastian.

GN Reader (You/Yours) - slight baker!reader.

The first installment of my baking headcanons for the romance-ables! Assumes a baker!reader, but you can also just read these as general headcanons. Enjoy!

'SDV: Bacherlorette Baking HCs <3' can be found here.

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Sam:

Lowkey probably has never even baked before. Just never had any interest in it. He really likes eating baked goods though! Especially the sweet stuff - total sweet tooth. Penny probably shares what she bakes for him sometimes.

He helps out sometimes in the kitchen at home, but nothing crazy. 

If you like baking, and you invite him to come join, he is so down. He's not the best at it, and you'll need to guide him through a lot of the process, but he is so eager about it. Will request that you bake specific things together depending on what he's craving.

If he has a crush on you, he'll become more bold about his recipe requests, and will try to intitiate baking hangouts more often. The entire time he'll be sneaking glances at you with this cute slight blush on his face :)

He is no stranger to pretending to not know how to do something so you'll come over and help him too <3

If things get more serious, i can see him getting more into it, but it'll always be more your thing, and while he does get better, his skills are still pretty average. Your number one supporter though, brags about you and what you baked all the time.

Would love if you made pizza from scratch one night.

Overall Baking Skill: 2.5/5 - Please bake for this guy.

Harvey:

Actual closet baker. Has a cute apron and matching utensils. Wears it all the time.

He actually really enjoys baking, just not really the sweet stuff, instead he's really good at baking bread! He'll make it all from scratch, and even has a few starters setup - uses it for his lunches. Awkward whenever he tries to gift one of his loaves.

If you ever ask to bake with him, he'd accept, but only if you're at least good friends by this point. And he'd be a little hesitant about it too. Might pretend like he needs your direction at first, but he's pretty obvious, and you'll work out pretty quickly that he absolutely knows what he's doing.

If he has a crush on you, and you get past that initial shyness, will invite you to bake with him all the time. He's pretty dependable too! If there's anything you're unsure about, he'd be willing to teach you. May even put on the apron for you <3

If you're in a romantic relationship, will bake things for you all the time. Totally the type to put pretty designs into the bread as well, using herbs and wildflowers to experiment with flavour and color.

Overall Baking Skill: 5/5! Total kitchen wizard.

Elliot:

Another one to not really be seen baking unless someone invites him to do it. Except unlike Alex, who can make do, he's terrible at it. It's just not one of his fortes! He can cook... to an extent.... but his baking is on a whole 'nother level.

He does really enjoy it though, just... mostly aesthetically? The process of creating something from scratch, assembling the ingredients, kneading them together, and watching them become something beautiful - it's all very soothing to him. Loves the smell too.

Regardless of if you're in a platonic or romantic relationship, he would never decline an invitation to come bake with you. Though he would definitely stay on the sidelines, prefering to instead keep you company and hand you what you ask for. Forages with Leah sometimes, so may have some fresh ingredients on hand too!

Will send you recipes that remind him of you in the mail and include a short handwritten poem with every one <3

If he has a crush on you, or if you are in a romantic relationship with him, you might notice him making every excuse on earth to spend more time with you in the kitchen. And he'll do everything he can to help out too! Passing you tools, giving you praise, cleaning up after you, brushing the flour from your cheek... he's so sweet about it. 

Will offer to feed you, and never fails to have the biggest grin on his face when you agree :,)

Also I feel like he'd really like pumpkin pie? 

Overall Baking Skill: 0/5. Recipe for disaster.

Alex:

When he's not out training, or hanging with friends, Alex would definitely enjoy baking with Evelyn from time to time. He's a bit messy with the technique, and requires a lot of direction, but he really enjoys the process, and is fond of the bond created during.

He especially loves his grandmother's cookies, and will sometimes request flavours he's craving.

He doesn't bake frequently though, and he definitely doesn't attempt it often alone. Even when he follows a recipe, or tries to recall how his grandmother did it, he just can't get it right. So he usually prefers helping, it's the bonding he cares more about anyways.

If you enjoy baking, and you ask him to bake with you, he might be a little reluctant at first, worried that he'll mess up or won't be helpful. But be patient and keep asking! Once he sees that you're excited about it, he'll give it a go, so long as it's something simple :)

So flustered if he has a crush on you. When you try to feed him one, his cool exterior completely crumbles, cheeks flushing and unable to make eye contact. 

If you guys move past friendship, and onto a romantic relationship baking dates may actually become more frequent! Acts of services is definitely a love language of his, so if baking was something you enjoyed, he'd try his best to become helpful to you, even going as far to trying a few recipes out alone for you try <3

Would absolutely invite you to come help bake with Evelyn.

Overall Baking Skill: 3/5. Doing the best he can.

Shane:

Listen, he CAN bake, he's actually not too bad at it even, he just never does. Honestly Shane never enjoyed cooking, he'd much prefer microwave meals, or grabbing a feed from the saloon. He just doesn't like it. In fact, the only reason he's any good at it at all is because of Jas.

Shane struggles a bit with Jas. He worries alot that he's not present enough for her, or that he can't be the father figure she needs, so every now and again he'll try to put in a little extra effort, just to show her he cares.

The first time he tried baking was for one of Jas' birthdays. It was a simple cake, something easy for his first time, but he had a lot of trouble following the recipe, and the kitchen was a mess after it. He almost swore never to do it again. But seeing her reaction made it all worth it. So if he does bake, it'll be with Jas.

Occasionally, he'll participate in a tea party with her too :,)

Honestly, if you wanted to bake with him, I don't see him doing it? At least not for a long time, and not until you were really good friends. If you do manage to rope him into it, he's more inclined to keep you company or pass you things, but will carry out tasks you ask him to do. 

If he has a crush on you, he may very subtly hint towards certain recipes he'd like to try. And if you invite him to make these recipes with you, he'll probably ask if you'd like to share a drink with him as well, so he has something to blame his blush on lol <3

If things get a bit more serious, I'd also see him roping you into baking with him and Jas - smile on his face the entire time.

Overall Baking Skill: 2/5. Pretty average, pretty messy.

Sebastian:

Local basement dweller probably does not bake. Probably pretty impartial to sweet things as well, I reckon he's more of a savory guy. He's just not really interested in it, seeing more value in doing other things. Nothing wrong with it. 

No one in his immediate friend group really does it all that much either, so he's also just never been roped into it.

If you liked baking, and you ever decided to invite him along for the ride, he'd actually be down for it. It's not his thing, but it's yours, and if it'd make you happy to spend time with him like that, he sees no reason to say no. Just... make sure to guide him along and give him tasks, otherwise he's completely lost :,)

If he has a crush on you, I could see him taking interest in your favourites - shyly requesting to cook those together next time. He'd try to appear nonchalant about the final product, but inside he's actually pretty happy he did it, especially after seeing your reaction. He's honestly inclined to do it again.

And if you guys do end up getting more serious, and he keeps up with baking together with you, he may actually even end up getting pretty good at it. Even going so far as to learn a few recipes by himself - like your favourites, or some bread for whenever you have pumpkin soup for dinner <3

Overall Baking Score: 3.5/5. A true skill leveler.

A/N: And that's all! Lemme know if you liked these, or if you'd like something similar :)

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[stupidloafofbread]

I feel like you need more rcp on your blog so I’m going to ask the forrrr….silly headcannons! (any character in rcp btw) :3

Yeah I've uh, been lacking on that-

ANYWAYS UHH

Hcs you say? Bout time I redo these!

Starting with least to possibly most:

Jin!

- was raised in a house that would tend to broken vehicles, yet her mother was a bit of a...✨bitch✨ who always had planned for Jin to be exactly like her: running the broomstown rescue team. Well she got what she wanted, yet jin was MUCH nicer than her mother. But that's a story for another time ;3

- she had a brother. Keyword "had". Her little brother whose name was Hendrix died due to neglect from her mother. How did he die exactly? Poison.

- Anyways happy hc now: even if she bickers with helly, she sees him as a sorta little brother. ( =>)

Alr, now Amber

- As I've mentioned before, she can throw syringes at someone pretty easily. She's done it before (by accident!) to helly-

Now, this one may be triggering but I'm sorry :(

- orphan. Why? Basically her family had her put in a "special" school. She had two sisters but that now is only a memory. Why? Well that school had smth bad happen to it: a uh, school shooting.

Anyways happy hc now-

- Loves baking for her and her friends or people she cares about!-

Okay stopping with amber.

Onto Poli!

- Siren go weewoo/j I didn't know what to put here lmao

- Sometimes, he looks after the more "younger" residents if there's anything that comes up with their guardian(s) and takes them for a tour around the rescue station!

- Still, scared of caterpillars :3 (hey, I don't like them either, so he ain't alone/j)

- gets dragged into chaos with Helly sometimes (either willingly because boredom or forcibly-)

- like some people, I hc him to be able to speak korean mostly because I think he was raised in Korea✨

And now Roy (who I actually don't have that much for but screw it✨)

- got taught korean by poli just to mess with the others because why not. (I'll let y'all decide what they talk about✨)

- knows other languages but prefers to stick with English :3

- if a STH show exists in their world, his favorite character would be knuckles (polis favorite would be sonic, helly's favorite is tails and Amy✨)

- Now, if you don't specify a thing your giving him isn't edible, he will immediately eat it. Don't ask why, he just does.

Okay helly time✨

- Asexual son of a bitch/j

- oh and trans :> (FtM?)

- he has a whole bunch of scars from falling and running into things

- honestly, he doesn't care if you use they/them or he/him when referring to him

- as stated before, favorite sonic characters are: Tails, Amy, Silver and Charmy

- surprisingly, likes horror books! And no, they actually don't cause him nightmares-

- surprisingly good at playing Pac-Man and has beat poli's high score multiple times (thats the only thing they can't stand about each other/j)

And that's all of them for now!

Thanks dust :3

- Bread

[wildemaven]

Farmers Market: Saturday Afternoon with Javier- Part 2

Pairing: Javier Peña x Reader

Rating: T

Words: 895

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and food; if I missed anything, please let me know

A/N: This is a part 2 to this story. I wanted it to be from the reader’s perspective, so hopefully it reads that way. I’m not really sure how I feel about it as a whole, I rewrote it a few times in areas, but think I got it to a place where it mirrors Javier’s perspective like I was wanting it too. Also, in case it isn’t obvious when reading, italics are written as flashbacks. I think that’s it. Enjoy!

Masterlist / Saturdays with Javier Masterlist / Part 1

Having someone like Javier as a constant in your life was an indescribable feeling. His presence brought you a sense of security. Your days now lived with more intention and brilliance.

It’s a balmy Saturday afternoon and you find yourself tucked securely into Javier’s side as you make your way through your favorite weekend spot.

Mornings are a little different. Waking in his arms to soft kisses and tangled limbs before the sun bleeds through the windows of your shared home announcing the new day— loved and protected.

You find yourselves weaving through the mass of market goers. Fresh baked breads and brewed coffee, a refreshing aroma. The weight of Javier’s touch never far— he’s got you.

Your list ready, empty tote awaiting the days finds.

You’ve never been one for grandiose gestures, you found beauty in quiet appreciation. Javier loved celebrating you, grand accomplishments or small triumphs, he found any reason to show how much he adored you. After moving in together months ago, he’d left a bouquet of baby’s breath tucked inside a vase you’d inherited from your grandmother with a small note placed beside it—

I love you - JP

For a week the sweet flowers would live in that spot on your kitchen table until a new bundle replaced them. Every week that little bundle of flowers brought you so much comfort.

Javier shared his plans for the week in between bites of his custard filled pastry wandering on to the next merchant. The path always the same each visit. Javier had mentioned he appreciated the normalcy each visit brought him, a welcomed routine.

That dim lit bar wasn’t your first choice that evening. You weren’t immediately convinced anything would come of this blind-date when you’d stepped into the bustling dive bar tucked away on the outskirts of Laredo. If all you left with was the thrilling experience of glitchy neon beer signs, sticky table tops and keyed up jukebox tunes, you’d see it as a bucket list experience and call it a night. The 30 min tardiness on his part only added to the proof of why you didn’t date in this manner.

Javier’s presence is all-encompassing. He guides you through each spot you’ve visited numerous times before. Casually moving from stall to stall to visit the merchants, now dear friends whose chats you’ve grown to cherish deeply. Their goods now weekly necessities in your home.

The upbeat tune drowns out the chatter amongst the other bar dwellers. Condensation pooling beneath the glass of beer you’ve been sipping for the last hour. Tonight’s impending letdown slowly becoming an afterthought.

You’d lost sight of Javier while picking up a few loaves of sourdough, remembering Chucho had mentioned he just used up the last of his. Across the way he was chatting with the local florist. Early on, Javier never strayed far from your side, always allowing you to lead the way. But more and more, you catch him browsing, sometimes grabbing things that catch his eye.

The trajectory of your night shifts as a slow ballad quiets the smoke hazed room. You find your arms resting on the shoulders of a stranger you’d just met. His hands placed gently but firm on your hips as you both sway to the acoustic chords. The song far too established for only just meeting merely minutes ago, but it holds promise for a possible future. The chorus fills the air, your eyes locked with his. There’s an unspoken feeling you both share, time suspended around you— he’s captivating.

Fresh bundle of babies breath tucked under his arm, the other wrapped around your shoulders. A quick kiss to the top of your head as you double check your list, everything accounted for.

Last call has been announced and yet you don’t want this night to end. The exchange of life stories between you both has been easy. The cadence of his voice has you hanging onto his every word, longing for endless conversations. The gravel crunches with each step as he walks you to your car, drawing out your departure as much as possible. The invite, albeit impulsive, had left your mouth before you’d even realized it. He accepted immediately, meeting this Saturday at the city’s Farmers Market. The kiss, felt long after you’d parted ways and his spicy musk lingering in the air as you drive home, he was everywhere and you needed more of him— Javier Peña.

The late afternoon light filters through the trees, crowds of people gathering near the live band preparing to start their next set. Catching a few songs from headlining acts for the weekend was always your last stop before heading home.

The first few chords of a song begin to play as you push through to look for an available spot. Sidestepping through clusters of other concert viewers, pulling Javier along with you.

The words you instantly recognized, you smile as you continued on, finding an opening near the front. A squeeze to Javier’s hand— our song.

He promises sunsets and picnics by the lake. He promises laughter and long conversations over dinner. A promise to always kiss away your tears and bring you flowers when you need them most. He promises slow dances in dim lit dive bars until they’re kicking you out. He promises all his Saturday afternoons. He asks you for forever— Yes!

[vivi-in-the-sky-with-diamonds]

John's SFW Alphabet

(photo from ??, forgot again, ik I suck)

Hello, loves! This was due yesterday but I just couldn't bring myself to get on my laptop (I was feeling quite sick with a headache) lol. Will hopefully post again tomorrow to get back on schedule. This is the sequel to this post. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Mr. Lennon is not the most affectionate guy in the world. He shows his affection sometimes, but he’s not big on PDA. Enjoys kissing a little too much.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

John’s one of those best friends where you question how you’re even still friends with him. You’ve probably known him so long, you forgot exactly how you met.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

As much as he hates to admit it, John is more cuddly than one would imagine. He loves it when you “cradle” him.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

John’s leans less toward the idea of settling down. If he really really liked you, he’d consider it more. Secretly enjoys baking bread.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Unfortunately, he’s the type to rip off the band-aid. He’d hate to see them upset, but he’d say it’s for the best.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Like I said before, he leans less toward the idea of marriage and settling down. If he did end up marrying you, it’d be a while before he did.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Somewhere in the middle, but usually more gentle physically than emotionally.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

John is conflicted on whether or not he likes hugs. It depends on the person and how close they are. More than likely has a soft spot for your hugs.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Not as fast as you’d like. He doesn’t want to make the mistake of saying it to someone who won’t say it back.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

This man’s natural skin colour may as well be green. Can be quite angry when he’s in a jealous mood.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Sloppy. He always just goes for it. Loves to kiss you on your lips and neck and basically anywhere else. Loves to be kissed on his neck and nose. Bonus: please do not kiss his stomach without a compliment prepared because he will get in his feelings about his weight (poor baby).

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Somewhat okay with children. Kids tend to flock to him, and he doesn’t understand why.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

John spends a lot of mornings songwriting. To involve you, he’ll practice them on his guitar, with you singing.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

A lot of nights are spent by the radio, either listening to a programme or dancing.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

This man is a closed book, locked up tight. You have to be really, really close before he starts opening up.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

John has quite a short fuse. It’s longer with you, but with everyone else, he could explode at any given moment.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

John remembers the big things like birthdays, anniversaries, etc., but tends to forget some of the smaller things.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

The day you finally agreed to go out with him.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Extremely protective. Will keep a crowbar on standby to defend you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

John puts in effort, but probably not as much as you’d like.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Bites his nails excessively.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Not extremely concerned but more so than you’d think. When his hair is shorter, he likes to make sure it’s tidy, but once it grows out, he cares slightly less.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Probably, unless your relationship ends up being short and casual.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

John sleeps with socks on. Keeps his feet warm :)

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

John’s open to just about anything. Very much hates when anyone mentions his weight.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Similarly to Paul, John also sleeps like a rock. Likes to wear matching pyjamas. Stomach sleeper through and through. Definitely takes up half the bed.

[foolish-spectre]

✴Yellow Rose (Chapter Three)✴

✴ Word Count: 1871

✴ Warnings: (implied) Nightmares, Friendship breakup, crying

✴Prompt, Masterlist, Chapter 1, Chapter 2

To welcome back Dream to their kingdom, you gathered a single pot of flowers and a basket full of warm bread and soup. The flowers were reminiscent of a gift you received long ago, roses that resembled its gifter. Instead of stars and a night like hue, they arrived in many a  different color. Pink of peony, red of cherry, blue of bluebells, yellow of sun, orange of fruit, green of emerald, purple of lavender, white of silk, and black of Dream’s coat. One of each rose symbolized you in all your different forms, for it bloomed in the presence of its designated scene. The last flower was a particular breed that you’ve wanted to gift the Lord of Dream for many nights, for it sparkled under the moon. Morpheus looked skeptical of your gifts of food. 

“It’s for the warmth of your soul, I made it just for you!” You beamed. 

Dream nodded slightly in gratitude, his nostrils were blessed with the scent of sweet corn, freshly baked bread, and cooked meats. 

After receiving your gifts, you turned to Lucienne with a similar gift yet matched her soul, begonias, gladiolus, and a freshly baked pie. Morpheus tried to pay no heed to the pie but his eye betrayed him with a twitch. In fact you gifted every denizen of his kingdom with likewise gifts to welcome them all home, those that you couldn’t deliver personally were sent with your birds and parcels. 

Lucienne greeted your gifts with a knowing smile and a gift of her own, novels of the latest authors, to which you excitedly accepted. Dream expected that you had been giving gifts of aid while he was absent. A pang of guilt circulated his body once more, yet your unwavering smile soothed the prick. His feet betrayed him and walked forward towards you, but you waved goodbye to him and Lucienne as you flew away. 

Two flowers bloomed from within Dream’s basket. One that resembled Dream’s piercing gaze in the dark bloomed before you left and the other, of a gentle purple, kept on blooming as you left. Their gaze turned to the everblooming rose, Morpheus didn’t understand why it kept growing or rather he wished to explore it with you. All he knows is that your visit was far too short, Morpheus was pulled from the sea of his own thoughts by his raven. 

“Hey Boss, who was that?” Matthew queried, while smelling the freshly baked goods. 

The bane yet salve of his existence. “A friend of Desire.” 

“Woah, are you sure you should let them here then?” 

“They are not of Desire’s realm, the two of them have a partnership that rivals the length of time.” 

Matthew’s brain tried to assemble the puzzle pieces, “Are they an Endless?” 

“They are no sibling of mine.” 

Looking for more clues, the raven glanced at the roses, “Love?” 

“That is their current name, their original has been forgotten by mortals.” 

If Ravens could smile, Matthew would be a prime example, “You should send Love a card then, it sure is pretty thoughtful of them. Do you think they have anything for ravens?” 

Instead of an answer, Dream took out a piece of bread and chucked it at Matthew, to which the latter caught. 

Months had passed before Dream heard any mention of you again; many dreams and nightmares were created by him in the meantime. That was what was supposed to be intended but he heard you talking to Lucienne in the library every week. As if you wanted to avoid him, in his memories, you were far more inviting and confident. Yet the glimpses he did see of you, your movements reminded him more of a mouse skittering about a dining room. When the sun rose and the mortals awoke from their slumber, Dream took a break from his creations to trek towards wherever you may be. 

Although it wasn’t difficult considering that he is the Lord of the Dreaming, they found you in the Fiddler’s Green, admiring the greenery. You looked like you were running away from someone with your weary gaze, apparent bags underneath your eyes, and trembling frame. Yet when Morpheus caught your eye, you straightened your clothing and masked yourself with a smile. Their gaze determined to figure out the cause of your distress as the Lord of Dream stalked over to your seat. 

“Hello Dream, it’s been a while.” 

“I see you’ve made yourself comfortable within my realm.”

You sputtered, “Sorry- I can leave if you want, I know you don’t like anyone-”

“You are a messenger, the doors of Dream are welcome to you at any time. I sensed your distress from the castle.” 

You took a breath, “Nothing ever escapes your eyes, huh?” 

Dream’s lips tried to prevent a smile from peeking through. 

“It’s just some weird dreams I’ve had, they’ve been happening ever since you were gone.” 

Dream’s eyebrows furrowed, “And you did not ask for aid?” 

“I just didn’t want to bother you.” 

A thought passed through Morpheus’s mind before he uttered, “If it is affecting your work then it is a cause for concern.” 

You sprang up, almost offended at the Sandman telling you that you were unsatisfactory in your work, “I’ll have you know that I have never been better, so much love is happening that it would be a shame not to shout it to the skies! You know what?! I’ll show you!” 

You took the Sandman’s hand and unraveled your wings, their hands in yours, you gave them a flight out of their realm. With his coat billowing in the wind, you carried the pale man across the border between the Waking and Sleeping worlds. Dream had seen many fantastic sights within his realm and even in the Waking world but to see what you saw every day, was jaw dropping to say the least. The sky filled with a picturesque sky clashed with the muted colors of a sky polluted by light, colors blurred yet separated, and the feeling of wonder would’ve left any mortal’s mind by now. 

Still the waking world had more distinct smells and tastes, he could taste the humid air and smell the morning dew. Your grip on his arms tightened as the two of you reached an apartment in London, his shoes gently landing on the rooftop as he came face to face with you. Your wings lowered and disappeared as you checked to see if Morpheus was alright, content with your assessment, you turned to a person crying on the roof. 

Her tears painted the concrete and her sobs rang throughout the empty streets. Your companion stayed in the shadows as you gently but firmly stepped on the ground to make your presence known. Startled, they whipped around to see you, holding your hands up to make it clear you meant no harm. She blurted out, her distress on full display, “Why are you here?!” 

Your eyes softened, “I’m here to help.” 

“How?! It’s not like you can change what happened!” they realized that they almost gave their situation away. “I don’t even know you, just leave me alone!” 

Holding your ground like a well trained therapist, you spoke, “Your best friend, Lila, just ditched you for the fifth time this month and disregarded your feelings, I think far too many times.” 

The person clenched her sleeves, “Who are you? 

“I’m a friend, but you may call me Love.” 

Bewildered, she questioned you, “How… Wait why are you even here, this doesn’t concern you.” 

“Of course it does, dear. You love her.” 

Their face crinkled, “I- I don’t love her, I’m literally aroace.” 

“Not that kind of love, silly. I’m talking about the love between friends, philia.” 

She remained silent. 

“Friendship is just as important as romance,  but I think you know that very well.” 

The tears increased, “Yeah, but she keeps ditching me for her boyfriend and doesn’t seem to give a shit about me.” 

“And I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not even your fault. She always leaves to hang out with her boyfriend and never seems to… Even think about me unless she’s alone.” 

You remained silent to let her speak. 

“I-I don’t even know why she even does this, it’s like she doesn’t even care. I just postponed a meetup with my other friends just to have her cancel me. Why doesn’t she care?” 

Your eyes looked downward, “Do you want the truth?” 

They exclaimed, “Yes I do! What’s so special about her love life when I’ve been there all this time?!” 

“She doesn’t love you. Yes, you and her have been friends for so long but she took it for granted. She never put in the work, love is affection, yes. But it also means connection, it pains me to say this but, she never wanted to put in the work for you. She never cared.” 

Their eyes widened so much that the whites of their eyes consumed their irises, “She never cared.” 

Your eyes looked up, “But I have good news.” 

“What could possibly make this better?!” 

“I want you to know that your friends, the ones that you were originally going to hang out with, are thinking about you.” 

“You’re lying.” 

“Why would I lie? In fact, one of them is about to text you right now.” 

The moment you said that, their phone vibrated. She looked to you and you smiled and urged her to look at her phone. 

Julian: Hey Nicole! I don’t know if you’ll be awake for this but, if you’re free do you wanna get some brunch? Well early breakfast but my boyfriend couldn’t sleep and is just making a shit ton of foooood. Everyone else is gonna come, we’ll be waiting for you :) 

Nicole’s smile lost its form as they cried but they held their phone close to their chest. “But she…” 

“It will be either a long time or a very short one when you are able to cope with this loss, but you have friends who love you. Really love you. They have been there ever since you went by a different name, ever since you felt like you weren’t you. They care and it’s ok. It’s ok to mourn, but remember, you are loved. Nothing will change that.” 

You held out your arms and Nicole held you like an anchor in a storm, your wings sprang forth and wrapped around them. You rubbed circles into their back and swayed them as if they were your child, her tears blessing your clothes. After a long deserved eternity of crying, the sun opened the curtains and Nicole’s tears dried. Her face covered in tears yet plastered with a hopeful smile, she said one last thing before reuniting with her friends, “Thank you, I… needed this.” 

“Of course, everyone needs a good cry.” 

Nicole’s smile grew and her shoes could be heard going down the stairs. Dream stepped out of the shadows and your wings lowered but remained. Morpheus thoughtfully stared at you before his gravely yet rhythmic voice interrupted, “I never doubted you, your work is very comparable to mine.” 

Your smile no longer resembled a kindly parent but of someone who received a gift. 

He’s changed.

✴ Taglist  ✴

@ layla2-49

[crispylilworm]

Top 5 Video Game Foods

The recent Watcher Top 5 Beatdown had me racking my brain and googling lots of pixel food images, love the different aesthetic, experience, and curiosity factors that went in to their lists. Though I'd share my own & would love to hear yours!

5. Sweetroll (Skyrim)

4. Lantern Fruit (Subnautica)

3. Creamy Heart Soup (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

2. Peach Pie (Animal Crossing: New Horizons)

1. Brewster's Coffee (Animal Crossing: Wild World)

Reasoning & honorable mentions below ^.^

5. I got into Skyrim late to the game, but my first character started as a Jean Valjean-inspired petty thief in the pursuit bread and cheese. Nothing looked quite as appetizing as those little sweetrolls. One of the many delightful discoveries I came across going in blind to an iconic game.

4. Red, plump, slightly bioluminescent - super versatile as either a food source or bioreactor fuel, but most of all a gorgeous addition to any base. Returning to base and taking a bite of a fresh lantern fruit was more just for roleplay than anything lol, but man do I want to have a taste in real life.

3. Figuring out recipes was one of my favorite parts of the unlimited exploration in the open-world Breath of the Wild, and nothing seemed tastier than the Creamy Heart Soup. I can just imagine how revitalizing it would be to slurp it down mid-battle. Something about video games making imaginary fruits just looks so tantalizing, and I'm always a slut for a good soup.

2. The craftable food update in New Horizons is what kept me around for nearly a 1,000-hour island. Something about how they would steam after you cooked and placed them just looked so good. The cute aesthetics of the food items could warrant its own top-10 list for me, and the Peach Pie was as good as it got. I got the Switch game in 2022 well after the pandemic peak. Neither me nor my friends had peaches on their islands, and I was not about to pay to trade with someone - I never actually attained this beauty. My island had lined fields of crops and a farmers market with baked breads and jarred goods, she would have been my star centerpiece.

1. This is mainly an experience-based choice for me, but I imagine the taste would be phenomenal as well. 10-year-old me was unaware of changing DS settings to play different dates, so the once-per-day cup of coffee was a cherished moment. At the time I did not even know what coffee tasted like lol. The thought of drinking a scalding hot beverage scared me but I did not want to disappoint Brewster by letting it cool past its peak flavor. And Saturday nights when KK Slider was there?? Highlight of my week. Honestly that whole atmosphere of having a tasty little drink and watching a local live performance is exactly the vibe a look for as 28-year-old still. I wish I could go back and see how many hours I put into Wild World, I literally COMPLETED that game before I had access to the internet to look up how to find things - it was my cozy place.

I had too much fun putting this together lol honorable mentions has no cap idc, also no proofreading we die like men!

Honorable mentions: Yeto's Soup (Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) - it took so long to make it must be the heartiest soup ever, Rare Candy (Pokemon) - if it can make my pokemon level up imagine ME, Lobster Thermador (Sims 2) - max level cooking meal I didn't think was real lol, Goopy Carbonara (Sims 3) - what's so goopy about it?, Crab and Egg Chinese Style (Cooking Mama) - a food I want to try and cook myself, Dubious Food (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) - what flavor is 'dubious' exactly?, Cheesy Meat Bowl (Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) - food that could instantly cure a hangover, Golden Apple (Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) - does it even taste different?, Perfect Cherry (Animal Crossing: New Horizons) - I am allergic to cherries but I would risk it, Pink Cake (Stardew Valley) - so cute I NEED a taste, Light Faerie Sundae (Neopets) - faerie food looked tasty af the light sundae looked the best, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans (HP & The Chamber of Secrets PS2) - Harry seemed so excited to find those beans I need to know why, 'Johnny Silverhand' Cocktail (Cyberpunk 2077) - beer + chili + tequila sounds awful I want a taste, Big Bang Burger (Persona 5 Royal) - I want to taste of Okumura's finest, NukaCola (Fallout) - if it doesn't taste like Diet Coke nuclear apocalypse isn't worth it, Klawf al Ajillo & Pickled Toedscool (Pokeomon Scarlet/Violet) - I want to taste the forbidden meat o.O

[typingdyslexiaisathing]

Overcoming Anxiety (Obey Me! fanfic)

summary: Retha is getting some pampering due to feeling under the weather. When she has a moment of anxiety for her friends to step in.

Characters: OC (who is NOT the MC just a 3rd exchange student), Luke, Asmodeus, Lucifer.

content: mention of trauma, mention of depression, anxiety attack, casual fluff support, friends being there for each other

The evening was peaceful in the House of Lamentation. With Retha having a makeover session with Asmodeus and Luke for company. The sweet angel sitting in Retha's lap to plan out some recipe ideas for a baking contest. While Asmodeus fussed with Retha's appearance to be pitching cute ideas to Luke. Retha stayed seated on Asmo's bed to hug Luke and savor the moment. A good time to share between good friends.

But soon Retha grew more quiet to all but zone out. Which Luke caught on after a few minutes to turn and hug Retha tight. Which had Asmodeus pause in his filing of Retha's nails. Looking to Luke as the little angel finally noticed something was wrong with Retha. His voice holding concern as Luke said, "Wait. Retha? You feel really hot right now. Plus, your heart is racing too fast for you to be okay. Asmodeus. I think Retha caught a cold."

Asmodeus set the nail file down right away to reach his hand out to place it on Retha's forehead. The Avatar of Lust wincing to note, "Yeow. Retha. You are burning up. And not in the sexy way. Why didn't you tell us you were sick? Honey, you know better than to not say anything." Retha finally came out of her stupor to give a squeak at how close Asmodeus was to her face. But she soon gave a few wheezed coughs to pat Luke on the back. But it was obvious that Retha was starting to tremble. Looking like she was about to fall over. "Don't turn a little fever into me being on my death bed, you two. I just haven't been sleeping that great. What with going from just an ordinary human to a hybrid of different things, was bound to mean I don't get comfy at night. Plus I figure adjusting to being a Demon, Angel, Vampire, Sorceress combo would mean my body has to do serious fine tuning. So chillax."

Asmodeus put his hands on his hips to glare at Retha. Which had her bring those dragon wings at her back closer to instinctually hide herself from the very fuming glare the Avatar of Lust was giving her. Which also meant Luke got more boxed in to that hug for the angel to meep in surprise. The dragon scales along Retha's entire body catching the light when she shifted to half turn away from Asmodeus and shiver from head to talon feet. While that long scaled tail soon curled around herself to twitch slightly. Asmodeus gave a huff to then frown at Retha with a pout. "What well reasoned out excuses. I bet you caught what our precious pact human got yesterday while outside at Beelzebub's sports game. That precious sheeple as you call them ended up getting a lecture from Barbatos and Lord Diavolo about pushing themselves. Just admit that you were too anxious to ask us for more help than we've already given."

Luke gave a sad sigh to reach up and give Retha face nuzzles. The little angel snuggling the shaking Retha to sound very understanding as Retha gave a sniffle of noise. "Oh Retha. Did you think you were being a burden on us? You aren't a burden at all. We love you and want to help you whenever you need it. I know it's super hard for you to have your life so drastically changed. But we're here to give you what you need. Because we're friends." Retha gave a hoarse sigh to nuzzle Luke back and let the tears fall. "Yes. We're the best of friends. Basically family at this point. You are a gem, Luke. Asmo. Love always."

Asmodeus got his smile back to then turn when someone knocked on the door. So Asmodeus walked over to open it. Looking quite happy to see that it was Lucifer pushing a food cart. Various stews and baked breads on offering as well as a variety of sandwiches to choose from. So Lucifer gave that smug smile to push the cart into the room. "I was informed by a raven that we were in need of something filling. So Satan and Simeon helped put this together. Barbatos will arrive shortly with Solomon to do a physical on our very stubborn dragon hybrid. While Levi and Beel are fetching your schoolwork for us to do later." Asmodeus gave Lucifer a hug and several kisses to the cheek as Luke beamed happily at the food cart. Asmodeus giving coos of delight. "Oh just look at how suave my brother is. My heart might just stop at any moment. I love you, Lucifer."

Lucifer gave a patient sigh to tolerate the affection as Retha gave a huff of air. With Luke asking, "Are Solomon and Barbatos qualified to be doctors? Or are they bringing a doctor with them?" Retha has a thought to cover Luke's ears and glare at Asmodeus before the perky demon can say anything. "You dare suggest we all play 'Doctor' right now and I will stomp on you..." With Lucifer looking to be of the same mind as he smirks at Asmo's open disappointment. While Luke looks around to ask, "What? Why'd you cover my ears? What gives?"

[firstelevens]

hi zainab!!! 💫 🌈 🎀 🤲💌 for the fic writer asks?

[Barbie voice] Hi Mak! Thank you for sending these in! 💕

💫 what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

Honestly I'm verklempt any time someone decides to leave a comment, but it is absolutely my kryptonite when they choose to highlight a specific line or moment in the fic that they loved. I don't know what the magic is but so often the thing that gets highlighted is a bit that I was nervous about and it always makes me happy to know that I managed to make it work. (See also: any time someone says they can picture the characters delivering the dialogue that I wrote.)

🌈 is there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

I think I mentioned in the author's note on chapter 4 of the Bake Off AU (aka Bread Week) that I'd struggled with writing the chapter, but I'm not sure if I ever made it clear how much I'd struggled? Like, I joked a lot that it took two years to get the Bake Off AU finished, and a big part of that delay was me not knowing how to write that conflict in chapter four, and nothing else could happen until I'd made that happen. I fought it so hard and gave up repeatedly and distracted myself by making the cake chart and writing fake tweets but I really thought the fic would never get done because I couldn't get past that scene. Everything I came up with felt melodramatic or not involved enough or out of character and it simply was not happening.

And then I started posting the fic anyway, because I thought I might trick myself into being brave, and then when I got to chapter four, Emma literally called me on the telephone and basically held my hand through it and I managed to make it happen. I'm still very proud of that.

🎀 give yourself a compliment about your own writing

I feel like I usually have the same answer to questions like this, so I will change things up and say that I think I write non-romantic relationships pretty well, actually? I know I mostly write shippy fic so it doesn't come up as much, but I think I've been able to put texture and history into friendships and familial relationships and I'm proud of that.

🤲 what do YOU get out of writing?

I've been telling myself and others stories for so much longer than I've been posting them on the internet, and on my best days, I think that really is the thing I'm searching for while writing: if I do it right, I get to watch the unfolding of a story that I would really like to read, and I know it would never exist in that way if I hadn't sat down to create it.

I also just really like connecting with people over over storytelling? Whether that's going back and forth with someone in the comments or chatting about an AU with a friend or having a person with whom I am allowed to be my most creative and silly and indulgent authorly self, I don't think I would ever get that in quite the same way if I wasn't writing.

💌 share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Okay well first of all chapter two of the Bake Off AU prequel is up and it is SUCH a fun time and everyone should read it.

However that fic is fully written and therefore technically not a WIP, so instead I will say that the Formula 1 AU grows in scope by the day and I recently had to increase the chapter count because I'd outlined an interaction that Sam and Bucky have with Steve and Peggy's daughter and that grew so rapidly on its own that I needed to reserve a whole other chapter for plot progression stuff because I couldn't squeeze it in. Sometimes you simply must devote a whole chapter to Wholesome Uncle Energy.

[margridarnauds]

I was tagged by @lesbianelinordashwood (Thank you!)

5 foods: 4 you love, 1 you hate

I am a NOTORIOUSLY picky eater (combination of autism + picky eater gene), which makes me a pain in any food environment I’m not used to (though I’ve been working on broadening my palate and, I want this emphasize, will always be polite when I’m staying at someone’s place. Guest hospitality trumps the picky eating gene every time.)

4 I love:

    1. Rice, my beloved. Especially in teriyaki chicken recipes. Cheap, easy to make, filling. Who’s doing it like Her? 

    2. Pork belly -- I developed a taste for it when I was in Ireland. There’s a restaurant chain there called “The Spitjack” that serves pork belly, and it’s in most of the major cities which makes it an ideal stop for me at the end of a long conference (I’ll probably actually find an excuse to go when I’m in Ireland this week, actually). I’ll also eat pork belly in ramen; there’s a nice ramen place where I live that sells a relatively cheap pork belly dish for $8 with rice and quail egg that I love. (Paired, because I’m a Classy, Refined Bitch, with strawberry Ramune soda.) Something of a luxury food, given...well. Grad student. But so, so worth it. 

   3. Hot Dog Lattice -- My beloved. Speaking of foods I’m very likely to get while I’m in Ireland this week, no trip to Ireland’s complete without Her. (I actually found out the reason why most of my Irish friends look at me like I grew two heads when I bring up hot dog lattices -- they are actually Dutch. Hence why you can get ahold of them mostly at places like the Dutch brand Spar, even though you can sometimes find them in, say, Dunne’s, but not Tesco. God bless the Dutch for that one, honestly) 

   4. Ziti with meat balls -- When I was a child, my mother worked in a town about 45 minutes away. We were financially secure, we were happy, and sometimes, she would bring back ziti for me from an Italian place that was about an hour away. For me, ziti always tastes a little bit like love, as I still associate it with my mom coming home and those early days when it didn’t feel like we had any problems. My ziti uses a different sauce than the one they used at that restaurant, I don’t think I could replicate it if I tried, but baked ziti became one of my favorite dishes to make when I was in Ireland, since the noodles were cheap and it was easy to stick the pot in the oven, put on the cheese, and stick it back in again.  (Yes, I’m aware that most of these are things I had in Ireland, but consider: They have happy memories attached to them.) 

1 I hate:

    1. Pickles -- I have hated them ever since I was a child. Hated, hated, hated. “Just remove the pickle from the cheeseburger!” “But you don’t UNDERSTAND, I can *still taste it.*” 

Honorable mention to:

Easy mac, pulled pork (especially with Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce), lemon sugar crepes, garlic bread, chicken rice casserole, Cadbury creme egg ice cream (’tis the season), Sesame chicken, toast with a light scraping of grape jelly or orange marmalade, the fried chicken from the restaurant near where I grew up, Wendy’s chicken nuggets with fries and fruit punch, bacon (also, for once, I’m specifying American bacon here), mashed potatoes that still have a little bit of the chunks in them with butter, pork chops, garlic naan bread (sometimes with meat inside), mango mousse cake, potato pancakes, fried oysters, European chocolate (Cadbury is one of my all-time favorites, especially the popping Cadbury bars, but I’m not THAT precious about it...so long as it tastes like chocolate), s’mores, Cornish game hen, Kerry Gold butter, challah bread from the bakery near my old apartment

Tagging: @fallenidol-453 @mossadspydolphin @nastasyafilippovnas @claradwor @violetcancerian