#you could add cheese ig

[sillyscribblez]

My mind automatically replaces Sherlock with herlock so reading Sherlock Holmes is certainly something.

(Herlock my beloved)

(The ace attorney hyperfixation is totally not impacting me at alllll/s)

[justsomeoneintoomanyfandoms]

Hello! I was wondering if you could do a match up for Hazbin Hotel and Fullmetal Alchemist?

• Pronouns: She/her mainly, but I’m ok with pretty much anything

• Sexuality: Demi-bisexual, greyromantic

• Zodiac/MBTI: Virgo, INFJ

• Appearance: Very short, under 5’0, honey skin tone that easily darkens in the sun, very dark brown hair and eyes which can be mistaken as black, mainly wear braids and ponytails, VERY LONG HAIR, square glasses, slightly chubby ig?, small hands, thick eyebrows, lots of body hair specifically on my legs (which I like), I think that’s just about it?

• Personality: I'm quite reserved and introverted, one to blend into the crowd and not one to stand out, but once you get to know me l can be very open and expressive. An introverted theater kid essentially. I'd also say I'm pretty kind, but can also be sarcastic. I can also be a bit mischievous as I like to do random stuff because I think it's funny. Despite all this I'm still a more lower energy person and am pretty calm, the mediator (and quite mature I'm told). The therapist friend who also needs a therapist if you will. But that more hyper part of me definitely comes out more intensely if something I like is involved. As in bouncing up and down at the seams explaining my interests hyper. I also seek for deep connections with people, so I hate small talk. I also get quite socially anxious but am getting better about it, and have some trust issues

• Likes: Robotics and engineering, art, hanging out with friends when I have the energy, relaxing at home by myself, swimming, hiking, watching YouTube, anime, musicals, music, collecting miniatures (like things that you’d find in a dollhouse), museums, dad jokes mainly but all sorts of humor, dark humor would probably be second, traveling

• Dislikes: jogging, conflict, hurting people I love, loud noises, a lot of foods/I am a VERY picky eater (typically it’s an aversion to anything with melted cheese like burgers or macaroni and cheese, pizza I only stopped disliking recently), SPIDERS and just bugs in general,

• Hobbies: drawing, writing, singing, reading, collecting rocks, playing video games, daydreaming (ideas for shows, books, etc), listening to music

• Any extra information: I have epilepsy (am medicated and not photosensitive) so maybe you could add that in somewhere?

Thank you for your time!

Hi! Thank you for your request! Sorry it took a while. I hope you like your matchups!

In Hazbin Hotel, I match you with...

The mediator and the therapist friend who also kind of needs a therapist you say? Yep, sounds like Vaggie would be the perfect match for you! You can help each other out since you both understand the others struggles.

Since you have trust issues, there’s definitely going to be some rough times when it’s revealed that Vaggie’s an ex-angel. But she’ll do whatever she needs to win your trust back.

Please make dad jokes around her. It’s the only time you’ve ever seen such a large crack in her usually stoic façade. I see Vaggie as someone who loves dad jokes. She just thinks they’re funny.

Will get rid of any bugs and spiders for you. Of course, when Angel Dust is getting on her nerves, she’ll use this as an excuse to try and drive him out but it hasn’t worked yet.

Vaggie’s an amazing help when it comes to your epilepsy. She’s very attentive and can usually spot triggers before they become a problem and will steer you clear of them. In the case of an incident, she’ll pull out all the stops to help you in whatever way she can.

In Fullmetal Alchemist, I match you with...

First of all, expect to have a very excited Winry talking to you about everything automail. She’s so happy she’s found someone as interested in robotics and engineering as she is!

I think she would enjoy going on hikes with you. It’s a nice break away from the workshop and she likes getting to stretch her legs while also spending time with you.

Loud noises are unavoidable in Winry’s workshop, so she’ll never ask you to visit her while she’s working. She’ll also do her best to keep the volume down when Ed and Al visit but there’s only so much she can do there...

In a modern au, she would definitely be into watching YouTube videos, especially anything DIY. Please give her recommendations though! She’s more than willing to watch anything you like.

With the amount Ed breaks his automail, Winry has to travel a lot. Since you like travelling, she would love it if you accompanied her. There some extra safety travelling with someone, and she gets to explore new places with you.

[exo-meme-ories]

OKAY SO, WE'RE THE ONES WHO SAID WE'D TRY THE SANDWICHES AND WE FINALLY GOT AROUND TO TRYING THE SANDWICHES!! well, tried to the best of our ability because we have no chocolate or the ability to deep fry a sandwich.

⏱️'s peanut butter honey and paprika (minus chocolate): pretty good, the paprika adds a nice tang. made our host very confused because i did not tell them what i was doing. the chocolate probably would have made it better.

plauge doctor’s deep fried ham and cheese: just kinda grilled it, nice and toasty.

🩰's micorwaved pp&j: not bad, never ate peanut butter warm but gotta say i liked it. the jelly was messy tho, could of been us using the wrong jelly tho.

🌙💍's sandwiches: had no clue how to attempt the sandwich omelet but we did try to microwaved cheese and marshmallow fluff. it was messy and we might have microwaved it for too long bc it made a mess. definitely not the worst but im concerned for you /nm

(also apologizes to our host and having them clean the microwave from that)

🐍♾ wilbur's cherrio sandwich: didn't have a baguette so we just stuck whatever cherrios we had in between some sandwich bread, not bad but the cherrios tried escaping.

this was what we could do with the ingredients we had so enjoy this part of the sandwich saga!

-sandwich anon (ig thats who we are now lol)

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

[static-void]

also in case. You were wondering

-cook one of the block packages of ramen noodles (ig it could work w the cups too but like. the blocks are easier). either separate them out and put some of the broth in a measuring cup or just leave them in the broth (if you do the latter be quick so they don't get mushy)

-hot skillet. oil, I pretty consistently use minced garlic unless we don't have the shit. some broth. some soy sauce. hold for a minute

-if you have veggies put em in (snap peas are good as is bell pepper. Green onions. Yknow)

-noodles go in once veggies have been there for a couple minutes. start wiggling em

-Apply Powder (I like garlic powder, onion powder, & cayenne powder personally. salt & pepper also)

-more soy sauce more broth. Maybe more oil (not much bc they Do not hold onto it once they start to cool)

-keep wiggling em (goal here is to break up the Clump of cooked noodles. they'll get a little shorter & cut up that's fine. Also making sure they don't burn)

-stay with me (x1): little bit of sugar. I don't know what exactly it helps but It Helps.

-wait until they get a bit darker & like. A little translucent. And they stop wiggling around like Wet objects as much. they'll also have shrunk a little. I can usually tell by testing them when they're at my personal preference of done

-stay with me (x2): do you have the little shaky jars of parmesan. Yknow the ones. Sprinkle a bit of that on top. & then stir in. It adds a nice backnote (the reason I specified parmesan is bc a lot of other cheese esp shredded Won't add the same flavor. It's a very specific nudge.)

(The way I found this out was the first time I made them I was like "it's good but consider. There's something Not There. parmesan perhaps" & skulked off to my fridge to rattle around for it. So it was just a good guess really)

-congrats you are almost done. taste em, add some shit if you need to (I usually add garlic powder & soy sauce here bc I Do not add enough at the start).

-behold. you can do this w like the real cheap block ramen yknow the kind & it makes it a bit nicer to eat while remaining relatively cheap & using shelf stable ingredients (you really do not have to add any veggies. It'll still work, i just like it when i have the option. The minced garlic i use is the pre-minced shit you can get at the store & then throw in your fridge.)

[jitters-art]

top 5 food and why you like them (texture, taste etc) :>

OOOH :DD

1. poutine 😭😭 srry most canadian thing of me ig but it’s so yummy to meee !!!! its v easy to make as well which also would add to the ease of being able to enjoy it. if i order it somewhere i like to have cheese curds but at home i just use shredded cheese. also for any canadians out there i think my fave fast food places to get it is either harveys or mary browns. they are both sooo good.

2. chicken korma omggggg its so soft and tender…….. makes my mouth water just thinking about it… it’s always such a treat for me when i order it because it just tastes SO good and ik i already said but it’s so tender… i could cry even 😭😭

3. korean style fried rice— there’s obv so many ways to make smth like this but i personally like it with spam and egg the best :DD sometimes i use chicken too but mainly spam…. i like kimchi friend rice too but without kimchi i prefer more bc altho i like kimchi i’m not a fan of the texture of cabbage kimchi !! i haven’t tried radish kimchi but i think i’d like that more :p but anyways yea back to fried rice, must have looooots of gochujang bc i love spicy food c: i make it all the time i rlly can’t get enough of it— it’s very fun and very easy to make too

4. japanese beef or chicken curry…. i rlly like the golden curry brand to make at home !! i’m actually planning to make some hopefully this week lol. it tastes so good and once again i like the spicier ones cc: i love all curries in general tho they make me… so happy. i could eat curry every single day frfr. curry and rice is my best friend <3

5. crab legsss omg…. not even a specific style of them just in general i love all crab legs. i haven’t had these in yearssssss 😭😭 way too expensive to afford but !! omg i adore them….. they’re soo much fun to get into for me hehe… so the process of eating them is fun PLUS they taste so good to me… augh i forever adore crab legs…

[aslanjadecarlyle]

My Banana Fish HCs

These are my personal headcanons, totally valid if you don’t agree, just don’t attack me. 😂

List could be expanded on some, but these are a list of my HCs as they stand right now!

Ash • Eiji • Shorter (more characters could be added later, we’ll see!)

——

Ash:

—Ace due to trauma which is 1,000% valid. Biromantic

—BIG Nirvana fan

—Collects music in any physical format he can get his hands on. Vinyl records, CDs, even cassette tapes.

—He listens to music LOUD. Fucking blasts it, always. That shit is cleansing.

—PTSD, obviously. Music helps. So does Eiji. And… journaling, but don’t tell anybody.

—Can remember things very far back and has several childhood memories with Griffin from before he went off to war

—Can’t make much more than boxed Mac and Cheese tbh. Thinks American-style ramen is fine cuisine

—“What the fuck”

—Eiji introduces him to journal-writing to help with his PTSD. He writes it off as unnecessary, but continues journaling in secret.

—Has tried Many drugs in his life, but he doesn’t like any of them. Doesn’t like, can’t fucking stand, the vulnerable state they put him in, and the feeling of getting high freaks him out. Same with drinking. Shorter understands.

—Flannel and overall ‘90s grunge aesthetic

Eiji:

—Unlabeled

—Broken English sometimes

—“Ash-u”

—Is literally a JOCK, would have been a jock in high school, what the F U C K

—Gets excited about new TikTok dances every other week and makes Ash try them with him

—Excellent cook when he’s not trying to add natto to everything

—Introduces Ash to journal-writing to help with his PTSD. Ash writes it off as unnecessary, but continues journaling in secret.

—Has literally never tried any sort of drugs in his life, marijuana included, so when he gets high with Shorter for the first time it’s a fucking EXPERIENCE

—Doesn’t drink caffeine a whole lot, but when he does it hits him HARD, holy shit. Fucking bouncing off the walls

—Not only is fall his favorite season, but he 1,000% throws himself into all of the “basic” fall things, pumpkin spice and fall fashion aesthetics included. And, teasing Ash about pumpkins is a surprising, but very delightful, bonus.

—Photographs everything. Favorite social media is Instagram and he actually has a decent following. But, he never posts anything with Ash without his permission, and most of the pictures that go up on IG don’t include Ash’s face.

—Ash’s eyes have always been compared to Jade. It’s even in his name. But, that association is tainted by Dino and his men, and the more Ash hears somebody say his eyes are like Jade, the more he hates it. (Especially when it comes to older men making the comparison, for obvious reasons).

Eiji, too, thinks Ash’s eyes are beautiful. But, he doesn’t compare them to Jade. No.

He tells Ash that his eyes are like evergreen.

Wild, beautiful, and free.

Shorter:

—Pansexual af

—Founder of the Ash Lynx Deserves Better Club and would do literally anything in the world for his best friend

—Weed

—Favorite color is purple. Duh.

—Has a music collection that rivals Ash’s, but his are mostly CDs and digital

—Creates the most nonsensical Spotify playlists ever. Makes about 90% of them when he’s high

—misread Eiji’s name as “EJ” once and still calls him EJ as a joke. “Edward Jacob like in Twilight.”

—Fuck yeah he’s watched all the Twilight movies. Not much of a reader though. Team Jacob just because werewolves are cool. (But his favorite character overall is Emmett)

—“There he is! There’s my favorite white boy!” every single time Ash walks into the room

[dandelioncrownns]

random grishaverse facts/trivia (mostly tgt/kos, tbh), because i love useless details. Also, attempted organisation, because i like order too. + ft. my unwanted commentary

the darkling

has a sweet tooth

loves animals and nature in general

for those of you who have read demon in the woods, he got to meet the white tigers :)

his bedchamber walls are carved into trees bc he loves the woods

his favourite trees in particular are pine trees (or just evergreen trees in general)

he used to be afraid of the dark (many possibly worrying? interesting? implications to this; i won’t get into it here tho)

he likes bright colours, but wears black all the time basically for the aesthetic

he met his younger half-sister, Ulla, when he was a seer’s apprentice in Fjerda 

the darkling is a musician! He plays the fiddle, and growing up, he played the balalaika and oud (i wonder if he can read tablature,,) 

His father was a very powerful heartrender (maybe this is why the corporalki are valued so highly by him?)

genya

she got an amplifier between the end of R+R and the start of KoS (kestrel bones)

Genya used Dekora Nevich, the Ornamental Blade, to poison the King

It smells like cinnamon and is a warm golden colour

the royal family / nikolai’s bio family 

the King once cut himself on his own sword

genya named the queen’s dog 

until she was like 11, Genya was like the daughter the queen never had (omg i really wonder how Nikolai and Vasily felt about that? ik it’s not really mentioned, and Nik kinda acts like he just met Genya is S+S, but they must have been a lot closer, right?? I mean genya was almost always at the grand palace with Queen Tatiana, and nikolai just really wanted his parents’ attention, there must have been some kind of maybe one-sided jealousy/sibling rivalry thing, right?? I digress- for now)

also the queen in a dog person

p. sure Nikolai is a mommy’s boy

(possible explanation:) he looks exactly like his real father (except for his eyes). Nikolai even has the same laugh as Magnus

the queen was also fed up with Vasily and his horses

Vasily rides a white gelding horse and Nikolai rides a speckled grey horse (called Punchline)

speaking of, vasily is definitely a horse girl, but like... just the worst (darkling 🤝vasily)

Queen Tatiana’s letters to Magnus Opjer were “very racy” 

 She doesn’t approve of women in trousers

Linnea is ~1 year younger than Nikolai

she is good at math + studies engineering at ketterdam (I wonder if maybe she and Nikolai crossed paths when he was at uni- they’re around the same age, so maybe?)

The King and Queen hired a clown for nikolai’s 10th birthday (the worst birthday party he’d been to, inclusive of the night Vasily died, according to Nikolai)

Nikolai is afraid of spiders (and also clowns???)

nikolai:

he can juggle

Nikolai sucks at learning languages 

he once spoke Fjerdan so badly a man named Knut offered him a ruby to stop

his Kerch seems pretty good tho

Nikolai met The Darkling when he was 14

Nikolai is a baritone (as is Jesper!)

In his free time, Nikolai writes bad poetry (remember that time he got stabbed w/ a letter opener bc his poetry sucked?)

he went through an emo phase/ existential crisis before becoming sturmhond.

during said emo phase, he wrote rhyming poetry pretty much exclusively

He also took philosophy classes at uni (PPE?)

alina:

alina tried on the same rose dress that the Queen watched vasily die in

Nikolai gifted Alina a VERY low-cut cobalt lace gown (In the words of Nadia, “The bodice might as well be cut to the navel.” )

Alina hates herring, but Zoya and Nikolai love it

She is VERY sarcastic and snarky!! I feel like this gets glossed over so much in the fandom, and just why?? (she’s so gloomy and over everything 90% of the time, i love it so much)

So this isn’t technically a fact-fact, but there is no way Alina wasn’t at least a little bit into women. Did you read how she talked abt genya? Zoya? there’s no way she wasn’t into them

Alina doesn’t really like hard cheese

zoya + zoyalai:

Zoya’s horse is called Serebrine

Zoya can use her lightning as a defibrillator (I’m sure other squallers can do this too with the right training)

Zoya likes Nikolai’s hands (and Nikolai likes Zoya’s feet lmao)

she has ‘weird (long?) incisors’  

she definitely had a crush on Nikolai since Ruin and Rising

kaz:

Kaz grew up on a farm in Southern Kerch, in Lij

Kaz is a both a cat and a dog person  (he just likes strays)

Matthias is a dog person, obviously

All the other crows are cat people 

He likes hot chocolate

both he and nikolai like brandy

hates cereal

Kaz is obsessed with magic + likes puzzles

actually very funny if he wasn’t terrifying (honestly?? at leat 70% of his dialogue is just witty quips/jokes)

Kaz’s right leg is the one he broke, and the dregs usually get their tattoo on their right forearm

the other crows:

Jesper has been known to go line-dancing (and would like country music) 

Mal and Jesper were friends in S+S!! (Probably) Jesper has a not-really-secret crush on sturmhond. 

He also had a VERY not secret crush on Kaz before wylan, ofc

Matthias’ middle name is Benedik

Nina would win in an arm wrestling contest against Jesper

Inej has a thing for Kaz’s eyes

Nina was at the orphanage with the other grisha kids in R+R

In the opening scene of CK, Jesper was wearing a navy waistcoat with little gold stars (his fashion is just top tier honestly)

grisha- powers, etc.:

A solar eclipse would have no effect on the Darkling’s powers, but it would make it harder for Alina to summon.

Fabrikators can make flowers bloom

The twins have shark teeth amplifiers

Adrik and Leoni are saints

general world stuff:

Gay marriage is legal in Kerch!

there was a landbridge connecting Shu Han and Kerch but the council of tides covered it

Antimony is used as mascara

kruge is pale purple paper currency

ravkan currency has Nikolai’s face on it (ig not anymore tho?)

Hringkälla is celebrated on March 20th

the distance between Ivets and Os Alta is only about 100 miles? (i’m just going to willfully ignore this, because thats,, so small?)

Mermaids and dragons exist(ed) in the grishaverse

misc:

the daughter of the duke of ivets has a daughter who can play the harp

there is not fourth tale of krigi

The baroness Natasha Beritrova is fifty (as of KoS) and has lands near caryeva

Elke Marie Smit is from one of the most powerful Kerch families and is just 16 in KoS

Oncat is an orange tabby

Anya liked Joost a lot :( (I got way too attached to them at the start of SoC and was so sad + confused when they died lol)

david eats hard boiled eggs for his working days in the shops

‘Malyen’ is the Ravkan version of ‘Malcolm’ (very fitting)

Nikolai brought the kids at Keramzin toy boats + frequently sends Alina and Mal gifts 

The triumvirate would also visit them every feast of Sankt Nikolai too :)

star signs / birthdays (ik the gv constellations aren’t the same as ours, but idc):

Inej: Cancer (june 21st - july 22nd)

Kaz: Capricorn (december 22nd - january 19th)

Nina: Leo (july 23rd - august 22nd)

Jesper: Gemini (may 21st - june 20th)

Matthias: Taurus (april 20th - may 20th)

Wylan: virgo (august 23rd - september 22nd)

Kuwei: aries (march 21st - april 19th)

Darkling: aries

Nikolai is most likely either a gemini or cancer (but he could also be a Leo or Taurus). Whatever it is, he is a summer baby.

Alina and Mal have the same birthday (they were given the Duke’s birthday when they came to the orphanage)

heights:

Jesper is 6’2” - 6’3”

Kaz is 6′

Matthias is 6’4

Nina is 5’9”-5’10”

Inej is 5’3” - 5’4”

Alina is ’short’ (5’3”?)

Mal and the Darkling are ‘tall’ (tbf, like all the characters are tall >:( I want my short people rights)

Nikolai  (well, stumhond, but i think they’re the same height) is described by Jesper as tall (so 6’2”+?? why is everyone so tall??? I-)

Zoya is several inches shorter than nina (zoyalai height difference lets go)

Kuwei is slightly shorter than Wylan (who is about 5’8”?)

there’s definitely more, so if you made it this far and have any more, pls add to the list!

[whatmealsbetterthanvodka]

OKAY GUYS LISTEN OUT, I MIGHT ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING

so I had these ‚zucchini boats‘ I call ‚em for dinner AND THEY WE‘RE ONLY 260KCAL FOR FOUR OF THEM, so one would be about 65kcal and they‘re probably great for pizza cravings. So let me tell you what I did (It‘s prolly nothing new and I was also inspired by a pic I saw on ig, but I‘ll share anyways)

You’ll need:

- Zucchini

17kcal per 100g, mine were 410g so 70kcal

- Tomatosauce

I used a basil seasoned one we had at home, was 42kcal per 100g

- Cheese

I used fat reduced one to keep the calories as low as possible, 82kcal per 30g

Instructions:

I washed my zucchini, cut them in half and scratched a little bit of the inside out with a spoon, so I‘d have enough place for the sauce and the cheese.

Then I put about 15g of the sauce on each on them, which would add 25kcal.

I topped them off with 15g of low-fat cheese on each, the cheese was 164kcal in total.

Aaaand I also seasoned them with salt and pepper.

I baked them for about 25-30 minutes at 200°C.

As you see, the majority of the calories come from the cheese, so you could put less on to make it even less calories.

If you don‘t have to spare on calories that much you could also top them with other stuff.

And that‘s it!

[boy-and-girl-crazy123456]

do you perhaps have a link to the recipe for the soup it looked really good

i didn't really use a recipe actually but i can just kinda tell you what i did :) you need: A 3lb bag of potatoes (i used red, yellow should be good too. wouldn't recommend russets for this but if it's all you have it's fine) one large leek

one largeish carrot

one rib of celery

1 lb of cream cheese

a cup of half and half (you can also just use cream or milk) one and halfish quarts of broth or stock (i used chicken broth but it can really be whatever; you could also just use water ig but then it wouldn't taste as good). For this i used a full quart and just added more from the other one as i went on just if it seemed like it didn't have enough liquid and all.

Whatever seasonings you want, I used rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper but it's whatever you wanna do

so from there it's pretty simple, clean and dry all the produce. dice the celery, carrots, and potatoes, and cut the leek in half between the leaves and the root, and then chop up the root as well. In your cooking vessel saute the celery carrots and leek root (not the leaves) for a few minutes, then add the potatoes, broth, and your seasonings, and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes. While it's cooking take the leaves from the leek and chop them very thinly. Once you've boiled it long enough turn the heat down and add your cream cheese and half n half (or whatever you're using) and blend with an immersion blender (if you don't have one you can also use a regular blender or food processor but it'll be a lot more intensive; if you don't have any or don't wanna go through all that you can make an alternate version with solid bits of all the produce in it but it won't really be the same thing as this). After it's blended fold in the sliced leek leaves from before and then it's ready to eat :)

[shaekingshitup]

MIRACLES HAPPEN

DAY ONE: TANGERINE

A/N: Y’ALL! I WAS DUPED! @teakturn puts out a 25 Days of Christmas every year and my dumbass said I would do it too. But I decided to add a little diversity to the culture and we’re doing a Chrismukkah adventure this year on this blog! This is picking up after this request that I got earlier this year. None of this shit is proofread because I am literally just writing by the seat of my pants so read at your own discretion. I will probably end up rewriting this entire mini series in the future. But enjoy it now. If you wanna be tagged, lmk! Also, I know that in In Sight I said there was a cure for COVID. Swap that out for a vaccine y’all. Viruses can’t be cured. 

Word Count: 2300 

DAY ONE: TANGERINE

December 18, 2022

“Baby you ready?!” Tre called into the house as reached into the basket on his way to the garage. He came up empty handed for the keys to his Lexus. Opening the door to the garage, he saw Sol sitting in the passenger seat of the running car. 

Tre walked over to his baby as Sol smirked at him. 

“You late again,” she said. 

“I’m never late,” Tre said opening the door and climbing in,  “You just early as always,” he shot back as he put the car in reverse. Sol playfully rolled her eyes. After two years of being together, this was always their running joke. The first time they’d met, she’d been pacing back and forth awaiting his arrival. Even after finding their own groove, she still found herself being the one waiting for him- but, he always made it worth it so it was hard for her to complain.

Tre pulled out of the driveway and clicked the remote to shut the door. Out of instinct, his hand went to Sol’s thigh when he put it in drive. “Did you grab my yarmulke?” Tre asked as he threw her a glance. 

“Please don’t insult me. This ain’t my first feast Nemo.” the indignant manner which she spoke had her and Tre struggling to keep in their bouts of laughter. “Yes, baby. They’re in the backseat.” 

“Good. Good. What’s the other name for them again?” Tre asked as he merged onto the nearly empty highway. A five a.m call time could be a blessing and a curse. 

“Kippah” is the Hebrew word for the male cap and “kippot” is the Hebrew word for the female cap.” Sol answered on autopilot as she mused on their situation. She was still taken aback that they’d been contacted by Black Juice to begin with. She’d been following them ever since they’d done that feature with Drake talking about how his own Jewish faith influenced his career path. Although she wasn’t as active in her Jewish faith as she’d wished she’d been in recent years it was still a huge victory to be acknowledged by the leading Black Jewish media network. Okay so maybe they were the only Black Jewish media network. But that definitely meant they were in the lead! She wasn’t stupid to think that this kind of opportunity would have come without Trevante in her life. But, she wasn’t gonna knock it either. 

This 8 Days of Miracles was the perfect task she needed as she figured out what the next step was for her career. Now that she’d finally finished her academic portion of her career she wasn’t sure how to proceed. So throwing herself into this project and hosting both her family and Tre’s for the holidays was the best distraction she could ask for. This time always gave her hope and made her realize that any kind of bullshit she’d put up with wasn’t in vain. It was her annual reset. New Year’s be damned. It also made her feel closer to her father and there wasn’t anyone in this world she’d loved more. At least that’s what she’d thought. She felt pressure on her thigh from the number one contender for her heart as Tre gave her a slight squeeze. 

“What’s on ya mind Sunshine?” Sol looked down at his hand and couldn’t help but cheese. She still beamed every time he called her by that nickname. 

“I was thinking about my dad and how proud he’d be to see me reppin his faith,” Sol said absentmindedly touching her necklace. Tre listened attentively as he grazed his thumb against her thigh in a gentle motion. “ I mean, I don’t know if he could have known that all of the years he instilled in us the value of miracles when we were children we’d still be celebrating Hanukkah after he was gone.” 

“I’m sure he didn’t know.” Tre started out slowly. He honestly wasn’t even sure if she’d finished her thoughts, “But, he probably hoped you would.” The phone rang as they turned off the street and into the lot. “STEPH 👷🏿‍♀️💪🏿” flashed across the Caller ID on his dashboard. Tre clicked the answer button on his steering wheel as Sol handed him his badge to show to Nico, the Security Attendant. 

“We’re at Security Steph,” Tre answered as he nodded at Nico. 

“Okay good. I just wanted to make sure we were starting the day off on time.” Tre and Sol shared a glance. 

“Woman don’t start with me. Call time is 5 and it’s 4:39. We don’t play that late shit over here and you know it.

“Well,  I also grabbed your favorite donuts from Craft Services so no one else would steal them and I wanted to know how long I had to hoard them for your ungrateful self. I can put them back if you’d like sir,” 

“Steph. You can ignore Tre.” Sol chimed in. “We appreciate you and will be walking in the door in exactly 2 minutes. Tre is parking as we speak. We’ll see you soon.”

“Tre, you lucky you have her. Keep her if you want to keep the best managent in town. Bye y’all!!” Steph sang as she hung up. Sol let out a cackle because Steph refused to be referred as anything other than a managent as Tre stood there dumbfounded at how he was being left out to dry. But he knew better than to go against two black women before he’d even finished his morning coffee. He just hopped out the whip and opened Sol’s door so she could do the same. 

Once they’d gotten their morsels of food, gone through hair and makeup and snapped a few photos for Black Juice and their own social media accounts, they were back on the road headed deeper into LA. They had a cameraman in the backseat filming their every move, one car guided them to their location and another followed them as they maneuvered through the cars that were poppin up for their morning commutes. Sol was on her IG live and answering any questions that popped up about where they were headed and her Hanukkah festivities. She watched as the number quickly jumped from 5,000 viewers to 13,000 and counting. She wasn’t sure what this many people were doing up at this hour but she wasn’t complaining. Tre’s mama was of course one of them. He was a mama’s boy through and through and she was always there to support him at any opportunity she could. Sol made sure to greet her specifically. Tre bopped his head to some Jill Scott- being careful not to let his yarmulke fall. Sol sipped some hot cocoa from her thermos and sang off key with him. As soon as they turned on a residential street, she felt awash in a new warmth that the hot chocolate couldn’t touch. She shook Tre’s arm enthusiastically. 

“It’s time!!” she beamed, “Are you ready?!” Tre chuckled at her immediate change in attitude. The car in front was already parked and the camera crew was out on the sidewalk. 

“Yes Sol. I’m ready to spread some holiday cheer. Let’s go make somebody’s day he said. Before Tre could even put the car in park, she was reaching for the handle” 

“AHT AHT AHT” Tre barked out loud causing the cameraman man in the backseat to jump,“ Tre was already exiting the driver’s side and pointed his finger at her as he crossed in front of the car “Don’t even try it.” Sol rolled her eyes and pouted as she waited the few seconds for him to open her door. 

“Thanks Tre,” she stuck out her tongue. She was like a kid in a candy store and was ready to full out sprint to the front door. The IG live comments were flying. 

Okay Daddy Tre! I need a mans to talk to me like that. 🥵🥵

Did this man just bark at her? 🐶

Loook so long as he handles this backdoor he can open any other door that he pleases sis!

Y’all females is wylin as usual. 

Sol glanced at them. “Imma need y’all to stay out of grown folks’ business and just enjoy this holiday work we are puttin in okay” She handed her phone to another crew member and grabbed Tre’s hand to drag him to the front door. 

She pushed the button for the doorbell but no sound rang out. Tre gave three succinct raps on the door and heard someone rushing down the stairs. The door was flung open by a woman in black slacks and a blinding blue polo emblazoned with a nametag that ironically labeled this young woman as “Tangerine”. She couldn’t be more than 25 years old and the toddler saddled on her hip only added to her youthful appearance. 

“Hi Tangerine,” Tre began, “My name’s Trevante and this is Sol,” he gestured to Sol at his side. 

“Hi?” Tangerine answered confused at this couple and the cameras that followed them. 

“We’re here today with Black Juice, a local Black organization that highlights the experience of the Black Jewish community and we’re doing 8 Days of Miracles,” 

“Okay..” Tangerine said not sounding any less confused. “ I’m not Jewish.”  Sol took over as she could tell that Tre’s efforts weren’t getting them anywhere.

“We’re here because your friend Kira sent in a letter telling us about  how great of a mother you are. She said that you’ve been working two jobs here to support you and your daughter.” At this, Sol smiled at the baby, “She told us that the second job you have is for daycare expenses alone.  We wanted to come out here today and let you know that we see what you do and how hard you go to make sure you give your daughter the best. So, we wanted to help you out and give you this. “ Tre gave her the envelope he had in his hand. It read “Day 1: Tangerine”

Tangerine took the envelope as Tre explained. “We’ve paid for your daughter’s child care for the next two years so you can give yourself a break.” She opened the envelope to see the receipt from Tiny Tots Kindercare and didn’t even know what to do. 

“I don’t know what to say.” She paused for a moment as what this truly meant registered in her mind. “I can quit this job and actually spend more time with my baby and focus on my candles.” 

“Your candles?” Sol asked. 

“Yeah. I make candles by hand. I took a few classes and have played with a few scents. Some friends have asked me to make them some and I’ve been waitin to be a little more secure with my money before I start at it.” she answered exhaling deeply. 

“Do you have any candles right now?” Tre asked peeking a little further in her apartment. Sol slapped his arm. 

“Could you be any nosier?” she chastised with love. 

“Yeah I have some. Do you mind holding Layla?” she asked but she practically threw the child into Sol’s arms as she ran to grab her stash of candles. Sol put on her sweetest voice and spoke to Layla about how old she was and if she liked her friends at daycare. When her mom came back Sol could see the sheer joy that she had when showing off her handiwork. 

Tangerine went through all six of her candles and their various scents with them and by the end Tre had bought each one. She was floored and couldn’t do anything but cry at the way her morning was turning around. It wasn’t even 7:30 and she’d already gotten 2 years of childcare, a reason to quit her grocery store job and someone who actually wanted to buy her candles. 

Before they left, Tre made her promise to hit him up when her site and IG were live so he could get more candles and share it with all of his friends. Sol returned Layla to her mother saying her goodbyes and grabbed Tre’s hand to head back to car. She leaned on his shoulder and he could see the contentment in her eyes. Sol almost forgot her phone before a crewmember handed it back. 

She came back to the IG Live trying not to get too emotional. “Look at that y’all! Day one of Hanukkah is off to a start and we’ve already proved that miracles happen! Y’all better stay tuned in over the next week so you can see who we pop in on next. You never know if it could be you! Thanks to Black Juice for giving us this opportunity to turn someone’s ordinary day into something smile about. Y’all betta check them out so you can see the full footage of what we’ve got goin on! Bye y’all!

“Bye y’all!” Tre called out. They answered a few more questions with Black Juice, said their goodbyes and climbed back into their car. 

“Can we go back to bed now?” Tre asked as he pulled back onto the main road and his hand founds Sol’s thigh again. Sol laughed. 

“I mean if that’s what you prefer we can. I had some other things in mind.” she suggested. 

Tre raised his eyebrow. “I swear you see one baby and you always go 0 to 100”

“Look, I just believe in practicing all aspects of having a child! Even the making part.” 

Tre threw his head back laughing. “I’m wit it babygirl”

DING! 

“That’s me” Sol said. She looked at her phone screen. A text from “Mama Rhodes” popped up.  She’d sent some Pinterest looking bible verse again. 

This was the third one this week. It dampened her mood immediately and caused her to groan. The text read: 

Seeing you with that little girl made me so happy for the good Christian grandbabies that you and Tre will be blessing me with in the future. I thank Jesus for the miracle of you and my baby everyday XO. 

“Tre, I got another one from your mom. When are you gonna talk to her?” 

Tre sighed. “I promise. I’ll talk to her soon and it will definitely be before your Chrismukkah Extravaganza. Don’t sweat it baby.” 

Sol did her best not to think about how pushy his mother was being about this raising Christan grandbabies nonsense ever since they announced they’d be partnering with Black Juice. All she could do is trust Tre and do what she was best at: wait. 

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

@ghostfacekill-monger @thadelightfulone

[drethanramslay]

Oooh um... 31? 😌 but like mc being a shitty cook but trying to cook something for ethan?

Thanks for the ask @noboundariesplease <3

You can find the prompt list here.

#31- I made it. For you. I know it’s not the best, but… 

Word count: 1.1 K

Warning: none, I tried something new so I hope you like it heheheh

Anyone (except Leah) Can Cook

Sienna was leaning against the wall of the hospital eating her sandwich when she felt her phone vibrate. unlocking it she saw a test message from Leah.

After fifteen minutes of searching through twenty websites, she finally found the perfect recipe for two. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine how beautiful it would be.

Candlelit dinner with jazz music playing in the background and the cool night air caressing their skins.

That would be so good, it will blow his mind. Leah though to herself as she texted Sienna her menu of the night.

Putting the phone down, a determined and confident smile graced her features.

I can do this... This is going to be the best anniversary gift ever.

============================================================================ Sienna's shift had just got over. It was an easy day with no deaths so she considered it as an absolute win. As she sat in her car and drove home, her mind wandered to Leah.

I should probably check in on her... Sienna thought to herself as she pulled into the parking lot of their penthouse. As she parked she shot a text to her best friend and within 10 seconds Leah texted back.

Girl... You don't know. Leah winced as she pressed the video icon next to Sienna's name. It rang once and Sienna's smiling face greeted her. Leah made it a point to hold the phone close to her face so that disaster surrounding her was not visible.

"Mission: Save anniversary commences now!" Sienna said.

Leah laughed nervously, eyes landing on the burnt food placed on the counter.

"Yep... Will probably need that."

"Tell me, so far what have you finished."

"Umm... So I decided to start with the garlic bread because that's the easiest. I put cheese and seasoning in to it and placed it into the oven so that I could make a bigger batch."

"That's great!"

"Not really. I almost set the kitchen on fire."

"ON FIRE?!" Sienna exclaimed, shock colouring her features.

"It's not on fire! I said almost." Leah clicked on the reverse camera icon and showed the smoke billowing from the baking tray.

"I don't understand this... How did it happen?"

"I left a plastic butter knife on the tray." She scratched the back of her head.

"Leah i-" Sienna took a deep breath recentring. "Okay so this is what we gonna do. Set the oven on pre heat once again and put a fresh batch of garlic bread for ten minutes. And please don't leave plastic on the tray."

"Okay." Under the supervision, Leah placed the baking tray back again into the oven.

"Now let's start with avocado toast. Pick out those fresh avocados, which on gently squeezing, slightly yield."

Nodding her head she chose the ripe avocados and placed them on the cutting board.

"On slice them into thin layers so that when you mash it you can get a creamy texture." Sienna got comfortable on the sofa and she propped her head on the arm rest.

After a few moments, Sienna spoke up. "Um Leah?"

"Yeah?" She looked up, sweat glistening on her forehead from the exertion.

"How did you cut the avocados?"

Leah picked up the phone and showed it to Sienna which had Sienna face-palming.

"Leah... Sweetie. That's not how you cut avocados. You take out the seed and then cut it."

"Take out the seed? How in the seven hells was I supposed to know that?"

"It's alright. Now scoop it out and continue cutting." Nodding her head diligently, Leah followed the steps given by Sienna and in an hour, she was done with the appetizers.

"Good job! Now let's go on to the main course. The pasta is done boiling?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Now take it-" Sienna's voice was cut off and Leah checked her phone to see if the WiFi had stopped working but, the buffering was not for too long.

"-add the pasta sauce."

Leah, low-key feeling embarrassed to ask her to repeat, decided to trust her instincts. She opened the pasta sauce, and dumped a cup directly into the boiling water.

"LEAH WHAT THE HELL?!"

"What? You told me to add the sauce to the pasta?!"

"I told you to add pasta sauce AFTER STRAINING THE PASTA!"

"Oh."

"Yes oh!! Now strain it and out it into a wok."

"The only wok I know is to stay 'woke'." Leah attempted to joke.

"Leah... I'm gonna ignore that just because you are cute."

"Yes ma'am." Leah said and the screen blacked out. Leah called out here name but the call ended.

Leah's phone pinged and she swiped to check the message out.

"Pour 5 tablespoons... Tomato sauce." Leah spoke to herself. She reached for the can of tomato sauce which she bought from the grocery store.

She was so engrossed in inserting the can opener that she failed to notice, that it was slightly bloated.

The moment Leah pierced the metal, the sauce shot like a geyser all over covering her completely in red.

"HIJO DE PUTA!!" Leah screamed and she heard the door opening.

Ethan stepped into the penthouse and headed to the source of the screaming banshee.

He looked up and cursed. "Holy shit! Who the hell are you-"

"It's me Ethan!! Sunshine." Leah exclaimed, wiping the tomato sauce off her eyes.

"Sunshine, what the hell happened?!"

The day's frustration and tiredness caught up to her and she threw her hands up in defeat. "It's our one month anniversary and I wanted to do something romantic and cute for my boyfriend but, it's just been a series of disaster one after the other. Gosh I'm such a dis-"

"Hey, hey, hey. None of that okay. It's the thought that matters." Reaching for the dishtowel he carefully wiped her face.

Leah sniffled and wringed her hands Seeing Leah like this, made him want to just wrap her in his arms and kiss away all the stress.. Ethan's eyes landed on the (magically survived) avocado toast.

"Hey, you made that?" He asked pointing at it.

Leah turned and nodded. “I made it. For you. I know it’s not the best, but… It's honest work?”

Ethan laughed and took a bite of it while Leah held her breath, gauging his reaction. Minutes passed and there was pin drop silence.

"I knew I would fu-" Leah was interrupted when Ethan gently pushed the creamy and crunchy toast.

And it was heavenly. 

"Oh my god... It ain't that bad." Leah spoke as gulped it down.

"See... My girlfriend is an achiever. Now don't be disheartened. Let's get you and the kitchen cleaned up and then we can make pasta together, okay?"

Leah gave a small smile. "Okay."

Ethan smiled back at her and pressed his lips against hers, causing butterflies to unleash in her stomach and het heart to soar with love for him.

Pulling back he pressed his forehead against hers. Leah nudged her nose against his and Ethan kissed her passionately.

"Ethan, if you continue doing that, I might stain your clothes and that would be a damned shame."

Throwing his head back, he laughed and grabbed Leah's hand as he led her to the bathroom.

Did y'all get the reference for the title?

I had fun writing this prompt heheheh 

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[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #440

from a day or two ago.

Do you drink a lot of soda? I definitely do. :/ I'd lose weight so much easier if I could drop the habit. Are tomatoes the best food in the world? I don't like tomatoes unless they're very fresh and on a mayo and bacon sandwich. Have you seen The Blindside? I actually haven't. Do you have a favorite local pizza place? Not really. There's a place I like that isn't huge, but I don't have like, a serious passion for or loyalty to it. Would you date someone 10+ years older than you? Meh, I think ten years is my cut-off. Are you due for a haircut? For sure. >_< Are you dealing with any health-related problems right now? Yeah. Even with my APAP mask, because I apparently move it too much in my sleep, I'm struggling with my sleep apnea nightmares/terrors. Do your parents like the music you listen to? Most of it. Do your parents approve of your beliefs? Not all of them, no. How many different digital cameras have you owned in your life? How about cell phones? Cell phones, idk. I've had two "pro" cameras. Do you typically do your make up the same each time? Or do you like to change it up often? It's pretty much always the same. Who is the last person you were in a room with just the two of you? What were you doing? Mom. We worked together on my room. What do you usually order at Subway? Turkey, bacon, American cheese, pickles, banana peppers, and chipotle on I want to say Italian bread. How long is your mother’s hair? It's hard to say, because it's all poofy now versus wavy like before it had to be shaved off. Don't repeat it to her ever, but she has, uh... "old lady hair" now, ha ha. What is your favourite car brand? I don’t care. Whose chore is it to clean the bathrooms in your house? My mom does it. Pick your three favourite fruits. Strawberries, kiwi, and uhhh... apples. Or pineapple. Have you ever played Cards Against Humanity? Yeah. We used to play that a lot at Colleen's house on nights we had some drinks. Who were the last friends you went to hang out with? Oh jeez, idk. I haven't hung out with a friend in a long time. How many chairs are in the room you’re currently in? Zero. I'm in my bedroom. Are you bored right now? I'm bored almost every waking hour of my days. Have you ever seen a pelican in real life? I'm actually not sure. What’s important about April? My younger sister's birthday is in April. Is there anyone who hates you? Jason probably does. Would you consider adoption? Not for me personally. What’s the largest animal you’ve ever had as a pet? Our late boxer mix. Do you own any kind of helmet? No. Do you ever put fruit on your cereal? Noooo. How do you usually celebrate your favorite holiday? My younger sister comes over here and we open our presents with Mom, who also cooks a nice breakfast. We then go to my older sister's house for the day to watch the kids open presents from their extended family. I say "extended" because the kids obviously aren't going to wait for us to get there to open the majority of their gifts from their parents, ha ha. What’s a few facts about the last person that talked to you? She's from New York, has five kids, has survived cancer (one almost advanced to a fatal level) twice, she loves owls, and recently graduated with her bachelor's in social work (it's never too late, people). What would happen if you had a baby with the last person you kissed? We're both cisgender females. Where is the biggest scar on your body? It's probably where I had a cyst removal, which is in a spot I can't see. Would you date someone who was addicted to drugs? Absolutely not. I am NOT getting involved in that. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you? I'd go to the gym sooner. Have you ever kissed anyone with a tattoo? Hmmm... I think Tyler actually may have had a The Legend of Zelda tattoo? I can't really remember. If not him, then no. Have you ever kissed someone you weren’t dating? No, but I've been kissed by someone I wasn't dating. Do you know anyone who drinks a lot? Yes. What were you afraid of the most when you were a kid? Being separated from/losing my mom. Do you like to make the first move? No. When was the last time you completely broke down? A few weeks ago when I was having a PTSD episode. Are you listening to any music? No; I'm watching Gab play Final Fantasy X. Is your hair long enough to put in a ponytail? No. Has someone ever told you they want to spend the rest of their life with you? Hm, it's funny, I don't see him anymore. Have you ever peed in the woods? No. Have you ever played Twister? Yeah, I liked playing it as a kid. Are you looking for a boyfriend//girlfriend? Not actively, no. I really don't need one right now. Out of all of your friends who have you gotten in the worst fight with? Of all friends I've EVER had, probably Colleen. Of the friends I still have, maybe Sara. What is the last microwaveable meal you had? I've been on a SERIOUS grilled chicken pesto kick lately. Mom buys these small Healthy Choice (or some brand like that) bowls that you put in the microwave and then pour the noodles and chicken into the sauce after and mix, and oh my GOOOOOOOOOOOD it is so good. What would you consider a talent of yours? Assuming the worst out of every imaginable situation. If Hogwarts was a real place and you were able to attend, what class do you think you’d excel at? According to those little quizzes I've taken, I lean mostly towards Hufflepuff, but with Gryffindor traits as well. Would you rather learn more about space or more about the ocean? Well, ideally, space, but I think learning much more about our ocean would be more beneficial to our planet and our prosperity on Earth. Do you have a mental illness? If yes, how have you learned to cope with it? If no, do you ever suspect you may have one? I have a lot. My bipolarity, OCD, and PTSD are *mostly* under control, but I most certainly still have trouble sometimes. My anxiety and AvPD are still rabid fucking hounds. My depression was well-managed not even that long ago, but life circumstances have it so it's been more aggressive than what was usual. Do you have a favorite character from The Avengers? I dunno, I like Loki ig. Thor is cool, too. It's been WAY too long since I've seen that movie. What type of cake would you like right now? Double chocolate cake sounds great rn. @_@ What was your dream job when you were a child? Are you going after that dream or not? Why? Paleontologist, and no, because I don't want to travel for work, and I could also never handle the heat during site excavations. Even though it may not work all the time, what usually helps make you feel better when you’re upset or down? Watching one of my comfort series on YouTube from channels I enjoy. Why do you personally take surveys? It's a method to just get all these thoughts out of my head and to vent when I need to without actually directly burdening someone with my problems. No one has to read 'em. It's purely for my benefit, and also to pass the time, which I have too much of. Are there any words that you can’t stand? Derogatory terms for certain groups of people. What are words that you love? Words like "serendipity," "bliss," joyous, bubbly words. I'm blanking on actual terms. If you had an endless supply of money for clothing only, what would you load your closet with? Ohhhh, lots of shit with studs and spikes. :') I've wanted a studded leather jacket since I was in middle school. Have never gotten one because of how pricey they are. :( I'd also get some KILLER boots and just obtain a more gothic wardrobe. I'd love corsets too if my body ever shrinks back to a point I'd be comfortable wearing well-made ones. What is your favorite type of cookie? Chocolate chip. What is your favorite type of candy? Strawberry Sour Punch Straws. What color would you like to paint your nails next? I don't paint my nails. Realistically, they probably won't be 'til my entirely hypothetical wedding, in which case they'll probably be black. What do you think is creepy that society accepts as normal? Urinals, alsdkfja;klwejr. Like I get men's bathrooms give the option of using a stall, but still... side-by-side urinals are so weird and a breach of privacy to me. What is the silliest secret about yourself that you sometimes feel the need to hide? That I enjoy forum RP. I tell NOBODY because I fear being judged and found as weird. Like seriously, in my "real" life, maybe two people know. What do you think is a good date other than dinner and a movie? I want a picnic date really bad kalj;dkl;jwe. Do you dread certain days of the week? If yes, what day/s and why? No. They're all very similar. Do you ever give money to homeless people? No, admittedly. Mom instead likes to sometimes offer them bottles of water or if she's really feeling generous, a cheap meal at like McDonald's or something. She doesn't like to hand out money because, well, we know what a vast majority of homeless people spend it on. Do you like to brag or are you modest? I get really uncomfortable bragging, so I try to be as modest as I can be. What your favourite thing to have on toast? I love giving it a light toast, then adding a thin layer of butter, cinnamon, and sugar. It's bomb. Do you know how to surf? Would you ever like to learn? No to either. If you eat oatmeal, do you have it plain or do you have certain toppings that you like to add to it? I love sprinkling some sugar in there. Would you prefer to spend time with your whole family all at once, or would you rather quality time with one family member at a time? Depends on what I feel up to, but I tend to enjoy family time as a group more. That way, I don't have TOO much pressure to be constantly social. I can just listen sometimes. What is the funniest or strangest thing you’ve ever heard somebody say in their sleep? I have no idea. I worry what people have heard ME say/scream in my sleep. Do you own a pair of slippers? Yeah, they're meerkat ones! :') Choose one: Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers: Absolutely a Milky Way. Who was the last person to comment you? My mom. I'm cool, I swear. How many arguments have you had with the last person you kissed? A lot over all these years, but I'd say that's normal when you've been friends since you were 8 and 10. Do you know anyone who has been arrested? Yes. What are you planning on doing after this? When I'm done taking this survey, I'll probably either go to bed or play a bit of WoW. Idk. Will you be up before 7 am tomorrow? I have my alarm set for 7, actually. Ever been the only one trying to fix a relationship? Mhmmmm. -_- What was the last bad thing that happened to your phone? The case that came with the phone got a big crack in it. Have you ever been with someone while they were throwing up? Absolutely not. I would start vomiting. I can't handle the sound or the act in general. Have you been to the beach this year? No; I haven't been in a long time, and I am noooot complaining. Have you ever skipped school just because you were tired? Yes. Are you tan? God no. Do you own any leather? No real leather, no. I never would. Have you ever bought a shot glass? No. Do you have a therapist? Yes. We actually just talked today. Well, technically yesterday. What’s the worst name your mom has ever called you? I don't know. She doesn't really call me bad names. Have you ever listened to Christian music? Not of my own volition, but I've heard it because of other people controlling the radio. Are you the ‘creative child’? Yes, I'm considered that one. Did you like your life when you were in middle school? God no. That's when everything started going downhill. Have you ever been 'popular’? No. Has someone ever tried to convert you? Yes. Are you a fan of muffins? I LOVE muffins. What’s your most recent obsession? It's kinda chilled out now, but when Resident Evil 8: Village released, I was CRAZY over it. I watched SO many different let's plays of it. I think it's safe to say it beats out RE4 as my favorite installment.

[static-void]

Thorn talks food for x amount of minutes under the cut

w grilled cheese you can use mayo on the outside of the bread. Gives it a bit of an extra taste that butter doesn't. Do not use miracle whip, it won't work, it'll just melt and be sad.

If you don't have tomato soup you can dip grilled cheese into ketchup, but I'd advise sprinkling black pepper on the ketchup first to chill it out a little. Helps.

you can make deviled eggs without relish. I will not eat deviled eggs with relish, but I genuinely enjoy making and eating them if they don't have relish. try putting garlic powder in the filling, & a little vinegar if you want a pickle-ish taste without the Crunch (or just pickle juice ig. I'm not the biggest fan of pickles)

this may have been obvious to Everyone Else but you can make Actually Kinda Decent cream sauce with shaky parmesan (yknow the big canisters) and evaporated/canned milk.

if you don't like tuna salad but wind up in a situation where you have to make and eat it, I've found removing the relish aspect and smearing it on ritz crackers to be pretty good. it's one of my favorite Kinda Healthy snacks tbh

brussels sprouts suck much less if they're grilled and have a rich sauce on them (<- discovered this at red lobster)

garlic powder makes so much shit a little more tolerable tbh. Good on freezer corndogs.

If you're like me & can taste the freezer in freezer tater tots/fries, make them seasoned. Garlic & onion powder, herbs if you've got em

If you're making buttered pasta (very simple dish on its own) & you want to add something Unobtrusive but Good, plunk a chicken bouillon cube into the water before you add the pasta. along w salt

A lot of people swear by salmon with a citrus glaze, I don't really like it. I do enjoy salmon with a *maple* glaze, however

this isn't a tip I just really don't like pasta salad. cold noodles fuck me up

You've heard the tip of putting an egg in instant ramen but consider: removing most of the broth and adding onion powder, garlic powder, & cayenne powder (works best w beef or pork flavor)

I will concede that if I have the patience to spread it, butter under jelly on jelly toast is really good.

I have a very unhealthy snack. that being slapping a tortilla in a pan, melting & spreading butter on one side, flipping it over, and letting the first side toast a bit while I melt butter on the other side & add spices. It's a lot of butter. Having said that, it's good.

If I get a breakfast combo at a restaurant, I'll usually get my eggs done over medium so I can mix the yolk into the hashbrowns and add a bit of ketchup. I eat very simply so it could just be me but it's very good.

Pancakes are good if you add vanilla extract and cinnamon.

Not to do with prep but cleanup: if you use canned milk in a pan that isn't Extremely Good Nonstick, get soap and water in that beast Immediately. canned milk is a nightmare if it dries.

Ketchup is a very strong flavor. You can use this to mask flavors you dislike.

Dill in scrambled eggs is pretty good.

Nobody asked but. chicken alfredo recipe

[luminous-studiess]

hi!! awesome to hear that things are going well for you :-) I’ve also been trying to make changes to my personal diet/exercise/mental health because I just got tired of feeling subpar all the time, lol Curious to hear what worked for you in making these changes and if you have any recommendations for meal prep/getting more active and overall more healthy :)

hello!!!! ok this is terribly late (i’ve been off tumblr for........ health and school) and i’m planning to make a much longer post, but briefly: i think that being tired of feeling unhealthy was also what worked for me. i have a thyroid disease (had it out from cancer) so energy levels are a difficult thing, and i was very tired of feeling exhausted and drained and also of disliking how terrible my eating habits were. in the past, i’d tried dieting and super intense exercise (think 1000 jumps with a skipping rope)-- for me these were not sustainable considering that they were just. exhausting. and i felt deprived all the time!!! i love good food and i hated putting extreme limits on my carbs and sugar and whatever. recently (aka starting march) i did decide i wanted to be strong and healthy-- the keywords being “strong and healthy”, and not “thinner” (aka my original rationale), and i realized the only way i could sustain this was to make small but significant and consistent changes to how i ate and exercised. for example-- i am not naturally athletic. but i did decide to do 30 minutes of walking every day, or a light exercise video (see: joanna soh’s 10,000 step challenge, or billy blanks’ tae bo workouts) every day. they were challenging enough to make me feel worked out and sweaty, and to build up my stamina. but these weren’t so intense that i would want to never work out again -- so it always felt like “oh hey time to do some light exercise to work my stress off” instead of “oh crap time to exercise again lmao”. after several months of doing this and eating reasonably (more on that later) i not only hit my target weight, but started getting really toned. i felt really strong and happy! and that still keeps me going up to now.  in terms of food. i don’t meal prep, because for me, it’s hard to sustain the variation i want. sometimes my mom cooks, sometimes i make snacks. also for context-- i used to eat out all the time and all of it would be processed, fried, sugary crap. i would be happy for like...... 15 minutes? and then my body would crash from all the grease and sugar, and i wouldn’t be able to do anything productive for the rest of the day. after that: i set some reasonable limits and guidelines as to what i would be eating. i still eat things i love. but i don’t eat anything junky on a regular basis-- i try to incorporate obviously healthy food and habits into food i like to eat.  this doesn’t have to be anything “health food”-y. my general guideline is that i eat a normal portion of something i like to eat (like.... pancakes..... or flatbread.... or pasta), but try to have a fruit or vegetable with each meal, and to use the fresh vegetable or fruit in a way you enjoy, and find delicious. i think it really helps to be eating relatively unprocessed food, like fresh produce, instead of ready-to-eat pizza or pasta sauce (also. the hassle of actually having to prepare it from scratch will discourage you from cooking). i also cut down my sugar (because that really needs to be regulated), and it’s made me feel much more energetic.  what i personally eat when i’m too busy to cook anything fancy, but still want to stay in the healthy range is sandwiches with lots of vegetables, or eggs with vegetables over rice-- for example-- one good sandwich combination is chicken breast, tomato, cucumber, lettuce, an omelette on my choice of bread. or it could be pesto, tomato, and mozzarella (tastes like a pizza). sometimes if i’m feeling lazy, i just make a piece of toast, and add a sunny-side up egg on it, and add sauteed mushrooms. for omelettes-- i toss vegetables i like in, and add cheese, then serve over rice. i also like making my own flatbread (see sally’s baking addiction for a great recipe) and serving it with hummus and grilled chicken, or eating it baked with vegetables and mozzarella. you can also make really simple tomato sauce (see: marcella hazan’s recipe) and serve over noodles, or with fried eggplant and cheese for a parmigiana. i also really like tofu, and there are lots of recipes for tofu (see: hyelim choi on youtube-- i haven’t tried it, but it looks delicious). sometimes, i also roast a chicken with salt and pepper and rosemary, and this can be eaten with a salad, or the leftovers can be used for more sandwiches. i think the trick to eating healthy is to eat what you want in moderation, but to limit it to food that is relatively unprocessed. you can also add lots of vegetables and eat fruit! but dessert is also important, and i have it once a day. i hope that helps. if you’re looking for food inspiration, there have been a lot of home cook igs cropping up recently-- i recommend looking at pages like @ everythingalexcooks, @ cakesniffing @ beep.baby @ famouslycheapdate for inspiration on how to use simple ingredients and vegetables and bread to make something comforting and filling. food is nourishment for your body, and exercise keeps it strong!! take care always, friend!!!

[hinac0lada]

somber

CHARACTER PAIRING: sugawara koushi/reader NOTE: i tried to do something new!! // listen to this song  too, it’s where i got inspo for the title hehe my love for koushi reignited, so pls take this fic as a very self-indulgent piece ;3 [ banner made by me! ] anyways! i wanna thank everyone in cheese cult - y’all so nice ily all sm<33 WC: like, , 2.2k words pls give love</3 WARNING/S: contains fluff, angst, suggestive themes CHEESE CULT TAGLIST: @cupofkenma @bubbleteaa @milkandc00kiez @writingsbycrackhead​ @fern-writes-ig​ @pineapplekween​ @kxgeyamasmilk​​ GEN TAGLIST: @fitriiaw @idiot-juice-enthusiast 

there was a side to you that sugawara koushi couldn't quite place his hands-on. it irked him in a way that he can't exactly explain. to put it thoroughly, it's like comparing misleading signs - signs he couldn't read. there was a partial thought in the depths of sugawara's mind, will i be in too deep?

he certainly hopes not. it will be a struggle for sure, begetting to deal with taking risks and caching his feelings in check. 

though, in parallel to both his heart and mind, he doesn't mind taking flight in either.

coming over your place was like a natural thing sugawara affixed to his routine after school hours, something nearly akin to second nature. he needn't have to ring the doorbell or knock at the door to have you alerted of his presence. you gave him a spare key after all. he enters your modest residence as if it was his place that he just resided in. he tries to be patient and earnest about it, but fatigue trailing after him like an endless marathon socked him in the face before he could utter words.

the silver-haired setter plants face-first on the soft material of your cushion couch, breathing in the fragrance of the freshly cleaned cute throw pillows you had on for display. he faintly recalls your lavender-like scent, mixed with a tinge bit of vanilla and mocha - a smell so distinct that it essentially revulsed him at how quick he was to recognize the fading scent.

it was perplexingly heartening in his weird ways. (why wouldn't it be, it's your stuff after all)

the sound of the door clicking minutes after his arrival didn't go unnoticed. "ah, sugawara, i didn't expect you to be here so soon," your voice sounded muffled in his ears at how he's buried two pillows against the sides of his face. he'd assumed you to be late (like you always were), so it wasn't a big deal that he constantly manages to somehow get to your home first before you do.

"i thought you had practice today?"

"we do. just need to charge up for now.. not much to make do since finals are coming up and all," was his muffled reply. that was just a simple white lie. he did have practice today - it's just that he was trying to come up with numerous justifications of why he's late. (that or he just wanted to spend a couple of hours lounging about in your home)

you huff at his slothful disposition. you sometimes think sugawara is a little too comfortable with you letting him barge in your house like he even pays for rent. sure, the company he gives you is lively, but you considered having him pay for using you as a live source for shelter and food. 

even with that kind of reasoning, you don't exactly mind nor were you gonna lament.

"humph!" sugawara makes a surprised noise as you jumped on top of him, your weight burying him further on the plushness of the couch. his muffled protests that reached your ears sent you into a fit of small giggles, a free hand coming down to ruffle his blanche, soft and unruly hair.

"(n-name)--! mhmmp!" 

"what was that? sorry, i can't hear you over the sound of your anguish," you snorted, adding a small bounce from your position to add on the burden he feels with you on top of him. 

by now, sugawara was wearied enough just let you do this. it's fine, just harmless fun. but when suffocating between the couch and a long-time crush and having to choose between air and you - you ought to have another thing coming. within minutes of you cackling like mad, he's pulled off the pillows beside him, successfully managing to hit you with one square on the face before he tackled you on the opposite side of the couch.

your chortles were rashly cut short by a surprised yelp and a force that pushed you off on your back. sugawara towered over your figure, triumph evident on his features. you stared right back with slight annoyance and a small blush coating your cheeks. this was new.

"i thought i told you to not suffocate me between your couch anymore, (name)," he sticks his bottom lip out in a small pout. his little complaint only had you rolling your eyes, a chuckle slipping past your lips as you slapped a hand underneath his jawline, moving his face up and away from yours. 

"when have i ever, suga? i don't think i can recall," you subtlely tease him. it was just too fun to poke fun at sugawara - especially acknowledging the fact that he might've purposely came over first instead of going to practice.

he whines, attempting to slap away your hand. instead, he promptly leans his entire weight on you, head finding solace within the soft material of your clothing. it occurred to him that you still haven't changed from your uniform, but he didn't bother commenting on it either.

the two of you laid in comfortable silence for a while. that was until you broke it.

"do you wanna kill some time watching a movie?"

"what kind?"

"anything you want. i'm fine with whatever."

"how about someone great? i haven't watched that yet," sugawara smiles, lifting his head as stares down at your face. you smile back, closing your eyes as a soft chuckle emits from your throat.

"i don't mind."

you two somehow ended up cuddling in the middle of the movie. sugawara questions his morals. it's purely platonic, right? they're best friends, there's nothing else to it. sugawara mostly says this to himself in his head to convince himself that cuddling can be platonic. 

he just wished he could stop thinking of it as something more.

minutes in the movie, he finds himself relating to jenny. it's ironic. maybe he only feels that way because the story is told in her perspective. nothing that derives from his feelings. 

however, something about this moment seemed peculiar to the silverette. he didn't know if it was just him or how your features seemed to be enhanced upon closer inspection.

you were always beautiful in his eyes. he found himself drowning in the warm, earthy tones of your delicate skin. with your hair sprawled out on the surface of the sofa, contrasted by the sheen ruffles of your clothes.

you just looked so innocent, so serene. sugawara knows he shouldn't have. he should've had more self-control. 

but he loses it when he's around you.

he quickly leans down with a puff of excitement growing inside him while tilting his head to the right. his wet lips capture yours, gliding over smooth contrasting with chapped lips. sugawara pulls and bites on your bottom lip, eliciting a pleased sigh from you. his hands squeeze your hips, tongue tracing over your lips for sweet entrance. 

surprised, you grant access, letting him invade your mouth with a versatile tongue, his mouth sucking on your tongue felt like heavenly feathers. your lips smacked against his, pulling apart warm and wet tongues before darting back in with even more vigor. the intensity develops - heartbeats clamoring with painful bliss against your ribcages. you didn't pay attention to the movie anymore, too engrossed in each other's euphoria to divert consideration elsewhere.

this was wrong. sugawara knew that. but he couldn't pull himself away - not yet. the feeling of your body so close to his felt so right. you pull away first, lungs hopelessly and greedily sucking in the air but this was short-lived as his hand only pushed your head back, with noses bumping as he further divulged into the frenzy hot, steamy kiss with a groan. 

he couldn't get enough.

it was sort of surprising as to how he was the first to pull away. a dense tint of red adorned his cheeks, breath heavy, and pupils blown wide wistfully as he sought to steer his gaze away from your plump and oh-so red lips. the sight burned itself into his mind. underneath him with half-lidded eyes, you took in gasps of air, chest rising up and down from how wild and the present fierceness behind it just blew you away.

sugawara shifts away from you, his body heat leaving yours had you feeling cold. "i-i.." he stammers, words clogged up as his mind was still fogged up with the steamy makeout that just happened. he couldn't get it off his mind. (what was he thinking?)

your gaze was fixated on nothing, still too lost from the hysteria and the feeling of his mouth on yours just a moment ago. it didn't submerge in till he stood up with haste from the sofa, bowing his head while he repeatedly apologized for his brash actions all the while with a flustered and guilty expression.

"i'm so sorry, i'm so sorry! i don't know what came over me--! i'm sorry if i made you feel so uncomfortable!" with hasty movements, he gets up and picks up his things. a part of him is dying with embarrassment and screaming that he needs to leave, while the other wants to stay and discuss what the hell just happened.

you, on the other hand, were silent as a rock. you held up a hand to your lips, tracing over remnants of his margin on yours - the boundary between you two felt suffocating.

when you still didn't reply, he ends up leaving anyway, with a false promise of seeing you another day along with another wave of apologies. you still stayed starstruck on the sofa, hand hovering over your mouth.

your lips tingled and the memory of the kiss had the apples of your cheeks blossom with a cherry red tint.

sugawara had been avoiding you for nearly a week since the happy accident that happened at your house. you asked (keyword; tried) daichi and asahi on why the third year acted this way. they both shared the same answer. 

there was too much at stake.

you racked your brain to understand their vague answers, but none of which you thought could help you with your dilemma. this was stupid. it was just a kiss (tl; a heavy makeout session). why did he spare the need to talk about it? you decided enough was enough. you had - no, need to confront him now.

you pleaded daichi to have sugawara excused for a while just so you could talk. the former seems to have no qualms in letting the aforementioned male. daichi mentions sugawara himself has been feeling quite down in the dumps. he profusely requested that you make amends with the setter. it was disheartening to see the usually jovial and tranquil male all grim.

"sugawara, please," you stop the male as soon as he exited the main building. he tried desperately to avoid you all week. this is, yet again, the same mistake he's done before. running away when confronting your souls.

"we should talk about it."

"talk about what? there's nothing up for discussion." stop avoiding the topic.

"no, as a matter of fact, there is. what's with you? why have you been avoiding me all week-" you place a hand on his shoulder, but he flinched at the touch. you took a step back with eyes filled with a weary, hurt, and guilty conscience.

sugawara thinks point on black and white. he couldn't begin to explain why he did that nor does he want to. things won't be the same anymore. 

you sigh heavily, head tilting down to glare harshly on the ground near the soles of your feet. "what are we, koushi?"

i had hoped something more, "we're just friends," he swallowed down the spite in his throat.

"what kind of friends do that kind of thing?" the chuckle that left your mouth had no humor to it. dusky irises trailed over your plethoric lips once more, recollecting the kiss yet again. sugawara mentally scorns himself.

"it's not worth the fight, koushi." you try and meet his eyes in which he reciprocates with a gaze filled with anxiety and guilt. you take a hold of his hands, rubbing circles on his knuckles - something you usually did to calm his nerves. his lips quivered as he forced himself to let go. to let you go.

unspoken words met with an umbra of fleeting eyes. there's no turning back. sugawara didn't want to risk losing something great. someone like you, at the very least.

"i'm sorry," he lowly mutters, letting go of your hand as he slowly turns towards the other direction, already yearning for your touch on his arm. it had to be this way, right? there wasn't a time where sugawara neglected to count all of his mistakes.

mistakes of one in a million. 

you felt small as sugawara slowly but surely slipped away from your grasps. with a weak voice, you called out to him, in hopes that he'd answer your calling and return once more to your arms. although his retreating figure showed no assurance of such, you wished you could've thought of ways to seek closure.

just one more kiss. one more cuddle. one more possibility to make amends that you hoped to be endless. but those possibilities only made chances for you and  him - not you together.

[shewritestheblues]

The Elevator Bae | Chapter NINE

Chapter NINE - PART ONE

EIGHT

Erik Stevens x Black OC (Phoenix)

Word Count: Idk. 5k... I think.

A/N: I didn’t want this chapter to be too long, so it’ll be broken up into two parts. | Song lyrics referenced are not my own. They are from Mila J x Friend Zone. ** Major S/O to my good sis @liyahshaeking​ for helping me figure out how I wanted to start this and proofreading this for me. You are a Gem! and reminder: this is my side blog and all further chapters and other fics will be posted from this page. 

Erik’s face beamed with joy as he looked at his phone. Phoenix had just sent him a mirror video, showing off her bright, red bikini. She whips her box braids off of her shoulder, revealing a familiar gold chain around her neck. Music was playing in the background and just before the video ends, Erik spots one of her friends dancing behind her, photobombing her video. Without a second thought, he saved the video before playing it again, making sure the sound isn’t on. But that wasn’t enough for him. He needed to see more of her. He bit his lip as he shamelessly goes right to Phoenix’s instagram. Ironically, she had just uploaded a group picture with all of her friends on the beach. Each of them looking perfectly tanned as they glowed under the sun. They were cute, Erik could admit that. But his baby girl was the cutest. He used his chubby thumbs to zoom in right on her. The smile she wore, made his heart flutter. She was happy. Her being happy, made him happy. Just as he was about to tap her profile picture to get caught up with her story, a voice brought him back into reality.

“Damn, E! She’s cute.”

Erik was suppose to be hanging with ‘the boys.’ They were currently at TJ’s house smoking, talking shit and playing 2k. Well… that’s what everyone else was doing. Erik was currently, laid back onto TJ’s couch, cuddling with his phone. He was so caught up in Phoenix’s video, he didn’t even realize that he was the topic of the shit talk. TJ, Mario, Ken and Ken’s girlfriend, Stephanie, who was deemed ‘one of the bros’, were going in on him. Without even noticing, Stephanie had made her way behind Erik and was watching as he pretty much drooled over Phoenix.

Erik whipped his head around to see Stephanie leaned over the couch, watching his every move. His nostrils flared at how comfortable she seemed behind him.

“Do you know what privacy is? Damn!”

His friends burst into laughter causing Erik to realize that this was a set up. Stephanie was chosen to spy on Erik to see who in the hell was on his phone making him grin and cheese like a kid with a grade school crush. He glared at all of them as they fell over.

“Y’all childish as hell.” he says, shaking his head.

TJ walks over to Erik, sitting next to him. “So is this a new one?”

“Mhmm. I ain’t never seen this one before.” Stephanie chimes in.

Erik cuts his eye at her. “Why does it matter?”

“We’re just trying to find out which one of your hoes finally got you stuck.” Mario says from the kitchen.

“She ain’t a hoe, so watch your fucking mouth.”

Stephanie continues to lean over the couch, scrolling on her phone. She was able to see Phoenix’s IG name from when she was towering over Erik’s shoulder, watching him examine her latest upload. She was currently scoping out Phoenix’s page. “Where you find her at, E? She looks like she has morals.”

Confused, Erik looks at Stephanie. “Fuck you mean?”

She holds up her phone, displaying a selfie that Phoenix had on her page. TJ snatches the phone and starts looking through the pics, prompting Mario and Ken to join.

“Damn, E! She’s nice.” Ken says.

Erik tries to take Stephanie’s phone from them but TJ grips it tighter to stop him. “How the fuck did you even find her page?”

Stephanie laughs, “I peeped it when you were zooming in on her ass.”

“I fucking hate y’all.”

“You need to be plugging me with one of her friends.” Mario says, licking his lips at some of the group pictures Phoenix has with her friends. He points to Camren. “She looks like she needs me.”

TJ shows Erik who Mario is referring to and Erik sucks his teeth. “She gay. She doesn't need or want yo’ ugly ass.” He reaches for the phone again. “Are y’all done?”

TJ moves back quick, giving Stephanie her phone. “How long you been fucking with her?”

Erik doesn’t respond. He sits there looking forward. His face is blank. He’s annoyed that they now know about Phoenix. He wanted to keep her to himself for as long as possible and now they know. Now, they would be asking about her. They have her social media info and knowing Stephanie, she would reach out to introduce herself. She was always ignoring boundaries. A part of it is because the guys were her only friends. So, when one of the guys had a new lady friends, she would insert herself, trying to make friends with them. This has happened to Erik three times now. But of course, those girls were just fuck buddies. This was Phoenix. Big difference.

“Aw, it’s her birthday?” Stephanie says from behind him. Erik looks back to see what she’s talking about.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“I’m watching her story.”

--------

Phoenix and her girls had made plans to go out to dinner at a local restaurant. They were all in their rooms, getting ready. Music is blasting through their villa home as she slipped on her navy blue, floral romper. She unwrapped her braids and put on Erik’s gold chain. She figured she’d give it back after her trip since it seemed to go with all of her outfits. Applying some mascara and her Fenty highlighter, she just needed to decide on what shoes to wear. Wedges or Sandals. She picked up both pairs of shoes and heads up the hallway to see what her friends would think.

Peeking into each of their rooms, she notices that they are all missing. In true Phoenix nature, her mind takes her to the worst case possible. They were kidnapped and killed and because the music is so loud, she didn’t hear a thing and now she has to escape before the killer gets to her. She tiptoes down the marble stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible to listen out for anything going on downstairs.

Suddenly, she hears movement coming from the kitchen and the music stops. Phoenix is internally freaking out. She stopped in her tracks to peek around the wall and releases the breath she was holding when she sees Ava’s back, standing at the kitchen island. She walks in, shoes in hand. Tiana was the first to see her and yells, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Queuing Ava, Mica and Camren to start yelling Happy Birthday at her and popping a few confetti cannons. Big silver balloons hung over them, spelling out BLUE 28. Phoenix’s heart is glowing through her chest as she smiles so big at her friends. Her eyes begin to water when she sees a cake on the counter. “Oh my God. Y’all didn’t have to do this. This is Camren’s trip.”

Phone in hand, recording the entire thing, Ava grabs Phoenix with her free hand to hug her. “Did you really think we weren’t gonna do anything for you?”

“This is both of our trip.” Camren adds.

Phoenix hugs and thanks each of them. Mica pulls out a tiara and a Birthday Girl sash, putting them on Phoenix. “You look so pretty.” She looks down at the shoes that Phoenix is still holding on to, “And wear these.” She points to the sandals. “You’re getting fucked up tonight. You won’t be able to walk in those wedges.”

“SHOTS!” Camren yells. Ava lines the shot glasses up and Tiana fills them up that they overflow.

One shot. Two shot.

“Let’s go eat.” Phoenix says. The car arrives to take them to the restaurant and they go. Her birthday was the only time Phoenix would eat steak, so she ordered the biggest one they had. As they enjoyed their food, they drank drink after drink and had three more shots, each. With liquor pumping through their bodies, the women were hyped and ready to move their bodies. Mica lead them all to the dance floor on the other side of the bar and they danced. The natives of the island danced with them, cheering them on as they twerked on each other. A few native men joined them. One in particular noticed the tiara on her head. “It’s your birthday, love?” he asked.

His accent intrigued Phoenix. “Yes it is.”

“How old are you?” he smiled. His teeth were the purest white. His skin was a beautiful mocha. He whined his hips with hers as they danced and talked.

“I’m 28.”

“Can I show you a good time for your birthday, Ms…?

“Phoenix.”

“Oh, Phoenix. I like that.”

Phoenix nods in approval. The mystery guy motions to the DJ and a new song begins. The man places both hands on Phoenix’s hips, bending her over and grinding on her to the beat. He turns her around, picking her up.

“Oh, bitch!” Mica yells eagerly, recording the pair. Ava cheers them on. When the song was over, Phoenix’s covers her smiling face in embarrassment, walking back to her friends.

The mystery man then sends each of them another round of drinks on him. They raise their cups to him in gratitude. They continued to dance on each other.

-------

Ava did her best to stay awake to make sure they made it back to their villa safely. The rest of them were knocked out. Mica would come to every few minutes and then pass out again. The sound of a phone vibrating, stirred Phoenix. She sat up, digging in her bra for her phone.

INCOMING CALL ERIK

“Hello.” that one word was slurred.

“You got me fucked up.” Erik’s voice boomed through the phone.

“Erik…” she dragged his name like a song, “Hey babe.”  Mica’s head snapped up when she heard his name. Phoenix can barely hold the phone up to her face so she puts it on speaker, not at all expecting what was coming next.

“Don’t fucking babe me when you down there showing yo’ ass. Who the fuck is this ugly ass nigga you letting feel on yo’ ass?”

“What?”

“Oh you wanna play stupid now? Like you don’t know what I’m talking about?”

“Is that Erik?” Camren lifts her head from the car window, “Tell him to shut up.”

“WHO THE FUCK IS THAT?”

“Erik. Relax.” is all Phoenix could get out.

“Yo’ ass need to relax. Letting random niggas fuck on you.”

A group of voices is heard from Erik’s background. “Is that Phoenix? Hey Phoenix.”

“Who is that?”

There’s a pause on Erik’s end.

“Hello? Erik. Who is that?”

“Nobody.” his voice is now low compared to before. Almost like he’s whispering.

Mica rolls her eyes. “Can this nigga go find something to do? We’re busy.”

“I can find something to do, alright. I’ll fly down there right now and drag all y’all thot asses back here and ruin all that shit. Think I’m playing.”

“Erik…” Phoenix calls to him.

“Let me see you dancing with another nigga, Phoenix. I promise you that’s yo’ ass.”

That was all that Erik could get out before Phoenix’s phone dies. She stares at the black screen for a moment before putting it back into her bra.

-----------

The next morning was rough. As the women sat and ate breakfast, Phoenix sat with her plate on the floor next to a plug to charge her phone. She didn’t remember her phone dying but when it turned on, her heart dropped. Four missed calls from Erik and six text. He had never blown her phone up like this before. What happened last night? She thought.

Erik: Phoenix! Answer yo’ fucking phone.

Erik: Yo’ shit better be dead.

Erik: On Bast, I will fuck you and that nigga up Phoenix. I’m not playing.

There’s almost a  two hour wait before the next set of messages.

Erik: Philly.

Erik: I’m sorry baby girl. I shouldn’t blown up on you like that. I know you wouldn’t be down there on some crazy shit.

Erik: Just call me back.

He’s sorry? Really? Phoenix’s palms grew hot reading the messages. This screams red flags for her and she’s not with any of it. Her thumbs moved quickly texting him back.

Phoenix: Wow Erik. You are really full of shit. Don’t you ever crack open your lips to talk to me that way. I’m not one of these basic bitches that you’re use to fucking with. I won’t deal with any of that kind of disrespect. Keep your stupid ass sorry because I don’t want it. Do me a favor and don’t call or text me. Leave me alone.

Phoenix figured Erik would still try to contact her after that, so she proceeded to put her phone on airplane mode. If he wanted to be this way, he’d have to deal with the consequences of it. She slammed her phone down, gaining the attention of her friends, sitting at the table. They watched as she joined them at the table, sharing a few glances. They could read the frustration all over her face. She silently added more food to her plate and angrily stabbed her fork into her waffles as she ate.

“Is everything okay?” Ava asked.

“I am done with Erik.”

---------

**the night before** 

After more stalking of Phoenix and her friends pages to see what they were doing on the trip, Erik sees a video of Phoenix and the mystery man on Mica’s page. He stepped away from his friends, into the kitchen to call Phoenix. Although the kitchen wasn’t secluded from them at all. He planned on being rational about the situation but when she answered, his emotions took full control and his mouth started moving faster than his brain. Barking out, “You got me fucked up,” which drew the attention of his friends sitting just feet away in the living room. Hearing how her words slurred, he knew she was drunk but that didn’t stop him from continuing to lash out.

His friends, not realizing the seriousness of Erik’s feelings, yell out, “Hey Phoenix.” Erik snarls at them, getting the message through to them that right now isn’t the time for their bullshit. When Phoenix’s phone hangs up on him, his rage reaches a new level for the night. He calls her again and again, reaching her voicemail. His thumbs smash his keyboard sending her messages. Not receiving any responses from her, he decides it’s time for him to leave. He begins storming out of TJ’s home. TJ follows behind him.

“Aye man. E!” TJ calls out to Erik as he approaches his car in TJ’s driveway. Erik turns around without saying a word. “What the fuck just happend?” TJ continued.

“Nothing. I’m good.” Erik tries to avoid this conversation. He opens his car door, but TJ closes it shut, prompting Erik to glare at him.

“Do I look stupid to you? How long have I known you?” TJ asks.

TJ and Erik grew up together. They both lived in the same building before Erik’s dad was killed. TJ was his closest and only friend after that. He was the only person he stayed in constant contact with during his stay in foster care. Erik would sneak out most nights and stay with TJ and his mom at their place. These two ran the streets together until Erik went away to school and the NAVY. They were like two peas in a pod. TJ knew Erik better than any person on the planet ever could. He knew when something was wrong with his friend.

Erik stood there between TJ and his car. He had nothing to say, but at this point, he knew TJ wasn’t going to let it go.

“You know you tripping, right?” TJ continued.

“I’m tripping? Nah, fuck that. She’s tripping! Letting some nigga be all on her like that.”

“E! C’mon man, calm down.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down.”

“You acting like she was fucking the nigga or something.”

“She might as well had been.” Erik stepped closer to TJ, bringing them eye to eye.

“See man, that’s your problem.”

“My problem?” Erik cuts him off, “What’s my problem, huh?”

“Just snapping for no damn reason. You’ve always done this stupid shit. Shoot now and ask questions later. That shit might work out on the field but that’s now how shit works in real life, E. You’ll run that girl off just like you run damn near everybody else off with that shit.”

Erik kissed his teeth, “Man, fuck on.”

“I always told you that you needed to calm the fuck down. It’s gon’ come back and bite you in the ass.”

“Oh, I guess Kayla leaving your bum ass made you a relationship expert.” Erik spat.

Kayla was TJ’s ex. They were together for five years until Kayla broke up with TJ about six months ago. TJ was always putting work first and cheated on Kayla while doing so. When she had enough, she left and never came back. The breakup was still fresh for TJ, so it was a low blow for Erik to bring it up.

“Yeah, E! It fucking did.” Erik could see the anger in TJ now. He had triggered him. “I fucked up and now I’m not trying to see my nigga fuck up his own situation. I ain’t never seen you act like this over no female, so clearly you like her. But honestly, I wouldn’t even blame her for getting rid of your dumb ass. You got too much baggage.”

Erik was done listening to what TJ had to say and started getting into his car. This time TJ didn’t stop him, he just continued to talk.

“Go ahead and walk away. Just like you always do. You can never face your shit, Erik. You can’t run away from your demons.” he shouts as Erik starts his car and pulls out of his driveway and driving off.

Erik raced through the semi empty streets of LA. It was pretty late so not many people were on the road. He dipped in and out of lanes, making his drive home a quick one. He entered his penthouse and headed straight to the bathroom, stripping out of his clothes and getting into the shower. The video of Phoenix dancing with another man playing in his head over and over followed by TJ’s last few words to him. You can’t run away from your demons. He stepped out of the shower and laid his bare body across his bed. As if a wave of calmness rolled over  his space, he suddenly felt… foolish. He knew he overreacted. He replayed the nights events over to see where everything went left. He sent Phoenix another text, apologizing before closing his tired eyes and drifting off to sleep.

-----

When Erik woke up the next morning, he hadn’t  received anything from Phoenix. Was she pissed? Was her phone still dead? Every kind of scenario possible ran through his mind. He barely got through his morning workout because of his overthinking. He would stop between sets checking his phone for any new notifications, even though his phone wasn’t on silent and would alert him if he had any. He decided to turn his phone off, leaving it in his bedroom while he locked himself in his office to work.

Hours had passed before he finally stepped back out of his office. The urge to check his phone hit him immediately after stepping out of his office, but the sounds of his hungry belly forced him to head downstairs to the kitchen. He took his time cooking up some salmon croquettes and cheesy grits. He picked around at his food. He needed to check his phone. He traveled upstairs to grab it and watched the apple sign glow as he made his way back down, sitting back at his kitchen counter. His phone came to life, with One New Message: Baby Girl and a missed call from TJ. He didn’t even bother to think about calling TJ back. He slid open the message from Phoenix.

Heat began to form in the pit of his chest as he read her message over and over. His thumbs hovered over the keyboard, trying to think of something, anything to say back. But she made herself clear: Do me a favor and don’t call or text me. Leave me alone. Not able to come up with anything to redeem himself, he decided to do as she asked and leave her alone. He closed the message and locked his phone. Erik finished the rest of his food, put on some fresh clothes and headed out the door.

-------

Phoenix and her girls rented some ATV’s for the day and spent the day exploring. They shopped at some small shops and got food at a local cafe before returning back to their villa. They all had been tired from partying the night before, so this night would be spent chilling and relaxing. As the night came to an end, everyone headed to their rooms to get some rest.

Phoenix laid in her bed for what felt like hours, trying to fall asleep. She flipped her pillows countless times to feel the cold side, she tossed and turned, and she even tried to count backwards from a hundred. Nothing worked. She reached for her phone and for the first time since that morning, she took her phone off airplane mode. Her first action was opening her messages and tapping Erik’s name. She just stared at her last message to him. Not knowing what to do, she exited out and tapped her IG app. She scrolled and scrolled, liking a few pictures until she found herself mindlessly tapping through Insta Stories. She stopped when she got to Coby’s story. He was in the studio and playing a snippet of a beat and it sparked an idea in her.  “I need to write.” she whispered to herself.

Phoenix got up and pulled out her trusty notebook from her luggage. She wasn’t supposed to bring anything work related with her but she knew at some point, inspiration could hit her. She dug into the bottom of her purse for her airpods and headed downstairs. She made her way outside into the backyard of the villa. The pool lite up blue and she found a comfy spot on one of the cushioned chairs. Popping in her headphones, she turned on a beat and let the music sing to her. She closed her eyes, feeling the warm, midnight breeze and hummed until she found the words.

Ride these hips like some handle bars // Do it on top of the car

No matter baby, I don't care // We can fuck anywhere

She sings as she writes her lyrics in her notebook.

-------

Mica stands in the dim kitchen, with the refrigerator open, looking for something to snack on. Nothing looked appealing but her sleepy mind made her believe that if she stared long enough at the food that maybe something tasty would just appear on the shelves. As she stood there, she heard the faint sounds of a voice. She closed the door of the fridge, trying to listen to where it was coming from. Her eyes followed the sound and she spotted one of her friends sitting outside. As she walked closer to the cracked open, sliding door she could hear very clearly now, Phoenix singing. She listened as Phoenix sung to herself. But what really caught her up were the x rated lyrics. How could someone so innocent be singing like this.

Now see normally, I do not do this shit // But ooh, I'm so ready to do your shit

Throw it back for ya cause you know the deal // When I hit ya back with that Netflix and chill

Mica stepped outside and started walking toward Phoenix. Naturally, as she walked, she didn’t make a noise. Phoenix having her earbuds in and eyes closed, she didn’t notice when Mica sat down in the chair next to her.

Let me tell you how I want it // Tell you just the way to hit // when you tryna push up on it

“Sounds like somebody missing that D.” Mica laughed, adding emphasis on D.

Phoenix jumped so hard, one of her earbuds fell out. “Oh my God!” She grabs her chest, feeling her heart pound. “What the fuck, Mica?”

“My bad. I ain’t mean to scare you.” Phoenix took deep breaths trying to calm her nerves. “Why are you out here though? You ain’t scared a lizard will pop out and attack you?” Mica continued.

“I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to be by the water and I actually never thought about a lizard or any other creatures popping out, but I am now though.” She rolled her eyes, peaking over her shoulder. When she looks back at Mica, she finds Mica grinning at her. “What?” she asked, with a bit of attitude.

Mica shakes her head. “Oh, nothing.”

“Mica… why are you looking at me like this?”

“I peeped your lyrics. Yo’ ass can’t sleep because you’re probably due for a dose of dick.”

Phoenix rolls her eyes. “I’m not due for anything. It’s just a song.”

“Girl, bullshit! All of your music reflects how you feel.” She watched as Phoenix anxiously bites the side of her mouth instead of responding. “It’s okay to admit it Phoenix.”

“There’s nothing to admit.” she snaps. “I’m just writing music.”

“Yeah, about getting your guts ruined by Erik.”

“Erik ain’t ruining shit.”

“Okay. Now you’re just lying.” Mica moves closer to Phoenix, snatching her notebook from her. Phoenix gives a small fight for it but Mica’s small frame is strong and she blocked Phoenix’s attempts to get it back. Mica read through the lyrics. Her eyes growing big as she realizes something. “Oh my goodness. Im tryna take you out the friend zone,” she reads. “You and him haven’t done the do, but you want to. You still want Erik to be your man.” she gives Phoenix a mischievous look.

Phoenix’s face heats up and tries to hide it from Mica. Mica jumps up and squeezes into the same chair as Phoenix. “Can you chill before you wake everybody up?” Phoenix says, covering her face with her t-shirt.

“I knew you were blowing smoke about being done with his ass earlier.” Mica snatches Phoenix’s t-shirt down from her face. “C’mon girl, talk to me. You ain’t let him break you off?”

Phoenix shakes her head no.

“Has he tried? Have you tried?”

“We’ve almost… like twice, but both times he stopped and said he didn’t want to.”

“Why?” Mica asked.

“The first time was after my show and we all went to In-N-Out. He walked me to my door and dropped the bomb on me that he would have to leave like the next day for work and be gone for two weeks. He didn’t want me to think he was having sex with me only to disappear.”

“Oh, like he did Sydney?”

Phoenix cut her eye at Mica. “He didn’t have sex with her.” Mica threw her hands up in surrender, motioning for Phoenix to go on. “And the second time is when he got back from his trip and he said he wanted to do things the right way and court me because he’s never done it for a woman.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean? He’s never actually dated a woman?”

“Nope! He’s never had a girlfriend. Just fuck buddies.”

“Hm.” Mica sounded impressed. “I’m going to need him to teach me his ways because I don’t really want these niggas. I just want the dick and that sounds perfect for me.”

“Mica!”

“What?”

“You know damn well you want Jimmy to be your man.”

“Aht! Aht! We are not talking about Jimmy right now. We are talking about you and Erik.” Mica pokes Phoenix’s chest.

“Actually,” Phoenix says matter of factly, “We’re not because there is no more me and Erik.”

“I get why you’re mad at him. I do! But I definitely think y’all can come back from this. From what you just said, I don’t think he was trying to be a disrespectful, wild nigga. If he’s never had a girlfriend then he’s never had those moments where you see the person you like, talk to someone else and your brain is all telling you to be heartbroken and you get that weird feeling in your chest. He overreacted, yes, but that man likes you, Philly! Maybe he didn’t know how to handle the thought of someone else knowing you the way he wants to know you.”

Phoenix bit her lip in thought. Does Mica really have a point right now? Mica was never the type to vouch for any guy. She was proudly Team Fuck These Niggas. So, this was new for Phoenix to hear from Mica. Mica grabs Phoenix’s face, looking her in the eyes. “I’m not saying to text him or nothing like that because it’s Fuck These Niggas for life. He should definitely suffer for talking to you like he lost his mind. But when you’re ready to talk to him, let his ass have it and make sure he knows that if he pulls that shit again, you will block his ass and go on like you never knew him. Once he bows down to you and kisses your feet for forgiveness, you snatch his soul.” Mica smiles which causes Phoenix to smile and Mica kisses her forehead.

“One problem, sis.”

“What?”

“I’m scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“The dick.” Phoenix whispers.

“Are you serious?” Mica laughs.

“Yes. Stop laughing at me.” she pushes Mica off of her, causing Mica to slip from their shared chair. “It’s been a long time since I did that.”

Mica catches herself and swiftly moves her body into the other chair. “I completely forgot that you’re a born again virgin. I would be scared too.”

“You don’t understand, Mica. I really don’t think I even remember what to do with a dick.”

“You want me to give you some tips?”

Phoenix nervously looks at Mica. “Tips? From you? I don’t know about that.”

“Fine! Lay there like a sponge then.”

“Wait, I don’t wanna be a sponge. I’m sorry. Help me.”

Mica hands Phoenix her notebook and pen back. “Open a fresh page and take notes.” Phoenix does what she is told and waits for Mica to begin. “Okay! Let’s start with oral. How you suck a guys dick is how you set the tone. Wait, you’ve given head before right?”

“Um, once. It wasn’t that bad.”

“Girl,” Mica palms her face. “I’m sure it was terrible.”

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

Phoenix followed Mica’s advice on letting Erik suffer. For the rest of their trip, she didn’t text or call him. In fact, she kept her phone on airplane mode the majority of the time and never posted anymore pictures or videos on her Instagram. That didn’t mean Erik didn’t see what she was up to. He had no shame in checking in on Ava, Mica and Camren’s pages. He tried to see what was on Tiana’s page but her page was private. He needed to show Phoenix he knew he messed by handling their situation like he did. The fews days of them not being in contact, he had plenty of time to think about his actions. With Phoenix returning soon, he needed to figure out a way to get her back.

He sent a message to Shawn.

Erik: Aye man, this E.

Shawn: What’s up bro.

Erik: I need you to do me a favor. Give Coby my info. Tell that nigga to hit my line.

Shawn: Bet.

---------

Jetlag was creeping up on Phoenix as she sat in the backseat of her Uber. They had landed safely back in Los Angeles and she was headed home. The sun was setting and Phoenix took a beautiful picture of the sky as it glowed pink and orange. This being the first photo she uploaded to her InstaStory in days with the caption, no place like home.

Just as she hit upload, Erik watched as her picture popped up at the top of his screen. Seeing the photo confirmed that she’s home and his plan is set to start any minute now. He sat on his couch, waiting patiently for her to get to her apartment.

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