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dlamp-dictator · 4 years

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Allen X Wants to Like Guilty Gear Part 1: Allen X Does Not Like Guilty Gear

Folks, I tried. I really tried. For the last few years I’ve tried to like Guilty Gear. I’ve honestly been playing bits of this series since around the time Accent Core was on the PS3 store. I’ve really tried. I’ve played Accent Core Plus R, Xrd, Revelator and Rev 2, and I’ve been trying my damn hardest to like this series because I can see all the cool and fun stuff in it. I can see the cool grungy-rock meets 90s anime aesthetic. I can see how insane and cool Roman Cancel combos are. I can hear all the awesome music in the soundtracks. And I see all the blood, sweat, and tears poured into this series to make it the coolest hard-rock fighting game it wants to be and I really want to like it.

But I don’t... God, it’s Samurai Shodown all over again.

I just can’t get into this series, man. Something, some things about it keep me from fully enjoying it. Mostly some petty things that just add up and tumble the pile over, but things nonetheless.

And... I wanted to talk about that a little.

I wanted to just let out all my love and misgivings for the Guilty Gear in hopes of finally purging all the negative from my being, or at least write it out in a constructive manner so I can lay all my transgressions bare and maybe... possibly... actually want to purchase and play Strive on launch day.

But first, as usual, a synopsis.

The Guilty Gear series is a fighting game developed by Arc System Works, helmed and created by Daisuke Ishiwatari, who I know as the composer of the Blazblue soundtrack, but has quite the large track record that I won’t go into here. Guilty Gear as a story focuses on the lone bounty hunter Sol Badguy, a human experiment known as a Gear, half-human, half monstrous being of science and magic. The storyline of each game tends to focus on Sol finding the humanity in his would-be marks as well as confronting the still-lingering humanity in himself as he copes with both his self-loathing and loathing the for one who made him this way, a scientist simply call That Man, or Asuka as the most recent games have shown us. The storyline itself is long and complicated but as of Strive it seems the final battle between Sol and That Man is finally at hand and the battlefield will be the United States.

Gameplay-wise, Guilty Gear is a fast-paced, combo-centric series that uses chaining attacks that can cancel into special and super moves, along with the unique Roman Cancels, which slow down time and leave your opponent open for more punishment mid-combo. Think the Chain Shift in Under Night with a bit more hangtime if you want a comparison, or the Rapid Cancel of the Blazblue series with a slowdown effect and more flash.

And with the basics out of the way let’s talk about the specifics.

The Good Things

Of course, that isn’t to say I hate this game series. There’s a lot I like and enjoy about the Guilty Gear series that I’ll go into greater detail in a later essay, but for now I’ll give a brief mention of all the things I enjoy about it.

The Music

I was introduced to Daisuke Ishiwatari’s music through Blazblue, and while I love Blazblue music to this day I’ll also admit that it sounds very... video game-y. It doesn’t sound like something that could be listened to from anything other than a game. But Guilty Gear music sounds like actual music. I don’t mean that in an insulting way toward Blazblue, but... man does Pride and Glory sound like something you’d listen to while driving your pickup truck on the highway. Damn, does Get Down to Business sound like something an actual rock concert would play. And the Xrd soundtracks sound so good man. One Dawn, Enough is Enough, Starry Sky, Lily of Steel, they all sound so damn good. And as cheesy and over-the-top as they sound I love the LA and NY Vocals of this series. Personal favorites are Keep Yourself Alive II, Fuuga, and Suck a Sage.

The Aesthetic

If there was one thing I didn’t really like about Blazblue it was a lot of characters, even the ones I mained, had an aesthetic I just couldn’t latch onto. A weird mix of fantasy, eastern, and early-2000s action anime that just didn’t click with me save for Hibiki Kohaku. Guilty Gear is a lot more my speed with a more rugged look to their characters. Something about a lot these characters just have that good mix of grunge and 90s fashion I love. Some of my favorites being Answer, Ramlethal, and Jam.

Tension

While there’s a lot about Guilty Gear’s mechanics I find unappealing and convoluted I love how building and using meter works in this series, specific in Accent Core Plus R. Dust being a sort of EX button works really well in this game since I personally feel like Dust is kind of under-used a lot of the time save for the universal sweep. This point probably won’t get an entire essay covering it, but I did at least want to give it a shoutout.

Setting

This point will be getting its own essay, but to keep things short and simple I like the setting of Guilty Gear, medieval-esque magitech with a dash a modern-world flavor just hits with real well with me. Like a nice mix of Under Night and Tales of Symphonia.

And that’s it for the good stuff, at least the good stuff I can make into later essays. Now let’s talk about...

The Conflicting Things

Really, my issues with Guilty Gear are similar to Samurai Shodown and Granblue Fantasy Versus, where I love those game aesthetically, but actually playing them is another matter. However, unlike those two games my issues are almost the opposite. Where Samsho and GBVS had a slower and more fundamentals approach that didn’t appeal to my cocaine-esque addiction to combo chains, special cancels and air-dashing, Guilty Gear is almost too fast for my taste, or at least a different kind of fast. This is something very hard to explain. If you've read my initial thoughts on Crystar then you have a good idea about what I mean. This is something very hard to explain to people that haven’t played the game and is likely more a technical part of Guilty Gear’s mechanics that I can explain with an real sophistication aside from saying ‘this game feels weird,’ but... I’m gonna’ try.

The Button Layout

Alright, this is something I can actually explain. I’m... not a fan of 5-button fighters. Really, anything more than 4 buttons is hard for me to grasp. This is mostly due to the fact that I use a standard dualshock controller when playing fighting games. I frankly don’t have money for an arcade stick nor the patience to figure our how to work with one, so I’m stuck with the PS4 controller. For games like Blazblue, Granblue, and even stuff like Tekken and Dead or Alive this works out fine, as even when those games have a fifth or six button they usually aren’t heavily involved in combos or can be supplemented by other means. But games like Street Fighter, Skullgirls, and Guilty Gear the fifth and sixth button are used very liberally. Granted, Dust isn’t used as often as heavy punch, but it’s still a key button used for sweeps and air combos, turning my hands into pretzels as a results.

I don’t you dare tell me to just get use to it or get good. I’m a Carl main. I’m used multi-tasking with my hands.

...

Dammit, that came out wrong, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, a smaller issue I have is just the way Punch, Kick, Slash, and Heavy Slash are mapped both on the controller and on the display screen. It just doesn’t mesh well with me where they’re mapped, and switching the button layout honestly makes it worse because the display proper doesn’t adjust for where I map the buttons.

Roman Cancels

Roman Cancels are just a tool I don’t think I’ll ever find a good use for, or at least something that would take me a long time to use optimally. Like I said before, they’re basically Chain Shift with more hangtime, but it feels like the Rapid Cancel in the sense that I have to move very quickly after activating or I outright lose the combo, and unlike Chain Shift and Rapid Cancel where I can just ignore the mechanic, keep the meter, and focus on small, easy combos with good defense, Roman Cancels feel somewhat needed to do decent damage in this game. Or at least the trial mode really thinks so.

From what I’ve seen of Strive’s mechanics I think Roman Cancels will be a little easier for me to conceptualize and use, but... I dunno’, I’m not feeling too confident on that.

I do recognize that this issue is a me problem, but it’s a probably I have nonetheless.

The Look

Specifically on Xrd, something about the 2.5D makes certain movements a little hard to read and judge. This isn’t something I can really describe that well, but something about that game specifically feels weird. Like the cell-shaded, 3D contrasts a little with the feel of motion in that game. I have a similar issue with the recent Street Fighter games as well. Again, it’s nothing concrete and it’s honestly indescribable for someone of my knowledge on the subject, but... something feels awkward when I’m playing this game in a serious light.

The Fandom

This has nothing to do with the game, but tends to create cracks in me when I play this game. As a guy that got into Arc System Works games via Blazblue Calamity Trigger, seeing a lot of the Guilty Gear be demeaning and insulting toward the Blazblue Community has always rubbed me the wrong way and I have a difficult time getting into this series in a more serious way because of it. I know this is likely a vocal minority, I know this isn’t every Guilty Gear fan, but it feels like a vocal side of Guilty Gear community keeps thinking that Guilty Gear is some sort of antithesis to anime air-dashers like Blazblue, as if the grungy rock aesthetic cancels out the anime aesthetic of Blazblue. This has always annoyed me, but it tends to crop up everytime someone brings up Guilty Gear designs versus Blazblue designs and while I find the idea of discussing and comparing the two interesting it always seems to devolve into insulting Blazblue.

Though to give a short version of my opinion this: I don’t want to hear shit about Blazblue waifus when Baiken mains don’t even play Baiken. And I especially don’t want to hear shit about Blazblue’s pandering fanservice when Dizzy, Ram, and Elphelt exist.

About Strive

I think that covers the main things keeping me from liking Guilty Gear, or at least playing Guilty Gear. So I want to talk about Strive, the next game coming up. This will also be something that will be expanded on in a later essay, but for now I’ll say I’m cautiously excited about Strive coming out and I look forward to at least giving it a shot. Though to give some rapid-fire bullet points on the matter...

Overall, I think Strive looks great, the presentations is fantastic and I love a lot of the new designs for the characters, though I hear that opinion is actually contentious in the fandom.

I heard that Strive is gonna’ have a dub again. I’m... curious, but I’ll save my opinions for a different essay. Long story short, if they get a new director or the old director puts more care into the performances I’ll be happy. I did overall like Xrd’s original dub barring a few performances.

So far everything about Strive looks cool, but it’s still Guilty Gear, so... debating on if I wanna’ get that day 1. Especially since I still only have a base PS4. I’ve no interest in getting the new hotness for at least another year and gamers are self-centered demons that mock those using lesser hardware. That isn’t a Guilty Gear thing, it’s just a gamer thing.

For those wondering, if I pick of this game I’ll probably main Chipp, Ram, and maybe Giovanna.

I have mixed feelings about the soundtrack. Save for Smell of the Game the lyrics in the themes I’ve hard are a mix of okay to... not okay. Hope they have versions without the lyrics similar to Raven in Rev 2.

And I think that’s everything. Next... probably another essay about Arknights.

#your dictator is speaking #guilty gear

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remiwarner · 4 years

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❝𝕴𝖙 𝖇𝖚𝖗𝖓𝖘 𝖆 𝖍𝖔𝖑𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖌𝖍 𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖞𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖋𝖊𝖊𝖑𝖘 𝖎𝖙.❞

– – a Remi Warner playlist.

1. “Snufs” Kaveh, OnklP / (TRANSLATED)

Long fingernails, on some pimp shit Out to find a fucking nightclub to paint white Tony Montana, don’t think he accepts credit But he’ll happily give you your first hit Yo, come and get a (bump of cocaine)

And she asked me if I was keen on something And the line to the bathroom was fucking long cause all the boys were on some

2. “Day ‘N Nite” Kid Cudi

Slow mo When the tempo slows up and creates that new, new He seems alive though he is feeling blue The sun is shining, man, he’s super cool, cool The lonely nights they fade away He slips into his white Nikes He smokes a clip and then he’s on the way To free his mind in search of

Day and night, the lonely stoner seems to free his mind at night He’s all alone and through the day and night The lonely loner seems to free his mind at night At, at, at night

3. “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” Cage The Elephant

Oh, there ain’t no rest for the wicked Money don’t grow on trees I got bills to pay, I got mouths to feed And ain’t nothing in this world for free Oh, no, I can’t slow down, I can’t hold back Though you know I wish I could Oh, no, there ain’t no rest for the wicked Until we close our eyes for good

4. “Cold Wolves” The Gromble

‘Cause there weren’t many times that we shared a bed In the presence of strangers, you’d be sharing with them Needed protection and kept me around But I would always let you down Oh, I can always let you down

Machines keep on working I want to believe But tries are to no avail Some of us were born to fail

5. “Let It Bleed” The Used

This poison’s my intoxication I broke the needle off in my skin Picked the scabs and picked the bleeding And assumed that it was all in vain Pulled at a scab that’s never healing Callused, hit me in the face A burning bridge that’s so misleading Poison’s more potent now with the flame

Let it bleed, take the red for what it’s worth Watch the fire Fill your lungs with smoke for the last time If you feel like dying, you might wanna say

The fire department couldn’t drown the city They didn’t even try to wash it clean And what did you think – that I was sober? Put me out ‘cause I’m on fucking fire I pulled at a scab that’s never healing Regret that I kept this clean The most that I can do for you is keep on lying

6. “Prescription” Mindless Self Indulgence

I’m the doctor, I’m the patient Don’t forget that; it’s important If you love me, like I love me Everybody will be sorry

Well, I don’t need nothing before the show I don’t need nothing, well, that’s not so I need something before the show Just a little something to make me go You know what I want You know what I want Give me more, give me more Pretty please, a prescription Give me more, give me more Pretty please, a prescription

I don’t need no one screwing up my fun Over the counter, fill that prescription I don’t need no one screwing up my fun Turn down the bass and fill that prescription

Make it stop, make it stop Pretty please, a prescription Make it stop, make it stop Pretty please, a prescription

7. “Overdose” Grandson

I couldn’t find the thrill again I couldn’t seem to kill the pain I was living in the moment Searching for a little serotonin But this shit ain’t so fun now I can’t deal with the comedown I’ve been living on the run, now Oh, I gotta get out of this town somehow

‘Cause the bad’s been slowly getting worse In this fast lane, living, it’s a curse Better tell me, what’s your life worth? I think it’s time for a change ‘cause the drugs don’t work Anymore, anymore, anymore

Overdose, overdose, overdose, overdose, overdose All fun and games ‘till I hit the floor, comatose

8. “Little Lion Man” Mumford & Sons

Weep for yourself, my man, you’ll never be what is in your heart Weep, little lion man, you’re not as brave as you were at the start Rate yourself and rake yourself, take all the courage you have left And waste it on fixing all the problems that you made in your own head

But it was not your fault, but mine And it was your heart on the line I really fucked it up this time, didn’t I, my dear?

9. “Dread In My Heart” Mother Mother

There’s a godawful shitty feeling of dread in my heart Yeah, it’s got a lot to do with having to finish what I start And at any second now I think it all might fall apart ‘Cause there’s a godawful shitty feeling of dread in my heart

There’s a devil in my brain with a pitchfork and a flame Yeah, he likes to poke around and he likes to tell me things And whenever I begin to feel like I might be deranged I remember there’s a little shitty devil in my brain

Oh, I wonder what it’s like to be the type who doesn’t burn Yeah, the kind who fights the good fight Not the kind you’d find fisti-fucking-cuffing in the dirt

10. “Heavy Shit” Blake Rose

They tell me ‘why, this is all part of life, you see’ But the world keeps circling around me No, can’t seem to stop beating so hard on myself Hence all the shit I pour out Still haven’t found what I’m looking for No, all of these people keep closing doors They told me ‘you can’t keep holding all this shit to yourself Go find a way to let it pour out’

So here I am, trying to figure where it all went wrong Feel like a ghost in my own damn home Starting to wonder how I got so numb To this heavy shit I pour out Bottoming bottles in the mirror when I’m on my own Feel like I’m lost in my own damn bones Can someone tell me how I got so numb To this heavy shit I pour out?

11. “Discoloration” Dawn Golden

You took my hand and brought me down in the morning And I was sitting waiting for the telephone to swallow me whole I saw your face reflected on the resonant screen And I watched your mouth moving like a tired machine Trying to plead with me Trying to swallow me whole

It’s been a while since I’ve been gone and away And I watched your eyes reflect me in a terrible way As you cast your gaze to the flickering hall

And you knelt beside me and you started to pray And the whites of your eyes blackened with a hardened decay And you talked to me in a broken voice

‘In your open mouth Silence me in your coursing Blood in my eyes Dress me in your clothes And swallow me whole’

12. “Blue And Yellow” The Used

And it’s all in how you mix the two And it starts just where the light exists It’s a feeling that you cannot miss And it burns a hole through everyone that feels it

And you never would’ve thought in the end How amazing it feels just to live again It’s a feeling that you cannot miss And it burns a hole through everyone that feels it

Well, you’re never gonna find it if you’re looking for it Won’t come your way, yeah Well, you’ll never find it if you’re looking for it

Should’ve done something, but I’ve done it enough By the way your hands were shaking Rather waste some time with you Should’ve said something but I’ve said it enough By the way my words were fading Rather waste some time with you

13. “Past Life” Trevor Daniel

I’m trying to be honest with my happiness Don’t know why I’m bad at this And I don’t wanna settle in my sadness I know it’s a habit of mine

Perfect, perfect timing I start what I don’t know how to end Don’t re– don’t remind me I ruined it before it began

Last night was the last night of my past life Got me here like ‘you can never figure me out’ Last night was the last night, was the last time I’ll never let you figure me out Sitting here, talking to myself Thinking how I used to use you, only thing I’m used to Last night was the last night of my past life

14. “Graceless” The National

Graceless Is there a powder to erase this? Is it dissolvable and tasteless? You can’t imagine how I hate this Graceless

I’m trying, but I’m graceless Don’t have the sunny side to face this I am invisible and weightless You can’t imagine how I hate this Graceless

I’m trying, but I’m going through the glass again Just come and find me God loves everybody, don’t remind me I took the medicine and I went missing Just let me hear your voice, just let me listen

All of my thoughts of you Bullets through rotten fruit Come apart at the seams Now I know what dying means I am not my rosy self Left my roses on my shelves Take the wild ones, they’re my favorites It’s the side effects that save us Grace Put the flowers you find in a vase If you’re dead in the mind it’ll brighten the place Don’t let ‘em die on the vine, it’s a waste Grace

There’s a science to walking through windows There’s a science to walking through windows There’s a science to walking through windows There’s a science to walking through windows without you

15. “End Credits” Eden

Cigarette ash like wildfire, burning holes in the nighttime Open scars cut like barbed wire White lies flying high like a ceasefire Dropping flags on the shoreline This is as far as I can feel right ‘Cause what you don’t know can harm you

And all we ever wanted was sunlight and honesty Highlights to wanna repeat Let’s get away from here and live like the movies do I won’t mind when it’s over At least I didn’t think for a while

So let’s run, make a great escape And I’ll be waiting outside for the getaway It doesn’t matter who we are, we’ll keep running through the dark And all we’ll ever need is another day We can slow down, ‘cause tomorrow is a mile away And live like shooting stars ‘Cause a happy ending’s hardest to fake

16. “Bloody Shirt” To Kill A King

What you wanna do tonight? I got wounds to lick in life All you’ve said Standing like a stick, this tie could invert to be a noose instead

Oh, you’re lying next to me Heart is beating heavily Blood in your hair, though, oh, and blood on your shirt

It’s too late to say you’re sorry, say you’re sorry still And I stepped out with heavy heart to bail you out again All those things you do, and all those things you do

Get out, get gone, this town is only gonna get worse Get out, get gone, this town is only gonna eat you

17. “No One’s Here To Sleep” Naughty Boy, Bastille

Every carpet, every floor, everywhere I look, I fall Climbing up the walls, I’m climbing up the walls What goes on behind these doors I’ll keep mine and you keep yours We all have our secrets, we all have our secrets

Behind every door is a fall, a fall And no one’s here to sleep

You were always faster than me I’ll never catch up with you, with you Oh, I can feel them coming for me

Here’s the pride before the fall Oh, your eyes, they show it all I can see it coming, I can see it coming As I rise up through each floor Shit gets dark when you lose it all I can hear it coming, I can hear the drumming

18. “Shots” Imagine Dragons

Am I out of touch, am I out of my place When I keep saying that I’m looking for an empty space? Oh, I’m wishing you’re here But I’m wishing you’re gone I can’t have you, and I’m only gonna do you wrong

Oh, I’m gonna mess this up Oh, this is just my luck Over and over and over again

I’m sorry for everything, oh, everything I’ve done From the second that I was born, I sense I had a loaded gun And then I shot, shot, shot a hole through everything I loved Oh, I shot, shot, shot a hole through every single thing that I loved

Am I out of luck, am I waiting to break When I keep saying that I’m looking for a way to escape? Oh, I’m wishing I had what I’ve taken for granted I can’t have you when I’m only gonna do you wrong

Oh, I’m gonna mess this up Oh, this is just my luck Over and over and over again

19. “Apartment” Young The Giant

After leaving my apartment I feel this cold inside me It howls away all through the market It calls your name

On my way to your apartment I write for fear of silence You carved a boat to sail my shadow Now I walk alone Alright, alright

I hit the sidewalk, and this is how it starts Hide in a raincoat when things are falling apart

After leaving your apartment I hear the coast by nightfall So sure to keep you dreaming You understood Oh, I know you understood Yes, sir, it shows I was no good Alright, alright

I hit the sidewalk, and this is how it starts Hide in a raincoat when things are falling apart ‘Cause sooner or later this is bound to stop Come on, let’s savor What we’re falling over

20. “Munich” Editors

It breaks when you don’t force it It breaks when you don’t try It breaks if you don’t force it It breaks if you don’t try

People are fragile things, you should know by now Be careful what you put them through

People are fragile things, you should know by now You’ll speak when you’re spoken to

With one hand you calmed me With one hand I’m still With one hand you calmed me With one hand I’m still

21. “Tamer Animals” Other Lives

Oh, living for the city And it’s always troubling to keep it in the high lane I don’t care about no scenery And you run from it then Now you can’t escape

‘Cause it’s all you see But we’re all just an end to a simple thing And it’s all you see And it’s all you see

We’re just tamer animals We’re just tamer animals

22. “Silhouette” Jacob Lee

I have tried to quantify the reasons I feel incomplete I guess sometimes my wisdom it figures that’s what I need I have tried to sit beside these demons that trip up my feet I guess sometimes it’s weakness that strengthens the skin on your knees

I’ve not liked myself for quite some time now Standing at the mirror with the lights out Try to keep my shadow at a distance Scared of what it’d say if it could listen

I’ve not known myself for quite some time now Staring at the mirror with the lights out Screaming words that I should probably whisper Terrified the light above might flicker

#soundtrack #( wow even more remi content science is amazing )#( will update this post if i decide to add more songs at some point )#( click through for relevant lyric snippets™ )#( and song list )

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gh0stbird · 4 years

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Okay Now Do The Rest

4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?

Bright but argumentative. I was never afraid of pointing out things I didn’t feel were fair hfhddh

When we were learning numbers kids would often write 91 for nineteen, just flip them, y’know, and Ms. Potter yelled at the class for it. Baby Generiq went into it about how it was an understandable mix up because you do say the number first. In twenty-three you write the two first, so in nineteen it’s easy to assume you would write the nine first.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?

Tired.

8. movies or tv shows?

TV shows. Every book adaptation should also be a series not a movie. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

9. favorite smell in the summer?

Honeysuckle and sunshine

10. game you were best at in p.e.?

Floor hockey! My friend and I used to be brutal and swing at each other’s shins going after the ball. Also it was reminiscent of golf, which I competed in.

12. name of your favorite playlist?

I have an untitled playlist I cycle my current music in and out of, but Newton’s Third Law is my favorite named one!

14. favorite non-chocolate candy?

I don’t- I guess the yellow smarties. Don’t come for me they taste like lemonade.

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?

I assume this means assigned book and not the reports we got to pick for ourselves. Ah, Night was good. Lord of the Flies was fine but way overhyped. Again, don’t come for me.

16. most comfortable position to sit in?

If I can tuck my legs into the chair I am sitting in that is ideal!

18. ideal weather?

When you know it is going to rain and you get to stay home

19. sleeping position? (Skipped on accident)

I reeeally like pressure, so either against something or on my stomach.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

Phone notes and a notebook! Sometimes a blank document but I always find it strangely intimidating

21. obsession from childhood?

Warrior Cats, Percy Jackson, and Maximum Ride were my big three!

22. role model?

Aa I try to straw from people I want to copy, but there are talents I look up to. Rachel Chavkin is a brilliant director, and there are so many artists and authors I look up to and who inspire me.

24. favorite crystal?

Obsidian because it’s black like my hea- I’m kidding, I do love obsidian, but it’s Rose Quartz because it’s a very very pretty, soft pink and makes me happy.

25. first song you remember hearing?

The mobile above my crib played Imagine by John Lennon. My childhood room was themed after it as well!

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?

Swim or sit in the sunshine. Ben and I usually go driving with the top down as well.

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

Walking through fresh snow is amazing, so are snowball fights and building snowmen.

28. five songs to describe you?

Oh fuck yes

Hurricane - Hamilton

The Reckless and the Brave - All Time Low

Almost There - The Princess and the Frog

All This and Heaven Too - Florence + the Machine

Facade - Jekyll and Hyde: A Gothic Musical Thriller

30. places that you find sacred?

I don’t typically find places sacred, but certain headspaces are very special to me, and time spent with loved ones means more than enough to be considered sacred.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?

A black blazer with a white button-down and a skirt.

32. top five favorite vines?

I am in Missouri (misery)

I love you, Bitch

I want a Church girl

Obama’s “I know because I won both of them”

I won’t hesitate, Bitch!

33. most used phrase in your phone?

“No worries”

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?

That fucking PFI bandana boot sale I stg

35. average time you fall asleep?

Somewhere between 9:00 and three in the morning

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?

Some girl doing bunny ears on her friend. I don’t remember what the caption was

38. lemonade or tea?

Both. Mixed together. It’s called an Arnold Palmer and it is my favorite drink

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

Lemon cake!

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?

We duck taped out principal to the wall once. Also some kid broke their tray over another kid’s head at lunch one time.

41. last person you texted?

The family group chat, though Beau if Discord counts

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?

I wear a lot of leggings so jacket pockets!

44. favorite scent for soap?

We had some Lily of the Valley hand soap that was amazing

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?

Fantasy, I think! I’ve never done super heavy into the other two. Though I definitely don’t want to ignore sci-fi because two of my favorite stories are a little science-fiction-y

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?

A t-shirt and shorts

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?

A banana. Generally accepted as a fruit and kind of just rolls with it, but is actually a berry

49. what saying or quote do you live by?

I fucking hate Hamilton-ing on main, but

“And when my prayers to god were met with indifference, I picked up a pen, I wrote my own deliverance!”

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?

That changes every time Beau and I play HetaOni together, but I have fucking lost it for at least five minutes the last two sessions.

51. current stresses?

I dunno, man, life? My hair could use a wash

52. favorite font?

Covered by your Grace and I’m a big Spectral baby. These are both google docs! I don’t know if that makes a difference.

54. what did you learn from your first job?

Patience is important when teaching material, but never be afraid to find another approach better suited to the person you’re tutoring.

55. favorite fairy tale?

Robin Hood!

56. favorite tradition?

My family does homemade Springfield cashew chicken for Christmas!

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome?

Uhh lots of self-acceptance shit no one really wants to read

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

I can pop the joint at the center of my foot

That’s all

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?

I sort of like my role as mom friend, so maybe I could keep that role in a sort of action-based anime that followed a group of friends

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?

“I am not the protégé to waste your time on; I'm complete!” Jekyll and Hyde: GMT

62. seven characters you relate to?

Haha

Lisa Carew - Jekyll and Hyde: GMT

Japan - Hetalia/Oni

Garnett - Steven Universe

Hfhddh that’s all I can say that aren’t my own characters

63. five songs that would play in your club?

I Don’t Like Clubs, but

Overwhelmed - Royal + The Serpent

Backseat Serenade - All Time Low

Go Big or Go Home - American Authors

The Nights - Avicii

Tempo - Lizzo

64. favorite website from your childhood?

Webkinz!

65. any permanent scars?

Yep - One from a bad bike wreck. My body rejected the dissolvable stitches so it’s a lot bigger than it was supposed to be

66. favorite flower(s)?

Lily of the Valley, daisies, Day Lilies, and Dandelions! I also love honeysuckles but I don’t know if those count.

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried?

Accidentally drank rancid milk once!

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? (Haha, nice)

The fastest, free way to fill up your potions on Wizard101 is to play Potion Motion to level three.

70. left or right handed?

Right handed

71. least favorite pattern?

On myself, animal print

72. worst subject?

I’ve never been intuitively good at History, I do think it’s interesting though.

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?

I don’t like to take it until I can’t move without it.

75. when did you lose your first tooth?

Kindergarten? I had mono and then scarlet fever twice, so my baby teeth were pretty much ruined and they all fell out very fast.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

Curly fries!

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?

Kalanchoe’s, it literally Window’s Thrill. These babies are fairly temperamental outside and love partial sun, so the window is the perfect spot for them. And! If you keep them happy! They’ll bloom! My personal favorite is the pink bloom.

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?

What’s wrong with coffee from a gas station? Also I don’t like seafood.

80. earth tones or jewel tones?

Earth tones!

81. fireflies or lightning bugs?

Lightning bugs

82. pc or console?

PC!

84. podcasts or talk radio?

Podcasts - talk radios actually tend to get under my skin for n o reason

84. barbie or polly pocket?

Barbie, but let it be known I was brutal with mine. We did human sacrifices and the like.

85. fairy tales or mythology?

Mythology!

86. cookies or cupcakes?

Cookies, but I’m a slut for whipped frosting

87. your greatest fear?

Losing control!

88. your greatest wish?

A life beyond where I am now. Haha Stop chasing new down the hallway you’re so sexy haha

90. luckiest mistake?

Logged into Omegle in like 2015 and some rando asked me to join their Doctor Who roleplay. Luckiest moment of my gd life.

91. boxes or bags?

Bags! They’re easier to store

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?

Sunlight! But in the late afternoon when everything is bathed in orange.

93. nicknames?

Mom is the most prevalent!

94. favorite season?

Fall into winter. Peak leaf crunch!

95. favorite app on your phone?

Discord or Notes

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lxvelless · 4 years

Text

hey hey everyone! my name’s skye and i write for my loverboy ezio over here~ super hype to get the ball rolling [so hype i did blog graphics, my thumbs hURT] and i’m loving this place already ! below the cut you’ll find info to help get acquainted with him, can’t wait to throw him at all of you ♡

( mark tuan + 24 + muse #8) isn’t that ezio wu over there? i heard he joined faction one after they got back to west ham. it’s funny, ‘cause they were only on the service trip because he was trying to say as far away from his mother as possible. hopefully they fit in there – they’re generous, but also gullible. oh, i’m sure they’ll be fine.

― * 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭.

full name; ezio wu

nickname(s); zizi, etsy

age; twenty-four [24]

birthday; october 9, 1995

birthplace; rocky ford, colorado

gender; male

orientation; biromantic / bisexual

s/o status; single

occupation; psychology student

faction; one

label; the mediator

myers briggs; infp

house; hufflepuff

religion; agnostic

enneagram; the helper

big five; conscientiousness

chronic; n/a

fears; his mother

wanted connections; the friend he made over the internet who essentially saved his life, read past for more info

― * 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.

[ warnings; heavy mentions of abuse, death ]

ezio’s childhood was not a happy one in any sort of the word — he never knew his father, his brother was a menace, and his mother was a narcissistic and neurotic woman that made his life a living hell every chance she got.

his true personality never had a chance to shine nor develop, practically trained to walk on egg shells around either members of the family; still, it often wasn’t enough, and regardless of his people-pleasing attitude he tried to convey, ezio would be left bruised and bloody many a night.

years of physical and mental abuse caused him to grow a meticulous and quiet approach, too afraid that the world would rip him to pieces if he said the ‘wrong thing’. it’s something he’s still trying to fend off to the current day, and people constantly mistake his silent terror for simply being shy

the world as he knows it comes crashing around ezio at the age of 14; forced into a car by his 17 year old brother seeking a joyride, he taunts the poor boy with sadistic tendencies the entire way. still, a split second decision to look in the backseat and mess with ezio causes the car to swerve off the road, slamming directly into a pole and ejecting the elder through the front windshield — when he briefly comes to, ezio is surrounded by flashing lights and the stench of blood lingering in the air, and it’s all he needs to know to come to the conclusion his brother wasn’t coming home.

he spends a month in the hospital feigning the extent of his injuries in hopes of staying away longer from his mother, the only time she visited him being the day he arrived and with the sole purpose of making it clear what awaited him at ‘home’. though she couldn’t hurt him at the hospital, outside of it was a different story.... a very different story, for that matter

his memory fails him the night he returns, and probably for the best — all ezio can remember is blood filling his mouth and the feeling of his head being dunked in the tub, most likely to keep him awake as the matriarch tore into him. when she was done, and not for many hours after such, ezio was left cradling near-broken limbs on the floor of his brother’s bedroom — and it was the final nail in coffin for him to know he needed to run for it.

despite his injuries the boy gathers whatever clothes he can possibly find and contacts a friend he had made over the internet, begging for safety at least for the time being. thankfully, they’re sympathetic to his plight, and soon ezio is limping down the street in whatever direction he thinks leads to kansas.

many days of bus hopping and hitchhiking later [not without it’s dangers, though most took one look at the broken boy and turned the other way] and he’s stepping foot into west ham, barely able to stand thanks to fractures in his legs. he remembers a pickup truck and feet hitting the pavement, and the very next thing he’s in the ICU with the one who had saved him gripping his hand.

it takes him a very long while to unlearn the habits he had grown accustomed to being crushed beneath his mother’s boot — simple things such as asking for water or wanting to go on a walk were practically unheard of for the boy, but once the initial fear passed? it was paradise. his friend’s family essentially took him in as one of their own and despite the tragedies he left behind, ezio knew he had finally found where he belonged

a singular science fair and his face on a national newspaper is all it takes for his birth mom to find him again — once the threatening letters start arriving ezio’s fear begins to creep back, though he tries his hardest to push it down. eventually, he stops reading them, and by the time he’s graduating high school? he’s chucking them into the fire altogether.

he doesn’t even think twice when it comes to what he’s majoring at the university — between his grades being high enough, the backing of his adoptive family, and the urge to figure out why he had been treated as such throughout his life, psychology rings out clear as day to the male. his affinity for practically being able to see into a person’s very soul, more of a survival tactic than anything, made such a course a dream. maybe, just maybe..... he hoped to bury his own fears in time.

#stats #tw ; death #tw ; abuse #apogeeintro

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everythingisgayandnothinghurts · 6 years

Text

Before and After

Steve’s world is all about after the serum was given and after he woke from his time in the ice. What if he was forced to live the before, even just for awhile?

This is inspired by @whumpitywhumpwhump post about asthma and how terrifying it is so I decided to write this little thing. Well, it was supposed to be little anyways.

When Steve woke his room was dark and he could only see darkness outside his window as well. He blinked heavily a few times and ran a hand through his hair to try and wake up a little more. He remembered vaguely that the team plus Bucky had gone out on a mission that afternoon. Hydra had been causing problems and as usual they were the ones to interfere before it got out of control.

His heart stuttered in his chest.

This time had been different. They had been expecting them to show up and almost eager to see them. The fighting had been difficult, even for him and his beyond normal capabilities. One of them had gotten the upper hand on him and before he could throw the guy twenty feet away from him he had been injected with something. He remembered the fear that had shot through him when he realized a needle had pierced his neck. The memories it brought back had been unpleasant to say the least.

He had actually cried a bit when Bucky had found him frozen in place.

Whatever he’d been injected with must have knocked him out for the rest of the day and they had left him to sleep it off. Steve smiled at his knees when he heard dishes being washed in the kitchen and slowly the hum of TV filtered in. Not everyone had left him of course. Buck would never leave his side like that. Hell, he would probably leave him to fend for himself despite the fact that now he could lift almost twice his body weight.

He made a displeased sound when he swung his legs over the side of the bed and the room spun for a moment. How did they find something strong enough to still affect him after so many hours? Bruce couldn’t even give him anything to last more than four, despite trying for months now. He brought a hand up to his head and closed his eyes to try and get the world to stay still long enough for him to figure out what was going on.

“Hey, you’re awake,” Bucky slowly eased the door open and his face lit up when he saw Steve awake. “You’ve been out for about nine hours. It’s nearly midnight.” He wasn’t so casual when Steve made another sound of alarmed displeasure and dropped his head fully into his hands as he hunched over the side of the bed. He felt sick to his stomach in such a foreign way that it was almost frightening. Since that serum he hadn’t been ill and nothing had really affected him physically. His body had been through beating after beating and he had never felt this awful. “Steve?”

“I’m…” Steve wanted to tell him he was fine, but fear was clogging his throat. This was so stupid. There was nothing to be afraid of. HIs stomach being upset was perfectly reasonable when he’d been given a heavy dose of some drug. “What did they drug me with?”

“Bruce didn’t have any conclusive results to tell us. He figured it was some kind of tranquilizer to get you out of the fight.” Bucky knelt in front of him and had both hands on his knees. “How are you feeling?”

“Sick,” Steve admitted softly as he swallowed a few times. “That must of been one hell of a tranquilizer then.”

“You feel dizzy,” Bucky’s hand came up to brush through his hair and over the hands already cradling his head.

“Dizzy and have a headache,” Steve confirmed as he tried to shake off feeling so off. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” He made to stand and immediately was weak in the knees. Bucky hurried to catch him before he hit the carpet and Steve felt the fear increase. What the hell was going on?

“Take it easy Stevie,” Bucky’s voice leaked of concern as well and he tried not to let it alarm him further. “Let’s stay in bed, okay? You hungry or anything? You haven’t eaten all day so I’m sure you’re starving. Tony brought up some sandwiches around dinner for you to have. Or I can make you whatever you want me to.”

“Just stay,” Steve said in a voice that could barely be heard. He tugged Bucky close and felt his eyes drift closed again. The other man quickly got the hint to climb in bed with him and cradle him close.

“You just need some rest, Doll,” Bucky told him softly with a soft kiss to his head. “Today was a rough fight. Nobody came back from that without a few bruises. They came after you the hardest.”

“I don’t get sick,” Steve said quietly and felt his eyes sting. What the hell was going on? “I mean, ever. After eight hours I should be healed just fine. It was just some drug. They didn’t even really hit me. I spent four days with Tony when he had the flu and I didn’t get so much as a sniffle. I feel… I feel funny.”

“Shh,” Bucky hushed him gently with a hand tangled back in his hair. “Tomorrow you’ll be fine, okay? Get some more sleep and the morning will bring a better day.”

Steve was too exhausted to argue that point so he let himself fall asleep and pretend that nothing weird was going on.

He woke before Bucky the next morning and was relieved when his symptoms did seem to be better. He felt a bit sluggish, but other than that he was fine. He got changed for his morning run and made some breakfast for himself. He was full after only three eggs, which was unheard of, but maybe it was part of his recovery. He quickly put on some shoes and went outside for his usual run. Soon enough he was on the familiar streets of the city and everything was fine again. His fear had been for nothing after all.

He thought that for about twenty minutes before the fear came back ten times worse.

He felt his chest getting tight about ten minutes into his run, but he figured his lungs just had to wean off the last of that drug and pushed on. He could run for at least a couple hours before his body showed any sign of weariness. He had made it almost to his familiar streets of Brooklyn when he passed a construction site where work was actively happening for a change. He waved to the guys, too out of breath for a real greeting. He slowed to a jog but that wasn’t enough for his body to catch breath again. He started to cough as the tightness grew like a rubber band had been wrapped around him.

He knew this pain. He had had it so many times growing up on these streets with construction and all kinds of stuff in the air. He could hardly walk to school without using his inhaler once back in the day. He leaned a hand on a brick wall next to him as he seemed to be unable to suck in air to his lungs. He felt like he couldn’t breath and like the dust was choking him. This didn’t happen to Steve Rogers, better known as Captain America. This hadn’t happened since coming out of the ice.

The pain grew and his breathing got worse, bringing him to his knees. The fear crashed over him in a tsunami tide now as he fought to suck in air. He fumbled for his phone in his pocket and dialed the person he called the most.

“Did you seriously go running after the night you had?” Bucky offered instead of a greeting. “Nobody is going to blame you for laying in bed one morning of your life. Super soldier or not you are allowed rest and relaxation. I had plans for-”

“Buck,” Steve got out as tears streamed down his face. He didn’t care what he looked like right now when he could hardly suck any air in and he felt like he was suffocating. “Bucky.”

“Steve? Hon, what’s going on?” BUcky’s voice turned sharp and serious in an instant. “Are you alright?”

“I can’t breathe,” Steve choked out as panic crept over him as he said it aloud. “Asthma.”

“Asthma?” Bucky repeated, bewildered. “What the fuck? Steve you don’t have-”

“Bucky,” Steve sobbed his name again as he clutched his chest.

“I’m on my way to you,” Bucky assured him and Steve could dimly hear doors slamming as he made good on his promise. “Stark can track you or whatever. Take a deep breath Steve.”

Steve tried to and it hurt like hell. His chest was burning and he was getting dizzy from lack of proper oxygen. “Can’t. It h-hurts.”

“I know it does,” Bucky said, sounding in nearly as much pain as he was in. He heard Bucky saying something frantically to someone else. “We are on our way, okay? I’ll see you in just a few minutes. It’s gonna be okay I promise.”

Steve let the phone go limp to the ground and tried to hold onto the thought of Bucky coming soon. He could get him through this if it was asthma. God knew he had more than enough practice. The number of times he had forgotten his inhaler as a kid was staggering. He really had had no self-preservation skills.

Loud footsteps gave him seconds of warning before both Bucky and Tony were in front of him. He was having a full blown panic attack by now and his head was throbbing in pain. Bucky didn’t hesitate a moment before maneuvering behind him and tugging him close to his chest.

“Okay, okay Stevie I’m right here. We got this down to a science now, hm? Follow my breathing, okay?” Bucky’s hands were rubbing his shoulders gently as his chest moved slowly and deliberately.

“W-why is this happening?” Steve gasped out as he tried to follow instructions. The alarm wouldn’t leave him since it had been so long and it should be impossible for this to be happening at all.

“Steve, we’ve got you, alright?” Tony said steadily. “I may not have asthma, but panic attacks are my specialty by now. We’ll get you through this.”

“I brought this,” Bucky showed him an inhaler that Steve had no idea existed. The plastic was pressed to his lips and Steve felt a smidge of relief as the medication miraculously hit his lungs. He coughed a few more times and it seemed to take forever for air to reach his lungs properly.

Steve curled against Bucky’s chest as the pain ebbed away to a bearable level, though the fear was still there. Tony was holding his hand and looking concerned and kind. It was a surreal experience and he hated being seen crying like this. He felt like a kid all over again and it wasn’t the best feeling.

“Feel any better?” Tony asked quietly after long minutes of the three of them sitting on the sidewalk. Steve nodded and squeezed his hand tightly. “I’m sure that was terrifying. It’s been decades since you had to go through that, right?”

“What is going on?” Bucky asked quietly as he rubbed his back. “Steve doesn’t have asthma. He doesn’t have even a hint of it. He was out of it last night after the drugs had been his system for over nine hours. Something weird is going on.”

“It looks like something they gave him messed with the serum,” Tony speculated as he rocked back on his heels and stood. “Let’s get him back the Tower and away from the construction. It’s probably what set him off in the first place.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Bucky warned as Steve tried to stand up on his own. “You just worry about getting air into those lungs. You need to take it easy until we figure this out.”

“I’m sorry,” Steve apologized softly as Bucky scooped him up in his arms. A kiss was pressed to his temple softly.

“Darling, you don’t need to apologize at all. This isn’t your fault,” Bucky assured him quietly.

“I should have taken it easy. Should have known something was off,” Steve said hoarsely before breaking into a round of coughs.

“Take another puff of your inhaler,” Bucky instructed and already the Tower was in view. He really hadn’t gotten far when he had collapsed. Steve fell quiet and let his head rest on Bucky’s shoulder as they quickly approached the Tower. This whole thing made him feel oddly helpless. He could remember in the days when Bucky was constantly with him in case he got in trouble with other boys, or his breathing, or anything else he could find. He would have died at least five times over if Bucky had never been his friend. He had truly forgotten how terrifying asthma attacks were until now. He didn’t want to go back to those times now that he knew a world where breathing was done without thinking. How could he be an Avenger with asthma? Without the serum who was he in this new world? He had had a hard enough time finding a place in it as a superhero. What use would he be as just peaky Steve Rogers?

He was quiet as Bucky settled him in a bed and Tony went to see if Bruce was free to see him. He felt small now and he wasn’t used to feeling that way. He had become so used to being the guy that saved the day time and time again. Of feeling useful and powerful for a change.

“Steve,” Bucky said as he sat next to him on the bed. The quiet rumble of his voice caused the tears to come back as Steve realized that his hero days could be over and he would go back to being nobody again. It wouldn’t matter so much except all of his friends were on the team now. He had nobody outside the Avengers. A hand came up to cup his cheek as a thumb wiped away his tears. “What’s the tears about, babydoll?”

“What if Captain America is over?” Steve asked in a quivering voice, staring at the white sheets. “What if I’m not a hero anymore?”

“I’ll sleep a ton better,” Bucky muttered as a joke, but it fell flat when Steve didn’t so much as smile. “So what if you aren’t a hero?”

“My whole life is here,” Steve said miserably. “I don’t have a place out there. If I have to leave I don’t have anything. I don’t even know where I’d live or-”

“Steve,” Bucky interrupted him and made their eyes meet. “Nobody in this tower loves you because you can throw cars around, alright? If whatever Hydra did to you really did take away your powers nothing will change with anyone here. Your home is here, with me for good. Okay?”

“Why would you ever question if you belong here?” Tony cut in as he stepped in the room. “Capsicle, you’re stuck with us no matter what goes on. That much I can promise you.”

“Yeah, yeah I know that,” Steve muttered as he held Bucky close.

“Let’s get some answers, yeah?” Bruce cut in as he shrugged on his coat and stepped into the room

It didn’t take long to conclude that Hydra had indeed tried to mess with his powers. They were trying to take them out from the inside instead of fighting them. Steve was their first target. He wasn’t sure if he was horrified or honored by that. Bruce, genius that he is, had a plan to get him back to full strength, but it seemed like he would have to lay low for a few weeks. Steve already had a feeling the number of missions were about to increase dramatically in that time.

But he would come back stronger than ever sooner than they’d think.

#Stucky #Steve Rogers #bucky barnes #tony stark #Steve rogers whump #asthma attack #panic attack #fluff #angst then fluff #bruce banner

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butwhyduh · 6 years

Text

Not Now

Part 1 of 2

College Tom Holland x reader

Warning: fluff in first chapter, angst in next.

Summary: reader is 27 and Tom is still 22. (Don’t freak out. It’ll make sense later.) She’s a teachers assistant and he’s a student. She also has a secret.

You worked in the science department. Student assistant for the anatomy and physiology department. You were working towards your masters in nursing. Being a student assistant was hard work but helped pay for your own classes. Anyone who wanted to go into any form of medical field had to pass A&P and it was known as the hardest medical class outside of medical school. Your job was to help people pass in anyway you could.

The students liked you. You were smart and kind but you had the sneaking suspicion that part of it was because you looked 19 even though you were almost a decade older. A few brave young men had even tried to hit on you.

There was no way that you were going to date some 19 year old. They were generally sweet smart kids but you had a kid. There was no way that they were ready for that.

Then you met Tom. And he wasn’t 19. He was 22. His brown eyes wide with wonder and his lips easily curled into smiles. He understood concepts and would ask smart questions in class. You ignored your little crush. Maybe you were just a bit lonely. But you knew that a 22 year wasn’t ready for kids. Not that you were wanting a replacement father. Your daughters father was a good dad but bad partner. But when Tom asked you out, you had a hard time saying no.

“So do you- you wanna get coffee?” He asked as he helped you put away the models. He was the last student. You looked at him quickly. Luckily he was looking away.

“Yeah, are you going to ask Steve,” you asked him testing the water.

“Mr Harrington? I wasn’t, er... I was hoping to ask you on a date,” he said blushing. His ears were bright and he busied himself with a skeletal model part.

“Oh, uh... yeah that would be great. Did you mean after we clean up?” You asked trying to reach a shelf with a heavy piece. Tom took it from you and placed it on the shelf.

“Yeah if that’s cool,” he said brightly. You mentally thought of child care. You had planned to come back a few hours later because you planned to buy groceries before coming home but you could take her with you instead.

“Sure,” you smiled back. You both began wiping the tables down with disinfectant wipes. He zipped across the lab counters with his wipes.

“Done. Are you ready?” Tom asked. You nodded and grabbed your coat.

“Are you ready for your final?” You asked him as you walked down the sidewalk. His fingers brushed you palm as you walked around a mail box but he was a gentleman and didn’t grab your hand.

“I am. I think I’ve had really great study help from a certain teaching assistant,” he said. You smiled.

“You’re the one learning. I only helped. But I can say that you are possibly, maybe, definitely the best in class,” you said. He grinned brightly.

“Can you even tell me that? Seriously, is that legal?” He asked opening the door to the coffee shop.

“I confirmed nothing and I will lie if asked,” you answered.

“You should have been a lawyer.”

An hour later your coffee was long gone and you both still talked. The conversation was easy and he seemed really nice. But you had to get your daughter.

“I hate to cut things short but I have to go. Life calls,” you told him.

“Oh, okay,” he said. His voice betrayed disappointment. “Can I call you sometime?”

“You already call me.”

“Not for school. Just to talk to you?”

“Sure,” you said. You gave him a quick hug and left to get your daughter. Telling someone that you had a kid on a first date was never a good idea. But waiting a long time wasn’t either. When do you tell someone you had a 6 year old?

“Mom,” Cara said before barreling into your arms. “I did a cartwheel today. Molley-Molley said I couldn’t but I did. And then- then she said a bad word!” She yelped. She twirled around you.

“What did she say?” You asked feigning excitement.

“I’m not saying! It’s a bad word mom,” she said back.

“She was great. Did her homework right away,” Tiffany, the babysitter, said. She was 19 and you were tutoring her in her freshman biology to help pay for her watching Cara after school.

“Good. Thanks. We’ll see you tomorrow okay?” You said grabbing Cara’s coat and giving it to her. Cara slipped it on and grabbed her backpack.

“Of course, bye Cara. I’m going to beat you at tag tomorrow,” Tiffany said smiling.

“Nope, I always win.”

“We’ll see.”

You walked down the hall to your own apartment. Cara helped you make dinner and it wasn’t long until she was asleep in bed. You watched the news and your eyes felt heavy. You phone rang. You looked down at it.

Tom: hey, what’s up?

Tom: I just looked at the time. Sorry. I hope it’s not too late.

Y/n: no. I’m awake. Just watching the news. You?

Tom: playing poker with my roommate. He’s losing badly😂

Y/n: yikes. Go easy on him.

Tom: he’s rich. He’ll be fine.

Tom: how are your classes going?

Y/n: good. Hard. 🙃

Why did I send that emoji? You thought. What does that even mean?

Tom: I feel you. Micro bio is killing me

Y/n: I can help you with that.

Y/n: if you want

Tom: that would be awesome. I can’t really pay you.

Y/n: we can do it during you anatomy tutoring.

Tom: thanks. I didn’t text you for that though.

Y/n: oh?

Tom: no. I like you. You’re super cool.

Tom: and pretty

Did he just- you flushed. Guys weren’t this forward.

Y/n: thanks☺️ you’re not bad looking yourself

Tom: 😎

Tom: so what are you doing tomorrow? Like evening?

Staying home with my daughter- you thought. Let me text Tiffany. You asked her to watch your daughter once again and she quickly responding that it was great.

Y/n: nothing. Do you want to do something?

Tom: Yeah, can I pick you up and get something to eat?

You gave him your address. You both texted for a few minutes before you told him you needed to go to bed. You lay in bed thinking about him. He was attractive and sweet and smart. But something seemed off. Not with him. You felt guilty for talking to him. Maybe it was because you hadn’t told him about your daughter yet? You decided that you would tell him on the date. No need to wait if he hates kids or something.

Your day seemed to go by slowly as you thought about your date. Tom hadn’t given a clear idea of where you were going but you assumed that it would be nice casual with him being a broke college kid. You hurried home and changed into something kinda nice and fixed your hair and makeup.

Soon you heard a soft knock on the door. You hurried to open it to Tom. He stood smiling in nice jeans and a grey polo. His shoes the only color with red sections around the white. You slipped on flats over heels. He might want to walk somewhere.

“So where to?” You asked.

“The dollar theatre,” he smiled. “They are having a twilight zone marathon on tonight. I hope that’s okay,” he said shyly.

“I love that,” you said.

“I thought some hot dogs on the way? I’m kinda broke,” he laughed nervously.

“Same. That sounds fine. I get them sometimes when I’m running late. Do you live on campus?”

“No. It’s a flat near campus. My roommate pays for it. He came over to college with me,” Tom said as you walked.

“The rich roommate?”

“Haha Yeah. He’s pretty wealthy. I was coming to the states for school and he tagged along. He’s taking acting classes so I guess he’s doing something? Probably will just inherit his family’s company,” Tom said paying for the hot dogs.

“So where exactly are you from?”

“London. I just wanted to get away. Travel. New York looked fun. Are you from the city?” He asked.

“Don’t tell anyone, but Jersey,” you said smiling. He laughed. His hand brushed your back as he lightly pulled you out of the way of someone jogging by. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” he said before buying tickets. You both sat in the top right corner with a bucket of popcorn. The theatre was pretty empty. Not surprising for a Thursday night twilight zone marathon. The show started and the familiar music played. This was one you hadn’t seen before and it wasn’t long before you had scooted closer to your date. Tom subtly shifted in his seat for you to lean into him better. You could smell his soft cologne. Halfway through the second episode Tom had gently placed his arm around your shoulder and by the fourth episode, you had buried your head in his chest at a scary part. He softly laughed and patted your back.

“It’s okay,” he said softly as it moved to the next scene. You sat close to him as the show played. You yawned at the 7th episode. “Are you ready to go? It’ll be all night.”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he said. You both stood and quietly left. His hand softly wrapped around yours as you walked. He smiled softly when you didn’t pull away. You both slowly walked back to your apartment. You stood in front of the door with your keys in hand, not quite ready for the date to end. You bit your lip and he looked at you softly. He stepped closer and you could see a small scar on his cheek. His nose was slightly crooked.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked quietly, barely above a whisper.

“Yeah.”

His lips barely pressed against yours. The kiss was soft and gentle, questioning for permission. He broke the kiss faster than you would have liked.

“I’ll see you in class,” he said clearing his throat. “I had a good time.”

“See you,” you whispered.

Okay, so you chickened out of telling him about your daughter. But admittedly it was a quiet date. And to be honest you were scared to run him off. You’d tell him next time.

#tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland imagines #college boyfriend tom #colleg!au

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kingsofeverything · 5 years

Text

11/11/11

@chloehl10 @ham-palpert @reminiscingintherain @realitybetterthanfiction and @laynefaire tagged me in this. Thanks y’all! I’m sorry I’m such a slack ass and it’s been weeeeeeks since I drafted this half finished, soooooooooo....

I’m going to combine and put everything under a cut.

The first 11 are from @chloehl10

1. What’s your favourite fic you’ve ever written, and why?

Don’t Want Shelter because it’s the first fic I put emotional effort into. That universe, that Harry and Louis, all of it are very vivid and alive in my head. I love them.

2. Pick three words that you think describe your works overall.

Long ass sentences 👀

3. How long does it take you to write a fic?

Depends. Writing doesn’t usually take me long but editing does.

4. What’s the hardest thing about writing?

Realizing that I’m probably never going to write some of the ideas I have

5. Do you listen to music or anything while you write? What’s normal for you when you write?

I don’t usually, but sometimes. Idk that I have a normal. I really prefer to be alone and quiet.

6. How do you come up with titles for your fics?

Songs usually. Sometimes they just come to me though.

7. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a new writer?

Get a beta. But not just a beta. Get someone who can talk fic/plot/story with you as well.

8. How important do you think tags are when you are publishing a fic?

Very in some ways, no at all in others. I tag mainly for readers so they know enough about the fic to decide whether or not to read. I don’t tag specific sex stuff usually though every now and then I’ll throw in ‘anal fingering’ just to mix it up. I don’t tag who tops/bottoms. I do tag with fic reccers in mind thanks to B’s @nottooldforthisship instructions!

9. Do you write for fests/exchanges? If so, do you enjoy them? If not, why not?!

I have and I do but not often. I like running them and I have done exchanges in the past but it’s not really my thing to write for them. Is that weird? I feel like it is but ehhh

10. Which work of yours are you most proud of and why?

An Unbalanced Force aka marold harold because.... idk

11. What’s next for you?

Currently working on a short pwp hiccup fic

These 11 are from @ham-palpert

1. Have you ever been burned by a WIP that never updated? If so, describe that traumatic experience.

I have not! But more in a ehhhh I’m not too bothered way. I’ve definitely read WIPs that weren’t completed but idk I guess I love on quickly lol

2. Speaking of WIPs, do you like writing (or reading) them? Why or why not?

I don’t write them. As in even my fics that have been posted as WIPs (DWS and HFL) we’re completely finished aside from some editing before I started posting. I change too much when I write. That padlock in TSHU? Thought of it at the end and went back to add it to the beginning.

I will sometimes read a WIP but not often. Mainly because I don’t remember anything between updates

3. Are you a dialogue person? An inner-monologue person? A heavily descriptive scene-setter?

I think I’m gonna pass? I literally have no idea. I don’t think I heavily describe scenes but I guess that depends on the scene? This is when I send for help and ask Nic

4. Is there a scene from a fic you’ve read that you wished you’d written/thought of first?

Not really

5. Would you rather read a 150k angsty fic, or a 10k fluffy one-shot?

10k one shot

6. Do you enjoy writing smut scenes? Does it make you feel super awkward? Do you need to have a cigarette afterwards?

Sometimes smut scenes are fun to write. Especially if there’s something different about it. Sometimes I have to be in the mood. Sometimes I feel like I need to shower after lolll

7. Do you click through the recently updated list on AO3 or read exclusively fic recs? Or a bit of both?

Neither. I don’t read nearly as much as I used to. I’m nowhere near caught up on Big Bang.

8. How many words, on average, do you write a week? Do you try to stick to writing goals?

Oh wow. Idk! I could actually figure it out since I track my words per day. When I’m steadily writing, I’d say 10k a week is average? Probably more tbh

9. Are you someone who comments on the fics you read (and liked)?

Yes

10. Of all the fics you’ve written, which one came to you the easiest?

marold harold I think

11. If you had to live in one of the AUs you created, which one would it be?

Marold harold and I’d be Kate McKinnon

these 11 are from @reminiscingintherain

1. Has your writing changed now from the way it was when you started? If so, how?

yeah definitely. more plot heavy and just better overall

2. Does anyone IRL know about your writing? If so, have they read it?

yes, but no one’s read any of it. i almost sent tshu to my therapist lol

3. Is there anything you’ve written that you wish you hadn’t?

4. Do you have a set location or setting that you have to write in? A favourite cafe? The only seat that’s comfortable?

no, i will write literally anywhere. on my phone or laptop. i like writing on my back porch when it’s not a million degrees outside

5. What are you working on? If you can (i.e., it’s not on anon!), share five lines!

5 lines from the hiccup fic:

When he opens his mouth to answer, Louis hiccups and flattens his hand against his chest, shaking his head. He points to his mouth, hiccups again, then again, snaps his mouth shut and pushes past Harry, who turns and follows him out of the club to the relative quiet of the street.

“You can stay, Harry.” Louis shoves his hands in the pockets of his faded jeans and turns to glance at Harry, who’s walking beside him. He hiccups and groans, kicking his foot out and stomping. “Fuck me, man. This sucks.”

6. Have you ever written something for a fic, but ended up removing a whole scene in its entirety and using it for something else?

i think so but tbh i can’t remember lol

7. Are you a linear writer? Or can you write scenes out of order and put them together at the end?

i’m a linear writer, but i will skip over parts of a scene like....... i’ll write a bunch of dialogue with nothing around it and fill in later

8. Betas/Britpickers… opinions?

always always always. i would literally not write if i couldn’t have a beta lol

9. How much do/can you write on average at any given time?

huh idk. i’m a fast writer, but i’d say like probably 1.5k a day is average for me?

10. How organised are you? Do you have lists and/or spreadsheets, or do you just wing it?

i’m the worst lol i tried to organize my google docs and that lasted like a week

11. What made you start writing?

i was bored and i thought hmmmm wonder if i could write a fic. turns out i could!

alrighty these 11 are from layne :D

1. What is your favorite trope to write? To read?

EXES/ENEMIES TO LOVERS

2. What other fandoms do you write in/have you written in?

not a one

3. What’s one fic idea you want to read, but would never write?

i honestly don’t know because i write what i want to read

4. When do you do most of your writing - morning, afternoon, night? Which time of day do you find most productive?

i think i’m most productive in the morning, but i write when i find the time

5. Writing routine? What do you drink? Do you have a go to snack?

i don’t have a routine. i usually drink water or coffee, but occasionally vodka, wine, or beer. i don’t snack while i write but now i want to

6. Have you ever been writing something and had to get up and walk away from it? What was it and why did you have to step away?

i had to walk away from tshu because it was stressing me out that i couldn’t invent time travel irl so i wrote heading for limbo for a few weeks and went back to it lol

7. What is your most favorite scene you’ve ever written?

oooooooooooooooooooooh oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh this is such a good question and i hate it lol i absolutely HATE picking favorites of anything but i’ll say that the scene from tshu when louis shows zayn his tattoo and everything right before and after that

8. Have you ever had an ending to a story, but couldn’t figure out how to start it? I don’t mean the typical -And they lived happily ever after - but a fully fleshed out ending with your usual writing pair, but you had no idea where to start? Did you ever write it?

nooooooope

9. What is the oddest thing you’ve ever drawn inspiration from?

idk i think being stuck in a hurricane with no power turning into don’t want shelter was pretty odd

10. You’ve accepted a prompt to write a fic using a Whitesnake song for the title. Which song do you choose, and what is your fic’s summary?

here i go again - 70s trucker au (i’m not summarizing because i’m actually planning to write this one, though the title with be different. probably.)

11. Your most recent fic is being made into a movie. What would you change your main characters’ names to and who would you fancast to play them?

ok so i’m cheating here by picking tshu instead of my most recent fic because my most recent fic is canon pwp lol and i’m sorry but i’m so lame with actors and stuff idk anyone who’d play them. and idk about names either! SORRY LAYNE

last but not least!

these 11 are from @realitybetterthanfiction

1. What made you realize you wanted to start writing fan fiction?

we were hanging at my parents’ house during a hurricane when they had power and we didn’t, and i was bored af and i think nic had just recently published her first fic and i was like....... huh i wonder if i can do that?

2. What fic changed you as a reader or a writer?

nic’s 5 times fic called fire and ice! i remember reading it and thinking WOOHOO PWP!!!! and then crying because she snuck all these FEELINGS in. so it made me think about writing in a different way, i guess. it can be fun and emo lol

3. What is your best writer’s block buster?

idk. haven’t really tried anything.

4. What’s the last non fan fiction book you’ve read?

uhhhhhhhhhhhhh a book about physics and space science (fic research lmaoooooooooooooooo)

5. If you had or have skills like our talented artists in the fandom, what’s one scene you would like to illustrate? (Can be your own work or another’s work)

THE JUGGLING SCENE FROM STRANDED IN A DREAM

6. What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten?

just keep writing! you can edit later!

7. What’s one genre you’re hesitant to write but really want to explore?

idk i don’t think i have one? maybe aliens?

8. Would you ever cowrite with someone else? And if you have, how to you divide the work?

nic and i are trying BUT IT’S HARD AND WE DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE DOING

9. Do friends outside the fandom know you write? Are they supportive? (I hope they are!!!)

no but my husband does and is

10. What is your favorite fic Niall? (give me all the Niall!)

niall and his churros!!!!!

11. What is your favorite supernatural category (examples, vampires, ABO, werewolves, angels, aliens). And can you give a girl some recs?

vampires!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i don’t have any recs because my faves are old and everyone knows them: madalynn_bohemia’s vampire series

#11/11/11 #11 questions #i didn't make any questions or tag anyone

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fanfictionsrookie · 7 years

Text

Cookies And Cabernet: Chapter 2

Ruby could not, for the love of Vale get her homework done. She had been sitting for at least an hour…on a Friday, trying to figure out what she was supposed to do. But the new chemistry module that they were covering this term proved to be even more mindboggling than she thought.

So with a heavy sigh the girl plopped her pen down on her desk and spinned around in her seat, hoping that some kind of knowledge would come loose. But all she succeeded in was to cool herself down a little. It was unusually hot that day, even if it was the beginning of spring.

With her options now running out Ruby picked up her scroll, hoping that her distress call had been answered.

'Eeeyyy Weiss! Brain won't work lol. HEEELLP MEEEEEE!'

Last seen: 06:37

Yeah…Weiss wasn't picking up her scroll today, that much was very clear. To be fair there was that fencing tournament coming up and her sister was in town. Ruby couldn't blame her friend for her absence. But the problem still remained, she had homework to do. Then again she could just fill in some gibberish and tell the teacher that she tried. But that idea quickly went out the window as it meant that she would probably be signed up for extra classes.

With her backup plan now depending on whoever was available, she scrolled down her contact list.

Blake

Blake majored in Political Science, but the 'Science' part in the name was really all that their subjects had in common.

Cinder

Ruby paused for a moment, thumb hovering over the contact. Cinder should've been the obvious choice, but the girl didn't want to unnecessarily bother her either. Maybe she should just ask some kids in her own grade, they most likely remember the work in the first place but she wasn't convinced. In a silent debate Ruby titled her head from side to side, biting her lip as she typed the message.

'Hey:) Uhm could you maybe help me with this? Homework is super hard lol.'

Then quickly adding.

'Only if you have time.' If she wasn't nervous before, she certainly was now, wildly spinning around in her chair as she waited for a reply. Nearly jumping up in surprise when she received a reply.

'Hello to you too. Of course.'

Then like it was some kind of model Ruby took a picture of her paper and sent it with a few taps against the screen.

'I'll take a look;)' All it took was that single sentence to bring a smile to her lips, giving her homework one more look before her attention shifted with the chime of her scroll.

Quickly her eyes flew across the screen.

'Your substitution is incorrect. It is not stated that the experiment takes place in STP conditions, therefore you cannot assume that the pressure is 101.3 kPa.'

'Oooooh.'

She typed back with a figurative droplet of sweat running down her forehead, feeling like a complete idiot at the fact that she didn't even read it properly.

'You might want to try reading the question. It does tend to help;)' 'I have noooo idea what I'm doing.' Unexpectedly a laugh escaped her lips, the next message catching her completely off guard.

'Do you need some help? I wouldn't mind some company.' Was Cinder inviting her over? At the thought Ruby shook her head, she was just offering to help. But even so Ruby couldn't stop her cheeks from lighting up with a blush.

'I don't want to bother you tho.'

'It's no trouble at all:)'

The girl tapped her scroll against her chin, seemingly in though before looking down at the address Cinder sent, not too far from here and on the way to Signal actually. It would be nice to see her again, even it was just while doing homework, after all the last time that they saw each other was at Yang's party about two weeks ago.

A soft smile crept onto her lips when she remembered that following morning. Ruby woke up with a searing headache and black ink lines and swirls all over her arm. A phone number.

'Uhm h-hello?'

'I'm glad to hear you survived the night little Rose.'

It was Cinder's.

The moment was embarrassing to say the least with her still slurring, stuttering and recovering from the previous night. But now…looking back the memory was a happy one. So after she typed her reply, Ruby got up and headed to the garage.

'I'll be right over:)'

Finding the right apartment in the complex was harder than the girl thought, this was without the fact that she had to turn around after realizing that she had forgotten her books.

Now standing in front of the door, with her bike lying on the small strip of grass that must've been the lawn, Ruby felt a bit nervous…okay a lot nervous. When she rang the doorbell, the girl found her hands to be sweatier than usual. She hoped that Cinder wouldn't notice. The door opened and a shock of electricity shot down her spine, before she even realised it Cinder stood in the doorway, dressed in a dark red button up, black jeans and heels. Casual but always beautiful.

The girl instantly blushed at the thought.

"Looks like you didn't waste any time in getting here." Cinder mentioned with amusement clear in her tone once she saw Ruby's windswept hair.

The girl only then noticed and patted it down with a embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah finals and all that stuff's coming up so..."

"Look's like I have my work cut out for me." Cinder stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Ruby wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting when she entered the apartment. Immaculate with a few vases of flowers and paintings here and there, but other than that it was fairly simple.

"Did you get sick from the party?" The girl asked as her eyes swept across the living room and kitchen, confusing Cinder as to why she would ask that. Until she spotted the small plastic bag of medicine that's she had forgotten to put away.

"Ah…spring allergies I'm afraid." The woman explained with a tight lipped smile as she glanced back at Ruby, leading her into the study. This room a bit busier with the sheer amount of books and paper stacked all over. But it was the half opened archery kit on another table that completely caught Ruby's intention.

"Whoooaaa." Her fingers were itching to pick it up and give it a try.

"It seems like we need to work on concentration instead." Cinder teased from behind and watched with mirth as the girl's shoulders tense and her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"Ah sorry I just…really like weapons and stuff." Her gaze never quite met the other's as she scratched the back of her head.

"Its no problem." Cinder assured and patted the seat next to her before mentioning for the girl to hand over her books.

"Now let's tackle this chemistry problem shall we?"

Ruby wasn't quite sure when it had become a habit but over the past few months the girl had found herself either going over to Cinder's or texting her when she was struggling with something. Needless to say there had been a definite improvement in her marks and although Ruby still went to Weiss for help, the girl went to Cinder more often.

Ruby wasn't quite sure why that was.

She didn't think that either was busier or more capable than the other, but perhaps it was because Ruby had found Cinder to be more patient. Even when her attention faltered or she couldn't quite wrap her head around a subject, the woman never raised her voice. Whereas Weiss would have given her a stern talking to. But that didn't mean that she wasn't without discipline, Cinder was easily just as strict if not stricter when it came to assigned homework or exercises.

So it was only fair that she thanked her for all her trouble.

'I was thinking that we…go somewhere sometime- if you want to.'

'I'd like that.'

'Great! We're do you wanna go?'

'…Surprise me.'

…

When Ruby woke up one Saturday, the day that Yang called 'a date', even after she told her sister countless times that it wasn't like that, the girl was a walking wreck of nerves and excitement. Even Yang couldn't decide whether to be worried of double over with laughter when she found out that Ruby had gotten up at six to take a shower. When they were only supposed to meet up at one.

"Slow down Rubes, the cereal isn't going anywhere." The woman joked and nudged her side with an elbow.

"I'm not getting one of dad's gross speeches again." With her crimson cheeks nearly buried into the bowl, she continued to wolf down her breakfast before her father returned from Signal Primary's National soccer tournament. It was times like these where she was really glad that he was chosen as coach... even if she did feel sorry for the kids. Despite what Tai Yang thought he didn't quite fit into the category of being a 'cool dad', but then again when were dad's ever cool?

"I'm sure Cinnabun will show you nicely." She jested with a wink and sly grin, nearly making Ruby spit out her breakfast.

Just when she wanted to scold her about how 'gross' she was being, Ruby's scroll buzzed on the counter.

"Speak of the she- devil." Yang mumbled between a mouthful of cereal, leaning over her sister's shoulder to catch a glance of their conversation before Ruby turned away.

Her eyes flew over the message and again...and again.

'I apologise for the inconvenience but I will not be able to attend our outing. Can we reschedule?' "What's up?" Yang's tone seemed casual but she could see when there was something bothering her sister. Not that Ruby was the hardest person to read, but even so Yang was quick to pick up the slightest change in her demeanour. Something that came with being so close as sisters.

Ruby paused for a moment before typing.

'Yeah no prob.' She let out a sigh and slumped back in her chair, suddenly the air she was walking on turned into a pit of disappointment.

'Are you okay?'

"Cinder can't come today." The girl mumbled her head lolling to the side as if she had lost all the energy that she had for the day. Yang saw the perfect opportunity for a pun but the woman decided that it was better to pass on this one.

"Ah bummer why not?"

Ruby just shrugged, her eyes warily glancing down at the screen in her hands. 'Cinder is typing…'

Even in her downcast state Ruby remained optimistic, hoping for another date where everything would work out just fine.

'Cinder is typing…'

'This message was recalled'

"Yang something's wrong." Ruby's voice was suddenly laced with panic. But even after reading the message with a frown, Yang still managed to crack a light hearted smile.

"Looks like she's even more nervous than you are Rubes."

"That's not funny Yang!" Ruby yelled in defence and before she could storm off Yang wrapped her arm around her sister in reassurance.

"Calm down Rubes, you of all people know how many times Weiss changes plans and stuff, maybe Cinder's just a bit swamped right now."

The girl couldn't help but nod in agreement, pouting as she did so and as much as she felt upset Ruby knew that it was a fair reason. She had been keeping Cinder very busy this past month and most likely out of her own work. Her mind flashed to the last time they met up for the woman to go over the details of her report…her one hundred and fifty five page report. The girl could see that Cinder wasn't her usual self and that should've been the first warning. Instead Ruby did nothing about it and the thought made her heart sink with guilt.

"I have to go see if she's okay." The girl proclaimed, halfway down the hall before Yang caught up to her, grabbing hold of her hand.

"Hey whoa!"

"Please just let me go and check." She pleaded and for a moment Yang hesitated before letting go with a sigh.

"…Fine, but text me when there's trouble okay?"

Ruby nodded quickly in return before storming off to the garage, hopping onto her bike and riding down the street in a flash.

The passing cars were nothing but a blur of colour as the wind rushed past her ears, almost deafening her to the sound of the bustling city. To Ruby she couldn't get there fast enough and for some reason the girl expected the door to be broken down or to see a fire consuming the building. Instead the complex was standing with nothing out of place…not even a blade of grass. Still Ruby stayed for a few moments, making sure that she was nothing but paranoid.

She was tempted to go inside and apologise or ask if there was anything that she could do to help out, then again Ruby would probably only be unnecessary trouble. But when the girl climbed atop her bike, ready to head back home, a distant crash could be heard coming from inside the apartment. There was only one thing that flashed through her mind at that moment.

'Cinder!'

It wasn't even a second before Ruby was hammering with her first on the door, locked, calling her name. "Cinder!" But she wouldn't know if Cinder didn't or couldn't answer her call.

Quickly her eyes scanned for a way in before landing on a window, although closed, didn't seem locked and the girl decided that the risk was worth it. It would be a tight squeeze but she would be able to fit through. So after looking around for someone and finding none, she clambered through the window. The girl clearly didn't think things through as to how she was going to land because it was hard on her shoulder and when she found herself in a small kitchen, Ruby realized that she didn't know how to get back through either.

For a moment she wondered if this was even the right building and her heart sank to her shoes when she recognised the book bag and clothes among the mess. Broken bottles, plates and furniture lied scattered about and if it wasn't for the locked door Ruby would've thought someone had broken in for sure.

'Did Cinder do all this?'

When another sickening crash followed a part of her just didn't want to accept the answer.

Even if all of her friends were happy most of the time the girl knew that all of them struggled with insecurities and other obstacles in their life, they confided in her after all. When Ruby met Cinder she was confident, smart and proud of both herself and her work and it was most definitely the reason why Ruby didn't think that Cinder might have any struggles herself. And along with the thickening mixture of smoke in the air that made Ruby want to gag, it became painfully obvious that that was not the case. Cinder's apartment always had a distinct scent of perfume and cigarette smoke but it was light…a scent at the very back of your mind.

When Ruby entered the small living room her breath instantly got caught in her throat. Dressed in nothing but a black t-shirt and boy shorts Cinder paced, or rather stumbled around the room, muttering incoherent words to herself. Once Ruby stepped into her field of vision the woman froze, but whether it was in shock or fear she didn't know.

Her hair was un kept, standing in all directions and her make up seemed to be hastily washed off with the ashen colour still under her eyes. The makeup that she was going to put on for their day together ,she realised with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Ruby wondered if she had cried but she didn't want to think about that. The two of them simply stared at each other for what seemed to be hours, neither blinking as Ruby's eyes shone clear concern and fear but Cinder's betrayed no emotion at all.

"I got your text…" The girl finally managed to find her words, trying to answer the question that was undoubtedly in Cinder's mind. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

It was only when Ruby took a step forward that the woman snapped out of her trance.

"You…s-shouldn't…" She struggled to get a words out, giving up after a silent defeat and closed her eye in frustration.

"I was worried about you." Ruby confessed, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke, making her way towards the other but Cinder raised her hand, stopping the girl.

"L…eave." She choked, voice nearly failing her.

Ruby didn't move an inch.

"I'm not leaving you Cinder…not like this." She kept her gaze on the other's that was slowly starting to glisten with emotion before looking away, shielding it with ebony hair.

Not like this?

Pathetic.

That's how the woman felt as she stood before her and Cinder loathed every second of it, but even so she couldn't bring it upon herself to chase her away.

"Why didn't you tell me something was wrong? Were friends right?" The question caught Cinder completely off guard and when she stared at the girl, now standing in front of her, she couldn't stop the flicker of sadness in her eye.

"You w...ou-"

It wasn't uncommon for Cinder to lose her voice when they talked a lot and although the woman played it off as nothing but a minor nuisance. Ruby only then understood how frustrating it must be for her. When the fire of frustration and anger lit up in her eye, Ruby closed the distance between them and wrapped her in a tight hug before the woman could break anything else. To see her like this… Ruby couldn't decide whether she was upset or angry… but either way…it still hurt.

"Yeah you're right. I have no idea what you are going through, but the least I can do is try and understand. Not because I feel sorry about you or anything, but because every one deserves someone looking out for them."

Only when Ruby could feel Cinder relax in her arms did she let go, offering her a comforting smile.

"Come on." The girl took her hand and tried to usher her out of the room, careful to avoid the broken glass on the floor. "You're tired and it isn't good to stay up this long."

Defiantly, Cinder stood her ground and shook her head in silent protest. There was no point in it. She had been trying for almost two weeks to get some proper rest, but nothing had worked. Even though Ruby knew that is was important to get her to sleep she didn't want to force her either, not when she was already so on edge. Luckily she at least got Cinder to sit down and her rigid defiance faded away once exhaustion finally caught up to her. The woman soon found herself lying down on her unmade bed with Ruby wrapped in her arms.

As the girl lied there with her eyes closed and seemingly at peace she couldn't help but savour the heat that Cinder radiated. She was nice and warm and her arms that held her close made Ruby feel safe in a sense. Although they were not nearly as defined as Yang's, Ruby could tell that she was the best shooter of the archery team.

Cinder didn't seem all that interested in anything, well not that Ruby knew off and she wondered if archery was different. Was archery the one thing that she was passionate about? Does a good shot ever bring a smile to her face, one that was sincere and joyous? Or was it something else that brought her happiness?

Was there something that brought her happiness?

And it was then and there that Ruby decided that wanted she wanted to see her smile one day, to see and find out what made her trully happy. If Cinder didn't have anything like that she would help her find it. But for now Ruby was content with just being next to her and listening as Cinder fade into a dreamless sleep...

When the woman started to stir after about an hour, Ruby grew worried that she had woken her by accident. Once she could feel the rhythm of shallow breaths turn irregular the girl knew for sure that she was awake.

"...I was…sixteen when I left high school." Cinder's calloused words came out of nowhere and they sent a shiver down Ruby's spine as she listened.

"Through fear and manipulation my…mother had risen to the top of the criminal hierarchy and had full control over the black market." Ruby wanted to tell her to stop, that she didn't have to tell her this.

"She would always spew nonsense about how…how she was empowering the oppressed… I don't know if I ever believed her, but it didn't matter. I wanted the power she wielded." The girl could feel her heart turn into lead, slowly releasing a sense of dread and sadness within her when she heard the strain in Cinder's voice.

"For...years I supplied criminals and paying customers with illegal weapons, Dust and drugs until my name struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it…But when it reached the authorities they knew that I would be the link that could lead them to my mother. We were nearly impossible to track, but hiding became difficult when Winter Schnee was assigned to our case."

There was no stopping the silent gasp that escaped Ruby's lips and Cinder found herself pulled into a memory so vivid that she would've thought it to be real if it wasn't for the calming presence next to her.

'No where left to run Fall!'

" …And when they had us…cornered in a warehouse stacked with crates full of reactive Dust crystals, she decided that she'd rather dig her own grave than be caught."

"Cinder..."

"…When that Schnee had me closing in on a dust reactor…I didn't know that… but when I…"

"It's okay." The girl turned around to face the other before wrapping her in a one armed hug. "You don't have to tell me the rest."

Cinder let out a heavy sigh and her shoulders visibly relaxed as if a heavy burden has been lifted off her. "It's been three years since that accident, but when I least expect it the memories find me again."

"I'm sorry...I didn't know." The girl mumbled and when Ruby found Cinder's eye again the woman had a bittersweet smile on her lips.

"Don't be...you had no way of knowing and I…didn't want you to… see me like that." She confessed and lazily started to brush the strands of hair out of Ruby's face.

"Is it…always that bad?" Ruby wondered. Was this episode better than the previous ones…or were they getting worse? Did it happen often? She couldn't stop the questions from flooding her mind and she suddenly remembered the allergy pills that Cinder left out that one day. Was it really for that..or something else? Did she have anxiety, stress, PTSD? But before Ruby could come to an answer ,the woman pulled her away from those thoughts with a warm hand cupping her cheek.

"You just caught me on a bad day I'm afraid. No need to worry."

Cinder was relieved when she saw Ruby's agonized expression grow soft. This girl was always burdening herself with her worry for others. The last thing she wanted was to see that lively glint in her eye, be stomped out by those burdens.

"But I do have to worry about you." She insisted, tone unwavering as she held Cinder's gaze. The woman couldn't help but wonder how it happened. How in over the course of a few months a chance meeting by had grown into…something.

"That's what you do when you care about someone..."

The girl somehow slipped in between the small cracks in the walls that she had built around herself, but could she trust Ruby to come closer? Trust her to be there when her mask started to crack and peel off, revealing the broken person she was underneath?

"…You worry about them when they are hurt." But when she looked into Ruby's eyes, shining so bright with sincerity Cinder knew that she could. She could trust Ruby.

"I don't want you to."

The woman just couldn't find it within to trust herself to let Ruby come that close.

The words formed a crease in her brow, not fully comprehending what those words meant but the girl pushed it aside for now. All that mattered was making Cinder feel better.

"Will you at least let me cheer you up?" The girl offered, voice hopeful as she put on her best puppy dog face. But all she got was an eyebrow raised in question.

"It'll be fun I promise." A small smile played at Cinder's lips, wondering what she had in store once Ruby look hold of her hand and gently ushered her out of the room.

"Come on...let's make you some pancakes..."

Their first few meetings and interactions after Cinder's incident were a bit awkward in the beginning, but that was to be expected since neither of the two women knew exactly where they stood with each other. Cinder had opened up to someone like she was done never before and in her mind that made them more than just acquaintances or even friends. So what were they?

Even with all the questions swirling around in her mind, the two of them continued to see each other and not just for tutoring either. In fact most of the times it were just to 'hang out and stuff' as Ruby had said.

Cinder had come to cherish these moments with Ruby…wherever they might be, it brought the woman moments of peace and happiness in her…complicated life. Since their first meeting Ruby had undoubtedly worn off on her and while debateable in terms of whether she should be concerned, the opposite was also true. She had noticed that Ruby started to speak and act more confidently around her, but of course it didn't take much teasing ,although playful, to turn her into a blushing, stuttering mess.

So with the girl's influence on her it should only be natural that Cinder would want to repay her for all the things she had done for her. Even if those things were making time to spend with her. But it was more than a settlement of debt. Cinder didn't want to return the gesture because she felt like she needed to, rather because she wanted to.

'Ruby, are you at all busy next Friday?'

'Nope not really, why?'

'I was hoping you'd accompany me on a date.'

'A d-date?'

'Only if you want to that is.'

'Yes! Ah..I mean yes…That'd be great.'

But planning it was much more difficult than she had anticipated. Usually Cinder would just go to the most well known restaurant in the city, this time it was not the same as her source of 'income' was not as it had been years ago. Even if she could afford a meal at the best restaurant in Vale, it wouldn't feel right. It would feel…more for her. Cinder didn't want that, she wanted this to be for Ruby, but a stop at a casual fast food chain wouldn't have the desired effect.

Dropping hints Blake's way wasn't that either as the girl couldn't really tell her something that she didn't know herself. Of course Ruby assured her that she'd be happy no matter where they went.

In the end all Cinder could do was hope that what she came up with would be adequate.

The Friday of their first official date came much to quick.

Currently it was only a few minutes before Cinder was due to arrive and pick her up and Ruby couldn't have been more nervous. She had been running scenarios and conversation topics through her mind non stop while Yang was busy fishing out something for her to wear.

In the end they decided on a simple red and black dress, not too flashy, the most comfortable and basically the only thing that still fitted her. The girl doubted that the day would ever come when she and Yang could share clothes.

"Chill out Rubes it's just a date." Her sister assured with a wide grin and a half hug - half affectionate pat on her shoulder, nearly throwing the girl off her feet as she struggled to keep her balance.

"Yaaang be careful." She scolded, flailing her arms and wobbling on the black heels that were barely three inches high. "I still don't know how to walk in these…stilts."

Suddenly she wished that she had asked Weiss about how to walk in them or at least practised beforehand. Instead she convinced herself that walking in heels would be a piece of cake, unfortunately for her…it wasn't.

"You know I'm sure Cinder wouldn't mind you going on your date with those pump shoes or something." Her father offered as he exited the front door, scratching his head as he didn't quite know what to say.

Ruby smiled at him before her gaze dropped shyly to the pavement. "Yeah I know but..."

This was something different than a casual get together. It was a date and whether they were official or not, Ruby wanted to put a little more effort into it than she did during their usual outings.

"Looks like someone's in looooveee." Yang jested as she elbowed her sister playfully, Ruby blushing in return and trying her best to hide it as she looked away.

"N-no I'm not." The girl stuttered, her frown curling her lip into a pout.

Two laughed heartedly as Tai wrapped a hand around his youngest's shoulder and squeezing affectionately. His cerulean eyes glinted with amusement as he spoke.

"First let us meet the girl… we can talk about marriage proposals when your mom comes back." He too joined in Yang's harmless teasing and the older of the sisters giggled in return.

"Dad!" By now Ruby refused to look either in the eye as she defensively crossed her arms before her, groaning in protest when he shook her gently as if to cheer her up.

"I'm just teasing Ruby." But before Tai Yang could say anything else, a cab rolled into view, slowly coming to a halt on the side of the street. Ruby instantly perked and her heart got a jumpstart.

When the cab came to a complete halt there was a moment where Ruby didn't breathe at all, but whether it was because she forgot or because it was taken away by the her date's presence the girl didn't know. Dressed in a midnight gown decorated with ashen patterns twisting down the fabric, Cinder made her way up the driveway of the Rose- Xiao Long household as her hips swayed to the rhythmic 'click' 'click'of her heels.

Ruby was at a complete loss of words and when she caught Cinder's smouldering gaze it felt like her heart was going to explode with how fast it was beating. The girl wanted to say something, tell her how beautiful she looked but all she could muster was empty words to which the other smiled before turning her attention to Tai Yang.

"You must be Cinder." He stated, smiling warmly at her and offering a hand.

"Mr. Xiao Long." She breathed, gloved hand shaking his own with a firm, yet gentle grip. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I do apologize that it hasn't been sooner."

There seemed to be a bit of strain in her voice and for a moment Ruby wished that she'd introduced them to each other earlier. Surely it would've been less awkward for everyone. But still Ruby's father exerted a warm and calming presence as he spoke in between chuckles. "Please, mister is way too formal… just call me Tai, the pleasure is all mine." It caught Cinder off guard for a but somehow she should've expected it. "Glad to hear you've been keeping my little girl out of trouble."

At the mention of her date, Cinder's gaze drifted towards Ruby. There was a knowing smile on her lips that the girl returned with red faced embarrassment. "That's hardly true Mr. Xiao Long, Ruby is a pleasure to have around."

"Is she now?" Tai raised an eyebrow at his daughter and Yang couldn't stop the giggles that escaped her. "I'm glad to hear that." For a moment there was a period of silence, but with a clap of his hands Tai kept it from becoming uncomfortable. "Well I hate to keep you ladies waiting, I'm sure you'd rather be off on your date."

Cinder nodded and when she extended her hand towards Ruby, the girl wasted no time in taking it and wobbled over to her side. The woman watched the sight with amusement before turning her attention back to Tai.

"Is there an appointed time when I should have Ruby back home?"

He replied with a shake of his head and casual wave as he looked at his daughter. "Don't worry about the timing, you two enjoy yourselves... Just make sure you send your old man a text of when you'll be back…or sleeping over if…that's how it goes." He added and nervously scratched the back of his head. Yang instantly burst out laughing.

"Dad!" Ruby scolded, heating up under all the gazes.

"I'll be sure to have her back before midnight." Cinder interjected, amusement clear in her tone but Ruby was glad that she said something. "Shall we get going?"

Before either could do so, Yang stepped forward, her expression dark and eyes narrowed, almost glowing with intensity. "Just remember that if you hurt my little sister I'll beat you to a pulp." She warned and slammed her fist into her palm for emphasis.

Cinder was unfazed as she looked the woman over. "I wouldn't expect anything less." The gave Tai an acknowledged nod. "It was a pleasure Mr. Xiao Long...little Xiao Long." And Yang a teasing smile as they headed back to the cab waiting for them.

One was confidently striding and the other half wobbling half holding on before they got into the vehicle and drove off, leaving both Xiao Longs in a moment of silence before Tai Yang let out a whistle.

"Man…Where did Ruby find that girl?"

"Ah gross dad!"

The moment that Ruby got into the car she let out a sigh, slouching deep into her chair. "Why did that have to be so awkward?" With the only thing catching her attention being Cinder's amused tone. "Apologies. I wasn't quite sure what to expect myself."

"Oh nononono." The girl insisted, assuring Cinder that it had nothing to do with her, then realising that she was probably making her nervous as well. "You were good… great…you look great. It's just my dad that keeps embarrassing me and stuff. But you're fine… more than fine."

Ruby didn't know if her frantic mumbling was doing any good but she was relieved when she saw the woman smile in return. "Thank you." Only then getting the chance to appreciate the girl's appearance as her gaze swept over her. "You look lovely as well." The woman breathed, darkening Ruby's blush when she shifted closer next to her.

She couldn't bring it upon herself to look directly at Cinder but Ruby wasn't particularly fond of the idea of not looking either.

"You're staring little Rose." The woman mused, enjoying the look for pure surprise when the girl realised her eyes were still on the other. "S-sorry." She stuttered and quickly turned her head to look out the window. "So uhm where are we going?" She asked, hoping that Cinder would forget the fact that she was just caught ogling her.

"Still as impatient as ever I see." The woman teased, amusement clear in her eye when she saw that Ruby was still quite embarrassed. "We'll be there in a few minutes, no need to worry..."

When they did arrive it was at a small restaurant near the waterfront of Vale. Inside the atmosphere was warm and welcoming, well decorated but the aesthetic not overly fancy in Ruby's eye. In fact it was really nice and after being seated within the first two minutes the girl knew that Cinder had gone to a lot of trouble in planning this date. It made both a mixture of warmth and anxiety brew in her stomach.

"So tell me…have you dated before?" Cinder asked as she took a sip of her water, deeming it as good a topic as any to start the night with.

Ruby thought for awhile but shook her head with a shrug. "Nah not really I mean…I've been on a few dates before but never officially y'know. I guess you could say I never had the guts to make the first move." She finished with a nervous chuckle as she smoothed out a few stands of stray hair.

Relationships, especially official ones were never her strong suit. Perhaps it was the sudden worry of somehow messing things up that kept her away…not being good enough.

"I find that hard to believe." Cinder inquiringly raised an eyebrow at the girl. "After all relationships go both ways, don't they?"

"Yeah I guess you're right." The girl agreed and found herself wishing that she had had gone one more dates before. Maybe then she wouldn't be so nervous and unsure of what to say while drinking more water as an attempt to run topics through her mind.

"Have you? Dated I mean."

"Once or twice but those relationships never lasted very long." For a second she seemed to be lost in thought as she ran her fingertips along the smooth edge of the glass. "…I suppose you could say we both wanted different things out of it."

Although that might have been putting it lightly.

In the past most who claimed to be interested weren't because of her, but rather in what she could give. They only used her and when Cinder could see profit in a similar goal she would entertain the idea for a while. That was until she saw no use in them anymore, then she would simply cast them aside without a second thought. And so the cycle of using and being used continued, a warped game of cat and mouse that Cinder eventually grew tired of.

After which she decided that relationships simply weren't worth her trouble. But now…as she looked at Ruby, Cinder found herself wondering when that mindset had changed.

"Ah that's too bad, you'd make a great girlfriend." Ruby quipped and smiled warmly at the other woman with a soft blush growing on her cheeks. It caught Cindecr of guard, something that the girl was gradually getting better at.

"Oh? Do tell." But even so that didn't stop Cinder from firing back a reply ,smirking slyly to herself when Ruby once again became a stuttering mess.

"W-well I mean you're super smart and talented and nice….and also super pretty sooo...yeah." She finished awkwardly, gaze wandering about before widening in surprise when she heard the woman's soft chuckle.

"You flatter me Ruby."

The girl giddily shuffled in her seat, cheeks a glowing red after realising that she just made Cinder laugh a little.

"I try."

It was then when the waiter finally came to serve them their drinks. Glass of red for Cinder and a strawberry milkshake for Ruby, that the girl nearly halved within her first sip.

"Have you eaten here before?" Ruby asked as she took hold of a menu, eyes flying over the dishes listed with a slight frown on her features. "I'm not really sure what to order."

"I was hoping you'd know, I've never been here myself." The woman admitted before turning to the waiter. "Any recommendations?"

"This evening have a special on our fillet. We also serve an excellent range of pasta dishes, of which the seafood is which we are most known for."

"Ooooh." Ruby's eyes instantly shifted to the picture of the dish described and Cinder couldn't help but to crack a small smile.

"I think it's settled then." With that said the woman handed him the menus and he left with a polite smile and curt nod. Leaving the two women in a moment of silence.

"So how was your first year at University?" Ruby asked after finishing her milkshake in just a few gulps. "Blake and Weiss keep telling me how glad they are that they finally finished with exams." Cinder then watched amused as the girl tried to wipe the residue off her face.

"For the most part…Uneventful." The woman then grabbed a napkin of her own and wiped away the blotches of pink that the girl had missed. "But I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't anything worth noting." When Cinder was done she smirked at the girl before her, wide eyed and her ears completely red. "After all I did meet you, didn't I?"

And when her fingers slid down to cup her chin between thumb and forefinger, Ruby's mind struck a blank. She could hear a faint and distinctive wheeze of a kettle boiling on a stove but then again it probably was her brain. Desperately trying to scramble words around to form a sentence.

"An-and I met you too." The moment Ruby uttered those words her mind flashed back to that day and she was reminded that they had known each other for months now. They had gone from complete strangers to Ruby wanting to call her a friend. Knowing that…it made her sigh internally with relief and when her anxiousness came to pass, she smiled warmly at the other. "So I guess it was a pretty great year for both of us."

Cinder's eye widened slightly in surprise but it's shock slowly faded into something softer as she leaned back, voice now more than a breath as she spoke."You never seem to stop surprising me, Ruby."

The girl giggled in return and closed her eyes as she grinned back at Cinder. "I guess that just means that I have to compliment you more."

Ruby's grin had to be contagious for the woman found herself returning it as her the girl's words rang through her mind. Without meaning to a delicate pink blush started to dust her cheeks. It was the first time since Cinder could remember. As she reached to take another sip of her glass the woman hoped that Ruby wouldn't notice while trying to regain her composure, tone cool and even as she spoke.

"Are you looking forward to your last year in high school?"

Just like that Ruby's forehead found the table as she crossed her arms, letting out a dissatisfied groan.

"Ugh."

For what must've been the umpteenth time that night Cinder found herself smiling at her date's antics as she let out a chuckle.

"It seems like we have a common reaction."

With a pout on her lips Ruby's eyes found Cinder's as she let out a sigh, fingers playing absentmindedly with the napkin on the table. "It's just gonna be haaard and I don't know what I'm gonna do and I'll probably need to get an part time job if I wanna go study the year after that."

It was then when Cinder's hand found Ruby's, gently cupping it in an attempt to put the girl at ease.

"No need to worry, I'm sure if you work hard you'll be able to pull it off. Who knows…maybe you'll have a scholarship coming your way."

Ruby's gaze shifted to the hand covering hers and then back to Cinder. The smile on her face different than all of her previous ones, not enthusiastic but rather endearing in a way, the woman couldn't quite place it.

"You sound like you were super good in high school, like you got all the prizes and trophies and stuff."

Cinder couldn't help but to playfully scoff at the notion and strangely she was able to look back at those memories with bittersweet nostalgia. "Unfortunately I was quite the delinquent." She now had a different perspective. For a moment the woman was caught up in how drastically her life changed in but a few years. "That is before I came back and decided to get my life on track."

Ruby looked confused, but then her silwer eyes lit up with realization. "Oh yeah you had to finish high school first…" The girl blinked once..twice. When she tried to think back her mind struck a blank. "Wait how old are you?"

Embarrassment. There really wasn't another word for it. Ruby felt like a complete…dolt when she realised that she never once asked Cinder about that at all. But on the other side of the table Cinder instantly started to chuckle. "Don't let your father hear that."

She couldn't blame the girl for asking, the topic never came up before and she never felt the need to mention it either so Ruby's question shouldn't be surprising. With an amused glint in her eye the woman took another sip of her wine. "I am turning twenty one this year."

The girl let out a groan as she rested her forehead against the table once more. "How do I not know when your birthday is? I mean you know mine sooo..." Then quickly looking up at the other. "When is it? I have to know!"

Cinder paused for a moment, watching with mirth as the girl listen intently, determined to never forget it.

"The 25th of December."

"On Christmas!" She exclaimed with wonder, once again straight up in her chair. Nearby diners gave the girl questioning glances, but Ruby didn't seem to notice and Cinder paid them no mind. It was much more entertaining and adorable to see the girl fawn over something as simple as birthdays.

"Are you gonna throw a party?"

Truly a child at heart.

"…I stopped celebrating after sixteen."

Cinder would be lying, if she said that there weren't times when she wished that she still had a lingering sense of childish wonder.

"Aaaah nooo you have to, birthday parties are fun and tradition so you have toooo."

Perhaps then she would no longer look at the world with such cynicism, but then again blind optimism was hardly any better.

Still… she didn't have to cast it all away.

"Please? I'll bake you a cake."

And with Ruby she didn't have to.

"Only if I get to share it with you." The woman finally gave in and as if on cue, the waiter brought them their servings of food.

Two plates of steaming seafood pasta that looked absolutely mouth watering and Ruby had to remind herself that she was in a public place when she dug in.

"It seems like you worked up quite the appetite." The older woman remarked when Ruby finished her dish in the time that she got halfway through. The girl let out a contented sigh as she grabbed hold of her napkin yet again.

"That was the best pasta I had in like ever." Followed by a sheepish chuckle as she pointed to her face. "Did I get it all this time?"

"It seems so, yes and that's high praise coming from someone who can bake at the top of her head." The woman briefly remembered all the times Ruby insisted on making lunch when she visited. Honestly home cooking at its finest. "Were you self taught?"

"Well not exactly. When my mom comes back home from a mission we always bake together and when she's away I just bake things on my own or with Yang. Mom taught me a lot." The girl exclaimed and slowly her memories started to drift to that of her mother.

"She's in Vacuo, no?" Cinder was mindful of her questions as this was not familiar terrain.

The girl stopped for a moment to think. "Aaah yeah, she should be coming home in a few months so maybe you two could meet."

The thought brought along a sense of dread and when she looked at Ruby's glittering smile she couldn't help but to feel bad. She was judging a woman she had never met.

"I'm a bit hesitant to be honest, I doubt she'd find me…acceptable." But this wouldn't be the first time that she had gone to meet the parents…and having it end in a catastrophe.

"Nah she'd like you." Ruby insisted with a wave of her hand and although it brought her some sense of relief, Cinder was still sceptical. "Aaand she doesn't really have a choice cause I already like you."

The woman instantly cracked a sly grin at the comment, rising her brow inquiringly. "Is that so?" Her voice just above a whisper, successful in setting Ruby's cheeks on fire.

"Yeah…I mean not like that not like…like like- not that that there's anything wrong with that I'm sure that I can like like you…anyone can…but what I-oh no not again." She sighed in defeat, burrying her face into her hands as she tried to escape the embarrassment but Cinder's chuckle made it completely impossible. "You're too easy to tease Little Rose."

And so the rest of the night continued with them talking about everything and anything that came to mind and it grew to be a very enjoyable night.

"Well that was certainly satisfying." Cinder affirmed with contentment as she neatly placed her knife and fork down on her plate. Then turning to Ruby who had turned to a glass of wine. "I'm sure you still have an appetite for dessert?"

The girl grinned back at her and Cinder already knew the answer as it was the girl's favourite.

"You know there's actually the greatest ice cream place a few streets down from here." The girl commented and it quickly drew the other's attention.

"Oh?"

"Yeah the best part is that they're open until late so when Weiss, Blake and Yang go shopping all day I at least get to have some ice cream."

"You should take me there sometime."

"Yeah that'd be great!" Her eyes instantly lit up with barely contained excitement.

"Then it's settled." Cinder stated and mentioned for the waiter to bring her the bill.

"I mean we don't have to go right now." Ruby insisted and a pout quickly formed on her features when she realised that she was probably sounding really selfish right now. "I don't wanna mess up your plans or anything."

But Cinder simply waved her off. "You're not messing anything up Ruby."

And after giving her a reassuring smile, the girl's worry instantly faded away, replaced by excitement.

"Then I'm gonna make sure you get the best ice cream ever!"

Cinder then quickly signed her bill and placed her card in the booklet while Ruby searched her hand bag for money. "Let me just get my-" Her dad even gave her some extra allowance for tonight.

"There's no need for that, Ruby."

Then the girl watched as the waiter took the booklet from her hands, half wanting to grab it before she turned back to the other.

"I- I couldn't let you cover everything." She stuttered while pushing some notes her way, but Cinder paid it no mind when she received her card back.

"I asked you out to dinner, didn't I?"

"Yeah but.." There was nothing that Ruby could say to change the woman's mind and shovelled the notes back into her handbag instead. "But next time I'm covering it." She insisted, tone unwavering and Cinder happily agreed with a nod as she got up.

"Of course."

When the two women stepped outside into the night the air was cool but not unpleasant and with no breeze in the air it was a perfect night to stroll around the waterfront. Everything around them was set alight, still buzzing with a warm yellow glow to it.

Ruby quickly checked her scroll, seeing that it was 10:24 before sending her dad a quick text, telling him that everything was going well.

"Where to Little Rose?" The woman breathed as she looked both ways down the street. Ruby thought for a moment, brow scrunching up in thought.

"Uhmm…this way." Then without looking twice she grabbed hold of her hand and started leading the way, Cinder happily following from behind. "So have you ever walked around Vale like this?"

"On a few occasions, but this would the first time that I've been to the waterfront." She admitted, gaze drifting from the passing couples, shops bathed in light then back to Ruby. "And that I've been accompanied."

Ruby grinned back at her. "Well I'm happy to show you around then." It was only then that the girl realised that she was still holding onto Cinder's hand, radiating a soft heat that slowly made it's way onto her cheeks. She timidly looked up at the woman next to her and Cinder smiled slightly when she felt the other's eyes on her. But she said nothing and for awhile the two of them walked in silence, listening to the incoherent chattering and laughs of people walking past and the rise and fall of the ocean nearby.

"So what's your favourite ice cream flavour." Ruby quipped once they came into a clearing, surrounded by shops with a glittering fountain situated in the middle.

"Mmmn that is quite a difficult question, but I suppose you can never go wrong with plain vanilla."

"One of the classics." Ruby nodded in agreement. "My favourite one is a triple scoop of chocolate, strawberry and caramel ice cream with chocolate sauce and mini marshmallows …with extra sprinkles."

Cinder chucked at the sound of what she guessed must be quite the spectacle and experimental treat.

"You sound like quite the connoisseur."

"There it is!" The girl exclaimed and Cinder could only watch in utter disbelief as Ruby ran towards the small ice cream shop. Nearly running into the glass door before stumbling inside while she trailed from behind. Breathing heavily her silver eyes darted from left to right, finding the place not as busy she would've expected. "You're…you're not closed right?"

The man behind the counter instantly recognised their most frequent and valued customer.

"Luckily not yet miss Rose." As he noticed her unusually formal clothing he was about to ask when Cinder stepped in, sauntering over to stand next to the girl. And that's when it clicked.

"What will it be for you ladies?"

Ruby didn't need asking twice. "I'll just have my usual thanks." She chirped and questioningly looked up at Cinder who was honestly at a loss, letting out a sigh as a smile touched her lips.

"Surprise me."

"She'll have the same." The girl ordered and Cinder didn't quite know whether she should be worried or not. Perhaps a bit for when the two of them were seated on a wooden bench outside, Cinder had no idea how she was going to finish her dessert.

The woman initially thought that it would be saccharine sweet, but found the mingling flavours quite enjoyable. Although she couldn't help but feel a tad childish, for once Cinder didn't mind... Ruby on the other hand had polished her treat long ago, now happily swinging her feet back and forward.

"You wouldn't mind helping me finish this?" She offered and the girl burst out in a fit of giggles at the sight of the dash of chocolate peeking out from the side of Cinder's mouth.

"Looks I found your weakness." She teased and took the cone from hands, then the napkin around it to dap off the stray splotch of ice cream. Cinder's eye widened in surprise at Ruby's action but softened again when she met her gaze. "That you have. I haven't had I've cream like that in quite some time."

"I'm glad then…that I could take you." The girl's eyes seemed to twinkle in the starlight in the sky.

"So am I."

For a while the two of them sat in comfortable silence, contempt with holding the other's hand. Ruby was in pure bliss, thinking about her amazing night as she listened to the distinct sound of a saxophone being played in the distance. It gradually grew louder and soon stray couples nearby started to sway along to the music.

Subconsciously Ruby started to tap her foot to the rhythm and Cinder smiled to herself before checking the time on her scroll. "It appears to be getting late, I should be taking you home soon."

Ruby's expression visibly fell as they got up from the bench, she was just starting to enjoy herself and didn't want to go home just yet. When they started walking, her silver eyes searched the area around them.

"Something bothering you Little Rose?"

"We should do one last thing." The girl insisted as she grabbed hold of Cinder's hand. "…Before we go."

There was that look in her eye again, completely unwavering but the pleading glint to it still remained. Cinder's attention drifted to the musician standing at the edge of the fountain before offering the girl her hand.

"In that case…may I have this dance?"

Ruby's blush darkened tenfold, shuffling on the spot. Dancing had completely slipped her mind and yet again she wished that she was a little bit more prepared, but wasn't about to deny the woman her request.

"Can I take my shoes off first?"

With a chuckle Cinder nodded and started leading her to a more open space, Ruby almost jumping at the touch of cool cobblestone under her feet.

"Okay uhm I don't really how to do this." She confessed shyly when Cinder placed Ruby's hands on her shoulders and her own on the woman's hips. Their sudden closeness sent a shiver down her spine, but Cinder seemed to be un phased and confident as ever.

"No need to worry, just follow my lead."

Cinder rook a slow step forward and then another, Ruby in turn took steps back. Then to the left and forward again, almost tripping over her own feet and she nearly knocked into her partner.

"S-sorry." But Cinder didn't say anything, gradually picking up the pace until both were gliding over the cobblestone pavement.

"Well look at you." Her amber eye shone with praise and pleasant surprise as she slowly twirled the girl around, following her movement seamlessly. "You're a natural."

Ruby smiled sheepishly in reply and looked down at her bare feet and the pair of heels in front of them. "I have no idea how anyone can do this in heels."

"There's not much to it Ruby...simply practice." And when Cinder drew the girl in closer they settled into a swaying rhythm with Ruby gently leaning against the other's chest. Her scent, a blossoming inferno, was warm and welcoming.

"Cinder?"

This time when they looked at each other there was no anxiety or nerves, simply peace and fondness.

"Yes, Ruby?"

"Thanks." A single word. So simple. Still Cinder couldn't quite comprehend the meaning behind it. "And for what might you be thanking me?" To which the girl seemed unsure on how to reply as she shuffled on the spot.

"Y'know…taking me out on this date and I guess helping me and sticking with me this last few terms. I know I'm not really the most mature person out there."

Cinder wondered how many times those words had been said to her, how many times others had to change her. Why else would Ruby be thanking her for something as simple as that?

And yet there she was, loving, kind, trusting and always seeing the potential in others where Cinder would've though there to be none. Ruby was honestly too good for this world and the woman knew that she paled in comparison

If anything Cinder should be one thanking her.

Vale knows how many times she went down the wrong path in her life and continued to stray at times. But Ruby never...not once even considered giving up or cutting her out.

For that reason Cinder would always be grateful, even if she didn't say it. But that didn't mean that she didn't want to. There was so much that she wanted to say, but no amount of words would be able to express how she felt. Perhaps she too didn't quite understand what she was feeling.

"I think youthful is a better word, but I wouldn't want to you to be anything... anyone else." She gingerly cupped the girl's chin between her thumb and forefinger, titling her head just a bit so that she could stare at those shining silver orbs. "...Just you."

And when her lips brushed against the girl's forehead it was like she didn't need to say anything at all.

The soft touch sent an electric jolt down Ruby's spine, all of the blood in her body went up to her cheeks and her mind felt like it was going into overload, but even with all that was happening, Ruby understood. She understood Cinder like no one else. Not perfectly and not without patience and a bit of prodding.

Eventually the time came when simple curiosity turned into genuine interest and at times...concern. And the girl would continue to do so, to try and understand who Cinder is now and who she one was. In turn Ruby showed her both the good and the not so good in her life. Cinder was the only person who could touch her jagged edges without the fear of being cut, to look at the parts Ruby tried to hide without pity or scorn.

And when the girl looked up, Cinder's smouldering gaze was no longer guarded from her. It's unwavering intensity melted into a gentle warmth that seemed to ignite the girl's chest. The sensation was foreign to her, but she welcomed it. The woman stepped back and just like a few moments ago Ruby stepped forward before wrapping her in her arms.

Cinder was rigid at first until she slowly melted into the girl's tender affection, returning the embrace in kind. A smile graced her lips when Ruby's whispered words reached her and along with it, a new memory.

"Just you too."

Ruby never quite understood how her brain worked, but then again she pretty much over dosed on ice cream that night. But strangely this time...when she sat next to Cinder on their way back to the Rose - Xiao Long household, Ruby could do so with ease. The girl leaned against the other's shoulder while Cinder combed her fingers through Ruby's hair, a habit that was getting rather frequent, and both of them just felt so... relaxed, like it has been done countless time before.

Only this time Ruby could understand what she felt. Why it felt so different.

Over the last few months neither of the woman knew were they stood with one another. Cinder wasn't sure how much she could reveal about herself or how close she could come and Ruby in turn didn't know when she was overstepping a boundary. Navigating social cues and trying to decipher unsaid words had become... confusing to the girl. Now...after tonight... that kiss, that single kiss that made her heart flutter and fingers grace her forehead upon trying to remember it.

They finally understood that they were not strangers, not acquaintances and at times 'just friends' weren't accurate either, but that hardly mattered. What mattered is the possibility of what they could become...what they could mean to the other in the future.

And when the two women glanced back at their past memories together, flashing by in a blur of colour like the cars racing past, they couldn't help but to smile at how their relationship came to be.

All of it thanks to a chance meeting.

...a packet of cigarettes

...a few scoops of ice cream...

...Cookies and Cabernet.

43 notes · View notes

asfeedin · 4 years

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Father’s Day Gift Guide | Serious Eats

Le Creuset Cake Stand

If you’ve ever been given a homemade birthday cake, return the favor by buying your favorite baker this iconic cake stand. Its heavy base keeps cakes secure and makes all types of decorating techniques a breeze.

Magnetic Knife Rack

Not only do magnetic knife strips save space, they also look pretty badass hanging on your wall. They’ll keep your knives from rubbing up against other utensils, which can make them dull (and can be dangerous, too).

Egg Cups

Any dad who loves soft-boiled eggs deserves the perfect cup to eat them from. These sturdy stoneware Le Creuset cups come in a range of beautiful colors. They’re totally classic, which is a good thing because they’ll also last for generations to come.

Kitchen-Helper Stool

Daniel’s one-and-a-half-year-old son has a new and urgent interest in whatever’s happening up on the kitchen counter that he can’t see. He begs to be picked up, but that means Daniel can cook with only one hand, which, while kind of, sort of, maybe possible, is extremely difficult. Plus, the kid is heavy. It’s time to add a learning tower to the kitchen so he can stand and watch, sometimes even help, while Daniel continues to get dinner ready. This one is great because it folds up for easy storage.

Taketsuru Pure Malt Japanese Whisky

Anyone who appreciates Scotch (or good spirits in general) will embrace Nikka’s exquisite whiskies. The Taketsuru Pure Malt is named for the company’s founder, who studied in Scotland before bringing whisky distilling back to Japan. This bottling has a slight fruity character, with lingering sherry on the finish.

Meat Cleaver

This meat cleaver has a well-balanced weight, sharp edge, and solid construction—a boon since a lot of more-affordable cleavers like this one feel very cheap and after repeat use get wobbly around the handle.

Smeg Toaster

After years of putting up with a cheap toaster that I picked up at the supermarket, I recently upgraded to this super fancy Italian job in cool mint. It’s sleek design and soothing pastel color transform the kitchen’s most boring appliance into a statement piece, and it really does a good job with the toast itself. Plus, I mean, it’s really dang pretty. If nothing else, you owe it to yourself to read this toaster’s priceless reviews.

Simple Coffee Maker

The Bonavita is one of the faster models we tested, and it earned high scores in nearly all of our tastings. A single switch governs all of its operations, making the brewing process incredibly simple.

Wüsthof Classic Carving Knife

This knife features an extremely sharp edge; a well-balanced, comfortable handle; and plenty of flexibility. It carves through roast turkey like butter, leaving very little meat stuck to the bones. It has a composite handle and a full tang to offer balance and support, with a bolster that is lightly angled and slim enough to make gripping the blade easy.

REC TEC Wood Pellet Grill

REC TEC offers high-quality pellet smokers featuring excellent digital controllers and sturdy construction. With a 40-pound pellet hopper, a 680-square-inch cook surface, and nine inches of headroom, the REC TEC 680 is a large, smartly constructed pellet smoker. It also looks awesome.

12-Inch Stainless-Steel Locking Tongs

Indoors, I prefer the control that a shorter, seven- or nine-inch set of tongs gives me. When flipping a dozen steaks over a blazing-hot fire, though, it’s better to keep your distance. I use these OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Tongs at home, and their solid construction has lasted for a good six years of heavy (and I mean heavy) use so far.

Culina Stainless Steel Grilling Basket

A good grill basket should be durable, with a tight enough weave to allow very small foods to be cooked without risk of getting lost. Finally, it’s worth hunting down one that’s sizable enough to cook large batches of food in one go. One of our favorites is the simple Culina stainless steel basket. The metal mesh keeps even the smallest food items up on the grill grate where they belong. You can even toast or smoke nuts in it.

Set of Two Rectangular Grill Grates

If you’ve ever used a gas grill and grown frustrated with unfixable hot and cool spots and overall weak performance, this tool is for you. Made from hard anodized aluminum, the GrillGrate system sits directly on your existing grate, amplifying and evening out the heat, which allows for more even cooking, flare-up resistance, and exceptional sear marks.

A Nice Apron

There’s form, and then there’s function. The aprons from Tilit are great on both fronts. Made from waxed cotton, they offer breathability along with water resistance, but they’re also damned handsome. Several NYC restaurants have commissioned custom apron designs from the company for their chefs and cooks, and I’m pretty psyched to wear one of these bad boys at home, too.

My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions

Mexico City is one of Sasha’s favorite cities in the world, and he’s traveled there a fair amount with his family. They always make sure to have lunch at Chef Gabriela Cámara’s restaurant Contramar when they’re in the DF. Her food is bright, light, and absolutely delicious, and her newly published cookbook is everything.

Presto Tilt-N-Fold Griddle

Presto’s Tilt-n-Fold model is very simple to set up and operate, and it has a compact design that makes it easy to store in kitchen cabinets when not in use. It has a large, smooth, nonstick cooking surface that heats mostly evenly, can be set at an angle to drain grease, and is easy to clean. We love the price, too.

KitchenAid Food Grinder Attachment

The great thing about buying a meat grinder attachment is that you already know that the hardest-working part of your grinder—the motor—is going to be a workhorse that can power through even the toughest grinding projects. Stand mixer attachments are a great option if you make a lot of sausage. You can grind the meat directly into the bowl, then attach the bowl to the machine and immediately start mixing it with the paddle to develop protein. It’s a real time-saver.

La Venenosa Sierra de Jalisco Raicilla

If your dad likes to be on the cutting edge of what’s cool, impress him with a whole type of spirits he may not have tried. Raicilla is distilled from agave, like tequila and mezcal, but few people have heard of it, since it only entered American markets in 2014. Sierra de Jalisco has a vibrant acidity, with earthy-fruity-vegetal elements playing around it. If Dad’s a fan of funky mezcals, he’ll enjoy raicilla’s incredible complexity.

Affordable Mandoline Slicer

A great mandoline will rapidly make photo-worthy cuts of your favorite vegetables, whether it’s thin slices of radishes for a salad or potatoes for a gratin. This basic OXO slicer has three thickness settings and perches over a bowl to easily catch the slices as they fall.

Brooklyn Bartender

If your dad has a taste for a well-made cocktail, but isn’t that likely to take off on a bar crawl in Brooklyn, this book is the perfect solution. It features 300 innovative and classic drink recipes from the best bars of the borough; every cocktail I’ve made so far has been killer. The drinks Carey Jones has selected aren’t dumbed down at all, but, for the most part, you’re not looking at mile-long ingredient lists, either.

World’s Fair Barbecue Rub

Ariel discovered this spice mix 11 years ago, and it’s still one of her favorite things to give as a gift. It’s a perfect blend of everyday ingredients (shallots, garlic, paprika, and sea salt), but with unusual flavor notes from grains of paradise. She buys it by the pound to dump on meat, seafood, and even eggs, but you can start by picking it up a reasonably sized jar or bag.

Julep Cups

I don’t often recommend single-function items, but for the cocktail enthusiast, a couple of julep cups really are fun to have. There’s nothing like holding that metal cup frosted with ice on a blisteringly hot summer day—glass just doesn’t pull the effect off in the same way. If the recipient doesn’t have an ice crusher, check out my Lewis bag suggestion as well.

PDT Cocktails App

At drink o’clock, wefind myself turning to this app. Enter all the bottles you have at home when you start, and the app will tell you all of the drinks you can make, with recipes straight from New York’s famous PDT cocktail lounge. You can also search for drinks of a certain type or cocktails created by a favorite bartender, and save favorites for making again. (To give an app as a gift, look for the arrow to the right of the “buy” icon.)

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

A New York Times best seller! The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science by J. Kenji López-Alt is his column from this very website, blown up to 900-plus pages (and seven-plus pounds) of concentrated culinary science. Gorgeous color photos, detailed how-tos, and elaborate explainers cover ingredients, technique, gear, and the secrets of the universe underneath it all. May include puns.

Big Ice Cube Tray

If you like your whiskey with a giant ice cube, then you’ll really be into Mammoth Cubes—unlike ice cube trays from current competitor brands, these make eight cubes (not six) and are actually stackable, so they don’t require a section unto themselves in your freezer.

Wooden Pizza Peel for Launching Pizzas

Wooden peels absorb excess moisture and have a rougher surface than metal, which means that your stretched and topped pizza dough will remain loose and easy to launch far longer, saving you from potential pizza-spilled-all-over-the-oven accidents. Though there are cheaper options around, I love my Perfect Peel Baker’s Board, handcrafted to last a lifetime from gorgeous solid cherrywood. They’ll even put your initials or logo on it if you’d like!

Espresso Cups

Espresso cups make a nice gift on their own for coffee fiends. But when they’re Le Creuset, they’re even better—mostly because everything from the French heritage brand is aesthetically pleasing and built to last. Oh, and these cups might be the most affordable Le Creuset pieces on the market. So, if you want in on the trend for a moderate price, they make a good starter item.

Lever Corkscrew

The OXO worked on every bottle and cork we tested it with. The two-step motion—push down, then pull up—yanks the cork out in about two seconds. Repeat the process, and the cork drops free of the opener. The capable foil cutter clips into the body of the tool.

Now & Again: Go-To Recipes, Inspired Menus + Endless Ideas for Reinventing Leftovers

This cookbook by Julia Turshen, author of Small Victories and Feed the Resistance, is full of simple, delicious meals for everyday eating, parties, and holidays. Better yet, each one includes a bunch of suggestions for how to remake it as leftovers. It’s a trove of great, creative ideas, and a must for any bookworm.

Misen Chef’s Knife

This is the holy grail of inexpensive chef’s knives: incredible quality and design, high-end materials, perfect balance, and a razor-sharp edge.

Uuni 2S Pizza Oven

There are a lot of custom-designed pizza ovens out there in various price ranges. I reviewed a bunch of them, and one of my favorites was the Uuni 3. It consists of a small stainless steel box with a pizza stone set inside it. You load up a hopper on the rear of the unit with wood pellets, light it up with a torch or lighter fluid, and let it preheat. About 15 minutes later, you’re ready to cook. This little powerhouse hits temperatures in excess of 900°F and bakes up Neapolitan-sized pizzas in just 60 to 90 seconds.

Serving bowl

There’s no such thing as too many serving bowls, and this simple two-tone piece goes with virtually everything. At 11.5 inches across, it’s the perfect size for dad’s favorite side dishes; in my house, it’s go-to for salads, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, and pasta.

AeroGarden Harvest

Cooking with fresh herbs makes every recipe better. Cooking with fresh herbs that you grew all by yourself makes life better. The AeroGarden takes the guesswork out of growing herbs inside, with an automated light to keep your parsley and thyme thriving and weekly reminders for water and nutrients. Just prepare yourself for epic amounts of basil.

Welding Gloves for Grilling

After countless failed grilling mitts, we got ourselves a pair of welding gloves to use when grilling or smoking and never looked back. With great heat protection, dexterity, and construction, these are a necessity for every backyard cook.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

Marco Colzani is a great Italian bean-to-bar chocolate maker, with a number of excellent products under his brand, Amaro. But it’s his spreads that have Ed addicted, particularly the Cacao Nocciole, or hazelnut-and-chocolate variety. Imagine a Nutella-like substance, but made with the freshest roasted hazelnuts and extra-chocolaty high-quality cocoa powder.

Zojirushi Rice Cooker

A couple years ago, I managed to convince my wife of the necessity of buying a rice cooker. Not just any rice cooker: a Zojirushi. The only concession I was willing to make had to do with the size, since she wisely noted that we didn’t have the counter space for any rice cooker at all, let alone the kind of rice cooker that I had in mind. So I bought a little guy that fits, max, three cups of rice, but really is only usable for about two and a half. She’s since come around to the indisputable excellence of the cooker, and she loves everything about it, from the wonderful rice it makes to the “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” it plays when you turn it on.

Small Baking Steel Griddle

These days, I keep this solid slab of steel permanently atop one of the burners of my stove. One side has a pebbled surface—ideal for getting extra-crisp, better-than-a-baking-stone crust on homemade pizzas. And, unlike a baking stone, this thing is going to last forever. The griddle arrives as shiny steel, but with just a few uses, it seasons up into a dark, slick nonstick surface that Dad can use for pancakes, eggs, hamburgers, grilled cheese, and more.

KitchenAid Pasta Attachment

This is hands down the KitchenAid attachment I use most often. It takes all of the frustration and fussiness out of making fresh pasta, and, unlike the manual alternatives out there, it’s incredibly easy and efficient to operate on your own. Hello, homemade ravioli!

Mediterranean Power Snacks Gift Box

There’s nothing worse than a hangry family member. Make sure Dad always has a snack on hand with this Mediterranean-themed gift box, brimming with Spanish snacks like chorizo, crunchy almonds, crackers, and fig cake.

Charcuterie

Ruhlman and Polcyn do a great job of demystifying one of the more abstruse cooking arts, and, while charcuterie may seem daunting, it can be gratifyingly easy. Start simple, with the pancetta, confit, rillettes, and duck prosciutto, and you’ll find yourself with a mold-inoculated curing chamber in no time.

The One True Barbecue

Race relations, religion, the New South versus the Old: These are just a smattering of the heavy issues Rien Fertel writes about through the lens of—well—smoked meat in this new book. And, while you might be thinking, “Oh, man, another book about barbecue?”, this one stands out from the crowd thanks to Fertel’s superb writing and storytelling skills. In a book that’s part culinary history, part personal narrative, and part tale of an American road trip, Fertel travels throughout the South, documenting the men who have long stood behind the fires practicing the time-consuming pursuit of whole hog barbecue—the ones who have been keeping alive the embers of what once seemed like a dying art, and the ones who are inspiring a new generation of pitmasters today.

Mastering Pasta: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pasta, Gnocchi, and Risotto

If you’re looking for one definitive primer on pasta-making in its myriad forms, this is it: Superlative step-by-step photographs take the guesswork out of potentially intimidating fundamentals, like mixing and kneading dough, as well as more intricate tasks, like pleating teardrops of corn- and cheese-stuffed culurgiònes. Better yet, author Marc Vetri arms you with the tools and knowledge that allow for controlled, intelligent experimentation and exploration before sending you into the fray.

Ice Cream Maker

Homemade ice cream tastes better than almost anything you can buy in a store, and it’s a snap to make. This ice cream maker, from Cuisinart, is all the gear you need: an easy-to-use workhorse that makes delicious ice cream every time. The simple construction means that there are few moving parts to break, and the wide mouth at the top makes it simple to add mix-ins and scoop out your ice cream when it’s at its fresh, creamy best.

Salt Cellar

Proper seasoning is one of the most important parts of cooking, and if you’re still using plain table salt from (heaven forbid!) a saltshaker, you’re shooting yourself in the food. Using kosher salt from a salt cellar lets you feel exactly how much salt is getting into your food, whether it’s a tiny pinch or a big ol’ wallop.

Lewis Bag

If you’re following my advice to buy someone julep cups, you might as well go all the way and grab a canvas Lewis bag, too: It’s used to smash ice into a fine powder with a mallet. Unless, of course, the person you’re buying for already has an ice crusher.

Vacuum Sealer

Know someone who’s interested in sous vide cooking? They’re gonna want this. And it’s handy for way more than just sous vide cooking. A vacuum sealer makes it really easy to save meats or other foods in the freezer, and it keeps air (read: freezer burn) off it all. The Oliso sealer uses a unique resealable-bag system, which means far less wasted plastic than a conventional cut-and-seal vacuum sealer.

Electric Countertop Pressure Cooker

A pressure cooker is a cooking vessel that just keeps on giving: Once you discover the time-saving feats it’s capable of, you’ll never look back. The good ones aren’t cheap, but man, is it ever worth having one. A countertop electric model gives you set-it-and-forget-it convenience. With the Breville Fast Slow Pro Cooker, not only do you have complete control over your pressure cooking (including any pressure level from 1.5 to 12 psi), you also have a slow cooker and a rice cooker built right in. It’ll even sear meat for stews.

Wusthof Classic Chef’s Knife

If you’re dead set on a traditional German knife profile—characterized by a more curved blade that’s bigger and heavier than the Japanese options—the Wüsthof Classic continues to be a stalwart. It weighs more than most of the other knives tested, giving it a solid and sturdy feel, but it still handles well and has a sharp edge.

Introduction to Japanese Cuisine: Nature, History and Culture

The Japanese Culinary Academy has released a series of textbooks about Japanese cuisine and technique, and every one of them is gorgeous. It’s the ideal gift for a dad with an interest in Japanese cooking.

Cynar 70

Cynar (pronounced chee-NAHR) is often identified by the artichoke on the label, but that’s just one of the many flavors you’ll find in this complex liqueur. And, while we’re fans of the rich, sweet, and vegetal 1950s original, we’re really excited about the new Cynar on the block. Cynar 70 is 35% alcohol instead of 16.5%, and the extra booze makes a marked difference, rendering the liqueur a bit less sweet and accentuating its bold, spicy flavors. If Dad likes Negronis or other bitter drinks, this is a great choice for a gift.

Dyson Handheld Vacuum

Dad keeps his kitchen spotless because even just one crumb will summon all those Florida critters. This handheld vacuum (which I have, use, and swear by myself) ensures zero crumbs left behind, whether it’s hanging in that small space under the dishwasher or the crevice between the stove and the cabinets.

Anova Precision Cooker

Sous vide cooking—cooking foods in vacuum-sealed pouches in precisely controlled water baths—is no longer relegated to fancy restaurant kitchens. The Anova Precision Cooker is the best home water-bath controller on the market, with an easy-to-use interface, Bluetooth support, rock-solid construction, a sleek look, and an affordable price tag to boot.

Anson Mills Grits

It may sound nuts to mail-order cornmeal and grits, given that they’re found on any supermarket shelf. But I’d argue that you haven’t experienced the best cornbread, grits, or other classic Southern dishes until you’ve had them made with the kind of high-quality stuff Anson Mills is selling. It’ll change how you understand those foods and what they can be.

ThermoWorks Thermapen

The Cadillac of kitchen thermometers is indispensable when roasting meat, cooking steaks, making candy, deep-frying, or at any other time precise temperature control is needed. With a big display and a blazing-fast measuring time of under two seconds, you won’t find a better, easier-to-use thermometer out there.

Baratza Virtuoso Coffee Grinder

It’s not exactly cheap, but this burr grinder does an admirable job of grinding coffee for espresso, pourover, or drip, all at a significantly lower price point than similarly performing competitors.

Craighill Trophy Bottle Opener

We wouldn’t normally spend $9 on a bottle opener, let alone $95. But this beautiful creation from Craighill, made by Niki’s good friend from college, is both sculptural and functional, just as the website proclaims. When it’s not opening bottles, use it to decorate your coffee or dining table, or even as a paperweight on your desk.

Weber Spirit E330 Liquid Propane Gas Grill

The Spirit E330 was introduced last year to replace the E320. The two models are identical except that the 330 adds a 7,500-BTU sear burner between the left and middle main burners. Sear burners are one of our favorite extras for gas grills. You’ll love turning this baby up to 11 when searing steaks and burgers.

Miracle-Gro Twelve Indoor Growing System

After previously lauding Aerogardens for how easy they make it to grow herbs at home (and how having a constant supply of fresh herbs has changed her cooking), Ariel’s upgraded to this larger system from Miracle-Gro. The increased size—it’s about as big as a side table—and bright lights allow you to grow a bounty of lettuces, herbs, and other greens, and you can program the app to turn the lights off and on according to your schedule. An expensive but excellent gift for anyone who loves fresh produce and fears their own black thumbs.

Leave-In Dual-Probe Thermometer

The Smoke is designed for grillers and barbecuers, but it’s a precise two-probe thermometer that can be calibrated and is just as handy indoors. Use the meat probe to gauge the temperature inside a roast and the ambient probe to track the smoker or grill’s temperature.

Tiffin

I’m a sucker for bentos, tiffins, and other tidy ways to carry lunch to the office, and the fact that I don’t technically have an office to carry lunch to anymore has only slightly dampened my enthusiasm. This two-layer tiffin is neat and attractive without being too cutesy, and it’s small enough that it won’t occupy too much space in a shared fridge. In the warmer months, it’ll do just as well for packing sandwiches and individual portions of salad or fresh fruit for a picnic.

Beefeater Burrough’s Reserve Gin

Burrough’s Reserve is a rare thing indeed: a gin you can enjoy neat. It’s distilled in founder James Burrough’s original copper pot still, then rested in barrels that once held the aromatic aperitif wine Lillet, picking up a light straw color and a touch of oak. The barrel-aging mellows the familiar juniper-citrus character of Beefeater just a bit, for a spirit that’s smooth and satisfying. It makes a superior Martini or Vesper, but it may be at its most appealing served solo in a chilled glass.

Pistachio Spread

Since first getting his hands on a jar of this pistachio spread, Sasha hasn’t shut up about it. Made from Sicilian pistachios, olive oil, sugar, and sea salt, it’s sweet, slightly salty, incredibly creamy, and just flat-out delicious. While it’s not cheap, this is one of those specialty products that are actually worth the price tag, and it makes a great gift. Spread it on bread, drizzle it over ice cream, or just eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar.

Stainless Steel Food Scale With Pull-Out Display

A good digital scale is an essential tool for bakers or home charcuterie makers. The OXO Food Scale comes with an easy-to-clean removable stainless steel weighing surface, great accuracy and precision, and a pullout backlit display to make measuring simple, even for large or unwieldy items.

Mixing Glass

This hand-blown and -etched mixing glass from Japan looks stunning on a bar cart and even better in action, whether you’re stirring a Negroni, a Martini, or a Manhattan. Mixing glasses made from two parts joined together sometimes split at the seam, but this version, made in one piece with a beaker-like spout, can stand up to heavy use.

Stovetop Pressure Cooker

I tested dozens of stovetop pressure cookers before settling on Kuhn Rikon’s Duromatic. It has a heavy sandwiched-aluminum-and-steel base that gives you even heat and a pressure gauge that makes telling exactly how much pressure has built up inside visual and intuitive.

Tojiro Fujitora Honesuki

Over the course of his career, Daniel has slowly built up a decent collection of both traditional and Western-style Japanese knives. Next on his list is a honesuki—a small, triangular butchery knife that tapers to a fine point. It’s designed for breaking down chickens and other small pieces of meat. The blade isn’t meant to cut through bone, but instead to deftly slide through meat and connective tissue, and carve its way between joints.

Best Poultry Shears

Oxo’s poultry shears include an easy to engage and disengage locking mechanism, a looped handle that won’t allow greasy hands to slip when squeezing hard, and a take-apart hinge for thorough cleaning. But what really makes it our top pick is that it’s one of the only pairs of shears we tested that can both snip through squirmy skin and cleave through bone. If poultry shears can’t do that, you might as well not own a pair.

Sant’Eustachio Whole Coffee Beans

Sant’Eustachio is a coffee-bar institution in the center of Rome, and it’s where Sasha’s life as a coffee drinker began when he was a kid. The baristi at Sant’Eustachio perform coffee alchemy at espresso machines outfitted with custom-made metal partitions that keep their methods secret from curious onlooking customers. He always tries to bring back a bag of Sant’Eustachio coffee for his father every time he visits the Eternal City, but now he can just order some online. How convenient!

Rice, Noodle, Fish

Warning: Reading this book might lead to the purchase of some very expensive plane tickets. The Roads & Kingdoms crew will get you hungry for a journey to Japan: for onigiri basted with chicken fat, juicy one-bite gyoza, milky-white tonkotsu ramen broth, and briny sea urchin. Is Japan the best place on earth to eat? This book will convince you that it is.

Buttery Popcorn Seasoning

Ariel’s dad has long been a movie-theater-popcorn fanatic—he’s been known to go into the theater just to get popcorn, then leave. This popcorn seasoning will cut out the middleman, allowing her dad to make his very own cinema-worthy popcorn right at home.

Dark-Chocolate Sea Salt Almonds

You can find dark chocolate and almonds combined in any number of candy bars. What distinguishes these delicious nuggets from Nuts.com is the generous sprinkling of sea salt embedded in the thick chocolate shell. Just be sure not to open them for a taste—once you’ve had one, the rest will never make it to Dad.

Insulated Beverage Bottle

The Hydro Flask is designed to keep water cold for hours on end, but its vacuum-insulated walls don’t discriminate between beverages: The 32-ounce flask can also accommodate a full bottle of wine, or a big batch of margaritas. It’s ideal for picnics and trips to the beach, no matter what you’re drinking.

Cast Iron Skillet

Old cast iron has a perfectly smooth nonstick surface that’s surprisingly easy to maintain. You can sear, bake, roast, braise, stew, and deep-fry in it, and there’s nothing more thoughtful than a gift that you have to expend a bit of effort to find (check out eBay, yard sales, and flea markets). Of course, these modern Lodge pans will do in a pinch if vintage isn’t in the cards.

Frankies 457 Olive Oil

Fancy olive oil always makes a good gift, but there’s a difference between fancy olive oil and good fancy olive oil. The house oil from Frankies 457 Sputino in Brooklyn is delicious (i.e. great on fresh bread and in dishes), is DOC cerified, and comes in a nice tin that prevents the light from spoiling the product.

Metal Pizza Peel for Retrieving Pizzas

Wooden pizza peels are too thick to easily slide under a pie once it’s hit the oven; for that, you’ll want a thin-bladed metal peel. A thin-gauge aluminum peel is just fine for the occasional baker, but it’ll bend and warp eventually. If you’re going to be making pizza multiple times a year for many years to come, you might want to spring for something heavy-duty. I use the KettlePizza Pro Peel, which has a thick-gauge aluminum body that extends fully past the solid teakwood handle.

Whiskey Set

For the last few years, I’ve taken to buying my dad a nice bottle of whiskey for most special occassions. This year, I’ll be staying on theme, but changing things up by giving him something a bit longer lasting. This whiskey set from Snowe is durable and elegant, and I know it’ll get serious use in the years to come.

Cuisinart Blender

The Cuisinart is an easy-to-use, powerful blender that aced many of our tests. This model’s dashboard is intuitive, and it features a built-in timer that counts down for you or can be programmed to stop after a certain number of seconds.

Diaspora Co. Turmeric

This turmeric is as bright as a bar of gold, with a lovely, sleek label to match. Apart from the high-quality turmeric and nice packaging, the spice comes with a feel-good story: Diaspora Co. is run by queer women of color, and each jar purchased puts a much-higher-than-average amount of money back into the turmeric farmer’s hands.

Food Dehydrator

Elazar’s dad has always been into gardening, but recently he found a way to actually use all of the produce he grows. Since he got an Excalibur dehydrator a few years ago, he’s put more or less everything he grows through it. That means Elazar gets sent bags of dehydrated tomatoes, apple and pear slices, and more. This is a great gift for any dads who love to garden—or make jerky! Plus, if you’re lucky, you’ll start getting gift baskets from them.

Wine Fridge

Take it from us: Living in hot urban apartments makes storing age-worthy wines nearly impossible, unless you don’t mind risking the life of a pricey Burgundy by putting it through years of extreme temperature swings. Anyone with an interest in building even a modest collection of special-occasion bottles should get a wine fridge. It’s a small investment that protects your real investment.

Le Creuset Wooden Scraping Spoon

I have a problem with wooden spoons. I collect them like nobody’s business. But there are a few I always turn back to, and this one, from Le Creuset, is one of them. It’s gorgeous to look at; it has a flat front, which makes it great for scraping up fond or stirring vegetables; and it’s got a smooth, ergonomic grip that makes using it a joy.

Roccbox Outdoor Pizza Oven

The Roccbox is an incredible little oven with simple, reliable operation, whether you’re using gas, wood, or charcoal to fire it. It consistently hits wood-fired-oven temperatures and maintains them for as long as you are cooking, with no fussing or babysitting, which means Dad can spend more time enjoying pizza with his friends and family and less time coddling a temperamental flame.

Island Creek Oysters by Mail

Few things get me as excited as a good raw bar, but most of the time, I eat far fewer than I want because, after the first couple dozen oysters or so, it just gets to be too expensive. That’s even truer when the oysters are top-notch, like the briny little suckers from Island Creek up in Massachusetts. But here’s the good news: You can order Island Creek’s oysters online by the 50- or 100-count for much less than they cost at most restaurants and have them in your hands the next day for an at-home shucking extravaganza. (Obviously, it helps to learn to shuck first.)

High-Output Torch

Forget those puny kitchen torches designed to make crème brûlée for ants. If you want some serious torching power in the kitchen, for putting the final touch on fancy desserts or for finishing off a sous vide steak, you want a high-output torch like this one. You’ll get a deeper char than you’ll ever be able to get from using a skillet alone.

Fixed-Cup Spice Grinder

The sleek and minimalist design of the Krups means it’s easy to hold, handle, and store—perfect for anyone tight on space. Even without a removable bowl, cleanup is a cinch because spices never get trapped beneath the blade, and there are no unnecessary ridges or notches to clog with spices. The one-touch operation makes it easy to use, and it quickly yields a fine and consistent grind in both large, tough spices and smaller seeds.

Belgian Waffle Maker

Waffles are a pretty big deal in my family, and my dad knows full well that when I gift him kitchen equipment, I plan to use it whenever I come to visit (whether that’s buttermilk waffles on a whim, or a well-timed batch of yeast raised waffles on Christmas morning). Plus, my dad’s no stranger to the kitchen, so that iron will see plenty of use through the years.

Breville Smoking Gun

At home, my mom usually does all the cooking, so when my dad takes a crack at dinner it’s really an event. Without the burden of having cook every night, he’s like a kid at an amusment park, gleefully breaking out the pressure cooker and dusting off the blow torch. The smoking gun will make the perfect addition to his rowdy dive into the culinary world. It allows you to easily smoke anything indoors with just the flip of a switch. Equipped with an assorment of wood chips, the smoking gun offers instant dad-fun right out of the box. I can see it now—there’s probably going to be smoked dal along with smoked chana masala and smoked raitha at the next “dad” dinner.

Pizza Wheel

When it comes to portioning pizza, a knife simply won’t cut it. At least, not if you don’t want to drag cheese and toppings all over the place. For my money, nothing beats a traditional pizza wheel.

Tacos: Recipes and Provocations

My good friend Jordana Rothman cowrote this thoughtful ode to tacos with chef Alex Stupak, and it’s a must-have for anyone ready to take a deep dive into corn, masa, tortillas, and everything—modern and traditional—you can stuff into them.

Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling

In this book, Meathead Goldwyn, the founder of AmazingRibs.com, distills decades of research on the art and science of barbecue and grilling into a single volume that shows not just the best ways to take food to live fire, but why the techniques work. Far more than a recipe book alone (though there are tons of bulletproof recipes), this text will teach Dad the hard-tested fundamentals of outdoor cooking, giving him the confidence to cook anything, even without a recipe. The myth-busting and equipment tips alone were enough to get me hooked.

R. Murphy Duxbury Oyster Knife

I’ve used many, many oyster knives in my life, and the R. Murphy Duxbury knife is my hands-down favorite. It has a fat, grippy handle that’s easy to wield, and a short blade that tapers to a point and always manages to find the sweet spot on an oyster’s hinge. Pop! The slightly sharpened blade edges make slicing through the muscle and removing the top shell as smooth as butter.

The Chili Cookbook

This isn’t just a chili cookbook. Robb Walsh digs deep into the beloved dish’s ancestry, tracing threads through Mexico City, San Antonio, and Santa Fe—as you might expect—but also Hungary, Greece, and the Canary Islands (off the coast of North Africa). Walsh is one of food writing’s best storytellers, so the book is satisfying even if you never whip out your Dutch oven and get cooking. You should, though: The fascinating tale is best enjoyed with a big bowl of chili con carne. (Walsh’s recipe from El Real in Houston is killer.)

Snow Leopard Vodka

Snow Leopard stands out among vodkas for its texture—distilled from spelt, it’s fuller-bodied and richer-tasting than most vodkas. It makes for a pleasantly weighty martini.

Marble and Acacia Wood Cake Stand

Like a pretty Bundt pan, a beautiful cake stand has an aesthetic value of its own, even without a cake—but present it with your giftee’s favorite cake on top, and it will also be a nice reminder of the day.

Misono UX10 Chef’s Knife

A deft and nimble blade, Misono’s UX10 is one of the lightest-weight knives we tested. It’s razor-sharp right out of the box and handled every task we threw at it with ease, dicing an onion as if it were as soft as a blob of Jell-O and making paper-thin slices of smoked salmon as if the knife were a true slicer.

Fancy Glass Pitcher

I actually received this classic Waterford pitcher as a wedding gift, and it’s become a workhorse in my home. When I’m not using it to decant wine, it’s hard at work serving cocktails, ice water, and juices. And in between any special occasion, you can drop in some fresh flowers and use it as a vase.

Beyond Curry Indian Cookbook: A Culinary Journey Through India

Indian food has a reputation for being difficult and time-consuming, with hard-to-find ingredients and new techniques. I get it. It’s intimidating. But in this book, Serious Eater Denise D’silva Sankhé breaks Indian cooking down into simple techniques that any home cook can master to produce amazingly flavorful dishes with minimal effort. Over the course of more than 100 recipes, Denise introduces us to simple cooking from every region of India, focusing on home-style dishes that move well beyond the world of curries. I’m also super stoked that she includes notes with every recipe on whether it’s vegan, vegetarian, and/or allergy-friendly.

Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking

I’ve never been to Zahav, the Philadelphia restaurant where Michael Solomonov serves his Israeli cuisine, but its namesake book has nevertheless changed the way I cook. If Dad still cooks the occasional meal for you, you might point him toward the hummus tahini recipe, which includes a novel technique for incorporating garlic and lemon that alone is worth the price of admission. I’ve loved the Yemenite beef soup (and the accompanying hot sauce), his wide focus on vegetarian-friendly dishes, and a host of homemade condiments that will elevate almost any meal, even if you don’t follow the full recipes from the book.

Pralus

I don’t mind baking with supermarket chocolate bars, but when it comes to snacking I’d rather spring for the good stuff—especially when it comes to my dad. He’s decidedly a “bite of dark chocolate after dinner” kinda guy, which means every bite needs to count, and that’s where this stack of single origin chocolates comes in. It’s a fun way to explore the world of chocolate, and learn how different beans and countries of origin can impact its taste. Plus, I can steal some when he’s not looking.

Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Pellet Grill (Wifi Enabled)

Surprisingly, many of the portable pellet smokers out there still have an antiquated LMH controller, while Davy Crockett employs Green Mountain’s advanced digital touch-pad controller, with an integrated meat thermometer that lets you check internal meat temp with the flick of a switch.

Breville Crispy Pizza Oven

If our rice cooker got it on with a Roomba, we imagine their offspring might look a bit like the new Breville Crispy Crust countertop pizza oven. It’s a new plug-and-go appliance that promises “professional brick-oven results right in your own kitchen,” for about $150.

Glass Tumblers

My dad lives in Florida and never drinks enough water. These little tumblers seem like the perfect compromise to get him to drink just enough to not get totally dehydrated every day. And if he refuses to fill them with water, at least he can use them for alcoholic beverages. The final plus: They stack, so they won’t take up too much space in his cabinets.

Gin Mare

Friends have toted bottles of this fantastic gin back from Barcelona, but now you can buy it in the US. Macerated with Arbequina olives, thyme, rosemary, and basil, along with cardamom and coriander, it’s remarkably creamy, savory, and spicy. It makes for a wonderfully aromatic Martini and a super-complex, earthy G&T.

GelPro Floor Mat

If you love to cook and host parties, you’ll know that a lot of prep time is spent on your feet. Why not make at least the cooking part a bit more comfortable with one of these gel mats? It’ll provide some nice cushion under your feet, so when it’s time to put on your party shoes, you’ll be ready.

The Glenrothes Triple Pack Gift Set

Why give your dad one Scotch when you can give him three? This gift set includes three 100-milliliter bottles. A combination of 10 vintages from 1989 through 2007, the Vintage Reserve is mellow and fruity, the range of young and older whiskies contributing both bright, fresh citrus on the one hand and rich, oaky elements on the other. Sherry Cask (aged, as the name might suggest, in used sherry butts) leans toward dried fruit, and the Bourbon Cask (aged in bourbon barrels) toward creamy vanilla.

The Cocktail Chronicles

Having The Cocktail Chronicles at your side is like having a friend who always knows a good drink recipe for whatever you’ve got on hand. It doesn’t talk your ear off or suggest something with a dozen ingredients. Instead, it shares classics, recent spins on classics, and drinks you’ve never heard of but can easily mix up and enjoy, and the introductions are never preachy or boring. This book will appeal to full-on cocktail fanatics and newbies alike; there’s something delicious on every page.

Portable Kitchen Timer

I can’t tell you how many times I burn bread crumbs or forget about the nuts I’m toasting in the oven. At least, I used to. That was all before I got myself a couple of these easy-to-use, loud kitchen timers that I can hang around my neck, so I never forget about something in the kitchen, even if I leave the room.

Cooking Coat

Aprons get all the attention, but they don’t protect your clothes nearly well enough, leaving large swaths of sleeves and shoulders exposed to spatters and stains. You could always put on a shirt you don’t care too much about before donning an apron, but a protective work coat like this keeps your clothes safe without requiring a complete costume change.

Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream Machine

The value-to-cost ratio on this lightweight model can’t be beat. It uses a pre-frozen, coolant-lined canister to chill down the ice cream base, eliminating the need for salt and ice or an expensive compressor. When properly frozen, the canister churns up in less time than any other model we tested, for creamy and smooth ice creams and other frozen desserts. This undemanding model has one button, a lid that easily snaps into place, and a small footprint for tight spaces.

Carbon Steel Omelette Pan

A good carbon steel has many of the qualities that make cast iron great—it’s durable, it forms a completely nonstick surface if cared for properly, and it’s inexpensive—but it’s lighter and easier to maneuver than cast iron, making it great for sautéing and searing everyday foods.

Espro Press P5

Thanks to a few simple innovations in the filter and beaker design, this French press fixes a few of the brewing device’s biggest drawbacks. The result is a cleaner batch of coffee that won’t accidentally over-steep.

Good Kitchen Shears

A good pair of kitchen shears is one of those things that are hard to appreciate until you have them. Sure, there are all the obvious uses, like opening food packages with a snip and cutting up poultry, but that’s just the start. Take another look at those things. Yes, that’s right, they’re also a nutcracker. Aha, yup, and a bottle opener. Did you see the flathead screwdriver built into them? Handy, right? Oh, they can also be used to unscrew stubborn jar tops. They’re way more than just a pair of scissors. Plus, the two blades come fully apart, so you can wash them really well—no icky chicken juice hiding in the recesses. Isn’t avoiding salmonella poisoning a gift worth giving?

6-Quart Instant Pot

The Instant Pot Duo60 is a fantastic value and performed almost as well as the top pick among countertop pressure cookers we tested. It’s easy to use, the company has a reputation for great customer service, and there’s an avid and helpful community of users online to boot.

Unicorn Magnum Pepper Mill

I’ll admit it: I’m a pepper mill snob. I need my mill to produce a shower of evenly crushed peppercorns. I want to be able to control the size of those grains, from a rough crush to a fine powder. Not only that, I want my pepper mill to last. With a solid metal burr and a unique, easy-to-load design, this is my favorite pepper mill of all time.

Cast Iron Combo Cooker

A combo cooker is the key to getting a gorgeous, shattering crust on homemade bread. It acts as its own little steam chamber, like what you’d find in a professional bread oven, and it costs way less than a kitchen renovation.

OXO Good Grips Two-Piece Grilling Set

A quality spatula and tongs are essential for good grilling. Seek out ones with long handles, such as OXO’s two-piece grilling set, to keep your fingers as far from the heat as possible. The nearly flat, scalloped edge on the OXO tongs is especially appealing—it’s extra easy to slide the tongs under meat, vegetables, and other ingredients on the grill.

Redbreast 15 Year Irish Whiskey

If Dad finds Scotch too smoky, bourbon too sweet, and rye too spicy, Irish whiskey is the ideal gift. Redbreast emerges from the barrels complex and substantial; some of the whiskey is aged in sherry casks, lending it a weight and dark hue, while some is aged in bourbon casks, imparting characteristic vanilla flavors. There’s a hint of fruit up front and spice on the finish.

Countertop Seltzer Maker

Make your own seltzer water at home with this easy-to-use unit. It comes equipped with LED indicators displaying three levels of carbonation and a BPA-free bottle that locks into the unit with no twisting, and it requires no batteries or electricity to operate. This model fits 14.5-ounce and three-ounce CO2 cylinders, which can be traded in for just the cost of the gas at your local hardware or home-goods store.

All-Clad Two-Quart Saucepan

This small 2-quart saucepan is perfect for making and warming sauces, cooking small portions of grain, and heating liquids.

Japanese Nakiri Vegetable Knife

A good gift for dads who are knife-curious, a nakiri is a double-beveled knife typically used just for slicing vegetables. This one is all carbon steel, so it’s easy to sharpen on a whetstone and holds its edge well. On the other hand, it’s susceptible to rust, so it needs to be dried after each use and periodically wiped down with mineral oil. Given its price point, this nakiri is perfect for a cook who wants to experiment with specialty Japanese knives or with caring for a non–stainless steel blade.

Precision Coffee Maker

While you can get it brewing with just the push of a button, the Breville offers layer upon layer of fine-tuned control for the coffee geek who wants to tweak brew variables. Finishing near the top of our taste tests, this spendy machine allows you to control brew-water temperature and time and the blooming phase. It can also make cold brew, and it’s compatible with popular pourover devices like the Hario V60 and Kalita Wave.

Terra Cotta Cazuela

Daniel’s owned these terra cotta dishes in several sizes for many years now. They’re attractive enough to go straight from the oven to the table, and versatile enough to be used as baking dishes for cooked foods or as serving dishes for snacks when you’re hosting guests.

Smuggler’s Cove

This remarkable book, from Martin and Rebecca Cate of San Francisco’s Smuggler’s Cove, traces the birth and evolution of exotic drinks and tiki bars—bars that embodied an American escapist fantasy. A lively exploration of our country’s drinking history (and the current tiki scene), it’s essential reading for rum lovers, offering the best categorization of the headspinning-ly diverse spirit that I’ve encountered. The Mai Tai recipe is great, too.

Liquid Intelligence

Dave Arnold (you might know of his bar, Booker and Dax in NYC) won’t just accept the common assumptions about cocktail technique—his mission in this excellent book is to dig into the science of how the very best drinks are made. If your dad is the inquisitive type, and likes to host cocktail hour at home, this is a must-read for him.

Chimney Starter

Lighter fluid is fun to play with, but it can impart an off flavor to your food. A chimney starter is faster, cleaner, more efficient, and better for the environment. It’s a tall metal cylinder with holes punched in it and a grate at the bottom for holding the charcoal. It works with the power of convection: When a lit newspaper is placed at the bottom, igniting the lowest coals, the hot air rises up, pulling fresh oxygen in through the vent holes and through the bottom. This constant supply of fresh oxygen, coupled with the fact that the metal efficiently reflects heat back toward the coals, means you require nothing more than a single piece of newspaper and a match to turn a full six quarts of coals into a roaring inferno within 20 minutes.

ThermoWorks ThermoPop

In the inexpensive-thermometer department, the ThermoPop is the new kid on the block, but he comes in an impressive package. An easy-to-read display rotates at the touch of a button, so you don’t have to twist your head to read it. It takes a few seconds longer to read temperatures than its big brother, the Thermapen, but it’s every bit as accurate.

Char-Griller Kamado Smoker

The Akorn is a double-walled, insulated steel egg that is much lighter and in some ways more durable than the popular Big Green Egg. It performs fairly close to traditional kamados at a fraction of the cost, so you can spend your saved bucks on getting some great meat.

Hands-Free Soap Dispenser

Messy cooks—or germaphobes—will love this easy-to-use soap dispenser. Unlike some other models that have finicky settings, this Simple Human dispenser changes how much soap you get based on where your hands are: Keep them up high for just the right amount to wash your hands, or move them lower for enough to clean a few dinner plates.

High West Barreled Manhattan

A premixed 2:1 rye-vermouth Manhattan with a few dashes of bitters, this stuff spends three months aging in used rye barrels, which integrates the flavors and adds a touch of woody character to the drink. Give it a quick stir over ice for chill and dilution, spray an orange twist on top, and you’ve got a drink worthy of any cocktail bar—no barrel required.

Joule Sous Vide Circulator

The ChefSteps Joule is the smallest circulator on the market. It’s sleek, compact design fits in a drawer and it heats quickly and accurately. It has the advantage of the ChefSteps community and legacy content built into its app, though its one downside is that it requires a smartphone or tablet along with a registered account to operate.

Ceramic Sangria Pitcher

This pitcher arrives sangria-ready. The pinched spout is a genius detail that keeps all the fruit and ice from splashing into your glass, and when it’s not filled with sangria, it can be used as a vase. We love a two-fer!

Magimix 14-Cup Food Processor

The Magimix impressed us with each slicing, chopping, grating, and puréeing test we tossed at it, especially with pizza dough, which it combined so well that no additional kneading was required.

Blackstone Pizza Oven

The Blackstone is the oven of choice for high-output, rapid cooking, as it takes very little time to preheat and recover, pumping out pie after pie at a nonstop clip. Users who are comfortable making frequent mechanical repairs and adjustments, and who care more about speed than about versatility and aesthetics, will be happy with this one.

MAC Professional Santoku Knife

This santoku from MAC’s professional line is an absolute pleasure to use, no matter the task. It’s lightweight, well balanced, sharp as can be, and comfortable to hold. It made perfect carrot cuts, broke down a chicken with ease, and filleted a whole fish as if it were a fish-shaped block of butter.

Granite Mortar and Pestle

With both parts made of rock-solid granite, the Thai mortar and pestle is (literally) a heavy hitter, and arguably the most versatile type of large mortar and pestle you can own. Its heft and weight, especially when combined with the stone-on-stone action that the all-granite build provides, make it ideal for one of its intended uses: making a Thai curry paste.

Iittala Essence Glasses

No matter what your father likes to drink, it’ll look good in these universal glasses from Iittala. They’re big enough to accommodate a 12-ounce beer, his favorite cocktail, or a monster pour of wine…because it’s Father’s Day, and he deserves it.

Pourover Coffee Brewer

There are enough coffee-brewing devices on the market to drive a person crazy, but it’s hard to beat a quality pourover brewer like this Japanese one. It’s compact and solid, making it ideal for home or the office, and it brews a mean cup of coffee. It claims to make two to four servings, but we find it’s perfect for a full 12-ounce single cup, too (note that you need these filters for it).

Digital Electric Gooseneck Kettle

This is the electric kettle of my coffee-delayed dreams. It has an elegant gooseneck spout that makes pouring a thin, controlled stream easy (very helpful for Chemex and other pourover coffee methods) and a base with controls that allow you to set a specific temperature and hold it there.

Recipe Journal

Trying to get your dad to finally write down all those family recipes? This sleek Moleskin journal will get him organized and become a precious family heirloom in the process.

Rancho Gordo Beans

A bean is a bean is a bean. Or is it? Once you go down the rabbit hole of eating quality dried beans (after they’re cooked, of course—raw dried beans aren’t so great), you’ll fall in love with their variety of flavors, textures, and colors. Some are starchy, some are nutty, some are earthy, and some are slightly sweet. Rancho Gordo is one company that sells some really cool ones to try. You won’t look at dried beans the same way again.

American Waffle Maker

The Breville produces crispy brown waffles the fastest and with the most consistent color of all the batches we tested, making it the best option if you prefer thinner waffles. Although it only makes one waffle at a time, it reheats and cooks rapidly, so you can crank out waffle after waffle with ease. The built in drip tray, non stick surface, and minimal design keeps clean up effortless.

Bamboo Steamer

Since I am now the best dad in the world, according to the bib I definitely did not buy my daughter, I get to pick something that I want for our Father’s Day gift guide, and I want several bamboo steamers for my wok. They are useful for steaming, particularly large-ish things, like a whole (if small) fish, like a porgy or a diminutive sea bass. They are super useful! Easy to clean! I want it! Buy me it!

Half Moon Orchard Gin

The New York–made gin is distilled from wheat and apples, resulting in a faint but perceptible dried-apple character alongside prominent juniper and cardamom—an exciting dimension that works especially well in cocktails.

Spaghetti con la Colatura Gift Box

One of our favorite recipes from the year thus far is Sasha’s spaghetti con la colatura di alici. Conveniently, Gustiamo is selling a gift box based on the building blocks of the dish: a bottle of colatura, a bottle of high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, and a box of pasta, for a tasty gift indeed.

All-Clad Immersion Blender

A high-speed hand blender is great for whipping up silky soups and purées, making emulsions like mayonnaise and Hollandaise, or smoothing out sauces, all right in the pot. No need to dirty up an extra blender jar!

Rice, Noodle, Fish

Warning: Reading this book might lead to the purchase of some very expensive plane tickets. The Roads & Kingdoms crew will get you hungry for a journey to Japan, for onigiri basted with chicken fat, juicy one-bite gyoza, milky-white tonkotsu ramen broth, and briny sea urchin. Is Japan the best place on earth to eat? This book will convince you that it is.

Louie Mueller’s Brisket

Brisket is Texas’s best-known contribution to barbecue culture, and though you can now get slow-smoked brisket in just about every major American city, you still need to go to the source to get brisket so good it will make you cry. But if you can’t make it to Texas, ordering Louie Mueller’s is the next best thing. The Muellers have been smoking the stuff since 1949. The key here? They ship the whole brisket, which means you get plenty of the critically important fatty half. Why is it critically important? Because we all know that fat IS flavor. Phone orders only: (512) 352-6206.

Pasta by Hand: A Collection of Italy’s Regional Hand-Shaped Pasta

No pasta machine? No problem. This book is devoted to the art of handcrafted Italian dumplings, from yeasty, spindle-shaped cecamariti to classic gnocchi to golden-brown parallelograms of deep-fried crescentine. If the adage “practice makes perfect” fills you with excitement rather than dread, this is the kind of book that will make you utterly determined to prevail.

Staub Heritage Baking Dish

It can be easy to brush off appearances as unimportant, but tableside presentation is a big part of a baking dish’s appeal. If you want excellent performance combined with a handsome and classic design that will look great on your holiday table (or on your Instagram account), Staub is your best bet. This heavyweight dish heats evenly in the oven at temperatures up to 575°F (300°C) and has great heat retention, keeping food hotter longer when you’re serving. The generous four-quart capacity is ideal for large roasts and extra-deep casseroles.

The Original Bear Paws Shredder Claws

In addition to making you look like Wolverine, shredder claws make quick work of pork butts (hello, pulled pork!), smoked chicken, smoked chuck roasts, and other meats, allowing you to tear the meat into shreds in no time. Sure, you could try doing it with forks, but you’d better have a lot of time on your hands.

Inexpensive Wire Grill Brush

Grill brushes come in all shapes, sizes, and styles, but for a tool that sees so much use, I find it hard to justify spending a huge amount of money. This simple, heavy-duty wire-style grill brush has served me well for years, and if it ever wears out, well, it’s cheap enough to replace.

George Dickel Barrel Select Tennessee Whiskey

Made from whiskeys averaging 10 to 12 years in age, this bottling is all vanilla and toffee in the aroma but spice and char on the finish. It’s sophisticated and eminently drinkable.

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realtalk-princeton · 5 years

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Clover how did you choose to be MAE? What classes/summer programs related to MAE did you have in high school? And did these help you decide you would be MAE going into college, or did that decision come after you came to Princeton? Very conflicted BSE prefrosh.

Response from Clover:

Hey! Sorry for responding to this so late, I have been editing this answer throughout the day to try and make it more concise (yeah yeah, I know, this is my “concise”..) and still ensure I cover all the things you brought up. Will be long, but I tried to summarize things where needed and put the main items in bulleted sections. I do hope it can provide you with some help... or at least make you feel less alone in your feelings of conflict / worry over choosing a BSE major! <3

So to start off, I actually came into Princeton fully set on CBE. In high school, I had 3 main motivators as to why I wanted to do something with biological engineering:

> Did science fair projects on cancer stuff which I found rewarding, enjoyable, and stimulating. > Enjoyed the design portion of the lab work I did, planning out experiments and what not. > Loved AP Biology. Love biology as a whole. I think biological systems are the most fascinating thing on the planet. Shit's just cool.

Biological engineering seemed like the most reasonable choice for me, because I had some evidence to suggest that I might do decently as a CBE major, enjoy the subject matter, and get a job with that degree I would enjoy.

Where does MAE tie in? Well, I never really did anything super specific to aerospace engineering in high school. Here's the main 4 relevant items:

> Did NASA summer programs where we get to work on teams to design space missions. I worked on the scientific return portion of both missions. > Took engineering classes throughout high school, which involved mechanical projects and a lot of CAD > Rocketry club > Have always loved space and found it fascinating-- started working at a space museum which elevated my passion for all the things existing in and sent into space

All of this stuff is more space-related than aerospace-engineering-related. With NASA I wasn't working on anything to do with the rockets or transit vehicle, just the experiments. With my engineering classes I never did any specific aerospace projects, just general design. Rocketry was just tiny cardboard rockets. And while I liked space a lot, that didn't mean I'd make a good aerospace engineer.

Here's thing: I like to feel prepared. Especially when I'm trying to decide on what I want to do with the next X years of my life. Biology was what I had the most background in. I had the preparation. And I had the science fair behind me to say "hey, I've got something to show that I'm at least semi-competent enough to major in this". Aerospace engineering? I felt like I had nothing. What does it mean to be an aerospace engineer? What kind of courses are even involved in that? I had no idea. I had no 'experience'.

So, I think influenced more by fear than anything else, I went in as CBE. Thanks to my past-self though, I only applied to colleges that offered both bio engineering and aerospace engineering (with an astro track)... I'm very lucky to be such an indecisive being, because throughout the year my major has evidently changed.

There were 3 main reasons why I changed directions:

> CBE itself. When I give the short answer to the “why CBE to MAE” question, I just say ‘bro CBE looked hard as shit.’ But in truth, while CBE definitely is no joke, I don’t think I was really ever scared by how everyone called it the hardest major. If CBE encompassed what I loved so much about my biology experiences, I would have suffered through it no question. However, what I started to learn throughout the year was that CBE has very minimal biological courses involved, only really having them involved with the bio concentration and then the optional bio certificate. I learned this by talking to CBE majors I met, talking to CBE people at the engineering open houses, and most notably talking to a CBE upperclassman during a SWE Coffee Date. I highlight the SWE Coffee Date because I think they're a really great setting to have a one-on-one, genuine conversation with someone who can give you insight into the major you're looking at. When all was said and done, I got a good picture of what my curriculum over the next 4 years would look like, and I really wasn't feeling it. At first I was like "oh, I mean chemical engineering... that sounds about the same as biological, right?"... wrong. I won't go into the details-- in essence, the job prospects were mostly all things I didn't feel passionate about. I considered briefly just sticking it out and doing the bio certificate to make up for the chem-heavy curriculum, but why major in something where the only part you care about is the optional certificate? >> TLDR: Found out through info sessions and discussions with upperclassmen CBE majors that the CBE curriculum and job prospects were not something I felt passionate about. > Clubs. My main 2 engineering extracurriculars this year were rocketry and an engineering project team related to satellites. Rocketry was a fun time and nice balance from all the very theoretical problems sets going on. It was nice to build things again, design in CAD, and 3D print some more. Still though, just like with high school, enjoying rocketry doesn't necessarily translate to enjoying aerospace engineering. That's where the satellite project team stepped in-- I could go on and on, but I pretty much just had a really awesome mentor for the project and I got to do some really cool work on this tiny satellite. Got to use cool equipment and be involved with the design process. This project made me start to realize that satellites are the union between scientific return and an engineering degree I've always been looking for... I know in industry if I worked on a satellite I wouldn't be involved with the actual science bit, but the point is that the satellite as a whole is providing scientific knowledge to help others back here on Earth, and like... That's my shit dude. Science + engineering truly wrapped into one. The prospect of working on projects like that as an aerospace engineer really excited me, which was in stark contrast to how I felt about the CBE job prospects. >> TLDR: Satellite project team introduced me to a job field where I could do aerospace engineering that contributes to scientific return, combining my two favorite things to make a job I would actually be very passionate about. > Classes. I think the nail in the coffin for me was that I placed out of CHM 207 with my AP score, but if I wanted to do CBE I would have to take CHM 207 or 215 before even starting all the other chem courses required. Yeah, no thanks. The cherry on top was finding out about the MAE classes I would be taking in the future. I discovered the curriculum through the same methods I did with CBE, except that this time I thought it sounded really awesome. There are definitely hard courses ahead for sure, but I actually think the subject matter sounds interesting and love that there is an astro concentration built right in. Additionally, even though mechanical + aerospace does require a lot of courses, I still have room to fit the astrobiology certificate into there. This way I get to delve more into the sciences which I wanted to do! >> TLDR: Didn't want to take a ton of chem, as I was behind. MAE classes sounded actually cool, and I have room for the astrobiology certificate.

I'm really happy with my decision to switch to MAE. I think that it took me actually experiencing a semester here to realize that classes are going to be hard no matter what, and I want to do something I'm really passionate about more than anything. CBE gradually lost my interest due to the future courses and jobs not aligning with my bio-centric preferences, as well as all the requirements entailed. MAE instead gained my interest through cool extracurriculars, cool courses, and my shedding of that fear of doing aerospace engineering. I realize now that this is an area I really like, and the potential jobs I could get later on make me legit excited. I've been teaching kids about all these cool satellites and space missions all this time, and now I might be able to work on something that provides us with... data on melting sea ice? The location of a mirror Earth? So many possibilities, and they all sound awesome to me!

If your bared through this and made it to here, wow, I can’t believe it.. I wanted to try and put all my thoughts down here because I seriously cannot express to you just how scared I was about all of this coming into Princeton. As you can see, most of my decision-making ended up occurring dynamically throughout the year. My suggestion? Don't fret about it like I did over the summer. Your first year is going to present you with a lot of opportunities to learn more about the majors you're thinking about (or maybe even the ones you haven't considered!!!), including but not limited to those I mentioned above. You might not have a big moment of "holy shit-- I know what I want to major in!", and that's okay! For me, it happened over time. And dude, for some sophomores it's even still ongoing this summer. You have so much time, and it's best to just experience it all and have it help you guide you in the right direction.

If you still feel conflicted later in the year, feel free to reach out again. I know it's overwhelming right now, but don't worry, in 4 years you will be graduating and thinking "ha, I remember when I didn't even know what I wanted to major in yet"... :D <3

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greggreaen · 7 years

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What To Eat To Recover Faster From Your Workouts. Increase Your Performance With These Foods and Supplements

Want to know what to eat to recover faster from your workouts? Increase your performance and impress yourself with results by adding these foods to your diet.

Fitness is not just about how fast you can go… but about how quickly you can recover. Proper post workout nutrition promotes faster recovery, reduces muscle soreness, builds muscle, improves immune system functioning, and replenishes glycogen—all key building blocks in priming you for future workouts.

The following science-backed food options will speed up your recovery, so you can head back to the gym faster and stronger.

Just a friendly reminder that everyone’s needs are different and there is NO one size fits all diet. Always consult with a doctor / nutritionist before changing your nutrition plan or adding supplements.

Recover Faster From Your Workouts. Eat These Foods And Supplements To Increase Your Performance.

Following an anti-inflammatory, high quality, nutrient rich diet is a powerful way to support your body in recovering from hard workouts and achieving results. Eating the right foods after a workout is just as important as exercise itself.

As a general guideline: a quality recovery diet consists of lots of nutrient dense anti-inflammatory foods, vitamins, and minerals. It’s important to stay away from foods that tend to be overly acidic, conventional meat and dairy products, alcohol, excess sodium, and sugar. Those will acidify your body and actually leach minerals out of your body and cause the recovery process to slow down.

These all natural supplement and food choices will help you recover faster to see increased results in your fitness, body, and health.

Vitamin D. Vitamin D strengthens your bones and immune function, helps reduce high blood pressure, and can even help you lose weight. It is an essential vitamin required by the body for the absorption of calcium, bone development, immune functioning, and alleviation of inflammation. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a weakened immune system, increased cancer risk, poor hair growth, and more. The best way to get vitamin D is directly from sunlight – I make an effort to go out by the pool and get sunshine on a regular basis! During the wintertime, investing in a Sun Therapy Lamp can help in recovery (and seasonal depression). You can also take 5,000 IUs of vitamin D twice a day to help boost bone health. I take Spring Of Life Vitamin D daily (because let’s be honest… it’s always foggy in SF). Use the code “CJCREW” for 20% off on Amazon here. By improving muscle recovery after exercise, vitamin D just might make you a better athlete.

Calcium. Calcium is an essential structural component of the skeleton, which makes it vital for recovery and repair. That’s why a calcium deficiency can contribute to broken bones — and why eating more calcium rich foods can aid bone healing naturally. You can get calcium from green leafy foods like spinach, broccoli, kale, arugula, and raw fermented dairy products. In addition to eating calcium rich foods, I like to take a calcium supplement to ensure I’m getting enough.

Magnesium. In order for your body to even use calcium, you also have to have magnesium because research shows magnesium and calcium metabolism are closely related. Eat magnesium rich foods like green leafy vegetables, flaxseeds, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds, grass-fed beef, swiss chard, almonds, avocados, and black beans. You can also add a magnesium supplement, I take the Source naturals magnesium daily.

Vitamin C. Many studies tout the benefits of vitamin C on recovery. Eat foods rich in vitamin C like vegetable juices, orange juice, true oranges, lemons, bell peppers, kiwis, broccoli and asparagus.

Protein. Getting enough protein is always important, but especially when you are hitting the gym hard. Protein is ESSENTIAL for skeletal health, muscle strength, immune response, and bone renewal. Because there is no one size fits all diet, it’s important you make sure you know how much YOUR body needs and work to meet your daily protein requirement with high quality nutrition. I follow a healthy, clean diet and track my protein intake online at livestrong.com/myplate to ensure I’m getting my daily protein. It can be hard to meet your protein requirement (esp. if you follow a plant based diet), so I also suggest supplementing extra protein in recipes with all natural, plant based Spring of Life protein powder. Having protein powder on hand and ready to shake up post workout is so helpful! You can use the code “CJCREW20″ for 20% off the Amazon price on this delicious, all natural, protein. When you eat enough protein body has what it needs to repair and restore to see great results in the gym!!

Collagen. I was really skeptical about collagen at first, but then I purchased a bottle at Whole Foods Market, and have been hooked ever since. Collagen is the mechanical strength of bone. It helps to build bone matrix, repair connective tissues for improved elasticity, improve blood vessel circulation, and promote wound healing. I take 6 capsules of Super Collagen+C Type 1 and 3 in the morning before breakfast. I also put Nunaturals collagen in my morning shake for an extra dose. It doesn’t have a taste, but makes recipes super thick!

Turmeric. Turmeric supports a healthy inflammatory response and heart, joint & liver function. You can add turmeric spices to foods / recipes or take a supplement to promote faster recovery + healing. I take the Spring Of Life Ultimate Turmeric 3 times per day with meals (use code CJCREW20 for the 20% off discount!). I’ve also tried taking Curamin (main active ingredient in turmeric) directly. I feel both have made a difference in my workout recovery and results.

Bone broth. Bone broth contains high amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that play an important role in healthy bone formation. It is a rich source of chondroitin sulfate, which has an anti-inflammatory effect and has been found to also help alleviate joint pain, improve blood circulation, promote intestinal healing, help in calcium- or- magnesium-deficiency-related insomnia, irritability, fatigue and anxiety. I prefer this brand because it’s low in sodium, but there are a lot of options to purchase at your local market and healthy ways to cook up your own at home.

Apple Cider Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is considered to be a potent remedy for illnesses and overall health. You can read all about it’s diverse and incredible health benefits here. I drink an apple cider vinegar detox drink every day and swear by it’s magic powers.

Probiotics. Your gut health plays a role in your immune health and inflammatory response. Try adding foods like pickles, kombucha, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, or keifer to your diet. These gut boosting foods and supplements may promote a faster recovery and reduce post exercise muscle inflammation. If you’ve been sick, traveling, taking antibiotics, or just want healthy gut insurance, taking a daily probiotic supplement ensure your gut stays happy, healthy, and moving right. Spring of Life’s Pure Probiotics Supplement is highly concentrated, effective and totally natural, use code “CJCREW” for 20% off here.

Get Your GREENS. Making sure to power up your diet with as many nutrient dense foods as possible is the best way to reach optimal health and recovery. Get your greens and eat the rainbow at every meal. You can also take a daily greens supplement like the Spring of Life Daily Energy Natural One A Day Superfood Solution, which is loaded with over 60 raw and nutritional whole food ingredients, restores your health on a cellular level, and gives your body the micronutrients you need for health, energy, immune system and weight maintenance support.

Diet is the best way to keep your body in great shape, recover faster, and fuel yourself with confidence, strength, and power. Give your body what it needs to feel its best and I promise you, you’ll see great results. What is one food or supplement you believe helps you recover faster from workouts? Let me know below in the comments.

Results in the gym are cooked up in the kitchen. Think about how you feel after eating a lot of sugar or heavy foods – headaches, tummy trouble, and fatigue (not fun). Now think about how you feel after you eat healthy foods – light, energized, and powerful! Don’t you deserve to feel good? I know the diet piece is often the hardest part, but I also know you CAN do it. You don’t have to overhaul your whole diet overnight. Start small and make little changes. Eat more vegetables, watch portion sizes, cut back on the sugar. Incorporate some of the above healthy recovery foods and supplements into your eating routine and feel the positive changes begin!

Here’s to you and a healthy, vibrant life.

Caroline

Other things to check out:

Having a tough time making dietary changes, recover right, and see RESULTS? That is EXACTLY why I created the Strong Body program – to give you information, accountability, and support to make positive diet changes that last. We have an online support group where we share healthy recipes, tips, tricks, and cheer each other on during challenges. No matter where you are in your wellness journey, this program will help you take it to the next step. I’d love to be your coach. Lets get started.

How to stop binge eating late at night.

Foot and ankle workout videos.

The post What To Eat To Recover Faster From Your Workouts. Increase Your Performance With These Foods and Supplements appeared first on Caroline Jordan.

What To Eat To Recover Faster From Your Workouts. Increase Your Performance With These Foods and Supplements published first on http://www.carolinejordanfitness.com

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thatonepsychoticbipolar · 7 years

Text

In the beginning (second revision)

Brendan,

Yes, I know you are most likely pissed off that I deleted my old account and made a new one just so I could send you this message, but hear me out. I might say something that you don’t want to miss. Okay, maybe nothing that important but really I need you to keep reading.

Anyway, I have been thinking lately about how much you have impacted my life in this short amount of time that I’ve known you. I met you January 14th by the way, but that’s besides the point.

You have impacted my life in both positive and negative ways. I do admit that I was pretty stupid before and even after I met you. You put up with me though and you saved my life, literally. You also got me to stop being violent with my sister, and you gave me the same lecture when you found out that I had started being violent with her again.

Remember this at all? That whole subject brought up a big argument that was painful for me but I still considered you a friend, but why? I can’t even answer that question. Back to the main point, you also complimented my first video I posted on youtube after I told you that you were absolutely rude and that I didn’t want to talk to you ever again. I remember that, don’t you?

You also made me realize that I was wasting my time liking Kyle. Maybe I didn’t start liking exactly who you thought I would. Yeah, this got some major arguments stirred up, not to mention that it lead to about two weeks of absolute silence. Yeah, I know it’s different that I can’t give you the exact dates.

Anyway, I think I just proved that yes, you did impact my life in a positive way however, there is a negative part to having you in my life. I’m not really gonna go into much detail about the negative, I’ll just say the top three negative acts you have done that really impacted my life:

All of your put downs and name calling. Being called stupid and mocked by not only you, but my other friends, and even Kyle, when I made my first cut.

Telling my parents that you never wanted to talk to me again and that you never considered me your friend.

When you changed your number and blocked me on every account you had still open.

That is all I will ever say about these things. I will say this though, I still consider you a friend even though you have put me through a lot of crap. I think I always will even if I never hear from you again.

I’m sorry. Yes, I apologized. I’m sorry for all my childish behavior and stupidity. Thank you. Yes, I just thanked you. Thank you for putting up with me for six months. I don’t think I can thank you enough.

Now the hardest part of the whole thing: are you willing to give me another chance? Before you think of your answer, just remember that people can change over time and that I believe that I have.

So please just one last chance that I promise not to mess up this time. If you are the same person that said, “That is a lie, I care about everyone,” you would say yes. However, are you the same person? If you choose to not give me a second chance, could you do me a favor, and take the time to type the two letters: n and o before you block me again?

Thank you for reading all the way to the bottom, I didn’t think you would.

I woke up at about 10 o’clock that hot, July morning. I was on the floor, in a sleeping bag, surrounded by emptiness. I could hear my anxious breaths starting, as I began to replay the message I had sent to a guy that had tried many times to leave my life.

I was known for being off the rails like this, not letting anyone leave without an explanation. I felt that I was entitled to knowing exactly why a person was leaving, and if I didn’t agree, then they didn’t get to go peacefully.

I at one point had a crush on this guy, but he wasn’t the guy I had my mind on then. He had lead me to the person that I currently wanted to be in a relationship with, but that didn’t matter. None of it mattered anymore. I started to realize what day it was. It was a very anticipated and dreaded morning. That day, was July 31, 2009, and that was the day that my life would change forever.

I quickly unzipped my sleeping bag, because it was so hot and I was sweating. I had the bright idea of leaving the window open, as a last chance to breathe in the Arizona air. I stood up, and looked around, reminding myself that it was the last day I would ever be in that house, the house I grew up in. It was also the last day I would spend in the city, or even in the state.

I shared a room with my sister, but she had decided to sleep in the living room with our other two siblings, while I, decided to be in my room for one last night. My sister and I had never really gotten along and sharing a room with her was pure torture sometimes, especially when I had friends over and she decided that she had to be in the room as well.

I walked out to see more emptiness and some unzipped sleeping bags on the floor. I was the last one to wake up. Sleep was good for me; it was the only time I wasn’t depressed or anxious, which were two things I was no stranger to.

If I wasn’t experiencing anxiety, I was experiencing depression, and on really bad days I would experience both at the same time. My emotions were difficult for me to control or predict but when I tried to explain to the many therapists I have seen in the short time I had been alive just shrugged it off as me being an adolescent and that it was normal.

However, it didn’t feel normal. I didn’t see my classmates bursting into tears over things that were small and didn’t matter, or experiencing extreme anger that would cause them to have subtle tantrums by taking heavy steps and being short to anyone that talked to them.

I’d watch my other peers at school; I knew what I was experiencing wasn’t normal. If I wasn’t being bullied for one thing or another, I’d just watch them, trying to figure out why they were so different from me. They’d have boyfriends and lots of other friends and always be smiling.

I had two friends that stuck by my side, and others that were just passing flings. My friend Sami, sat with me at lunch every day and listened to my rants on life, school, parents, or whatever it was that day. Boys were a subject she avoided with me because she knew that I did not have very healthy behaviors in pursuing them.

My other friend, Jazzi, was about my sisters age but more my style. She had a super strict, Christian mom, but we always found ways around her. She would go on adventures with me and the other people who were only kind of my friends, one of those people being Brendan.

I was my worst critic. I would look at myself in a very judgmental and self loathing way because I put my value in my ability to communicate with people and blend in with a crowd. As awful as I was at school, it was ten times worse at home.

At home I was always in trouble because of my emotional outbursts. My privileges were revoked most of the time, including but not limited to: my cell phone, ipod, and access to the internet. It was even more depressing when I would have nothing to help calm me down when I was experiencing deep emotions that I didn’t always understand; that I never understood for the entirety of my lifetime.

I walked slowly to the garage, where I knew my parents would be. My mom, was working on a paper for school and my dad was on the phone. My siblings were talking to the neighbor that we had grown close to.

While they were doing all of that I decided to go for a walk down the street I had lived on since I was four years old. As I was walking down the street, I passed the house of my seventh grade crush, Kyle. Nothing ever happened between us mainly because I had no idea how to act around people I wanted to be in a relationship with.

I had met Kyle in seventh grade. We had science together and we were both band students. I had various crushes throughout that year but he was the most distinct. It started out innocently, walking home with him after school, having him over to play video games, and playing games outside with the neighborhood kids.

Then something happened, and I went crazy. I wanted him and only him and nothing was going to stop that. The only thing that did stop that, was him. He pulled back, running away from me after school and taking the extra time to avoid me.

I would go into full obsession mode and stalk them with the core of my being. Facebook made that easy to do. I wasn’t very smart about either, I would go very far down on their page and like and comment on old statuses, completely exposing the fact that I was down right stalking them.

I was very immature for my age, due to the emotions I couldn’t control, and my dad had no problem pointing that out and making me feel like I was the problem and that I had to fix myself. I could never fix myself though, no matter how hard I tried. I would get frustrated with myself and a growing self hatred began to grow.

I walked down a few more houses and then turned around and began to head back to the house. I knew this was it. I knew it was the last time that I would ever see this neighborhood again. I cried a little as I approached the house.

I went inside and rolled up my sleeping bag and gathered the little bit of things that I had left off of the moving truck: the first twilight book that I was finally able to get my hands on, my diary and diary writing pens, my flute that I didn’t want exposed to the heat, my cellphone, my ipod, my wallet, and my Nintendo DS. In a small suitcase was an overnight bag, containing toiletries and another comfy outfit because we would be stopping about halfway through the drive.

I grabbed everything and made my way to the garage again and set them down on the ground, just waiting for us to leave, growing more anxious by the second as I waited. I had no way of knowing what this new place had to offer me and I didn’t like the idea of having to leave the place I grew up in, but my fate was sealed and all I could do is see what this new place had to offer.

When my mom closed her laptop, I knew it was time. I watched her put it in a travel bag and put it in her SUV. It was a red, Ford Expedition, and it was old yet functionable. I wondered, quietly to myself if it would even make it as far as she intended to drive it.

I was the one riding with my dad, in his maroon, Ford F-250. The three younger ones were riding with my mom. I wasn’t too particular about the riding arrangements, it was forced upon me, much like this whole relocation.

I loaded my stuff into the back seat and I stepped up and into my dad’s truck. That was the moment in time where I cried over leaving Arizona one last time. I had no idea what it was going to be like where I was going. I had no idea what school was like there, what the kids were like there, or what the band program would be like there.

I had built a life, though not a good one, there in Tucson, Arizona and I was sad to see it go, a feeling that I do not understand to this day. I was bullied constantly in middle school, and who’s to say high school would have been any different? I had friends, but they were shallow and often using talking to them as a privilege, and the two friends that didn’t do that weren’t much help through that difficult time.

However, I was most sad about leaving the opportunity to have my first real relationship. It was the first time I hadn’t gone overboard and acted crazy about liking him. Yes, Alex and I had gone way back and I was comfortable with him. I had known him since sixth grade and he was always super nice to me. We had a lot in common because he too, had problems controlling his emotions.

We had spent the summer on the phone and growing closer together, but we were both awkward and inexperienced so to have an actual relationship with him, it would have needed a ton of patience and lots of guess work.

I had Brendan to thank for opening up a different kind of communication between us. If it wasn’t for him, I would have no idea how to even talk to him on a level that made me seem like a good fit, and not just a crazy child that had no idea how to even handle a middle school crush.

All the kids in that part of the city had already started school, and I too, would have already started my freshman year in high school. However, my mom didn’t want to start us because she knew the schools where we were going started in late August. I remember arguing with her about her not letting me start school. I would always say it would help me have closure with the area. To her that wasn’t a very sound argument, therefore, I did not start school with the rest of my classmates.

As we started to back out of the driveway and into the street, I watched with tearful eyes, the house I knew and loved get further and further away. This was it. It was really happening. As we drove down the Tucson streets on the way to I-10 I was in deep thought. I was thinking about everything that was leading up to this point in time. It was a better opportunity for the family; my mom wouldn’t have to work from home anymore, running a home daycare, and just concentrate on school because my dad was offered a better job.

It was that deep thought, at the very beginning of the journey to our new home, that I started to understand that this was my chance to start over. I was on to a new adventure. I remember feeling a half smile as I came to this realization. A fresh start where no one knows my name. Maybe things were going to be okay for me.

Maybe age 14 was the age where things started to look up for me. Maybe I was finally going to live a normal life without people at school calling me every name in the book, stealing my homework, and making me feel like an inferior person.

“Maybe I’ll be popular like I had always dreamed of,” I thought. “Maybe I’d be desired by many boys and have to turn a lot of people down. Maybe I’ll have a chain of friends that never ended, that would always have my back if one of the popular boys was being an asshole, or if I forgot my pencil black eyeliner to touch up my waterline during lunch.”

My hopes and dreams of my new home, a house or place I had never even seen pictures of, started to grow within the first hour of our two day journey. Little did I know, that it was that dream, though just thought of, was the start of something only a psychotic woman would do. I was determined to live that life one way or another.

I could see it before my eyes, me being the leader of the pack, of people of all ages, Them all adoring me and walking in a formation in the mornings and after school in the hallways. If we’d have the same classes, we’d tell each other test answers and copy each other’s homework before class.

Maybe one would be a cheerleader. Young, yet excelling. Of course some band mates, maybe one that plays the clarinet? A Japanese girl, most definitely a Japanese girl, one where we’d have to teach to walk in wedges and dress in skirts. Older boys, like seniors, maybe brothers of people closer to my age, and if any of them had sisters that are older, them too for that matter.

Feuds only come naturally with being so beloved and popular. Girls would try to steal boyfriends by being slutty and tempting. Girls who would say mean things about me and presume I’m a slut or a bitch or a hoe for having so much success in a social circle.

I just sat there in thought, watching the numbers on the exit signs get bigger and bigger, feverishly picking my nails to the point where I was exposing the skin underneath the nails, and bleeding in some cases. It was a nervous tick that I had acquired in middle school that had gotten worse and worse as it continued. It would cause so much pain, to the point where I had trouble playing my flute and sometimes gripping a pencil.

I looked down at my wrist. The top of my left wrist had a scar that ran across the length of the wrist. That was the sight of my first cut. I didn’t have much resources so I was taught by some girls at school how to scratch the skin by scribbling on a piece of paper with a mechanical pencil, creating a point, and pressing and running it back and forth on the area that I wanted to cut.

I thought of how it felt. It hurt, but took my mind off of the emotional pain I was feeling. I knew after the first and only time I had done that, that there was going to be more times it would be done.

It was an escape from all the emotional pain and gave me something to concentrate on. It was like a trip, where I felt my emotions become numb and my mind finally relax. It was a dangerous drug that I was in the early stages of becoming dependent on it. If only I knew what I was getting into, and if only my parents knew, then maybe, just maybe, I could have been spared from such a self destructive path

As we continued to drive, I closed my eyes in thought. I began hypothesizing how my new life was going to play out. Starting dreams of meeting my first boyfriend quickly and dreams of a beautiful first kiss and maybe more. I mean, if I’m gonna be popular I’d have to have an open mind or those boys would lose interest. It’s high school after all, that’s all boys want.

It all didn’t matter anymore. The message I had just sent Brendan the night before, sneaking on my sister’s laptop because I still had a desktop and it was already on the way to the destination, didn’t matter. Who cares what they wanted? Who cares what anyone wanted?

My old self died, right then and there. I started to make a mental transformation right there in the passenger seat and I liked who I was becoming. Life was finally going to be okay for me.

With my dreams in mind, I started to drift asleep. I was not anxious at that point in time and I was trying to take advantage of that fact. When I dreamt, the characters I had recently started to make up were given names. That was way more of a downfall than I realized at the time. It was in it’s early stages, but it started a process deep inside my psychotic brain that had already began to consume me.

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