#baklava is something that can be so personal. to me

[sodaneko]

sweet like baklava ♡

i commissioned the wonderful @drawnbymabel to make my osamu dreams come true and i’m still crying over this! mabel thank you SO much again, i’m in love with every single detail of this aaaaa

[sweetdispatch]

hiiii, i have a bakery order 😁

6 pieces of baklava with toffee and salted pretzels

thank you!!

Personality - Q. Hughes

v' bakery pairing: Quinn Hughes x fem!reader summary: You and Quinn didn't like each other but one argument opened his eyes warning: swear words

You and Quinn have been stuck in the same friend group during summer and both of you hated it. You didn’t like him because he was always showing that he’s an athlete and that was his pick up line. For you, it looked like he had no personality except for being an athlete. He didn’t like you because you were sarcastic and he hated that he doesn’t know if you’re for real or just joking. 

Your friends knew that you two didn’t like each other and found it funny to always set you up. At every dinner, you were placed next to him. When you were going out for drinks, they always made sure you two were close. It was entertaining for them to see yours and Quinn's interaction. 

One night, the tension between you and Quinn was unbearable. You were mad at him for every little thing he did. He thought he’s funny but he was just annoying you. You weren’t the person who’s ready to confront others and always prefer to keep your mouth shut instead of arguing but tonight, you had enough of him. 

“Can you go with me outside?” You asked him and he nodded his head. When you stepped outside, you lost control. “What’s your problem dickhead?” 

“I don’t have a problem. You’re the one with a problem” Quinn casually said. 

“You’re my problem. I get it you don’t like me but grow up” You told him.

“You’re the one who needs to grow up. You’re the one who’s acting like a bitch all the time” Quinn said and you looked at him surprised.

“I prefer to act like a bitch then try to get into other girls' panties by saying that I’m an athlete” You told him. “Oh look at me. I’m Quinn Hughes and I play hockey” You mocked him. “Don’t you have a personality that you need to tell everyone that you’re an athlete?” 

“Is that the reason why you don’t like me?” Quinn asked you and you nodded. “This is idiotic reason, you know that?” 

“You didn’t prove me wrong so it’s not. Call me when you find your personality and then I can agree with you” You told him and started going home. 

“Where are you going?” You heard him screaming after you but you didn’t answer, just focused on the way back home. 

Your words were stuck with Quinn. He was thinking about them for the rest of the night and the next day. He realised that in fact, his whole personality was being an athlete and he wanted to change it. He also realised that you’re not that bad of a person. He wanted to prove you wrong and show you that there’s more of him than just sport. 

You went dead silent for the next few days. You felt bad for saying those words to Quinn. It wasn’t your place to tell them. You didn’t want to talk with your friends or go out with them. You just wanted to stay at home and enjoy the peace instead of facing the consequences of your words. 

Quinn was worried about you because you were always the most active one in the group chat and now you weren’t saying anything nor reading. He thought that something bad must have happened when you were going back home after the conversation you two had. That’s why he decided to check on you and arrived in front of your doorstep. 

“What are you doing here?” You asked him when you saw him. 

“I wanted to see you” Quinn said and walked into your apartment. 

“Why?” You asked him about his sudden worry. 

“Because you weren’t answering the messages and I thought something bad happened to you” Quinn told you and you slightly smiled at his worry. 

“I’m fine, I just felt bad about the words I told you and needed a break” You sighed. “Now, you checked on me and can go home”

“You were right. I don’t have a personality other than sports. This is all me, just hockey” Quinn admitted. 

“I’m sure you have. I’m sorry for saying that to you. I was just mad and threw those words at you. You didn’t deserve them” You told him feeling bad that the words stuck with him. 

“I’m glad you told me. I could think about it and see something. I could see that I was running after other girls when you were there all the time” Quinn told you and you felt taken aback. 

“Excuse me?” You didn’t expect these words from him. 

“You are a great woman. I thought that you’re a bitch but in fact, you just know what you want and you’re not afraid of saying it out loud” Quinn said and caressed your cheek. “I really want you” He leaned down and kissed your lips. 

You didn’t pull away. You deepened the kiss and went with your hands through his hair. This kiss melted the tension that was between you two. You couldn't have enough of him. His lips felt like a missing piece to yours. Quinn pulled away and looked at you.

“I want to ruin you so badly” Quinn whispered and kissed you again. 

“Do it. Show me what you got, athlete boy” You said to him and connected your lips with his.

[rookiesbookies]

I got bored my sweet and lovely readers and stumbled upon a beautiful british dude who talks about his prince albert and his uncut cock so yeah. That’s rattling around in my head. Apparently like 95% of the people born in UK have uncut dicks which is crazy for me to think about as an american. Personally I generally prefer cut, the guy im with rn has a cut one and I think it looks really pretty honestly but here we go.

Do they have piercings? Or tattoos? Cut or Uncut?

141 + Konig, Krueger, & Keegan

Damn lotta K names now.

Price

No piercings. He doesn’t really understand the appeal but doesn’t judge people for them.

Definitely has a tattoo on his left ribs of the number “141” in a really nice script. Probably got a tattoo of Soap’s full name and born/death dates under it as a reminder. To pivot away from that sad sad tattoo, uncut.

Soap

He got 1 nipple pierced while drunk. He was supposed to get both but after the first he sobered right up. Swore to never go back to the piercing shop (did but that was to get drunk tattoos)

For tattoos he has a Scottish flag with the words “Scotland Forever” under it in nice text but it was supposed to be over his heart (its on his right pec). And uncut but like a really pretty and thick uncut. I’ll… give more details in a fic later if its requested. Because there’s so much I could say.

Ghost

Got a single ear pierced the night Johnny got his nipple done. He let the hole close and didnt take good care of it so it got a minor infection once. Also see him getting something like a lorum piercing while drunk, probably screamed really loud, still blames Johnny because they were both really REALLY wasted. Uncut.

Gaz

Got both his ears pierced and his eyebrow done about two years before he started basic training. He’s let the eyebrow piercing close over the years but still occasionally puts studs in his ears. Uncut.

Konig

Lowkey probably gets off on certain pains so I feel like he got both his nipples pierced and its not bc of that one render I see going around, because of that render I do believe he has a cthulhu tattoo. I fully believe this man would get like a Prince Albert piercing for the hell of it. Definitely uncut, Europe is generally uncut from my understanding and I just dont see it for him personally.

Krueger

Nope. He’s more likely to have tattoos than piercings. Couldn’t keep them clean. Probably did get a stupid tattoo when he was a kid that he regrets. Uncut.

Keegan

I feel like he got an ear bar as a teen. Idk if he still has it bc it would prob catch on the baklavas but I feel like he did. Cut and probably really clean.

Masterlist is pinned on profile as always, don’t forget to leave me a comment or a request in my inbox to let me know what yall want to see!

Edit: I can go into more detail and will if requested

[silverzoomies]

silverzoomiezzz hi hi i was eating my cloudberry ice cream and i dont know why i start to think about peter and then i think about you. and i have a question for you. what do you think peter’s fav snacks that he would save it for you because he wanted you to enjoy and love it as much as he does? this is so silly lol but anyway have a great summer <3

💗oh my gosh, hello anon sweetie !! i'm sorry for answering so late !! i hope your summer has been nice !! it's been pretty decent here, aside from the lame ass humidity.🔥🫠🔥

i'm so honored you would think of me, after thinking of our beloved speedy boy. 💗honestly, i take that as such a huge compliment !!

⚡snacks i think peter maximoff would like (he hoards them, cuz he's the snack hoarding type. ty dofp 💗):

⚡in canon, he hoards hostess snack cakes. specifically the chocolatey, cream-filled kind ⚡and twinkies. dude's got twinkies for two movies in a row ⚡like it's no wonder people assume he's a twinkie fiend ⚡we also see him with so much pepsi and mtn dew ⚡and i know it's just product placement obvi. but he does seem like a mtn dew guy, right? i bet he'd love baja blast. code red too ⚡dk if this counts as a snack, but he'd probably love taco bell. i mean, it's fast. it's cheap. it's addictive. it's easy to indulge in. mans would quote those old taco bell commercials with the chihuahua ⚡sour candy. all of it. gummy worms, airhead x-tremes, sour twists, sour patch kids. tell me i'm wrong. i'm not ⚡he'd make a mess with some fun dip, lemme tell ya ⚡any candy they used to give out on halloween? he'd be addicted to all that shit. he'd love sugary junk. he constantly needs his fix. laffy taffy, nerds, now and laters, skittles, pop rocks, m&m's - you name it, he's into it ⚡imagine the dorito fingers, anon. the cheeto fingers. the takis fingers. do y'all think he'd be more into regular cheetos, or hot cheetos? he reads as a hot cheetos guy to me ⚡he'd slam some icees. slurpees. any kinda syrupy, frozen drink. he mixes all the flavors, sucks it down, and feels no brain freeze ⚡if you took him to carnivals, boardwalks, or amusement parks; he'd put the funnel cake stands out of business ⚡sweets are his kryptonite, really ⚡i personally like to imagine he knows his fair share of international snacks too. since he can zip around the world in a blink. taiyaki. baklava. conchas. tres leches. pirozhki. european chocolate. any and all kinds of street food. he knows all the best 7-eleven instant ramen - and the best toppings for 'em too ⚡i think he'd also go hog wild over a really good steak, y'know? or some barbecue. some ribs. some brisket. all the shmeats !!

⚡snacks i think peter maximoff would save, just so he could share them with you💗:

⚡he wouldn't ⚡correction: he couldn't ⚡c'mon, do you honestly think he'd have the self control? ⚡you're asking him to do the impossible ⚡see, anon, he'd think about saving a yummy treat for you ⚡keyword being think ⚡like, just as he starts to realize he's crushing on you big time ⚡he's guzzling something tasty, when he has the thought: hey...wait a sec! you'd probably really like this!! ⚡but a second later, the treat's already gone. devoured in an instant. whoops! oh well!! ⚡he's just way too impulsive to save anything ⚡like it would have to be out of sight, out of mind ⚡or you'd have to pick from his own, secret stash ⚡because otherwise, he can't hold himself back. he'll gorge any snacks in the nearest vicinity ⚡he'd legit have to wait 'til you were both together. in that moment. if you had a few minutes. he'd be like, "hey. babe. babe. babe. babe. i got somethin' i wanna show you." ⚡he speeds you away for some mind-blowingly good street food, in some country you've never been to, nor heard of ⚡even on valentine's day. he has to snag you one of those heart-shaped boxes of chocolates last minute ⚡that, or he has to hide it from himself. if he doesn't, he'll be lookin' down at an empty box - chocolate all over the corners of his mouth - like "ah, shit."

[scarfacemarston]

Yelena Belova Emoji Hc’s Part 5

Prompt here. Please think about taking a second to like/reblog! Writing Hc's take time and effort. Or, how about sending me a request?

𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒.

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE — when is your oc’s birthday? how old are they? what are their sun, moon, & rising signs (if known)? what about their tarot card, ruling planet, & ruling number (if known)? do they fit the typical traits of these sun, moon, & rising signs?

We don’t know her birthday, but we know her birth year is “1988-199” per the official wiki. There’s been a lot of debate about Yelena’s zodiac sign. I’ve looked at many personality profiles (The same websites I mentioned in early hc lists.) and for the most part, she is portrayed as a water sign with a source or two stating they believe she’s a Saggitarius. Personally, I would say she’s a Pisces. I know, people think “Oh, but she’s free spirted and spontaneous!” You can still be those things as a Pisces. She’s also emotional to the point she occasionally has outbursts. (For understandable reasons, of course!), family oriented, creative, friendly, and sometimes struggles with boundaries like with her family. Pisces can also be known for their desire to be free as well.

🍝 SPAGHETTI — what is/are your oc’s favorite food(s)?

Pelmeni, Pho, Mac n Cheese, Cotton Candy, Vegetable Kebabs, and sushi. She is a vegetarian, imo.

🍰 SHORTCAKE — what is/are your oc’s favorite sweet(s)/dessert(s)?

Pavlova, chocolate cake, and baklava.

🍦 SOFT ICE CREAM — what is/are your oc’s favorite ice cream flavor(s)?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

Yelena can cook to survive and she knows some dishes in case she had to go undercover as a housewife. Cooking doesn’t have the greatest association because of that. She was too young to ever cook with Melina, so she doesn’t have any ties to that as well. She cooks to survive. Be aware if she’s in a queerplatonic relationship, she might lean on her partner to cook. However, Yelena will try to be equal with the housework in that situation.

🥯 BAGEL — what does your oc’s typical breakfast look like? do they usually eat breakfast?

She doesn’t usually eat breakfast, but if she does, it’s a bagel or toast or something similar. If there’s a day she can treat herself, it would be kasha, French toast or eggs benedict.

🥪 SANDWICH — what does your oc’s typical lunch look like? do they usually eat lunch?

She’s usually working around lunch time whether she’s in the field or with meetings. If she’s in the field, it’s vegetarian MREs or if she’s lucky and has time, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and a peanut butter sandwich.

If she’s in meetings, it’s orzo pasta salad with chickpeas, borscht, salads or wraps.

🍛 CURRY AND RICE — what does your oc’s typical dinner look like? do they usually eat dinner?

Again, it depends on if she’s in the field or not. She likes take out best, but she can cook if she has the energy. If she has a romantic/queerplatonic relationship she’ll ask if they are willing to help.

Sometimes she’ll eat egg plant parmesan, mac n cheese, mushroom burgers, shashlik, risotto and fish tacos.

🍸 COCKTAIL GLASS — what is your oc’s favorite alcoholic drink, if they can drink?

She likes beer and vodka, but she’s happy to try the stereotypical “girly” drinks.

☕️ HOT BEVERAGE — does your oc prefer coffee, tea, hot chocolate, milk, water, or some other drink? how do they like to take this drink (ex. coffee with milk, hot chocolate with whipped cream, a specific kind of tea, etc)?

Her favorite is hot chocolate, but she doesn’t drink it often. She drinks coffee the most with a bit of cream and a bit of sugar. She drinks tea the least, but she’ll occasionally drink Chai tea.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for requesting food?

Context 1: I'm 17f, I'm a student and in our society we can only opt for jobs after graduating college. My dad is retired but we have money. My aunt is a single mom and retired, her daughter (older than me) is also student and can't find job so they have limited funds. We visit them every month with some homemade food or fresh fruits.

Context 2: We live in a small poor country. My aunt lives in a city and I live in a small town where expensive foreign fast food chains like KFC and Pizzahut do not exist. I only have 4-5 local cuisine restaurants around me and aunty has a few more along with those chains.

A restaurant near my aunt's place makes baklava. I only had it twice in my life, from that place. Last I had it was a few years ago so before visiting aunty this month, I asked her daughter if we can have some. She agreed happily, I was polite, I assumed she was going to buy for all of us.

When we reached their place, I saw that she only bought enough for my parents and me, not for herself and her mom. I felt really bad and frustrated, they were nice and didn't say anything besides they don't feel like eating sweets these days but I checked and it was definitely because of money. Each packet of baklava for one person costs at least twice as much as a full meal in any of our local cuisines. I got mad at my mom after coming home because when aunty asks if my parents would like some they never say no, even when it's indulgent food like baklava which mother wouldn't ever pay for it. I'm mad at myself for asking them to buy it for me and making them spend so much money. I'm also angry at my cousin who could have lied and said the restaurant isn't making baklava anymore or something else to avoid spending. I insisted on sharing the baklava which they both refused, I couldn't insist on repaying them as it is very offensive in my culture and my money is pocket money.

So AITA? Please ignore ages, I will be 18 in a few days.

[grimace-writes]

A Spirited Surprise

{NKIT No 4.1}

GN!Reader x Task Force 141

| No.1 | No.2 | No.3 | No.4 | Masterlist |

Summary: The Reader is in the infirmary, their first visitor greets them with flowers and a plush plague doctor.

Word count: {1168}

Art by Me { @ghostswow }

(3rd Person POV | They/Them so anyone can read :) | Mid Twenties to Early Thirties)

[Enjoy! (๑ º ᗜ º๑) ノ♡ ]

-——————⋆ ˚｡⋆ ˖⁺‧₊˚｡⋆ ˖⁺‧₊˚°˖✧˚ʚ🦋ɞ˚✧˖° ˚₊‧⁺˖ ⋆˚₊‧⁺˖ ⋆ ˚｡⋆——————-

Mild knocking broke them for their memories, they wiped their face with the back of their hand before they faced their visitor. {Y/N}’s shallow expression softened as a tender smile formed on their face to the sight of beautifully arranged flowers and a plush plague doctor.

The person holding the items was none other than Ghost dressed in casual clothing, he wore a skull printed balaclava instead of his usual mask. He had the plush tucked under his arm as he went to close the door behind him, the sweet aroma of roses filled {Y/N}’s senses as the lieutenant stepped more into the room.

They watched as Ghost placed the plush on the foot of the bed before he placed the bouquets of roses into a decorative vase near the window. He pulled up a chair next to their bed, then moved the plush closer to them much to their delight.

{Y/N}’s giggled as they wrapped their arms around the plush, which looked a lot smaller in Ghost’s arms. “I didn’t expect you to be the sentimental type..Thank you, Si. I really love it.” They buried their nose into the soft fleece fabric of its top hat, it smelled like cedar wood and gunpowder with hints of the cigarettes he tried to hide from the team. They felt so relaxed by the smell, the pain they felt once before fading away. {Y/N} turned their head to look in Simon’s direction with a toothy grin on their face, a warm and fuzzy feeling bubbling in their stomach as they held out their hand to him.

Simon hesitated at first but then took their hand, his thumb gently caressed the few scabbed cuts on their knuckles. The smile on their face dropped at Simon’s furrowed brow, their eyes following his eyes as he looked over the bandages that adorned parts of their body. After {Y/N} was admitted for the initial gunshot wound, they were treated for abrasions on their arms and a small gash on their cheek. Simon’s grip on their hand tightened as he couldn’t make eye contact with them, some part of him felt he could have done more to help them.

“Simon, look at me..” {Y/N} lifted his hand placing it over their heart, the steady beat matching the rhythm of the monitor tracking it. “I’m still alive. I’m still breathing, talking, and overall just a tad achy. You beating yourself up over something you can’t control isn’t worth it..”

It was like they were reading his mind, how could someone in their condition be trying to cheer him up. His own heart beat faster than theirs as he fell even more in love with them, he moved to sit on the bed next to them to which they moved closer to him too. He wrapped his left arm around their shoulders with his right hand still firmly on their heart. {Y/N} rested their head on his shoulder as they cuddled into him.

Simon closed his eyes, resting his head on top of theirs, wanting nothing more than this moment to never end. Ever since they got back from the mission, the scenes of them getting hurt replayed in his mind, now all he saw was how happy {Y/N} was to see him. He knew he had to say how he felt, if it wasn’t already clear by how close he let them get to the man behind the mask. Simon lifted his head, taking a deep breath before removing his baklava causing {Y/N} to look up at him in confusion.

“What’s up, Si?”

The man of little words stayed true to his title as his actions spoke louder than words ever could, he captured their lips in a gentle yet tender kiss. Simon practiced how he was going to confess to them but this was far from his original plans (though the idea of possibly losing them made his actions more dramatic). {Y/N} was shocked by his forwardness, they had an inkling their lieutenant felt this way by how he’s been acting lately. They reciprocated the kiss using their open hand to gently cup his face, his slight stubble tickling their palm.

Their kiss only ended due to {Y/N} wincing as they tried to move even closer onto Simon but ended up pulling at their side stitches. “Mmm ooooh..maybe we can rain check any further physical activity until I’m not in the hospital.” They chuckled in pain with a blush in their face.

“I think that’s best, luv..” Simon rested their foreheads together, his deep brown eyes looking into their dazzlingly {E/C} ones. “You mean a lot to me..I don’t say how I feel as much as I should and you make me feel like I can..Will you have me, luv?” Like they could say no to a confession like that, it made them want to cry over how vulnerable Simon was being.

“I’d never dream of getting rid of you, Simon.” {Y/N} sealed their confirmation with a peck on his lips leaning back with a cheeky smile. Simon slipped his balaclava back on before he was tempted to do more canoodling, which would in fact impair their healing process. {Y/N} looked over to the plague doctor plush which was now by the vase of roses, the setting sun giving them a warm glow.

“I never thanked you for the flowers, roses are pretty cheesy but they are still beautiful and smell wonderful.” {Y/N} played with Simon’s hand as they spoke, admiring the various colors complementing the vintage vase provided by the hospital. Simon was too embarrassed to admit he read many articles describing the different meanings each color represented on the train ride from the base to the hospital. Peach roses represent thanks and gratitude, Lavender roses represent unique love, White roses represent innocence and new love, and Baby's-breath represents hope and new beginnings. He was thankful his reddened cheeks and eyes were hidden from their view, though they were too busy admiring the flowers to even notice.

The silence was broken by the sound of the rest of their team entering the room, with Soap taking the lead. He flopped himself onto the side of the hospital with his head on {Y/N}’s lap causing them to giggle at his dramatics. “Duuuccckkiiiee, you almost died..Are you okay?” Soap choked out through his over exaggerated sobs.

“Yes, I’m fine. Sore but fine.” {Y/N} chuckled, running their free hand through his short hair trying to comfort him.

“Damn I owe you so much money..” Gaz spoke up standing on the other side of the bed with Price, he took his wallet out and handed the Captain £120 (about $150 USD). Soap looked up to see what Gaz was talking about, he noticed {Y/N} and Ghost’s laced together as a big smile grew on his face. “Wha–OH SHIT!”

{Ghost Ending Found}

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₊˚°˖✧˚{OTHER ENDINGS}˚✧˖° ˚₊ ↳..Plush Plague Doctor. {Ghost} ↳..Plush Duckling. {Soap} ↳..Plush Bunny. {Gaz} ↳..Plush Otter. {Price}

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Author's Notes:

No.1 - Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story. Let me know what you thought of it, Love Love~

(o´ ω `o)💕💕

| No.1 | No.2 | No.3 | No.4 | Masterlist |

[quibbs126]

Omg can iiiii ask for Pure Vanilla x Golden Cheese x Corpse Flower kid pookie pls :3

Corpse Flower refs🙏🙏

If you need ideas, maybe something made with dairy(ice cream for example since its a pretty good goldenvanilla kid ingredient i think) and flowers, rose milkshake idk

Sorry this also took so long (I’m probably going to say that about every fankid at this rate), but here is Baklava Cheesecake Cookie

Admittedly, I don’t have too much to say about her

What I do know is that she’s a doctor, knowing about health, medicine and everything relating to it from all various angles. She’s not so much a magic healer though, rather a physical one (though that’s not to say she doesn’t know any magic, she just prefers the old fashioned method)

She also isn’t just built like that for no reason, she’s fairly strong and can hold her own in a fight with just fists

I would say she isn’t particularly extravagant, but her outfit begs to differ. But she is still a pretty modest person outside of that, never really looking for praise or anything. She just goes from place to place, helping anyone she meets that needs it

And I think that’s about it, so let’s move to design stuff

So I didn’t take your suggestion, but rather ended up with baklava cheesecake as my ingredient. It’s been months since I came up with the name, so I don’t remember why exactly, but I think it’s because it’s cheesecake, which seems a happy medium between Pure Vanilla and Golden Cheese, and then baklava has a bunch of nuts or such on top, and Corpse Flower is also a plant. But I also think I just like the name, even if it is a bit long

Baklava cheesecake:

One thing that personally irked me today is that due to having a third character, I had to make the drawing of BC smaller than I usually make them now. But oh well

I added the cape so give her a bit more flair, and also because I was advised to give her some wing things, but I feel like maybe it clashes with her character. Like I like it, but having a cape like that feels a bit counterintuitive

Also the things in her hair are supposed to be like the toppings on the cheesecake

Honestly, I don’t really have much to say on Baklava here when it comes to design. I just kind of ended up making her

I think she looks good enough, but she wasn’t particularly inspired, and I feel like she isn’t my best. Sorry about that. Hope you like her anyways though

[lantur]

I had a magical last day in Istanbul. Highlights:

visited the Istanbul Archaeological Museum - truly such an incredible collection. One thing I love about this museum is how it didn't just display the finished artifacts; it told the whole story and highlighted the process. The exhibits talked about how the artists processed the clay and the gold they worked with. Even better, the exhibits highlighted the extraordinary amount of work it takes archaeologists to correctly handle an excavation site and get these priceless relics to the museum -- and then find out how old they are, and the historical context in which the artifacts and the people who made and used them lived. This attention to the process, the story, really hit me that all of these amazing artifacts that we see in museums, all of these enormous (heavy!) marble statues, and these beautiful pieces of pottery, were made by hand. Possibly dozens or hundreds of hands. That seems so special, in a world where so much is mass produced by machines. It makes me so happy to know that we are able to look at and admire something that was handmade by a person in the sixth century BC. I love that their work lived on so long after they did.

had a pleasant walk through the Sirkeci neighborhood, bought a giant cup full of delicious pomegranate seeds to eat while I walked, and had lunch at a little fish restaurant by the Eminonu docks :) anchovy platter and stuffed grape leaves!! Read more of The Historian and loved it.

did a ~2 hour cruise of the Bosphorus; the sight of the sun glittering on the sea was beautiful. Every time I travel, it's somewhere where I can go look at the ocean. It's a peculiar tragedy that I love the ocean and live in a landlocked state 😂 but actually - I was thinking about it today, and my love/hate (often heavy on the hate) relationship with Minnesota is part of what motivates me to travel so much, so it's all worked out for the best.

My favorite part of the time on the sea was predictably when the 4:30 PM call to prayer came out from the mosques while we were passing through Kadikoy. I love having that to tell the time; I love that 4:30 PM one especially because it's such a fun time of day here, with many people leaving work, the city streets busy with people, the golden late afternoon/early evening sunlight.

My official Last Thing was to go to a luxury hammam experience at Cagaloglu. This was definitely much fancier than the one I went to on my first night (and priced literally double), but wow it was amazing. It was beautiful and peaceful and serene. I got time in the sauna, bathed, scrubbed, and covered in a bubble treatment of thick, delicious-smelling bubbles, massaged, and my hair washed. Afterward, I got to sit in a beautiful indoor courtyard and have tea, Turkish sherbet (sweet drink), and eat Turkish delight. I love a lagoon/hammam/sento bathhouse experience. It was so relaxing. I actually felt like a princess.

I had dinner at my favorite kebab place that plays live music, and was given free tea and baklava for dessert :)) I love that so many restaurants here (and in Greece) give free tea and/or dessert - I really appreciate the hospitality.

Leaving for the airport in two hours! I have a flight to Paris, a roughly ~3 hour layover there, and then on home to Minneapolis. :)

I'm so grateful for this city and my time here. It's a very special place - right alongside Taipei and Kyoto for my favorite cities in the world. I'm so happy I finally got to visit.

[sodaneko]

soft launch - chapter 8; review :3

YOUR EDITS MAN i am sooooo in love with them, you are so incredibly talented and creative. i love the "thoughts about kissing him" MY HEART, the way she crashes out dksbshjbdhj

yukie is so fucking funny (and by proxy, YOU are), "just us and our attachment issues against the world" - love love love love love (she is such a real one, she knows yn wants osamu BADDDDD, her suggestions are sending me)

makki is the best person. everybody needs a makki in their lives, and you write the dynamics so well. you write them so relatable, too.

"you were glowing tonight, and not just because of some man but because you didn't bother to dim your own light for a while" - tell me why i legit started tearing up. soooo many of us deal with this, and sooo many of us feel unseen and unloved, and this really just kind of hit, because it speaks about an issue we all struggle with and feel ashamed to have. i just. i just kind of needed to cry reading this and i'm glad i get to process this feeling through the love swelling in this fic and through knowing i've gotten to know you. i'm super glad i met you, lale. so very glad, and i hold so much affection for you.

i cant believe you have me snorting next second with "sunarin says osamu keeps it well trimmed", this is playing w my feelings!!!!

i love your tweets so much. you are so incredbily funny man, i cannot. i love love love love !!!!!

the last three slides in which he quadruple billion texted -- my heart fluttered. i am. okay, genuinely, when i read fanfic, i laugh, i may cry, i get angy, but there's not always like proper physical response. lale. oh, lale. oh my sweet beautiful lale. when i tell you that my heart fluttered and i had this wondrous look on my face, my chest all tight at his messages as if they are ACTUALLY directed at me. the thought that while he was wriitng this all out, yn was on the couch, holding it, breathless because she's following each message without blinking once -- oh, gorgeous ethereal lale, i loev you so much. i love you and the effect this fic has on me.

i imagine osamu eating the cheesecake like that one pic of JB from got7

this one ^ this is how i imagine him eating the cheesecake at 4 am, right after the shower.

lale. i am so in love. my heart is so full with affection. i love this fic and i cannot comprehend how lucky i am to still have 10 chapters to go!!!! AND THE FINALE!!!

ily ily ily ily i dont know how to properly express it

12h later and i'm still weeping in my hands reading all of this jelly ;-;

please believe me when i say i'm keeping screenshots of these messages so i can read them over and over again whenever the slightest bit of doubt about my own writing rises up in the back of my mind. it's funny because it makes me reread the chapters as well and reading them through your eyes adds an extra layer of love to them. we're basically making a baklava with so many layers and sweet syrup hehe!

i always say soft launch is about all kinds of love, romantic and platonic, and i'm so glad you see the friendship between all of them for what it is aaahhhh feels like i did something right

about the feeling you described–yeah. yeah. it's so easy to forget just how loved we are, isn't it? hugging you so tightly and i'm sooo lucky to have met you too <3 <3 <3

and man. when osamu lost it and texted these block of messages, that's exactly how i pictured y/n reading them, just one wall away, huddled up on the couch, heart pounding, mouth dry, not blinking once so she doesn't miss a thing. aaaahhhhh. galaxy brain that it made you feel this way. i love you i love you i love you

we don't talk about the photo here! i will go feral but also yes. yes that's exactly how he devoured it. canon soft lauch!osamu fr fr fr only a few future scratch marks missing whoah who said that

i hope you enjoy the rest of your read!! finale is coming soon but i'm sure you'll be around to witness it hehe. thank you soooo much jelly you have no idea how much your words mean to me. i'll reread them over and over again MWAH MWAH

[sweetdispatch]

Hi can I please have 5 peanut butter baklava with marshmallow thanks :)

Night walk - L. Hughes

v' bakery pairing: Luke Hughes x fem!reader summary: Luke liked you but you didn't know about it, when he met you with his friends, you started dating one of them until he cheated on you warning: swear words

Luke liked you for months but he was shy. When he knew that he wanted you, he met you with his friends and you became really close with his group of friends. To his surprise, his friend asked you on a date before Luke could and you started dating his friend quickly after the date. Luke felt betrayed by you and now, he hated having you around. 

You were completely clueless about his feelings. Luke never gave you a reason to believe that you two can be more than friends. That’s why when his friend asked you on a date, you happily agreed. You were grateful that Luke met you with his friends because thanks to him, you were now in a relationship. 

You wanted to say this to Luke but he aired you. He was treating you like you weren’t even existing. He never responded to your text or phone calls. When you were meeting as a group, he never said a word to you. It was weird for you because in your head, you did nothing wrong and he was acting like a dick. 

You tried to confront him but Luke never let you get close to him. When he saw you coming his way, he was making excuses. Many times, he walked away when you said only hello to him. This was your final straw and you decided to give up on him. You put your focus on your boyfriend and stopped caring about Luke. 

Luke hated hearing about you from his friend and your boyfriend. He didn’t want to hear about how wonderful you were because he believed that this should be him. When he was hearing your name, he always disconnected himself from the conversation. He didn’t want to hear any word about you.

Months went by and the weird atmosphere was still there. Luke was pretending that you’re not here and you were trying your hardest not to scream at him to get his attention and hear what’s wrong. One night, you ditched the party in the middle of the night without saying a word to anyone. 

Your boyfriend didn’t even notice that you were gone but Luke did. He was asking everyone where are you but no one knew. He was furious at his friend that he didn’t care where you were. It was 2 am and you were living far away from the pub. 

“How the hell could you lose her? You should keep her safe” Luke said loudly to his friend. 

“Man, chill out. She probably took a taxi or something. I don’t really care” He told Luke and he could feel the blood boiling in his body. 

“What do you mean you don’t care? She’s your girlfriend asshole” Luke pointed his finger into his chest.

“Oh you don’t know. We broke up today. She saw me kissing another girl and told me that we’re done because she can’t forgive me for cheating again” He shrugged and Luke looked dumbfounded at him. 

“You cheated on her? She’s the best girl out there, how could you do it?” Luke was getting mad at him with every word.

“Just got bored of her but kept her close because she wanted it” He said and Luke left the club. 

Luke knew he had to find you. He didn’t care anymore that he was mad at you. He only wanted to be sure that you’re safe. He slowly ran towards your house and after a couple of minutes, he saw you sitting on the sidewalk and crying. He stopped in front of you and tried to catch a breath. 

“I don’t have any money so you pick the wrong person to rob” You said without looking up. 

“I don’t want to rob you” Luke said and sat next to you. “I came to check on you. How long have you been sitting here?”

“Why do you care? For the past months you were treating me like shit so cut the crap” You told him and wiped the tears from your cheeks. 

“I’m sorry for that. It was unfair to you and I have no excuses for this but I still care about you” Luke took his jacket off and handed it to you. “I heard that you broke up with your boyfriend” 

“Yeah, I guess I was too much for him because I cared about him and tried to do everything to make his life easier” You laughed pathetically. 

“Hey, don’t say that. He’s the one who fucked up here. You just tried to be the best for him but he didn’t deserve that” Luke tried to make you feel better. 

“Thanks” You sniffed. “I don’t know what to do now. Because of him, I ended up many friendships and I’m all alone” 

“You always have me. I might act like a dick but I really like you and I care about you. Sorry that I acted this way but I was just so jealous and I wanted to be in his place” Luke told you truthfully. 

“It’s so hot when you talk like that but why have you never said a word?” You asked him.

“I saw that you were happy with him and I didn’t want to ruin it for you” Luke said. 

“Well, you should. He wasn’t as great as it might look but I loved him so I believed that I could change him” You laughed. “It sounds so dumb, I was so dumb” 

“Hey, don’t say that. You weren’t dumb. You were in love and people in love are doing dumb things” Luke pulled you to his body. “Now, let’s forget about him and let me walk you home okay?” Luke stood up and handed you hand to help you stand up. 

You grabbed his hand and never let it go. In a quiet atmosphere Luke walked you home, making sure you arrived home in one piece. Next morning, he texted you to see how you were feeling. 

Since that night, you and Luke get back on the right track. You cut yourself from his friends and put yourself on the pedestal with Luke by your side. He understood that you don’t want to go into a relationship with him but he promised you to wait until you're ready to be his girlfriend.

[kybelles]

So I found this around, can I ask for Damen/ Laurent?

♥ Send a ship and I'll give you who:

- Gives nose/forehead kisses

- Gets jealous the most

- Picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive

- Takes care of on sick days

- Drags the other person out into the water on beach day

- Gives unprompted massages

- Drives/rides shotgun

- Brings the other lunch at work

- Has the better parental relationship

- Tries to start role-playing in bed

- Embarrassingly drunk dancer

- Still cries watching Titanic

- Firmly believes in couples costumes

- Breaks the expensive gift rule during Christmas

- Makes the other eat breakfast

- Remembers anniversaries

- Brings up having kids

HELLO 💕 oh this looks fun!

gives nose/forehead kisses: damen cause the height difference 🤭 but i like to imagine laurent returning the favor when they're fresh out of the baths and he's toweling damen's hair (there was a very lovely fanart about it but i couldn't find it!)

gets jealous the most: i'm gonna say both! only damen outright admits he's jealous while laurent quietly steams in anger before finally cracking

picks the other up from the bar when they’re too drunk to drive: hmm i'm gonna go with laurent picking up damen

takes care of on sick days: both 🥺 their phantom thread slay <3 (I'M JOKING)

drags the other person out into the water on beach day: definitely damen

gives unprompted massages: DAMEN IT'S LITERALLY CANON (and what a scene it was 😳)

drives/rides shotgun: damen drives and laurent rides shotgun but occasionally damen also wants to be the passenger princess

brings the other lunch at work: i'm gonna go with both 🙏

has the better parental relationship: damen but laurent has a better relationship with his brother (again, canon)

tries to start role-playing in bed: LAURENT 🗣️🗣️ anyone who sees this post MUST go read one way or another immediately!!!

embarrassingly drunk dancer: damen but he actually rocks it he's not embarrassing 💅

still cries watching titanic: i don't think neither of them cries during titanic...

firmly believes in couples costumes: damen! style is everything

breaks the expensive gift rule during christmas: both 💀 they are loaded so they don't set up a rule like this

makes the other eat breakfast: chef damen is a beloved hc for me 🫶 his baklava is to die for!!

remembers anniversaries: both cause they are crazy about e/o

brings up having kids: i feel like this is an unpopular opinion but i don't think neither of them are very crazy about kids?? like i love the concept of them fostering nicaise but i don't think they would want like a new born or something?? just my two cents

[shmowder]

I have some more dessert headcanons 🍰 I doubt I can explain but it's just a feeling I have. Daniil would like Turkish Delight. Lara and Artemy both like fruit pies, best is blueberry for Lara and rhubarb (it's a vegetable but whatever) for Artemy (oh god I'm stereotyping based on colors again). Candy corn for Clara. Candy corn is divisive but I actually like it. I think Grief would like candy in general, maybe those little chocolates with liquor inside, and cinnamon flavored things. Big Vlad - mincemeat pie. Rubin - bread. Just bread. Red velvet cake for Katerina, meringues for Eva. For Aspity, those dirt pies made out of oreo crumbs, pudding, and gummy worms lol. I think Grace, Notkin, Sticky, and Murky would like those too :o)

There's probably some obscure dialogue that contradicts something there but oh well~

What do you think of Victor's animal being a tiger? I keep thinking Basset Hound and yes that's almost entirely because they both have a high likelihood of being found sitting on the floor by the clock. He's some kind of scent hound to me - more calm and deliberate than sighthounds, and once they have their mind set on something, focusing on it to the extent that it's nearly impossible to pull them away. But at the same time, I can sort of see the cat thing.

🐿️ anon

Your brain is big and wrinkly all of those fit perfectly omfg. "Rubin = bread" I LOVE IT.

Here's what I think their preference in sweets would be in addition to yours.

Eva

Turkish delight, Honey soaked rose baklava, kanafeh with sweer syrups. The intensely sweet desserts are her favourite, think heavy caramel chocolate cakes. She'd sample a lot of desserts from different cultures but those would be her comfort ones.

Victor Kain

The dishes he eats are an acquired taste that wouldn't appeal to most people. Think blue cheese and something along those lines. think bitter chocolate, coffee, and pistachio flavours. Traditional creme burlee and dark chocolate mousse.

I like to think that Khan abhors these flavours and desserts out of rebellion and only demands the most sprinkle filled bubblegum bonbon cupcakes for his birthday.

Maria, however, goes for flavour-rich desserts that explode in the mouth, something with a heavy taste and an aftermath of wine.

Yulia

Cheesecake, lemon tarts. Subtle sweetness with the spin of something different sate her appetit the most. French Vanilla chiffon cake for special occasions, a blueberry muffin with her morning light cream cappuccino.

Rubin

He's absolutely not a dessert person, so when the craving strikes, he would rather go for a baked good. Almond bread, rosemary-walnut brow butter cookies and biscuits, English muffins too.

Taya

Fairy bread cookies, strawberry shortcake, and orange puddings. Fruit based desserts with cream are her favourite. Peach pie and cherry jello. Sadly, most of these would only be found in the Capital, and exporting them into the town wouldn't come easily. The kin might adjust their recipies to accommodate her sweet tooth and include more fresh fruits.

--

For Victor's animal, I was surprised to learn it's the same one as Rubin! They both have tiger in their descriptions. Especially when Khan's animal is an adorable hedgehog. Oh my god, so cute. But it fits. He really does go hide in that spiky polyhedron whenever life gets too troubling. He also has the Kains and Capella ready to protect him.

It's because of Victor's animal being a tiger that I add the "predatory" lines in the story. The sharp claws hidden in his clapsed hands.

He's a tiger in the aspect of the danger rather than the ferality. His mind is as sharp as a tiger's tooth and his focus and patience when hunting a prey or a goal is unmatched. You never expect him or hear him, how he'll as stealthy as a tiger when it comes to mind games.

For Rubin, however, I do see the symbolism centring on the ferality instead. He's like a caged tiger, one with filed down claws and broken teeth. He used to be so sharp and had so much potential. He's truly a force to be reckon with, but the cruelty of life stole away his prime. He's overcome with grief and appears as a docile, tired predetor because of it, like a circus tiger not caring anymore and just jumping through the fire hoops of whoever orders him to. Which is why he is so quick to join the army, he needs a purpose, a mentor, an end goal, a firey ring to make him feel useful because nothing is more terrifying to an imprisoned animal than absolute freedom.

[mrhaitch]

HIHI Mr. Haitch! Two things before starting to request of thee: 1. Please start a convo with Haitch today and try to do the macarena while talking for as long as possible until she notices and says something(if you can give us a time it took for her to say something about it that would be great) and 2. Make sure to get some rest! I personally struggle alot with working too much or not working at all. So try to take some time to yourself! Without further ado here are our QUESTIONS:

Favourite fast food restaurant? And your order from there? (And Haitch’s order too)

Opinion on cheesecake? (I personally love certain types but I have a big no-no on Japanese cheesecake)

Is there anything weird or funny that your sons are afraid of?

FUN FACT: There is almost no chance for you to shuffle a deck the same way ever. The number of ways to shuffle a deck of cards is 52 factorial and ends up being huuuuge number so the chance that you shuffle a deck the exact same way twice is near impossible :)

Haitch is decidedly not in the mood for my shenanigans at the moment, so I'll have to skip the challenge. She also would've figured me out immediately.

1. There is a kebab place near here that sells baklava, and for that they have my heart.

2. Doner meat, chips, and salad with garlic sauce (and baklava, as you might have guessed). Haitch tends to go for a chicken burger and chips, fish and chips, or (on occasion) a smallish pizza.

3. I'm deep in a cheesecake obsession at the moment - preferably strawberry. The base has to be just on the edge of crisp, though.

4. There's a park near where Haitch's parents live that our oldest refuses to go to, because I told him it's haunted. Now - he loves spooky and creepy things, and he had been complaining the whole day about being out of the house. I told him it was haunted (it apparently is) because I thought he'd be excited - instead he tearfully begged me to never take him back several months later. I may never recover from the guilt.

5. I definitely remember hearing something about that.

[spacemanxpaninis]

☕ - If you and your F/O went to a cafe, what would your drink orders be?

🍓 - After your drinks, would you order desserts? What would you order?

AHHHHH DGCSDCVX I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD DO IT 🥺 and yesterday I went to a local French café so this was perfectttttt ahem anyhoo!!!

☕️- Starting with me, I pretty much always get a london fog or a matcha latte 🖤 ya girl is not a coffee person 😆 but as far as The Squad™ goes:

❤️‍🔥: At first she’s just like a fuckin uhhhh coffee???? Then she learns she can get ✨flavors✨ and ✨SPRINKLES✨ and oh my god. One frappuccino for my frappu-queeno. Karlach dies when I say that and demands I say it to the barista too. She’s lucky I simp for her love her.

⚜️: My boy Louis is FRENCH so it’s going to depend on the time of day. Morning? Probably café au lait. Afternoon? Probably un noisette. I’m just sitting there with my tea of shame like woohoo babe you’re so authentic!!! like we’re not LITERALLY IN FRANCE AND I’M JUST THE AMERICAN WHO MARRIED INTO TS

👽: Insists it’s cringe to get anything other than a rEGuLAr cOFfeE but then sees me with my matcha and is like it’s green??? And I’m like yessir we love chlorophyll in this house isn’t it pretty 🥰 and suddenly both of us are always there in the café with our violently green cups because you cannot convince me this man isn’t a sucker for brightly colored shit look at him. Howard and I both love it when they draw stuff in the foam. Since we’re regulars the baristas have started surprising us with nerd shit on our nerd drinks!

📒: When starbucks released that lavender cold foam? Yeah that was for Annie actually. She loves it. Her absolute favorite is an iced latte with lavender cold foam and I often get a lavender matcha to match 🥰

💅🏼: Max is like Howard, he lowkey thinks it’s unmanly to get, like, not a black coffee. Thus it becomes a running joke that he gets a black coffee when he’s dressed what he deems ‘regular’ or even boring, and a fancy lil cinnamon chaiccino when he’s crossdressing. Thinks my matcha is sus AF becauss it’s green and teasingly gives me shit for it, but does give my London Fog a try.

⚔️: I also don’t think Eowyn would actually be a big coffee person. She prefers tea, something calming or floral usually. I can see her getting a good jasmine tea and really loving it 🥰 she also enjoys my London Fog, too, so sometimes we share our drinks!

🍓- I LOVE A BEAR CLAW 😤 anything almond like that? HELL YEAH. Or a chocolate croissant? HELL! YEAH! My dumbass just loves pastries though fr

❤️‍🔥: All the desserts! Ok, maybe not all, but we always get two or three to split. She also likes bear claws and thinks the name is badass, so we usually get one of those and something wonderfully impractical that we have no business consuming in the morning, like a long thin bar of dulce de leche cake or a cupcake that was so cute she needed it immediately.

⚜️: Oh Louis is with me on the croissants. Except those are not chocolate croissants, apparently it’s pain au chocolat and the Americans just don’t know what tf we’re talking about. I’d be offended if he wasn’t A. right B. cute C. buying me said pain au chocolat and also exposing me to chausson aux pommes another time 😌

👽: Bro you ever had? Fuckin BABKA? Very fire. Miss Howard with those tiny little starbucks scones, his mom knows a lady. Secondary location baby. Our asses are hitting up a legit bakery. Café day with Howard and I goes hard 😤 and if anything else looks good? He gets it he’s my lil princess 😌

📒: Little fruit tarts! Or if it’s early a strawberry and peach danish. We cut them in half and split them 🥰

💅🏼: It’s a fifty-fifty what dessert we get with our drinks, typically either a traditional dessert or just, like, wonderfully shitty donuts from the closest shop in Toledo. Lebanese sweets are so boss dude. Namoura or baklava is always a good choice! As far as the donuts we’d get, I love a maple donut or an old-fashioned (which given it’s the 1950s, maybe that’s just a donut 😂) and Max usually gets a chocolate one!

⚔️: Eowyn seems like an apple strudel or bear claw girlie too! She and I are also splitters and sharers, so the one of each cut in half works perfectly.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS ASK 🥰

[baelpenrose]

Nihilus Rex 31: Next Step

The back and forths writing this one.... Oh side note, Afterverse Studios does NOT endorse anything that Nils and Lash or their new psychopath plan in this chapter! Do not do this! @canyouhearthelight and I did have a lot of fun going back and forth with this tho...

When you're high, who ya flyin for?

When you ride, who ya ridin for?

When you toast, who ya drinkin for?

When you play, gotta deal with the devil.

Pop Evil "Deal with the Devil"

Nils

The date with my parents and Lash had gone without a hitch - hopefully the ladies’ day would be good for Lash and my mom. And Mrs. Botelho. 

In the meantime, Bishop, me, Lash, and Dickie Gray - Richard, I supposed - were meeting up to talk about our next big plan, which also had to include some kind of provision to rid ourselves of the attention of that obnoxious Fibbie who was still crawling around town. We had our minions posting about her movements to keep from getting caught flat-footed, but I still wanted her out of my city as quickly as possible.

Heh, ‘my’ city. I sounded like a mob boss.

“Bishop, you have the proxies set up to call the human-hunting enthusiast?”

“Yeah. Creampuff, Baklava, we’re gonna talk about your choice of lieutenants.”

“Yes, but later. Get the fucker on.” 

The screen came to life, and that same, deeply unpleasant icon popped up. “Nihilus, Phoenix. You wanted a meeting?”

“We have FBI in town. Our next mission is going to be to deal with some eviction notices getting served - and to take care of some banking properties while we’re at it. You already called our bluff on the QAnon bullshit, so real talk - none of us here want the government or big corporations owning all the houses or all the medicine. So we’re breaking that up a bit. But we want something to draw off the FBI while we do it. We have to do something beneficial enough to build support and flashy enough to draw attention off our core command structure.”

“Is there a reason we’re going with social engineering?”

“The reason the right always loses populist games in the long term is that they don’t invest in helping people with their actual problems.” 

The icon with the skull and dagger flashed. “Heh. Point. Benefits for loyalty. Can’t last forever.”

“He who comes to a principality against the wishes of both its nobility and its people should endear himself first to the people for they, who hope most not to be oppressed, shall bind themselves to their benefactor upon receiving generosity where they feared evil, where the nobles, seeking to oppress, can be dealt with as open foes, replaced with pliable fools in austerity and bribed to compliance in prosperity.” I quoted. “If I choose who to satisfy, I choose the average person. It means I have to kill fewer enemies in the long run. If the politicians could just figure that out, we’d have a lot fewer issues.” 

Lash blinked. “Machievelli isn’t normally the person one quotes if they are making a moral argument.”

“And yet the argument I just made would lead to more moral governance if its tenants were followed than anything our current government is doing.” 

“Still… Machievelli?” she muttered.

Bishop glowered and I abruptly realized he’d muted all our mics for us. “Children. Maybe don’t argue with each other and therefore imply internal division when your psychopath lieutenant with the survival of the fittest mentality is in the room?”

“Right.” I unmuted. 

“I think I’m satisfied with your logic. Do whatever flashy bullshit you want to get the fibbies attention, and whatever civic crap you want to get the normies on board.” Gray sounded unimpressed. 

I thought about it. “Right now, what are they saying on the boards you’re frequenting?”

“A lot of them are still on board with their local churches that keep raving about the current dumbfuck-in-office being anointed by god, or about dealing with those goddamn degenerates that have been making all the kids squall about pronouns lately.” His tone made it clear his own opinion on the queer community’s existence itself was likely indifferent at best, but that in his mind their true sin was not deviance but whining. He struck me as a person who would more easily respect an armed queer than an unarmed cishet, and ultimately I could follow the logic, uncomfortable though it was.

“So, as long as the gays pay taxes?” I quipped.

“Long as they don’t ask me to take care of them.” He muttered. “I don’t give a fuck what people get up to as long as they don’t need taking care of once they’re grown.” 

I filed that away for later - I was getting a fuller picture of his worldview the longer this went and I was increasingly certain we were gonna need to put him down. “Where were you going though?”

“Lot of people in the far right are gonna be a little bound up with the government because a lot of their churches have a little love affair with their modern day King Cyrus, Emperor Constantine, whatever analogy they’re using this week.” 

I sputtered. Christians were not being persecuted in the US, and…Stupid, stupid. Okay, something to work on. “Got it. I’ll have to work on that. Thanks for the tip.”

I glanced at Lash. “I… I honestly cannot figure out anything to say to him for this current operation that wouldn’t derail it,” she shrugged, biting her lip in apology. “I don’t agree with it, but his logic is sound enough that arguing may actually tip him against us.” Even as she said it, she looked queasy.

I glanced at him. “Alright then. This meeting is done. Keep our people that you’re supervising out of anything until I contact you again.”  The meaning of those words was clear - they were still my minions, not his. The call terminated.

Churches were keeping people locked in line with the state, as churches historically tended to. Okay, so our next job was going to be to fracture…Many megachurches had a lot of people who open carried, right? Our gun nut guy might be able to tell me, and I could double check later, but that had been in the news lately. I could check which ones…

“Lash. If these hateful megachurches that love SWATing gay clubs - the ones who just love. Love. Showing off their second amendment rights in church. Who have, for years, been fed a steady diet of ‘the government is coming for your children’ and 'the government are coming for Christians’. What if, and hear me out. What if they get SWATed back? What if we get a firefight between them and the cops going? Get a wedge between the right and law enforcement, leave the state without non state actors? Re-create the Night of the Long Knives via false flag?

In a gesture I had long learned was her method for buying time, she took a long, deep drink of water before speaking. “I don’t understand guns in a place of worship, I’m going to be honest. It… it baffles me, I guess? But then I see shootings on the news, and wonder ‘why do you think guns are the answer?’.  So, logically - “ She took another long drink of water before gasping for breath. “I guess I think it isn’t logical to have guns in a temple, and the police should know about that.  Provided,” she hedged, “that they know there are children present and, if they need to fire, it’s at grown up height.” She held her hand level with her eyes, a hair around five foot.

I was already thinking. "If we call SWAT, they're going to go in with weapons at shoulder height." Of course, once they were fired on, anything could happen. If kids were hit, that'd be more reason for the churchgoers to fire on cops in the future, the ‘jackbooted thugs shooting Christian kids’ narrative was something we could get a lot of mileage out of…

“Baklava is a pacifist, in case you haven’t figure that out,” Bishop grunted.

I laughed, while Lash huffed. “I just hate hearing people use ‘survival of the fittest’ when they mean ‘might makes right’.”

“No she bloody well isn’t,” I said to Bishop, idly, then shifted my gaze to my girlfriend. “No, I get that, though I can’t really argue that nature miserably echoes capitalism in that survival favors those who outcompete - or at least adapt. We both want a gentler world than the rules of nature - either the bloody ‘eat or be eaten’ he imagines or the ‘thrive and adapt or die’ that Darwin actually suggests.” 

Bishop looked between us and finally threw up his hands. “Okay, I’ll bite. You’re saying the same thing and rephrasing it, like it means something different. But ‘survival of the fittest’ is pretty clear.”

“Oh my god,” Lash groaned. “It’s the least clear thing in the world, apparently.  You, chucklefuck on the phone, and most of Nils’ pet racists all think it means ‘survival of the toughest and best equipped to fight’, when that’s the last thing it means. ‘Survival of the fittest’ means literally that: ‘to those who adapt and fit in with the least effort go the spoils of evolution’.  Why do you think mice are so common?  They aren’t exactly out there whipping ass and taking names… but they are definitely having more babies and more live to a reproductive age than larger predators, that’s for sure.”

“Which,” I added, “Is also why invasive species are so dangerous. They’re usually better able to adapt really well to a variety of environments and take over niches that more specialized species rely on, which leaves a lot of things on the chopping block. I am not totally sure I trust the idea of ‘natural selection’ as it actually applies for morals either. In natural selection, you have a plague, and then everything that can’t survive it dies, and either you have enough left for a stable population or you go extinct. I’d hope we can be better than that as well.”

“Don’t even get me started on anti-Semitism as a result of the bubonic plague,” Lash muttered, covering her face with both hands and shaking her head. She peeked at me. “I know you’re the historian, but you don’t go into clean water initiatives and miss that little gem.”

“You don’t study history without noticing that any bad thing in the middle ages, they somehow managed to blame on the Jews. Except for one part in the early 11th century in Northern Germany of all places, where they blamed it on pagans in the Black Forest. And even then, they roped in the Jews and threw in a pogrom on the side.” 

“Circling back to our current surprisingly less racist than most of our minions issue…” Bishop cleared his throat. “Do we - or better yet, the two of you - trust him?”

“I want to point out he’s absolutely not less racist than most of our minions, and he might actually be worse, it’s just in a very specific and far more flexible and less dogmatic way. He’s an accelerationist fash.” I said, irritable. “Put this way: to him, white people being more militarily advanced and able to conquer everything was proof that we’re ‘better’. Same time, to him, the idea of ‘white genocide’ is laughable. Most white supremacists are deep-down terrified of having to compete on equal footing with people of color because they wonder on some level if they’re actually better or if the global majority has been artificially kept in second rank the whole time, so they rely on cops. This psycho thinks that police protection is making white people weak and decadent and wants an outright race war to get people sharpened back up. So no, I don’t trust him, I want to put him down as fast as possible.” 

“Which, in English,” Lash interjected, “means that while most racists think they shouldn’t have to do as much as they are doing now, Gray thinks they aren’t doing enough. So yeah, I don’t trust him as far as I can throw this mall.”

Bishop looked between us. “And…you’re working with him? You just said he’s not as bad as the average lunatic you’re dealing with but almost an order of magnitude worse. And you’re working with him.” 

“Yep. Which is the other thing: any idea of how we dispose of him when he outlives his utility?” 

Lash gave me a dangerous look, looking at Bishop in silence before looking back at me. “You two really haven’t figured that part out? It’s pretty obvious.”

“I thought about the police route, if that’s what you’re thinking. Set him up as our next patsy. There’s no way he doesn’t roll over on us if we play that route, unless we go way out of our way to ensure he isn’t taken alive, which…he may be harder to play that on than most of them. And we’d want to let him cook for a while before we let the ax fall on him.” 

“Suicide by cop, you got it in one,” she fired at me. “Bishop, the main reason I’m willing to work with this guy - and probably the same for Nils, at least a bit - is that he doesn’t want cops involved, at all.  Which is something we don’t want either.  So, take a racist who hates cops, let him poison the whole batch to the same line of thought, and then we just… wind him up a bit at a time.  Eventually, we might be able to make him take care of himself for us, as a martyr rather than an enemy.”

“And if you don’t, your minions Order 66 you during your moment of triumph.” 

“Given the number of gun permits the guy has…. I’m betting on blaze of glory,” Lash admitted. “No one who distrusts cops owns that many weapons without being willing to use them.”

I thought about it. “The risk is setting him up at the right time and giving him time to marinate in our brand of chaotic shit. Too early and he dies before he’s gotten his minions fully trained and drilled, which is what we want him for. Too late and his martyrdom creates a spinoff force that isn’t under our control. Timing is going to be key.” I couldn’t deny Lash’s argument though - Gray was probably capable of giving a 30 minute lecture, on demand, about how the 2nd Amendment was the most important one in protecting us from government overreach. 

Bishop took a breath. “Alright. So. Speaking of using him. You told him to wind up his minions in the megachurches to be worried about the deep state. Did you have a particular target in mind for the SWATing?”

I froze. “I had a few, some pastors who keep making news, ones I…figured ought to get some pain before things were out.” 

Lash didn’t even seem to hesitate, which I hope made Bishop rethink his comment about her pacifism. “That crazy one down in Florida, the one that protests the funerals of veterans.  Most gun lovers are either vets, vet-adjacent, or wannabes, right? Low fruit, easy pickings.”

“I was skewing towards that guy in Tennessee who keeps making news for really uniquely fucked up takes about what should be done with queer people, since there’s a lot of wannabe vets and gun nuts afraid of the ‘deep state brainwashing their kids’ in that congregation. No harm in going with both.” 

Bishop blinked and stroked his beard. “You two have some grudges, I see.  Love the readiness, though.” He pointed at Lash directly. “I did expect you to at least need to think about it, love.”

She shrugged. “Being pragmatic and being a pacifist aren’t the same thing, Bishop.  And what is it, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?  Fewer hateful adults, fewer fearful kids.”

I was busy staring, open mouthed, at Lash, and feeling incredibly happy she and I were together. 

He rubbed his temples. “You two are…I can’t say if you’re bad for each other or good for each other. Ever since you’ve gotten together, both of you have been more focused, more disciplined, come up with better ideas. But you’ve been more ruthless, Nils has been more self-destructive, and I don’t know where it’s going. I suspect I want to be there to see.” 

“Nils is eating three meals a day,” Lash pointed out. “And 85% of my parents are barely out of the hospital… last time we relaxed, Baba lost a leg and Mama lost the lobe of one lung.  You know how I feel about my family.”

“Yeah, I do.” Bishop took a breath. “Sorry.” He walked towards me and then whispered, “And you? You’re eating, but the medication…”

“It’s under control.” I said, quietly.  I actually hadn’t double-dosed on my adderall in weeks. “Honestly better than it’s been in years.”

Bishop made a ‘hm’ sound. “My apologies. Maybe I was just rattled.” He looked like he wanted to say more, and then simply said, “I’m going to grab us some coffees.”

I turned to Lash. “What do you think that was about?” 

“All I’m going to say is, I didn’t know he thought I was a pacifist.”

“Easy mistake to make, in this business: you place a high value on human life.” I squeezed her hand. “Bishop just makes the really common mistake of conflating kindness and mercy for weakness.”

“Him, we keep,” she squeezed back. “The more people to rein us in if needed, the better.  Which reminds me… I think I need to tell Mori something.  I don’t want my entire family left wondering if something happens to me, and Mori I at least trust to not tell Mama or Baba anything until she has to.”