#in assorted fun flavors AND my favorite flavor

[digitalcockroach]

when he knows u love lip balm 😭

[buckiverse]

Sweet Surprises

inspired by eternal attachment :3

contents: fluff, suggestive if you squint, angst if you squint. friends-to-lovers vibe. confession *heart eyes*. 

summary: you tried to surprise zayne for his birthday but it failed. 

word count: 1.4k

notes: I havent written in so long, forgive any typos

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★It was the day before Zayne’s birthday, and your procrastination caught up to you as you stared at various ingredients. “Vanilla…chocolate…strawberry… maybe I bought too many base flavors,” you muttered. You sorted through the assortment of toppings—macaroons, blueberries, even edible flowers. Who knew you could flavor a cake with flowers? 

★You and Zayne had often talked about his love for sweets, but nothing compared to the day you both stood before the macaroon display at your favorite cafe. 

“What flavor are you gonna get, Zayne?” you asked, already eyeing a few of your favorites. 

He grinned slightly, “what if we get them all?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Get them all? And put them where??”

“In my fridge, of course,” he replied as if it was the most obvious solution in the world.

“Even so, we can’t finish all these by ourselves. How about we pick a few.” 

Zayne leaned closer, his voice softening, “Each macaroon not only tastes good but tells its own little story. Let’s try them all, hmm?”

★You smiled at the memory, whispering, “He’s so cute,” but your smile faded as you remembered the decision ahead. Zayne’s tastes in desserts made choosing the right one for his birthday even harder. And time was running out—this was supposed to be a surprise. 

★Another critical mention: you are a terrible baker. Between your hectic schedule as a hunter and lack of practice, you barely had time to eat properly, let alone learn how to bake. You glanced at the cookbook, the pages worn from your frantic flipping. Then it struck you—why not combine two things he loves? A macaroon cake! A… “cakaroon,” you mused.

★You decided on a chocolate base, grabbing flour, eggs, sugar, and cocoa powder. You mixed them, clumsily splashing batter onto Zayne’s counters. As you worked, one of your favorite songs began to play, and you softly sang along, your mind drifting back to memories with Zayne. 

★It all started when you were kids playing together. Zayne was always the quiet, stoic type, making teasing him all the more fun. As you both grew older, life pulled you in different directions. You moved to another part of Linkon with your granny; years had passed without seeing him before you knew it. One day, you landed a job at the Hunters Association, which came with a new health plan and a new doctor. You still remember the shock when you realized your new primary care physician was Zayne. At first, you thought it was a coincidence—after all, Zayne isn’t an uncommon name. But then, he walked in, the same Zayne you’d known since childhood, standing before you—a man now. 

★The truth is, you always liked Zayne. But you never quite knew how to communicate that. Maybe this cake could be a way of saying, “Happy birthday—by the way, I like you.” 

★You finished mixing the batter and poured it into two cake pans. “Mmh,” you nodded as you slid them into the oven. “Things are going good. I hope he likes this,” you thought, allowing yourself a moment of hope. 

★You sat on a stool by the kitchen island, glancing at the clock and humming to music. Suddenly, you heard the click of the front door. “Shit!” You thought, leaping out of your seat so fast you nearly slipped. During your panic, Zayne walked into the room. 

“y/n?” he called, his voice laced with confusion. He approached, reaching for your arm. 

You turned, face flushing. “Hey…” you said, trying to keep calm as you stood up slowly. 

“Why are you here?” Zayne asked, his brows furrowed. 

“I—I was going to surprise you,” you stammered, feeling your cheeks heating up.

“But it seems you got off work sooner than I thought….” 

Zayne looked at you, his gaze softening. But that didn’t stop you from talking. “I—I planned to surprise you, you know. Your birthday is so soon, and I know you love sweets. So I bought all these ingredients, lost track of time because I couldn’t decide what to do, and then looked up. You got home sooner than I thought, but I wanted the cake ready when you got here because this is supposed to be a surprise.” You stumbled over your words, going on and on about your plans for his birthday. 

Your cheeks heated up when you realized Zayne was smiling at you—that half-smile he always did when amused. 

A playful glint struck his eyes, “Should I leave and come back in an hour to give you more time to finish?” 

His teasing made your face even hotter, and you couldn’t help but laugh nervously. “No, no! I—well, I just wanted it to be perfect, that’s all,” you mumbled, looking down.

Zayne flashed that half-smile and stepped closer, gently lifting his hand to touch your cheek. “I don’t dislike it.”

The alarm for the forgotten cakes went off, breaking the tension between you two. You quickly turned and rushed to the oven, pulling the cakes out before they burned.

“Why don’t we finish the cake together?” Zayne suggested, his voice still light with amusement.

You placed the cakes on the counter, almost burning yourself as the hot pans grazed your fingertips. Zayne leaned over to inspect them, a teasing grin on his lips. “These are quite lopsided,” he remarked.

You blushed profusely, realizing you didn’t level out the batter earlier. Still feeling a little embarrassed, you watched Zayne walk over to his cabinets, pulling out a small container of toothpicks. 

He took one out and handed it to you. “Try this. Stick it in the center. If it comes out clean, they’re done.” 

You took the toothpick and gently pushed it into the cake. Relief washed over you as it came out completely clean. “Looks like it’s ready.”, you said, glancing up at Zayne’s emerald eyes. 

He carefully lifted the pans and placed them on the stove burners to cool. “What flavor were you thinking for the icing?” he asked, his tone more curious now. 

“I was planning on a raspberry filing,” you replied, your voice softening. “Like the macaroons we got a couple of weeks ago.” 

Zayne’s eyes lit up at the memory. “Indeed, that’s an excellent choice.” 

The two of you worked side by side, mixing fresh raspberries, chocolate shavings, and cream. The icing filled the kitchen with a sweet and tangy scent. As you stirred the ingredients together, a thought crossed your mind, and you couldn’t help but voice it.

“Do you ever get lonely?” you asked, your tone more vulnerable than intended. 

Zayne paused, his brows furrowed slightly as he considered the question, “Why do you ask?” 

You hesitated, then continued, “I was just thinking…  You’re working the day before your birthday. Doesn’t that get lonely? You spend so much time helping others, but who’s there for you?” 

He sighed softly, his gaze dropping to the mixing bowl. “I love my work. It’s fulfilling to perform surgeries and make a difference. But, yes, I suppose there are moments when I feel alone. What about you?” 

You stared at the swirling mixture, the vibrant red of the raspberries reminding you of the warmth that had once filled your life. “Sometimes, I’m too busy hunting wanderers to notice how I feel. I often convince myself I’m okay because I don’t have time to think otherwise. But lately, especially since Granny and Caleb passed—it’s been harder. Their absence is always there, even if I try not to feel it. “

Zayne’s hand reached out, gently covering yours. The touch was soft, but it broke through the fog of your thoughts. You looked up to find his eyes filled with sincerity, a quiet understanding that words couldn’t convey. 

“I’m here for you,” he whispered, his voice steady and reassuring. 

The loneliness that weighed so heavily on you seemed to lift for a moment. You moved your hand to hold Zayne’s fully, feeling the warmth of his palm against yours. In that shared silence, you knew you weren’t alone. 

Zayne gazed deeply into your eyes, wanting to see the soul that lay beneath. Tranquility filled the room, and the gentle strings of music were the only sound that broke the silence. 

Zayne leaned in closer, your lips almost touching; the tension between you was palpable. 

You lifted yourself, balancing on your tiptoes. Gently, you kissed Zayne's lips, feeling your heart skip a beat as your lips met his.

The kiss was soft, yet it carried an intensity that spoke of the emotions brewing deep within you. Your heart raced as he held you close, your veins pulsating beneath your skin. 

He slowly pulled away from the kiss, his emerald eyes never leaving yours.

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what did ya'll think :333

planning on writing a pt 2 maybe

ignore that I did not finish coding the stars LMAO

[themeatpit37]

Something’s Wrong With Sunny Day Jack Random Assorted Headcanons

This is just a fun little collection of random headcanons I got! Mostly showing these since I have been wanting to write for a while but either haven’t had the energy or any idea of what to write. Enjoy!

❤️💛💙☀️Sunny Day Jack☀️❤️💛💙

I have a lot of headcanons for Jack but one of them is that he LOVES it when people run their fingers through his hair. He will practically melt into their touch like he was starved of attention and hold your arms so they don’t stop. His hair is VERY soft too so it’s heavenly to touch! A win win scenario!

Jack is very much a physical guy. If anyone gives him permission, he will absolutely take the opportunity. It also has to do with his need to be seen since you can’t really forget someone who practically clings onto you! But seriously please let him hold onto you, he needs physical contact.

HE. LOVES. KISSES. Doesn’t matter where, when, or why just give them to him. He does prefer giving passionate and soft kisses though because to him they show how much he loves whoever he’s kissing.

Very much prefers honey on his pancakes over syrup. He’ll still use syrup but will use honey when it’s available. The natural taste honey has fits better on pancakes than maple or pancake syrup does. He does love a good blueberry syrup though!

🖤💀Shaun💀🖤

Shaun is very easily excitable in my eyes. You’re hyped about something? He is immediately hyped too! You could be explaining the history behind the creation of dishwashers or something and as long as you are happy, he is fully listening and engaging as much as he can all while hyping you up!

Attends furry conventions whenever he can. Is he a furry? No one knows anymore but he does know a few too many inside jokes though.

Canonically, I am pretty sure he is a monsterfucker but in my opinion I feel he likes “weird” monsters the most. Like yeah werewolves and demons are cool but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t have at least one erotic dream about Seth from The Fly.

His favorite fall drink is apple cider! Hot cocoa is nice but a warm mug of spiced apple cider just hits different especially with a squirt of whipped cream!

🧡🌿Ian🌿🧡

To me, I always read Ian as a very emotional guy. Wears his heart on his sleeve type. It’s kind of a side effect of his home life and the way people treated him as he got older.

His favorite flavors are cinnamon, brown sugar, matcha, and pistachio. Flavors for what? Anything really. But mostly in either baked goods or drinks. Speaking of, his favorite milk flavor is a tie between strawberry milk and banana milk.

I get the vibe that on social media, he follows mostly cute animal accounts, food blogs, and aesthetic pages of many varieties. His favorites are the ones that post outfits or accessories for outfit ideas.

One of his biggest fears is spiders and most insects! Something about them just makes him freak out, especially if they got lots of legs like a centipede. Even caterpillars freak him out sometimes, but he rarely ever kills them. Most of the time they get put under a cup and released.

🩶🩵👾Nick👾🩵🩶

Due to us not knowing much about him, most of this is based off nothing but vibes. He is 100% a collector though. He has a whole binder of Pokémon cards, multiple blind bag toys of his favorite games and expensive figurines sit on his shelf, posters are all over his room walls, and his collection is constantly growing.

Very superstitious. If he learns about an urban legend from another country, it becomes part of his beliefs like hiding your thumbs in your pockets while passing cemeteries to keep your parents safe or throwing salt over your shoulder after spilling a salt shaker.

Sometimes when he is alone with his dogs, Pico and Cheese, he’ll have full on conversations with them like they’re people who know what he’s talking about. Usually it’s a rant about someone annoying he had to deal with or explaining what happened at work that day.

Naps often. If you give him an opportunity to nap, he will take it. Even if he gets the best night of sleep in the whole universe, he’ll always be ready to take a nap. Bonus points if it’s with someone he likes or if his dogs are there.

[matchalovertrait]

So many people, so many different thoughts and opinions!

Previous / Next (Transcript under the cut)

Transcript:

(1.) [Andrea] You have 30 minutes to make an appetizer using all four of the basket ingredients. The timer starts... Now!

(2.) [Alex] I'm making a raclette with an assortment of merguez sausage, vegetable flatbread, pea shoots, and a side of shakshuka sauce. I think everything will go nicely with the melted cheese.

(3.) [Alex] I'll add ham, salami, steamed potatoes, and olives. I'm kind of playing it safe, but I hope the variety of flavors work out for me. It's all part of my strategy to at least get to the second round.

(4.) [Lewis] I've calmed down now. I decided to make a salad with pea shoots, crumbled sausage, flatbread croutons, and a shakshuka vinaigrette.

(5.) [Lewis] It's a salad. I can't possibly mess this up.... right?

(6.) [Dulce] I went with pizza wedges with a flatbread crust. They'll have shakshuka sauce, pea shoots, and merguez sausage. Of course, I'll be adding some mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

(7.) [Dulce] The pizza wedges are going to be soooo cute and fun. I'll also put some bacon bits and garlic. I can't put too many things, though. The wedges aren't going to be that big.

(8.) [Rubiya] I'm making spaghetti with merguez sausage meatballs, shakshuka sauce, and pea shoots. I'll add the vegetables from the flatbread to my sauce and use the rest of the flatbread to make garlic bread.

(9.) [Rubiya] Could I have made shakshuka? Yes, but that's rather predictable. Also, as someone from a Middle Eastern family, I refuse to use premade shakshuka sauce. I must make it from scratch.

(10.) [Andrea] It's time to introduce the two judges here today who are joining Michelin-Starred Chef, Mia D'Angelo-Ramirez.

(11.) [Mia] Thank you, Andrea. I'm always accompanied by amazing people, but I think the viewers and contestants will find today's lineup quite astounding.

(12.) [Dulce] Wow, it's actually her... I look up to Chef Mia a lot as another Mexican-Italian. I don't have Italian blood like her, but I was born here. I want to be on her level someday.

(13.) [Lewis] Oh my gosh..... I know Chef Mia is in every episode, but I still got nervous again when I saw her at the judges' table. She is so beautiful and talented.

(14.) [Carlo] Mia, you flatter me.

[Andrea] Chef Mia is right, though! Folks, here we have Executive Chef and Food Entrepreneur, Carlo Mancini.

(15.) [Alex] Chef Carlo Mancini??? He's the real deal. It's too late to change my appetizer now, so I have to impress him with my raclette.

(16.) [Rubiya] Chef Carlo Mancini. This will be fun.

(17.) [Andrea] And here's Grammy Award winner, Sofia Bjergsen!

[Sofia] Thank you so much. I've already been having a blast here. Not many people know this, but I was actually in culinary school for a bit before I decided to pursue music full-time.

(18.) [Dulce] THE Sofia Bjergsen??? I have all of her vinyl records! My favorite song by her is My Love Knows. I know the entire choreography for that song... here, I'll show you!

(19.) *My Love Knows by Sofia Bjergsen starts playing*

(20.) *My Love Knows by Sofia Bjergsen starts playing*

(21.) [Alex] Okay, I'll admit that I'm a fan, but what is she doing here? Isn't she on a world tour right now?

(22.) [Andrea] We are overjoyed to have the three of you as judges. Please, talk amongst yourselves while I check on the chefs.

[greenerteacups]

When you say you enjoy Tomione do you mean like 'its fun to think about' or do you actually read a fic or a post about them? I got curious because it is a ship i could absolutely get into but most of the fic's i've seen have a characterization of Hermione that I'm not too fond of. And since you have my favorite characterization of her, is there any tomione fic you read that you really liked?

First of all, thank you for the generous compliment about my Hermione — that's so sweet!!

So, I don't read that much fic to begin with. I'd call myself an infrequent but appreciative fic reader, and I focus on Dramione with assorted other ships or rarepairs. That being said, the two fics I would recommend as samplers for the main 'flavors' of Tomione are Birds of a Feather (1940s childhood friends-to-lovers(ish?) AU) and take the bit between your teeth (90s!Tom AU, on a knife-edge between crack and slice-of-life). The two basic stories (and this will do a disservice to both fics, which are far more interesting and dynamic than I'm about to make them seem) are 'Hermione corruption arc' and 'Tom is redeemed and/or not actually that evil.' The latter is not as popular as the former, because it's harder to make it sexy. The latter, however, can also be extraordinarily funny, and especially charming when written by someone as talented as the author of 'take the bit.' Both of those Hermiones are well-written and consistent with canon.

But I think (if I'm not wrong) your question is more about whether I ship a very specific version of Tomione I've set up in my head, or 'ship' as a catch-all for 'participates in and enjoys generally the work of the Tomione fandom,' which is a better description of what I do for Dramione. To which the answer is: a bit of both, honestly. I do have a particular taste in Toms and Hermiones, respectively, but I've also encountered some really great storytelling in the Tomione fandom, and I've enjoyed stories I didn't think I would at first blush.

I wish I could advise you better, but I'm not sure what isn't to your liking about the Hermiones you've encountered — I know that some people don't enjoy how quick she is to forget her friends and/or principles in a lot of T/H fics, but I tend to think that's also an issue with Dramione fic (especially 8th year). There's also the fact that Hermione also gets styled as uncharacteristically submissive in a lot of T/H, which is not my preferred flavor. But to be fair to that camp, I think part of the appeal of Tom is that he is seriously dangerous, and especially dangerous in a way that Draco kind of isn't, at least in canon. Draco is a bully whose signature moves are name-calling and running tattle-tale to the nearest authority figure; Tom is a criminal mastermind who orchestrates several murders before his seventeenth birthday and is suspected for none of them. It could make sense for Hermione to conduct herself differently (more apprehensively, perhaps?) with that person, especially if she knows who he is. As with most things in fanon, YMMV.

[oharabunny]

Happy Autumn Moon Festival ☾ ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎

Disclaimer: I was given to write this fic by @kairiscorner for an anon (I am @hisachuu). I'm Chinese-American, so I write from the perspective of one and my own personal experiences! Also, this is a reupload because I was unsure if anyone could see my reblog. Warning: Miguel x GN!Reader // Reader is Chinese-American // Fuckboy Miguel if you squint (but more like a flirt) // Shy!Reader

Word Count: 2229

Summary: Imagine sharing mooncake with Miguel under the moonlight

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. 　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　 ✦

It was that time of the year again. You made sure to google around September so you never miss the date since it always changed every year according to the lunar calendar, even if the date was usually towards the end of the month. The Autumn Moon or Mid-Autumn Festival. You were disheartened when Miguel assigned you yet another hard anomaly mission for the 4th time in a row with him that you just finished, without so much of a proper break. It was a blessing and a curse. It meant he had immense amount of trust in you along with great approval. (Something you secretly craved) But it was beginning to take a toll on you, as you were beginning to miss your family. You won't be home to celebrate with them with all the work that you do for the Spider Society.

For Miguel.

You were in the middle of your thoughts when you were approached by some of the other Chinese and Chinese-American Spider variants who came up to ask your plans for the holiday. You all chatted for awhile and some were discussing how they were part of the Mid-Autumn Festival like lion dancing or helping their family's vendor in their home universes. Some variants were still teenagers who were volunteers to guide the traffic. Some of the older variants shared their homemade mooncake and gifted you some snacks.

That gave you an idea.

If you couldn't go home to spend the holiday with your family, then you could bring the holiday to Miguel. It's not like he knew about the Mid-Autumn Festival, so perhaps a fun cultural exchange could eliviate some of the stress you were put on.

You told Lyla you would be right back, and quickly left HQ for Nueva York's Chinatown to pick up your favorite brand and type of mooncake: the traditional one with lotus paste with salted duck yolk...though you also picked up a box without the yolk just in case Miguel didn't like it, and also another box of assorted flavored snow skin mooncakes from the freezer section if he just couldn't handle traditional mooncakes as well. You decided to go with your favorite to stay true to yourself since it wasn’t economic to buy all three boxes. You left the other two back on the shelf before checking out.

You also picked up jasmine green tea (your personal favorite) on the way. You went into the cafeteria, and asked the kitchen crew to let you brew the tea, which they happily allowed. You gave them one of the mooncakes you bought (a box has 4 mooncakes typically), and taught them what it was and what it was for. Safe to say they were not the biggest fans, but that was no surprise to you. You were used to it, but there was only one person's opinion you cared about.

Your heart skipped a beat in anticipation and nervousness of what he would think of the mooncake. Would he like it? Hate it? Would he even care?

You slowly approached Miguel's office where his super high platform resided in. To no one's surprise, he was up there working for who knows what, for who knows how long. Almost as he anticipated for your return, he turned around, and cocked an eyebrow at the bag of the metal tin box and thermos you were carrying.

"What's all this?" Miguel lowered his platform quickly for you, which he rarely did for anyone. But for you, he made an exception.

"Ah, well I got us some mooncakes and tea, for you know, the Mid-Autumn Festival." You motioned the bag and thermos at him. "It's today. If you have time, that is." You broke eye contact with him, a habit of yours when you weren't sure about something.

Luckily for you, Miguel was receptive to your emotions and habits from working with you all the time. Overworking you was his way of making you spend more time with him, which is how he picked up your subtle mannerisms. Not that you knew, of course. Your compliant and people-pleasing nature didn't question it, to his delight. Now you were standing before him all fidgety and nervous while holding a bunch of things that you were trying to share with him.

How cute. Miguel mused. "Sure, I have time."

Miguel was not a tea and cakes type of guy, but again, for you, he'll try anything once.

"How about we go on the roof? The moon is said to be at the fullest and brightest tonight."

"Of course."

You two swung and zipped through the halls of HQ, and reached for the top of the building. You set your thermos and bag down on the floor of the roof. Miguel closely followed and watched you as you sat down and took out the tin box, and noticed the intricate details that were painted and embossed on the lid. As you were about to open them, Miguel pointed at the female figure from the design.

"Who's she? And that rabbit."

Your eyes beamed in excitement the moment he asked. You were afraid he was only going along with you for your sake. (He was interested in anything about you.)

"She's the moon goddess, Chang'e, who's famous for stealing her husband's elixir of immortality. Her husband, Houyi, was an archer that was rewarded the elixir by the gods for his services. She escaped to the moon, stayed there, and became its goddess. The moon is said to be the fullest and brightest according to the lunar calendar today which is why she is always referenced for the Mid-Autumn Festival." You explained as much as you could remember from stories you were taught in Chinese language school. You pointed at the rabbit. "And that lil bunny there is always with her because Chinese people think the moon crater looks like a bunny pounding more of the elixir of immortality! So it's like it's always with her."

You looked up at Miguel who was looking straight at you with soft brown eyes as he leaned his weight extremely close to you. He wore a soft smile from listening to you, making your heart flutter and temperature rise on your cheeks.

"You look so lovely under the moonlight." His eyes were half-lidded looking down on you. "Looks like you're stealing something from me too."

He was leaning dangerously close as his lips ghosted yours. You could feel every fiber of your muscles in your entire body tensing up and heat reverberating. Your breath hitched, but before anything else could happen, you panicked and looked down at the mooncake tin beside you.

"U-Um let me cut you your share." You said awkwardly. You didn't even notice Miguel pouting in disappointment.

You opened up the tin box. Miguel frowned and crossed his arms. He looked at the opened tin and noticed a missing mooncake. "You shared them with someone else, first? Guess I'm really not that special to you."

"I-I didn't mean to! I just had to brew some tea at the cafeteria and I wanted to thank the kitchen crew." You explained hurriedly like you were in trouble.

"I'm just teasing." Miguel chuckled and squeezed your arm for reassurance. He moved on and noticed something. "They're much smaller than I thought they'd be. Are they mini cakes?" He tilted his head to the side in curiosity, examining all lines, shapes, and characters of the design on the mooncakes.

"No, they're meant to be this size. The cakes are super dense." You had cut up the mooncake into 4 pieces. You held up the plastic tray it came in for Miguel. "Here. It has a salted egg yolk, and the filling is lotus paste. It's sweet and salty, and also my favorite!"

He took a piece of his share and you watched tentatively, unsure of his reaction. His eyes widened, but not in shock, rather in delight. He nodded in approval. He followed with a small smile.

"That was actually really good. I won't lie, I thought the salted egg yolk was weird at first, but it actually works to balance out the intense sweetness of the mooncake." He paused. "Could I get some tea though?" He pointed at the thermos.

"Oh, yeah, of course!"

You quickly pour him the tea into the lid of the thermos that also served as a cup. The tea was still warm as steam was coming off of the cup. You gently blew on the cup before handing it to Miguel. He immediately sipped the tea. He had let the tea sit in his mouth before swallowing to taste the tea.

"Think this might be my favorite tea. The light floral flavor helps neutralize the stickiness and sugar of the mooncake." He noted.

You couldn't be more happy to hear his compliments and analysis. Your need for his validation and approval was more than satisfied at this point.

"It's a bit rare for someone who never grew up on them to like these traditional mooncakes." You reminisced a bit on your childhood growing up. Even the other Chinese kids didn't always liked traditional Chinese food.

"Well I'm just cultured like that." Miguel dramatically flipped his hair, being the cheeky guy he was. "I have good taste."

You giggled. "Yes you really do!" You paused for a second. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He replied softly, a tone he almost never used with anyone.

"What did you celebrate usually at home?" You could feel yourself regretting to ask due to his past, but you couldn't help wanting to reminisce with him and learn more about him.

"Well, growing up, we celebrated the usual holidays like Christmas and Halloween. Although for Mexican holidays, usually just Cinco de Mayo." Miguel looked away to the moon. You too gazed upon the lunar plane, mezmerized by its soft light as Miguel's voice carried you away. "And you know, my Gabi, she used to make sure I celebrated every holiday she liked with her. Christmas was her favorite. She loved getting presents, playing games, and making cookies for Santa."

You looked back at Miguel. His face was stoic, but you knew better. A war of emotions dazzled in his chocolate brown eyes against the moonlight. You took a deep breath. "She and I have in common then, I love Christmas. It's the best holiday for families. My family usually celebrates major Chinese and American holidays with a good feast. I always pitched in activity ideas for them or else we'd do nothing else but eat eat eat."

"You and Gabi would get along. She had quite the creative and active mind, like you." Miguel snuck a compliment in.

"I would have loved to meet her." Your heart ached for him. "I can never understand the pain and loss that you feel, but I do miss my family a lot too."

Miguel looked down, and then back up into your eyes. "I'm sorry, I know I've been overworking you. Had I known today's a holiday for you, I would've given you a break."

"It's alright. As long as you let me go home at some point." You fiddled with your fingers, unsure of what to say next. "I'm grateful to be here...it's just...I want to see my family more."

He nodded to that. "I can give you the week off, but can I ask something of you first?"

"Of course! I'll do anything!" You jumped up in people-pleasing mode.

Miguel felt some heat when you said that, but held up his composure to ask: "Can I kiss you?"

You were taken aback by the absurdity, but you weren't opposed to it. Unlike before, your nerves couldn't get the best of you this time. "Y-Yes. I'd like that very much." Blush and heat formed on your face. This couldn't be happening right now. You thought you blew it earlier.

With definitive confidence from you, Miguel shifted closer to you and guided his hands so that one was on your hip and the other guiding itself up to cup your cheek. He lingered to gently rub his thumb on your cheek before lightly pinching it.

"Ah! What are you doing?"

"Your cheeks remind me of a lil bunny rabbit. You're too cute." He said before silencing you with his mouth. He was holding you like a flower, as if he was so afraid to crush you in his strength. His kiss was firm yet soft, as if he was kissing his spouse. His body began to hover and push against you until he was on top of you. He nipped your lip teasingly, and pecked your lips. He peppered little kisses all over your face before giving your forehead one final kiss. He pressed his forehead against your own.

"You're wonderful. You know that? I appreciate with all that you've done for me and for all of us. Don't overextend yourself more than you have to. Don't be afraid to tell me no." Miguel spoke barely a whisper. "I...care about you."

You could melt into a puddle and ascend to heaven right now. Everything in your mind was being scrambled like a stir fry. Words could not even begin to form in your mind to explain how you feel. Your tummy was in knots while butterflies were threatening to spill out. You could've sworn the moon became brighter than before. You could almost hear someone urging you to go to him. As if in sync, the two of you leaned in and sealed another kiss under the moonlight.

"Me too."

‎‧₊˚✧[fin.]✧˚₊‧

a/n: How do you feel about this format? I want to switch it up for the style of my new blog. I kept the old fics from the main blog the same format for consistency sake.

中秋快乐！

  ◌                             ◌                                       ◌                                                        ‧₊ :･ﾟ彡       ◌                 ☽︎       ◌             ◌                                 ✩彡 ･ﾟ :                                                                      ◌                                        ◌ ◌                                                  ♡                                         (_(\      /)_/)                                         (      )    (      )                                      ૮/ʚɞ  |ა ૮|  ʚɞ\ა                                       ( ◌    |      |     ◌ )

[zwy01]

Susanna doodles!!!

I drew my noblesse oc from my Millennium AU, Susanna Mergas! She is the second child of Ludis Mergas and Rozaria Elenor, and the younger sister of Alois Elenor. She goes by the nickname Susa, and a few others.

1. Susanna painting!!! She is very cute and has big eyes and a round face just like her father Ludis. Her eyebrows are short and oval-shaped. She parts her bangs sideways and her super long, wavy locks that extend beyond her knees flow like waves when she moves. Interestingly, her hair never gets in her way even when she’s running and jumping around like hyper gymnast. It’s a real mystery to everyone. She’s very extroverted and cheerful, and always full of energy. Life is never boring around her, as she always has fun things to do! Millennium AU Lukedonia is only functioning thanks to her lol. She’s probably looking at you right now and thinking about dragging you to her next tea party. There’s no other escape, new best friend! Lol. Despite her tiny stature, she’s surprisingly strong. All that junk food probably worked their way into her muscle fibers, as Ludis jokes. All you need to do is sit down and enjoy the dozens of assorted sweets she brings out from the Mergas manor. There’s also ramyeon flavored macarons, if you like that kind of stuff, hehe! She’s got you covered.

2. Susa tries on a beautiful outfit! Very much Izarok themed. It probably belonged to one of Ludis’ female predecessors/ancestors and is a Mergas heirloom of some sort. It’s been a looong while since this outfit was last worn by someone. Ludis found it in his manor, and he gives it to his daughter. As expected, she looks absolutely stunning in it. Susa loves it! Her parents love it too. Alois is very moved by his sister’s cuteness. Awwwwww.

3. Lil’ Susa and her mother Rozaria! They are super close and very affectionate with each other. One of Susa’s favorite things to do as a child was playing with mami’s long, red hair. She still loves to do so even in adulthood, and Rozaria is more than happy to bond with her personal stylist! Susa also has a sweet tooth. It’s probably in her dna or something, because she inhales them like a blackhole. If she were human she would’ve gotten cavities a billion times already. Luckily, she’s a noble, so that doesn’t happen lol. Still, Ludis and Rozaria prefer to monitor their bab’s junk food intake, so other than retrieving the occasional treat, Ludis has barrier spell put up around their pantry. In the very, very rare cases where he forgets… well, you can guess what happens lol. Mommy Roza is worried about her daughter’s tummy, but Susa is actually more than fine lol. Ludis is surprised but amused. Better not forget next time, oops

4. Susa and Ludis part 1! By conventional noble standards, Susa was a bit of a slow learner, a late bloomer. As the Millennium AU progresses she does get very powerful and becomes the promising Mergas heiress, but not many people know that she has struggled for a while, especially in her childhood. Luckily, Ludis is a great parent and he is a pretty chill person in general so he never pressures Susa. He even modifies the traditional “standard” Mergas training curriculum just for his daughter, even when Lord Raskreia questions him for it. Hey, are no real enemies in the outside world anymore, right? Surely we can take it one step at a time. Lil’ Susa is aware of how she is doing compared to her peers, and it sometimes overwhelms her. Poor girl. Ludis being the supportive parent he is will do anything for his daughter and he lets her know that he’s always there for her. This father-daughter bond would later be forged in iron. Best dad.

5. Susa and Ludis part 2! After a wee timeskip to 80 years later, Susa is now a young teen at 100! Susa’s persistence and hard work, as well as Ludis’ unconditional love and support, pays off. Susa manages to successfully conjure a simple barrier spell. This moment is a huge milestone for Susa and she’ll remember it forever. Ludis is super proud of his bab. Roza and Alois are probably crying tears of joy too. Susa’s just so amazing, isn’t she?

6. Sibling bonding time!! Ludis and Rozaria are busy with stuff and are outside, so the siblings get housesitting duty, and some time to spend with each other. They got the entire manor aaallll to themselves lol. Ludis summons Izarok and leaves it with his kids to entertain them and of course Susa gets a hot pot started. Nothing beats comfy pajamas and great food. Fun fact, Alois isn’t really a fan of vegetables, though Mommy Roza knows that Susa will take good care of him. Eventually he won’t be able to say “no” if it’s his sister, lol. C’mon just one bite, you gotta eat your green foods too Al!

7. Susanna x Arya! They are the only “official” couple in my nextgen cast. Everyone else either hasn’t confessed yet, the crush is single-sided, or … something more complicated. Arya K. Landegre is the daughter of Regis and Rael. Susa and Ari are very loving and affectionate girlfriends and have a great relationship. They are each other’s soulmates. Much later in the AU they eventually marry each other.

8. Susanna x Arya what if babies! Susa/Ari is official and they eventually marry, but the next-next-gen doesn’t “exist” to me in my Millennium AU so these two babs are just a concept and don’t happen in the “main” Millennium AU timeline. Even so, they’re very cute lol. If Susa and Ari ever have kids of course they’ll name them something very unconventional and nonconforming to noble traditions, lol. Cute sons. Precious babs spoiled rotten by their mamas.

[ahandfulofm0ss]

Hi

*hands you my Regretevator oc*

Some info stuff under the keep reading

~ His level/floor is a large arcade of which he is an employee of, in charge of running the prize booth (meaning he gives prizes in exhange for tickets).

~ He can enter the elevator, but only if 3 or more players win at least 1 of the (fairly easy) arcade games.

~ These games also reward coins and tickets, which can be saved up to buy prizes at the prize booth.

~ The mouth on his face is purely for aesthetic purposes. His actual mouth which he eats and speaks from is on his stomach, which has purple sharp teeth and a black tongue.

~ He has a impressive collection of fun but random button up shirts which he alternates between wearing to work daily.

~ When he enters the elevator, there's a fair chance he's wearing a fun button up other than his roller rink/arcade carpet button up. For example, yellow with rubber ducks, navy blue with music notes, or a swirly pattern with many pastel colors.

~ He's friends with Gregoriah due to him stopping by the arcade almost daily. They have very good conversations while Kennedy counts his tickets.

~ Infected also stops by the arcade on occasion.

~ He has beans on his hands, with a star-shaped bean in the palm of his hand.

~ Thoughts on other NPC's: He finds Split and Poob funny and nice, Pest moody and annoying, Pilby quiet but kind, finds Bive a little weird, he's neutral toward Mark and Wallter (especially since he sometimes gets trapped with them in the elevator when they're arguing), he hates Gnarpy, also hates MR, neutral leaning on good thoughts on DrRETRO due to her healing him when he gets injured, he sees Infected as a cool dude, neutral toward Enphoso, also neutral towards Emerson (the drive thru guy)

~ Whenever Mark and Wallter start arguing while he's in the elevator, he has to resist the urge to do some random shit to lighten the mood. Shit like saying "the girls are fighting", "girls, girls, you're both pretty", stuff like that.

~ He leaves on the floors Fun Flood At Squishy's, Shop Space, Slide 4 Admin, and Underground Subway.

~ His humor is mostly inappropriate jokes.

~ His favorite food is cheese pizza with barbecue sauce and pieces of steak on it, specifically with garlic butter flavored crust.

~ He also controls the music for the speakers of the arcade. His only rule for music is nothing explicitly innapropriate.

~ He also puts hours of silence interrupted by random meme sound effects along with it for shits and giggles.

~ While there's barely anyone at the arcade, he vibes to the music he plays, laughing his ass off about the random meme sounds.

~ He has a little collection of random pins he puts along with his employee badge on his shirt. His collection so far is; a smiley face pin, a transmasc pride pin, a queer pride pin, a "I tried" star pin, a arcade token he turned into a pin, a red uno reverse card pin, and a small assortment of enamel pins with the faces of other NPC's on them (the ones he has so far are Reddy, Split, Gregoriah, and Poob).

~ He occasionally ties up a part of his hair to keep it out of his face.

~ He likes putting stickers on his face. Mostly stars and smiley faces.

~ Him and Gregoriah have matching bracelets. Gregoriah's is red, black, and cyan with yellow glittery star beads and "Gregor" in letter beads. Kennedy's is black, white, and purple with clear glittery star beads and "Kenne" in letter beads.

~ His design/character in general is based on one time I did a "make your weirdcore oc challenge" I found on tiktok.

~ He doesn't enjoy drinking without a straw as it gets his drink spilled on his shirt 9 times outta 10, so to hydrate while on the job, he will munch on straight up ice cubes for hydration. Yes, you heard me right. Straight up ice cubes.

~ Sometimes, he'll put pieces of fruit in the ice cubes to make it more enjoyable.

~ His favorite candies are Reese's and Jolly Ranchers (specifically the grape and blue raspberry).

[reasoningdaily]

Welcome to Black People’s Recipes!

Here you will find an assortment of Black cultural recipes for dinner, dessert, appetizers, side dishes, drinks, vegan meals, and more. Our recipes highlight the staple dishes found within African American, African, and Caribbean communities. We pride ourselves in sharing our family-favorite recipes that are prepared the right way and true to historical traditions.

Brandi Crawford is a cookbook author and the owner of Stay Snatched and Simple Seafood Recipes. She specializes in quick and easy meals for dinner along with Southern and soul food cuisine. Brandi loves to share recipes that are easy to follow that never compromise on taste. She grew up cooking alongside her mom and granny throughout her entire childhood and early years.

Brandi and Stay Snatched have been featured in Women’s Health Magazine, Shape Magazine, Parade Magazine, Essence Magazine, Country Living Magazine, Southern Living Magazine, BuzzFeed, Delish, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Spaces, Greatist, and more.

She is the author of The Super Easy Air Fryer Cookbook and has been featured on Good Morning America, where she shared tips on how to live a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable and tips on meal prepping.

Meet Jessica from Jessica in the Kitchen, a vegan food blog. Jessica is an award-winning photographer, videographer, and home chef! She has been cooking and blogging for the last 12 years and without a doubt, she LOVES cooking. She focuses on simple, approachable, and SEASONED vegan meals and will be sharing all of her favorites with you here.

Fun Fact: She is a born and raised Jamaican and also grew up in the British Virgin Islands (also in the Caribbean) and will be throwing her favorite cultural dishes into the mix, too. Her mixed Caribbean upbringing heavily influences her love of well seasoned, bright, and fresh dishes. On the baking side, she comes from a family of caterers and bakers. She can’t wait to share that side with you too, in her baked goods!

Tanya Harris is the founder and owner of My Forking Life, a food site where she focuses on sharing easy and flavorful recipes with a heavy focus on Caribbean and Southern cuisine. Tanya grew up in a Caribbean household and lived in various cities in the Southern United States.

Tanya’s obsession with cooking developed later in life when she wanted her growing family to experience all the delicious meals she ate growing up. Now Tanya shares this same experience with her loyal followers and fans. 

Fun Fact: Tanya is an avid cookbook collector and owns over 200 cookbooks! She likes to browse these books in her free time for inspiration on new recipes and ideas. 

Jocelyn Delk Adams is the founder, author, and national television personality behind the food website Grandbaby-Cakes.com which serves millions of readers per year.  On Grandbaby Cakes she gives her family’s, particularly her grandmother’s, cherished generational recipes her modern spin while preserving their original charm and spirit.

Jocelyn is a regular on the TODAY Show and Good Morning America, and has been featured as a judge on Food Network shows “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Santa’s Baking Blizzard” and Disney Channel and Disney Plus “Disney Magic Bake Off”, and in publications such as People Magazine, Food and Wine Magazine, Parents Magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, O (The Oprah) Magazine, Essence Magazine, Huffington Post, Bon Appetit, Southern Living Magazine, and many others. 

Shannon Epstein aka Fit Slow Cooker Queen is a home cook & recipe developer living in Los Angeles. Shannon is a gadget cook who specializes in slow cooker, Instant Pot, and air fryer recipes. 

Fun fact: Shannon moved 9 times before she graduated high school. 

Davinah from Dr. Davinah’s Eats is a former educator turned full-time foodie & entrepreneur. She came to blogging by accident after remaking comfort food recipes to fit a low-carb way of eating on Instagram. Her seared scallops and cauliflower rice risotto, crispy fried air fryer chicken without flour, and keto bang bang shrimp went viral and the blog became her way to store and share her recipes. 

Her main website focuses on everyday low-carb comfort food and air fryer recipes for foodies. Black People’s Recipes allows her to go back to where her love for food started – making traditional recipes with her mom and other women in her family. 

Besides being a foodie, Davinah is a trained data scientist, real estate investor, new mom, and wife. She loves organizing her life in excel sheets and solving random math problems.

Fun fact: feeling adventurous, she climbed the Coba Pyramid (137 feet) in Mexico, but was too scared to come back down. So, she scooted one step at a time back to the ground!

[marnievanhelsing]

A List of Assorted Fun Facts about my TLB OC, Leo Honda:

Blood Sucking Brady Bunch AU (vamp!Emersons plus vamp!Frog Brothers)

He's 17 (Halloween birthday!!!!)

He's double-jointed

Owned a '72 Brown Pinto named CJ that he bought himself before he had to abandon her

Possesses a meticulous map detailing the last sightings of 90% of the missing people in Santa Carla

The maps' accuracy concerns David enough that the Pack changes their hunting patterns

Btw Leo likes keeping records

Marko is trying to get him to stop keeping a notebook of the packs' escapades

David lets him do it as long as he keeps his journals in a safe place

Aroace king 👑

Numb as a brick to flirting attempts

Loves, loves, loves old movies

James Dean's biggest fan

Leo wears a red leather jacket that looks similar to Dean's in Rebel Without a Cause

When human, people called him an "Old Soul" (he had childhood trauma)

David's nickname for him is "Boy Scout" because Leo was the town good boy when they met

He still has a hard time making mischief

Guess who's Max’s favorite son (other than David, of course)

Works at the video store part time

Max let's him take home any tape he likes for helping

Leo picks older movies to the annoyance of Paul and Marko, but Dwayne and David don't mind

Really good at making mind illusions--can make a person see anything he wants

Big brother or teen mom, who knows?

Sam's favorite non-Emerson vampire

Think Steve and Dustin from Stranger Things-- that's their dynamic

Doesn't care for comic books, but indulges the Frogs on occasion

Favorite flavor of ice cream is German Chocolate

[dumb-teambucciarati-headcanons]

Their favorite candies (based on my personal opinion)

Giorno: loves fruity taffy and chewy candy that isn’t gummies. Doesn’t eat candy often but gives himself no limits when it’s his birthday.

Bruno: black licorice. He also likes those lollipops that have bugs in them.

Abbacchio: dark chocolate. Also dark chocolate covered fruit, like cherries or blueberries. He also likes sour candy

Mista: he likes pure sugar, like pixie sticks or fun dip. Also a big fan of skittles.

Narancia: gummies. He likes gummy bears, worms, frogs, sharks, etc. he likes to get an assortment of different kinds and make them talk to each other.

Fugo: he likes small hard candies that you can just suck on. Strawberry flavored is preferred. Also likes gum.

Trish: cotton candy is her favorite, and cotton candy flavored candies. Also enjoys milk chocolate

[wentzsmatchacup]

omg haii what flavor are the fall out men to you?? :P OH AND what flavor are the different fob albums?? and which one is ur favorite? ^_^

thank you so so much for asking!! :]

The flavors of people change based on who they are n stuff, so like, young Pete and now Pete have different flavors!

Blondie Pete (Pete now) is a citrus seltzer and a warm oatmeal cookie with dark chocolate chunks. Younger Pete is Cola, raspberries, and a hint of something bitter, but like a deep flavor; kind of like a chocolate but saltier; it’s something I can’t quite put my finger on. Patrick is like the Texas Roadhouse bread (shameful yeehaw from a Texas resident. If you’ve never had Texas Roadhouse, the bread is famously delicious and sweet and fluffy) with butter and a lavender tea. Andy is a sherbet with mint in it and a little metallic tang to it. Joe is a smokey steak, cherry juice, and carnival corndogs. Out of the boys, I’m torn between now-Pete and Joe for whose is my favorite. Pete’s reminds me of sunshine and warm spring and happy memories and just overall comfort and stuff, but Joe’s is strangely nostalgic.

As far as albums go, the different songs kinda taste different, but I can give an overall synopsis! :)

Take This to Your Grave tastes kinda like gunpowder, sweat, something lightly fragrant, like rain, bug juice (okay this sounds crazy but it’s this juice in a bottle from gas stations n stuff and it’s great, you should Google it lol), and a snickers bar. Despite those flavors sounding somewhat unpleasant, it’s oddly endearing and I love TTTYG! 6/10 flavor

From Under the Cork Tree tastes like bitter cherries, smarties, perfume, and wood. It’s probably one of the albums I have the least to say about flavor-wise, but it’s SO good and simple. This one has a more cohesive flavor pallet which makes it super pleasant to my senses. 9/10 flavor

Infinity On High tastes like dusty fabric, butter, summer rain, gummy bears, sawdust, and chicken noodle soup. Despite this being one of my favorite albums (behind Folie and SRAR) it has one of my least favorite flavor combinations. I can’t focus too hard on some of the tastes of the songs or it grosses me out, but MAN is it good to my ears. Very salty, very dingy. 4/10 flavor

Folie a Deux tastes like green tea, cleaning spray, cinnamon, honey, whiskey (only ever had it like once lmao), nachos, and dark chocolate. Don’t ask me why cleaning spray, that’s what “What a Catch, Donnie” tastes like to me :,) I LOVE YOU FOLIE!!! 7/10 flavor

Save Rock and Roll tastes like pop rocks, sand, milk, smoke, assorted fruit, wet dirt, something vaguely like nostalgic summers(?) (idk I can’t place it), beef, and sour patch kids. Weird combo, but it somehow works? It’s not quite unpleasant, but it’s not wholly enjoyable if that makes sense? Young volcanoes tastes good lol. 5/10 flavor

American Beauty/ American Psycho is one of my favorite tasting behind FUTCT. It tastes like sour punch straws, whoppers, apple juice, sweet tea, seawater, ballpark hotdogs, barbecue sauce, and blackberries. It tastes like going to a movie theatre and a cookout; it’s freakin delicious. There’s this overhang of hazy, deep flavor, while maintaining a sweet and tangy thing goin on. 9/10 flavor

MANIA tastes like dust, leather, cotton Candy, milkshake, wood, lemon seltzer water, vinegar, pistachios, and fruit snacks. It’s kinda like you dropped your food on the ground and ate it afterwards. I love MANIA, but why does it remind me of kindergarten daycare.. yuck… not a good taste, excluding Stay Frosty, Bishops Kinfe Trick, and Wilson. 2/10 flavor

I May update this post when So Much (for) Stardust is released, but as of right now, it tastes like licorice, pine, gunpowder, sprite, and cantaloupe! 5/10 flavor

I love the way that flavor connects me with things. These flavors also change from time to time, and I can’t ALWAYS taste it, but it’s kind of a neat party trick, eh? Once again, thank you so much for the question! This was really fun, and gave me a new appreciation for their music!! :)

final ranking (based on flavor)

FUTCT

AB/AP

Folie

TTTYG

SM(F)S

SRAR

IOH

MANIA

(this does not at all relate to my opinions on the albums themselves! I Can do a separate ranking for that some other time!)

overall, my favorite song (flavor wise) is probably XO, Young Volcanoes, The Kids Aren’t Alright, and Favorite Record! :)

(Edit: I’m sorry i forgot to include EOWYG and didn’t include any of their EP’s, but I would LOVE to if anyone would like to hear it!)

[fritesandfries]

Tanghulu (Fruit Sticks)

Thank you Karo® Syrup for sponsoring this post. Celebrate sweet moments together with Karo®!

You might be familiar with caramel or candied apples, but meet Tanghulu! This Northern Chinese treat is versatile for many different kinds of fruit. It’s traditionally made with a fruit called hawberry or hawthorn, which are like tiny apples. And similar to caramel apples, you get that sweet, sticky exterior except each bite is crunchy and it doesn’t stick to your teeth. I love the contrast of biting into Tanghulu with softer fruits like strawberries and grapes. Grapes are a particular favorite of mine because the sugar sticks to them so well. They end up looking like glass blueberries. The smooth texture of my Tanghulu recipe is made possible because of the sugar mixture it is dipped in. The key ingredient? Karo Syrup.

You might already know of Karo Syrup, because it is in so many classic American treats: marshmallows, fudges, caramels, pies, and scotcheroos...the list goes on. In a commercial kitchen, chefs often use it so they can produce all those treats at scale. I depend on its versatility to balance the sweetness and smoothen the textures of desserts. For this dessert, it allows the flavors of the fruit to shine through.

This recipe makes enough for about a pound of fruit -- I used a mix of cut apricots, oranges, grapes, berries, and kiwi. I highly encourage and recommend experimenting with Tanghulu using different kinds of fruits -- it’s such a fun dessert to make with older kids but it can be a visual showstopper for cocktails and other desserts.

Before we dive into the recipe, here are materials you’ll need:

Bamboo skewers: I used shorter 6-inch skewers. You can use longer ones for barbecue, but just add more fruit. Make sure that the stick is thick enough to withstand the weight of all the fruit.

Candy thermometer: there are ways around using a candy thermometer but this is an important and helpful tool for accuracy.

Saucepan: do not use non-stick pans since many of them are not built for high heat and candy making. (This is technically candy-making!)

Cold stone surface or ceramic bowls: You’ll need something to rest your dipped fruit. You also do not want to use materials with porous surfaces -- like wood -- that allows the Tanghulu to stick to it.

Now onto the recipe!

For 6 servings:

1 pound assorted prepared fruit, peeled and/or sliced

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup

3 tablespoons water

Using bamboo skewers, skewer all of your fruit, filling the skewer half way. Set aside. If you do not have a cold stone surface to work on, use bowls: Sprawl out enough bowls for your skewers, enough to place the skewers around the edge so they do not touch. You will need this to rest your dipped fruit on. I prefer bowls because I can lean the stick against the edge of the bowl without risking it sticking to a surface.

In a saucepan, add the sugar, Karo Syrup, and water together. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue boiling until the syrup reaches 300°F-310°F degrees on the candy thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you do not have a candy thermometer, the sugar mixture should turn hard when you dip some into cold water.

Turn off the heat and quickly, dip a skewer into the sugar mixture until it is coated. Rest it back onto your stone surface or against a bowl. Repeat. For softer fruits like orange segments, hold the skewer close to the surface of the hot sugar mixture and spoon on the mixture.

Let the sugar coating cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes, before enjoying it.

Find inspiration for your next cooking project from Karo® Foodservice.

[cairamelcoffee]

tagged by !! @poeti-kat !! ty for tagging :-)

❤️ last song you listened to?

just right by GOT7 i forgot how much i loved this song until i heard it at a kbbq place last year lol

🧡 ideal pizza toppings?

sausage, jalapenos, sometimes i'll add siracha if i'm feeling it mr. krabs

💛 dream vacation

being on my island for a couple of weeks with a select few cousins sounds fun !! i'm jealous i missed out on getting tattoos with my favorite cousin last summer :c but it be like that sometimes

💚 earth, air, fire, or water?

i'm a fire sign but i love water <3 omg kirby's a fire sign too

💙 cartoon you grew up on?

[banging fists on my desk] WINX CLUB AND THE POWERPUFF GIRLS !!!!

💜 favourite scent?

violets, cinnamon, my assorted lip balm flavors, a new sketchbook

tagging: @vakarians-babe @ltcmdrashleywilliams @alienturnip @buchimgay @lazzocravensworth @star--nymph @spindleweedssedss @enby-hawke no pressure!! and including anyone else who'd like to join <3

[halfdeadfriedrice]

2022 Books in Review!

Some half-dead fried reflections about how my annual 100 books challenge went! With recs (a few)! Behind a cut because it's self-indulgently wordy.

This year I read:

32 manga

7 non-manga comics and graphic novels

11 audiobooks

2ish short stories (i'm SORRY i was SHORT this year and also I wanted to track them)

Which makes it 49 novel (-length, I am also counting the single prose biography here, - 39) /novellas and assorted (12) /poetry books (2) /short story (collections mostly - 5)

Things rec'd to me: 4-ish things! (one of the manga series counts)

I tried: 23 new authors!

Which does mean that traditional(ish) novel-length scifi/fantasy edged tied with graphic formats, except a bunch of them were audiobooks, so the majority (on this slightly wonky pie chart) of pages in front of my eyes this year were illustrated! Honestly a lot of this year was spent video gaming, and also; I didn't find a lot of books I liked!

My favorite books of the year: A lot of my favorite stuff this year were sequels I'd been awaiting!

The Oleander Sword - Tasha Suri Sequel to "The Jasmine Throne," it's some pragmatic, powerful, incredibly devoted queer ladies doing coups, seizing power, murdering their brothers, etc. Middle book in series, maybe I knew a bit more about how this one would go than The Jasmine Throne, which was absolutely ruthless, but I loved where it went as a sequel and I long for the third.

Into the Riverlands - Nghi Vo Technically the third in a series (The Singing Hills Cycle) about a wandering priest who collects stories for an archive - all sorts of stories, everyone's stories - but it stands alone, and it has the martial story flavor that unfortunately all the shonen anime and wuxia stories have given me a preference for. I like knight-errants and wandering samurai and People Who Punch For the Good Of Others, what can I say.

Only a Monster - Vanessa Lem Recommended in the back of CS Pacat's Dark Rise, a book I wanted to like more than I did and am hopeful about its sequel, Vanessa Lem's "Only A Monster" (first in its series?) is DOING enemies to lovers it is DOING it dark and scary and fun. Time travel but it's killing people? Can you save the people you love, and at what cost to the world? 10/10 would thrill again.

Nona the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir Third in the Locked Tomb series; it's a puzzle box unfolding, and while I love Nona, who is a perfect baby, and am obsessed with the Cam/Pal/Pyrrha dynamic, and of course the prose is wonderful and funny and scary, I am chomping at the bit for Alecto. I think, much like Gideon, which needed Harrow for me to start recommending it to people, but probably remains my favorite book in the series, I await Nona's echo. But also genuinely one of my favorite reads this year.

Undercover and Princess Floralinda and the Forty Flight Tower by Tamysn Muir Floralinda's a reread but Undercover is new; without reservation (I mean, unless you don't like dark things and a bit of gore) I recommend Muir's novellas, which are queer and loving exercises in genre and funny as hell

Flyaway - Kathleen Jennings A fairy tale sort of story, but one set in and pulling from Australian mythos; small town drama and generations of families issues and questions about personhood and all the fun things you can do with a myth. The beginning is confined - push on.

The Golden Enclaves - Naomi Novik I slipped and fell and am currently reading a slightly-more-than-mediocre HP longfic and it is making me crave a Scholomance reread, which has definitely been marketed as an HP read-instead but like, lets its characters experience challenges and narrative threats (also, the Golden Enclaves is an INCREDIBLY satisfying ending for a series. talk about sticking the landing. waow. also also, has a pragmatic manipulative ice queen playing a major role. i have a type and it's clever people who can more accurately be called 'a huge bitch'.)

Gonna throw Sas Milledge's "Mamo" in here, because the art is incredible and the story is sweet.

Manga I read:

Full Metal Alchemist - I finished this early in the year (it was my push to finish my challenge last year) early this year - I hadn't ever read it, it was a treat to see what all the fuss was about. It's genuinely such a good series, with complex moral/ethical questions and good suspense and humor.

Dungeon Meshi - Read this on slow days in the office and also while I had covid! It's a cooking manga - a party of adventurers needs to rescue one of their dead party members, and the only way to stay strong enough in the dungeon (and, they're broke, so the only way they can afford to delve) is to start cooking and eating what they see! The story is like, fine. The recipes and the focus on fictional beast cooking is the real treat here. There's also a cat girl later, which always makes me happy.

xxxHolic Rei - I figured out how to set up a manga reader on a borrowed ipad and finally finished out the xxxHolic series with its semi-sequel, Rei. I loved Rei - I like reading CLAMP stories but one of their stock main characters usually get to turn from "harassed and shouty" to "cool and mysterious" during the like, last 3 volumes, and so some more time with Cool Watanuki - this makes me feel like a jerk surely there's a better way to phrase this; Watanuki missing the No Homo character trait - whatever, it was good to see him, and it was good to get some good retconning and pursuit of a happier ending. Also, beautiful. CLAMP is always beautiful.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles - inter-reads with xxxHolic, but the library didn't have all of them, so my initial reading of Holic mised a lot of references. This is good though, because Tsubasa is Incredibly Referential to all of CLAMP's other series, which by now I have at least a passing familiarity with. I just started this one, I'll see if I keep it up. I do feel like I'm finally in a place to appreciate it!

Boys Run The Riot - High schoolers trying to invent their own fashion brand - it's half fashion and half queer coming of age for our transman main character, as he makes friends and figures out how he can live in the world (and make his fashionable mark in it).

Also some yaoi, you know.

Books I will talk shit about (is this a real category? what are you doing. Look I don't finish a lot of books I don't like so there's definitely more in my "DNR" list but these I pressed through):

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires Strange and Stubborn Endurance Hands of the Emperor

[z-exo-l]

Onew Circle First Impressions

I don’t know the lyrics, but Circle has a lot of striking (and odd) imagery in the mv, and it’s not necessarily cohesive. It’s not bad per se, it’s just hard to understand when it’s all put together; at least for me. The shot that struck me the most though was the broken and bloody phone with the “I’m fine” text message on the screen. That one’s easy to understand, but it’s almost incongruous against the rest of the mv’s strange assortment. Plus the way Jinki sings it is curiously powerful. I’ll have to look up what it all means. The song itself is good though; r&b works surprisingly well with his voice on solo, and the choir in the chorus is a cool touch.

Cough I have to admit, the guitar refrain was too repetitive for me in the preview, but the song itself is quite nice. A good driving song for when you don’t have anywhere in particular to be.

Rain On Me. Very minimal instrumental, letting Jinki’s voice do all the work. And it’s surprisingly soft! Ooh…what is that kind of…stomping percussion? Oh the bridge!! I can imagine this during a concert drawing everyone to silence, just enraptured. So nice. 👍🏻

Caramel is starting out as another gentle toe tapper. The melody’s so curious too, particularly on the pre-chorus. Oop! I didn’t know this had a feature! I don’t know who it is but it’s not a bad contrast to the song. …………Is this man making those noises HIMSELF!? 😆 Ngl, this is a weird song! I’m not mad at it, but what an odd blend of different elements??

Anywhere has a neat start…feels pretty retro. Once again he’s going sof—oh…oh what a curious song! It’s kind of like Taeyeon’s Weekend. I’m into this, the synth is a really fun touch. And again, I’m intrigued by how high Jinki’s staying on this one. This is probably my favorite so far. It’s the most in line what kind of sound I’ve seen trending so far this year too.

Paradise. Oooh yes! Oh another retro dancer! This is straight up DISCO, DARLING! It’s giving Bee Gees, and a little Rod Stewart?? YEEES YOU CLIMB THAT HIGH NOTE! Wowww this was such a left turn from the rest of the album so far, and I’m into it.

Expectations. Hmmm…I’m reminded of the indie artists from the early 2010’s. This is going to sound mean, but I feel this song is a little…I guess safe? There’s nothing wrong with it really, I just don’t think it’s my flavor. It’s a shame because it feels like he’s flexing his vocals the most in this one. So far anyway.

No Parachute. We’re back to the acoustics. Ooh, kick up! Ohh okay, I get where we’re going. There’s a line in the chorus that has a VERY familiar melody, ohhh…what IS that song? Where he says Jump Jump Jump…oh no that’s gonna drive me crazy! It’s a cool song and even though it’s super short I did like it. …But damnit that’s distracting…

Walk With You. A rather dramatic start, but I’m digging the melody. Aww, this is sweet. It’s almost got a reggae-ish/island sound going on? It’s got a gentle, romantic vibe to it. Not bad. It’s kind of like In the Whale from his last album.

Always. The last track is surprisingly short, let’s see. Ohh the ballad! I certainly won’t say no to a ballad from him. Hm…for such a short song I didn’t expect an instrumental break. Awww there’s some more of that vocal skill I love. 😌 I really wonder what this one’s about as well, because it feels like something that’s lyrically significant.