#whats gaby cooking take it easy

[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: Gooey Triple-Chocolate Cookies (from What’s Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy by Gaby Dalkin)

If you’ve ever been torn between making cookies and brownies, this recipe is for you. The dense chocolate dough with semisweet chunks and extra chocolate chunks on top, plus a sprinkling of flaky salt, are the things of your cookie-brownie-mashup dreams. Dad, I made these for you. And I expect them stocked anytime we come visit!

Makes 14 cookies

2½ cups (350 g) all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled

½ cup (50 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup (225 g/2 sticks) plus

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup (150 g) plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 cup (220 g) packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups (12 ounces/340 g) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped, plus ½ cup (4 ounces/85 g)

more for topping

Flaky salt, for topping

In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.

In three additions, add the flour mixture, beating on low between each addition until no dry streaks remain.

Beat in the chopped chocolate. Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two sheet pans with parchment paper. Scoop and roll the dough into 2½-inch (6 cm) balls. Place on the prepared sheet pans, spacing at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Top each ball with a piece of the remaining chocolate chunks, pressing down slightly, then sprinkle with flaky salt.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and lightly bang the tray on the counter to deflate them slightly. Return to the oven and continue to bake until the cookies are set and the chocolate is very melty, 2 to 3 minutes longer.

NOTE: There are a couple different techniques you can use when measuring flour for making cookies. I’m a scoop-and-level kind of girl and highly recommend that you do it that way too but we put in the weighted measurement in grams to be the most PRECISE.

Bestselling author Gaby Dalkin is back with What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy, sharing 100 recipes that put ease, flavor, and adaptability first

In her new book, Gaby Dalkin returns with her signature approach: Enjoy your life by eating the food you love. But this time around, she also emphasizes a no-fuss attitude. What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy offers 100 new delicious and stress-free recipes, suited for any and all occasions.

Everything we cook right now—whether it’s for a potluck picnic with friends or a solo night in binge-watching reality TV—needs to be crazy simple, easily pulled together from those lasting pantry items, still shockingly delicious at room temperature, and not requiring that one random ingredient you drove 45 minutes to get and will never use again. We want food that tastes like it took hours to prepare but doesn’t actually require anything too exact. Give us the forgiving recipes: Out of shallots? Try an onion. The more fail-proof, the better. If this low-maintenance approach sounds like your kinda thing, Dalkin has got your back. With 100 easy ideas for dishes to serve wherever you go (or don't go!), make-ahead dressings and sauces for lazy last-minute dinners, and of course—give the people what they want!—big, crunchy, fresh salads and rich, chocolatey, you’re-in-sweatpants-anyway desserts, Take It Easy is Dalkin’s first book bringing her tasty, crowd-pleasing concepts to quicker, simpler meals.

For more information, click here.

[ruexoconnor]

[ Lindsey Morgan | she/her ] Another face is seeking safety in New Orleans. Make sure to welcome ISABELLA GARCIA to the home of the resilient. Rumor has it that they are an 31 year old HUMAN, who is one of the SURVIVORS but we’ll keep that a secret. They are said to be STUBBORN but that’s all a façade to cover up their FORGIVING nature. We’ve heard that they can be found listening to BAILA ESTA CUMBIA by SELENA, which sums them up pretty well. Let’s hope that they can find a way to survive this harsh new world. ( ooc tia, 27, gmt+2, she/her )

BASICS

FULL NAME: Isabella Marie Garcia

NICKNAME(S): Bella

BIRTHDAY: June 18th

AGE: 31

HOMETOWN: New Orleans

BIRTHPLACE: Mexico City

RELIGION: Raised Catholic, considers herself Catholic but doesn't practice

FAMILY

Gabriella "Gabi" Garcia (Sister)

Marie Garcia (Mother)

Emillio Garcia (Father)

Emillio "Mel" Garcia II (Brother - deceased)

Antonio "Toni" Garcia (Uncle - mother's side)

PERSONALITY

There is something about Bella and her personality that cannot be fully defined. It is almost as if she's a new person every day. Sometimes she's moody and unapproachable and ready to start a fight. And sometimes, she's the most chilled-out and relaxed person you could possibly run into that day. It all depends on the moon or the stars, perhaps, or what side of the bed she rolled out of. Either way, Bella is unpredictable in her mood swings, her caring, and her devotion to things.

She has a tendency to start things and then leave them unfinished. To make plans with genuine excitement to attend them and then cancel last minute in favour of staying home and watching TV. She is fully reliable, except sometimes she forgets things and sometimes she does them the wrong way. She can be argumentative, not because she's easy to rile up but purely for the joy of arguing. Bella is stubborn, too stubborn at times, and it is often the reason people take a step back from her company.

In spite of all this, she is a caring person. She can relate to people in a manner that makes them feel seen and understood and important. So no, Bella never had trouble making friends. Nor did she had trouble keeping them.

All in all, she's alright. Nothing special, nothing above or below ordinary. And she likes it that way. To be between the lines, and take every day as it comes.

HISTORY

Born in Mexico, moved at a young age, followed by two siblings, her childhood has been pretty cool. Or so she remembers. She refuses to acknowledge all the times she stayed up late caring for her siblings, the times she was late for school to make them breakfast, the times she skipped on going out with friends or studying for exams in favour of cleaning and cooking and essentially being a parent.

But the delusion of a happy childhood crashed one day as she was setting the table. She heard the frantic screams of her baby sister and she ran out into the cold to find the lifeless body of her brother and dragged him out of the river. There was no childhood left to save from then on. It floated away. It drowned.

From then on, Bella learned to live for herself. She raised her voice, stood her ground, left when she wanted and came back when she wanted. There were no rules in life left for her to respect or bend. Life was chaos, and all she could do was give into it and accept it.

Not much has changed over the years. She got richer, she got more experienced, but the void of living a life without a purpose never eased. In truth, she doesn't know what the point is.

So really, what is the point?

[moderndinnerparty]

California Cool Dinner Party

Wicker Chair//Purple Block Print Napkins//Wavy Dish Set//Salad Tongs//Blue Glasses//Artichoke Salt & Pepper Shakers//Pillar Candle Holder//Rattan Chargers//Floral Cocktail Napkins//Take It Easy Cookbook I’m a big fan of What’s Gaby Cooking and her big flavors and approachable recipes—and her lovable personality! This round up is inspired by her food, and the table I’d set for friends to serve it.

[suegreene]

[PDF Download] What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness - Gaby Dalkin

Download Or Read PDF What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness - Gaby Dalkin Free Full Pages Online With Audiobook.

  [*] Download PDF Here => What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness

[*] Read PDF Here => What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy: Recipes for Zero Stress Deliciousness

 New York Times Bestseller Bestselling author Gaby Dalkin is back with What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy, sharing 100 recipes that put ease, flavor, and adaptability first In her new book, Gaby Dalkin returns with her signature approach: Enjoy your life by eating the food you love. But this time around, she also emphasizes a no-fuss attitude. What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy offers 100 new delicious and stress-free recipes, suited for any and all occasions. Everything we cook right now?whether it?s for a potluck picnic with friends or a solo night in binge-watching reality TV?needs to be crazy simple, easily pulled together from those lasting pantry items, still shockingly delicious at room temperature, and not requiring that one random ingredient you drove 45 minutes to get and will never use again. We want food that tastes like it took hours to prepare but doesn?t actually require anything too exact. Give us the forgiving recipes: Out of shallots? Try an onion. The more fail-proof,

[ushisrever]

Bibingka (epilogue)

DAY 2: BIBINGKA 

Pair: Ushijima Wakatoshi x fm!reader 

Genre: Fluff 

Word Count: 1.3k

Summary: A little sweet Christmas season morning with you, Ushijima and your twin sons. 

A/n: I find this really sweet.  It’s ushi...and its with babies! LOL.  So...this is for the Baby Baby Collab I am hosting and also this is the day 2 of my maligayang pasko event.  

Taglist: @sunarent @sunarinnie @crystal-lilac @apricitobio @amarinthe @kenmakozumeswifey​ @moontxz 

PART 1 - EPILOGUE

Simbang Gabi - It is a devotional nine-day series of Masses practiced by Filipino Catholics and Aglipayans in the Philippines in anticipation of Christmas (people often wake up as early as 5 am to attend this mass)

Bibingka - It is a type of baked rice cake from the Philippines.  It is usually eaten for breakfast, especially during the Christmas season.  It is traditionally cooked in clay pots. ( Bibingka stalls are often open as well during Simbang Gabi.  Therefore, after Simbang Gabi, people often buy this treat)

As a usual tradition that you and Ushi follow, as early as five am you two wake up to complete the simbang gabi and eat Bibingka.  The little tradition is not anymore for the sake of simply completing the simbang gabi or eating Bibingka early in the morning.  After Ushi surprises you with a simple proposal at home when you two are eating bibingka, these early Christmas morning traditions are way more special.  It just always reminds you of the new beginning your now husband has given you.  

However, as of this coming Christmas, you can’t do that.  As much as Ushi understands the sentiment behind doing such, he cares more about your current state.  Knowing that you are pregnant with his daughter, he’d rather have you rest since it becomes difficult by the day to sleep.  Eight months into being pregnant is not an easy thing.  You understand Ushi’s reasoning and so you make sure to rest well to make sure you have a healthy baby.  

Though, you don’t mean too, but you can’t help but suddenly wake up at around late six in the morning because of the empty space beside you.

“Toshi?”You mumble as you look over your shoulder and find it actually empty.  At that, you push yourself up from the bed and stand up.  You take a deep breath and feel the heavy weight of your pregnant belly. 

“Getting heavier by the day, sweetie?” you smiled referring to your unborn child.  

You go to the bathroom before you head down to the ground floor where you suspect your husband will be.  As you go down to the first floor of your shared home, you first see the tall Christmas tree you and your husband managed to glamour up.  Then as you turn to the kitchen, you find your twin boys, Naoki and Nori, sitting on the high chairs and the kitchen counter is all a mess of cream, plates, banana leaf, and a brown paper bag. 

“Why are the two of you awake this early?” you cross your arms as your two boys look up in surprise as they see you.

“Mama! You’re awake!” Naoki said.  Your husband then appears from the kitchen and turns to see you. 

“Sorry sweetie, did we wake you?” Toshi comes over to you and gives you a kiss on the forehead and puts a hand on your belly. 

“No.  Not really….but…” you look at your boys. “What are the boys doing up early?” 

You walk over to your twin boys, but before you could even get a closer look your two sons protest. “WAIT! No! Don’t look yet, mama! It should be a surprise,” Naoki tries to hide the surprise.

“Don’t tell mama that! It’s not a surprise anymore,” Nori loudly whispers at Naoki.

You can’t help but laugh.  Though, considering the small banana leaves, you then figure someone bought some bibingkas.  You turn to your husband waiting for him to explain it to you.  Toshi smiles and leans by your ear. 

“They had me buy the bibingkas early in the morning,” he whispered. 

“Papa, don’t tell mama!”  Nori protests.

You nod and immediately understand what it is.  You turn to your boys. 

“Don’t worry, he didn’t say anything.  Papa just wants me to go rest more,” you said.  Toshi chuckles.

“I’ll go back upstairs to rest some more.  You boys better not stand on the chair, alright?” you say before you turn to head up.  Though, before you even walk you notice your shih tzu and king charles spaniel with a little cream or whip cream on their noses and head.  Your husband notices where you are looking and gives a nervous smile. 

“I..um…sorry about that.  We accidentally dropped one of the whip cream cans on them.  I’ll clean them up, I promise,” he gives you a kiss on the lips once more. 

“Alright,” you smile against his lips before you pull away and walk back up to your room.  

You can’t go back to sleep anymore knowing that your little four year old boys have something in store for you.  So, you just end up listening to some music as you have your back on the bed’s headboard.  You have your hand on your belly and try to wait for your baby to kick. 

“No kicks for mama today?” you chuckled. 

It took about a few more minutes before the door opened with your husband entering first with a breakfast table in his hand followed by your twins with a plate with bibingka on their hands.  

“Oh my…what’s this?” you smiled.  Your husband puts the breakfast table over your lap.  

“A present for you, mama,” Naoki cheekily said and gave you a plate of bibingka with a cute cream lettering that says ‘we love you mama’.  You can’t help but be touched by the words.  Probably feeling a little teary at this sudden surprise. 

You look over to Nori who is carrying another plate of bibingka. “And who’s this other one for?” you smiled. 

“It’s for our baby sister!” Nori puts the plate on the breakfast table.  You then get to see the writings on ‘we love baby sister’.  Reading those words, you eventually just burst into happy tears.  You immediately wipe away the tears, but your twins sure suddenly became worried. 

“Mama, why are you crying?” Nori climbs up the bed and immediately hugs you. 

“Mommy just really loved the gifts.  Thank you, baby,” you kiss Nori’s forehead.  Naoki climbs up to also get a kiss from you.  You kiss him on the forehead as well. 

You then look at your husband who is smiling at the image he so has wanted the moment you said yes to his proposal three years ago.  You mirror his expression too.  He takes that as a queue to lean over and kiss you on the lips, but your twins push his face away. 

“Ew…nooo! Don’t kiss mama,” Naoki said. 

Toshi pouts at that and looks at you as if waiting for you to rescue him from the protective twins.  You mumbled a ‘later’ to your husband and chuckled at your husband’s pout.  

You and your sons ended up eating the bibingka.  After that, your sons went out of the room to go play with the dogs which then you ended up being finally alone with your husband.  

“We still have to make them some breakfast,” you tell your husband.  Toshi takes the breakfast table and puts it aside for a while.  He doesn’t answer at all and simply scoots beside you and engulfs you in a hug. 

“Anything wrong, Toshi?” You mumbled against his chest. 

“Not really. Just making the most of this alone time.  Those boys are really taking you away from me,” he chuckles. 

You pull away and you look at him.  You did not leave a second and cup his cheeks to pull in for a kiss.  It’s not just a simple kiss, but those kisses you two always love.  The more passionate ones.  A deep kiss that pulls that warmth in each other’s hearts.  

It takes a while before you two pull away from each other.  A smile creeps on your face. 

“Don’t take it against them, sweetie.  Besides…they also have a gift they worked hard for,” you give a kiss at the tip of his nose. 

His eyes lit up. “A gift?” 

“I can’t tell what it is.  You’ll have to wait till Christmas,” 

He smiles and nods.  He then looks down on your belly and puts a hand on your belly. 

“Hello, princess,” Toshi says.  Immediately at that, he feels a kick against his hand.  You both look at each other in surprise. 

“Oh my, it seems someone misses papa,” you chuckled. 

He chuckles. “I can’t wait to meet you, princess,”  

MALIGAYANG PASKO MASTERLIST 

[fanmoose12]

Sorry if angsty prompt hehe

Levi's last letter to Hange after death?

🙏🙏🙏

"I've heard... that it helps people, you know, makes it easier to deal with the loss," Onyankopon shifts his weight from one foot to another, clearly uncomfortable with the topic at hand, but at the same earnestly trying to help him.

Levi appreaciates it, Levi appreciates Onyankopon, Gabi and Falco, even if he shows it only on rare occasions. But it was always a fault of his, a fault that only person didn't care about, person who is now... gone.

Levi doesn't believe that something as trivial as writing a letter would help him get over Hange's death. He doesn't believe that anything in the world would help him to move on from this loss. And how can he move on? When Hange was the one who took his heart.

"If it doesn't help," Onyankopon continues, putting writing utensils on the desk before him. "Maybe, it can ease the pain a little. Some people say that writing to their lost loved ones makes them feel like they're actually alive."

That's what convinces Levi to do it. He knows Hange is dead, knows that dead can't come back, but he's an old, grieving man. If writing some letter can make him feel like Hange is actually there with him, he'll write a thousand letters, until his fingers go numb.

Besides, it's not like he has anything better to do, right?

"I'll do it," he tells Onyankopon and rolls closer to the desk, taking a quill in his hand. Writing using his left hand is not as easy, his handwriting is not as neat, but for Hange, he'll do his best.

He waits until Onyankopon leaves the room, before writing the first words.

Dear Hange,

Instantly, he crosses it out. It's too formal, too impersonal, too... normal for the two of them. He crumbles that paper and takes another one. There he writes,

Shitty four-eyes,

There, so much better.

He stops after that, not knowing what to write next. What should he write about? About his everyday life? A lot has happened after Hange died. But all of these events don't seem all that significant to him. Will Hange be of the same opinion?

Hange is dead, he reminds himself. Dead can't have opinions.

Then what should the letter be about? Should he write how much he misses Hange? How most of the nights he wakes up in cold sweat, reliving that fateful day over and over?

Dead don't have feelings, but still, Levi doesn't want to write about that. Even if he knows that Hange won't be able to read his letter, he doesn't want to write about his troubles, about his grief and pain.

What is left then? If he can't write about his feelings and can't write about his routine, then...

Oh. It finally dawns on him.

He can always complain. Hange liked listening to it, after all.

Levi grips the quill tighter and aims the point of it on the paper.

You probably wouldn't believe it, but I'm stuck with children again. I don't know if you remember Gabi, but Falco says he remembers you. They're loud, these brats. And they're in love with each other and watching the two of them awkwardly dance around each other is excruciating. Perhaps, that's my punishment for all the things I've done - I have to be around hormonal teenagers until the day I die. Not the worst fate I've imagined for myself.

But even with two brats that visit my apartment at all times of day, the house is still so fucking quiet. The kids don't yell random curses, they don't sing in the mornings, don't hum while cooking, don't laugh like they've lost their minds, don't pester me with annoying "Levi, Levi, look what I've found", don't taunt me until I snap.

They're nice, these kids. I suppose. But they can't replace you.

The first tear rolls down his nose and onto the paper, staining it, but Levi doesn't stop. He doesn't even notice that he's crying, too focused on the letter and the thoughts in his head.

You would laugh at me, four-eyes, you always liked doing that, but sometimes I forget that you're not with me. I can't understand the reason for it - perhaps, I'm already going crazy, or, perhaps, you've been annoying me for so long that now I simply can't get you out of my head, but there are times when Gabi says something stupid and idealistic, I turn my head to the right, a joke already on my lips. And sometimes, when Falco does something ridiculous, I subconsciously search for your eyes, so I could exchange an amused look with you. I realize what I'm doing only a moment later.

It's annoying, you know? I can't get away from you even after your death. You're not here anymore, but I guess... I guess you're still in my heart.

I don't know when you will leave it, honestly, I don't think you ever will.

But that's exactly what I meant, didn't I? When I told you to devote your heart. You devoted your heart to the bright future, to the survival of humatiny. And I devoted my heart to you.

You're dead, but my heart is still beating, although sometimes it feels like every heartbeat brings me only more pain. I wonder when will this pain end? Will it end at all? Will it end when I see you again? When our hearts reunite and start beating in unison once again?

If so, I hope you're waiting for me, Hange. Personally, I can't wait to see you again.

His letters came out uneven, the paper was wet with tears, and the deep longing inside, the constant heartache don't disappear, but... Levi feels lighter. Levi feels like... he has talked with a friend, like he has talked with Hange.

Onyankopon was right, it seems. Perhaps, he should thank him.

Levi puts the quill down, setting it neatly aside. He wants to leave the desk, but as his eye swipes over the letter, it feels incomplete.

He grabs the quill again and writes down a few more words. He looks over the letter again, squinting as he rereads it. Now, it is finished. Now, he is satisfied.

Say hi to everyone for me.

Forever yours,

Short clean freak.

[gabiloove]

cottage tea!au headcanons ; The reform of Gabi and Kaya’s friendship 💞

- Kaya lived with the Braus family in the country plains. It was an area separated by acres of land belonging to differing people. So, you could see the homes of your neighbors, but only in the far distant.

- Besides the occasional human life, the only outside interaction they had was the wild bunnies and deers that roamed their land, searching for food and water.

- The area is not too far from Gabi, but long enough for a one or so hour drive. Kaya, unlike Gabi who lived in the city, wished to continue her dreams of the wild. And while her home was the plains, it still resided near a forest. One that Kaya’s home was the closest to.

- Being miles away, contact between Gabi and Kaya was practically non-existent. But it wasn’t just the distance that stopped them, it was their past as well. Yes, the two had learned to forgive each other, but life is never that easy. Even with forgiveness, Kaya was still pained by Sasha’s death and Gabi continued to be held by guilt.. Neither person could truly face the other.

- That was until late summer, of course. After continuous pushes by Levi and Reiner, Gabi finally gained the courage to contact Kaya…A letter through the mail. In it, Gabi recounted moments of her life. Her small adventures from working at the tea shop to Levi and her school. Near the end, Gabi states that she hopes Kaya and the Brauses are fairing well. She hoped Kaya is happy.

- A few weeks passed, and Gabi started to assume she wouldn’t receive a reply. But after a few more days, Gabi was surprised by a small letter slipped under their door… Kaya replied.

- Over time, the two began sending each other letters. This communication started slow at first, but slowly built up as their bond grew. Through the letters, Kaya and Gabi would vent about their adventures, troubles, interests and such. They often talked about their neighborhoods as well, coming from differing backgrounds (city and country)

- After a few months, the two finally decided to meet up. Kaya chose to travel to the city rather than Gabi visit her in the country. Gabi was excited to see Kaya, but was equally nervous. She ruminated on what she would say, what she would do.. how she would look Kaya in the eyes.

- Then, their reunion finally came. It was moment of sighs and awkward silence. Eventually, Gabi broke the silence and apologized. She apologized for hurting Kaya, the Braus, and everything she caused through Sasha. Kaya sighed.

- “Forgive, but don’t forget,” She finally spoke. And thus, the two’s emotions formed into smiles as they slowly learned to truly forgive each other.

- Over the months, their letters and visits increased. Some weeks, Gabi would visit the Braus. She would assist them with chores and explore the forest with Kaya. Other weeks, the two met up in the city, often chatting at the tea shop or in Gabi’s room.

- One thing Gabi loved doing when Kaya visited the city was sharing her excitement. She would take Kaya to festivals, newly made parks, and restaurants filled with foreign food. She loved coming across new discoveries, and with sparkling eyes, wished to share that experience with Kaya.

- Another thing they did was teach each other skills. One of these was cooking. Kaya dreamed of learning to cook, and so of course, Gabi offered to help. Neither of them knew a lot about cooking... But, Gabi had helped Levi bake and Kaya had seen her father cook.. so it can’t be that hard, right? No. The two idiots almost burned down the house, and would of, if it wasn’t for Levi.

- Afterwards, they were forced by Levi to clean the kitchen and tea shop as punishment. Oh boy…

💕 ~

[aphrodite-would-be-proud]

Your Reiner + The Kids content keeps popping up on my page and I just think it's so cute! Could you write a little something for a sick day with the kids? Whether it be you being sick and Reiner and the Kids taking care of you, or the kids get sick at school and you and Reiner take care of them? 🙏

Of course! I'd love to, especially since you asked so nicely💛 The two scenarios you mentioned seemed really fun so I decide to do them both.

You're sick and Reiner takes care of you but his cousins get sick too.

{ Reiner x reader | tw:vomiting, tw: sickness | fluff, comfort | modern }

{ "The Quiet Hour" 1913 by Albert Chevallier Tayler 1862-1925 }

When the kiddos get sick

It was around noon when Reiner got a call from his cousins' school mentioning Gabi. Having listed himself as her emergency number, Reiner wasted no time in leaving work to go pick her up.

She was waiting at the nurse's office when he arrived, face looking paler than usual and lacking her usual energy, she seemed tired and looked like she just ran a marathon. Reiner felt his heart drop.

To her side, was Falco looking just as worried while attempting to comfort her but not knowing how. When he sees Reiner, he looks at him in desperation as a plea to help.

And that's the story Reiner told you when you came back home that day to him making chicken soup. Gabi on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her and a box of tissue to her left.

To her right, Falco was coaxing her into finishing the glass of juice that Reiner made, saying how important fluids are.

You took her temperature, thankfully it wasn't so high. Before going out to the pharmacy to get some medication, you could see how hard she's trying to push through the sickness and act like it's not there.

Moving Gabi to the bed instead was easier than usual, she still attempted to fight Reiner, insisting she's fine but soon enough ran out of energy.

You and Falco stayed by her side and spoon fed her some chicken soup and other healthy stuff, convincing her eat the vegetables was the hardest. Meanwhile Reiner went to her house to pick up some stuff, she'd be staying with you since her parents were away for the week and he had a spare key.

After school hours, it was only Zofia who showed up with Zeke and Pieck. Apparently Udo's mom caught wind of Gabi's sickness and didn't allow him to go.

Pieck brought enough stuff to distract Gabi and spoil her with snacks, while Zeke took her temperature and symptoms again. Having some experience in the medical field himself, everyone calmed down when he reassured them it's just a fever.

The rest of the day flew by with you all surrounding Gabi, taking her mind off of the sickness and just generally being there for her and showing her how cared about she is.

Around night-time, after Zeke and Pieck took advantage of Reiner's willingness to cook. They decided to head back, taking Zofia with them to drop her off after she promised to bring all missing assignments to Gabi, you don't know if it was a promise or a threat judging by Gabi's reaction.

Colt showed up around midnight, having just finished his shift at work. He too checked on Gabi before saying goodbye and taking Falco with him, who promised he'd visit everyday, you and Reiner knew it's a promise he'll keep.

Letting Gabi have the bed, you and Reiner crashed on the couch, him laying down with you on top of him. You took turns checking on Gabi in the middle of the night.

The rest of the week while she recovered flew by quickly. Falco keeping his promise and showing up everyday, Zofia bringing her all the homework and convincing the teachers to go easy on her since she's sick, Udo video calling her from home to do help her do her homework, definitely not giving her the answers.

Other people dropped by on different days, Bertolt and Annie showing up. Porco "stopping by" every two days, sometimes with Pieck.

Even when her symptoms disappeared and she seemed to get better, Reiner insisted that she still needs a couple days to recover and Zeke backed him up on that.

You were her last hope, knowing you can sway Reiner too, so Gabi attempted her puppy eyes on you but as much as your back was hurting from sharing the couch with Reiner, you said no. She still needs rest.

A Gabi who didn't go outside for a week is a really grumpy Gabi, but you and Reiner had to manage.

When she finally got better, she spent the whole day outside running around and climbing trees, she was going wild with the biggest smile on her face. The other three attempting to keep up with her

Everything was going really well...too well.

It wasn't until you saw Falco sneezed that a feeling of dread settled in you.

The next day, you had 3 missed calls. Two from Udo's mom, one from Zofia's and a text from Colt.

Oh.

When you get sick

At first you thought it was just one of those days where getting out of bed seemed impossible. Just moving your arm to get up was too exhausting, the weather around you switching between being cold and hot every couple seconds.

Just opening your eyes was too much, you called out for Reiner but your voice was too quiet and sore. Attempting to rise it resulted in a coughing fit.

Well Ironicly it did the job, it was loud enough that he heard you from the other room and came in with some water. He seemed really worried and his hand supported your back so you could sit up, he took your temperature.

You were burning up, his hold tightened on you before telling you to rest, it's okay he won't leave your side.

And he was true to his words, he took a couple days off work and stayed by your side. Giving you food he made, making you something warm to drink for your throat, hugging you close to his chest when everything was hurting too much.

You didn't have to move a finger, he'd literally go make you something to eat at 3am if you felt like it. He'd sit behind you on the bed while helping you eat.

The next day when his cousins visited, Reiner explained to them that you're sick and can't get up, also that your room is off limits to them from now on.

Well, the second he walked out the door to go buy some more meds and tissus, it was Gabi who literally ran to your room slamming the door open.

And that's how Reiner came back to four children cuddling you in bed, Gabi telling you stories about her adventures, Falco getting you water, Udo making sure you have enough blanket and pillows and lastly Zofia digging all the snacks from the cupboards and bringing them to you.

He thought about scolding them, but seeing how happy you looked as they told you about how Zofia managed to get the class out of taking a test by tricking the math teacher into talk about her recent trip overseas, made him just smile instead.

But he still made them all wear masks and wash their hands properly.

You spend most of the days asleep, not aware of the visitors that came and went. Occasionally waking up at 2am to find Reiner sleeping in a chair next to the bed, a glass of water nearby.

While reaching for the glass, you noticed a badly made origami letter being held together by stickers, signed by his cousins to you.

It was a letter the four of them made, for you to get well soon. You could distinguish who wrote what by the different handwritings, Udo's being in Cursive.

And somehow that helped make you feel better more than any ibuprofen could. It even had more stickers for you to use in the inside of it, something pharmaceutique companies should look into copying

When the weather is warm enough, Reiner would take you out to the park or garden to get some fresh air. Making sure you wear a mask and wear something comfortable and warm, his cousins would play while you too sit on the bench, his arm wrapped around you protectively.

Gabi and Udo would bring you all the cool rocks they find, hoping their coolness will cure you. While Falco and Zofia brought you the really pretty flowers with nice smells.

Reiner had your hand in his lap, holding it close and rubbing his thumb over it. Occasionally asking if you're alright or need something.

[caesthetix]

KIDS IN LOVE — Pt. 1 No Beauty In War

↪Porco Galliard mini-series

↪content; major character death, canon universe, description of violence, unrequited love, admiring from afar, season 4 spoiler, manga spoiler 119

War was cruel and he tried to push you away from it.

Everything used to be so easy before. When your routine was just sending cookies and cupcakes to the Galliards, when your concern was just the blush on Porco's face when Pieck was around, when what you knew was that the Island of Paradis filled with demons.

How beautiful the world was before, for you to have such a mundane life.

You wished you could go back to that time.

"Hey, Pock."

He groaned once the nickname slipped from your lips, making you chuckle in the process with how easy it was to make him agitated. And for that, you really needed to thank Pieck later. "Pock, Pock~ Why don't you look at me~?"

"Seriously, you are such a kid." He grumbled, irritated with how you were just here only to annoy him. Your feet dangling on the tree stump where you sat on. "Why don't you go home? Just drop your cookies to my mom instead of being here doing nothing."

"Well, I am a kid!" You exclaimed. "And what's wrong with being here? I want to hang out for a while." With you, but you bite your tongue to hold that thought from reaching the surface.

The blonde just shrugged and continued his chore, chopping down some of the wood into halves. He was always groaning so loud as he did so, as if he put all of his energy into that. You knew better though, he was more than capable of cutting down a few kinds of wood with a meagre strength.

And knowing that he had changed into a colder person since Marcel embarked on the mission in Paradis, you needed to be extra careful with him.

"Hey, Porco." You called out once again, fingers fiddling with the bag of cookies in your hand.

"What?" He answered nonetheless, despite the annoyance that was dripping in his tone.

You pondered if it was the right thing to ask. But you have made up your mind, the thought had been haunting you for perhaps months now, making you restless at the point it was hard for you to sleep. So you couldn't back down, you need to know of a way.

"Who usually is needed in a war except, well, warriors?"

He stopped his axe midair as the question slipped from your lips, putting it down slowly before giving his full attention to you. You flinched, trying to act as calm as ever under his wandering gaze. His lips shaped into a thin line, eyes scrutinizing your face.

"There are medics, of course." He stated, though somehow he sounded careful as he shared the information. "Doctors, nurses, we all need any kind of help within that field. Then there was a researcher, professor, you know — geniuses."

You nodded, pondering if you could be in one of the fields. Perhaps nurses, yes, you just needed to know all the basics, working alongside doctors. But you didn't know if you could start to be a dependable nurse at the same time Porco would go on a mission.

"And chef."

Your eyes immediately lit up at his last statement. "Warriors and others need food too." Good. Cooking was something that you could do. You even knew that Porco loved some of the cuisines that you made, from how he always asked for a second when the Galliard had dinner at your house.

Deep in thought, you didn't see how his eyes filled with horror at the realisation.

"Then, what can I do to be enlisted in a war?" You looked up, now with confidence in your voice.

"Huh?"

"Tell me, Porco. You must know information like this, right?" You slightly begged, softening your eyes to push down the eagerness on your gesture. "I want to join you, to be there beside you when we win and for us to get our freedom." You rambled on, but your friend just stayed put in his place without saying anything. "Porco—"

"You think war is a game for you?" His voice was low, making your pupils dilated at the bitterness in it. "War needs someone braver, not just someone with a mindless dream like you." You didn't know what was in his head right now, but this side of him scared you.

Porco took a few steps forward, now just inches away from where you sat. His eyes glowering down at you with disgust, you couldn't help but let out a small whimper. "You think your burnt cookies and mediocre food could please the higher-ups? You think a weak kid like you could survive more than an hour on the battlefield?"

"I am not weak." You answered as stern as possible, ignoring the crack in your voice as you challenged his gaze. His eyes twitched at your reply before seething in anger at your words.

As if something snapped within him, he grabbed your wrist and raised it abruptly, so fast that you couldn't hold your grasp on the bag of cookies. You gasped as the crumbs scattered on the ground, but you couldn't move to save it as his hand tightened. "Porco, let me go—"

"See? You are weak." It felt so brutal at the reminder. "I am here gripping your wrist with a little force and you are already cowering like a kid." He smirked, but it was not the same smirk that he usually had when he teased you. "Oh, yeah, you are a kid." He wrecked you, slapping the fact on your face. "And a kid like you will die in a war."

He gritted out every word with mockery. You knew that being a part of the war meant that you had to be more assertive, braver. But wouldn't everyone work together to win the war? If one of the warriors was in need of assistance, wouldn't they help each other?

But Porco being Porco, he knew what clouded your mind. "Never think that someone would save you. Not even me. You know why?" His face grew closer at the point you could feel his hot breath on your face, making you suck your breath. "Because you are not worth saving."

You kicked him with all of your might, turning your face in another direction as you jumped down from the tree stump and ran. You didn't want him to see the tears threatening to fall, you didn't want to give him the satisfaction that his words impacted you deeply that you knew it would leave a scar on your heart.

"You go, kid! Run!" You heard him shout. "Do the only thing that a kid could do! Run!"

Yes, you were running away from him. But as you run, you balled your hand into a fist.

You promised that someday you were going to prove to him that you were not just a useless kid.

War was an endless nightmare, and how everything turned out in front of you became a reminder of what it was capable to do.

You heard the scream, a familiar scream that threatens to tear your eardrums. It was Zeke, that howl belonged to the beast titan. And just like that, you could see all the glows around you. One, two, no, you couldn't count how many of the Eldians in Paradis rapidly turned into titans. The city lit up with almost everyone becoming a monster inside their blood.

As you lay low on the tall building, you wiped your eyes from the dust and dirt, wanting to see more clearly of the condition in the battlefield below you. You gasped when you saw two familiar light blondes that belonged to the Grice brothers.

He glowed, Falco's body covered with a yellowish light. That was when you realised what was going to happen. The boy might have ingested Zeke's spinal fluid, and from the range he stood right now, the power inside him would be activated.

That little kid had so much in his future, and you wondered if he ever told Gabi about his feelings. And now, he was going to be a titan.

But your eyes watered even more when you saw as Colt stayed still, he was there hugging his little brother, not caring anymore that it would kill him in the process.

"Colt—"

You cracked your neck to the left and right, stretching your limbs as you let the tiredness start to sink in. Today, you were helping Niccolo to feed the Eldians warriors, saying that it would be a good time too to get to know some of the warriors who fought for Marley.

Ever since you received the invitation from Commander Magath, you had been working nonstop. He praised your skills in knowing nutrition and your capability of making a personal menu for each warrior, informing you that you would be a good addition to the military.

There was no time to slack off, you sharpened your mind and tried a lot of new recipes that could please the warriors while sticking to their diet.

"Hey, you can go there, you know? Some of them asked to meet the new chef behind their, let me quote, magnificent food." You snorted as Niccolo cleaned his hands with the towel. "Take off your apron and flaunt! You are only young once."

"You are young too, remember that?" You chuckled at his remark. For a pure Marleyan, you were surprised that he didn't look down at you. He respected your skills, not caring that you were an Eldian, and treated you like you were family most of the time. "But okay, I will take your advice."

Cleaning your hand and taking off your apron, you looked at the small mirror in the kitchen to make sure that you look proper. You heard a chuckle from your friend, somehow knowing that you were always a worrywart when it came to how people looked at you.

"You look fine, just go on, they are begging to meet you."

"Alright, alright you impatient old man."

You ignored the surprised gasp from him and went outside to the room where he assigned the warriors to. To say that you were nervous would be an understatement, you were afraid that you would flinch or ended up being too timid.

No, you were not a kid anymore. A few intimidating warriors wouldn't make you crumble.

You heard a loud chatter as you stood in front of the door. It was wrong to eavesdrop, but when you heard someone mention how good your cook was, your heart swelled with appreciation. Alright, that was enough, it would be better if you announced yourself.

Knock knock knock.

You heard a shout telling you to come in, and you didn't waste your time over it. The second you came in and closed the door behind you, you straightened your posture and gave them a small bow.

"See? Now you owe me another meal here."

"It's a young woman, I did not expect that."

"Wait, (Y/n)?"

In between all of the noises from the men, who apparently made a bet about how the chef would look, you heard a feminine voice coming from one of the chairs. Your eyes fleeting towards their direction, finding a woman with slightly dishevelled black hair and relaxed eyes.

"Huh?" You blinked, recognition dawned upon you. Then your eyes widened. "Pieck?"

Your hands were sweating as you tried to lock your gaze on her. She blinked as she saw the distress in your eyes, yet you kept staring at her. If she was here, then that would mean one thing.

Porco was here too.

Well, that explained the feeling of someone glaring a hole in your skull.

"Pieck, you know her?" Someone spoke up, it was the same man whose voice you recognised praising your food before. Before she could answer, he walked toward you with a giddy step, a soft smile plastered on his face as he extended your hand for you to shake. "Name's Colt, Colt Grice."

His presence brought you back to reality. You were here to impress them, a ghost from the past could be taken care of later. Shaking his hand, you gave him a polite smile as you looked at him with your warm gaze. You tried not to think too much about the blush on his face at the moment.

You still could feel someone drilling holes in your direction. The man in front of you seemed not to notice. Colt was saying a lot of things to you. He ignored some groan in the background about how he was taking all of your attention, he continued praising your food and how everyone didn't expect to see a beautiful young woman to be the one behind their marvellous food today.

"I thank Commander Magath for assigning you to the military branch."

Someone stood up abruptly from their chair, making you flinch a little before composing yourself in a second. Both you and Colt, interrupted from the light conversation from before, now focused on the commotion behind you. There you saw a man with his gaze darkened, hands gripping tight on the side of the table. His friends were worried about his drastic gesture.

"Hey, Porco, are you alright?"

But his flaming eyes never left your face.

The aftermath of the titans' transformation was hell. All of the warriors were scrambling around to save themselves, only resulting in a delayed death. Their end was impending, and yet they were all wriggling and running, fighting for their own life.

Your gaze was still fixated on the spot where the brothers stood before. It was as if there were hundreds of bombs that detonated at the same time and now your vision filled with dust and rubble, blinding you from what was happening.

You whimpered as dried tears stained your cheek. For the past few hours, you have cried so much as you saw the cruelty of war. But Colt, oh, Colt — a man who was too good for this world, someone who cared deeply for his brother, someone who always hyped you up even when your old friend seemed to try to kick you out from the military.

War was evil, that was what Porco always tried to say to you. And yet here you were, in the middle of it all, watching how your race tried to kill each other. Watching; how your comrades died one by one in the most gruesome way.

No, there was still Porco. You still had Porco, Pieck, and Reiner. You couldn't see where the jaw titan was before, unlike the others. The last time you saw him was when he worked side by side with Reiner before all the debris concealed your vision from the event under you.

But as your vision finally cleared, you felt like someone just shot you through your chest.

"No. No."

A titan tried to eat Reiner. His jaw was fixated on the Armored Titan's nape. Somehow the titan looked familiar, and your eyes widened when you connected the missing puzzle.

It was Falco, and you didn't dare to look around, feeling sure that Colt was gone for certain from how close he was with his brother when he transformed.

Searching through the battlefield, you squint your eyes, trying to understand what was happening right now. Then you saw it, the jaw titan. Porco's titan. Laying idly on the ground not too far from Reiner.

Then just like that, you were reminded of how cruel war could be.

Falco's titan retracted his jaw from Reiner's nape. His long neck whipped to the side, murderous eyes locked to a new prey that was out in the open. A human flesh, without anything concealing them.

It was him, Porco, your old friend, the one who never wanted you to be here in the first place. Half of his face was gone from the impact that he took as a titan. You couldn't hear what he said as he walked to where Falco and Reiner were.

Everything happened so fast after that, yet you could catch every detail of how it took place.

You watched as he just accepted his fate, the pace that he chose was slow, though certain as he was ready to embrace death. He didn't scream, he didn't do anything as Falco's titan ran towards him, with one goal to devour him alive.

That was what he always did, saving children and comrades.

No matter how many humans he killed, no matter how his face often turned into a scowl for certain people, he was always the same Porco Galliard who would prioritize kids and his friends. He never changed. No, that was wrong. He did change.

But even though he changed, he had become a better man for every day that went by.

You couldn't hear anything as your eyes never left the nightmare in front of you. All the bodies that scattered around the ground, your comrades, fellow Eldians from Marley, even some citizens that you met here in Paradis, and Colt. Their deaths would be imprinted forever in your head.

Porco was right after all, just like usual, maybe this was why he didn't want you to be here. There were so many times he would pull you to the side after a meeting, just to tell you about the terror that followed in war. He told you about the horror inside the dead bodies, bloodshed, and screams that flew nonstop.

He tried so hard to show you that war was something that couldn't be stopped. That one day all of your comrades would die, some couldn't be recognised anymore, and neither would you. After all the war that you had been through before, you kept looking forward and never let yourself linger for a long time.

You always shrugged it off before, knowing for certain what you were signed up to. Of course, there was no beauty in war, you even knew there was no winning side at the end of the day. Just people who died on the battlefield, and those who survived.

Every time you imagine what war looks like, you were always ready. No matter how many deaths that you have seen, your eyes kept fixated on the freedom that would follow soon.

But perhaps, it was not the war itself that he deterred you from stumbling in — it was this.

Your hand clasped your mouth as you let the dam break, new tears replacing the previous stains that were glued on your face. Falco's titan crashed to the ground as he had Porco's body in between its teeth. You wanted to scream out, but you couldn't, or else the titans surrounding you would eat you alive.

The worlds crumbled the second you knew there was no tomorrow for Porco.

He was gone, half of his body swallowed down in an instant. And you could do nothing except push down your pain and hide yourself even further inside the rumbles where you hid.

You tried to calm down as you processed what happened. There he goes, he leaves and wouldn't come back. Your heart was racing and not from a reason that you wanted to remember. You felt like you couldn't breathe as you realised — that was the last time for you to take a look at your dearest friend.

And you would never have a chance to tell him.

Neither of how right he was about war.

Nor how beautiful he was in your eyes.

↪Back to Wall Maria

↪Send an ask if you want to be a citizen of Paradis (taglist)!

[itsneonbright]

It is so beautiful to have your love

Read it in AO3 🎶 La Ventanita

It is a lovely September day, not too warm but warm enough that the children are running around shirtless, bare feet chasing each other in a backyard full of aunts and cousins and nieces and friends and a few neighbors that became family a long time ago.

Andrea Reyes is carefully counting forks and spoons, making sure there’s enough for everyone, when the first chords of ‘La ventanita’ start blasting from the stereo, snapping her out of the task in hand.

She turns around to look at her husband.

- Oh Gaby, ¿escuchas? – she is beaming all of a sudden, the song clearly having some special significance for her.

Gabriel chuckles fondly, not taking his eyes from the barbecue’s burner he’s been trying to bring back to life for the last 20 minutes.

- Déjalo, ¡vamos! - she says, the cutlery now abandoned, while she lifts her arm towards him.

- ¡Mujer! – Gabriel looks up – Not if you want us to eat any time soon.

He is a good, loving man but he can come across as harsh if you don’t know him well. Andrea rolls her eyes at him, there is no point in pushing him, but she won’t be giving up just yet. She looks around and soon sees TK leaning on the edge of the table, mindlessly nursing an almost gone glass of her homemade iced tea.

Desde que me dejaste

la ventanita del amor se me cerró

She’s by his side in a few energetic strides. Surprised, TK turns to look at her, half a frown on his face, but she is taking his hand and leading him closer to the spot where the music is coming from before he can even grasp what’s going on.

- Come dance with me.

- Oh no, no I’m alright – he’s trying, very subtly, to stop her on her tracks but the woman is truly a force of nature.

- Come on!

-No, no, no, I… urgh…- But then she stops and looks him in the eyes and he knows she’s already won.

- ¡Será posible con estos hombres! – she huffs as she takes the glass still in his hand and leaves it on the grass and the next thing he knows, she is showing him the basic steps of merengue.

- Look, just like this – she takes his right hand in hers and settles the other one firmly on his shoulder- Just shift your weight from one foot to the other, and then we move back and forth. See? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. It’s very easy!

Tengo el alma en pedazos

Ya no aguanto esta pena

Tanto tiempo sin verte es como una condena

Turns out it is not that complicated. Andrea is moving smoothly and after a few beats, TK is actually enjoying it too. It is not like he would ever say no to this woman. She had warmed to him even before he was properly introduced to her. She cooks his favorite meals and gives him her bendiciones whenever they part ways. She makes sure he feels that he belongs to this family. All in. No hesitation.

Gabriel has been watching the whole scene with a smirk, feeling sympathy for the boy. He is about to make a move when Carlos drops the crate of beer on the floor at his feet.

- I hope you meant this one because I am not going back to that basement until we fix the… - Carlos notices that his father is not really paying attention to him. He looks very amused by something happening in the backyard, so he follows his gaze and then he sees it.

Desde que me dejaste

No hago mas nada que extrañarte, corazón

TK is lifting both of his mother’s hands up into the air. Andrea goes under her arms in a 360 degree turn, ending with her arms crossed. Then she turns back around in the opposite direction uncrossing them while laughing at TK’s sudden offhand movement.

Gabriel gives his son a knowing nod and starts walking towards the dancing pair. Carlos is biting his smile, his heart full of affection and gratitude and pure, untethered love. He watches his dad pat Andrea’s shoulders. She turns his head and gives him an obviously fake indignant look. TK laughs at whatever it is being said and lifts both his hands in defeat, gesturing for Gabriel to take it from there.

TK watches the couple swing to the rhythm of the next song as he starts to walk backwards when he feels two strong hands gripping his hips, followed by a familiar weight pressing on his back and a warm nose nuzzling behind his ear.

- Not bad, Strand. – Carlos’ voice is low and teasing, but TK can feel the smile behind the words – I saw some sexy moves right there.

- Oh, shut up – TK objects, mortified. He turns around in Carlos’ grip so they are facing each other and just lets himself be hold close for a few minutes, his face buried in Carlos’ neck, inhaling the smell of his boyfriend’s aftershave. Carlos is intoxicating. TK can’t find a better way to describe it.

Summer will be soon fading into a distant memory. But on the other hand, that warm feeling in Carlos’ chest as he presses a lingering kiss in TK’s temple, well… that is certainly not going anywhere.

[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: Soft Scramble Toast (from What’s Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy by Gaby Dalkin)

I’ll see your boring, plain toast and raise you crisped bread topped with a soft scramble, salty prosciutto, and plenty of freshly grated Parm. I can’t tell if this is an open-faced breakfast sandwich or an affirmation that everything’s going to be okay.

Serves 1

FOR THE SOFT SCRAMBLE:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 large eggs, whisked

¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated

Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE TOAST:

1 (1-inch/2.5 cm) thick slice sourdough

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

FOR THE TOPPING:

¼ cup (5 g) packed arugula

Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly grated

Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1½ ounces (40 g) thinly sliced

Prosciutto (about 3 slices)

Crushed red pepper

In a medium nonstick skillet over low heat, melt the butter.

Add the eggs and cook until softly scrambled, stirring constantly. Fold in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, toast the bread in a toaster and spread with butter.

In a small bowl, toss the arugula with the oil, lemon zest, Parmesan, and some salt and black pepper.

Place the soft scrambled eggs on the toast and top with the arugula, prosciutto, and crushed red pepper.

New York Times Bestseller

Bestselling author Gaby Dalkin is back with What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy, sharing 100 recipes that put ease, flavor, and adaptability first

In her new book, Gaby Dalkin returns with her signature approach: Enjoy your life by eating the food you love. But this time around, she also emphasizes a no-fuss attitude. What's Gaby Cooking: Take It Easy offers 100 new delicious and stress-free recipes, suited for any and all occasions.

Everything we cook right now—whether it’s for a potluck picnic with friends or a solo night in binge-watching reality TV—needs to be crazy simple, easily pulled together from those lasting pantry items, still shockingly delicious at room temperature, and not requiring that one random ingredient you drove 45 minutes to get and will never use again. We want food that tastes like it took hours to prepare but doesn’t actually require anything too exact. Give us the forgiving recipes: Out of shallots? Try an onion. The more fail-proof, the better. If this low-maintenance approach sounds like your kinda thing, Dalkin has got your back. With 100 easy ideas for dishes to serve wherever you go (or don't go!), make-ahead dressings and sauces for lazy last-minute dinners, and of course—give the people what they want!—big, crunchy, fresh salads and rich, chocolatey, you’re-in-sweatpants-anyway desserts, Take It Easy is Dalkin’s first book bringing her tasty, crowd-pleasing concepts to quicker, simpler meals.

For more information, click here.

[purplesurveys]

1309

3 things you’ve done today:

Slept in for the FIRST TIME IN YEARS. I feel incredible.

Had a dream about my celebrity crush and told my sister all about it as soon as I was properly awake.

I guess this next entry counts since I was doing it at 2 AM, but I started watching The Raincoat Killer on Netflix. 

3 things you’ve purchased recently:

I got a box of sushi last Thursday because my overtime that night was just downright cruel lmao. I made it grand and got the box with 30 pieces because I know I goddamn deserved it.

A couple of vape pods.

Blackhead pore strips not because I have blackheads but just because I wanted to experience placing it on my nose and peeling it off HAHAHA. A stupid impulse buy for sure.

3 things you’ve eaten today:

Again, all these entries are from earlier last night since I’ve barely done anything this morning but:

Chicken fillet ala king from McDonald’s

French fries, also from McDonald’s

Tuna spread canapes

3 movies you enjoy:

When it comes to movies I want to watch simply to have a good time, Love Actually takes the cake. That movie just makes me so happy lol.

Toy Story

The Proposal

3 of your favorite bands:

Paramore

HONNE - if they count?

BTS - again, if they count haha. I’m not a very big band person these days.

3 songs you enjoy:

I’ll make it one song for each group I mentioned so it’s easier:

Pool - Paramore

loving you is so easy - HONNE

UGH! - BTS

3 things you wish for:

That weekends can be longer than two days

That I can travel to a different country, or different countries, soon

That cooking came natural to me

3 things you’re wearing:

My Sowozoo pajamas ahahaha

Underwear

My hairtie on my wrist

3 things on your mind:

What time I should go to the mall so I can buy a new phone charger cord, because my old one just died on me last night precisely when I was at 1%. I magically, MAGICALLY was able to find an angle that worked and I managed to get it to full charge, but I wanna be safe and just go to the mall and get a new one just so it’s out of my worries.

What time my mom will be back home, since she took my car out.

That my shoulders and lower back are currently bothering me.

3 of your favorite smells:

A freshly-cleaned hotel or resort room

Bacon and eggs being cooked

Coffee shops

3 words to describe how you feel now:

Well-relaxed - I got 8 hours of sleep and have forgotten how refreshing it feels. I only got 3 or 4 hours each night for this week in particular.

Hungry - Another reason why I already wanna head to the mall, so I can get something to munch on. Most likely will land in a Starbucks.

Relieved - Because it’s the weekend.

3 things you like about yourself:

It’s not a good trait to have, but I like that I’m a workaholic lol. But I like getting things done and hitting targets, so it works out for me even if I barely get any sleep and end up doing the work of people I find slow.

My memory is excellent so I get to remember what my friends are into or currently interested in, and bring it up at random moments to make them happy.

That I am finally able to give back to my parents.

3 unpopular opinions you have:

I cannot stand fruits in most contexts. I can drink powdered fruit juice and eat the mangoes in sushi, but I don’t like having them by itself.

I wouldn’t like, neglect them or anything if faced with one, but I’m not the biggest fan of cats and have always preferred dogs.

Liking balut is surprisingly such an unpopular opinion so let’s place it here as well.

3 things you enjoy doing:

Bea reintroduced me to diamond painting a couple of weeks ago when she brought her work-in-progress to Zambales. I had thrown out my own set a while back since mine had come from Gabie, but doing it again with her and Kata made me realize how much I miss it. I might buy one for myself before the year ends.

Going to a restaurant I haven’t tried and having their offerings.

Watching BTS videos until the ass crack of dawn.

3 of your favorite photos (or memories):

Continued...12ish hours later lol. Most recently, my Zambales trip with my bosses-slash-friends. It was my first out of town trip that I paid for myself and one that lasted for more than a day, so it definitely serves as a milestone.

Paramore show, 2018.

Finding out I passed UP. That night was bittersweet too, I guess, because I couldn’t celebrate it with my grandpa who passed away a few months before the results came out. But it’s a happy memory nonetheless.

3 things in your room:

I have a mug of mocha coffee beside me. It’s my second cup for the day sooooooo just hoping my palpitations in a few hours won’t be too bad.

I got a cute little Jimin-themed foldable fan as a freebie from the K-pop merch shop I frequent! I dunno where to place it in my room yet but for now, it’s here on my work desk.

I’m not actually sure what you call it but I have a tub of menthol rub(?) for my shoulders and back that hurt...pretty much 24/7 now lol.

3 things that scare you:

Turning out awful at anything I’m supposed to be good at.

Fire. It’s why I can never get to start on cooking huhuhu so much fire involved :(((

Bea recently talked about how PR is not a very sustainable career, i.e. you rarely see any mid-30s to 40-something people doing PR...so that kinda set me into a crisis. Like what WILL I be doing in 20 years? It’s just nerve-wracking to think about.

3 things that you find attractive in a person:

Being low-maintenance. I cannot deal with divas, i.e. too picky with food, gatekeeping when it comes to things like movies, music, etc.

Taking the initiative to help me with the smallest of tasks, unasked.

If they are comfortable with silence. Some people feel the need to fill it all the time and keep small talk going, and sometimes that’s just exhausting.

3 places you have traveled:

South Korea, albeit very briefly.

Singapore

Indonesia

3 of your favorite flowers or plants:

Peonies

...That’s it, really.

3 facts about your current life:

I worked overtime 4 out of 5 days this week, leaving me completely burned out. I was so happy to be completely lazy on the couch today.

I am currently eating shawarma alongside taking occasional sips from my coffee.

I’ve stopped going crazy on merch expenses because I’m finally eyeing getting insurance and a new phone, since my screen is DYING by the day.

3 books you’ve read recently:

I don’t really read anymore.

3 things you are planning to do this summer:

You mean by next year? I imagine just being drowned in work again lol.

I hope I get to squeeze in a trip, though.

...But to be honest, I have nothing set in stone this early.

3 games you enjoy - any type:

I'm obsessed with Rhythm Hive these days. I’m talking 6-hours-a-day-every-weekend obsessed.

Grand Theft Auto, but I never actually do the missions lmao. Open world games in general are fascinating to me and I always wanna see how much I can do.

Mario Kart.

3 facts about your appearance:

I have bangs that are way too long at this point, but I’m trying to grow them out so I can finally get rid of them. 

I currently have a dingdong on my left cheek, but I’m expecting it to go away in a day or two.

I had a really bad fall earlier this week (I was getting out of bed one morning and was too groggy to tell that my left leg was in the middle of a crazy pins and needles attack, so the moment that leg landed on the floor I dropped straight on my knee, hard) - which first appeared as a bruise, and ultimately ended up as a wound. Thankfully it’s starting to itch now, which means it’s on its way to healing. 

[ghostmartyr]

SnK 128 Thoughts

Pacing, I think, is the single most difficult thing to do correctly when telling a story. Out loud or in text, you have to juggle every cue you’re giving off, keep it all relevant, and make it so when things fall into place, they’re falling to the gravity that the story’s been given.

That’s why we’ve got something of a problem in this arc.

I complain a lot, because it’s easy, and this is hardly a flawless work. Organization has also been one of the regular things this series just has trouble with.

Still, while I really feel that the last few chapters aren’t the best way to tell this story, the story chosen is a monster to keep in line.

[insert amusing pre-cut joke of your choice here]

Conflict is the root of every story. Character vs self. Character vs character. Character vs nature. Pick one, then plant the seed and watch the clash reform the setting. Knowing your protagonist often involves knowing your villain.

Eren has always been the best protagonist for this series. He embodies the fury of humanity in an environment that embraces complacency. He is the voice that shouts for people to do something.

Back in Trost, everyone on his starting squad plans on picking the Survey Corps. Because of his constant, unfettering influence. He’s the one who is always reminding them that there’s a world outside that they’re abandoning. He never lets Jean forget it. He interrupts parties with the vocal equivalent of hammering 99 problems to every door.

Eren is one of the top ten soldiers in the 104th, and he makes sure everyone knows what he’s using his skills for. And before they themselves are confronted with what’s being asked of them to join him, everyone in his social circle is ready to make the same choice.

Moving forward is what Eren does in a world that’s been trapped in stagnation. He is a force of change. He is a force of impotent rage in the face of disaster.

He is every reaction the humans inside the walls don’t have, because as a people, they can’t imagine what there is to be done about their problems. Staying within the safety of the walls and limiting their potential in return for not dying a bloody death seems fair, to them.

They are imprisoned, so Eren, our protagonist, seeks freedom.

Being born free is the linchpin of his first successful transformation.

His first rather disturbing act of violence comes from him murdering slavers.

The wings of freedom are the iconic brand of his chosen military branch.

Subtlety.

That’s all very straightforward and simple to work with.

Then we open up the setting, and things are still rather simple, just in a turn that kicks off one hell of a problem.

The world itself is a cage. Physically, in the form of internment camps, or culturally, in the form of how people think about each other and act. There is no freedom for the citizens of Paradis now that they have broken out of their shell. There is just another prison, and a ticking time bomb.

Naturally, in its most basic form, this would make the world Eren’s enemy, because Eren is the champion of freedom.

Only then, if you stick to the most basic form of the concept, the simple answer is that when everyone else dies, then you will have your freedom.

Eren might be the story’s protagonist, but that’s because he stands at the fulcrum of all the story’s core ideas. He makes the rest of the plot move. He is the focus point. He is why there’s a story, and not a jumble of confused, dying people throwing themselves at the problem of titans.

He’s not everything that’s going on.

The world’s cruelty is not what this story is about.

Eren starts thinking about the outside world because a boy shares his dreams of the ocean.

Mikasa takes the time to salute a little girl on a battlefield.

Sasha fights a titan off with a bow and arrow to save one child’s life. She dies because she won’t kill a little girl.

Levi chooses not to revive Erwin so that Erwin can die without being brutally abused as the rest of mankind’s sacrifice.

Niccolo’s entire concept of what he’s fighting for is disrupted because people like his cooking.

Gabi is protected and treated like a child by the 104th even after they know she pulled the trigger on their friend.

Colt dies because of his insistence on giving his little brother comfort.

Reiner’s still breathing because there’s a few little kids he can do some good for.

Annie just wants to see her dad again.

Humanity, as a general concept, begins in an easily condemnable place in the manga. One of the first things Paradis does is send out a large percentage of its citizens to die so that the rest can live. Meanwhile, the only people who do try to go outside and learn more about the world are smeared even as they’re bringing back corpses.

By the end of Uprising, there’s a crowd of cheering people waiting for the Scouts to succeed.

People are awful.

They can do better.

A lot of Eren’s objection to Jean is highlighted through that. He never gives Connie a hard time for wanting to join the MPs. It’s Jean, who’s vocally joining up just so he can take it easy, that Eren objects to. Jean doesn’t have to be a jackass. It’s a decision he’s making.

Jean decides to do better.

In the beginning, people are willing to settle for ‘good enough.' Slowly, as the arcs go by, we approach a near universal take of people seeing problems and taking preventative action.

Here, with the Yeagerists, we come back to the original sin of Paradis.

As long as this one little island is okay, and no one on it has to worry about death, what does the outside world matter? Especially when that outside world has repeatedly promised to kill them? Killing them all first isn’t a problem, it’s a solution.

Samuel’s there at the start of Trost.

Sasha saves his life.

Connie kills him.

They don’t hate each other. Neither one wants to pull the trigger. But Samuel is willing to see the rest of the world die if it means keeping Paradis safe. Connie isn’t.

Over and over, the cycle plays out the exact same way. People kill each other to free themselves. As long as there’s always an Us vs Them dynamic, the bloodshed continues indefinitely. The Eldian Empire enslaved the world through titans. Marley won its freedom and decided it was okay to do the same thing as long as they only enslaved Eldians.

The methodology is what’s going to fuck everyone over in the end.

During Uprising, it is routinely discussed that it’s possible the royal family and the upper brass do know something that makes a coup a bad idea. It’s possible that overthrowing them will bring Paradis into an even darker landscape.

What it comes down to is that whatever they know, they’re willing to let everyone else die if it saves their own skin.

Since that particular Everyone Else is united, the coup continues, and the island’s given its chance at actual peace.

Now, the Yeagerists are making that same argument.

Meanwhile, before we were dealing with this, we had Zeke. His argument was that seeing as the world would never change, Ymir’s people were all cursed and damned, it is for the best of all of us if we all die.

He’s the ultimate counter to Eren. Eren is fighting for life, while Zeke is only searching for the best death.

Only by all appearances, Eren’s fight has landed him in the exact same place. It’s only the question of which people are dying.

Getting back to Connie and Samuel, if you squint, Connie is betraying his allegiance to his comrades. ...If you squint. I know he feels that way, and I know what the chapter title is, but the Yeagerists are a genocidal cult who bully their way into power and try to kill off their actual Commander, who Connie is still following.

Samuel might not be aware of that, but that’s what we’ve got.

The closest Connie came to betrayal was throwing a Warrior Candidate into his mom’s mouth, and we wrapped up that subplot.

Without squinting, Samuel is betraying the ideals that Connie chose the Survey Corps for. Connie wants to save people. He doesn’t want all this death, regardless of how it benefits him.

So this whole conflict, throughout this entire chapter, is really all about who wants which people dead.

The Warriors are still fighting for Marley. Despite everything, that’s their home, and their base of operations if they ever want a chance at fixing things. Paradis has more friends on it than they like thinking about, but Paradis is not their problem.

Kiyomi and the Hizuru flock are pretty much... she is just so done, and it’s very easy to see why. This is not their war. They were looking for a beneficial partnership. For power and resources, sure, but they were willing to play ball. Now they get to watch as the nation they helped kills off the world and their only allies are rushing them to a basement. Hopefully to do something significant before their country burns.

What’s left of the Scouts who are actually following the legitimate chain of command is, surprisingly, focused on stopping Eren’s genocide.

Then I guess the rest of the world probably has opinions, but they don’t get any pages. But it’s pretty safe to assume Eren’s high on their ‘want dead’ list. If not all of Paradis.

We’ve got one group of people who are actually, actively, doing the anti-genocide thing.

The rest is just fighting over the biggest piece of the pie.

The conflict is that some people think genocide is bad, and some people think genocide is okay, actually.

And, you know, fine.

Only then we have Eren.

Protagonist boy.

We don’t know his conflict, and he has more power than anyone else in the entire cast. Unless we count the primordial ooze as a cast member. He is a giant stegosaurus monster who has threatened the entire world, and as far as anyone with eyes can see, he’s actually going through with it.

Nothing presented anywhere suggests that there is a way to stop him.

At best, if people succeed in killing him, they will have unleashed a bunch of mindless Colossals into the world. If we revisit our volume 1 knowledge, we know this to be a problem.

Making all of this really, really pointless.

Obviously, this is what all these characters would do in this situation.

Obviously, we have some feelings about them being forced to kill their allies while the world falls apart.

Obviously, the author probably being willing to fast-forward through all of this is not necessarily an indication that that is what creates the optimal story.

Obviously, these are important details.

The plot still might as well be a glacier.

There is one person moving pieces around. Everyone else is just scrambling on the board he’s created and rehashing whether or not genocide is a good thing every time they’re considering shooting someone they kind of don’t want to.

All of the tension is literally an ocean away.

As great as the character moments are, there’s nothing to ground them in. There’s just a baseless hope that somehow, there’s a way out of this, and the story doesn’t end with yet another genocide kicking off a rebellion.

Magath flips on his worst hot take immediately. He does that because his country is dying and it’s reorganizing his priorities and beliefs to line up with what he’s actually feeling instead of parroting the world that created him.

Yelena goes from being catatonic to being a nuisance because -- reasons?

Connie almost kills Falco then doesn’t, because he really, honestly, was never going to kill the kid and we all knew that.

The driving force of all these potential conflicts is just too distant. As much work as everyone’s doing, they’re only making progress towards getting to Eren.

When you have a character who can end the world choosing to end the world, it creates problems. When that character is your protagonist, it’s even worse.

In the past, Eren’s absence has spurred characters to action and revealed more of the world’s secrets. Presently, unlike in his various kidnappings, Eren is the one with the secrets. His absence is making people do stuff, but not stuff that has any tangible meaning outside of putting actions to the belief that genocide is bad.

Secrets, and people seeking answers, has been a major player in moving the plot from the beginning.

Here though, we have the issue of no one having the luxury of investigating why this is happening. Mikasa and Armin might be desperate to know, but they have no tools available to them except the airship. Which, again, just puts them in the same place as Eren. It does not give them much more than they had the last time they were in a room with him.

Whatever secrets are in place, they are insignificant next to the fact that the world is ending as they watch.

Only, you know, slowly.

Because the decision has been made that Eren’s perspective is going to be a Reveal. It has to stay private until the moment it’s relevant to the other members of the cast, or otherwise, what was the point of holding off so long?

The result is this. Too much going on in too little time, and all of it technically mattering, but not enough that spending 40 pages on it really changes how the story is progressing.

I’m not sure this is a problem that would be easy to see coming. In the design phase, I mean. I’ve kind of been cautiously whining about these concerns for several months.

But the stage is set like this: Eren pulls the doomsday trigger. Enough time must pass for Paradis to cultivate a new normal and for Eren to reach land with his squad of titans. The goal is gathering our cast and stopping Eren.

There’s a disconnect between what needs to be done and how much time it takes to portray those things.

Connie’s breakdown over feeding Falco to his mom is a character moment that helps to inform his emotions this chapter. That’s probably why it survived. It still drags four named characters off to a village in the middle of nowhere while Floch’s reign is establishing itself.

Magath’s turnabout this chapter is the culmination of a lot of the emotional connections he’s made with Eldians, and the attachment he has to his home, but it comes after driving in the point of why Marley is so fucking awful. He’s spouting rhetoric last chapter, then he’s immediately confronted with the birthplace of that rhetoric being destroyed thanks to events he’s had a part in forging.

Yelena goes from being willing to let Floch shoot her to having an interest in watching things play out. Courtesy of one background dump.

The emotional beats these characters are all due do not match up with what they have to do, and it’s making things come across as really disjointed. It’s a frustrating combination of this needing more pages, but the idea of yet more pages being spent off where the main plot actually is going on is exhausting.

The world is ending, but the world has been ending for months.

We’ve clearly got a checklist of things to get done before we meet up with Eren, but he’s hoarding the plot. Sticking around to watch the list be physically checked is...

To paraphrase some tumblr post from the past few months, it feels like laundry, mostly.

The story wouldn’t survive just jumping to Eren. The more time we’re away from him, the greater the impact when we finally know what’s up. The more time we have with our squad of unlikely, plucky heroes, the more we’re going to want to punch Eren in the face for not listening to them. Again.

It’s not that there’s no value in devoting chapters to all of this planning and reeling. It’s that no matter what happens here, it is not fixing the larger problem of Eren’s genocide campaign.

The plot is across the ocean, and we are months into watching our cast try to reconnect with it.

For me, that makes it a bit dull to read, but it is hard to hold it against the story. Writing the end of the world when you intend to make the audience care about the world -- even though the protagonist is ending it -- that is a lot of plot. Knitting it all together is not a simple task. You can see the seams popping.

Oh well.

One of the things I will stand by is that this manga is a great story told gracelessly. If you read it all linearly, problems are going to be noticed. Stuff be weird. Plus timed terribly.

But there’s a lot of emotion packed into it all. It’s a story that, when you look back in retrospect, free of any time line and observing only through the lens of your knowledge, it holds up and has power.

So I’m glad all of this stuff is being drawn, because one day, when the story’s over, having a fragmented, disjointed thread of progression isn’t going to matter so much.

Some stories survive on how they’re told.

Arguably, that includes this one, because the anime got people through the first few volumes.

This story, primarily, survives on the quality of what it is attempting to lump together.

...Not that I don’t wish it wouldn’t try a little harder to pace itself, but I suppose all that energy is being spent on Eren. You know. Since he’s the only one who has any of the parts of the plot that matter.

Uh.

As far as what actually happened this chapter, yay for Mikasa showing attachment to Kiyomi and crew. Intrigue for the question of where Eren is being such a topic (he’s a fucking giant stegosaurus last I saw figure it out). Sadness for Samuel being on the wrong side after surviving so long (Connie probably remembers Sasha saving his life). Sadness for Reiner trying to spare his friends the pain of what he went through for his cause. Pat on the head for Annie still being impossibly Annie. Pat on the head for Onyankopon just because (sorry about your life yikes).

The absolute funniest part of all of this, to me, is that Daz is now dead.

Beats freezing to death in a blizzard while two teenagers shout about philosophy over your unconscious body?

Anyway, another month goes by.

Much the way waves do in Wind Waker.

[wakatvshi]

Hey Anna :)

It’s ok if I call you that right?

Did tumblr eat my last ask? 😢☹️

It feels like it’s been so long. How have you been? Hope you’re staying hydrated and getting enough sleep. Also, I hope work is a little better now. Make sure you’re being kind to yourself and prioritizing your health. Please don’t ever feel guilty if you don’t upload by a certain time or you haven’t touched a request or hit a certain word count. You’re giving us amazing content and for free! You have a life outside of tumblr and other obligations and interests. We’re always going to be here for you 💕💕

I’m super behind in school work and I actually have two midterms this week 😭 Please keep me in your prayers.

Also, I just wanted to update you on the Eren divorce fic I was writing. Oof I thought it was gonna be a one-shot. Uhh it looks like it might be a multi-chapter series 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m really excited to tag you in it once I am able to publish it 😁

It’s so easy to write scenes between the reader and Eren. But I’m having trouble really building up the chemistry between the reader and Colt. Hehe you know that really corny overdone joke where it’s like you and her may have chemistry, but we have history. Do you have any tips for a slow burn? I don’t know. I kind of have this plot bunny where the reader and Colt are just always there to help each other out. She’s one of four people that have seen her cry and she always feels comfortable talking to him about anything. And for him, he feels like he can actually stop carrying everything on himself and trust the reader to help him out with carpools, dinner, etc. It takes them a long time to admit their feelings but there’s like this key phrase, “Because you’re important to me,” where they’re saying it without saying it if that makes sense. Like Colt is shocked that the reader made coffee for him in the morning, picked up Gabi, Falco, Udo, and Zofia, cooked dinner, and tucked Falco into bed. And when he asks her why she’s doing this for all of him, her reply is “You don’t have to do everything alone. You’re important to me so I want to help whenever I can.”

I really thought I was just gonna make it suggestive. Then somehow I started writing light smut... this might be so dumb but what tags and warning do I have to put? I just started to really get back into tumblr and I’m not sure if I should put 16+ or 18+. Then there’s also trigger warnings too since there’s infidelity, depression, and brief suicidal ideations. Yeah. I have so much respect for you and other writers on tumblr because this shit is hard and time consuming.

Sorry for the word vomit. But I really do appreciate your patience just for everything from answering my really boring asks to giving me writing advice.

Love you to the moon and back 💕💕

-💫

Yeah it’s totally fine! And yeah I guess it had to because I never got another ask from you! I’m sorry!

And that means a lot you don’t even know like I do feel bad because I’m not done with fics right now but I’m trying. I’ve always been hard on myself though. I’m a perfectionist.  I’ve gotten more used to my job so I don’t hate it? It’s just... annoying because well it’s a job. And midterms oof good luck!! They’re hard but I bet you’ve got this!

I know how you feel like my Porco fic was supposed to be a one shot but unless I want it to be like 50k words I’m having to break it up lol. I’m so looking forward to reading it when you’re done! As for slow burn... just focus on maybe them not wanting to ruin their friendship or one of them doesn’t realize that the other feels the same and kind of “Well it’s just them being nice” or something along those lines! Colt is super sweet and I adore him like he’s become one of my favorites to write for!!

And for smut make it +18! If it’s just kinda suggestive you can leave it +16 but sex of any kind go ahead and make it 18! And for tags I’d do “minors dni +18″ and then go with what’s in your fic. Like even if it’s just oral I tag it as “oral with male/female/nb receiving.” Any kinks or anything like that I’d put because it does kinda help the reader decide if they want to read it. And you can also put (if I missed any tags let me know) and people will tell you and not be rude about it!! Like on here for warnings you can never really over tag. 

And you’re a writer now too! Even if you’ve not published anything you’re writing right now so you’re a writer! You’ll get the hang of it. Just never over do yourself. And no no, none of your asks are boring! I adore having people to talk to. I could talk to people all day. 

💚💚💚

[cha-melodius]

The Definition of Madness Chapter 4

Whumptober No. 25: Ringing Ears

Fandom: The Man from UNCLE (2015)

Pairings: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin, Napoleon Solo & Illya Kuryakin & Gaby Teller

Summary: They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Or, Illya gets stuck in a very whumpy time loop.

Ao3 Link

*****

Previous Chapter

The next morning, Illya doesn’t save Napoleon from burning his hand on the pan. He feels bad, even though it’s not his fault that his partner is too stupid to use a mitt, but he needs the additional excuse. His left shin is aching already as he lies in bed, thanks to the fact that the bone had been shattered in the previous iteration, and he hopes that the combination of his inevitable limp and Napoleon’s injury is enough to convince his team to put off the operation for a day.

Illya desperately needs a break, and this loop he’s going to damn well get it.

Napoleon is predictably holding his burned hand under the tap when Illya hobbles out into the kitchen. He does a double take at Illya’s gait, brow furrowing in confusion.

“What happened, Peril?”

Illya waves him off as he limps toward the bathroom to get the medical kit. “Old injury acting up.”

It’s a weak lie, but Napoleon doesn’t call him on it. From the bathroom, Illya hears Gaby sarcastically ask if they’re being attacked and then huff at Napoleon’s answer before she returns to her room. He carries the medical supply bag out to the kitchen, setting it on the counter next to the sink before wordlessly grabbing Napoleon’s hand from under the tap and pulling it toward him.

“Peril—” Napoleon starts, but whatever he was going to say is cut off by a hiss as Illya gently dabs the water off his hand with a towel.

“Cheap pans, Cowboy,” Illya murmurs. He grabs the burn cream and a roll of gauze, then carefully applies the cream to the angry red welt on Napoleon’s palm. “You should use a mitt.”

“Little late for that,” Napoleon huffs quietly, an odd note in his voice.

Illya glances up and finds Napoleon watching him work closely. There’s a faint flush of pink dusting his cheekbones, which could just be a reaction to the burn. Of course, the fact that his eyes drop and the blush deepens when Illya catches him staring seems to be a mark against that.

It’s certainly not what Illya expected. They’ve patched each other up more than a few times over the past year, in safe houses and hotels, with everything from full med kits to bandages torn from their clothing. He doesn’t know why bandaging a burned hand should be different, except perhaps that Illya’s assistance isn’t strictly necessary.

Well, it’s not important. Illya finishes wrapping the gauze around Napoleon’s hand and tapes it securely, but then, for some reason, he just… doesn’t let go. Nor does Napoleon withdraw his hand.

This is how Gaby finds them when she re-emerges, geared up for the day. “Is it bad?” she asks, and the sudden interruption makes them both jerk backwards.

“It’s not good,” Illya says, even as Napoleon asserts the opposite. He busies himself packing up the medical supplies, trying not to think about what had passed between them moments before. “I think we should put off the op.”

Gaby’s eyebrows shoot up at this, because Illya is always the last person on the team to  advise moderation. If he’s lucky, that will work to his advantage.

“I’m fine,” Napoleon protests, “it’s not even my dominant hand.”

“You are injured, and I am… not at my best,” Illya grits out. “It is not worth the risk.”

It’s hard for him to admit, even now. Years of training and discipline scream at him to push through the pain, and the terrible part is that he knows he could, but he just doesn’t want to. Doesn’t want to climb the mountain today. Doesn’t want to watch his teammates die. If that makes him weak—if that makes him a bad agent—then so be it.

He hobbles back to the bathroom to sell his point, and when he returns Gaby and Napoleon are talking quietly. They both look up at him, clearly concerned, and he suspects that his somewhat dramatic shift in temperment is more worrying to them than his unexplained limp.

“Ok,” Gaby says with a small nod. “We agree. We’ll put it off until tomorrow.”

Illya drops heavily into a chair at the small table in the kitchen, barely able to hold back his sigh of relief. “Good.” He looks up at Napoleon and arcs an eyebrow expectantly. “Breakfast?” *****

Illya doesn’t know the last time he had such a pleasant day, which is really saying something considering the circumstances. Illya reads the book he carries on missions but never really gets a chance to dive into and plays several games of chess against himself. He even manages to rope Napoleon into a few games, when he can convince him to take a break from messing around in the kitchen. Gaby digs a phonograph and some old 78s out of a closet and puts them on while she takes the opportunity to paint her toenails.

As night falls, Illya cannot help but wonder what will happen when the day ends. Will the loop reset when he falls asleep? Will the fact that they have all survived somehow break the cycle? He finds himself getting wound tighter the later it gets, and he knows his partners can tell.

He should have fucking known it wouldn’t be that easy.

They’re all crammed in the the kitchen after dinner, Illya washing the dishes as Gaby dries them. Napoleon is still sitting at the dinner table, nursing his glass of wine while he hems and haws over what dessert he should make, because of course he’s going to make one. 

“This is wholly unnecessary, Cowboy,” Illya tells him. “We don’t need dessert.”

Napoleon scoffs at him. “It’s not about need, Peril. What if things go south tomorrow? Wouldn’t you want to have had one last dessert?”

Illya has to suppress a shudder and falls silent, not quite trusting himself to speak. If only they knew. His partners, however, don’t seem to notice.

“If it makes you happy, do it,” Gaby tells Napoleon. Done drying, she shakes out the towel and hangs it back on the hook. “I, for one, will never turn down a Solo dessert.”

Napoleon finishes his wine and stands up from the table, walking to the oven to turn it on. “See? Someone appreciates my work.”

Illya hums, frowning. Is that what Napoleon thinks? That Illya doesn’t appreciate his work? Something in him wants to protest, to tell his partner that of course he appreciates him, but what comes out of his mouth instead is, “Don’t burn yourself again.”

This nets him an eye roll, but Gaby laughs as she leaves the kitchen. “You two, play nice,” she scolds. “I’m going to go shower, and I expect something delicious when I’m done.” “At your service, my dear,” Napoleon says with an exaggerated bow, grinning broadly. Then he turns toward Illya and points a finger at him, eyebrows waggling. “And you, I’ll thank you to leave my kitchen if you’re just going to be a grump. See if you get any dessert from me, with that attitude.”

Illya just stares at him, momentarily lost in thought. Watching him here, laughing and joking, it’s almost possible to believe that the day that Illya has been reliving really is nothing more than a long nightmare. The ache in his shin has almost faded away, and if he can still picture Napoleon’s multiple deaths, it now feels that the memories could ebb to nothing if given enough time.

“Cowboy…” he starts, but immediately hesitates. He doesn’t quite know what he wants to say; there are too many thoughts and feelings crowding his throat, and he can barely make sense of them. Napoleon looks at him expectantly, pausing in gathering his ingredients, and Illya sighs. “Have fun making dessert.”

Napoleon smiles at him, bright and open, and something uncomfortably warm blooms deep in Illya’s chest. “Why, thank you Peril,” he says. “I will.”

His partner starts humming as soon as Illya leaves the kitchen, immediately lost in his cooking, and Illya shoves his hands deep in his pants pockets as he shuffles down the hall. The warm feeling hasn’t left him, and a small smile plays on his lips. He’s more than a little glad that no one is currently around to see it.

He’s halfway down the hall when he hears a beep. It’s quiet, and probably means nothing more than the oven is done preheating, but as soon as he thinks that he knows with a deep, unsettling certainty that it’s not true.

“Napoleon!” he yells as he whips around and sprints back toward the kitchen.

He just makes it to the doorframe when the entire kitchen explodes. The blast blows him backward and into the wall on the far side of the hallway, knocking all the air from his lungs. He collapses to the floor, gasping and choking on dust and smoke, but he almost immediately pushes himself unsteadily to his feet. There are numerous cuts all over his body from the shrapnel, and he slips on his own blood pooling on the ground as he tries desperately to get into the kitchen.

What he finds when he gets through the door is nothing short of horrifying. There is a giant hole in the side of the house, open to the outside, and very little left of the counters, cabinets, and appliances. Planks of wood litter the ground, and he pulls them frantically to the side, looking for some sign of his partner. “Napoleon!” he yells, over and over again. His ears are ringing so loudly he can hardly hear his own voice, so it’s probably pointless given that Napoleon was even closer to the blast than he was. If Napoleon is even still alive.

Finally he catches sight of a bit of Napoleon’s shirt under the debris and yanks what appears to be a chunk of countertop off his body. Miraculously, Napoleon groans when he does, his limbs moving weakly as he apparently tries to push himself up.

“Don’t move, Cowboy,” Illya tells him, falling to his knees next to his partner. “You’re ok, you’re ok.”

Almost immediately he knows it’s a lie. There is a large, twisted hunk of metal sticking out of Napoleon’s side, and he is rapidly losing a large amount of blood. Without really thinking, Illya gathers Napoleon into his arms and presses one hand futilely to the wound. Thick, dark blood oozes between his fingers, and Napoleon coughs wetly.

“Peril,” he groans, just audible over the ringing in Illya’s ears. His eyes are screwed closed in pain, but his hands find Illya’s arms and cling with surprising strength. “What…?” “Shhh,” Illya hushes him, “it was a trap, Cowboy. They knew we were here.”

Napoleon winces and shakes his head like he can’t believe this information. Illya, unfortunately, can believe it far too readily.

“Gaby,” Napoleon coughs, “where…?”

“I don’t know,” Illya admits. She should have been across the house in the bathroom, presumably, so maybe she’s ok, but she also hasn’t appeared yet. Then again, he has no idea how much time has actually passed, or if there’s a clear path to the kitchen anymore.

“You should go. Find her,” Napoleon manages past another groan, although his grip on Illya doesn’t weaken. “Leave me. M’not gonna make it anyway.”

Illya shakes his head, though Napoleon’s eyes are still closed. “No, Cowboy. No,” he insists. “You’ll be fine. It’s not bad.” Napoleon actually smiles at that, and his eyes flutter open. Blue eyes, stormy as the ocean, full of pain and fear and something else more difficult to name. “You’re a terrible liar, Peril.”

“I’m not leaving you. Not this time.”

“Oh, Peril,” Napoleon sighs through a shaky breath, and even through the ringing Illya can hear emotion thickening his voice. 

One of his hands releases Illya’s wrist and he reaches up to grab behind Illya’s neck, pulling him down until their foreheads meet. Illya breath shudders through his chest, and abruptly he realizes there are tears streaking down his cheeks. Somehow, in all the previous iterations of the day, they never had a final moment like this. The deaths were always too fast, which should be a blessing, but now, as Napoleon’s nose brushes his, it doesn’t feel that way.

“Illya,” Napoleon breathes into the space between them. “You should know—” he breaks off, wincing in pain again. His grip loosens slightly and Illya pulls back to look at him, but not very far.

“Don’t,” Illya whispers. “Napoleon—”

“No, let me,” Napoleon says, and when he opens his eyes again they are full of determination. He laughs through a wet cough, shaking his head. “This is horribly selfish of me, I know, but… I need to say it. I was too much of a coward to do it before, and I can’t die that way.” He breaks off after this rather impressive amount of speaking and takes a couple of shaking breaths that wrack his chest.

“You’re not a coward,” Illya insists. “You’re the bravest person I know. Believe me, I’ve seen you die so many times now. Stupid, stupid, brave Cowboy.”

Napoleon furrows his brow at Illya, momentarily bewildered by this assertion. “What?”

Whatever Napoleon had been about to tell him, Illya doesn’t get to hear it. The ratatat of gunfire shatters the air around them. Somewhere nearby, Gaby must be returning fire, based on the sound of the shooting.

Illya doesn’t see the merceneries entering the gaping hole in the side of the kitchen. He doesn’t feel the bullets. All he can focus on is the man bleeding out in his arms as Illya cups a bloody hand to his pale cheek.

All he can think is, what were you going to say?

*****

Illya is out of bed only moments after he wakes, immediately shoving gear into his duffle bag. He clears his room in record time and only pauses for a moment to bang on Gaby’s door before rushing to the kitchen. Napoleon is no doubt looking at him with a supremely confused expression, but that is honestly par for the course these days. Illya doesn’t even glance at him as he packs up what little gear is in the kitchen.

“We have to leave. Now. Go pack your gear. And don’t touch the pan handle.”

He blows out of the door and down the hall before Napoleon can reply. There isn’t much in the living room, but there are a few weapons laid out in preparation for the day’s planned op. They go haphazardly into bags and cases. Right now, he doesn't really care. Illya spins around, checking the room for anything he might have missed, and sees Gaby and Napoleon gaping at him from the doorway.

“Why are you just standing there?” he demands. “You need to pack up.” “Illya, wait. Stop,” Napoleon says, and he’s using that tone again, the gentle, cautious one that colors his voice whenever Illya is on the verge of losing control.

He’s not losing control, not this time. But he’s certainly aware that it looks that way. Illya growls in frustration and makes to push past them, because if they won’t pack then he will do it for them.

Gaby catches his arm, and he allows himself to be halted, if only for a second. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?” she asks.

“This is a trap. All of it. They know we are coming tonight. They know we are here, in this safehouse. We have to get out of here, now.”

Gaby and Napoleon look at each other, and some nonverbal discussion passes between them in an instant.

“How…?” Napoleon says, shaking his head in confusion. “There haven’t been any messages since we got here. Did Waverly contact you some other way?”

Illya snarls in frustration. “Look, I can’t tell you how I know. I just know. The mission is compromised. Do you trust me?”

“Illya—” Gaby starts.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course we do, Peril,” Napoleon answers, and Gaby nods her agreement. “We trust you.”

“Good. Then let’s go.”

They’re ambushed not far outside the small mountain village by a large contingent of armed men who very clearly came from the compound. Illya even recongizes some of them, at this point. He swears, and sighs, and waits to wake up again.

*****

It takes six more loops and exhausting every possible exit route out of the area for him to fully realize there is no way they will get off this mountain by running. In every loop, he tries not to think about what happened in the kitchen after the explosion. Getting them out of this terrible situation takes first priority in his head, and he can’t let himself get distracted.

It weighs on him anyway, though. Every time Napoleon speaks to him gently when he thinks Illya is losing it, every time his partner throws himself in the path of the bullets when they’re ambushed. He can’t get the look in Napoleon’s eyes out of his head, nor the sound of the emotion in his voice.

But. A way out of this loop first, and then he’ll let himself think about it.

Next Chapter

[gabrielandcrsens]

*VESTAHQS TASK #001_

GENERAL STATS

BASIC INFO

Name: Gabriel Frederik Andersen

Pronunciation: Gab-ree-elle Fred-eh-reek An-der-senn

Nickname(s): Gab, Gabi, Ellie, Ragnarok (i don’t take questions)

Age: 38

Date and place of birth: April 1st, Sacramento, California

Astrological sign: Aries

Gender: Cis male

Pronouns: He/His

Nationality: American

Ethnicity: Swedish, Ashkenazi Jewish, remote Swiss-German & French

Occupation: Optometrist

Education: Optometry at the University of California Davis

Religious beliefs: Raised Jewish, does not practice.

THE PHYSICAL

Height: 5′11

Body Type: Fit, muscular

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Blue

Clothing Preferences: Proper, casual, the suit and tie vibe (but without ties).

Defining Features: A star if Inanna/Ishtar (Mesopotamian Goddess of Sex, war, justice and political power, worshipped during several civilizations) tattooed on his neck that he usually covers with turtle neck sweaters, a goofy smile and a heart shaped birth mark on his pinky finger.

Voice Tone: Husky

Blood-Type: AB-

Allergies: Popsicle sticks (they give him the creeps and he decided it’s an allergy) & walnuts.

ROMANCE

Sexual Orientation: Demisexual

Romantic Orientation: Biromantic

Do they have a type: Good conversationalists to take him out of his shell, generally warm people.

Pet peeves: Arroguance, dishonesty, infidelity.

PERSONALITY

Likes: the smell of old books, empty movie theaters, eating leftover pizza for breakfast, stuffed animals.

Dislikes: Impatience, winters, glasses dirtied by dust or raindrops, popsicle sticks, grape flavored candies.

Ambivert, introvert or extrovert?: Introvert outside of work, extrovert at work.

FAMILY

Siblings: older twin sisters, Emiliana & Erika (40), a younger brother named Matthias (35)

Birth order: Middle

Parents: Katarina Anderson née Larsson & Samuel Andersen

Children: A daughter (deceased) named Annelise

Do they want kids: Yes

SKILLS  

What language(s) do they speak: English

What are they talented at: Entertaining kids, jigsaw puzzles, cooking, matching a glasses frame to a person’s personality.

What is a hidden talent no one knows of: He would make a very great therapist, he welcomes people’s struggles and pain and listens to them; he also has a pretty decent knowledge in Ancient History.

What are they worst at: Dealing with hangovers, not crying during movies & controlling his road rage when he’s in a rush to pick up food after a long day at work.

A DEEPER LOOK

WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR FAMILY LIKE?:

Normal, or so he says. He had a great childhood, was loved and validated, as much as his siblings. Everyone supported his career in optometry, since it seemed to be the tradition among the Larsson & Andersen to pursue a career related to health. Father is a retired physician, Mother a clinical nurse, Emiliana is a plastic surgeon & Erika is a pedriatric doctor. Frederik aimed to be an ophtalmologist, he happens to have a very poor tolerance of blood. Matthias was different, he was more artistic than anything else. He ended up writing and illustrating children books. Everyone could do their own thing. After the death of his daughter, Gabriel left his family and decided to isolate himself more. He only sees them during birthdays or holidays. He’s fine with that. Them? Not so much. His father, who is a little bit over 60 years-old, wants to focus on a more political life, and having a son who avoided jail because he paid lawyers and detectives incredible amounts of money to erase the crime and another one who escaped to the other side of the country without even leaving a note do not make the best reputation.

Gabriel remains somewhat close with one of his sisters, Erika. She participated in giving all the care Annelise needed not to be in pain when she was at the hospital, crossing rules and letting Oliver stay in the room for as long as he wanted. From time to time, she visits him.

DESCRIBE THEIR PERSONALITY:

At work, he’s a literal angel. He is very warm, welcoming and easy going. The most nervous person could let him do all the tests he needs to accomplish, because he would reassure them along the way. He is thoughtful, he always remembers tiny details about his patients. He’ll wander around the front of the clinic and help his patients pick their glasses. He adds a few of them on Facebook, especially kids he followed for a long time because he is genuinely proud of them.

Personally, he is more reserved. He’s an amazing friend and listener. He genuinely wants to take people’s pain away from them and deal with it so those he cares about can be freed. It takes a while to break his shell, but when you get there, he’s pretty close to his work persona.

ARE THEY HAPPY WHERE THEY ARE IN LIFE:

Professionally, absolutely. He loves his job, he loves helping people and he loves making others feel better. Personally, he is satisfied. He is single and it is fine for him. He was a single parent anyway, because Annelise’s mother disappeared out of his life not long after her birth. So he’s not happy happy, but he’s not complaining either.

WHAT IS THEIR DREAM:

Having a child. Annelise was his whole life and when she died during a car accident when his brother was driving under the influence of alcohol. It’s been haunting Oliver ever since. He does not want to replace the memory of Annelise. He just felt like his daughter was his purpose.