#you have to fight for your life to get your preferred hot sauces.....

[bruhstation]

I'm interested in what the trains in your humanization prefer to eat (What if Henry loves apple charlottes?)

yes!!! eating is one of life’s biggest joys! always love talking and learning about food and watching people cook and eat and express their happiness, so this was a fun one to answer.

thomas a. billington: thomas needs something to chew or suckle on in the break room. think of any candy that your grandma would store on her detailed glass bowl. tootsie rolls, werther’s hard caramel candy, jolly ranchers… you get it. he doesn’t have any particulars when it comes to filling dishes and most of his diet consist of snacks and candies hence his thinner and shorter build.

edward pettigrew: he loves a good hot black tea with a side of rich tea biscuits or scones. he’s the guy who knows too much about tea. stomach ache? ginger tea. sleep aid? chamomile’s the way. for the more filling dishes, edward prefers light savory dishes with feta cheese involved. he’s really fond of fërgesë from his home country, but there’s no place on sodor that could make a mean one, so he settles with making it at his own home.

henry stanier: sliced apples! when he’s in a good mood, he’d shape them into little bunnies. he likes anything savory with a strong taste too, like his mother’s curry. henry loves a full course, hearty meal that tastes and feels good, and growing up, he’s always had a large appetite (fast metabolism). henry doesn’t like anything greasy or deep fried because it’ll make his stomach acid flare up. I had to look up what apple charlottes is, and yeah, I can tell you that henry would love it.

gordon j. gresley: gordon has a sweet tooth but he’s self conscious about it and has an image to uphold so he’ll tell anyone who’s making him coffee to make it black (he adds a packet of cream and sugar when nobody’s seeing) without anything added (his friends see right through him). his favorite dessert is orange float with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. gordon also likes food that is usually eaten together with friends or family (something something lazy susan) like pork roast or kway teow or thick beef stew with mashed potatoes. big portions are necessary!

james a. hughes: sweet margarita is james’ favorite drink to have during outings with his friends. he also loves a good french onion soup, especially paired with croutons (do not make them too hard or he’ll riot!!). speaking of croutons, james loves fondue and he always fights over it with thomas. really, any food that looks good and makes him look well-off would be on his favorites list (please, james, why does most of these dishes involve alcohol in one way or another). he also likes sweet danish pastries.

percival “percy” avonside: he’s a simple man when it comes to food he likes. sandwiches are the way to go! carbohydrates, proteins, the tasty stuff — it’s all there! eggs benedict (he puts another english muffin on top so the sauce won't spill everywhere) is his most favorite since it makes him feel special and fancy. percy also loves good coffee, usually mixed with condensed milk or mocha, since he delivers the night mail train.

tobias “toby” holden: tiramisu is his favorite dessert and he prefers it made with more coffee content. he has helped out henrietta many times with making it to the point he’s has the process memorized. for savory dishes, he loves some good lasagna with extra beef content in the sauce. it’s gotta drench. really, toby loves his layered food huh

montague “duck” collett: he’s not picky when it comes to food given to him, so he just eats what any average joe would eat (eggs on toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, sausage with potatoes and peas for dinner). normal person food. duck makes sure he has his meal three times a day and follows the motto; “eat before you’re hungry, stop before you’re full.” also diesel made mango panna cotta once for him as a desperate token of apology and duck fell in love with it.

donald and douglas dunalastair: like thomas, they don’t really have much preference for filling meals. dessert, though? now that’s the stuff. donald loves cranachan so SO much he wishes he could eat it every day. douglas likes candies more instead of softer, silkier desserts, like black licorice or peppermint candy. they also eat only twice a day since they get full super quickly. amazing how so much strength for shoveling snow is stored behind their lanky bodies. they also drink irn bru

oliver t. swindon: oliver loves shepherd's pie because it’s practical. everything he needs is right there, fitting for someone who doesn’t like complicated things. as for the sweet stuff… even after forgetting some of his memories after his rescue, oliver remembers the feeling and taste of halo-halo on his tongue clearly, something he missed dearly.

giovanni vin diesel: diesel loves bruschetta. he puts some pepper flakes on top for that spice kick. he also loves sfincione, specifically the way his family would make it, but, like edward, nobody on sodor knows how to cook a decent one (too much sauce, too thick of a bread, or too soggy) which makes him a bit sad. diesel’s kind of picky when it comes to the meals he can consider “favorite” because he believes he’s the most qualified in the culinary field on sodor due to his upbringing.

mavis hawthorne: a slice of blackforest cake always makes her heart sing. not too heavy on the whipped cream, though, because she doesn’t like her desserts too sweet. she also likes baumkuchen. whenever toby cooks lasagna, he’d make another portion to give to mavis, which quickly became her favorite and something she looks forward to during lunch breaks.

rebecca nassif: rebecca likes snacking a lot. she finds joy in eating! she grew up surrounded by meals. like diesel, because of her upbringing, she’s always been an enthusiast of not only food, but culinary arts as a whole. she loves cold desserts that usually remind her of her old neighborhood like this pistachio kulfi that she would made when she was younger. rebecca also missed having knafeh and mafruka since moving to sodor (it’s been like... a week.)

nia e. wanjala: whenever nia feels like treating herself to something good, she’d make her own version of the gatsby sandwich at her house. she’s especially keen on the french fries and enjoys extra hot sauce with it. it’d take two meal times for her to finish it all. lately, nia’s also been enjoying pastries like chocolate muffins and bombolone (chocolate fillings are her favorite).

lady: as part of her mission to understand humanity and their intrapersonal relationships, lady developed an affinity to eating. she’d eat anything as long as it’s acceptable by human standards even though she doesn’t have to. lady wants to understand that people eat not only to survive but as a way to show their love and culture. isn’t the greatest blessing to be bestowed upon living things the ability to consume to their heart’s content? does her lack of mortal needs indicate her lack of personal desire? anyways her favorite foods are fish and chips with sweet mayonnaise on the side and soft serve vanilla ice cream.

diesel 10: his go-to is black coffee mixed with red bull (added with some other weird concoction if he feels like it). some scrambled eggs with a dash of hot sauce for breakfast. some fried bacon if he has some self respect for the day. some dried sardines if he wants to feel miserable. some baklava with extra syrup and pistachio if he wants to treat himself because the sound of the crunch eases his stress

[17redeye]

Tabasco Pt. 3 A post-fall #Hannibal drabble

"I thought we were past trying to hurt one another." Hannibal announced, looking put out as he pulled the bottle of Tabasco from the paper grocery bag Will had just set on the counter.

Will tried for levity as he petted the dogs that crowded around his legs. "Listen, I gave up Jimmy Dean for you. The least you could do is let me have my Tabasco." 

"Considering this is the first you've ever spoken of Mr. Dean, how important could he really be to you, Will?" was Hannibal's bitterly spoken response.

Will felt the potential for this to spiral out of his control, and worse yet, they were in the kitchen. Will wouldn't go so far as to say he had PTSD, but he could admit that being in kitchens made him feel skittish—kitchens that also held Hannibal even more so.

Hannibal told him he did have PTSD, but Will had learned to tune out his psychoanalysis a long time ago.

Eyes trained on Hannibal's hands and thinking fast, Will decided that opening up emotionally was preferable to being opened up physically.

"I worked there, okay? When I was still in high school," Will gritted out, loathe to reveal any more of his childhood than necessary to a psychiatrist, particularly the one he lived with.

Compassion for Will did not stop Hannibal from analyzing him incessantly, and even when he wasn't foisting his analysis of Will upon him, he easily read it on his face.

Hannibal, predictably and without any shame of that predictability, latched onto this scrap that Will offered up.

With a notably lighter tone, he asked, "You made hot sauce?" while contemplating the boxed glass bottle he still held in his hand.

Will did his best to mentally fortify himself: “Yes, my dad picked up steady work at the port of Iberia, and we stayed close to Avery Island for two years.”

Hannibal was watching Will now, absorbing the information and editing his mental picture of the young man he’d been, while Will did his best to avoid his gaze and nonchalantly pet the dogs.

“Is this what your past tastes like Will?” Hannibal asks with the barest hint of a smile.

Will weighed his options; he's reluctant to reveal anything else, but dodging the questions might lead to this fight reoccurring. Ultimately, he'd like to get this over with, keep his Tabasco, and maybe Hannibal will not use it to annoy him too much.

“Those two years in Louisiana were the best I’d ever had. We had enough money that I ate regularly, and I was able to make a couple friends.”

Hannibal sobered considerably at that. “Is that when you met Jimmy?"

"Jimmy?” asked Will, befuddled.

"Yes, the Mr. Dean, you're so fond of." 

Will gives Hannibal an incredulous look: "Jimmy Dean is a sausage company, Hannibal! Not an ex-lover. Christ, didn't you live in the U.S. for, like, twenty years? How do you not know Jimmy Dean?"

Hannibal glowers at him while ticking off his fingers. “Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Buffet, James Dean—it's an incredibly common American name, Will. Do you honestly expect me to remember them all?”

Seriously contemplating making another attempt on Hannibal’s life brings a smile back to Will’s face as he looks at him and says, “Will you let it go if I tell you I like your sausage better?”

Hannibal looks pleased enough at that.

***

Thank you so much for reading my silly ficlet.

I've posted all three parts on AO3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51791779

[swiftfootedachilles]

Adding to your autistic Mickey convos with Ian learning to unmask as well and embracing his neurodivergent traits so their home ends up having a stim toy basket and the pile of blankets that are different weights and textures that move around the house as needed. And lots of parallel play as you've mentioned, the shared emotions of "I love you and want to spend time with you but in our own comfortable way"

Previous anon, I love your idea of them exploring food they actually like. I can definitely see Mickey being a hands-on eater, to others he looks like he's playing with his food but he's just exploring the feeling and texture of the food. And Ian has his set times for meals and snacks that he prefers to follow, partially because of his meds but mostly because he feels comforted that at those times he knows there would be food

@ every anon ive gotten on this topic i love you i love you i love you i love you i love you i love you i l

YEAHHHHH THE CHOOSE UR OWN ADVENTURE STIM TOY COLLECTION AND BLANKET PILE!!!! @babygirlmickey once said to me that ian totally signs them up for a stim/sensory subscription box and yeah i love that. mickey is a collector of Things and Stuff and his husband loves enabling that when it comes to useful tools to help mickey express himself and self sooth

ian helping mickey embrace his true self in a safe and loving environment just like mickey did for him 🥺 (sidenote: that speech? that ian gives to sue about bd? yeah he did that his damn self, but he never wouldve gotten to that level of self acceptance without mickeys prior support)

ooooooouuuuuu they deserve all the parallel play im sure they love doing the same thing together but theres something so special about ian and mickey spending quality time together and strengthening their bond thru parallel play. their relationship went thru hell and back a million times before they even got married, the only way is up! they get to grow closer in a safe domestic environment!!

i love mickey "seems like a human trash compactor at first glance" milkovich and ian "actual human trash compactor but he prefers organic😌✨" gallagher going on food adventures together. yeah sometimes they cant STAND the other one being in the kitchen while they're trying to cook, but sometimes they do lil food experiments together and follow recipes and make up their own recipes on the fly. and if mickey doesnt like it or picks thru his food ian will eat whatever he doesnt because hes just here having the time of his life trying new things and eating anything thats not fucking spaghetti 4 times a week. but mickey has a tendency to add too much spice and ian has tummy hurt disorder :( so he always slaps that shit out of mickeys hand when he sees him adding it. come on mick just add hot sauce on your plate and stop with all the fucking chili oil already. but one day mickey adds WAYYY too much and theyre both on fire fighting over the milk and ian gives him the chin for like a week straight so he chills it with the spice

mickey often puts himself on sandwich/instant ramen/toast duty for lunch bc he likes having ians food ready before the alarm goes off

[dicaculus]

Title: A Pile of Hot Metal and Dirty Dishes Artist: Crankyfossil Rating: Explicit Pairing: Magnus Bane/ Alec Lightwood Wordcount:42,462 Summary: Magnus Bane is the Head Chef at Encanto and doing just fine. Or that’s what he tells Simon the therapist, his boss Raphael, orders him to go to. Magnus is a genius in the kitchen, his food is art, but if he starts a fight with one more disrespectful customer, he’s gone. Simon is useless though, going on about Magnus using work as a means to distance himself from meaningful relationships, and emotional walls that could rival a fortress. What does he know? Magnus is fine. Then everything goes wrong. His best friend, Catarina and her daughter get into an accident. His eight-year-old niece, Madzie, is the only survivor and Magnus finds himself going from cool uncle Magnus to the only parent Madzie has left. To make matters worse, Raphael has replaced him while he’s on leave. Alexander Lightwood is a menace. He’s careless, breezy, and annoyingly good at everything he does. Magnus can’t stand him, but with Madzie refusing to eat his cooking and his hands full, Magnus needs all the help he can get. Along the way, Magnus begins to realize there’s more to life than seared cod and lemon dressing, and maybe, just maybe, it’s a life that he wants Alexander Lightwood in.

This fic was created for the Malec Discord Mini Bang 2023.

CHAPTER ONE

Read on AO3

For Magnus Bane, Mondays meant a few things. Encanto was only open for dinner, he was at the pier in the early morning with his coat on to stay warm while everyone else was still sleeping.

“Got some nice lobsters from Maine this morning”

Magnus leans forward, inspecting the lobster. The fishmonger gestures towards but tuts and looks back at the man. “Those are a little too small. "

“Try these” He gestures to a second pile of giant lobsters.

Magnus quickly inspects the lobsters, hard shells, two full-sized claws, and no open wounds or legions. “Yeah, these are good. Have them delivered to the restaurant at 2:30. "

But Mondays for Magnus also meant seeing Simon the therapist, whom his boss, Raphael ordered him to see, but to him he’s useless.

“You have to stop using your work as a reason to avoid relationships, Magnus. "

“One day, those emotional walls you’ve built around yourself have to come down. You can’t keep everyone at a distance forever. "

“... a coping mechanism related to the trauma you endured as a child. "

If Magnus hears the man say the word trauma one more time, he’s going to lose it. So instead Magnus spends the hour talking about food, the menu for that week and trying to convince the man to let him bring some food to their next session.

“Some chefs call them ‘lovebirds’, a romantic dish for a special occasion. Properly cooked,

they're as tender as butter. They can be roasted, stuffed with wild rice or barley..or you can broil them, poach them... barbecue them, and even braise them. But there's no greater sin

than to overcook a quail. When cooked correctly it has a touch of pink on the breast, but you need the right quail. It has to be fleshy or it dries out too easily. I prefer to serve them roasted. That makes their taste richer and more robust. And a side of truffle ravioli and wild mushrooms go deliciously well with them. Of course, you can also cook them in a pig's bladder in a mix of Madeira and cognac. You see, the bladder helps protect the quail and keeps it moist. You could serve it with a tender sauce of thyme, spring onions, caramelized shallots, and truffles. Truffles go perfectly with almost any quail dish because they elevate the delicate taste.”

“Am I boring you?” Magnus pauses, looking at Simon who has a scowl on his face and looks incredibly bored.

“No, not at all,” He sighs “Please, go on”

Magnus squints at the psychologist not believing him but continues despite know he’s lying. 

“They wonderfully elevate the delicate taste of the quail. But you have to really

be able to afford truffles, otherwise, you just better forget about it.

Magnus pauses, thinking for just a moment before he claps his hands and turns towards the other man again “Now, for an appetizer, I suggest-”

“Magnus,” Simon says, wiping his face with his hands, “Would you mind if I change the subject for a moment?”

“No.”

He gestures towards the couch sitting in the middle of the room across from where he sits in an armchair, a clipboard set in his lap. Magnus sighs and moves away from the tall windows of the office and sits on the cream couch. Simon uncrosses his legs and sits forward in his chair, looking Magnus in the eye.

“Why do you come to see me every week?

“My boss said he'd fire me if I didn't get therapy.” He says with a roll of his eyes.

Simon hums and removes his glasses, wiping the lenses clean with his shirt.”And why do you think he thinks you need therapy?

“You know,” Magnus says, uncrossing his arms, “I have no idea.” 

Ding

“Well, would you look at that doc? Looks like our time is up” Magnus stands up with a smile, grabbing his coat from the coat rack and slipping on his boots. “This was great. See you next Monday and good luck with your sister’s wedding menu and remember what I said about the quail.”

Magnus doesn’t wait for a response before he opens the door and lets it slam shut behind him.

“Why do you see me every week?” he says mimicking Simon in the elevators. "Shouldn’t he be telling me that? Unbelievable”

—

Despite it being a Monday night, dinner at Encanto was fully booked. The kitchen is in full swing, taking order after order, working together like a well-tuned machine. The sound of clanging pots and pans, the searing of meat, bubbling liquids and Magnus’s authoritative tone fill the kitchen.

“Ordering two tasting menus.”

“Clary, I need a quail and a Dover sole for table nine.”

“I'm still waiting on those beef tenderloins. Where are they? Pick up!

 “Scallops, tenderloin-”

“Magnus, the Branwells are here”

Magnus glares at Raphael, hoping to communicate how much he’d like not to be interrupted during a busy service, especially when reading orders.

He rolls his eyes. “They want to tell you how brilliant you are. "

“Brilliant chefs belong in the kitchen. Clary, don’t cook those too long they’ll get—”

“Tough, I know,” the redhead says with a shake of her head

“No,” He says, swatting Clary’s right bicep. “Dry, they will get dry”

“At least say hello. You know the Branwells are some of our most loyal and best customers”

Magnus looks over to Raphael, who hadn’t gotten his message to leave the kitchen when he was ignored. With a sigh, Magnus mutters a ‘Fine’ and unties his apron from his waist,

“I get tough, the Quail will get dry, Clary.” He squeezes the redhead’s shoulders “Control the ship until I’m back.” 

“Yes Chef” 

“I also want to go over the menu for the lunch menu for this week,” Raphael says as he walks through the kitchen doors. 

Magnus sighs again and tosses his lightly stained apron at the man. “Later”

Magnus plasters on his signature smile as he greets the Branwells. Charlotte and Henry Branwell, a now-retired couple who’ve had a reservation at Encanto every week since Magnus became head chef. They celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion with them and, as Raphael said, they were some of their best customers. The couple stands from their table and greets Magnus with warm hugs and a kiss on both cheeks from Charlotte when he reaches the couple’s table.

“You're a magician, Magnus,” Charlotte exclaims. “My husband sings your praises whenever he eats your food. It’s all he’ll speak of for days. It's hard not to be jealous.” She says with a laugh.

“I worship anyone who can surprise my palate, no need for the jealousy my dear”

Magnus watches the couple squeeze each other's hand, for just a moment he feels the pains of jealousy seeing how in love the Branwells are after so many years together. He clears his throat, thanking the couple again and walks with them to the door.

“Well, it's always a pleasure to cook for you both. I’ll see you next week?”

“Of course.”

“Well,” He says, “Until next week then, have a good night you two”

After a final wave, Magnus shuts the door behind the couple and watches silently as they walk down the street hand in hand. He wonders how it would be, being with the same person for so many years, knowing everything about them, raising a family, and growing old together. Underneath Magnus’s hard shell is something he’d always secretly dreamed of, a man or a woman to grow old with, watch mindless tv in the evening with, and bicker about paint swatches for the kitchen. 

“Your emotional walls are so high they could rival a fortress,” Simon’s voice echoes through Magnus's head. 

Magnus shakes the thought from his head. His kitchen needs him.

“I'm telling you it's not cooked properly” 

The woman’s voice pulls Magnus from his thoughts. Annoyance fills Magnus at someone, a patron, judging his food. He walks over to the table. Standing just behind is Raphael, at the table is a couple clearly in the middle of what looks like a perfect meal to him. 

“May I ask what this is about?” asks Magnus, looking between the pair

‘Magnus, I'll handle this.”

“You're the chef? The woman says, pointing a badly French-manicured finger in Magnus’s direction.

Magnus stands up straighter and swallows, taking a deep breath so he doesn’t break the woman’s finger. “Yes.”

“There's something I'd like to show you.”

“Don't do this.” Pleads the blonde man sitting across from her.

The woman tuts and waves her hand in front of the man and ignoring his protests. Suddenly Magnus is offended for the husband and his patience is quickly running thin. 

“My husband’s foie gras hasn't been cooked long enough.”

“Excuse me?”

Raphael reaches for the plate, trying to diffuse the situation. “Why don't I bring you a new appetizer with my compliments?

“It's cooked just fine,” Magnus tells the older woman,

“Nothing to be ashamed of, honey.” She says, touching Magnus’s hand that rests on the table. She says it in a way you’d speak to a child, patronizing with a faux smile showing her lipstick-stained teeth. “Even the best stumble over foie gras.”

Honey? Now that won’t do. Magnus pulls his hand from underneath the older woman’s and takes the plate from Raphael’s hands, his lips tight and irritation covering his face. From the corner of his eye, he can see Raphael with a pleading look on his face, but he ignores him and carries on.

“There's nothing wrong with this. It's precisely comme il faut.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Comme il faut? "As it should be. 140 degrees in the oven, 80 degrees water temperature, for 25 minutes not too long, not too short, with the perfect touch of pink. “He slams the plate back on the table, the sound echoing through the quiet dining room “Honey.”

“I am a paying customer. How dare you speak to me like this! Are you going to let your chef speak to me like this?!” Raphael is silent, not sure what to say or want to make it worse. She pushes her chair back, it scrapes the wooden floor and hits the wall behind her with a thud as she stands. “We'll take our business somewhere else.”

The woman pulls her coat‌ on and heads to the door. “Let's go, Benedict”

Benedict silently stands, putting his coat on without a word. He looks Magnus in the eye and mutters a soft ‘sorry about her’ before following his wife. Magnus doesn’t understand how such a soft-spoken man could be married to that barbarian. Maybe Benedict should take his business elsewhere, too.

“May I suggest Raj's hot dog stand at the corner?” He says, following the couple to the door, “He cooks to order.”

Magnus slams the door shut behind the couple and heads back to the kitchens, ignoring the stares of the customers who witnessed the scene. The metal kitchen doors slam behind him. He picks up a fresh apron, tying it tightly around himself, washes his hands, scrubbing the woman and her comments off of himself.

“Everything okay, chef?” Clary asks when Magnus stands at his station.

Magnus nods “Peachy”

“How many times have I told you, Bane!” Raphael roars as he slams open the kitchen doors. He stands on the other side of Magnus’s station. Raphael slams his hand on the counter, making everyone in the kitchen jump. “You can’t make a scene every time someone doesn’t like your food”

Magnus rolls his eyes. "Please, that woman was ridiculous and had no idea what she was talking about. " He leans forward on the counter. “She didn’t know what comme il faut meant and I’m supposed to trust her opinion on foie gras?!”

“She’s a paying customer! If she says the foie gras is not done, it’s not” 

“Foie gras is cruelty to animals” Clary pipes in

“Stay out of this Clarrisa,” Raphael bites without looking away from Magnus

“Clary, why don’t you take your break,” Magnus says softly. “Go eat something, I’m sure Peanut is hungry” He gestures to Clary’s very pregnant stomach.

Raphael follows Clary with her eyes, making sure she’s gone before looking back at Magnus, the glare still on his face.

“I swear to God, Magnus, if you weren't one of the better chefs in this city, I'd fire you.” 

“One of the better chefs?” He says with a gasp. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Raphael simply shrugs and says nothing else before turning around and leaving the kitchen, letting the door slam closed and a stunned Magnus behind his station.

“He's just saying that to annoy me,” Magnus says, pressing his lips together. He pauses and looks up at his other chefs. “Isn't he?

“Whatever you say, chef.”

—-

The following Monday Magnus is back at the fishmongers. He orders plenty of seafood for the restaurant, lobsters, scallops, and shrimp. He orders them to the restaurant for noon and starts to leave when a familiar monger waves him over.

“Hey Magnus, over here!”

“Hey Travis, have anything good for me”

“Do I have anything good for you?” He chuckles. "Check it out” he gestures to a crate 

Magnus steps over and takes the lid off and gasps, “Golden tilefish! Travis, I can’t believe you got them. They’re beautiful.”

“Anything for Magnus Bane and… are you working tonight? I know a good Thai place—”

“I am actually,” Magnus says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Just for a few hours to get some things done. My best friend and her daughter are coming into town. “Get the fish to Encanto for two, ask for Clary. She’ll sign for them. "

Travis shakes his head. "I don’t give up that easily. One of these days, I’ll get you to go on a date with me. "

Magnus sighs heavily. "Look, Travis, I think you should know I don't generally do that.”

“What, have dinner?”

“Dinner dates”

“How about breakfast?” Travis asks “We’re both here early in the morning, there’s a little diner down the street—”

“Travis, I don't go out with people I work with.. or buy fish from‌.”

 “You seem to have a lot of rules” He shrugs

–

“What's wrong with having rules?” Magnus asks with an exasperated sigh. He pulls out a plate he’d taken from home and sets it on the coffee tables, from his bag Magnus pulls out other small containers filled with various items.

“Rules control us,” Simons says, “Sometimes too much—”

“I'm not controlling,” Magnus says with a scoff, as he opens the multiple containers. The aromas of herbs and spices hit Magnus’s nose, making him close his eyes to inhale the beautiful smell again with a hum as it fills the office. “I just prefer things to be done exactly right. That's why I usually end up doing everything myself.

Simon is silent as he watches the chef prepare him a plate. He notices the squinted eyes, his tongue poking out of his mouth as concentrates on dressing the plate to his high standards. 

“And since when is not shitting where you eat a bad thing?!” Magnus wonders, looking back at Simon. “Do you have any idea how complicated it is to coordinate 40 dishes at once and create a new menu every week?” He sighs and adds something green on top of the dish Simon assumes is a garnish.

Magnus stands with an excited smile, and gently places the round plate on top of Simon's clipboard, filled with notes about their session. 

“I hope you like scallops, I want to bring more of my Indonesian heritage into the menus so I’ve prepared you scallops with a gulai sauce” He turns around and sits back on the green couch, losing his containers and packing them in the bag he brought. “Well, go on, tell me how it is?”

Simon sighs. “I thought we agreed you weren’t going to cook for me anymore. "

“I didn't cook it for you,” Magnus emphasizes. “I just tried some new ideas. Who else am I gonna give it to and get honest feedback from?”

Simon puts the plate on the floor beside his chair. Magnus winces at his food being on the floor and tries not to take it personally. 

“Now, we're gonna try something new this week. I'm going to ask you questions, and you're gonna answer them.”

Magnus groans in displeasure, but goes along with it, turning himself so he can lie on the couch and look up at the ceiling instead of Simon’s face.

“How long ago was your last relationship?”

Magnus turns his head to the side and looks at Simon with a raised eyebrow “Isn't that a little personal?”

“This is therapy, Magnus. Things often get personal in this office, and as you know nothing leaves these four walls. So how long?”

Magnus looks back up at the ceiling. “I don't know. Three years ago, maybe four.”

“Who ended it?”

“I did. She was getting way too demanding. "

“How so? Was she controlling you, abusive?”

Magnus shakes his head. “No, nothing like that.” When Simon is silent, Magnus knows he wants him to elaborate which he does with a heavy sigh. “If you must know, after two years, she wanted to move in together.” Magnus turns his head to the side again. “Are you really not going to eat the scallops?” 

Simon stares at him with wide eyes, not expecting the harsh tone from the chef’s mouth.

“Let’s make a deal,” Magnus says, sitting up. “I’ll answer all the questions your little psychologist heart desires as long as you agree to try the new dishes I come up with. "

“You’ll answer all of my questions, honestly?” Simon asks dubiously.

“Yes, I’ll answer all your dumb questions” Magnus sighs

Simons agrees to the deal and picks the plate back up from the carpet and places it on top of his clipboard. Magnus sighs happily and lays back on the couch, staring at the ceiling with a grin that’s quickly wiped from his face when Simon resumes his questions.

“Where were we…ahh, what's so bad about moving in together? Two years is a long time. In fact, some couples move much faster than that. "

“She asked me to give up my apartment. Why would I wanna do that?”

Magnus loved his apartment. It was an older building in a beautiful part of the city, close to the pier where he’d meet fishmongers and other merchants—a spiral staircase to his door, large windows, and nice neighbours who were respectful. You couldn’t get anything else like it in the city, especially at the price he paid.

“I'd move out,” Magnus continues “We'd get a place together that isn’t nearly as nice... she'd eventually leave, then where would I be?

“My God.” Simon moans loudly

Magnus sits up and looks at the psychologist with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on his face.

“The sauce is so good. I’ve never tasted anything like it”

“Thank you.”

After Simon, Magnus heads to the restaurant like normal. Prep goes by smoothly, as does the beginning of dinner service, but Magnus doesn’t hold his breath. It’s only just started after all. 

“Where's my lobster for table 12?!” He yells into the kitchen

“Plating, chef”

“Well, plate faster or the garnish will get cold and we’ll have to refire the whole table!”

The familiar sounds of searing pots and pans clanging are background noise as Magnus makes sure every dish is perfect when it’s handed to him. He’d put the finishing touches on the dish, dots of sauce, a finishing garnish or send the item back with some choice words if the food wasn’t any good. Some would call his standards too high. Some would say that he was too harsh on his staff and there was no need for his yelling. Magnus would roll his eyes at those people. Magnus started his career in a kitchen with a notoriously angry chef who wasn’t afraid to belittle you for overcooked lamb. He shudders at the memory. Magnus was nothing compared to that man. 

“I'm an actress and I don't do naked bondage movies.”

Magnus holds a chuckle as he listens to the waitstaff talk, sure he could reprimand them but they always did their jobs and secretly he found the conversation amusing.

“The world is so full of pervs.” Hisses a waitress. “That guy at table 10 is the worst. Every week he’s with a different woman!.”

Magnus knew the table they were speaking of. Once a week for the past year, the same man always had table 10 reserved. Every date was with a different woman, all at least half his age, and on every date, he’d spend hundreds on dinner and drinks. Some thought he was seeing escorts, others thought he was a sugar daddy, but the only thing they knew for sure was he was married after witnessing him take a wedding band off and shove it in his pocket before his date arrived. 

“I swear, he leers at my tits,” she continues angrily, picking up her table’s food. “One more time, he's gonna regret it.”

The waitress turns around and goes to leave the kitchen, but as she leaves, a waiter pushes the door open. She tries to move to the side but the door and the waiter hit her, knocking her food to the floor, and both of their dishes shattered into pieces on the floor with a loud crash.

“Damn it, Carlos! Watch where you're going.”

Suddenly the kitchen is in chaos, waitstaff and chefs flood together, picking up the food and the glasses knocked to the floor. Carlos apologizes repeatedly to the other server, who glares at him while picking things up. The phone rings loudly in the background, yelling from the servers and Raphael echo through the kitchen, the clang of the remaining chefs cooking and more servers looking for their table's food. 

Magnus has had enough.

“Pay attention, everybody.” roars Magnus “How about less gossiping about our customers and more serving them?!”

“Sorry, chef,” mumbles the red-faced servers.

“Raphael, please apologize to table 10 for me and tell them their food will be delayed.” The man nods and then heads towards the doors. “And get a male server to replace Candice for table 10. You know, he makes the waitresses uncomfortable with his staring.”

“Carlos, you’re on table 10,” Raphael says before leaving the kitchen.

“Fire two lobsters right away!” He bellows to his chefs, then he turns around and faces the servers, “As you can see, things are a little chaotic right now so the rest of your tables might be a little delayed.” He fumes.

“I'm really sorry about that,” Carlos says, tears running down his cheeks

Magnus sighs heavily and nods, deciding to take pity on the new server. “Just don't let it happen again, Carlos. Now wipe those tears and take a deep breath. There’s a bathroom down that hallway if you need a moment, you have ten minutes until your table is up”

“Now we're gonna run out of lobster,” Magnus mumbles to himself, watching the expensive crustacean be peeled off the floor and tossed in the garbage, “Why did it have to be the special.”

“Magnus, we're not gonna run out of anything. We're fine,” says Clary, squeezing his shoulder. 

"It was an accident, deep breaths now. Come on hydrate.” She hands him a bottle of water. He takes a sip but quickly gulps more down, only now realizing how thirsty he was.

“You're like a mom already.” He remarks, handing Clary back the bottle.

“Well, I've gotta practice while I can, right?” Clary teases rubbing her belly.

“Chef refired lobsters for table 10!”

Magnus thanks the chef and grabs one of the bottles, putting the finishing touches on the lobster dishes.

“Would someone please get the phone?!” He snaps when it rings again

“Kitchen.”

“If it's Catarina, tell her she said 9 and I can't make it any sooner,” Magnus says as he dresses another plate with pesto.

“It's for you,” Clary says.

“Take a message.” He says, waving her off.

“Magnus”   

Something in the hesitant tone of his friend’s voice makes him look up. Clary has the phone cradled to her chest like she’s holding a child. “I think you better take this.” She stares at him with wide eyes, her body trembling.

“I think..” she clears her throat “You need to take this, Magnus”

Magnus approaches Clary with narrowed eyes. The way she’s looking at him makes his heart beat faster, filling him with anxiety about who is on the phone. Clary hands the phone to him and pats him on the shoulder before going back to the kitchen, easily taking charge.

He takes a deep breath before putting the phone to his ear. It’s in that moment, with one phone call and a single sentence, that Magnus’s life changes forever.

“Magnus Bane, my name is Dr. Roberts, there’s been an accident..”

[catonablog-blog-blog]

Pizza v. Burgers: Fast Food Fight Greetings, my fellow food aficionados! Rufus T. Flywheel here, the ultimate connoisseur of all things delicious and delectable in the world of fast food. Today, I am embarking on a culinary journey that has been a subject of debate and discussion for decades - the epic battle between pizza and burgers. Yes, you heard me right! It's time to settle the age-old question: which reigns supreme in the fast food realm, the cheesy goodness of pizza or the juicy perfection of burgers? Let's dive right in and break down the contenders, starting with the mighty pizza. Ah, pizza - the iconic Italian creation that has captured the hearts (and stomachs) of people around the globe. With its crispy crust, gooey cheese, and endless array of toppings, pizza is a true comfort food that knows no bounds. Whether you prefer classic pepperoni, extravagant Hawaiian, or gourmet truffle mushroom, there is a pizza out there for every palate. One of the main advantages of pizza is its versatility. You can enjoy it as a quick and convenient meal on the go, order a piping hot delivery to your doorstep, or even create your own masterpiece at home. With so many options for customization, pizza offers endless possibilities for personalization and experimentation. Plus, let's not forget the joy of leftovers - cold pizza for breakfast, anyone? Now, let's turn our attention to the formidable burger. The epitome of handheld goodness, burgers are a staple of fast food culture that have withstood the test of time. From classic cheeseburgers to gourmet creations with exotic toppings, there is a burger out there to satisfy every craving. Juicy beef patties, melted cheese, crisp lettuce, and tangy sauces all sandwiched between two soft buns - what's not to love? One of the key strengths of burgers is their convenience. Whether you're grabbing a quick bite at a fast food joint, enjoying a gourmet creation at a trendy burger bar, or firing up the grill at a summer barbecue, burgers are a versatile option for any occasion. Plus, the endless variety of burger styles and flavor combinations ensures that you'll never get bored with this beloved fast food classic. But the question remains - in the ultimate fast food face-off, which will emerge victorious: pizza or burgers? As much as I hate to play favorites, I must admit that when it comes down to it, my heart (or should I say, my stomach) belongs to pizza. There's just something magical about that perfect combination of dough, sauce, cheese, and toppings that makes pizza an irresistible choice time and time again. Whether you're a fan of traditional New York-style slices or trendy Neapolitan pies, pizza has a timeless appeal that never goes out of style. Of course, that's not to say that burgers don't have their own appeal. The juicy goodness of a well-cooked patty, the melty cheese oozing down the sides, the crunch of fresh lettuce and pickles - burgers offer a sensory experience like no other. Whether you prefer a classic cheeseburger with all the fixings or a gourmet creation with exotic toppings, burgers are a true indulgence that can satisfy even the most insatiable appetites. In the end, the battle between pizza and burgers may never truly be resolved. Both offer unique flavors, textures, and experiences that cater to different tastes and preferences. Whether you're craving the comforting embrace of a cheesy slice of pizza or the savory satisfaction of a juicy burger, one thing is certain - you can't go wrong with either choice when it comes to fast food favorites. So, my fellow foodies, the next time you find yourself torn between the allure of pizza and the temptation of burgers, why not indulge in both? After all, variety is the spice of life, and in the world of fast food, there's always room for a little bit of everything. As for me, I'll be enjoying a slice of pizza and a burger side by side, savoring the best of both worlds in a delicious harmony of flavors. Cheers to the never-ending fast food fight between pizza and burgers - may they continue to tantalize our taste buds for years to come! Until next time, happy eating! Yours in gastronomic delight, Rufus T. Flywheel

[sillybiscuitshepherdskeleton]

soft asks to get to know people

ones i want to do for myself, just cause.

what song makes you feel better?

what’s your feel-good movie?

what’s your favorite candle scent?

what flower would you like to be given?

who do you feel most you around?

say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

what color brings you peace?

tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good. 

what calms you down?

what’s something you’re excited for?

what’s your ideal date?

how are you?

what’s your comfort food?

favorite feel-good show?

for every emoji you get, tag someone and describe them in one word.

compliment the person who sent you this number.

fairy lights or LED lights?

do you still love stuffed animals?

most important thing in your life?

what do you want most in the world right now?

if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

what would you say to your future self?

favorite piece of clothing?

what’s something you do to de-stress?

what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.)

what movie would you want to live in?

which character would you want to be?

hugs or hand-holding?

morning, afternoon or night?

what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

what song makes you feel better?

Let Me Know - LANY

i struggle a lot on speaking out for myself, i've a lot of insecurities on self esteem too, feeling like i'm far from worth fighting for. and this song, a repeat of 'let me know if there's something i can do to fix it, i can't promise you i'll be waiting, but for you i'll leave everything behind' hits just right for me

2. what’s your feel-good movie?

Set It Up - 2018, Netflix

oh this rom-com is everything for me. something i needed everytime i've a bad day, something to eat popcorn to, or a before bed movie.

3. what’s your favorite candle scent?

everything christmas theme/scent, i love the season. i'm from a tropic part of the world so it's summer all the time, but brands still market christmas as snowy-ish and that's a win for me. especially hot peppermint mocha. 🎄

4. what flower would you like to be given?

i personally think chrysanthemum is very pretty.

5. who do you feel most you around?

despite what it might look like, i find myself a mom-girl. i'm a daughter through and through. i'm close with my friends alright but there's that deepest, private, layer of me that i can only feel when i'm with mom/family around.

6. say three nice things about yourself (three physical and three non-physical).

haha this is fun (sarcasm) but okay 👻

physical: i love my smile, hair, and height (im a small girlie and im proud of it). non physical: life made me be a natural caregiver (elderly), lending a helping hand comes easy for me, i like how i laugh.

7. what color brings you peace?

olivia rodrigo's purple and slytherin's green. // purple has been my fav since childhood (teletubbies'), and i grew up with harry potter (relate a lot to slytherin' & sorted into it)

8. tag someone (or multiple people) who make you feel good. 

can i tag my comfort character instead? ehe 👀

9. what calms you down?

a nice hurt/comfort fic, or domestic fluff.

10. what’s something you’re excited for?

reading my ao3 marked for later fics, and archiving fics i love offline ✨

11. what’s your ideal date?

a nice coffee date in a cute,bright cafe (i hate those yellow-lighting cafe, i prefer large, bright, you can see the street kind of cafe)

12. how are you?

i'm trying my best 💕

13. what’s your comfort food?

a hot congee with dark soy sauce

14. favorite feel-good show?

Modern Family (2009 - 2020)

i found myself watching it in 2021, so it's ended already, so i can binge-watch it easy. i LOVE everything about it, and i keep going to it everytime i need something light but warm. my meals show, lets say.

15. fairy lights or LED lights?

fairy lights all the way 🧚🏻‍♀️

16. do you still love stuffed animals?

i do, esp. the small ones, i find them comforting. i've the gosig dog and djungelskog bear from ikea in my bed as my most recent fav.

17. most important thing in your life?

balance between work and play.

18. what do you want most in the world right now?

right now? i'm on a high wedding fever. i fantasize having a wedding at the beach basically everytime now. the songs i need to play at it are like, ready.

19. if you could tell your past self one thing, what would it be?

you'll turn out alright. bruised, but you'll show it with pride.

20. what would you say to your future self?

my best right now perhaps not your best, but that is okay.

21. favorite piece of clothing?

a t-shirt with a subtle hint of fandom its represent (i'm currently in love with my uniqlo UT' slytherin shirt)

22. what’s something you do to de-stress?

watching youtube mindlessly.

23. what’s the best personal gift someone could give you (playlist, homemade card, etc.)

oh i know. it's a stretched dream but i'm dreaming of someone gifting me an offline drive of my favourite ao3 fics / new fics with my favs tags, from my fav fandom. a playlist would be romantic too.

24. what movie would you want to live in?

25. which character would you want to be?

26. hugs or hand-holding?

hugs. hand-holding is exclusive for lovers, it feels intimate for me, so.

26. morning, afternoon or night?

definitely an afternoon girlie. i can't wake up early, and i'd rather have my nights indoor.

27. what reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

this playlist made in 2021, the (i think) my most productive year.

[jamesahector]

From Mild to Wild: Dern Hot Pickles Sizzling Range of Heat

Introduction

I love a good pickle. I've been known to eat them straight out of the jar with my fingers, but I'm not ashamed.

The Hot Hot Pickle Extra Special

The hot pickles extra special is our most fiery pickle. It's two spicy pickles in one jar, with chilli and garlic to give you a real kick.

The ingredients are sourced from the best suppliers, so you can be sure that they're fresh, natural and delicious too. The jar is made in England using recycled glass (and it can be recycled again once you're done).

From Mild to Wild

From mild to wild, the dern hot pickles sizzling range of heat is a Spicy Pickle lover's dream come true. With three levels of heat and various flavours, you'll surely find something that suits your taste buds.

Let's take a look at each one:

Mild - The perfect choice for those who like their pickles on the mellow side, this flavour will leave your mouth feeling refreshed and tingly with just a hint of spice.

Medium - If you want something that packs more punch than the mild but isn't too overpowering either, this level is ideal for people who want something with some kick.

Wild - For those looking for an extra kick in every bite (and maybe even some tears), then look no further than our wildest offering yet.

Dern Hot Pickles, for some, are a way of life.

For some, Dern Hot Pickles are a way of life. An obsession. A passion. A love affair with the hot and dill pickles that will never end.

And for these people, there's nothing more important than getting their hands on those fiery little jars as soon as possible - preferably without waiting in line at the grocery store or fighting through crowds at the farmers' market.

An obsession, if you will.

But pickles are more than just a way of life. They're an obsession, a passion and a hobby for many people.

Pickles are also a pastime for those who like to try new things on their own time. There's nothing more satisfying than having some delicious pickles after you've finished doing whatever it is that you do in your free time (which could be anything from watching TV or playing video games).

This is the kind of love that runs deep and comes from the depths of your soul.

This kind of love runs deep and comes from the depths of your soul. It's a love that can't be denied, no matter how much you try to fight it (or even if you don't).

When someone asks me why I love pickles so much, I always say: "Because they're hot."

A pickle can be so much more than just a cucumber in vinegar.

In fact, the pickle is one of the most versatile foods out there. It can be used in soups and salads, as an appetizer or side dish, and even as the main attraction on its own. The most popular pickle sandwich is probably made with breaded chicken tenders instead of sliced bread (or even mayonnaise). This version contains no actual cucumbers, but don't tell anyone else that because they might not want to try it if they knew how easy it was to make.

Dern Hot Pickles are a range of spicy pickled vegetables that deliver heat, flavour and crunch in a single jar.

We use fresh vegetables, never frozen.

No additives or preservatives.

Our pickles are preserved in vinegar, spices and salt.

As the name suggests, these are not your average pickled vegetables. The Dern Hot Pickles range includes a variety of flavours: dill pickle, green tomato and mustard - all with their own unique twist on spicy heat levels. They're perfect for burgers or as an accompaniment to cheese boards at parties - just add some cheese sauce for an extra kick.

The Tangy Too Hot To Handle Pickle Deluxe

This pickle has a fiery kick that's not for the faint of heart. It's spicy, it's tangy and it packs a serious punch. The Dill Pickle Flavour really shines through in this pickle with its strong dill flavour--you can almost taste the freshness. This is what makes this pickle so special: there are no preservatives or additives in these deluxe delights. They're made with organic ingredients, non-GMO soybeans and no artificial colours or flavours either (just like all Dern Hot Pickles products).

The Tangy Too Hot To Handle Pickle Deluxe comes in a jar of twelve individually wrapped slices which makes them perfect for sharing around at parties or keeping on hand when you need something spicy to spice up your day.

From mild to wild, our range will have you reaching for another jar before you know it.

From mild to wild, our range will have you reaching for another jar before you know it. They're the perfect snack and can be enjoyed with a range of foods including cheese or meat.

They're low in calories and packed with flavour. Each delicious pickle has its own unique taste to keep things interesting.

Whether you like your food hot or prefer something a little more mild, we've got you covered.

Whether you like your food hot or prefer something a little more mild, we've got you covered.

The Dern Hot Pickles Sizzling Range of Heat comes in two heat levels: mild and wild. If you're up for something spicy (but not too spicy), go for the mild version. For those who like things on the wild side, try our hot pickles with dill pickle flavour or green tomato and mustard flavours.

The Insanely Over the Top Pickle Extremely Spicy

The Insanely Over the Top Pickle Extremely Spicy is a hot and spicy pickle made from fresh vegetables. It has been rated as one of the most popular hot pickles by customers, who recommend it for those who like their food spicy. If you're looking for something new to add some kick to your meals, this might be just what you need.

If you can handle the heat, give them a try.

If you're a fan of pickles, then this is the product for you. The Dern Hot Pickles Sizzling Range of Heat is perfect for those who want to spice up their lives with some extra flavour and heat.

The pickles themselves are made from fresh vegetables and are free from additives and preservatives. They come in two new flavours: "Hotter Than Hell" (which I recommend) and "Go Away Satan". If you can handle the heat, give them a try.

We use fresh vegetables - no additives or preservatives - to create our range of delicious pickles.

Dern Hot Pickles are not made with any artificial preservatives, additives or flavourings. We use fresh vegetables to create our range of delicious pickles that have been specially selected for their unique flavours and textures. Our products are then naturally fermented to create a delicious and healthy snack you can enjoy anytime.

The Chilly Chilly Pickle Wonder

If you're a fan of pickles, but looking for something with a bit more kick than your average dill variety, then this is the one for you. The Chilly Chilly Pickle Wonder has all the flavour of our original pickle but with an added chilli kick. The heat level is mild and it's great on sandwiches or just eaten straight from the jar (we won't judge).

Dern Hot Pickles have been rated as one of the most popular hot pickles.

Dern Hot Pickles have been rated as one of the most popular hot pickles. They are available in 2 new flavours, and each flavour has 2 heat levels to choose from.

If you're looking for a spicier kick, try Dern Hot Pickle's Habanero or Ghost Pepper varieties - both are deliciously spicy.

Dern Hot Pickles are available in 2 new flavours, and each flavour has 2 heat levels to choose from.

Dern Hot Pickles are available in 2 new flavours, and each flavour has 2 heat levels to choose from. The classic dill pickle flavour has been given a new twist with a green tomato pepper kick, while mustard pickles have been infused with chilli heat.

The range includes classic dill pickle flavour as well as green tomato and mustard varieties.

The range includes classic dill pickle flavour as well as green tomato and mustard varieties. Each variety has two heat levels to choose from, mild or wild, depending on how much heat you want to add to your meal.

The new flavours are:

Dill Pickle - Mild & Wild

Green Tomato - Mild & Wild

Mustard - Mild & Wild

Conclusion

Dern Hot Pickles are a range of spicy pickled vegetables that deliver heat, flavour and crunch in a single jar. The Tangy Too Hot To Handle Pickle Deluxe From mild to wild, our range will have you reaching for another jar before you know it. Whether you like your food hot or prefer something a little more mild, we've got you covered. The Insanely Over the Top Pickle Extremely Spicy If you can handle the heat, give them a try. We use fresh vegetables - no additives or preservatives - to create our range of delicious pickles.

[freesomebodybyluna]

...

[thekatebridgerton]

The Bridgerton couples if they had TikTok

Kate and Anthony: They do a lot of couple challenges, the more competitive the better. From seeing which one of them can handle drinking more hot sauce, wearing each other's clothes to work, Kate vs Anthony lipsync battles, Kate vs Anthony dance offs and of course, lots of demon corgi content 'Hi if this is in your FYP you love to watch couples fight it out in a healthy entertaining way, I'm Kate that's Anthony follow to watch me win at pall mall, no Kate, follow to watch ME win at pall mall'

Daphne and Simon: They have a parenting TikTok that's all about tips to raise healthy children and heal trauma, good Cop bad Cop Style. Simon threatens people to treat their kids right and Daphne softens the blow with some modern mom wisdom quotes. All their parenting hacks check out

Benedict and Sophie: they have a cosplay TikTok. Benedict does makeup effects and Sophie does costumes. They love to do couples cosplay especially Miraculous Ladybug. Also Jack and Sally, Ella and the prince, Anakin and Padme, Superman and Lois. 'Hi I'm Ben and I'm Sophie, we are Benophie and this is My Cottage! Welcome to our visual artist TikTok, find our merch in Etsy and Patreon link in our bio'

Colin and Penelope: they have a travel journalism TikTok. After Penelope retired her LW gossip TikTok. they opened an account together. Colin usually prefers to film Penelope, because her reactions to new places are the best. But Penelope does the narration of all their adventures in LW voice. They do a lot of foreign food challenges, foreign clothes challenges and film in the craziest places, I mean Polin wearing matador clothes in Spain for a corrida de toros, get lots of views . They also go viral every once in a while when Penelope films and narrates Colin's pranks to his siblings. (Colin pranks his siblings a lot).

Phillip and Eloise: they definitely have a working wife-househusband TikTok. 'Welcome to Philoise TikTok, please check your mysoginy at the door. Today I cleaned the house while my wife works very hard in her home office next door, the twins are clean, the foods is on the table, now time to check out my plants, follow to end toxic masculinity' their followers usually send them gifts and comment with crying envy emojis. Their metal health hacks videos are gold

Francesca and Michael: these two do a lot of couple thirst traps and transformation challenges. The one that went viral was Michael s 'surprising my wife with my sexy outfit before she leaves for brunch with her family' and Francesca's 'send this picture to your man at work' they take no kinkshaming and are one of the most wholesome thirst trap pairs on TikTok

Hyacinth and Garret: treasure hunts and scavenger challenges are their thing. They also feature Grandmother Danbury's social commentary heavily in their videos and people love her #LadyDanburyBurns. They also do a lot of Storytime together. It's fun. The voice clips from their account usually spark a new TikTok challenge at least once a week. They also do a lot of stiching with their followers

Gregory and Lucy: the pair who takes nothing seriously, they have a 'how impress a guy/girl' TikTok. Where they film funny dating dos and donts. When Gregory films himself trying to impress Lucy usually debunks his moves. When Lucy does it Gregory is always like 'that was bad, really bad actually, but it would totally work on me if you did it'. Their followers ship them. Nobody knows if they're dating in real life or if it's just have that much chemistry together. But their videos are really funny.

[clarawatson]

It Only Takes A Taste (2)

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x [Fem]!Reader (GN pronouns, fem coded) Summary: it’s your second time meeting Aaron. He’s still flustered and precious but he (might) manage to give you his number. W/C: 2113 Warnings: none yet! A/N: i haven’t got chapter names yet, just accept they’re all called ‘it only takes a taste’ haha. AO3 tags: @willowrose99 @genevievedarcygranger @maryosprinkle @kleff03 (if you want to get added, lmk!!) Where am I in this series? 01 | 02 | 03 | 04

The next time you meet him, it’s 2am. Rita’s three weeks off her due date. She’s been staying at Joe’s place, with his wife, because the heating’s gone out in her apartment and her super is a foul man. If you were inclined to murder, he’d be first on your list. Right now she’s out the back, trying to wipe chocolate sauce off her uniform. The baby’s been kicking for hours and knocks things around the counter sometimes. At least it isn’t throwing her ribs out this time. 

There’s a couple of teens drinking milkshakes in the window, they’ve snuck out after bedtime and they’re giggling to each other about how bad they are. You’ve seen their parents drive by twice (they’re regulars after school) but no one’s come in yet.

The agent drives by, and then does a u-turn and comes back. It was literally a double take, no matter how you look at it. You clearly saw him slow down and try to look in the window as he tried (desperately tried) to stay on the main road. And then he’d turned around and come back. 

He’s even prettier dry than he was wet. (Your mind spirals to where that could have gone, which is not something you expected from a 2am shift). He’s loosened his tie and his hair is falling free of the gel. He looks less tired, and yet more tired. A different kind of tired. This one would be fixed by a good night’s sleep.

“Hi,” he says with a little quirk in his lip that could be him fighting off a smile.

“Hi,” you return with a full smile. He sits in front of you and steeples his fingers under his chin.

“I’m Aaron.”

A fortnight you’ve been wondering his name and he just swans in and hands it to you on a silver platter. Bless him and his beautiful brown eyes.

“Y/n,” you introduce. “And what can I get for you tonight, Aaron?”

“Maybe not a coffee.” He doesn’t break eye contact with you. He has such a cheeky smile you almost want to reach over and wipe it off his lips. “A hot chocolate would do. I’ve got to sleep enough to take my kid to school.”

“Have here?” Your hands hover over the in-cups and the out-cups. He taps his finger against his chin.

“In.” He folds his hands and you notice he’s not wearing a wedding ring. Kid, no wedding ring, weird hours. Could be a score, could be a serial killer. Could be both! No. Not both. There will be no fraternising with serial killers. Not if you respect your life. 

Would it be weird to ask him where he works? If he works for one of the alphabet soups, will it get you in trouble? Maybe. People don’t like you poking around when sensitive information could be involved. You still ask anyway while the coffee machine has it’s little dummy spit at having to work at two in the morning.

“Quantico,” he says. He probably saw you trying to figure out how to ask. And that’s really all he can say. Maybe. He waggles his eyebrows just a little and you think he’s maybe a little too cheeky for this early in the morning. If Rita was working she’d be swooning all over him. 

“That’s very prestigious, but, sir, I don’t think you have the security clearance to be in this diner if you only work at Quantico. We deal with Area 51.”

“Long commute,” he teases.

You raise an eyebrow. “That’s what the uneducated think. I can break a few rules as long as you don’t start asking questions. No asking about where they keep the aliens, okay?”

“Never.” He wraps his hands around the mug as you push it to him, absorbing it’s warmth. 

“Did your son like the cookie?” you ask. Is it weird to remember he has a son after one interaction? Or the cookie? But he smiles. It’s okay. 

“He’s actually in love with it. He’s not stopped talking about it. I think my sister-in-law might kill me.”

“Joe’s magic in the kitchen. I’ll save a couple of cookies if you know when you’ll be in next?”

Is that too forward? Maybe. He pulls out a little day book and places it before him.

“Is Thursday too soon?”

“No,” you say, shaking your head. You make a note to tell Joe you’re working on Thursday. “Sounds like a good day to collect a cookie.”

“If someone could cut this monster out of me, that would be GREAT!” Rita yells in the kitchen. Her voice is still far too loud out here. Aaron finally drops his gaze from yours, grinning into his hot chocolate.

“Shit, babes, I’m serious. I’ll got for a pocket knife at this point. I’m hot, and it’s not hot, I have to piss every four minutes, I can’t even sit in a car properly and taking the MET is stupid because I still have to pee!” She stops up short, seeing Aaron, and blinks as if she could erase her last comment. “Hi, sorry, you’re rain boy.”

“I prefer Raymond.”

There’s a beat where you try to figure out what the fuck he’s talking about. The cheeky demeanor falls from his face.

“Rain Man! Tom Cruise! Smile." Aaron has no option but to smile at Rita. Too late you realise she's checking the alignment of his teeth to actually equate him to Tom Cruise. "Raymond, for sure. Shit, that’s funny,” Rita laughs, groans, and turns on her heel out the back. She needed to pee again. Aaron smiles just a little.

“Want some pie?” you offer. There’s still a bit left. Joe won’t be in for another hour or so, but there’s some in the oven to take out just before three. Aaron nods.

“Yeah, please.” He puts too much money in the tip jar again. Hands you the exact money for the pie. Had he looked at the menu online? Maybe he had. You take a slice out for him, then a slice for yourself. No harm in that. The whipped cream goes on his like a mountain. You put a bit beside your own pie slice, but Aaron’s grinning. 

He looks like he may do something childish. He doesn't, though, as you join him in pie eating. The teenagers start giggling about something they're watching on their phone. 

Rita comes back looking more tired than usual. Her whole body looks tired as she gets her purse and rubs her belly.

"Say bye to Rita," she says without much playful effort.

"Bye Rita," you return and kiss her cheek as she lifts it to you.

"And to Baby." 

"Bye Baby, be good for Mom." 

Rita snorts. Joe gives you a list of things to do while he's taking Rita home. Apparently Lola's coming in to replace Rita, but that's only going to be proven by Lola actually turning up. Aaron raises his hand around his fork and waves. Rita waves back and waddles out the back.

"Is she okay?" you ask Joe, and he nods. He waves goodbye to Aaron, even though he hasn't introduced himself yet. Aaron waves too. 

"That's a lot to worry about," Aaron says. You shrug and reach over the counter to Aaron's plate, taking some of his cream. He laughs and puts his arm around it to protect it.

"They're family. Less worrying, more caring." 

He nods as if he understands. "Might use that sometime."

"You're welcome to." 

He gives you a smile that only uses half his face. Gosh, he's cute. But it’s nothing more than fleeting night time visits, right? Okay, maybe not, he clearly turned his car around because he saw you working. You catch him staring at your left hand, studying it intently. No one wore rings at the diner, just because everything got stuck underneath them and there was nothing worse than having a maple syrup adorned wedding ring.

“There’s no one,” you tell him, which flusters him entirely. He smiles and looks down at his pie, blush creeping over his face. “Weird hours in a place like this? Hardly a brilliant base to build a relationship on.” 

“Yeah.” He might want to say more, but he’s smiling at you again. “Weird hours, strange place, know that story.”

“Sucks, hey?”

“Oh yeah.” 

The teens from the window go home when they’ve finished their milkshake. You tell them to get home safe and pray their parents don’t come in asking where they went. Aaron scraps his plate, scooping up the cream and pie soupy mess. 

“I have to go,” Aaron sighs. He runs his hand through his hair and his fingers get stuck in the left-over-gelly-mess. You smother a giggle as he rolls his eyes and pulls his hand out with tiny little crack-crack-crack’s. It sounds painful.

“I’m going to shower and get this shit out of my hair.”

“It’ll look nice without it in.”

“Yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

He blushes, returning to the man you’d met coming out of the rain. 

“Well I’ll remember that for next time.” 

Your heart jumps. Next time! There’ll be a next! Time!

“Listen, hey, um,” Aaron says as he stuffs a couple of bills into the tip jar. “Here--” he stops again, then shakes his head like he’s giving himself a vote of confidence. “This is…” he stops again and licks his lips, then pulls out a business card from his suit pocket. He scratches his number onto the blank back, and then Aaron at the top. “My number,” he managed to finish.

“Thanks,” you respond before wanting to smack your head onto the counter. Thanks?!?! There are a hundred better things to say. “W-when do you want me?” When do you want me??? “To be here, on Thursday, for the cookies.”

Aaron’s gone red. Your face is hot. This is a disaster. There’s no fixing this disaster. There’s no fixing it at all. But Aaron smiles all the same.

“U-uh. I’ll text you?” he looks so flustered. 

“You haven’t got my number,” you giggle, because he hasn’t. You’ve got his. He looks like a tomato as he blushes even more. “How about I text you my number, and you tell me when you’re free, and I’ll make sure there’s three cookies set aside for you that no one else buys.”

“Three?”

“You, your son, your sister-in-law.”

“I could really use you at work,” he laughs and… sits back down. Four seconds ago he was in such a rush to leave, and now he’s looking at you like you’re his whole world. He’s so precious, you wish you could just put him in a jar and protect all that goodness from the evils of the world. Surely he couldn’t have met too many of them just yet? He’s still got a smile that could brighten up the night sky, people who’ve seen all the hurt and pain in the world can’t smile like that.

“I don’t think I’m clever enough to get into Quantico. Unless they like people serving them coffees,” you smile gently and he tilts his head while looking at you. A curious puppy. You want to lean over and squish his cheeks for thinking you could be anything more than a server at a roadside diner.

“You’d brighten the place up.”

“You brighten my place up.” Corny, highschool grade flirting. He smiles all the same. Can he smile any more than that? Probably not, he might combust and become a star. “You know you don’t have to keep putting money into the tip jar, right? Not the amount you do. Most people just put in their change.”

He looks at the tip jar. “It’s for Rita’s hospital bills, right? It’s why she won’t look at it, because she’s embarrassed, but also why you and Joe count every bill that goes in it.”

“Alright, Sherlock Holmes.”

“It says on the jar,” he jokes, and points to the permanent marker that’s bled through the otherside of the tip jar. You laugh. Aaron laughs.

“I do have to go.”

“Go,” you laugh. “I’ll text you when I’m off my shift.”

He nods, looking a little sad to go, but also a little excited. He must really love his son.

“I’ll see you on Thursday, Y/n.”

“I’ll see you on Thursday, Aaron,” you return and watch him leave. Shit, he’s even cuter leaving. He even waves from his car before he drives off. You’re close to squealing when the bikie gang pull up, flooding the carpark, then all come in ready for their coffee. At least Aaron’s hot chocolate warmed up the machine for them.

[k0ra-kumori]

Cannibal!Jason Todd x Reader

so this is the first fanfic i write in english, i'm brazilian so sorry if there are any grammatical errors. ⚠️IMPORTANT⚠️: THIS FANFIC IS BASED ON DC SUPER HERO GIRLS 2019.

word count ; 2193

pairings ; jason todd x reader

genre ; fluffy / angst

warnings: none

It was almost 9:00 pm, and you were now in the wayne manor with five stallions named, jason todd, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne and Bruce Wayne, and of course, barbara gordon the batgirl. You were the newest member of the batfamily, you were all at the dinner table waiting for Alfred to serve you the food. "I'm going to drown you in that pot of sauce if I don't remove what I said, Drake!" Said Damian, he was protesting something that Tim had said, and that apparently offended the boy, "Stop it, you two" Dick stepped in to stop that fight, Jason was laughing at everything, Barbara was beside him with a expression of "Send these animals back to the jungle" and Bruce was using his cell phone to distract himself from that discussion, otherwise he would lose his patience and would put all the boys grounded "Master Bruce, here's dinner" said Alfred "Thank you Al, are you sure you don't want to join us?" Alfred just gave a quick excuse and walked away, the butler knew that dinner time was the most disturbed and chaotic time of the day of the bats, so the butler preferred to eat alone or just with one member of the family. "Are they prawns?" You said excitedly "Yeah, if you don't want eat, I can eat them Y / N" Jason offered, he always tried to steal your food, but you always denied it with a bad-tempered or sarcastic answer, Jason was the weirdest among his brothers... "I'm going to eat them Jason, stop asking the same thing every time I sit here" Jason just snarled in reply, "All of you, be quiet please, I'm trying to take a photo of the prawns for instagram!" Bruce screamed, Dick just down his head like a puppy taking orders, Damian snorted and crossed his arms, Tim just rolled his eyes, you and barbara just looked at each other, it looked like Bruce was going to take the perfect photo, this until jason stood up and screamed "Take a picture of this, bitch!" So Bruce's dish was gone, Jason had thrown Bruce's plate away, the pieces of shrimp were scattered all over the dining room, now think of a chaotic family, a dirty dining room, and an angry Bruce, it didn't take long for Bruce to send Jason to his room, he put his adopted son grounded for 2 weeks, Jason is attracted to trouble "I don't know if I survive until after dinner" you said whispering to barbara "You get used to it, it happens at least 2 times a week around here" Babs replied with a little smile as Bruce passed by the girl, probably the man would go to the bathroom to get rid of all the food that his adopted son threw him a few moments ago.

It was almost 9:00 pm, and you were now in the wayne manor with five stallions named, jason todd, Dick Grayson, Damian Wayne and Bruce Wayne, and of course, barbara gordon the batgirl. You were the newest member of the batfamily, you were all at the dinner table waiting for Alfred to serve you the food. "I'm going to drown you in that pot of sauce if I don't remove what I said, Drake!" Said Damian, he was protesting something that Tim had said, and that apparently offended the boy, "Stop it, you two" Dick stepped in to stop that fight, Jason was laughing at everything, Barbara was beside him with a expression of "Send these animals back to the jungle" and Bruce was using his cell phone to distract himself from that discussion, otherwise he would lose his patience and would put all the boys grounded "Master Bruce, here's dinner" said Alfred "Thank you Al, are you sure you don't want to join us?" Alfred just gave a quick excuse and walked away, the butler knew that dinner time was the most disturbed and chaotic time of the day of the bats, so the butler preferred to eat alone or just with one member of the family. "Are they prawns?" You said excitedly "Yeah, if you don't want eat, I can eat them Y / N" Jason offered, he always tried to steal your food, but you always denied it with a bad-tempered or sarcastic answer, Jason was the weirdest among his brothers... "I'm going to eat them Jason, stop asking the same thing every time I sit here" Jason just snarled in reply, "All of you, be quiet please, I'm trying to take a photo of the prawns for instagram!" Bruce screamed, Dick just down his head like a puppy taking orders, Damian snorted and crossed his arms, Tim just rolled his eyes, you and barbara just looked at each other, it looked like Bruce was going to take the perfect photo, this until jason stood up and screamed "Take a picture of this, bitch!" So Bruce's dish was gone, Jason had thrown Bruce's plate away, the pieces of shrimp were scattered all over the dining room, now think of a chaotic family, a dirty dining room, and an angry Bruce, it didn't take long for Bruce to send Jason to his room, he put his adopted son grounded for 2 weeks, Jason is attracted to trouble "I don't know if I survive until after dinner" you said whispering to barbara "You get used to it, it happens at least 2 times a week around here" Babs replied with a little smile as Bruce passed by the girl, probably the man would go to the bathroom to get rid of all the food that his adopted son threw him a few moments ago.

(Time skip)

After the chaotic dinner, you and your adopted brothers would go to a movie, you wanted a comedy movie, Dick and babs wanted to watch romantic comedy, Tim and Bruce didn't care for the movie, Damian wanted to watch terror and Jason was absent because him was grounded, after a long conversation you decided, you all would watch action. "Can someone give me some popcorn?" You asked nicely, and Dick gave you a handful of popcorn to eat, you were enjoying the movie even though you didn't really like over-the-top action movies, you were on the edge of the couch and Tim was at your side with the laptop, this kid wouldn't never stop to work, "Tim, the light on your laptop is blinding me!" You protested "I'm sorry" Tim got off the couch feeling guilty, he sat on the floor between your legs, you blushed a little even though you know that bats get close to other (and new) members of the family. The movie was fine, until you felt a hand on your shoulder behind the couch, you jumped up and looked back only to find Jason with his bloody mouth, "Hey princess, did you see the..." You quickly left the couch, while doing this you accidentally hit Tim's head, worried about your brother you shouted "What is this ?! Why are you all bloody, someone hit you or what ?!" Jason replied "This blood is not mine" Suddenly, all the bats looked at each other (except you) with a look of concern, you noticed that and asked them "W-what was it people? Is there something I don't know about?" Silence, everyone was quiet, until babs dared to break the silence "So ... it may or not may have anything to do with the topic but, what do you think about cannibals?" You raised an eyebrow, what did this have to do with the topic? Oh no, not that...no, it couldn't be, you shake your head and answered a little confused "Cannibals? Why the question?" This time barbara did not answer, she did not want to be the bearer of the strangest news in the family, especially for a new member. you were confused now, they were all quiet and seemed to be hiding something, until you saw something red dripping behind Jason's back, and to break the tension you said "Do you menstruate now, jaybird?" Jason looked at you blankly, he wanted to get away from there now "Y-you know, I remembered that I have a thing, in other place now, I have to go" you knew there was something wrong in this conversation, and you also knew that men did not menstruate, so why was jason's back dripping red? Jason was getting farther and farther away and your question still hadn't been answered, so in the heat of the moment you shouted "Jason, there's a spider on your left arm!" Jason jumped up and started hitting his left arm, that was a bad move, because when him raised hus arm to see the supposed "Spider" a severed arm flew across the room, and as soon as it landed on the floor you shouted in despair "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ?!" Jason changed his expression from frightened to amused and relieved, didn't you understand your adoptive brother's abrupt change in expression, why everyone are so calm about it? He are a fucking cannibal, dammit! "Listen princess, you already know my story ..." Jason was approaching you, but you were just backing up because he was intimidated by the man's size and his cannibalistic desire "But there is a part of the story, which I didn't tell you" Jason grabbed your arm tightly to keep you in place "The part where I was resurrected by Lazaro's pit, and his side effects are usually high cravings for human flesh, and of course, a nice pair of fangs" you were in shock, how could anyone die and come back to life like that? "You're crazy... cannibalism is a crime.", "J-Jason, you better stop" said Tim, while Jason, he was close to your neck, you could feel his hot breath hitting your skin, "If cannibalism it's a crime...so you're my next victim" enough, you got too scared, you pushed Jason and ran, but unfortunately he had legs longer than yours, jason grabbed you like a bear grabbing a little duck "Don't worry, I won't waste a drop of your blood" Jason opens his mouth, showing all

his frightening fangs, he gets closer and closer to your neck, you were already imagining what paradise would be like, and how the batfamily explain your death to the cops when...he started laughing? Did this crazy guy start laughing?! He had his hand on his belly with laughter, "Did you really think I was going to kill you? Hahahaha you should see your face now hahahaha!" A wave of shock and anger has formed within you now "Was that a joke?! You are an asshole Jason Peter Todd! NOW I SEE WHY YOUR MOTHER BETRAYED YOU!" You left the room quickly, Jason wanted to go after you, but his expression changed from fun to sadness, and he couldn't move, how can you say that? Damn, you were a horrible person now "It wasn't funny, Todd." Said Damian, as angry as the rest of the family, "You are going to apologize to her now," Bruce said, anger spelled out on his face" I don't want to, if she is going to live here she has to live with me, and I am like this", "So how? An idiot? Oh wait, a 17 year old boy who has no regard for his own sister's feelings!", Dick was as furious as Bruce. "SHE IS NOT MY SISTER AND WILL NEVER BE!" Jason said and ran off to his room, "Come back here now, we're not done Jas-" before Dick finished speaking, Jason took him by the shoulders and lifted him up to his eyes" I may not be kidding when i say i will eat your head now Dick Grayson, don't end with my patience and don't follow me. "Dick was dropped hard on the ground, everyone was in shock.

(Time skip)

You were in your room, processing what happened two hours ago, what if Jason had been telling the truth about pulling out your guts? What if he didn't like you and is just waiting for the right moment to turn you into a corpse? A thousand thoughts like these were going through your head now, until someone knocked on your door, would it be Jason? Or Bruce apologizing for his son's childish actions? You didn't know, so you got up from your bed and went to open the door, and to your surprise there he was, Jason pathetic Todd. "What do you want?", "I-I want to talk" you hesitated a little, you were now suspicious of Jason until... "Please Y / N, I just want to try to apologize", you let him in, even if it was against your will, you two sat on your bed side by side, Jason was looking away from all sides, he didn’t know what to say, "if you wanted to come in to observe the decoration of my room, go away", you said still angry, he looked at you with a little cute dog face without an owner, you almost felt sorry for being thick, keyword "Almost", " Look, I'm sorry for before, I didn't want to scare you, I really am a stupid cannibal, but it doesn't mean that I go around eating everybody, this is a sequela of the pit, I'm trying to control this sick addiction" you were listening carefully, and you had already forgiven Jason for the bad joke, but what upset you really wasn't even the joke, it was what Jason said about you minutes after you went to the your room, "Jason, I forgive you for the bad joke, but that's not why I'm upset... "I-isn't it?"Jason is blushing, he didn't talk about the feelings so easily, why he apologized if you had already forgiven him? "I'm upset because you will never see me as someone from your family, I've been trying to get close to you for months, but you only talk to me when you need something or when Bruce forces us to go together to patrol the city, and even so, you barely talk to me "silence. Silence took over the room, Jason knew exactly why he was being an idiot to you, he would talk now or he would shut up forever, "I'm sorry if I was an idiot for the second time, I don't feel exactly included in the family and I think that the decision I made was "is kill or be killed." You were confused now, what did he mean by that? "What do you mean?" Jason looked you in the eye, "Yeah, that a few years before I died, I tried as hard as possible to get close to everyone and to be as kind as possible, but it seems that everyone stepped on me, so I decided never to be so kind to not have my feelings hurts, I-I prefer to break the feelings of others than to have my feelings broken, but it doesn't mean that I like to do it, it's something about defense, you know? It's nothing personal, I'm not like this just with you... "Now it all made sense, so Jason ignored you or played bad jokes all the time, he was hurt and he had no one to bandage his wounds. "Jason, I didn't know, I just..." You didn't even have time to blink, when Jason got up from the bed and walked to the door, you thought you blew it, until the tall boy turns to you and says "Now that you know everything, the tension between us will get less, but don’t expect me to be the perfect brother or the charming prince from the movies, Little Sister" he gave a smile that was hardly noticeable, and he was gone, did you really hear that? Did he just call you a sister? You didn't believe it, you've been waiting for this moment for so long.

[itsuki-minamy]

LIMITED KINGSHIP, WAR STORIES:

CHAPTER 1: BUTTERFLY AND MANTIS

* Mini Episodes KFCN (List of Chapters) * Projects & Chapters

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

"Uh... do I have to clean this up myself?"

With the mop and bucket on the floor, Tadashi Maruha complained.

Originally, it should have been a good room in this detention center. Whether in the reception room or the director's room, the custom-made furniture was so good that even Maruha could tell, and he might have imagined that it would be nice to live surrounded by such furniture.

If the burned blood didn't stick, he was sure he would.

At that moment, the interior of the room seemed miserable. Charred blood and internal organs were strewn across the table, couch, and cabinet, and every part of the human body, such as the hands, feet, and head, was rolling around randomly. It could be like this if you put multiple people in a red-hot mixer.

"I wonder if I should pick this up with tweezers... but if I don't do it early, Soma-san will get mad."

As he muttered and murmured, Maruha donned a mask, put on gloves, and placed a bucket on a charred table. At the moment, he started from a large place and raised the head that was nearby.

His face was familiar. One of his open eyes was crushed by a burn. "Wow.", he leaned back a bit, put his head on the table for the moment and Maruha clasped his hands.

"Well, what was your name? You sure were an acquaintance of Aniki, right? Well, anyway... Nanmandub, Nanmandub..."

Maybe it was Nembutsu, he didn't remember well. After muttering, Maruha threw the head of "one eye" into the bucket.

He started cleaning.

He put the scattered body parts in a bucket, put the debris from the shattered table in a garbage bag, and put the scattered debris in a bucket after a little hesitation. He could just throw away the garbage bag, but he couldn't bear to throw out the body.

"Sorry, I'll take care of you later."

When he finished cleaning the rough door, the living room door opened. What he see from there was a familiar face.

"Maru-san, are you finished? Let's eat meat, meat!"

With an innocent smile on his young face, Kyoji said that. Maruha looked up at the ceiling with furrowed brows.

"Kyoji, think about the moment and answer me. Do you think I can eat meat after cleaning the corpse?"

"Why? Isn't it good to eat meat at any time?"

"You might like it! I was cleaning burned human flesh just now! Maybe this is your kind of job after all!"

"Hehe, sorry."

The look that he laughed with his tongue out was that of a mischievous villain. Looking at him, he sighed instead of getting angry.

"Well, whatever, help me."

When the mop stuck out, Kyoji was surprised.

"Eh, but isn't it bad to keep Hiiragi-san waiting?"

"Ah? Why did Aniki's name come up?"

"No, because Hiiragi-san told me to go eat meat."

"Stupid, say that first!"

Maruha quickly looked back at the room. He was almost finished, but he had yet to finish. If he left it as he was, he would buy Soma's wrath, but an invitation from Hiiragi couldn't be refused.

"Kyoji, drop this! I'll bury it! Say nice things to Aniki!"

Pushing a garbage bag at Kyoji, he picked up the bucket. The bucket containing the human bodies of various people was quite heavy, and Maruha ran off, feeling the weight of the heavy corpse in both arms.

++++++++++

Executive class "Purgatory" member Hiiragi Soma liked meat

He liked to eat, but he preferred to bake. "Grilling" here was not what was often done in "Purgatory", but ordinary roast beef. Go to a proper steakhouse, order a large quantity of meat that you couldn't eat, and start grilling from one end. He liked the act of grilling and eating meat to the extent that he was careful and beat them when others tried to do so. As a man who had lived a life of violence and murder, it could be said that it was a strange habit.

That's why Hiiragi took Maruha and Kyoji to visit a local yakiniku restaurant. Most of the restaurants had already withdrawn from the area around the hideout. The yakiniku restaurant was one that remained.

Therefore, with the exception, it was like a hangout for "Purgatory". Mysteriously, order was maintained because there was a common understanding that "when this store disappears, there will be no place to drink alcohol". If someone tried to take away their oasis of life, mainly their opponents, "Purgatory" would kick them out quickly, most of the time.

"Hey. Top ribs, top loin, and 3 mugs of ale, old man."

An old man with the flavor of half a century had brought a lot of meat and sake. Hiiragi quietly began to arrange the top ribs and top loin placed on the table in the shichirin. Maruha found that it was always the same routine, but he was in a bit of a good mood.

"Sorry! I'll take it!"

Kyoji raised his mug of beer and began to drink with a squeak. Maruha slightly raised his mug in response to the "toast", and Hiiragi was still quietly roasting the meat. It was a show that would not be possible with a normal yakuza organization, but "Purgatory" is not a normal yakuza organization.

Kyoji, who had half the mug empty, wiped his mouth and then leaned forward and asked.

"By the way, Maru-san! What kind of kanji is King?"

Maruha took just a sip of beer and looked at Kyoji curiously, "Huh?"

"Maru-san, you were cleaning up, after the King fought, weren't you? Didn't you see him fight?"

Maruha was still unfamiliar with the fact that Kagutsu's name was not "Oyaji" or "Kumicho" but "King". Far from being a normal yakuza organization, "Purgatory" was not a yakuza organization in the first place. It was said to be a group of paranormal people with different abilities, led by what was called a "King".

Maruha responded with another mouthful of beer.

"No... I fought, I guess I went crazy. Don't look. I could die."

"Hey! It's a waste! It was close though!"

Kyoji felt sorry like a child who missed the hero show. Maruha wondered why such a boy had lived so long with his head on, and he thought on the other hand that he could have lived so long because he was such a boy. In fact, Kyoji must have been less than 20 years old.

Hiiragi threw down the pliers. Seeing the dripping sauce fall into the flames, he nodded, "Okay."

"Eat it."

"Ok, thanks!"

Kyoji swept about half of the meat with tweezers and brought half to his mouth. With a big smile on his face, he raised a voice between "Delicious!" and "Uhh!" Maruha also sighed as he minced the meat.

"Even so, I really don't understand Kagutsu-san."

"Eh? Why?"

"When I walked into that room, he looked in a good mood. I took some other guys along and I thought it was unusual, but he came out in less than a minute, and that's it. And when he came out he wasn't mad, he was still in a good mood. It was as if he had just taken a walk and came back."

"Mmm..."

"I wonder if I can be like this by killing those below. I don't know at all."

"Maru..."

When Hiiragi yelled, Maruha reacted sharply. It was a moment when he regretted saying that and criticizing, and Hiiragi immediately showed the Shichirin with his chin.

"Take it."

"Oh, yeah."

He took the tenderloin that was dripping with the sauce and popped it into his mouth. It was hot and delicious.

Kyoji, who drank the beer, raised the mug grandly, yelling "Oh, I get it!"

"They must have been spies of the blues! And the King suddenly noticed!"

"No."

Hiiragi denied it like a sled, and Maruha and Kyoji looked at his face at the same time. While he was roasting additional meat, Hiiragi said without looking at them,

"That person is that kind of man. It's the same as an accident."

"Accident?"

"You can't help it if you run into it. If you're lucky, you'll live, and if you're bad, you'll die. That's it."

It was hard to tell that Maruha and Kyoji, who didn't have any, fully understood the meaning of the word. But even so, the reactions of the two were contrasting.

"Uh...", Maruha was scared,

Kyoji admired him, "Wow…".

The two looked at each other. Maruha was stunned.

"Kyoji, you... will you die soon?"

"What's wrong, Maru-san?! What are you saying?"

"……"

Maruha narrowed his eyes. He feels on his skin that the air was tightening rapidly. It would be the same for Kyoji. He glanced at Maruha too, rolled up the arm of his black suit that didn't fit the body, and slammed it against the table.

"I'm not afraid! If the guys in blue come, I'll kill them."

Kyoji's eyes shone with brilliant fighting spirit. In response, the burn scars on his forearm began to glow red. The brilliance of extraordinary ability. Maruha opened his eyes to see if he was sane. If he made a fuss in this place, he may suffer a life-threatening injury from another member in black.

At that moment, Kyoji's body flew to the side.

Maruha was shocked and looked at Hiiragi next to Kyoji.

He had his arms straight at his sides. With the other hand, he was silently roasting yakiniku. Without even looking at Kyoji, he hit him with one arm.

"Guh..."

Kyoji's eyes, holding his cheeks and lifting up, blazed with anger. He wasn't mature enough to hold back here. Maruha was ready again for the worst development that suddenly fell.

However, he ended up melancholy.

Hiiragi looked at Kyoji. There was no killer instinct in his eyes, he was just in a bad mood.

"I'm the one who roasts the meat."

"……"

Kyoji's expression changed from anger to embarrassment.

Both Maruha and Kyoji were familiar with the fact that Hiiragi's words were not timely. Hiiragi was that kind of person.

He didn't know what to do, but there was no front or back. Hiiragi was angry because he tried to bake meat for himself, not because he was fed up with tantrums, or because he tried to wreak havoc in the place of the law.

It was absurd, but that's why it was "Purgatory". And Kyoji was also a person who could understand absurd language. He held her cheeks and bowed his head obediently.

"Sorry."

Hiiragi didn't reply, he was just roasting the meat.

Kyoji rebuilt his chair and sat there. He said to Maruha with the eyes of an angry child and bowed to him.

"Maru-san, I'm sorry. I said something wrong."

"No, not really."

Yakuzas are creatures like mantises. If they get sick, they should squeeze the other person immediately. It is like a reflection, not an action that is the result of thinking.

However, Maruha was no longer a yakuza. He was a member of the "Purgatory" clan.

Therefore, he sighed and sighed.

"I'm not scared. It's just ... I don't think it's appropriate."

That said, he drank the beer to the last drop.

++++++++++

The group that Maruha Tadashi belonged to was a group of leftovers so to speak.

Some might say they were a collection of yakuza and other gangsters. It was, but as with any group, there were differences in shit. Some leftovers can be laughed at, while others can cause nausea just by putting them on the rim of the eyes.

The Maruha group was the last group. Even within the industry, Shinogi with a frown was calm. Thanks to that, the wings were good, but the respect was next to nothing. The color of disgust was stronger than the astonishment in his eyes, and that color stimulated his outer ways.

They did anything to make money. It seemed like Maruha didn't even have the slightest bit of ethics.

The Shinogi are primarily drugs and human trafficking.

The kidnapped woman was drugged and sold to customs. They disarmed the kidnapped youths and sold their organs. In addition, they would take a photo of the situation and sell it to a rich man who had a hobby of hunting. In some cases, they used a combined technique to kidnap a pretty woman and sell her as she was to a rich man with a strange hobby (because the reaction was worse if she kept it on drugs). The woman would suffer almost every pain imaginable and die miserably.

Sachiko Kashiwazaki was one of those women.

The man who kidnapped her was Maruha's older brother at the time. One hot summer day, Maruha was summoned to a warehouse owned by the group. At that moment, he had a bad feeling. That warehouse was only used when making Shinogi in that direction.

There was a man and a woman in a warehouse room, where the concrete was exposed.

The man had scissors that were dripping with blood.

The woman clutched her bloody ankle and groaned without voice.

It was common group practice to cut off the Achilles heel to prevent the victim from escaping. Alternatively, the customer could have made such a request. In any case, man cut through the human body as easily as he cut weeds.

As he washed his hands in the built-in sink, the man turned to Maruha.

"It is time to ship."

"Prepare" meant to adapt the "goods" according to the customer's request, and "ship" meant to deliver the "goods" to the customer.

"Clean her body, you can't leave her bloody. I don't know what the rich think."

With a laugh, the man wiped his hands on a towel and touched Maruha's shoulders to leave the room.

Maruha turned his eyes inside and saw the box on the table. "Preparation", he probably he should use the content. He opened the lid and looked inside.

It contained a pure white wedding dress.

Maruha took a deep breath and exhaled.

Was the concept a bloody girlfriend? He couldn't understand anything.

He didn't even want to understand. He didn't want to understand what happened to the woman who would bring that to the client, but Maruha understood. It was because his older brother had shown him a video like that with half the fun.

Maruha looked at the woman reflectively, thinking that he shouldn't be looking at her.

They looked into each other's eyes.

Sachiko, of course, at that time, Maruha didn't know her name. The "item" was supposed to be called by number, but she was staring at Maruha, bleeding only with the pain of not begging for life and her silent resignation.

Perhaps at that moment, he reached the limit.

Until then, he had been doing the same. Each time, something sank into Maruha's chest, like drops of water in his cup. Then, Sachiko's gaze at that moment became the last drop, and the water finally overflowed from the cup.

By the time he realized it, Maruha was visiting Hiiragi. Hiiragi and Maruha were originally seniors and juniors from the same corps of fools. Even after the corps of fools disbanded and they belonged to different groups, the relationship continued to go out for drinks from time to time. He was a man who embodied the violence of that time, but Maruha did not hate him. He just wanted to hit him.

It was exciting to see that kind of honesty that was hitting the other person at the time.

He was not surprised when he heard that Hiiragi's group was attacked by "Purgatory" and that he belonged to "Purgatory". Within the industry, "Purgatory" meant a group of monsters, and it seemed natural for Hiiragi to be in that group.

Using holly as a messenger, Maruha encountered Kagutsu and gained a different ability in exchange for a part of his body.

Maruha took him to the warehouse and burned the man who was his older brother. After freeing the captive women, he went to the group's office and killed all the members, including the group's leader. He stole the group's entire vault and gave it to Soma, who later cleared up and became a member of the "Purgatory" clan.

He did not regret betraying the group and killing his friends. He just went to hell and sent them to hell. He was sure that he would go to hell, but at least he was no longer interacting with that garbage. That just made him feel refreshed, and the night he killed them all, he was fast asleep for the first time in a long time.

However, Maruha's chest started to feel uncomfortable again.

The meaning of the existence of "Purgatory" was simple. Destroy and kill, that was all. Like Kagutsu, most of the clansmen did.

Fight, raze, kill and die against the mafia, the Yakuza and, above all, the deadly enemy, "Scepter 4".

At the same time, they were causing enormous damage to the surroundings.

Only in that he was stuck. It didn't matter if he fought, rampaged, killed, or died. But it felt different to involve other people. So it was the same as that group. It was difficult to answer whether human trafficking or mass murder was better. Nothing happened, Maruha simply moved from one background to another.

Maybe Maruha was halfway there. He was so crazy that he couldn't live properly, but he was too plain in a swarm of monsters. Neither Hiiragi nor Kyoji could live anywhere else except in "Purgatory". This is where those guys were.

Where should he go if he didn't even have a place there?

Sachiko Kashiwazaki called out to him when he was about to overflow with such a sense of incongruity.

++++++++++

In a crowded cafeteria, he quickly found out where Sachiko was. She had her crutches on the side of her seat. Maruha somehow remembered the salvation that it was not a wheelchair.

"Ah."

Sachiko also soon noticed Maruha. He wore a black suit, which was labeled a "funeral home staff" in the industry, he emitted a seemingly insidious aura. He had an unbearable feeling.

"Oh."

Maruha's expression that raised his hand slightly was not clear. He wasn't sure why this girl called him. Wasn't it the symbol of a nightmare for this girl?

But in contrast, Sachiko smiled happily. She tried to stand up touching the table with her hand, she almost lost her balance and fell. Maruha rushed to reach out and held her body.

"I'm sorry. I'm still rehabbing, but I haven't been able to do it yet."

"No, do not worry."

After seating Sachiko, Maruha sat opposite her.

He was somehow uncomfortable because Sachiko was looking directly at him. Glowing eyes were the kind of thing that wasn't usually directed at him. He was not used to that. Maruha had to move his hips several times to endure the uncomfortable sensation.

"So what did you call me for?"

Sachiko slightly colored her cheeks when he asked her.

"Oh, no, that… I wanted to thank you again."

Maruha wondered what she was saying.

"Maruha-san… you helped me, but I couldn't thank you at the time. Thank you very much."

"I didn't help you in particular. It was a dead end."

It was a fact. He just wanted to get out of there, he just wanted to kill them all, and it was just incidental that he helped Sachiko.

But Sachiko didn't believe those words. She laughed and her eyes looked softly at Maruha.

"You are modest, Maruha-san."

Then Sachiko started talking about the ramblings. From her recent situation, her favorite food, hobbies, what kind of place did she live now, when she was rehabbing and walking around the neighborhood, she found a nice park and a bakery, so she always had lunch there.

Maruha was beginning to understand what the situation was like, as he established a suitable relationship.

Sachiko wanted to make up for it in some way.

She maybe she thought that Maruha was the hero who rescued her from the situation. It was a ridiculous misunderstanding. Maruha sent many women in the same situation as Sachiko to hell. Sachiko was saved because Maruha's boundaries coincided when it was her turn. No more than that.

Of course, he couldn't say that.

"What do you do on your day off, Maruha-san?"

Sachiko wondered if she had talked a lot about herself. She was impatient and nervous. She wondered if Maruha would be bored. Maruha replied with a slight laugh, as if he was a high school student.

"Well, I'm going to eat yakiniku."

He couldn't tell that he was killing and looting. Sachiko happily joined her hands when he responded appropriately.

"It's the best in the neighborhood, it looks delicious."

"You eat meat?"

"That's right. Yes! I like it!"

Maruha calmly analyzed that it was a lie. He maybe he didn't eat much meat. He only said that for her.

"Well then, would you like to go eat with me next time?"

With that said, Maruha closed his mouth tightly.

Sachiko was looking at Maruha with her bright eyes. Eyes with equal expectations and anxieties. The eyes of human beings that are unhappy but still look ahead and try to live hard.

Was he qualified to see that?

He could go eat with Sachiko. He maybe would repeat it two or three times and eventually they would start dating. There are some men who have a woman in "Purgatory" who can live with them, and some men approach the woman instead of hiding. He would be one of those people. Living under one roof, eating together, sleeping, getting up, helping with rehabilitation, eating delicious bread in a nice neighborhood park.

She could be killed by Kagutsu.

Or she may have been kidnapped by the mob who hold a grudge against him

Captured by "Scepter 4".

He could think of many ways to ruin it, but he couldn't think otherwise.

Alternatively, Maruha could expand his imagination and run away together. Somewhere far away, two people. He could escape from Kagutsu, the mafia, and "Scepter 4" and say goodbye to that sinister black suit.

Then he would follow a happy holly. Kyoji might also come. Soma did not allow anyone to escape. Even earlier, the "right hand" ended up being burned in the city. He did not think they would hesitate to involve a woman in the matter.

"Uh."

Maruha laughed. He was thinking about the future when he really didn't have a future.

Sachiko said with a mysterious voice.

"Maruha-san...?"

"Hey. Is there someone else besides you?"

Sachiko opened her eyes a bit in amazement and then shook her head. After all, Maruha thought, people who have family or relatives are not the target of that group.

Still, Maruha leaned forward and asked with a serious expression.

"Is there no one anywhere? Relatives?"

"Uh, I have an uncle and his partner in Kanagawa. They're nice people, but I don't usually get in touch with them."

Maruha was relieved. It was enough to ask for so much.

He looks for his own bag. He grabbed a couple of bills that he found and tossed them to Sachiko. With a pile of bills piled on her lap, Sachiko moved her body as if she had been pressed against a burned stone.

"This, huh?"

"Go to them with that money. They won't hurt you."

Maruha carried a bag on his back and stood up. Sachiko looked at Maruha with a cat face that understood the truth of the universe.

Maruha scratched his head and said...

"The other day, there was a conflict around Yodomiya. It was news. The city was burned down and many people died."

Sachiko blinked. The understanding hadn't caught up yet, but it was going well. If she only considered the facts, understanding will come later.

"It was my partner who did that. If you don't want to get burned, go somewhere far away."

With that alone, Maruha left the coffee shop.

He sighed deeply as he walked through the city for no reason.

"I am not suitable."

For groups, for "Purgatory" and for the world. He was not suitable. He did not know how to live. He was envious of Hiiragi and Kyoji who could find a place there.

Was when…

"You are Tadashi Maruha."

Before looking back, he had an idea who called him.

"We are "Scepter 4". Come with us."

Several blue clothes surrounded Maruha before he realized it.

He looks around. Maruha had come to the square in front of the station without realizing it. He can't find any way to take control. Perhaps he should limit himself to minimize the damage, but Maruha was easily enthused.

"If you resist, I will not forgive you."

There was no deception in the eyes of the blues. They have already cut many with their sabers. Just as "Purgatory" was not a yakuza group, "Scepter 4" were not police officers. It was a battle group to hunt down and kill those in black suits.

Maruha gave a fierce laugh.

"Hahaha!"

The burns on both arms glowed with pain from the heat. Fight violently, kill and die. Maruha also had that instinct. He was also a member of "Purgatory".

Suddenly, Maruha understood.

"Purgatory" cannot be a place for anyone. Only a handful of monsters, like Kagutsu and Soma, can "be" there. Hiiragi, Kyoji and he were the same. There was nothing there for them.

That was just his place of death.

"If you can, try it, blue clothes!"

While shouting happily, Maruha threw swirling flames from both arms and attacked the blues in front of him.

Three people died in the limited royal war that day.

On the "Scepter 4" side, Kuroshio and Kido Rokuhei's team.

Side of "Purgatory", Tadashi Maruha.

"Scepter 4" caught Maruha's movement and surrounded him with 6 people, but Maruha made a burst of different abilities and struggled as he burned his own body. Swinging the flames that sprouted from both arms like a sickle, he cut and killed two people, Kuroshio and Kido, and in the next moment, he was cut by four other people, was cut like a sickle and died.

[friendlystarfruit]

I just rewatched both no regrets episodes and it’s all so intense! do you have a recipe for a levi and erwin sandwich because this pie NEEDS ONE ASAP ahhhhhh xD - 🥧

RECIPE FOR Levi and Erwin sandwich (sorry for Dyslexic errors ) I hope you enjoy Pie, cus this ship deserves to be a sandwich.

-You need two slices of man , one Levi and one Erwin make sure the Levi slice starts out as a criminal and Erwin as an alternative law enforcement. You are gonna want to put your slice of Erwin on top of Levi. Erwin offers to take away Levi's crimes if he joins the survey corps. Erwin reminds Levi the real enemies are the titans and he can avenge his friends and fight for humanity by his side. Levi looks up to Erwin and will follow him as a father figure and mentor.

-Add a little bit of Levi will follow Erwin to hell , only to find out that in his heart he wanted to follow Erwin to heaven.

-You're gonna want to add some pickled Daddy Issues , for Levi this is Kenny abandoning him and for Erwin it's proving his Daddy was right all along. (basically both characters sacrifice these things when in truth Levi wanted to run away and marry Erwin but instead tells him to give up on his dream and die , leaving Levi to mourn the love of his life who he doesn't revive out of love, because Erwin is seen as a devil , once by him and currently by others only because he had to be, and Levi wants the love of his life to know peace and not be a pawn for war)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUlek7zbT3k&t=8s (Youtube here is video where English voice acting Levi confesses he wants to Marry Erwin) ;D so look now it's canon right?

-Spread some Levi canonically prefers to be sub in relationships (and no other character in attack on titan can fulfil that wish, but the big blonde commandeer ) onto your slices of man and add a little Erwin is a good leader and the one person Levi respects and can never be replaced . Erwin can never be replaced for Levi he is the most important person in Levi's life despite the fact he started wanting to kill him, Erwin pushed him in to being able to sacrifice his loved ones, including the love of Levi's life (Erwin)

-Get some fresh picked Levi wants to protect and honer Erwin, put this liberally onto your sandwich.

-Pepper some Erwin respect Levi and wants him to know how much he loves him.

-Add in a slice of the fact both of these men fucking love each other to bits and the stupid cruel world won't let them just be freaking happy and be together >=( ieh1wqhudgufdwegulgldlwgdllgefgeuwulgw

Finely chop some Levi threatened to break Erwin's legs just to keep him alive only to give in to the fact Erwin dream had such meaning, a subconscious daddy issue with Levi (he remembered Kenny said everyone was drunk on something, but what is Levi drunk on? Loving and honouring this man that is what!!! DUH ;)

-You're gonna want so hot sauce so get a good bottle of sexual tension to drizzle over your sandwich (This picture will help ;)) )

Finally enjoy your sandwich and devote your hearts to this beautiful ship ;)

[xmanicpanicx]

Romanticized Things That Aren't Actually Romantic

1) The "shut up" kiss

It happens in more movies, TV shows, and novels than I can even count. One half of the couple (usually a woman or girl) will be talking, and the other person (usually a guy) will suddenly lay an ol’ sloppy one on her mouth. Often times, she’s rambling about her insecurities, so some people think it’s cute when he kisses her, symbolically laying her worries to rest. Don’t worry, hon! There’s nothing to be insecure about! He likes you! There are two big problems with this. The first is that when someone is speaking, you shouldn’t cut them off; best case scenario, it’s rude. Of course, people cut each other off all the time in conversation, so that’s different. But when a character interrupts another character’s speech to kiss them, they are essentially prioritizing their sexual desires over the other person’s need to express themselves. It’s an action that has an agenda. Everyone wants to be truly listened to when they speak. So if, for example, we have a female character babbling about her insecurities, the male character should hear her out, and then respond to what she says. There is plenty of romantic potential in words — even more than in kisses, in my opinion. His response could still be a kiss after she’s finished speaking (as long as it’s not a rattlesnake-strike type of kiss that doesn’t give her a choice). However, we still have another problem: the female character’s self-confidence shouldn’t be contingent upon the male character’s opinion of her. In other words, a kiss from a guy, no matter how much she loves him, will not and should not heal her negative perception of herself. Not healthy. Real people and characters should accept themselves on their own terms rather than on the approval of others.

Sometimes, the sudden kiss will come in the middle of a female character’s angry rant. The male character thinks she’s cute or sexy when she’s angry, which can be frustrating and patronizing for anyone who voices their anger because they want to be listened to and taken seriously. But regardless of why the character is talking, the other character should stop kissin’ and start listenin’.

2) Female double standards

Women and girls often feel really uncomfortable when men objectify them and make comments on their bodies, so they call these men out — and rightfully so. They also call male authors out for only describing women in terms of their bodies and giving them very little, if any, personality. Once again, rightfully so. Unfortunately, in real life and in literature, there is a double standard here. It’s one thing to write an erotic novel in which bodies of every gender are described in explicit detail and with an express purpose. But I’ve read novels without any sexual content that go into so much detail about guys’ looks. And these male characters are often not well-developed, either (think of the stereotypical jock with a hot bod and no brain). Authors — especially female authors, who are usually the ones perpetuating this — need to do better than this. If it's not okay to do that to girls, it's not okay to do that to guys, either. Also, what is up with that scene from The Notebook? The one where Rachel McAdams repeatedly slaps Ryan Gosling because he’s breaking up with her. How on Earth is that okay? The Notebook is widely considered to be a super-romantic movie, but there is nothing romantic about that scene, and it should be a deal-breaker for their relationship. If the tables were turned and Ryan Gosling slapped Rachel McAdams for breaking up with him, the entire plot of the movie would be different. It would be a thriller, a story about a woman trying to escape a scary ex. We would never root for the two of them to get back together.

3) Overly-metaphorical sex scenes

Cheese, cheese, and more cheese. Would you like some crust and tomato sauce with all that cheese? So many novels shy away from the anatomical details and favor metaphors for how the sex makes the characters (or just the narrating character) feel. In theory, there is nothing wrong with this, but I personally tend to roll my eyes more often than not at the actual execution. The narrator will say something too dramatic, like “our bodies became one and the universe opened up before me.” Or “and then we were flying, soaring with and through one another.” Or something else that is just… not sexy. As far as being poetic, there isn’t anything special about those phrases, either. There is nothing wrong with describing sex as it really is. I realize that novels featuring sex that are aimed at young adults probably cannot describe things too explicitly, but there’s no need to replace dirty details with flowery language. Go for whatever sincerity you can in the situation. There are plenty of different emotions to mine and sensual details leading up to the actual sex that read more thrillingly than the sex scene itself. 

4)  Instalove

It's simply not as much fun to see characters fall for each other right away. And how could they possibly fall for each other right away, anyhow? Is it all about looks? If so, both characters are instantly less likable because they're shallow. And that's not real love, either. You need to actually know someone in order to feel a such a deep emotion for them.

It's also important to note that making the characters "love" each other at the outset of the story does not heighten the emotional stakes. It actually cheapens them. Because how can we take this so-called love seriously when we don't get to know, don't get to care about, the characters as individual people before they fall for each other?

Now, if we get to know each character and watch them get to know each other, and slowly fall for each other, that's much more rewarding.  It's character growth, and it's a whole process that we, as readers, get to experience vicariously though them.

This may just be a personal preference, but I think it's best to even avoid phrases like “my heartbeat skipped” or “my skin tingled when our hands brushed” in the beginning stages of the story. Even though the declarations of love and outright displays off affection may come later on, statements like these reveal instant attraction, which still isn't as rewarding as attraction that grows over time and through events.

5) Love interests being obsessed with each other

From approximately 2005-2015, YA literature saw a horde of books featuring teenage girls and boys who are everything to each other. I almost mean that literally. The first really popular book like this was Twilight, but it had a huge influence on everything in YA that came after, especially YA fantasy. How romantic, some people think, that hero lives for the heroine! And vice versa! Perfect! Meant to be! Everyone wishes they could have that one, true, perfect love! 

Listen. Go back to Britney Spears’s first album and play the song “Born to Make You Happy”: ”I don’t know how to live without your love, I was born to make you happy.” Solid 90s bubblegum pop, but with unhealthy lyrics. An unhealthy mentality. Most of us are familiar with that heady, all-consuming feeling of falling in love, how it feels like that’s the best and happiest part of life as it’s happening. There’s nothing wrong with portraying that. It’s relatable. The glorification of it beyond all else is the problem. The hero and heroine have scares throughout the story during which they almost lose each other, and that brings to light just how strongly they feel each other, to the extreme that nothing matters except each other. Then, of course, they ultimately end up together, happily ever after, never having to part again. But in real life, people break up, or sometimes even die. People have no choice but to be apart from the person they loved so much from then on. And it’s devastating, but it’s not the end, even if it sometimes feels like it. That’s why it’s so important for books to give some indicator that there are other things that matter besides (and dare I say even more than) the one person the hero/heroine is in love with. The characters have to have some sense of self-love or resilience. They have to have other people they care about, or at least values/principles and goals. They have to be an actual person, not just a vessel filled to the brim with love for just one other person. Romanticizing a co-dependent relationship can be hope-crushing message, especially for teenagers who haven’t had enough time to grow, to weather the storm of life and toughen up and become wiser and more self-aware and self-confident. 

7) The super dominant male love interest 

Okay, I’m not trying to kink-shame anyone because I know there are people who absolutely love this trope. I want to say it’s fine, as long as it remains in Tropeland. But even if women want to keep these love interests solely within their fantasies, I do worry about the message it sends to men, if it makes them think that they can be abusive douchebags because women are into that. I already know of far too many men who think that women are only into assholes. 

Personally, I’ll never understand the appeal of a man, fictional or otherwise, who dictates what a woman should wear, her food choices, where they go and what they do for dates ALL THE TIME. And jealousy! Sure, jealousy indicates that someone cares, and it’s a normal human emotion, but I’ll never understand the appeal of a guy who gets so jealous, he won’t allow his girlfriend any freedom. I’ll never understand how cruel, disparaging words could ever be on the same sexiness level as dirty talk. And I really, really will never understand how a man physically harming a woman could be considered sexy. It’s weak and cowardly, hurting someone who doesn’t stand a chance of fighting back because they’re nowhere near as strong.

I get the appeal of a guy who sees a woman as his equal and isn’t afraid to spar with her, challenge her, and maybe even be a little bit rough with her, knowing that she can handle it. I see the appeal of a confident man who isn’t afraid to tell a woman what he wants. When his presence becomes legitimately threatening and completely selfish, that’s when I personally see a problem. But hey, to each their own.

[mxndoscyarika]

Red Sunsets (Javier Peña x Chinese!reader) | Chapter 8: El Punto de Sucumbir

Author’s note: I don’t wanna give toooooo much away, but I just wanted to let you know that we’ve finally reached lucky number 8 👀 If you were here a couple nights ago, you proooobably have an idea of what’s going to happen, because I had asked a few questions related to ~kisses~, if you catch my drift. Let me know what you guys think!

Summary: Family fights, grudges, and determination. Those three things defined your journey as you navigated through the workings of the DEA. Getting in was hard, and catching Escobar was even harder. You joined Javier Peña and Steve Murphy in the hunt for Escobar, forming bonds and life lessons along the way.

Like my writing? Here’s my masterlist. 

Red Sunsets masterlist

Warning(s): food, Careless Whisper lol, physical affection, implied smut

“So where are you taking me, again?” you asked, looking out at the passing buildings. You didn’t recognize the shops and restaurants you’d passed. The sky was darkened to a royal blue, the last rays of sunlight already well below the horizon.

“One of my personal favorite restaurants in Colombia,” he answered. “They have good arepas, your favorite, and the owners are pretty friendly. I used to go there often before you came along.”

You let out a breathy laugh. “What happened after I arrived that made you forego your favorite restaurant?”

Shrugging, he said, “I guess you happened.” He scoffed at your pout. “Oh, don’t look at me like that. You’re worth all the arepas in the world.”

You were thankful for the shroud of darkness, because you felt your cheeks grow hot and you bit your lip to contain your grin. “And you’re worth all the homemade dumplings.”

Javi chuckled softly, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. As usual, you had the perfect response. He could barely remember a time when he truly cared about flirting, or how the women of his affections responded. But somehow, every time, you managed to turn his tactics around on him.

It took every ounce of self control to keep his eyes on the road and his hands to himself. You wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, and what little makeup you applied only served to make your cheeks and lips look unbearably kissable.

He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the wheel. More times than he wanted to admit, he’s caught himself reaching to hold your hand or rest his hand on your thigh. Thankfully, it was dark enough that you probably hadn’t noticed. As much as he hated to acknowledge it, you weren’t his. He hadn’t even worked up the guts to tell you how he felt yet.

“Hola Javier!” the owner greeted, her face lighting up. She wiped her hands on her apron and waved for him to sit down at a table. “Hace mucho tiempo que no nos vemos. Quién es ella, tu novia?”

Javi blushed, smiling sheepishly. While he couldn’t understand what Chinese shop owners said, you could understand Spanish as well as he did. “No no no, ella es una amiga. Nos conocemos del trabajo.”

The owner of the restaurant simply hummed in response and eyed you from head to toe, much like how a parent may analyze a prom date. “Pues, no te molestaré, okey? Cuéntame si necesitas algo.”

More than accustomed to eating family-style, you and Javi ordered a couple of the smaller entrees and a flan to share. Much like how Javi let you take the reins in local Chinese restaurants, you let him order the food and make small talk. You propped your head up against your hand as you watched him, a small smile perpetually on your lips.

The low moan that left your lips when you bit into a cheesy arepa was music to his ears. He wondered if you’d sound like that when you were kissed. Only when your eyes met did his train of thought come to a screeching halt.

Fighting back a blush, he busied himself with splitting an arepa stuffed with meat, beans, and cheese and sliding the plate over. You tried not to think about how he was so gentle. “Try this one, hermosa. I think you’ll like it.”

“You’re a man aiming for my heart,” you hummed. In your past relationships, you never had anyone treat you the way Javi did with his genuine eagerness. Not that you and he were on a date, you’d never called it that, but you couldn’t help but draw the comparison. You lifted the half that he offered and took a big bite, giggling when the grated cheese stuck to your cheek.

“You have a little bit of….” Laughing softly at your plight, he reached over and brushed it off with his thumb, the pad of his finger caressing your cheek. You fought the urge to lean into his touch and nuzzle your face into the palm of his hand. Javi was just being polite, right? It didn’t mean anything.

Javi drew his hand away and glanced down at his watch. “The movie should be starting in about 45 minutes, let’s start finishing up here and then head over to the movie theater.” He paused, then added, “Unless you feel like going home for a night in?”

“What’ll we do at home?” you wondered, wiping your hands with a napkin. “I’d love to have a night in, if that’s what you want. As long as I’m with you, I really don’t care.”

His heart skipped a beat at your words, though the logical part of his mind stamped down any hope he had. Was he just a friend that you wanted around because you were lonely? It’d been a long time since his last serious relationship, but he couldn’t imagine diving back in with anyone else. He just hoped you felt the same. “We could just relax, maybe turn on some music and just talk.”

“I never knew that Javier Peña would be one to ‘just talk,’” you quipped, smiling at him.

“I can be, with the right person.” He shrugged, picking up the singular spoon and scooping up a bite of the flan. Its amber caramel sauce glistened in the restaurant’s warm lighting. Smiling softly, he held it up to your lips. “First bite is yours, hermosa.”

Taking turns eating spoonfuls of flan, you talked about things ranging from family to favorite animals. Growing up on a ranch, Javi’s favorite animal was a horse, sparking your questions about his life back in the States. You only knew the little bits of information floating around the DEA headquarters, and you wanted to know more.

At first he was hesitant, but then he told you about his father and how he’d grown up in a small town. You listened quietly as he told you about Lorraine, and how they were engaged to be married over a decade ago. His voice grew soft as he recalled all the wedding planning and shopping they did, and how their families had all converged to help out. Apparently, they’d been the talk of the town. It made you wonder if he ever missed her, or at least missed Laredo.

It was no secret that you’d come from an immigrant family, one rooted in traditions both good and bad. Well, good and bad by American standards, of course. You couldn’t deny that your parents had noticeably different views from the parents of your friends, nor could you deny that it gave you a window to your family’s heritage. No culture was perfect, free of discrimination, but you could always learn from it. All you could hope was that you weren’t too damaged or different to be with him.

“Is this how you get all your women to go home with you?” you teased, swirling the spoon in the pool of caramel. “You buy them dinner and feed them dessert before sweeping them off their feet?”

Javi shook his head. “Just you,” he replied, his voice like velvet. Shivers ran down your spine at the implication.

---

The drive back home was quiet, the two of you donning faint smiles in the darkness. You couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said throughout dinner, the sweet words and touches. It was a different man sitting across from you, one that you normally only saw glimpses of previously.

You bit your lip and looked out the window at the passing buildings, hoping the cool night air would soothe the burning in your cheeks. What did his words mean? Why did he seem so embarrassed when the restaurant lady asked if you were his girlfriend? Were you truly just a work friend to him? If you were, why did he look at you like you hung the stars in the night sky? Why did he watch you with those dark brown puppy eyes that made your insides melt?

“We’re home, hermosa.” Javi’s voice interrupted your chain of thought as he pulled up to the apartment building. Before you could finish unbuckling your seat belt, he was opening the car door for you.

It felt like second nature to walk over to his front door and wait for him to unlock it. But something about it felt different this time, like it was more than just a friendly hangout on a weekend evening.

While Javi turned on a couple lights, you made your way over to his record player and flipped through his various vinyls. “Any music preference tonight?”

He flicked on a lamp. “Anything is fine, Y/N. Your pick.”

The sound of a familiar saxophone blared out from the record player, making him freeze.

You laughed at his startled expression and stopped the music before switching out the George Michael record for Foreigner. “Except this one? Don’t worry, Javi, I know what you like.”

Shaking his head fondly, he sat down on the couch next to you and watched as you scooted closer to rest your head on his shoulder. The lyrics of I Want to Know What Love Is filled the air as you basked in each other’s presence.

“What do you think you’ll do once we catch Escobar?” you asked. Realizing you just brought up work on a weekend, you cringed. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”

Sighing, Javi shifted and replied, “I don’t know. I didn’t exactly let myself leave much behind in Laredo.”

“You have your father and your family ranch,” you suggested, playing with the blanket you’d draped over yourself. “And I’m sure you could find someone to be your sweetheart in the States. After all, you’ll be the man who took down Pablo Escobar.”

“And what about you?” he asked, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand. He tried not to dwell too long on your assumption that he’d want to be with someone from Laredo when he could be with you. “What will the magnificent Y/N L/N do once this is all over?”

You shrugged. “I guess I’ll continue my work in the States. Maybe set up a research lab of my own to study other drugs. And maybe I’ll stop by my parents’ house and see if they’ve forgiven me.”

“Well, if you ever need somebody to tell them how great you are, you know where to find me,” he said, smiling shyly. You felt warm as he continued, “You’re an amazing agent, and an even better friend. Anyone who doesn’t see that can fuck off, in my book.”

You laughed softly at his boldness, even if you knew him well enough that he wouldn’t insult your parents to their face. It was the thought that mattered.

But as you sat there, your hand resting in his and your cheek on his shoulder, you couldn’t help but wish that you could stay like that forever. The early morning drive to work with Javi, the casual lunch breaks, dinners, and late nights all made you wish you were together. You rarely felt like you belonged anywhere, but in his apartment? In his car? His bedroom? You felt safer than you ever did back in your hometown.

“Thank you, Javi,” you murmured, your voice barely audible over the music.

“For what?”

For being there for me, you wanted to say. For seeing the best and worst parts of me without shying away. For making my coffee just the way I like it every day in the office. For staying with me after I woke up in the hospital. For having my back out on raids, and checking my vest to make sure I didn’t forget anything. For listening to me when I go off on tangents about my culture.

“Everything,” you answered softly. “For putting up with me, I guess.”

A smile graced your lips as he slipped his arm around you and pulled you closer to him. “Anything for you, mi amor.”

You furrowed your brow and looked up at him from your slouched position. “What did you call me?”

His soft brown eyes met yours, the outer corners crinkled just slightly as he gazed at you. You hadn’t realized how close you were until you could feel his warm breath against your nose. Your eyes trailed from his beautiful eyes down the curve of his nose to his plush lips. Up close, you could see the small crease in the center; it was as if he were perpetually pouting.

“Mi amor?”

Unable to resist the magnetic pull any longer, you and Javi met in the middle. Your lips slotted against each other, a soft sound escaping you as he cupped your cheek and kissed you fervently. His lips were softer than you’d imagined, his mustache tickled your upper lip. You could kiss him all night, if he let you.

Warmth bloomed in your chest as you moved to straddle his legs, hands wandering up from his chest to play with his brown locks. You’d always wondered what it would feel like to run your fingers through it, drawing soft groans from the man beneath you. You could feel the heat radiating from his body as you pressed yourself against him.

His arms wrapped around and held you close, the weight of his hand settling on your upper back. Your bodies fit together like puzzle pieces. You gave him one last kiss before pulling away for air, your noses brushing against each other. Smiling, you gave him a peck on the tip of his nose.

“Do you want to stay?” Javi asked, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes searched yours for any sign of regret, of realizing that you’d made a big mistake.

You nodded and leaned in to press your lips to the crease between his brows. “I’ll stay as long as you’ll have me, cariño.”

He hummed softly against your neck, nuzzling his nose against your pulse point. “Is it too late to tell you that I really like you?”

“Maybe,” you replied, sighing as he sucked lightly at your skin. If he left a mark, Murphy would never let you live it down. But somehow, you didn’t care. You ran your fingers through his hair, making it stick up in some places. “But I’d rather you show me instead.”

The walk to his room was well-practiced from your days living with him, but knowing that he was following you made a shiver run down your spine. Everything about his bedroom was familiar, yet new. You wondered if you were dreaming, if this was just another cruel figment of your imagination after a long day of work.

“We don’t have to do anything tonight if you don’t want to,” Javi said, wrapping his arms around you from behind when you stopped at the foot of the bed. Your hands covered his, caressing his knuckles. “We could always wait.”

“I don’t want to wait.” You turned around and pulled him into a deep kiss, your hands sliding down to rest on his chest. “I want you, Javi.”

Translations:

“Hola Javier! Hace mucho tiempo que no nos vemos. Quién es ella, tu novia?” Hello Javier! It’s been a long time. Who is this, your girlfriend?

“No no no, ella es una amiga. Nos conocemos del trabajo.” No no no, she’s a friend. We know each other from work.

“Pues, no te molestaré, okey? Cuéntame si necesitas algo.” Well, I won’t bother you, ok? Let me know if you need anything.

“Hermosa” Beautiful

“Cariño” Sweetheart/darling

“Mi amor” My love

Tagging:

Permanent taglist: @cinewhore​ @randomness501​ @pedropascalisadilf​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​ @catfishingmorales​ @halfwaythereroyal​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @talesfromtheguild​ @tortles​ @ladamari68​ @theokatcov @snivellusim​ @starryluce​ @inked-poet​ @this-cat-is-dea​ @shewritesandplants​ @chews-erotically​ @thefandomimagines​ @emesispo​ @mindless--ramblings​

Red Sunsets taglist: @engineeredfiction​ @reylo-hope​ @yespolkadotkitty​ @geistbuster​ @far-too-tired-to-exist​ @faiinal​ @promiscuoussatan​ @thewaythisis​ @earl-01​ @honestlystop​ @chaotic-noceur​

Let me know if you’d like to be added to a taglist!

[vyvesvi]

updated top albums list + recommended tracks from each bc im bored lol

*tentatively* in order

unnatural - wjsn | recommended songs: all of them (especially unnatural, supermoon, and yalla) except for rewind | skips: just rewind bc ballad /// im not sure what style to call this album but they really made such a smash, its crazy that it came out so early in the year and no gg is touching it (album wise). literally the only complaints i have are the obligatory ballad (that they always do bc they can all sing lmfao), the album cover/title (dont love the cover design and i dont love when the album name is the tt name, except in certain circumstances (a full album (especially where the title isnt necessarily from the title track) like montero) or when it's a single album (the inverse of this being rsq's prequel which couldve just been called colorfull since that was the only damn song 😐)). i also was disappointed with the outfits for last dance but that's peripheral.

timeabout, - yukika | recommended songs: insomnia & secret | skips: none /// okay to keep it very real im genuinely scared that she'll never surpass soul lady. i love, and i mean LOVE timeabout, but soul lady was on another plane of existence. like she could've held that album a little bit

the other side of the moon - gwsn | recommended songs: like it hot, starry night, i cant breathe | skips: i sing, depending on my mood /// i dont have much commentary tbh,this is just a very solid mini idk. id like to see a fusion of i cant breathe/tweaks/after the bloom/burn, maybe on their next mini. i love their brighter stuff but maybe a darker concept next (halloween cb pls pls pls)

montero - lil nas x | lowkey too soon for me to pick recommended songs but i'll say montero, scoop, lost in the citadel, sun goes down, and am i dreaming for now. will update! | skips: none /// i cant say that this is this year's sawayama bc sawayama was kinda more like a collection of really strong singles? whereas i feel like these songs shine as an album. i dont even know what to say except that im soooo surprised and impressed because i didnt know that this is the type of music he made???? like he raps but theres a lot of singing? not like belting but definitely not rapping. its kinda...alt ish? in some places? if i had to use ine genre to describe the whole album id probably say alt pop? idk but whatever it is it's definitely working

hide & seek - purple kiss | recommended songs: zombie & so why (tbh all of them) | 2am and zzzz depend on my mood but theyre def not full skips /// no bad song on the album this is crazy....i might rerank since i just listened to it for the first time but as of now idk, its good im just super impressed. ponzona wasnt for me but this cb theyre really doing all the things, lovr tht for them

produced by: [myself] - onlyoneof | recommended songs: coy & night flight | question mark depends on my mood /// im still mad at them (read: 8d) sooooo...idk. i can’t really listen to their music rn. but this mini is still good

play game: holiday - weeekly | recommended songs: check it out, weekend, holiday party | i like memories of summer rain and la luna but it depends on my mood /// very cohesive mini, def their best overall imo! not much to say, but i hope jiyoon gets well soon TTTT

enchant - orbit | recommended songs: gokurakuchouka & never gonna get away but also all of them except flor lunar | skips: flor lunar is nice but boring /// i need kpoppies to get into it im tired of being here alone cmon y’all

set - woodz | recommended songs: feel like | skips: none /// i prefer his bright tracks but this mini was solid as usual. where is the full album tho seungyoun hmmm????

guess who - itzy | recommended songs: sorry not sorry, tennis (0:0), kidding me | skips: in the morning, occasionally wild wild west /// i remember being very surprised that i liked this album, especially given that i dont like mitm. not anything groundbreaking but still solid. i think the naming of tennis (0:0) was really clever

intersection: trace - bae173 | recommended songs: green light, loved you | skips: none (sometimes the intro tho) /// honestly their music is really good??? mbk just hasn’t promoted them well, i feel like they make it a little hard to stan...i really appreciate that they’re not doing the stereotypical hard bg concept thing

lilac - iu | recommended songs: coin, flu, ah puh, troll | skips: honestly id have to relisten, some of the songs a lil boring but idr them at the moment

hello future - nct dream | recommended songs: hello future, life is still going on | skips: idr tbh, probably hot sauce though //// was very surprised that i liked this album, but the outro of hello future really got me after a few listens so i had to check it out. very decent!

killa - mirae | recommended songs: killa, sweet dreams, 1 thing | skips: none really but all of the bsides are a little mid tbh /// i will be 1000% honest in saying that the three reasons this allbum made this list are 1.) killa (the tt), 2.) none of the songs are bad, 3.) lien’s vocals. something about lien....he really just sells whatever song he’s on. his belting >>>>>>>>>>>. he makes their music very enjoyable to listen to, next in that department would be junhyuk. based on their most recent cb, siyoung and khael also contribute a lot as well. shame that the rest of the cb album kinda does nothing for me idk. random but i would really like a gg to cover higher and/or killa

& - loona | recommended songs: ur, ptt | skips: a different night, dance on my own /// these r my girls but this is not their best. ur is wonderful though, and ptt is addicting somehow. wow and be honest are fine but really not their best. i like wow’s choreo tho! 

albums im excited to listen to (no particular order):

last year was weird volume 3, tkay maidza (i’ve already listened to a bunch of it but i need to sit and just listen to the whole thing)

troubled paradise, slayyter (same as above, but i didn’t even realize it came out this year, i thought it was old for some reason lol)

jo1, challenger (every song of theirs i hear i like pretty much so i need to take an organized look at them lmfao)

jo1, stranger (same as above)

only lovers left, woodz (duhhh its woodz. not out yet but im excited! i do prefer his brighter concepts and this def isn’t that. he says its not gonna be like what he’s done before but the title and concept photo that’s out rn is giving lift up)

the book of us: negentropy - chaos swallowed up in love, day6 (the title kinda bored me but we’ll see. also sungjin’s gone so.....................we’ll see.)

ancient dreams in a modern land, marina (i barely got past venus fly trap because its soooooo good. i’ve listened to a little after that but the songs i heard didn’t really compare. i have to give it a shot tho)

the chaos chapter: fight or escape, txt (i liked the blue hour mini so i need to give them a chance i suppose)

333, tinashe (i just feel like i should idk)

honorable mentions (no particular order):

blue hour, txt - discovered this year, came out last year. retroactively makes the 2020 albums list bc whew the market research that went into that thing paid off

hula hoop/ starseed ~kakusei~, loona (why tf does the album not have a name) - duhhh loona + synths = a smash. in fact like i said when it dropped i dont even wanna call them loona anymore. this is kongetsu no shoujo!!! this isn’t on my top albums list because im counting as two songs and my limit is 3. i might add it anyways lmfao. we’ll see

ugly beauty, jolin tsai - discovered this year, came out in 2018. i just really like jolin tsai idk. i had only heard that album w play and i’m not yours, both are iconic but the production quality sounds...low? like its older but ik they’re not *that* old. either way, ugly beauty does everything i wanted it to - dramatic, vocals, rapping, boa vibes...jolin tsai is a queen what can i say

also, there are of course a ton of singles that i love as well, this is albums only though lmfao. i have no idea if i could even attempt to organize the singles lol