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malarign · 11 months

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jay as your boyfriend!

(soft moments with him)

contains: bf!Jay x gn!reader (implied that reader wears a dress but no pronouns were used) | genre: fluff | tw! mention of food, kissing, crowds | wc: 1,4k

reblogs, likes and comments are highly appreaciated!!!

other members’ versions: LHS - SJY - PSH - KSW - YJW - NRK

➶ wiping food off your face *ೃ༄

Jay and you were truly a match made in heaven. Both of you shared many hobbies, one of them being cooking and trying out new recipes from around the world. What you both enjoyed after cleaning up the kitchen from your activities was eating the meal you prepared. Sharing what you liked and disliked about the dish and discussing what to do next time to perfect the recipe you often got a bit of sauce or some scrumbles in the corner of your lips. They wouldn’t be there for long though, Jay was always quick to wipe it off your face.

“I really like the texture but I think it needs a little bit of lemon juice, don’t you think?” you asked taking another bite of the meal.

You looked at your boyfriend, Jay who sat in front of you. He looked down at his plate, brows furrowing as he munched on his bite.

“You think so? I would say more soy sauce would do,” he suggested looking at you.

“Actually I read somewhere that if something tastes bland it might need some sourness.” You took another bite.

As you were eating you noticed how a smile grew on his face. You were confused at first, but when he reached to your lips and wiped a sauce off them with his thumb you also put a smile on your face.

“Should we try it out now, then?”

➶ zipping up your dress *ೃ༄

Him doing that was a highlight of you getting ready for dates or when you just decided to wear a dress. The way he gently put your hair out of his way, his fingers delicately touching your skin while doing so. Usually, you would stand in front of a mirror while he helped you so he could see how you blushed when his eyes were plastered on yours for this whole time.

Jay turned you around so that he could face you after he was done zipping up your dress. Too mesmerized by the way your eyes held stars within themselves he just leaned in and plastered a passionate kiss, hands wandering on your sides, as you placed yours at the back of his neck, deepening the intimacy.

When you finally pulled out of each other’s arms you looked at him, a serious look suddenly appearing on your face.

“Jay Park, maybe you could tell me how I look? After all, you bought this dress,” you spoke and your confidence made you look even more attractive in his eyes.

He smiled and eyed you up and down, making you regret your question, feeling the blood rushing to your cheeks.

“Oh my dear Y/n, you look gorgeous,” he said and bent down to kiss your palm making you giggle to yourself at his chivalrous action. “You are gorgeous,” he said, this time putting your hair behind your ear and placing his warm hand on your cheek.

➶ smiling while you’re talking about something you’re passionate about *ೃ༄

Jay is a man of many hobbies. His passions like guitar, dance, singing, music in general, and his never ending curiosity of the world made him much more attractive in your eyes. What you didn’t know was that he had the same feelings when it came to you. He often found himself so immersed in how you’re telling him about what you found out about your fields of interest. Unconsciously he would smile slightly at the way your tone changed, how your gestures became bigger and your eyes shined with passion.

Jay listened carefully to your monologue about your recent obsession which was an ancient history of Rome. At first, he tried to join you in the talk since he also grew an interest in this period during his high school years, but then the pure urge to just listen to you talking avidly about it made him want to listen to your voice and watch how you couldn’t sit at one place from the emotions it brought to you.

The dreamy look on his face made you think for a second if he was truly listening to you.

“Jay? Are you listening to me?” you asked, worried he was bored by your rant.

“Of course, love,” he reassured you. “I love it when you’re talking about things that you’re curious about,” he confessed, helping you realize his true feelings about you.

➶ pulling you closer in his sleep *ೃ༄

For you and Jay nights together looked pretty similar. At first a little bit of talking about your plans for the next day, some soft loving touches, and then laying down to finish the day. You never had any problems with sleeping at night, but still, you couldn’t top how quick Jay was to doze off. And you couldn’t blame him - the amount of work he had during the day often drained him, yet he still tried to not let you know how sleepy he was at the moment. That’s why you were the one to fall asleep much later than him. Whenever you took a little longer to doze off, you felt his arms unconsciously wrap around your waist, bringing you closer to his body.

His hot breath fell on the back of your neck sending waves of shivers down your spine. Knowing he wouldn’t wake up from your movement you turned around to face him, his arms still messily wrapped around your body. Seeing his features in a faint moonlight that poured through your bedroom curtains made you smile to yourself. He looked so peaceful, the pout that formed on his lips made him even cuter than usual.

You raised your hand and gently brushed his short, black hair to the back, leaving a few scratches at the back of his head.

“I love you, my love,” you whispered and soon you also fell into a deep slumber.

➶ kissing your hands and tips of fingers *ೃ༄

When you first started dating Jay you didn’t expect how soft his heart truly was. Full of surprises he never failed to make you melt at his actions that expressed nothing but pure love and affection. What made your heart flutter the most was probably the way he kissed you dearly, especially your hands. Whenever you were getting ready to go to sleep he would take your hand in his and plant soft kisses on its back and tips of your fingers.

“Your hands are so soft,” Jay spoke in a baby voice making you giggle at his cute side.

Soon he started leaving tickling pecks all over your hands, firmly holding you as you tried to seize it from him, but it was all in vain.

“Jay it tickles!” Your laugh and the sensitivity of your fingers just made him want to tease you more. He only stopped when you pulled him into a sweet kiss, finally leaving your hand alone, now busy with your lips.

➶ taking your hand firmly in his when in a crowded place *ೃ༄

Knowing how uncomfortable you got in places where lots of people gathered, Jay took taking care of your comfort as his duty. And he was great at that, either by asking you questions if you wanted to go somewhere else or you were feeling good enough to stay. But in places where those solutions wouldn’t be possible he would simply take your hand firmly in his and forced your way through people that surrounded you. His grip and occasional thumb rubs made you feel a lot better.

You looked at the now pretty much-crowded place you were having your mini-date with Jay. The number of people there doubled or even trebled, making you feel how your heartbeat started to increase. Before it started to race you heard Jay’s soft voice in a room full of noise.

“Love, I think we should go as quickly as it’s possible. Let’s not wait, okay?” Jay suggested, a worried look making you feel at ease.

In response you simply nodded your head and grabbed his hand interlocking your fingers with his. He started guiding you through the crowd and worked your way to the exit. Your gaze was fixated either on your feet or his head, which turned around from time to time to check on you.

In a minute you were out, fresh and cool air hitting your skin helping you relax. In contrast to the inside the night seemed peaceful, just like you almost didn’t have to go through a huge amount of people.

“Are you okay, love?” you heard Jay question and smiled at him.

You climbed on your toes to plant a sweet kiss on his jaw.

“Yes, thank you, Jay.”

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najia-cooks · 8 days

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[ID: The first image is of four stuffed artichoke hearts on a plate with a mound of rice and fried vermicelli; the second is a close-up on one artichoke, showing fried ground 'beef' and golden pine nuts. End ID]

أرضي شوكي باللحم / Ardiyy-shawkiyy b-al-lahm (Stuffed artichoke hearts)

Artichoke hearts stuffed with spiced meat make a common dish throughout West Asia and North Africa, with variations on the recipe eaten in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Algeria, and Morocco. In Palestine, the dish is usually served on special occasions, either as an appetizer, or as a main course alongside rice. The artichokes are sometimes paired with cored potatoes, which are stuffed and cooked in the same manner. Stuffed artichokes do not appear in Medieval Arab cookbooks (though artichokes do), but the dish's distribution indicates that its origin may be Ottoman-era, as many other maḥshis (stuffed dishes) are.⁩

The creation of this dish is easy enough once the artichoke hearts have been excavated (or, as the case may be, purchased frozen and thawed): they are briefly deep-fried, stuffed with ground meat and perhaps pine nuts, then stewed in water, or water and tomato purée, or stock, until incredibly tender.

While simple, the dish is flavorful and well-rounded. A squeeze of lemon complements the bright, subtle earthiness of the artichoke and cuts through the richness of the meat; the fried pine nuts provide a play of textures, and pick up on the slight nutty taste that artichokes are known for.

Terminology and etymology

Artichokes prepared in this way may be called "ardiyy-shawkiyy b-al-lahm." "Ardiyy-shawkiyy" of course means "artichoke"; "ب" ("b") means "with"; "ال" ("al") is the determiner "the"; and "لَحْم" ("laḥm") is "meat" (via a process of semantic narrowing from Proto-Semitic *laḥm, "food"). Other Palestinian Arabic names for the same dish include "أرضي شوكي محشي" ("ardiyy-shawkiyy maḥshi," "stuffed artichokes"), and "أرضي شوكي على ادامه" ("ardiyy-shawkiyy 'ala adama," "artichokes cooked in their own juice").

The etymology of the Levantine dialectical phrase meaning "artichoke" is interestingly circular. The English "artichoke" is itself ultimately from Arabic "الخُرْشُوف" ("al-khurshūf"); it was borrowed into Spanish (as "alcarchofa") during the Islamic conquest of the Iberian peninsula, and thence into English via the northern Italian "articiocco." The English form was probably influenced by the word "choke" via a process of phono-semantic matching—a type of borrowing wherein native words are found that sound similar to the foreign word ("phonetics"), and communicate qualities associated with the object ("semantics").

"Artichoke" then returned to Levantine Arabic, undergoing another process of phono-semantic matching to become "ardiyy-shawkiyy": أَرْضِيّ ("ʔarḍiyy") "earthly," from أَرْض‎ ("ʔarḍ"), "Earth, land"; and شَوْكِيّ ("shawkiyy") "prickly," from شَوْك‎ ("shawk"), "thorn."

Artichokes in Palestine

Artichoke is considered to be very healthful by Palestinian cooks, and it is recommended to also consume the water it is boiled in (which becomes delightfully savory and earthy, suitable as a broth for soup). In addition to being stuffed, the hearts may be chopped and cooked with meat or potatoes into a rich soup. These soups are enjoyed especially during Ramadan, when hot soup is popular regardless of the season—but the best season for artichokes in the Levant is definitively spring. Stuffed artichokes are thus often served by Jewish people in North Africa and West Asia during Passover.

Artichokes grow wild in Palestine, sometimes in fields adjacent to cultivated crops such as cereals and olives. Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, writing in 1822, referred to the abundant wild artichoke plants (presumably Cynara syriaca) near لُوبْيا ("lūbyā"), a large village of stone buildings on a hilly landscape just west of طبريا ("ṭabariyya," Tiberias):

About half an hour to the N. E. [of Kefer Sebt (كفر سبط)] is the spring Ain Dhamy (عين ظامي), in a deep valley, from hence a wide plain extends to the foot of Djebel Tor; in crossing it, we saw on our right, about three quarters of an hour from the road, the village Louby (لوبي), and a little further on, the village Shedjare (شجره). The plain was covered with the wild artichoke, called khob (خُب); it bears a thorny violet coloured flower, in the shape of an artichoke, upon a stem five feet in height.

(Despite resistance from local militia and the Arab Liberation Army, Zionist military groups ethnically cleansed Lubya of its nearly 3,000 Palestinian Arab inhabitants in July of 1948, before reducing its buildings and wells to rubble, The Jewish National Fund later planted the Lavi pine forest over the ruins.)

Artichokes are also cultivated and marketed. Elihu Grant, nearly a century after Burckhardt's writing, noted that Palestinian villages with sufficient irrigation "[went] into gardening extensively," and marketed their goods in crop-poor villages or in city markets:

Squash, pumpkin, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, turnip, beet, parsnip, bean, pea, chick-pea, onion, garlic, leek, radish, mallow and eggplant are common varieties [of vegetable]. The buds of the artichoke when boiled make a delicious dish. Potatoes are getting to be quite common now. Most of them are still imported, but probably more and more success will be met in raising a native crop.

Either wild artichokes (C. syriaca) or cardoons (C. cardunculus, later domesticated to yield modern commerical artichokes) were being harvested and eaten by Jewish Palestinians in the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD (the Meshnaic Hebrew is "עַכָּבִיּוֹת", sg. "עַכָּבִית", "'aqubit"; related to the Arabic "⁧عَكُوب⁩" "'akūb," which refers to a different plant). The Tosefta Shebiit discusses how farmers should treat the sprouting of artichokes ("קינרסי," "qinrasi") during the shmita year (when fields are allowed to lie fallow), indicating that Jews were also cultivating artichokes at this time.

Though artichokes were persistently associated with wealth and the feast table (perhaps, Susan Weingarten speculates, because of the time they took to prepare), trimming cardoons and artichokes during festivals, when other work was prohibited, was within the reach of common Jewish people. Those in the "upper echelons of Palestinian Jewish society," on the other hand, had access to artichokes year-round, including (through expensive marvels of preservation and transport) when they were out of season.

Jewish life and cuisine

Claudia Roden writes that stuffed artichoke, which she refers to as "Kharshouf Mahshi" (خرشوف محشي), is "famous as one of the grand old Jerusalem dishes" among Palestinian Jews. According to her, the stuffed artichokes used to be dipped in egg and then bread crumbs and deep-fried. This breading and frying is still referenced, though eschewed, in modern Sephardi recipes.

Prior to the beginning of the first Aliyah (עלייה, wave of immigration) in 1881, an estimated 3% of the overall population of Palestine, or 15,011 people, were Jewish. This Jewish presence was not the result of political Zionist settler-colonialism of the kind facilitated by Britain and Zionist organizations; rather, it consisted of ancestrally Palestinian Jewish groups, and of refugees and religious immigrants who had been naturalized over the preceding decades or centuries.

One such Jewish community were the Arabic-speaking Jews whom the Sephardim later came to call "מוּסְתערבים" or "مستعربين" ("Musta'ravim" or "Musta'ribīn"; from the Arabic "مُسْتَعْرِب⁩" "musta'rib," "Arabized"), because they seemed indifferentiable from their Muslim neighbors. A small number of them were descendants of Jews from Galilee, which had had a significant Jewish population in the mid-1st century BC; others were "מגרבים" ("Maghrebim"), or "مغربية" ("Mughariba"): descendents of Jews from Northwest Africa.

Another major Jewish community in pre-mandate Palestine were Ladino-speaking descendents of Sephardi Jews, who had migrated to Palestine in the decades following their expulsion from Spain and then Portugal in the late 15th century. Though initially seen as foreign by the 'indigenous' Mista'avim, this community became dominant in terms of population and political influence, coming to define themselves as Ottoman subjects and as the representatives of Jews in Palestine.

A third, Yiddish- and German-speaking, Askenazi Jewish population also existed in Palestine, the result of immigration over the preceding centuries (including a large wave in 1700).

These various groups of Jewish Palestinians lived as neighbors in urban centers, differentiating themselves from each other partly by the language they spoke and partly by their dress (though Sephardim and Ashkenazim quickly learned Arabic, and many Askenazim and Muslims learned Ladino). Ashkenazi women also learned from Sephardim how to prepare their dishes. These groups' interfamiliarity with each other's cuisine is further evidenced by the fact that Arabic words for Palestinian dishes entered Ladino and Yiddish (e.g. "كُفْتَة" / "kufta," rissole; "مَزَّة⁩" "mazza," appetizer); and words entered Arabic from Ladino (e.g. "דונסי" "donsi," sweet jams and fruit leather; "בוריק" "burek," meat and cheese pastries; "המים" "hamim," from "haminados," braised eggs) and Yiddish (e.g. "לעקעך‎" "lakach," honey cake).

In addition to these 'native' Jews were another two waves of Ashkenazi migration in the late 18th and early-to-mid 19th centuries (sometimes called the "היישוב הישן," "ha-yishuv ha-yashan," "old settlement," though the term is often used more broadly); and throughout the previous centuries there had also been a steady trickle of religious immigration, including elderly immigrants who wished to die in Jerusalem in order to be present at the appointed place on the day of Resurrection. Recent elderly women immigrants unable to receive help from charitable institutions would rely on the community for support, in exchange helping the young married women of the neighborhood with childcare and with the shaping of pastries ("מיני מאפה").

In the first few centuries AD, the Jewish population of Palestine were largely farmers and agricultural workers in rural areas. By the 16th century, however, most of the Jewish population resided in the Jewish Holy Cities of Jerusalem (القُدس / al-quds), Hebron (الخليل / al-khalil), Safed (صفد), and Tiberias (طبريا / ṭabariyya). In the 19th century, the Jewish population lived entirely in these four cities and in expanding urban centers Jaffa and Haifa, alongside Muslims and Christians. Jerusalem in particular was majority Jewish by 1880.

In the 19th century, Jewish women in Jerusalem, like their Christian and Muslim neighbors, used communal ovens to bake the bread, cakes, matzah, cholent, and challah which they prepared at home. One woman recalls that bread would be sent to the baker on Mondays and Thursdays—but bribes could be offered in exchange for fresh bread on Shabbat. Charges would be by the item, or else a fixed monthly payment.

Trips to the ovens became social events, as women of various ages—while watching the bakers, who might not put a dish in or take it out in time—sent up a "clatter" of talking. During religious feast days, with women busy in the kitchen, some families might send young boys in their stead.

Markets and bakeries in Jerusalem sold bread of different 'grades' based on the proportion of white and wheat flour they contained; as well as flatbread (خبز مفرود / חובז מפרוד / khobbiz mafroud), Moroccan מאווי' / ماوي / meloui, and semolina breads (כומאש / كماج / kmaj) which Maghrebim especially purchased for the Sabbath.

On the Sabbath, those who had brick ovens in their sculleries would keep food, and water for tea and coffee, warm from the day before (since religious law prohibits performing work, including lighting fires, on Shabbat); those who did not would bring their food to the oven of a neighbor who did.

Palestinian Jewish men worked in a variety of professions: they were goldsmiths, writers, doctors, merchants, scientists, linguists, carpenters, and religious scholars. Jewish women, ignoring prohibitions, engaged in business, bringing baked goods and extra dairy to markets in Jerusalem, grinding and selling flour, spinning yarn, and making clothing (usually from materials purchased from Muslims); they were also shopkeepers and sellers of souvenirs and wine. Muslims, Jews, and Christians shared residential courtyards, pastimes, commercial enterprises, and even holidays and other religious practices.

Zionism and Jewish Palestinians

Eastern European Zionists in the 1880s and 90s were ambivalent towards existing Jewish communities in Palestine, often viewing them as overly traditional and religious, backwards-thinking, and lacking initiative. Jewish Palestinians did not seem to conform with the land-based, agricultural, and productivist ideals of political Zionist thinkers; they were integrated into the Palestinian economy (rather than seeking to create their own, segregated one); they were not working to create a Jewish ethnostate in Palestine, and seemed largely uninterested in nationalist concerns. Thus they were identified with Diaspora Jewish culture, which was seen as a remnant of exile and oppression to be eschewed, reformed, or overthrown.

These attitudes were applied especially to Sephardim and Mista'arevim, who were frequently denigrated in early Zionist literature. In 1926, Revisionist Zionist leader Vladimir Jabotinsky wrote that the "Jews, thank God, have nothing in common with the East. We must put an end to any trace of the Oriental spirit in the Jews of Palestine." The governance of Jewish communities was, indeed, changed with the advent of the British Mandate (colonial rule which allowed the British to facilitate political Zionist settling), as European political and "socialist" Zionists promoted Ashkenazi over Sephardi leadership.

Under the Ottomans, the millet system had allowed a degree of Jewish and Christian autonomy in matters of religious study and leadership, cultural and legal affairs, and the minting of currency. The religious authority of all Jewish people in Palestine had been the Sephardi Rabbi of Jerusalem, and his authority on matters of Jewish law (like the authority of the Armenian Patriarchate on matters of Christian law) extended outside of Palestine.

But British and European funding allowed newer waves of Ashkenazi settlers (sometimes called "היישוב החדש," "ha-yishuv ha-khadash," "new settlement")—who, at least if they were to live out the ideals of their sponsors, were more secular and nationalist-minded than the prior waves of Ashkenazi immigration—to be de facto independent of Sephardi governance. Several factors lead to the drying up of halaka (donated funds intended to be used for communal works and the support of the poor in Sephardi communities), which harmed Sephardim economically.

Zionist ideas continued to dominate newly formed committees and programs, and Palestinian and Sephardi Jews reported experiences of racial discrimination, including job discrimination, leading to widespread poverty. The "Hebrew labor" movement, which promoted a boycott of Palestinian labor and produce, in fact marginalized all workers racialized as Arab, and promises of work in Jewish labor unions were divided in favor of Ashkenazim to the detriment of Sephardim and Mizrahim. This economic marginalization coincided with the "social elimination of shared indigenous [Palestinian] life" in the Zionist approach to indigenous Jews and Muslims.

Despite the adversarial, disdainful, and sometimes abusive relationship which the European Zionist movement had with "Oriental" Jews, their presence is frequently used in Zionist food and travel writing to present Israel as a multicultural and pluralist state. Dishes such as stuffed artichokes are claimed as "Israeli"—though they were eaten by Jews in Palestine prior to the existence of the modern state of Israel, and though Sephardi and Mizrahi diets were once the target of a civilizing, correcting mission by Zionist nutritionists. The deep-frying that stuffed artichokes call for brings to mind European Zionists' half-fascinated, half-disgusted attitudes towards falafel. The point is not to claim a dish for any one national or ethnic group—which is, more often than not, an exercise in futility and even absurdity—but to pay attention to how the rhetoric of food writing can obscure political realities and promote the colonizer's version of history. The sinking of Jewish Palestinian life prior to the advent of modern political Zionism, and the corresponding insistence that it was Israel that brought "Jewish cuisine" to Palestine, allow for such false dichotomies as "Jewish-Palestinian relations" or "Jewish-Arab relations"; these descriptors further Zionist rhetoric by making a clear situation of ethnic cleansing and settler-colonialism sound like a complex and delicate issue of inter-ethnic conflict. To boot, the presentation of these communities as having merely paved the way to Zionist nationalism ignores their existence as groups with their own political, social, and cultural lives and histories.

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Ingredients:

Serves 4 (as a main dish).

For the artichokes:

6 fresh, very large artichokes; or frozen (not canned) whole artichoke hearts

1 lemon, quartered (if using fresh artichokes)

250g (1 1/2 cups) vegetarian ground beef substitute; or 3/4 cup TVP hydrated with 3/4 cup vegetarian 'beef' stock from concentrate

1 yellow onion, minced

Scant 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 pinch ground cardamom (optional)

1/4 tsp ground allspice or seb'a baharat (optional)

1 Tbsp pine nuts (optional)

Water, to simmer

Oil, to fry

2 tsp vegetarian 'beef' stock concentrate, to simmer (optional)

Lemon, to serve

Larger artichokes are best, to yield hearts 3-4 inches in width once all leaves are removed. If you only have access to smaller artichokes, you may need to use 10-12 to use up all the filling; you might also consider leaving some of the edible internal leaves on.

The meat may be spiced to taste. Sometimes only salt and black pepper are used; some Palestinian cooks prefer to include seb'a baharat, white pepper, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and/or cinnamon.

Medieval Arab cookbooks sometimes call for vegetables to be deep-fried in olive oil (see Fiḍālat al-Khiwān fī Ṭayyibāt al-Ṭaʿām wa-l-Alwān, chapter 6, recipe no. 373, which instructs the reader to treat artichoke hearts this way). You may use olive oil, or a neutral oil such as canola or sunflower (as is more commonly done in Palestine today).

Elihu Grant noted in 1921 that lemon juice was often served with stuffed vegetable dishes; today stuffed artichokes are sometimes served with lemon.

For the rice:

200g Egyptian rice (or substitute any medium-grained white rice)

2 tsp broken semolina vermicelli (شعيريه) (optional)

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

Large pinch salt

520g water, or as needed

Broken semolina vermicelli (not rice vermicelli!) can be found in plastic bags at halal grocery stores.

Instructions:

For the stuffed artichokes:

1. Prepare the artichoke hearts. Cut off about 2/3 of the top of the artichoke (I find that leaving at least some of the stem on for now makes it easier to hollow out the base of the artichoke heart without puncturing it).

2. Pull or cut away the tough outer bracts ("leaves") of the artichoke until you get to the tender inner leaves, which will appear light yellow all the way through. As you work, rub a lemon quarter over the sides of the artichoke to prevent browning.

3. If you see a sharp indentation an inch or so above the base of the artichoke, use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to trim off the leaves above it and form the desired bowl shape. Set aside trimmings for a soup or stew.

4. Use a small spoon to remove the purple leaves and fibers from the center of the artichoke. Make sure to scrape the spoon all along the bottom and sides of the artichoke and get all of the fibrous material out.

5. Use a paring knife to remove any remaining tough bases of removed bracts and smooth out the base of the artichoke heart. Cut off the entire stem, so that the heart can sit flat, like a bowl.

6. Place the prepared artichoke heart in a large bowl of water with some lemon juice squeezed into it. Repeat with each artichoke.

7. Drain artichoke hearts and pat dry. Heat a few inches of oil in a pot or wok on medium and fry artichoke hearts, turning over occasionally, for a couple minutes until lightly browned. If you don't want to deep-fry, you can pan-fry in 1 cm or so of oil, flipping once. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain.

8. Prepare the filling. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high and fry onions, agitating often, until translucent.

Tip: Some people add the pine nuts and brown them at this point, to save a step later. If you do this, they will of course be mixed throughout the filling rather than being a garnish on top.

9. Add spices, salt, and meat substitute and fry, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned. (If using TVP, brown it by allowing it to sit in a single layer undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then stir and repeat.) Taste and adjust spices and salt.

10. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil or margarine in a small pan on medium-low. Add pine nuts and fry, stirring constantly, until they are a light golden brown, then remove with a slotted spoon. Note that, once they start taking on color, they will brown very quickly and must be carefully watched. They will continue to darken after they are removed from the oil, so remove them when they are a shade lighter than desired.

11. Stuff the artichoke hearts. Fill the bowl of each heart with meat filling, pressing into the bottom and sides to fill completely. Top with fried pine nuts.

12. Cook the artichoke hearts. Place the stuffed artichoke hearts in a single layer at the bottom of a large stock pot, along with any extra filling (or save extra filling to stuff peppers, eggplant, zucchini, or grape leaves).

13. Whisk stock concentrate into several cups of just-boiled water, if using—if not, whisk in about a half teaspoon of salt. Pour hot salted water or stock into the pot to cover just the bottoms of the stuffed artichokes.

14. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the artichokes are tender. Simmer uncovered for another 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.

For the rice:

1. Rinse your rice once by placing it in a sieve, putting the sieve in a closely fitting bowl, then filling the bowl with water; rub the rice between your fingers to wash, and remove the sieve from the bowl to strain.

2. Place a bowl on a kitchen scale and tare. Add the rice, then add water until the total weight is 520g. (This will account for the amount of water stuck to the rice from rinsing.)

3. (Optional.) In a small pot with a close-fitting lid, heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add broken vermicelli and fry, agitating often, until golden brown.

4. Add the rice and water to the pot and stir. Increase heat to high and allow water to come to a boil. Cover the pot and lower heat to a simmer. Cook the rice for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and steam for 10 minutes.

To serve:

1. Plate artichoke hearts on a serving plate alongside rice and lemon wedges; or, place artichoke hearts in a shallow serving dish, pour some of their cooking water in the base of the dish, and serve rice on a separate plate.

Tip: The white flesh at the base of the bracts (or "leaves") that you removed from the artichokes for this recipe is also edible. Try simmering removed leaves in water, salt, and a squeeze of lemon for 15 minutes, then scraping the bract between your teeth to eat the flesh.

#Palestinian #Levantine #vegan recipes #artichokes #Passover #Pesach #long post /

128 notes · View notes

dduane · 1 year

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Whitefruit

The whitefruit (Darthene andénne, Arlene and N. Arlene onten, Steldene emdenet) is instantly recognizable as a member of genus Capsicum – part of the Solanaceae or nightshade family, in which the Earth-based chilies / chiles are all included.

If we stick to Terran-style taxonomy (and why not, for the time being), the main Middle Kingdoms-based whitefruit species (Capsicum albifructans medioregnis) would likely most closely correspond to Capsicum annuum x chinense – a naturally hybridized species sharing traits of the jalapeño and the Habanero. The heat of the main species can vary wildly between not too horrific (Scoville 2500-5000) and it’ll-fry-you-like-an-egg (Sco 500,000 and upwards).

The original wild whitefruit species come from the colder mountainous regions of the Middle Kingdoms’ south, and it’s generally agreed that the best ones are grown in southern Darthen and Steldin; the closer to the Highpeaks, the better. The plant prefers poor soil – glacial if possible – and a somewhat adversarial climate featuring bright sunshine (though not necessarily heat) and cold winters. They prefer a bit of altitude and tend not to grow well in the milder north, giving rise to the very old saying “No [white] fruit north of the Road” – suggesting that the Kings’ Road marks both the upper edge of the area for successful cultivation, and that southerners transplanted to the [politically and meteorologically] hotter climes of the North may not necessarily prosper.

The white color of these chiles – a bit unusual on our Earth – is the normal color in the Kingdoms, with light greens reminiscent of mild Hungarian chiles, and darker Jalapeño-ish greens, being not quite as common. Yellow, red, purple and black cultivars are rare, and prized as much as ornamentals as for culinary use; but generally they don’t match the heat of the white breeds.

Naturally, in the Kingdoms as here, there are people who prize the fruit more for its heat than its flavor… with the result that some whitefruit cultivars have almost no flavor left at all, but make their way in the markets by their names: “tonguefire,” “Dragonbreath,” et cetera and ad infinitum. The single flame-colored cultivar able to match the hottest of the whites (heading for the low Sco 1-millions) commands high prices at market. But unscrupulous stallholders are known to take advantage of careless buyers by substituting milder lookalike fruits, giving rise to another saying: “Don’t see red without tasting first”.

At the culinary end: Steldene cooking favors whitefruit so strongly that it’s hard to find any food east of the Stel and south of the Road that doesn’t contain it. (Pastries layered with whitefruit-laced honey are one of the national passions: think of a baklava that bites back.) They also routinely appear in many other sweet dishes, and every kind of meat preparation imaginable, both as cooking ingredient and independent condiment. The present King of Arlen picked up a serious taste for whitefruit during his outlaw days on the run in Steldin, and is constantly badgering his spouses to bring him some home when they’re out that way on business, or near the better market towns in southern Darthen. (TDISu, TOTF1, TOTF2)

(via Food and Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms)

#DDfood #Middle Kingdoms meta #Food and Cooking of the Middle Kingdoms #FACOTMK

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anlian-aishang · 2 years

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hello! i have a priority request: Bad day/hard times. i don’t want to go into too many details cause i feel dumb but basically i caught feelings for guy and he doesn’t really return them, even though i thought he did. Can i get Levi or Erwin comforting reader about a bad date with a happy ending? i hope that’s specific enough, i understand if it’s not. it’s also alright if you post it publicly to the blog.

thank you so much!!

Aww, I’m so sorry to hear about your hard times! We have all had a love unrequited, so just know you are not alone <3 I hope this priority request can help a bit ^^

Word count: 1000 Tags: erwin x reader, fluff, modern AU, pining, friends-to-lovers, food mention, gn!reader

On paper, it should have been a perfect match. Taste in music was the same, playlists practically identical. You had seen all the same movies, liked and disliked the same ones. Over the phone, you had shared many late nights - dimming your screen, talking low - just so you could make the most of your days. Chatting before the date, you could not wait to meet him.

But even as you sat across from him, admiring the outfit he wore and the bill he paid, you were thinking about the postmortem. It wasn’t that the date was bad on its own, but given all the build-up there had been, that was what really killed it. Not bad, just disappointing.

Yeah, he said all the right things. Here, let me take your jacket. You look so beautiful tonight. It’s great to finally meet you in person. All his sentiments made you glow.

But it wasn’t the feeling you got with Erwin.

// // //

Back at your apartment, Erwin tried to keep himself preoccupied. It was a day he had been dreading. All the times he heard you locked in your room late at night, chatting and giggling with the stud on the other end of the line, it was the only thing that could turn your angelic voice agonizing. Your nights spent as roommates, as friends, grew fewer and fewer - as you chose your cell over him.

He had exhausted all the coping strategies he could think of, and for a man of his wits, they were many. Timing his hangouts to overlap with your dates. Buying an expensive pair of noise-cancelling headphones. No matter how diverse his topics of conversation were, you always somehow managed to tie it back to your developing relationship. He’s so thoughtful, so funny...

When you went on and on about your newest match, Erwin learned to detach just enough. Uncharacteristically delusional for the man so ever composed - how he could hear himself in the words you spoke. He’s six feet tall. Drives a Mercedes. Works in finance. Erwin bit the inside of his cheek. Didn’t you hear yourself? Couldn’t you see? The man of your dreams was not in your future, but in your present. This very Saturday evening, awaiting your return home safe.

Erwin tilted his head back against the wall, palm pressed to his forehead, and allowed himself an audible sigh. Others found him so put-together, but there was one who had worked their way into his home, his heart, his most vulnerable spots, and could truly unravel him. Everyone else named him the smartest guy they knew, but he thought himself so stupid - for signing that lease with you, for thinking you could just be friends, for believing that his feelings would ever disappear. Erwin thought your habits of leaving mugs all around and piling laundry sky high would make him realize that you weren’t the one, but instead, the opposite. He longed to wash your dishes. He longed to fold your clothes. He wanted to be that person - Erwin clenched his fist - and no one else.

However, his own obstacle remained: he could hardly admit it to himself, let alone confess it to you.

And so, that was how he found himself here again. Sitting on the couch, waiting for you to come back, prepared as possible to hear you gush about this incredible date and this incredible guy.

But this time was different, and though he had not expected it, he was more than ready for the surprise you brought.

// // //

He could tell just by the way you opened the door. The key was lazily pushed into the lock, the door slowly nudged open. On the front mat, you toed off your shoes and hung up your coat. A far cry from the enthusiasm you left with.

Earlier than expected, too. Erwin checked his watch. Only 7:30, you had left at 6:00. Must not have been that great, but don’t let yourself jump to conclusions. He had done so and fallen many times before. He fumbled for the TV remote and flipped whatever on, covering up the evidence of how long he had sat here daydreaming.

When you turned the corner, your hair was undone, your outfit disheveled, as if you just didn’t care anymore. Still, as always, he found you beautiful. “Hey,” a strained smile, “everything alright?”

“Eh,” you shrugged, tossing your wallet and keys onto the coffee table, indifferent. “Coulda been better.”

Erwin pinched himself, attempting to subdue his dire curiosity. A desire to hear all the date’s shortcomings juxtaposed with his compassion - not to make you run it back.

His lips parted, preparing to speak, but you closed your eyes and unknowingly cut him off, “Can we just - have a roomie night?” Hand scratched the back of your neck, his breath caught in his throat, “The two of us? It’s been too long.”

The only man you could rely on. The one who would always be there for you in whatever way you needed him. Sitting through junk TV and three-hour documentaries, never complaining. Playing video games together, always knowing when to let you win and when to give you a challenge. Tonight, he once again composed your perfect care package. Homemade popcorn, organic smoothies, a Netflix marathon. Transporting you from sadness to happiness - the song of your laughter filling the room - that was how it was supposed to be.

Over the night, your jokes and giggles were spaced more sparsely apart. Erwin began to worry that your dating woes were overtaking your thoughts, but instead, he leaned over to find you soundly asleep. Your head had landed just beside his thigh, your arm draped over the edge of the sofa, parallel to his shin. A blush complemented his pale skin, blonde hair, but he departed before you had the chance to see it - just to bring you the pajamas he had just gotten done folding and a fresh mug of sleepy tea.

It was his greatest joy - to be what you needed: roommate, friend, a distraction to all those disastrous dates. Any of those roles, it was his honor to fulfill. And someday, you would realize, that there was no use in meeting potentials - for the whole package was already in your hands and wrapped around your finger.

// masterlist //

#erwin x reader #erwin smith x reader #erwin #erwin smith #erwin x you #erwin smith x you #fluff #oneshot #request #2022 #anlian writes #my writing #alias's #priority

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piers-wifey · 1 year

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Thanksgiving is around the corner..... So 👀... Stars Thanksgiving. Who's bringing what dishes? Where's it being held? Would you help them cook? Lots of potential chaos or family moments 🥺

I'm really sorry if this isn't good. I don't celebrate Thanksgiving where I live, so, I'm not sure if it's done accurately or not. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Also, I want to thank you and @aroseybearinlove for the inspiration and ideas. I wish y'all a happy Thanksgiving! <3

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• Since Barry has the biggest house and lots of space to accommodate so many people, the decision quickly fell on him

• Joseph, Chris and Forest are the first to show up at Barry's house, wearing matching sweaters and turkey hats. They refer to each other as Turkey#1, Turkey#2 and Turkey#3

• Moira and Polly love their silly hats and especially Forest's hilariously accurate impression of a turkey

• Chris claims that his impression is much more accurate than Forest's, resulting in them competing with each other for the best turkey impression

• Edward and Claire are helping Kathy in the kitchen with preparing the turkey and the desserts, as well as with cleaning up the dirty dishes afterwards

• Ed, being the softie he is, gives Moira and Polly some mini slices of Kenneth's homemade pumpkin pie and even lets them clean out the bowls

• Meanwhile Joseph, Forest and Chris try to sneak some bites, but Edward always catches them red handed and threatens to knock them out while swinging a spatula. Truly a terrifying sight, especially since that bear of a man is dressed in a pink apron with frills and flowers on it (He rocks the look tho)

• Because of that, Joseph calls him "The pink threat", a name that'll stick with him for the rest of eternity

• Kevin is put in charge of guarding the kitchen and keep the three out. At some point; however, Joseph almost managed to get him join him, Chris and Forest

• Unfortunately for them, Wesker caught wind of that and made them do a hundred push-ups, followed by fifty jumping jacks and another hundred sit-ups to teach them some self-control (And yes, they wore those turkey hats the entire time. Enjoy the mental picture)

• In the meantime Barry and Enrico set up the second table Enrico brought, while Kenneth and Richard set up the fireplace in the backyard to roast marshmallows and make s'mores later; something Richard is particularly looking forward to, hence why he and Bridgette brought all the needed ingredients

• You, Jill, Bridgette and Rebecca decorate the house and table and occasionally check on Edward, Claire and Kathy

• Brad, being one of the more responsible S.T.A.R.S. members and also surprisingly good with children, offered to take the girls to the playground for an hour or two, while the others get everything ready

• After everything's set and settled, everyone gathers at the dinner table, waiting for the turkey to be served. And while they're waiting, Chris, Joseph and Forest sing a little song they composed themselves, which the others gradually join in with

• Except for Wesker. But hey, at least he's not commenting on the improved lyrics that don't really make any sense, or the fact that none of them can actually sing

• When Kathy finally brings in the turkey, she is greeted by joyful cheers

• After dinner, everyone's sitting in the living room, either chatting with each other or playing board/card games. Moira and Polly will play some Mario Kart on Brad's SNES, or watch the little magic show Joseph has prepared for them, with Forest and Chris as his trusty assistants

• Those who don't have to drive will enjoy a glass or two or more of the whiskey Forest has brought, while the others either stick to coffee or lemonade

• Tipsy due to the alcohol and thanks to Claire's excellent taste in music - which comes in the form of music cassettes - the living room and kitchen soon become a dance floor. If you can even call Chris and Brad's wild jumping around "dancing"

• Edward and Claire show them how it's done right, and even Forest, who isn't sober himself, shows more talent at dancing than those two. Even though his dance partner Kevin is quite a klutz

• Wesker watches both teams with raised eyebrows, wondering how he ended up with such a chaotic bunch as subordinates and why he actually finds watching them go about their business so carelessly amusing and almost endearing

• Barry notices Wesker's slight smile and even manages to preserve it in a picture along with many other wonderful memories he will fondly remember

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tag list: @mirandawesker @albertweskerxchrisredfield @ravenrune @dagrans @eviltothecore13 @silvevia @redcloversinaflowerfield @aurorapink10 @sassiest-captain @sevythebeanqueen

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pastel-omegas-blog · 1 year

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⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️WARNING!!! THIS BOOK WILL CONTAIN MATURE THEMES AND VIOLENCE PLEASE LEAVE IF IT WILL MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. I DO NOT NEED THIS BOOK TO BE REPORTED . YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.( Mentions of suicide, bullying, blood/torture ⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️( This book is going to have more matured themes compared to my others, from smut scenes to non-con, lactation, drugging, hypnosis, abuse of power and over obsessiveness.

Chapter five. Chapter seven

CHAPTER SIX

The sweet scent of expensive wine and Savoury food wafted in the air of the huge room. Wine glasses were filled to the brim with only the very best winery's in the whole of the Trovian Empire.

The ' simple ' meal laid out on the table could easily be considered a buffet with how many dishes were laid out. The beautiful culinary sight had both food native to that of the land and foreign dishes, their appearance drawing in people to have a taste. The meals had been prepared by the most renowned chefs and cooks in the land, who had taken their time to prepare such a wonderful sight, wanting everything to be absolutely perfect. The meal was served into only the finest beautifully designed plates with polished silver cutlery and neatly folded napkins by the side of each platter.

The room had a large bow window designed with beautiful stained glass and it was currently opened with the curtains pulled back, giving way too the lovely scenery outside.

Big blue skies and soft fluffy white clouds, the sun shining warmly, it's soft rays passing through the open windows, also letting the cool breeze in and the sweet smell of flowers from the garden below, butterflies flying through the air and drinking the sweet nectar from the flowers. A truly marvelous sight.

Maids and butlers waited patiently by the sides of the room with their heads bowed as a sign of respect and submission to the persons seated.

Knights armed to the teeth stood guard at every possible entrance to the room, hands on their weapons and at high alert ready to lay down their life if needed too.

Such a pleasant meal and a strong assurance of one's safety would have made for a lively atmosphere between the two people seated.

But the air was tense and heavy as the pheromones of the two dominant alphas present, the beta servants had to tighten the grips on their palms, drawing blood in the process to stop themselves from fainting and the recessive alpha knights weren't doing any better and they had to stop themselves whimpering out like pups in search of their mothers. It didn't help as the thickness of their merged scents fighting for dominance grow worse.

It felt like any small thing would make the two figures charge at each with an intent to kill.

Marrav didn't bother to his growl as it made past his lips. The black haired male brought a glass filled with thick red wine towards his lips, his silver eyes glaring at the light skinned woman seated in front of him matching the glare in her teal reptilian like eyes.

the black haired alpha ran a hand through his silky locks already feeling a headache coming up, he already had his head pounding from the rising matters in the northern part of the empire. The usually vast ever flowing river that ran no matter how cold the harsh winds of winter got was suddenly drying up.

This huge wonder of nature that was as old as the empire itself, a vast stream of pure clean water that that ran from the very edge of the north of the empire and flowed to eastern part was beginning to dry up.

It started about a month ago, with the water decreasing little by little, the council members of the north had notified him of the strange occurrence and it had caused a small stir for so many different reasons.

Firstly it was currently winter in the north, so the problem they were meant to be having with the river would be it was freezing up and making it hard for the commoners to draw water. Not that it was starting to dry up.

Secondly, the north and the east were not on best terms with each other ( more specifically the ruling grand duchy and the imperial family weren't on the best terms ) so it was quick for rumors of conspiracies from both nobles and commoners of the region start to spread like wild fire.

" It's the easterners that did this! Their always so jealous of our richness that their jealousy has finally made their hearts vile and cruel enough to curse us! "

" The imperial family really must not think of us as their citizens if they could support such a thing! "

* Their going to let innocent children suffer simply because they can't handle been overshadowed by us. How cruel! "

Other rumors ran around, but all of them had something in common. They were all blaming the imperial family and the east as a whole. The rumors had even started a small stir with the eastern nobles who were all feeling targeted and were beginning to retaliate to the rumors.

" Serve those snow savages right! Their arrogance is finally catching up to them ! "

" They deserve every bit of this. Maybe now they'll know how to bow their heads to their superiors "

Marrav had to intervene before things turned into a full out brawl between the two sides.

He had sent some higher class tower mages to meet up with mages from the northern side so they could find a spell to reverse the whole thing and with collaboration from the two sides they were able to stop whatever phenomenon that was happening to the river stopping it f going down. They couldn't reverse the effects, but they were able to stop it from completely drying up and for a few weeks things calm down and everything almost returned to normal.

Then the river started drying up at a scarily fast rate, reaching half in just a matter of days. Nothing could stop it this time around.

No tower mages.

No månå stone

The black haired alpha would rather choke on his sword than ask the holy temple for help. Those high and mighty bastards already had to much leverage over the imperial family and he would be damned if he gave them more, the power of the temple was becoming to hard to keep in check he didn't need to be owing them favors.

So with his hands tied behind his back Marrav had no other choice than to reach out for help during this crisis. That help came in the form of the Pentigrian Empire.

The Pentigrian Empire.

A huge nation that nestled deep within a gigantic canyon like area and was surrounded by magnificent of heaps of golden coloured sand dunes. A beautiful sight to imagine at first, but experiencing such a thing first hand would quickly change one's mind.

The harsh sun beating down onto the cracked earth, sand storms forming frequently due to the harsh winds making sharp sand get everywhere, the hard infertile land made it impossible to preform farming of any kind, dangerous creatures hid under the vast blanket of sand like beetle snakes made traveling dangerous and risky, then there was the lack of any source of water around the place for miles upon miles.

Yet Pentigria itself was a marvel to behold. It was a land people would usually narrate in stories. A place that went beyond one's imagination. A land known for their advanced architectural skills, a place filled with vibrant colours, exotic fruits and animals, exquisite music and culture. It was a land riddled with gold, silver, diamonds and jewels, a place with different rare mineral caves and flora breeds that could only be found there and no where else on earth.

It was an Empire that people refered to a land of paradise and dreams

A nation known for its advanced knowledge in månå and were the very first to start the manufacturing of månå technology.

Something Marrav was hoping could bring a solution to his problem. So he had reached out to the current Empress, hoping that they could have a discussion and get together to reach an agreement.

But it seems like the woman herself didn't want any of that.

" Empress please. We've been going over the contract for the last four hours. If you can lend us help to overcome this problem Trovia in return will open up some of private månå stone mines to repay you for your generosity, We'll let you use some of our trading paths to make trade between your Empire and others more quicker, we've even agreed to share some of our knowledge on the månå affinity research and what we've been able to discover so far. That and Trovia has promised to lend you our military power if your nation is ever to engage in war. I've offered you this and much more yet your still refusing my offer. What more do you want from me ?! "

Marrav was getting tired of this. He had thrown it every available offer to the woman on a silver platter, but she had dismissed every single one of them without a second thought. Not even showing the slightest bit of interest and the black haired alpha didn't know what pissed him of more, how she refused to acknowledge his efforts to make the deal more appealing to her or the fact that she the expression she had on was clearly looking down on him. If it wasn't that an attempt to attack her would cause a war ( something he didn't need now of all times ) he would have grabbed a sword from one of the many knights standing guard and launched at her.

But all that ever seemed to come out of that dumb mouth of hers was asking about that devil omega's whereabouts.

And for some annoying reason that pissed him off even more, still he had to calm himself down and remain civil if he wanted this deal to go through.

She was the only one that could help him in this situation.

After all the only reason Pentigria started been such a great Empire was because the people could finally stop worrying about dying from dehydration and focus on other things was because she created the first man made waterfall with her own hands.

Empress Shiva Ame had the ability to control water. Another very rare månå affinity and she had used her powers to create a whole new era for her people. The black haired male had been hoping she would use that power to help him.

The light skinned woman again ignored the man, choosing to focus more on the wine in her glass, before bringing it deep red lips humming a bit at the taste. At least the wine was up to her standards. She only looked back at the younger man when he had finished his ranting, her teal hues sizing him up before she clicked her tongue in annoyance as she brought her glass down to the table.

" Well if your done with your blabbering.... " The caramel haired woman started ignoring the growl directed her as she crossed her legs in her seat bringing her arms to rest on her knees as she put her full attention on the Emperor her gaze becoming sharper as she continued. " You haven't answered my question as to why I received a from tiger lily wanting to meet up and have lunch, but instead I'm led here and was forced to sit down and listen to you chat my ear off and not once in those four hours have I seen my tiger lily. " There was an unsettling silence in the room and for once Marrav didn't have anything to spit back at her.

Now it was Shiva's turn to let out a growl, the anger that she had been trying to bury down finally bubbling in her chest. " You mean to tell me you tricked me into coming to your kingdom by posing as tiger lily and you haven't even apologized for such a lowly act! Yet you expect me to put my trust in your words and a mere sheet of paper when you've broken my trust multiple times and treated my Empire like dirt and even mocked my peoples culture and way of life. You even dared to let your tramp run around placing curses on our god's in the name of ' he's the holiest saint ever given to the Trovian Empire and his words are never wrong '. After all that you expect me to happily sign a contract to help you and throw all that insult behind me as if nothing ever happened? You must be joking "

The only reason she had left her empire to even meet up with the arrogant prick was because she had be tricked into it.

A few weeks back she had received a letter from her the male omega, apologizing for not responding to her letters like usual and to make it up to her he invited her over for lunch. She had been so happy she would be able to see her little tiger lily after such a long time that she didn't pay attention to how sketchy the letter itself was. Her ignorance to that small detail led her to the being stuck in the same room as this black baboon in her front. The most vexing part was in all those four hours she had been made to sit down she hadn't even gotten a glimpse of the h/c male that caused her to come all the way here.

" Empress Shiva please refrain yourself from insulting the Saint Leon. Not only is he a high member of the temple. He is also going to be ruling Trovia by my side. This will be your last warning "

Marrav's words snapped the woman out of her thoughts reminding the woman of her misery.

Letting out a sigh Shiva resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the male, taking another sip of her wine. Of course that was all he heard. Saving the tramps image instead of the man who dedicated his life to him.

A vivid image of a feeble s/c male with h/c hair crossed her mind. His small form had been claded in a ridiculously large green coat, his silky looking hair had been tied in a tight bun. He stuttered anytime he talked and always had his head bowed low, his soft e/c orbs hardly ever looked up to meet hers, and he looked like he was trembling in his spot. Then again he had been there on behalf of a great sin and any minor mistake on his part could lead to a war, so he had a right to be fearful.

Shiva's original thought seeing the shaken male for the first time had been anger. HOW DARE that blue haired tramp who called himself a saint insult one of the scared Pentigrian statues, undermining her religion and trying to prove his was better, yet when had been ordered to face punishment for his crimes went and hid in the arms of that black haired bastard, sobbing his eyes out and feigning ignorance to what he had done. She had expected the Emperor to send him over to her only to receive a cowering small h/c male in his place and she had every right to be angry. Did the Trovian empire take her for a joke just because she was a woman ??!!!.

She was still an alpha and a dominant one at that. How dare they try to undermine her!

She was originally just going to kill him and send his head back as a warning, but his pitiful look softened her heart and she decided to give him a minute to explain himself.

Much to her surprise the male was actually smart. Smarter than she thought he would be and very understanding.

He understood her anger and didn't even blame her for overreacting like the Emperor had done. Didn't call her a Savage or mock her people's culture. He listened to her vent out all the rage that had been building up inside her, even brewed her tea to calm down. He was soft, caring. Sweet.

She could still smell the sweet scent of peach that had been clinging to him.

They reached a conclusion quickly and two years worth of Trovia's best månå stones were given to her as a compensation for all the disrespect she had to endure. That time she had thought he was just a minor officer working for the imperial family, ( and she knew he was the only reason the empire hadn't fallen into ruins yet. From what Marrav had showed her in the ten minutes they had been together,she knew he was unfit to rule ). Her surprise to learn that he and that bastard were actually married left her feeling disgust and resentment.

Disgust that the Emperor treated his tramp better than his actual spouse and resentment that the h/c male allowed himself to be treated like he was dirt. Though it wasn't her place to judge. It wasn't her empire or her spouse so she couldn't be the judge of anything, but she would be lying if she said sending the small male back to those animals hadn't been heart breaking to her.

She clicked the her tongue and took in another sip of the liquid in her hand, trying to calm down the raging anger brewing in her chest only feeling it getting worse. Another image of the h/c male crying flashed into her mind all because of the Emperor and Shiva saw red.

Everyone present in the room flinched when the woman suddenly slammed her empty glass on the table, everyone could practically feel the waves of anger seeping off her and some of the servants couldn't handle the pressure anymore and collapsed to the ground, their mouths foaming as they began to gasp for air. Their senses being forced to a stroke like state by the clashing pheromones, sadly none of the other staff made a move to help. They were to afraid of the consequences of doing so.

Seeing the commotion around her the caramel haired woman tried to calm herself down and found herself failing to do so. She had had enough of this. Shiva stood up without a word and began to walk towards the doors ignoring the younger man desperately calling out to her. If she stayed any longer she would cause a scene, a bloody one no doubt so she needed to leave her as fast as possible.

Walking out the doors her presence caused her guards stationed out the door to straighten up their posture and now their heads in respect. She paid them no heed instead gesturing towards her advisor

" Get the carriage ready. We're leaving right now " the advisor quickly nodded and went ahead to get things ready, he had picked up the anger in her voice and he didn't need it directed towards him.

Shiva walked the pristine halls with dignity and grace, making the people that passed to look at her with awe and respect, no matter how angered she was she couldn't let the people know. She had the reputation of both her and her people to uphold after all. She wanted to get far away from this damned place as fast as possible and without making a scene as well. At least the Emperor was smart enough not to chase after her.

She needed to get out of this suffocating atmosphere.

¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶

Leon couldn't stop the smile on his lush pink lips from spreading as he's pretty purple hues spotted three pure white carriages riding through the towards the front of the imperial palace were he stood, his eyes brightening even more as he recognized the insignia painted with gold paint in the doors. A golden halo surrounding a unicorn like creature with two tail, a crest only used by important members of the holy temple.

Looks like Alvar received his message.

Perfect.

The smile on his lips grew bigger as he watched the first carriage come to a stop, a butler quickly rushed to open the door and out stepped the dark skinned pope in all his glory.

" Ally~ "

The blue haired omega's voice rang in the air as he rushed forward to the silver haired male, his sky blue locks flowing freely around his form not packed together in it's usual braid style. Leon's smaller frame stuck it's self around the recessive alpha's larger body his small arms wrapping themselves around his body. He managed to bit back the smirk that tried to creep up and ruin the angelic smile he had forced on when he felt the pope's body flinch to his touch. The reaction he was expecting. He had gone out of his way to make sure of it by dressing up in way that would reel in the other to make him more wrapped around his little finger.

The omega hated having his hair all over the place but he had left it free so it would tussle softly in the breeze. Just like Alvar like it.

He wore a soft plain baby blue long sleeved silk shirt that exposed his shoulders and neck showing off the porcelain like unmarred skin ( it had been a pain to use make up to cover up the hickeys Marrav left behind and using masking perfumes to get rid of his scent. ) Just like Alvar liked it.

And he wore a pure white hight wasted pants that show off his lithe hips and was tight against his ass showing off the shape whenever he walked. Just like Alvar liked it.

Burying his face deeper into the dark skinned man's chest leon spiked up his phermones a bit so the alpha would become more putty in his grasps. He made sure to let out a soft purr to increase the effect, knowing very well how alphas found it hard to resist a happy omega. Especially of they thought the omega was happy because of them. His purple eyes drifted slightly to watch the servants try their best to discreetly whisper to one another and he could already imagine how furious the dark haired dominant alpha that proclaimed himself to be his future mate would be.

Good! Served him right for ignoring him for the past few days.

Separating slowly from the hug, trying to make sure his lingering touch would make the Pope start to become more submissive to his will Leon beamed up at the other as he walked a few steps backwards, completely removing himself from the silver haired man enjoying how the practiced smile on his face seemed to falter.

" Oh thank you so much for coming Ally~ I didn't think you would come here on time so I didn't prepare anything in advance for you.... "

The smaller man started out with an up beat tone, the tone becoming softer and more quieter with his words , his smile falling softly as his eyebrows furrowed a bit, making a saddened look appear on the omegas face making him look pitiful for a moment.

Lies~

He knew very well the Pope would come as soon as he received he's letter. Even if the journey from the holy to the imperial palace took almost a day , Leon knew that Alvar would use transportation magic to get there on time.

All just to please him.

But he couldn't let the other know that. Besides being purify made other people more susceptible to manipulation and they would play right into his hands.

Like right now.

Alvar moved forward with a worried look on his face going to touch the omega but stopping when he realized it would be inappropriate for a Pope to place his hands on an engaged omega, especially one that was engaged to the Emperor. Instead he tried to speak softly to the saint even though his instinct screamed at him to reach out and comfort the omega.

" Ah. It's not a worry your highness, I came without sending a word in advance so don't beat yourself over for it " the silver haired male tried to assure as he stood in front of the smaller blue haired man who looked up at him with a worried expression.

" B..but you've traveled all this way and I..I prepared nothing for you.. " the omega continued as his face fell into a more crestfallen look , making the Pope panic a bit. " It's nothing really. " The man assured again Makin the omega perk up a bit.

" R.. really? " The omega stuttered out as he looked up at alpha and Alvar nodded.

" Yes really. You've done nothing but good so don't beat yourself over something you had no control over. You even called me here for e good cause too. Because of you a pained soul might get the chance to pass into the afterlife. That's a very good thing so please be more proud of yourself"the alpha said, his milky white eyes peering through his bangs to stare into Leon's teary purple hues, desperately wanting to reach out and wipe away the tears that had gathered at the corner of the omega's eyes but not been able to do so.

Watching the pope's smile become more strained made the blue haired man satisfied with his acting knowing that he had tightened the leash he has around the alpha's neck so he quickly wiped away the tears on his face and nodded his head, the angelic smile from before appearing back on his lips. " D.. don't be like that. I..it was the right thing to do. I know lord M/N and I aren't very close but it would be pain me if he was to pass away just like that without seeing the light. "

Now that he had Alvar wrapped around his finger tighter than before he just needed to reinforce his saintly image on the people around them and judging by the touched looks on the servants and temple attendants faces it worked.

Looking around the people dressed in the temple robes was when the blue haired omega managed to pick out a familiar face. Blonde hair and striking green eyes. Green eyes were a rare thing in Trovia and the only person working in the temple that he knew had them was Louis Leoht.

Pope Alvar's right hand man and a bastard child of the Leoht Ducal family.

He only remembered him because of his unique eyes. That and at some point the man had been so in love with him that Leon classified it as an obsession.

No not had been, because with how his green eyes seemed to stare at him in a love struck manner he could tell the other was still infatuated with him.

Disgusting.

The only reason he hadn't discarded him permanently yet was because he was good at making mixing herbs and creating medicinal remedies and elixirs.

He was also very good at creating poison.

For example the one that was currently flowing through a certain h/c lord's body.

That and he knew how to follow commands. Well most of the if he didn't screw them up. Just like the last time

His original plan of framing the h/c man for poisoning had gone down the drain because the idiotic blond had somehow manage to fuck up and pour the position into the h/c male's glass. The only reason he hadn't strangled him yet was that things didn't stray to far from how Leon had originally planned things to go and he was milking of of the lord's current state and if he had been the one to drink the poison he would've have been put in such a state, because it seemed like louis poured enough poison to kill and not just cause fatigue for a few days.

The blue haired man had a feeling he should keep a closer eye on the blonde man. He would talk that person later about it.

" Well. We should hurry up, we don't know how much time the Lord has life so we can't waste even a second. Lord M/N needs to be purified so he doesn't pass away without a chance of being accepted "

The omega said raising his voice softly a cute determined look crossing his face. He needed to know why Basil had been ignoring him and running away to that living corpse.

Alvar couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips at the sight. " Yes, yes. We must make haste to at least give him a chance of a good after life " the Pope added and for a moment the atmosphere became light hearted.

" What did you say about lord M/N ? "

The sudden appearance of the new voice made everywhere seemingly pause and it felt as if the world had gone still.

Leon felt his heart drop as he recognized the voice and felt a shiver run down his spine as he recognized the scent of ripe dates and jasmine flowers.

Everyone turned to look at the woman standing behind them, a flock of soldiers standing behind her intimidatily.

Leon bit back the whimper that threatened to leave his lips as a brief image from his stay in Pentigria flashed in his mind. A very specific image of the same light skinned woman with a scowl on her red tinted lips as she asked for his head to be delivered to her. The same scowl she was currently wearing on her lips.

' shit. Shit. Shit. Why is she here??!! How did I not know about her arrival " The blue haired omega's mind was screaming as he tried to figure out a possible explanation as to why the empress of the Pentigrian empire was standing behind him.

" I'll ask again... " The dominant alpha started again, her scent flaring up as she stared down at the people.

" Where is MY tiger lily "

¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶

M/N sat in his bed surrounded by multiple blankets a small smile on his lips as he brought the steaming hot cup of tea closer to his lips, taking a soft sip of the hot liquid enjoying the small burn at the back of his throat.

He wished his day had been like this, quiet, peaceful, just enjoying the tranquility of nature from the comfort of his room, but with the news he had received from the butterflies he sent out earlier he knew the peace was going to end soon and his life will now be thrown into chaos once more.

They had reported spotting a few carriages entering the palace grounds and had described the crest painted in the door.

The holy temple.

Those fucking religious pricks where going to be the start of the new mess he had to clean up.

Of fucking course.

Well he would be lying if he said he hadn't been expecting them sooner or later, but he honestly preferred later.

" Wouldn't you just be postponing your plans if it was later. "

The voices creeped up at the back of his head making the s/c omega roll his eyes. " It's not postponing if I'm planning my next move carefully " he mumbled softly, being cautious because Basil was guarding the door to his room. " Sure keep telling yourself that "

The voice said again, but this time the s/c male refused to reply focusing more on trying to enjoy the sweet tea in his hands.

When he had emptied the cup was when his ears picked up the yelling from downstairs and multiple voices talking at once. Aria's been the loudest. Then he heard Basil's footsteps walking away from the door.

M/N took that as his sign to intervene. A smirk came to his lips as he softly untangle himself from his blanket cacoon and came down from the bed,

He wonder what his esteemed guests would think when they saw him.

¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶•¶

Aria didn't bother to hide the growls leaving her mouth, her lips were pulled back into a snarl revealing her fangs. Her golden eyes glowing a sickly yellow as she glared at the men dressed in all flowing white.

" Yes I'm Aria Lescort. The countess of the Lescort manor and care taker of lord M/N "

She didn't know how long she had been repeating the same words over and over again, but the shocked expression on the faces of the people who had barged into her humble abode with a notice made her feel smug deep inside.

She knew what they were expecting to see. A broken woman and a nearly dead man. They were expecting to see a devastating wreck , an unfortunate sight to make them feel better on their high horses.

Absolute jackasses.

She looked at the faces of the men present, not recognizing any of them, there was no pope present among the midst of the stunned temple members, that made her confused. What would a bunch of mindless sheep be doing here without there leader. " I'm so very sorry for the inconveniences we've caused you " a soft voice spoke up catching Aria's attention, the omega looked towards the the person and she felt every hair on her body stand straight, her core filling up fear and anger. Both emotions swirling up and putting her in a choke hold.

Green eyes.

Before she could even get the chance to comment on it a woman suddenly walked through the door, a pissed off look on her face as she stormed in through the doors , the Pope and the saint following hurriedly right behind her.

" Where is he ?!! " The woman yelled, her phermones flaring everywhere making the brown skinned woman realize that she was a dominant alpha.

Just what in the world was going on ??!!

Again before she could even question the woman her attention was taken away by a pink recessive haired alpha entering the room, a stern look on his face with his sword drawn. The sight of the armed man caused the chaos to increase and everyone was screaming, no one seeming to understand the other through to everyones voice molding together to become one gibberish mess of panic and anger.

That stopped when the sudden thick sweet scent of honey, ripe peaches and warm milk filled the room, literally stealing the air from the lungs of the people present.

All eyes focused on the stairway where the scent seemed to be coming from and everyone watched as a soft fluffy head of h/c locks gently peeked from behind the wall, noticeable tears running down his shining s/c cheeks and his plump soft red hued lips were pulled into a small pout, occasionally trembling. The satin night dress he had on fell on his form exposing his curves to the audience, the trembling of his small form very noticeable.

The tears rolled down his cheeks softly as a scared look appeared in his gem like e)c eyes.

" R..ria? I..is everything okay. I..I heard yelling and I g...got scared " his soft voice came out in a small whimper making the hearts of everyone watching melt at the pitiful sight.

Inside M/N began to panic as he recognized the face of the Empress and the ' holy ' saint. Two faces he wasn't expecting to see anytime soon.

What the fuck was going on?!

#Omegaverse #x omega male reader #x male reader #omega male reader #Leon #Marrav #Aria #mc #nobility #Louis #Shiva #dearly detested

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reddragonprincess · 1 month

Note

Between her exuberant gait, the delighted call of her sister’s name, and the fact that she loves her very, very much! It is nigh impossible to miss the advent of the littlest princess of Macedon as she attaches herself to the Red Dragoon’s side with all haste.

“Minerva!” She exclaims, wrapping her arms around the other’s waist affectionately, cheek pressed to her side. “Sister! Happy birthday!”

Though she has never forgotten a letter (just how many of them ever made it to her, though? The years she has lived no longer match the years of her body), it still feels too long since she has had the opportunity to tell her in person… or perhaps she has simply had too few chances.

“Happy birthday!” She repeats, for all the times she had to tell her by letter; and then, for good measure: “Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday!

Wriggling slightly, she peers up at her with a toothy grin, chin still brushing against Minerva’s side. It’s only when she manages to find and seize one of the dragoon’s hands that she pulls away just slightly, content— for the moment— to gently swing their joined hands instead.

“I have a surprise for you! Are you free? May I show you? Please?” Her other hand closes over the reverse side of Minerva’s, eyes shining as she bounces onto her tiptoes. “Oh, but only if you have enough time!”

And, should the elder have the time to indulge the younger in her whims and doting, Maria shall lead her— without letting go!— to the dining hall, where a familiar feast awaits. A slight excess of Minerva’s favorite Macedonian dishes sit waiting on a table, marked by a small vase with a little collection of hand-picked flowers. Then, when she has settled in and had her fill, Maria will fish something from her pocket (“Hee hee… close your eyes!”) and place it into her waiting hand.

A gem of resin, familiarly crimson, and perhaps a bit too large to be easily worn — better as a paperweight, like as not. How else was it to encompass the treasures within? Sitting all together, prettily, closely arranged: a wyvern’s scale, two pegasus feathers, and a sprightly daffodil.

Once again, that day of they year has eventually come and Minerva couldn't be happier to be in company, this time: she used to spend most of her birthdays alone, with any of her family members by her side (of the few remaining, just Maria probably was the most waited and the most desired, in her dreams); she had been exchanging letters, little poems, drawings and funny objects with her, but finally, all these things could be handed face to face, hands to hands, heart to heart.

She was expecting her, of course, but not with such switness and eaherness in manners and voice: her rapturing embrance was heart-warming, so long-desired that Minerva was almsot speechless as she tried to reply to her little sister Maria.

"Thank you so much Sis, you really are something, heh" she let a little laugh leaked from her lips as she surrender to her sister attentions, as well as her her delicate touch and tightening of her hand's grip; she gently took Maria's hand in hers, swinging a little as to mimic the cute movement of the little sister.

A surprise..? She listened to her with perplexed eyes, though not really minding the fact that she actually did organize something for her: she wasn't used to this, not anymore, at least. With much curiosity and a hint of perplexity, Minerva made a little nod and then she swiftly followed the little sister along the way, until the two of them reached the main dining hall of the monastery: as soon as they entered, there was a gaudy buffet all well prepared in the middle of the room, on the tables all kind of delicacies from Macedon, most of them were actually Minerva's favourite, as Maria greatly knew the taste of her big sister. Yet, that wasn't just it, there was more.

With a kind whisper, Maria gestured Minerva to close her eyes and as the red-haired princess closed it - cupping her hands as Maria asked for - she suddenly felt something cold and of a peculiar form get in touch with her skin; she eagerly opened her eyes just to find out a beautuful gem made of resin gently placed in her hands, as well a line of cute treasures that she and Maria had used to search when they were little -all to remind the good old days spent together, in peace.

Shifting her gaze towards the little princess, she threw her arms around Maria's little silhuette, overwhelming her with affectione and sincere gratitude for all that she prepared just for her.

"I..couldn't be happier" she whispered to her ear, muffling the words with a tender kiss on the cheek of the sister, "Thank you for this wonderful surprise, Maria --I love you dearly" and she rested her head against hers, enjoying the sisterly moment she waited for so long.

#maria support #princessmacedon #ask #drabble #//THIS WAS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #ily reddo thank you so much for this <3<3<3

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noa-ciharu · 1 year

Note

7, 14, 21, 27 with seisub for fun

I already answered 7 in previous ask about seisub so I'll just do other three here

14 - what little things remind them of one another?

For Subaru cherry blossom for sure. I mean that's basically canon. But when someone as obsessed as Subaru is in question it's better to ask what doesn't remind him of Seishirou. Look at canon, he thinks about Seishirou nonstop ;-; as for Seishirou I think it's way more subtle. Like he sees a green sweater in shop and thinks how it'd match Subaru's eyes. He sees dog whimpering and dying in corner of alley and thinks how Subaru he once knew would weep over poor animal. He prepares meal for himself at home and can't help remembering that time decade ago he nailed the dish when he was at Subaru's place to cook for him when sick. It's been a decade but no matter how many times he tried it simply never tasted as delicious as that day

21 - if they live together how do they split the household responsibilities?

Seishirou would do cooking and repairing stuff around the house. And laundry of his blood stained clothing. Subaru would compensate by doing the other mundane things: cleaning, doing non-bloodied laundry, maybe dishes from time to time, vacuuming etc. But I guess they'd try to be even in amount of household work

27 - what interest do they share? For those they don't share, do they participate anyways?

What interests do they have to begin with? I can picture Seishirou wanting to live best of the class life and going to fancy bars, restaurants, theaters etc. from time to time. Subaru would tag along then, they'd go on dates. Subaru wouldn't really care about all those prestige things, he'd just want to be beside Seishirou. As for Subaru I can picture him having more introverted hobbies, such as reading. They wouldn't participate too much in other's interests they don't share or disturb free time cuz they just, need time to recharge from one another - otherwise chaos would ensue

#thanks for ask #seisub

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anonymousbeefriendfanfics · 2 months

Note

May you please write what it would be like to become friends with Xingling from Genshin Impact, please?? She's my favorite ;_; I hope you have a great day, and I hope your Genshin Impact requests go well <3

Of course, my friend! Thank you so much for your request, I'd be happy to write that for you!

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Character: Xiangling

Warnings: None!

Becoming Friends with Xiangling

Let's state the obvious first: becoming friends with Xiangling means you're going to be trying a lot of food. You're her number one taste tester (other than herself and Guoba, of course) whenever she makes a new dish! She'll never force you to eat anything you're not comfortable with, of course, and she always takes the very first bite of her cooking experiments. There will be several times that she'll snatch the food away before you can even taste it, insisting that it turned out horribly and you shouldn't subject your tastebuds to such a tragedy.

She would absolutely love for you to help her in her cooking endeavors, too! If you also enjoy cooking, she's more than happy to share the kitchen with you, though she can be a little bit particular about things, especially with her new dishes - everything must be prepared in just the right way to bring out the best flavor, after all! You two can definitely get some quality bonding time in while preparing meals together, sharing advice and making jokes the whole time you cook.

If you don't want to cook with her, that's perfectly fine too! She doesn't mind at all. You can always help her gather the best ingredients for her dishes! After all, that's far more time-consuming than the cooking part, so you'll have plenty of time to chat while you forage for the best ingredients. She'll especially appreciate it if you can help her with hunting, regardless if her sights are set on boar or slimes!

You'll also receive so many gifts of food from her as you become close! She'll memorize your tastes because you're important to her, and she takes great care to master your favorite foods. She also invents new dishes she thinks you'll like!

Xiangling obviously loves everything related to food and cooking, but that's not everything you do together. She also enjoys traveling and experiencing new things with you! She has such an adventurous spirit and she would be so fun to explore with! She's constantly pointing out interesting things to you as you travel together.

Plus, Guoba is so cute! Hanging out with Xiangling means you get to see him a lot. He doesn't talk, but he's very sweet! He listens intently whenever you talk to him and responds with simple gestures. He's also more than happy to help carry things for you on your adventures, and he often brings you and Xiangling pretty things he finds along the way!

I also feel like Xiangling would be the type to make you friendship bracelets or something similar. She would make you something more permanent than food to show how much she values your friendship! It could be a bracelet, or it could be matching charms on necklaces, whatever you'd prefer. She'd probably also make a matching one for Guoba!

All in all I feel like you'd have a very wholesome friendship, and you'd be such good friends!

Writing Masterlist 🐝 Requests Open! Tag List 🐝

#beefriend-writes #genshin impact #genshin xiangling #friendship hcs

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wangsejabin · 1 year

Text

Chapter 52

During the Chinese New Year, the Prince relayed to Pan'er what Su Hai had said, and Pan'er did not say a word. On the twenty-ninth day of the lunar month, all the preparations for the New Year had been made and all that was left to do was to wait for the New Year.

This was probably the most fulfilling year Pan'er had ever had, as she and Aunt Qing had been tossing around the so-called New Year's goods since the twentieth day of the lunar month.

She bought everything she could think of, as well as all sorts of caramel and fruit, which were no match for the palace and were as crude as they could be.

On the twenty-third day of the year, sugar gourds stick, on the twenty-fourth day the house is swept, on the twenty-fifth day the bean curd is ground, on the twenty-sixth day the meat is cut, on the twenty-seventh day the chicken is killed, on the twenty-eighth day the dough is made, on the twenty-ninth day the steamed buns are steamed, and on the thirtieth day the buns stay up all night.

Not only did Pan'er do everything, she also made a lot of fried goods. This is a local custom in Yangzhou, where chicken, duck, fish and meat can be cut up and marinated in spices, then dredged in flour and fried in a frying pan. When fried to a golden colour, they are placed in baskets and hung from the beams of the house, where they can be eaten until the end of the waxing moon without spoiling. They can be eaten in a stew, steamed or in a pot. At Heung Po's suggestion, they also fried sesame leaves.

According to Xiang Pu, this is a dish from their home village, where they roll out the dough into sheets and cut them into different shapes, and make them into flowers. They are then deep-fried in a frying pan and removed when golden brown, and sprinkled with sugar or salt.Pan'er tasted it, but it was just the same, just a crispness, but Xiangpu cried as she ate it, saying she was homesick. But her home was too far away, in Henan, thousands of miles from Yangzhou.

In fact, she was homesick too, but Pan'er had no home to miss.But she also figured out one thing, and turning her head she ran into the Prince and told him she wanted to go to Su's house on the second day of the first month. They were going to leave here after New Year's Eve anyway, so this was probably the last time they would see each other, so it was a goodbye.

On New Year's Eve, Pan'er and the Prince had their New Year's Eve dinner together, while Aunt Qing and Xiang Pu also set a table. The New Year's Eve meal for the guards was prepared by a new cook, who was not very good, but at least during the New Year's Eve, when the restaurants were not open, the guards could still be fed.

Pan'er had told the Prince that he would stay up all night, but he fell asleep while playing chess with him, and when he woke up again, it was to the sound of firecrackers and fireworks coming from outside.It seemed that the whole city of Yangzhou woke up at once, and Xiang Pu hurriedly came in from outside and said, "Master, someone is setting off fireworks, you can see them from standing in the courtyard, there are so many!"

Pan'er remembered something and said to the Prince, "Your Highness, quickly, let's go and see the flower cannons. Every year at this time, the Jiang family and several other salt merchants' houses set off flower cannons, and they can be seen all over Yangzhou City." She slipped on her shoes and ran outside, not wearing her cloak either.

The prince got off the rood bed, took the cloak in Qing Dai's hand by hand, and followed her out. It was true that she could see from the courtyard, but it was still slightly lower. It just so happened that there was a small three-storey building in this mansion, and Pan'er pulled the Prince outside, saying that she was going there to watch the fireworks.

The sky was dotted with stars and there was a full moon.

And what shone even brighter were the silvery fireworks like iron trees in the sky, in all shapes and colours, and when the fireworks bloomed to their fullest extent in the sky and poured down, they were breathtakingly beautiful.

"Do you know, Your Highness? Every household in Yangzhou City must keep vigil on the night of New Year's Eve, adults and children alike, because at this time of the year there are salt merchants who compete in a race to set off fireworks, which can last for more than an hour. I remember once when I was a child, I heard my elder brother say that two salt merchants were gambling and they set off fireworks until dawn, and half of the people in Yangzhou stayed up all night that day.

"That cost a lot of silver, didn't it?" Pan'er subconsciously glared at him, wanting to say how this man was so unemotional, how could he bring up silver in everything. The fireworks cost a lot of money, and if you put up dozens of them, you'll lose nearly a thousand taels of silver, and if you put them up from midnight until almost dawn, how much silver would it cost? Even the imperial palace did not have this kind of money, but a small salt merchant did so.

There is no place under the sky that is not the king's land, and there is no subject in the land that is not the king's. Where does the salt merchant get his silver? From the salt. Whose salt does it belong to? It was the court's, it was the surname Zong's.Pan'er guessed that the prince had a sense of indignation that his own family's silver was being spoiled by these losers.

"It should take quite a lot of silver, these flower fireworks are not the same as ordinary fireworks."

The crown prince gave her a sidelong glance, thinking that she was a woman of the inner house who didn't know anything about this, and probably the biggest account she had calculated was the little silver in her hand.

If Pan'er knew what he had in mind, she would probably have said back, "Don't look down on people.The two of them watched the fireworks in silence. The day was still cold, and the wind was blowing so cold that Pan'er couldn't help but gather her cloak around her body. She reached out and touched his hand, it was really cold. "Your Highness, why don't we go back?" "Don't you want to see the fireworks?"

"But you're so …… underdressed," said Pan'er, thinking of a way to untie the cloak from her body and let the prince drape it, then she got into his arms and peeked her head out from the cloak.He was so tall that she could only reach his neck when she stood up straight, just enough to stand like that. Leaning into the Prince's arms, Pan felt much warmer than she would have been on her own.

"Quite a trick." The Prince laughed and allowed her to do so.She smiled without saying anything, pointing to the blooming chrysanthemums in the sky for the Prince to see, waiting breathlessly for it to dissipate in the sky. After looking at them for a while, she suddenly said,

"By the way, the first day of the year is supposed to be a time to visit relatives, but we don't have any relatives to visit either, so what for?" The prince thought about it and said, "Play chess." But Pan'er no longer wanted to play chess; she had found that the Prince was particularly untalented at passing his free time, and after seeing her actively seek him out to play chess a few times, he would only play chess. "But I don't want to play chess anymore, and I can't beat you."

"Then play double land?" The Prince was thinking very seriously. Pan'er didn't want to play double land either, but there was really nothing left to play, so it would have to be double land.

On the second day of the first month, Pan'er didn't get up too early. Even though she had already spoken to the Prince about going to Su's house on the second day of the first month, and had even prepared the annual gifts she would bring to Su's house, she was still quite hesitant.

But she was not allowed to hesitate for long before Su Hai helped her to make a decision. There is a custom in Yangzhou that when a new bride returns to her maiden's house for the first time, if her family attaches importance to it, they will make a special visit to pick her up. Su Hai came himself and drove a cart.

It was a donkey cart, with only a frame and no carriage. When Pan'er and the Prince arrived at the car, she suddenly had the urge to turn her head and go back.But thinking about it, in fact, most of the ordinary families of the locals used this kind of carriage, and the horse-drawn carriages were used by those who were either rich or noble..

Consider this: horses are in short supply and cannot be bought by ordinary people, and even if they are, a horse costs a hundred taels of silver, so what ordinary family would be willing to buy a horse to pull a cart, rather than a donkey or mule cart, which is more economical?This was probably the first time the Prince had ever been in such a carriage.

The two masters did not know, but Jiang Yi, who was secretly escorting them, had a sense of insanity.

When the donkey cart stopped in front of a small mansion with a one-storey courtyard, Pan'er realised that the Su family had changed houses. The Su family used to live in the north of the city, but now, although they were still in the north, they were far from the slums.

The slum is a verbal term, because the place is located next to the North City River, which discharges sewage, and next to the 'shit government' that deals with the whole city of Yangzhou, the more poor the people are, and some of them can't even afford to build a house. Although the Su family used to be in the area, at least they had a house, so they were considered medium-sized.

But everyone in Yangzhou knew that those who lived there were poor, and now the Su family could finally break away from that place. Pan'er looked at the small, unassuming house in front of her and felt a bit uncomfortable, wondering if she had come to the wrong place today. In the middle of her thoughts, the door opened from the inside and there stood a slightly chubby woman in her forties, with high cheekbones and an old face. "What are you doing standing there, and asking me to go out and invite you?" Yao Jinzhi's attitude was rather cold and hard, and the prince gave Pan'er a look without speaking.

At that moment, Su Datian came out from inside and said, "Go in quickly, your mother has been talking about you for a long time, she didn't even visit her relatives yesterday, she was at home preparing the dishes for today. This is your man, right? Come in quickly, let's have a drink later."

This is the good thing about Su Datian, he is good-tempered and usually doesn't lose his temper no matter what Yao Jinzhi says.

Su Hai seemed to have gone to return the cart, and when he returned a little later, the atmosphere was even more lively."Pan'er." "Little Aunt." Su Jiang and Miao Cui Xiang greeted Pan Er with a smile, unlike Miao Cui Xiang who had curiosity in her eyes, Su Jiang's smile was a little awkward.

"Brother, sister-in-law." It wasn't until Pan'er called out to someone that Su Jiang became slightly less embarrassed and gave Miao Cui Xiang another wink, telling her to hurry up and get the two children to call out. Mao Dan and Tie Dan, one five years old and the other three, both looked like Su Jiang, except that their eyebrows were somewhat similar to Miao Cui Xiang. The older one, Mao Dan, was fine, but Tie Dan was hiding behind his mother's skirt and would not come out. Pan'er took out two small red envelopes from her sleeve, and one of the children slipped one in, saying that it was money for the New Year.

The two boys were also money-minded and instantly warmed up to Pan'er, calling her aunt after a word, causing Miao Cui Xiang to glance at Su Jiang and wonder how much money was in the red envelopes.

Afterwards, Miao Cui Xiang led the two younger ones to help Yao Jinzhi with the cooking, while Su Jiang joined the Su family men and the Prince in their family conversations. These family routines are specific to where the old family is from, who else is in the family, how much silver they earn each month, and can they support their family?

It is not as if they are asking questions, but they are related in every way, and then spread out from point to point. The prince had the illusion that these three seemingly ordinary men were playing chess against him, and that they were playing three at a time, and that no matter how he broke out, he could be pulled back in to continue the conversation. Su Jiang was the only one who was a bit low on the list, and I could see that he was a man of few words, so this kind of family talk was very hard for him to do, as if he had been told that he had no choice but to do it. At the other end, Miao Cui Xiang went out and dragged her two sons back to the east wing.

Mao Dan was already too old to ask for anything, so she took on Tie Dan, who was three years old and knew nothing of the benefits of silver. When Miao Cui Xiang opened it and looked at it, she slapped her thighs, not expecting her sister-in-law to be generous, as the red envelope contained five coins of broken silver.

"Mao Dan, show yours to mother too, children can't hold silver in their hands, so give it to mother to keep for you, so that you can get a wife later." "No, I won't give it!" Mao Dan said as he dodged, and when he saw that he couldn't hide, he ran outside and went to Yao Jinzhi in the kitchen. He yelled at Yao Jinzhi, saying that his mother had robbed him of his silver. Miao Cui Xiang followed behind in embarrassment and called out to his mother.

Yao Jinzhi said with a stern face, "Did Pan'er give this to you? How much did you give?" "Tie Dan's one is filled with five money, Mao Dan's ...... This is not, he does not show me ......" "All day long you have fallen into the eyes of money, bring it to me! I don't even want her silver, you also dare to accept it?" Yao Jinzhi's face was stern, as if someone owed her two hundred taels of silver.

Ever since Su Hai came back and told Yao Jinzhi that she had seen Pan'er and her man, she had been like this. Recently, the Su family has been under low pressure and everyone knows that Yao Jinzhi should not be messed with and if she does, she will explode.

Miao Cui Xiang wilted her head and took out the silver. Yao Jinzhi didn't say a word and took it away from her, even from Mao Dan, who didn't even dare to say a word, which is enough to show that Yao Jinzhi is the sky in the Su family. Afterwards, Yao Jinzhi put the silver away and asked Miao Cui Xiang to help with the cooking. The lunch was quite sumptuous, with chicken, duck, fish and meat, and Pan'er thought about the hundreds of taels of silver she had sold herself for, and was not surprised at Yao Jinzhi's generosity. The men drank and the women ate, so they always ate faster.

At the other end, Su Datian was still persuading his son-in-law to drink, but on the other side, Yao Jinzhi called Pan'er into the room."From the time your second brother said he saw you, I think he didn't have any good ideas.

Pan stood there, pursed her lips and said, "He didn't mention anything either, he just said he wanted Brother Zong to find him a job, and since there was nothing suitable, he didn't say anything else."

"What could he do? His heart is higher than the sky, his life is thinner than paper, and his eyes are too low! Just ignore him! Even if things aren't going well now," Yao Jinzhi paused, looked up at her, and then looked away with a stern face, "they can always be better in the future."

Pan'er always felt that when she saw Yao Jinzhi this time, she was a different person, she didn't talk like this before and she wasn't so hard. She had imagined countless scenarios, but she had never imagined that Yao Jinzhi would behave like this. She didn't know what to say, so she just stood there, and the atmosphere in the room gradually froze. Yao Jinzhi suddenly stood up and went to a cupboard in the house, rummaging through it and found a tattered old purse.

She took it and sat down on the edge of the bed, wiped her face, looked up at Pan'er and said, "That time I told you that you could pretend that I hadn't raised you and that I wasn't your mother, and that you owed me nothing from now on, and that you had paid it all back. In fact, you are not my own child, at first I picked you up, raised you, and later sold you, also counted as settled.

"This time, I asked you to come back because I was afraid that your second brother would find you two in trouble and you wouldn't be able to refuse because of the hindrance, and also because I wanted to return your biological parents' things to you. At first I thought it was stolen and sold by your second brother, but I only found it this time when I moved. When you get the stuff, go back with your man, you are not my biological one, and you should stay out of the Su family's business in the future."

#mtl #yingchong

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