#he said it was a 'sweeter guacamole'

[theglitterypages]

Jujutsu Kaisen Boys Headcanons 1 Presents: What kind of person they're most likely to fall in to? And how they would fall in love? Featuring Gojo Satoru

Gojo Satoru

•There's not much that I know (we know) about this man's past but judging his behavior and attitude, Gojo most likely grew up with almost everybody treating him like a god.

• In my perspective, Gojo probably didn't have a chance to enjoy his own childhood and this will explain his childish antics despite his age. This man is basically just healing his ✨childhood trauma✨ in his adulthood so let him be.

• Having the skills and powers he inherited, people from his own family lionized him and even those in the Jujutsu Sorcerer community does. So instead of being a child who's suppose to play and enjoy, I bet Gojo was pretty much taught to held himself to a higher standard as a jujutsu sorcerer even as a kid. So he was forced to abandon his own childhood, they straight up want him to work hard coz he's got what it takes to rule the jujutsu world.

• Gojo just comes off as cocky but that's just a result of how everybody acts around him. They just praise him too much that it sticks to him.

• With these points being said, Gojo Satoru will most likely fall to someone who's not a jujutsu sorcerer.

• Gojo craves for something “normal” becausehe's too fed up of what he encounters in his everyday life, he's exhausted of being the "strongest jujutsu sorcerer" Because he actually wants to get that burden out of his chest.

• How did he meet you? You could thank his love for sweets for that. Everywhere he goes, Gojo makes sure to buy anything sweet for himself, he's got an appetite of a child and he wants to try every sweets he sees.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

After a mission and a meeting with the higher ups, Gojo needs a damn break from anything that has something to do with Jujutsu Sorcery. He needs something to relieve his stress and his eyes was caught by something unfamiliar in this street.

He spends most of his time looking around here, so he knew most of the buildings, shops and other establishments in the area. It's not hard to spot something unfamiliar specially with the powers he possessed.

With his hands stuffed in his pocket, he made his way to the newly opened shop and entered in a good mood. Now he needs to know what kind of sweet delicacies can he add in his favorites today?

His eyes scanned the menu and he could almost feel himself drooling because of what he sees. This is a paradise for people like him who loves sweets! He was

"Good afternoon, Sir! What would you like to order?"

When he looked up and saw who spoke, everything stopped.

Gojo felt like he was trapped in his own domain expansion and all he could fucking see was the woman standing in front of him.

Holy guacamole, you are the most beautiful thing he's ever seen apart from his own reflection.

"Sir?"

Now that's a voice much sweeter than any cakes or mochi combined. And he knew he had to snap out of his thoughts if he didn't want to look stupid.

"Ah hey, hi! Hi! I just ahm.. Can I have these?"

Gojo the mfing Satoru just stuttered, his senses have been dialed to 11, his mind is about to explode because there's too much thought in his mind in every second.

Your hair, oh yes, you've got that shiny hair that smells like lavender, and you look so precious, he'd like to protect you at all cost. You look so small in front of him, he imagines that you'd fit perfectly in his arms oh he definitely love that idea.

You jot down his orders—he ordered every variation of the cupcake available and you're also taking your time to admire the human form of a great piece of art sculpted by Greek gods and goddesses themselves.

"Hmm, yeah I got it. Please sit right there for a moment, Sir. Would you like a glass of water?" You offered and he smiled, yeah he needs to rehydrate right now, he thinks he's gonna faint because his heart is beating crazy fast.

After that day, Gojo visits the shop regularly just so he could see you, trying to get to know you, trying to see if he has a chance.

You look so innocent, cheerful and you're literally shining in his eyes.

"You know, you don't look like a teacher." You told him as you flip the sign on the shop's door so that the people would know that you're already closed. Gojo was helping you clean up and he talks about himself,after asking stuffs about you.

"I know, I surprised myself as well." He said as he follows you to the kitchen.

You chuckled before looking back at him with the sweetest smile playing on your lips, "But do you love what you're doing?" You asked as you took the cake you baked for you and Gojo.

Gojo felt like he forgot to breathe after what you said.

He never had anyone asked him that. All his life he's been told how to live his life but here you are asking him what he loves, what he wants and he didn't want to sound so soft but he wants to hug you and cry.

So he did.

He charged himself towards you and hugged you tightly, "Thank you." He whispered, his voice shaking, trying to stop himself from crying because that's not the Gojo Satoru that he should be according to what he was taught and told.

You noticed how his voice trembled and you hugged him back, it's the first time you've seen him like this. To you, he always look confident but there were times where you see him often lost in his own thoughts, you've already assumed that he's more than the confident man who ridiculously love sweets.

"Hey, it's okay. You can cry if you want, I won't tell anybody and you don't have to tell me about it. You can just cry and I'll pretend that it didn't happen."

That was when he knew he's fucking whipped for you.

And surprisingly, Gojo let himself cry in your arms, he didn't bawl his eyes out, he just quietly cried as he buried his face on your neck and you just listened to his sobs while patting his back gently.

When he's finally finished, he let himself feel your warmth for few more minutes before he gently pulled away from you but his hands remained on your waist, he just stared into your eyes and all he could see was the look of genuine worry and care that he never saw in anyone else but you.

You reached out for his face and wiped away his tears. You smiled at him while you pinch his cheeks gently, "Come on, try tomorrow's special and tell me what you think about it." When he removed his hands off your waist, you immediately missed the warmth of Gojo's hands while he missed the warmth of your body that melts the frozen walls he built in his heart.

He watched you slice the cake before you reached out for his hand and pulled him to your side, you picked up the fork and fed him the first bite.

The flavors exploded in his mouth along with his own erratic heartbeats. All he could see at that moment was you, the way you smile and the way you look up at him. It was all you.

Gojo let himself enjoy that moment, the precious moment where he finally let himself look vulnerable, where he was finally able to let the tears he held in for so long.

He loves you so damn much and one day, he'll be brave enough to tell you.

#jjk x you #jjk x reader #jjk x y/n #jjk fluff #jjk headcanons #jjk imagines #jjk fanfic #jjk fic #jjk gojo #gojo x reader #gojo x you #gojo x yn #gojo x y/n #gojo fluff #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru x y/n #gojo satoru fluff #gojo satoru headcanons #gojo headcanons #gojou satoru x reader #gojou satoru x you #gojou satoru x y/n #gojou x reader #gojou fluff #gojou x y/n #gojo fanfic #gojou x you #satoru x reader #satoru x you

[twofrontteethstillcrooked]

Suptober, 1 Oct.: Maze/maize

Rubbing his hands together, Dean bounced on the balls of his feet a little. "We can make soup."

deancas, fluff

"Uh, buddy. What's up?" Dean asked from behind where Cas was crouched in front of the bunker refrigerator.

Cas didn't stop scrubbing at the back of the shelf where something seemed to have been exsanguinated into gray stickiness. "There was a terrible smell."

Dean snorted. "Well, we haven't been home for a while– Oh." His grimace was the first thing Cas saw as he stood and turned, rag aloft. "Maybe the guacamole bowl tipped over sometime ago."

"It's cleaner now." Cas looked at the contaminated rag. "Can this be washed?"

Dean plucked it from his hand and pitched it directly into the nearby wastebasket. Then he surveyed the things Cas had pulled out of the refrigerator and left on the metal counter. He picked up several more items and also deposited them in the trash. Four ears of corn, half a package of uncooked bacon, and an assortment of cheese rectangles of varying sizes remained.

Rubbing his hands together, Dean bounced on the balls of his feet a little. "We can make soup."

Cas tipped his head. "We?"

Dean smiled. "Yep." He darted forward and kissed Cas quickly, once, on the mouth.

Cas felt his cheeks go pink. "Okay." He hesitated just a second before returning the kiss, his hand on the back of Dean's head to hold him in place, to more thoroughly say hello.

When he pulled back, Dean was flushed too, and looked a little disoriented. His hand was clutching Cas's hip. After a moment, his eyes cleared. "Soup."

Nodding, Cas went to fetch the big pot. In a few minutes they were side by side at the counter, Cas grating the cheeses – difficult because the grater was determined to shred his knuckles – and Dean cutting kernels off the corn cobs. He was scraping something – corn juice? – off the cobs into a bowl as Sam jogged through the door. 

At the sink Sam refilled his water bottle. He drank the entire contents in one gulp and leaned against the sink panting.

"You bein' chased by shifters or something?" Dean inquired.

Sam flipped him off as he went for another bottle's worth of refreshment. "Was trying to beat the rain. Made it by maybe five seconds."

Cas listened: outside, above ground, rain had indeed moved in, heavily and with a good amount of wind. Dean shivered, as though he could hear it too, and Cas wished he could materialize a blanket from nothingness to wrap him in.

At the door Sam paused and turned back. "Are you really going to eat the Maize Maze corn?" he asked incredulously.

"Of course," Dean said. "It was only the farm lady's husband who was a nachzehrer. What would've been the point of him messing with the crops? He had to eat too."

"Yeah, he ate the farm lady." Sam sighed. "That reminds me, we need to replenish our stash of copper coins this week."

"I have a few to tide us over." Cas scraped cheese off the counter into another bowl. "Though it would be nice if we didn't have a reason to use them right away."

"You said it," Sam said, leaving the scene.

A half hour later the kitchen smelled like smoky bacon and something sweeter. The bacon bits and corn kernels Dean was stirring in the pot on the stove looked disconcertingly like scabs and yellowed teeth floating in bog water. Cas kept this thought to himself and shook the shredded cheese into the pan at Dean's request. He meant to move away and Dean kept him close with an arm around his waist.

"You stir for a while," Dean said, giving him the long-handled wooden spoon he had deemed his favorite. He yawned and pressed a kiss into Cas's hair.

The cheese melted, gooily. Cas, tending the soup, leaned into Dean and felt a great kinship with the cheese.

#suptober22 #deancas #destiel #fic #suptober #snippetfic #spn

[demonboyhalo]

[Talking about all the Asian food Tubbo doesn't know]

Crumb: I'm on thin ice?? You've literally never had all these - ! You.......Tubbo you should buy lots of wasabi, you would like it a lot

Tubbo: okay. wasabi is the lil green stuff right?

Ranboo, playing along with Crumb: Yeah, it's kinda like - You said it was, what, sweet right?

[Evil pause]

Crumb: Mhm! :D

#crumb was very justified in doing this #even if she's too nice and told him later #i love that ranboo played along tho #he said it was a 'sweeter guacamole' #mcyt #tubbo #ranboo #crumb #crumb cuptoast #cuptoast

[purplerose244]

Sweet Aftermath

Hi @forthegloryofdragons! I’m your Secret Santa for the @toa-secret-santa event! 😊 At this point it probably looks more like a New Year present, but Merry Christmas anyway and I hope you spent nice festivities!

Here we go with some Jlaire and our favorite punk wizard! ❤❤

Summary: Peace is momentary in their lives but when they get it, they enjoy it as much as they can. Dessert is always welcomed.

Also on the AO3

“Ouch!”

“Jim!” In the blink of an eye Claire was at his side, holding his hand before he could even process the idea of having a look himself. “You dummy, cut the strawberries, not your finger!” Granted that there wasn’t even any traces onto the actual cutting board – it was one drop at max, his girlfriend could be such a mama sometimes –, maybe it would had reached him some kind of prideful chef wound at being scolded for something this basilar.

It didn’t. All Jim could feel at the moment was the slightest pinch at the top of his finger, where the littlest red bubble was forming. It hurt. In a completely ignorable, absolutely meaningless way. But it hurt. It hadn’t hurt this little in a while now.

He couldn’t help smiling a little, even while Claire was already opening the cupboard to get the med kit. He had forgotten this type of common, after being the Trollhunter had become his everyday.

It was nice. And destabilizing. And a little freaky.

Then again, what wasn’t in his life?

While the little med kit was brought onto the counter of the kitchen and the cutting noises interrupted, the cheerful chatters coming from the living room brought his mind back. The party had been completely random, it had started with his mom wanting to know everything about what happened since they had last seen each other – well, she said that after the both of them managed to talk, with the messes of tears they had become with the both of them human again –, and it was continuing with plenty of people and food around.

Food gently cooked by the best chef of the Lakes’ house… not much of a competition really. But hearing his mom from the other room, chatting and gasping and laughing again, was enough to forget the bowl of popcorn on the table that she still somehow managed to mess up.

Jim breathed in, and then breathed out. Everything felt so new, yet exactly the same.

“Skin’s fragile. I forgot.”

“Well put it on a memo, it’s pretty important if you ask me. A mental memo…” The witch stopped midway, as she was pulling the plastic off the band aid. “I wonder if there’s a way to make that? A magical note stuck into your brain so you don’t forget it? I should ask Teach.” At last, the little medication was applied, At least none of the little red fruits got dirty. Yet Claire still wasn’t letting go of his hand, and when Jim looked up, there were those big brown eyes in front of which he could do absolutely nothing. “I’m serious, okay? Don’t get hurt, or at least try not to get hurt. I really think you had enough for a while.” She probably wanted to sound ironic.

It came out sad. Of course it did. And a lie as an assurance would had been pointless, the former Trollhunter would had made every single choice of his life all over again, to ensure the safety of those he loved. But maybe out of egoism, he would had not dragged them all in like this, knowing how much they were going to suffer for his sake. He wanted his friends near, yet not nearby. Did it make sense? Who knew? Maybe it didn’t have to.

Claire held onto both of his hands, looking up at him, lips curved in a little hopeful smile. And that put an end on any thought. It didn’t matter after all. As a human, as a half-troll, as a full troll, the sight right before his eyes had not changed. And he didn’t want it to change.

Jim sighed softly, nodding with a smile.

“I’ll do my best.” Claire sighed softly.

“Please do.” She leaned and kissed his cheek, and oh, magically there was absolutely no more pain into his entire body. A witch indeed, eheh. “What do you need the strawberries for?”

“Decoration mostly, but there’s so much chocolate in this that you need something fruity to make it less strong.” Right on cue the timer went off. He quickly stopped the noise and hurried to the fridge, taking out the cream that seemed perfectly chilled and ready to use. “Also should I say, strawberries and chocolate? Mucho romantico.” He shot a wink towards his girlfriend, who made that fond eyeroll from whenever he attempted to speak Spanish.

“Whatever, charmer. Get it over with, I’ve been smelling amazing stuff all evening and I’m really tempted to paralyze you with a spell and have it all myself.” Well if that wasn’t one of the sweetest compliments for his cuisine he had ever received. “How can I help?”

“Get me the sponge cake, it’s near the window.” Jim gave the cream a further whip to make sure it was airy and homogenous, before pulling out a spoon from the drawer – reminding himself last minute that he couldn’t and probably shouldn’t munch it anymore. “Alright, now for the tester…” He could had taken it himself of course, his sense of taste was back to human-like. Yet it was still hard to accept it, like his mind wasn’t fully into the all magical transformation that brought him back. He just needed a bit more of time, maybe. “Mrs. Nunez? If you could be so kind?”

“Oh well, if I really have to…” Claire smirked, putting the baking tray in front of her boyfriend with the sponge cake all rested and ready for the use. Then she leaned forward, taking the spoon into her mouth. She licked her lip. “Mm, oh yeah.”

“So it’s good?” She arched an eyebrow at him. “What? Let me brag a little, I’m good!”

“What if I still prefer guacamole over this?”

“Claire, you make amazing guacamole, but you also make a major bowl of it with, like, three tortillas. That kind of love is a little hard to match, even for my chef skills.” He got an elbow, because clearly some people couldn’t handle the harsh truth. “Just tell me if I should add something or mix it some more.” If it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t going into the cake.

She knew that. She knew it, and she grinned widely, putting a hand over his cheek with a very evident intention into her eyes. With the sudden realization Jim had to claw onto the bowl with both hands to prevent any catastrophes like letting it drop accidentally, because kissing Claire was that mind-blowing – and it took him quite a bit to make this cream, thank you very much. A chocolate kiss that got him such jelly knees he was considering just letting himself go with the unconsciousness, it would had been the sweetest knockout of all of his Trollhunter life. This girl had gotten so much more confident since they first started to hang out. She was as gentle as a lady, and as vigorous as a warrior.

His Claire. His amazing, beautiful Claire.

She pulled away first, perfectly in control of the situation, smiling softly at him. The aftermath was possibly even better, knowing that this was real and it happened and it was going to happen again. Somehow he still could hardly believe his luck.

Claire bit her lip, staring with those big impossible eyes.

“Too sweet, maybe?” Jim shook his head with a grin.

“Nope, absolutely perfect.” Did that come out corny? Smoothness wasn’t exactly a skill of his, hopefully he didn’t ruin- and Claire was kissing him again, never mind, he loved life.

“Okay mates, quick update, we’re out of snacks in the other room and since I lost rock paper scissors I got sent here also to sneak on the dessert, and if you’re wondering how I lost let me remind you that Binky got four aaaaaarrrrm…” He loved life a little less with their good old – apparently very old – master wizard coming into the kitchen uninvited. That sheepish little grin was kinda funny though. “So, you mess with the timeline once, and you acquire the magical ability of having a terrible timing. Noted.”

Jim pouted. Claire laughed. Jim laughed. That was just how it was, also his girlfriend suddenly had that malicious look into her eyes that told him he wasn’t going to dislike the next following minutes – and he knew she had that look before she became a shadowmancer so… destiny?

“You’re actually right on cue, these dirty dishes are dying to meet you.”

“Uh… how badly are they dying?” And now the witch was glaring, the wizard immediately raised his hands for surrender. “Can’t blame one for trying.”

“Try and ruin another moment between me and my boyfriend, you’d wish I was only blaming you. You got out with little.” That was probably true and that was probably a given, hence why a second later Douxie was over the sink, pouring down the water and reaching for the soap. Claire gave him a firm nod. “Alright, what do we got?” She turned to the counter, gathering a few snacks onto another tray. “Okay, all kinds of chips, cold popcorn from the microwave Barbara made oww, socks, so many socks, a few burritos Krel’s friend brought…” Given the discovery that aliens were real, having an extraterrestrial as a taco seller so responsible for the burrito that had gotten Gatto that nasty stomachache somehow even made sense. “This should do for a while. Be right back.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and went to the living room.

Again, human’s skin was sensible. Jim hadn’t realized it made a difference before, he had been sturdy, strong as a half-troll. And so hardly soft and easy to please. It was still a little complicated listing off what was good and what was bad of his current situation. But one thing for sure, he loved how Claire’s kisses were sweeter than ever.

A snort. Apparently he had been staring at the door for a while, and Douxie was holding back his laughter with little success. So the former Trollhunter grinned back, giving him a shoulder while putting down the cream onto the squared sponge cake.

“Shut up and do the dishes.”

“Roger that.” The wizard stopped the water as the sink was full, getting to work. A minute of silence was filled solely by the tinkling of dishes and the dripping of water. A nice moment of normality. It had been a while after all. “You know, I gotta say.” Douxie wasn’t looking, yet there was definitely fondness into his eyes. “Spending 900 years adventuring and protecting the world, I’ve seen a lot of things. But a witch learning how to control dark magic in order to save her human-half-full-troll-hunter boyfriend? That one I’ve been missing.” He was fast at cleaning, swift and careful. He must had done it quite a lot at the restaurant he used to work in.

Jim sighed, nodding softly, his eyes lingering on how nicely the chocolate smelled and look. He carefully pushed the remaining onto one side, smoothing the surface.

“I’m so lucky to have her.”

“She’s also lucky to have you. You’re pretty great, and brave. To the point where it gets scary. And worrying. A lot.” Douxie laughed a little awkwardly, clearing his voice. “Not that I can talk, really.” Right, the two of them got so close to their demises for the sake of others.

They were similar. Very similar. Jim couldn’t help smiling.

“We really need to stop trying to die.” The wizard cracked a real laugh.

“Got that right.” Another moment of peace followed, and to this mindless noise Jim was starting to get used to again. “What are you making anyway?”

“Bouche de Noel.” Wow, exactly the same frown as Claire, was it a wizard thing? The confused judging eyebrow? “Yes, you don’t have to tell me, it’s a Christmas dessert. Yes, you don’t have to tell me, it’s disgustingly anachronistic. And no, you really don’t have to tell me, because I’m not trying to pull a Christmas on July thing. You got a British accent, not an Australian one, I wouldn’t even have a stretch to work on here.” Another little laugh. “I’ve been postponed it since forever not knowing if I had the bakery skills, but now that I got functioning tastebuds back I’m all in for it.”

With the cream down, he finally went over the cake, rolling it carefully to form the base of his dessert. It had chilled perfectly and had maintained the form, it looked just like the one in the picture where he got the recipe from. The thrill of making something with his own hands. Another absolutely pointless fun of just a human. It felt great.

Douxie gave it a peak, whistling.

“That looks and smells possibly even better than the mince pies from Camelot. For what’s worth I’m very glad we’re getting Christmas today!”

“Right, because you never know what might… uhm…” Jim swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry. From the wizard’s widened eyes, it looked like he couldn’t take that back even if he wanted to. “… today feels so nice. My friends are all here, my mom is here, my girlfriend is here. It hasn’t happened in a while, and I guess I realized how rare this is. We’re not even at the end of summer and we got three different apocalypses, so I thought of… not having too many regrets?” Now that it was coming out it felt very stupid. And insecure. Which wasn’t exactly weird coming from him, but at this point? A fight more a fight less? What was the difference?

He didn’t want to know what it was. He got too close already.

The master wizard breathed in and out, extremely deeply, the washing work momentarily forgotten. He picked a towel from the counter, slowly passed it through his fingers, then let it down. Only to bring one hand onto the former Trollhunter’s shoulder.

“You’ll make a fruitcake, at the real Christmas. A Panettone, or a strawberry cake maybe?” He was smiling, with that renovated determination that had gotten him ever since he came back from beyond the grave. “So you better invite me, and all the others. We’ll have another party just like this one, all together. Every single one of us.” That sounded like a promise. And this guy, this wizard was always ready to give everything for his promises.

So Jim nodded. It was barely a confirmation that everything was going to be okay. But the effort, that alone, was worth at least hoping for. They were all in this together.

Luckily for the guitarist there wasn’t much to clean up besides the bowl and various plates – for now at least, he was half sure Claire was taking this long just to pile up other stuff –, but he stayed to watch the trunk taking form. Two cuts for the shape. Ganache all over. Without worries.

Without problems. He was here. Right here, safe and alive… oh.

“I didn’t thank you, huh.”

Douxie blinked, taken back.

“… there were, like, five dishes. Doesn’t really compare with my shift at Benoi-”

“For saving my life.” Another sequence of batted eyelashes, and it was almost too easy imagining what were going to be his next words. Today Jim felt completely in charge of the situation, finally. “And I’m not talking about the whole turning back into a human thing, neither about the Arcane Order, even though that’s also worth mentioning.” Having Nari around was mildly unusual for that, but she was adorable enough to forget about it. “Claire told me about you guys at Camelot. About trying to find a way back to our time, saving everyone, saving me… the dungeon break was your idea. I wouldn’t have escaped if it wasn’t for that.”

Douxie seemed to have problems grasping this, or simply accept it. He turned his eyes back to the sink, almost as he wished there was still something to make himself busy with.

“It was nothing.” This time it was Jim who snorted.

“You messed up a timeline for one single half-troll, that’s a bit of something. I mean… I doubt Merlin would’ve done it.” That was probably uncalled for. But despite knowing how much those two wizards were close, it didn’t erase what that old man had done to him in the past.

There was no hatred into those amber eyes though. Just thoughtfulness.

“… I knew it was risky. But I also knew that too much depended on you.” The wizard managed a sad smile. “If that wasn’t a mistake, because Merlin didn’t believe in them, then I guess I really wanted to believe in the unexpected possibility that you were going to create… I didn’t want to leave a single friend behind.” He scratched the back of his head, shrugging a little. “Also my wallet couldn’t bare losing a tipper like you.” Sarcasm had to be some kind of special power of those who had been playing with life for too long.

Maybe that was also what made them so similar. Maybe that was also why, in some way or another, they had managed to survive. Jim smiled, bringing an arm onto his shoulders.

“Thank you, Douxie.” The wizard looked at him in bewilderment. And then, slowly, he lightened up, clenching his hold onto his shoulder. Giving him the feeling that maybe, just maybe, there hadn’t been many satisfactions for him lately. And this one came right on time.

“I did fix something after all.” He smiled too. “You’re very welcome, my friend.”

“So NotEnrique bet and won all the socks at Monopoli and I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming, that brother of mine will be the death of- aww, look at you.” Claire smiled at them, putting down the empty tray. “Having a little moment?” When he had taken that little detour for school at the beginning of this adventure, he definitely didn’t expect that one day he was going to be found by his girlfriend preparing a dessert for a bunch of mythical creatures and humans, while sharing a bro gesture with Merlin’s apprentice.

Did he ever say that his life was weird? Because boy oh boy it was.

Douxie took all his time to gave him one last pat and then turned to the girl, this time him being the one to showcase the little menacing grin – he never did dark magic before right… right?

“Indeed we were, guess who ruined it and will join me at cleaning dishes?”

“… well played Casperan. And that’s the only reason why I’m agreeing.” Claire huffed humorously, getting the dishes she just brought in onto the sink. “How’s the cake?”

“Almost done, just need to cover it and decorate it.”

“Good, because Toby got to his praising of your culinary skills, with plenty of more details now that he got all confident about making that one movie. So I’m pretty sure there will be a riot unless they get cake.” She breathed out, picking up a sponge only to look intensely at how her boyfriend was putting down the chocolate bark of the Bouche. It used to bring him such crazy butterflies in his stomach he could had passed out just by the knowledge alone. Now he couldn’t think of a life without those eyes on him. “We really need to do this more often. Just… this.” No silence felt more eloquent than the one that followed. It barely needed a nod from the two of them, while the dessert was finally put altogether with the covering and a smoothing for the surface.

Jim picked up a fork and started passing it over the covering, creating traces that made the trunk look somehow real. He moved the tool steadily, enjoying this, enjoying every moment of this peaceful time of them. Then he turned to the strawberries, all arranged nicely onto the cutting board, and he smiled a little.

He picked up a knife and one of the fruits.

“Let’s see…” He engraved it, creating little petals getting smaller towards the center, and placed it onto the cake. “Roses for my love.” Claire giggled, lancing her arms around his neck from behind. Then Jim picked up another strawberry, cutting it in thin pieces, then placing them onto the surface to form a note with a long tail, the only notion he had about music – at least not including that one piano kinda-serenate to Senor Uhl for not repeating the year. “And a note for my friend.” He completed with a few leaves of mint all over. “I think we’re ready now.”

Today Douxie looked so easy to please. Or maybe he really did spend a long time without being recognized for much. Because his amber eyes were shining, and it looked like he was holding back a much wider smile.

“Were you always this mushy, or was it Claire that has changed you?”

“Don’t know, don’t care, don’t ever want to find out.” Jim picked up the dish with the Bouche on it. “This is all I want.” The witch tightened her grasp – never mind, butterflies still lived.

She showed her tongue to the wizard.

“Jealous that I got the sweetest guy ever?”

“Nah, I have a punk rock soul, I’m immune to pure cheesy lovey-dovey situations.” Douxie grinned, looking fondly at them. “But if I can say it…” He lingered onto them, perhaps a little troubled. And somehow it was clear, he was pondering about the future, it was a thing that he couldn’t help doing apparently. Despite that, his eyes were sincere, and this determination still as solid as before. “Yeah, the both of you have great taste in people.”

They were going to have more parties like this. For sure.

With Claire right next to him, Douxie opening the door, and the number of smiling familiar faces waiting for him, Jim managed to push away the thought of tomorrow, with everything that was most likely still going to come for them. Here, now, they were happy and alive. It was enough.

So he snickered, showing up the cake to his cheering family.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!”

#toa secret santa 2020 #tales of arcadia #toa #toa wizards #toa trollhunters #wizards #trollhunters #jim lake jr #claire nunez #douxie casperan #hisirdoux casperan #jlaire #fanfiction #secret santa #toa fic #toa fanfiction

[caffeineivore]

M/N fic for Wils!

For @nelwynp aka The Ebil Enabler. I actually wrote this longhand on a notebook as is my habit during long plane rides and so on. Recently got back from a two week vacation to Spain and Portugal so... there was a lot of plane time. Also chilling time post-evening sangria. I managed to write a few ficlets during this trip, and will tag them all under “travel ficscribble”.

Set in a ficverse not yet really published, but the same as the last few things I posted. Will eventually compile everything after the main fic is published for the @ssrevminibang.

Prompt: M/N, “Buffoon”, “I hope you’re miserable”

**

“You great buffoon! Why in the names of all the saints would you attempt to keep up with me Uncle Murphy, then? It’s tea and dry toast for you this morning, and possibly into this afternoon, too.”

There’s an army of mad leprechauns doing an Irish step dance in the space in his skull where his brain used to reside before it was pickled to death by a gallon of Guinness last night. His mouth tastes like the Sonoran Desert, scorpions and lizards and all, and Noah is pretty sure that if he attempts to move his limbs, they might fall off. Had it been any other person than Mary Kathleen talking to him and breaking the silence of the room, he might have cussed them out. Or at least made plans to do so sometime in the near future once the room stopped spinning. 

“Your Uncle Murphy was the one who kept refilling my cup! I wasn’t trying to start anything with him! Does he hate Americans or something? I mean, we are kind of a bunch of assholes, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t personally do anything to him.”

Mary Kathleen tsks at him, but sets down the tray of toast and tea on the nightstand by his bed. Noah is not above admiring the glimpse down her shirt as she bends over. He might be suffering the Hangover From Hell, but the day he couldn’t find the wherewithal to appreciate Mary Kathleen’s incredibly fabulous boobs, he’d have to be blind, dying or both.

Not that he thought of her in some sort of sleazy, disrespectful, sexual object type of way. And certainly not anything he’d admit to, aloud. Mary Kathleen was a friend-- they’d kept in touch since meeting each other at her graduation two years ago-- and besides, he wasn’t going to discount the fact that she could quite possibly kick his ass. Or at least make his life a complete living hell. Nor was he about to make things awkward, particularly on her home turf.

It’s his first time in Ireland and certainly it’s a pretty big departure from America. Mary Kathleen’s family comes from a tiny village that looks like something out of a postcard, and just the other day, they were stuck behind the local idea of a traffic jam-- a flock of sheep taking their sweet time to cross the road. The land is a bit hilly, but lush and green, with a great deal more rain than he was accustomed to. But he could hardly complain. Not when it never came close to the downright dangerous temperatures of a sweltering Arizona summer, and especially not to Mary Kathleen’s exceptionally friendly family.

She’d told him, perhaps a year ago, that she’d lost both parents in her teens to a plane crash, and that she’d been taken in by an aunt and uncle afterwards, who’d lived in London at the time. They’d since moved back to Ireland after Uncle Murphy had retired, and though the sleepy little village of her youth certainly offered less by way of employment opportunities, there was no other place she’d rather be in the summers between school terms.

And so, as her friend, and as Zack’s unofficial babysitter, here he was. At least, that is to say, he got Zack safely into the UK and dropped him off into the competent hands of Amy, then embarked upon this little detour. And though he hadn’t exactly done anything super exciting thus far, it was worth it just to see this side of Mary Kathleen’s life, in her natural habitat, as it were.

He was never going to spend an evening at the pub with Uncle Murphy again, however. Everything that people said about the Irish and their alcohol tolerance was true.

About two hours later, Noah is roughly human again, after about four slices of dry toast, three cups of tea and two cat naps. He blearily makes his way towards the direction of the bathroom, which is tiny and adorable and had lace curtains on the windows, but also a shower about the size of a shoebox. The water pressure leaves something to be desired, but at least it does get good and hot. He sweats out the last little bit of alcohol left in his system, gets dressed, and wanders outside in search of his elusive hostess.

He finds her-- or at least a pair of very long and shapely legs that definitely look like hers-- sticking out from underneath a rusted, ancient jalopy of a car in a shade of brown-green usually associated with bird droppings or guacamole past its prime. The car is parked in a neighbour’s yard, and the neighbour in question seems to be a fairly ancient man wearing a sweater and a cap, who calls out when he sees Noah approaching.

“Yer Yank’s here, Mary Kathleen, and sure and he’s looking a lot more lively now than last night.”

“Me Yank’s a great buffoon who can’t handle his drink, but at least he conducts himself well enough when he’s half-pissed. I remember the time when Fergus McLean ran bare-arsed through the village singing ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, and if he wasn’t a walking advert for the evils of over-indulgence, I’m sure I can’t think of a one who’d suit it better.” Mary Kathleen, butt wiggling in her well-worn jeans, shimmies out from underneath the fugly car, a streak of black grease on one cheek, and grins up at him from her prone position on the ground. “I’m changing the oil of Flynn Malone’s car for him. He’ll be giving me some fresh eggs and a loaf of his wife’s soda bread for tomorrow’s breakfast, and perhaps if he’s feeling particularly generous and kindly, a pot of fresh butter as well, for none make better bread and sweeter butter than our Bridget Malone, aye?”

“‘Tis why I married her, to be sure,” Flynn Malone says agreeably, even as he gives Noah an unmistakable side-eye. “Now, my Bridget’s Da was fit to string me up by the bollocks, he was, when he caught me singing for her at her window in the moonlight before we were married. Our Mary Kathleen’s quite the prize herself, and I’d be happy to stand in for her Da if a lad comes sniffling after her and doesn’t do right by her.”

“I’m pretty sure if I did anything untoward in her presence, let alone directed at her, Mary Kathleen’s completely capable of kicking my ass herself,” Noah remarks in as polite a tone as he can muster, considering the conversation topic. “Therefore, I’m not going to try anything funny. I want to live.”

“Oy, yer smarter than ye look,” Flynn Malone guffaws as Mary Kathleen ducks back under the car to finish up. “We had our doubts. A body who makes a living getting pictures taken of his naked chest doesn’t always have a great deal going on upstairs.”

“The Yank’s working on his post-graduate in Physics at his Uni, and I’d thank you to be nice to my company, Flynn Malone.” Mary Kathleen reappears out from underneath that car. “Don’t be troubling him too much, or I’ll be tying a knot in your fuel line.”

Mary Kathleen wipes her hands and face clean with a damp towel, and Flynn Malone hands her a covered wicker basket full of the agreed-upon bread and eggs and butter, and after bidding her neighbour farewell, she and Noah head back to the house of her Uncle and Aunt.

“So, you never answered my question.” Noah carefully steers clear of any implications of his intentions towards Mary Kathleen. Not that they’re dishonourable, per se, but why bring a beautiful friendship into an awkward and potentially disastrous direction? Mary Kathleen, he knew, would never consider getting on a plane to even visit the United States, let alone move over there. “Do people here hate Americans, or do they just enjoy messing with me? I mean, I’m not mad. Just kind of curious.”

“Oh, you’re not from around here, and moreover you’re a male non-relative visiting my home. This part of Ireland is still quite traditional with things, so me neighbours probably want to make sure you’re not here to shag me and whistle off on your merry way, leaving me pregnant and unwed.” Noah’s eyes go wide at the last part of her explanation, and to his chagrin, Mary Kathleen blithely misinterprets his expression. “Not to fret, lad. I know you’ve no interest in such a matter. You’re quite safe from the parson’s trap. In the day and age of Flynn Malone, a man and a woman could scarce smile at each other without threats of the Banns being read, but I’m expecting naught from you of that sort.”

“Sure. I’m safe with you. Just not with any other number of people who’d like to see me miserable. Sounds good.”

“Maybe you should improve your constitution before we visit the pub again.” Mary Kathleen smirks up at him. “At least you no longer look like you’re fit to go to the Devil. You’re not quite to shirtless kilt standards, yet, but perhaps a nice walk in the fresh air will help you.”

“As long as I don’t step in any more cow shit.”

“I make no promises. You should have been more careful and watched your step.”

Noah says nothing about the fact that he’d been distracted staring at the freckles on her nose, and the glint of gold in her green eyes, and the way her t-shirt clung to her in a way white cotton had no business doing to anyone at any time, and follows her down the lane. He’d perhaps die in Ireland, but at least he’d die happy.

#M/N #sailor moon #senshi/shitennou #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #nelwynp #travel ficscribble

[lasentimentael]

The Lamp

My Papí was my hero. He was an ordinary man—a job, a wife, and two kids—but to me, he was incredible. My Papí would wake up at five in the morning to go work at a scrap metal company in South Gate, take the lucrative 710 to the 60 to the 605 ride back home, have dinner with us, and sleep during play time with me. And I loved him for it.

           That was the rhythm. Weekdays we spent with me nudging him awake and using hair accessories and chubby hands to style his locks. Curly black hair held together by pink and purple butterfly clips and tied with bright blue elastics all while my Papí snoozed. He’d wake up the next morning and go to work like that too.

           On weekends, it went like this. He’d work Saturday and come home around noon to a modest yellow home with a rose bed in the front yard and a Rottweiler pup in the back. The house would be chaotic, yelling from my mother to my brother, from her to me, from him to me, and me to them. Brooms and mops and a vacuum would hum along to Selena Quintanilla, and Don Chente. When Papí came, it meant we took a break and ate, sometimes beans and rice, and in richer times a treat from the Pollo Campero near my Papí’s work. When the cleaning was done, we would hop into our worn down Jaguar, and go to the movies. Action movies mostly, they were Papí’s favorite.

           Sundays were sweeter, they meant breakfast at Denny’s and dinner at home, a few slaps of carne asada on the grill, fresh guacamole, and the rice and beans my Mamí made. My Papí would grill while I played with our Rottweiler, Bryan and Mamí setting the table. A yummy dinner, clean up, and the night would end with Papí reading a book to me before bed.

           One day, on a Sunday, we went slightly out of routine. For whatever reason, we didn’t grill outside, we just ate McDonalds and called it a day, my parents laid in bed watching a movie, and I wandered the house as I usually did. I came to settle in my brother’s room. He had a fair-sized room with things a twelve-year old boy would have. His desk was shoved in the far right corner,  an assortment of Gundam Mobile Suit figurines and Hot Wheels cars set on display. An old mattress that Papí was going to get rid of was propped against the closet on the left. A Sonic the Hedgehog poster hung over his bed, which resided closest to the doorway. Beside that, a single lamp with no lampshade. Just a bare bulb that lit up the room.

Bryan was at his desk, his back to the door. I came up behind him and saw he was playing on the new Windows 98 we had gotten a few months before. He managed to install Mega Man on it, and man, was he good at it.

           “Whatcha doing?” I asked, pushing my mane of frizzled goodness out my face. I did that thing where I adjusted my shirt awkwardly with my clumsy six-year old hands, and totally invaded his personal space, real close to his ear.

           “Get away, stop breathing so close to my ear,” I remember him say, eyes not moving away from the computer screen. Mega Man was blasting Proto Man.

           “ But I wanna see. Can I help?” I moved closer, accidentally knocking down a pencil he had on his desk.

           “Jessi, get away. Go sit by the mattress.”

           “Why? I wanna watch you play. Let me help.”

           “Help me by sitting over there. Go or I’ll tell Mamí.”

 That was all I needed to hear. I went and sat by the old mattress, bored but for whatever reason, not willing to move on to elsewhere in the house. I studied the mattress, worn and beat up, and yellowed, so that the blue material had turned green in some spots. In its place, at Bryan’s bed, was the new mattress. It was a colorful Dinosaur patterned one that he had chosen himself. I watched Bryan click away for what seemed like forever, until Papí happened to be passing by, and poked his head in. He looked towards Bryan.

           “Where’s your sister? He looked on the bed, expecting to find me there.

           “Hi Papí,” I waved from my spot by the old mattress. I briefly wondered if I could get him to tell my brother to play with me instead of his computer.

           I saw his eyes slowly follow the sound of my voice until he found me. He went from nonchalant, to having his eyebrows furrow together, and his voice got like, three times louder.

           “What are you doing there?” he asked, while my brother still clicked away.

           “Helping Bryan,” I said dully, even though I knew I wasn’t really helping.

           “Qué?”

           “Helping Bryan,” I said a little more loudly.

           “What do you mean helping? What are you doing sitting next to that mattress?” He shook his head as he spoke, pointing to the mattress and trying to make sense of what I said.

           “Bryan said I can play by sitting here. It’s not really fun.” I pointed at Bryan, who was oblivious to our entire conversation. He was still clicking away, only now he was losing to Proto Man.

           “Bryan, did you tell her to sit next to the mattress?” Papí asked.

           “Uh…yeah...but it’s because she wouldn’t stop bugging me.”

           “Who wo-why would you think that’s okay?”

           My brother shrugged, still not looking away from the screen. My Papí fumed, and sat on my brother’s bed. I could see the steam coming out of his ears but I couldn’t understand why he was so upset.

           “Ven pa’ca.” My Papí’s Salvadoran accent was strong, and I hesitated to go over. I was in trouble.

           “Ven pa’ca.” He waved me over, only barely contained. “Why did you go sit there?”

           “Uh…because Bryan told me to.”

           “Are you going to do whatever he tells you to do?”

           “Um” I said. I wasn’t sure if this was a trick question. I had seen a lot of that on Scooby-Doo and The Flintstones.

           “Are you going to do whatever he tells you to do?”

           “Yeah?” My voice went up at the end; you could hear I didn’t understand where he was going with this. “You said to listen to him.”

           “If somebody tells you to jump off a cliff, are you going to do it?” Papí’s hair, normally curly and neat stood up on all ends, a big ‘fro of mess. His face was stoic and serious.

           I said nothing, trying to figure out what the right answer was. What he wanted me to answer. I thought he had come in to tell me he was going to read to me. Or ask if I wanted cereal. Or make Bryan play with me.

           “Sit here.” He patted his lap. His tone stayed firm, but the lap said I was safe.

           “Look here,” Papí said, pointing at the lamp beside us. The bulb was exposed and very bright. Heat radiated off of it.

           “Touch it,” he said.

           “What?” I asked, wondering if I had heard him right.

           “Touch it. Go on, touch it.”

           I looked at him incredulously.

           “But Papí… It’s hot.”

           “So? Touch it.”

           “But I’ll burn myself.”

           “Touch it.”

           I studied his face. Completely serious.

           “Andále, touch it. Do it.” He grabbed my hand and moved it closer to the bulb.

           I knew very well that my hand would burn. I knew it, but my Papí had told me to do it. I didn’t know why, but he had asked me to do it. I contemplated for a moment, but Papí had always said to do what he said. Do it, he said.

           So I touched it.

           Almost immediately, I pulled my hand away. I pulled it away and cried before I even saw how red my hand was, before I knew the skin would peel from how hot the bulb was. I cried and held onto Papí, but I hated him also. My Papí held me as I cried, soothed my hair, and held my hand in his.

           All the while, he said, “You see? That’s why you don’t always do what you’re told to do.”

[rachelvalente]

Quarantine Life Lately

I think I’ve officially lost track of how long we’ve been self-isolating…and for those of us in NY, there seems to be no end in sight.  I’m so grateful to have a job that I can do from home, but I’d be lying if I said that this virus outbreak hasn’t altered the scope of my work.  While some of you have mentioned that you welcome the distraction of personal style posts & pretty spring fashion, I also realize that we are living in a very different world right now & I want to share content that is both practical & helpful for navigating these circumstances.

So, today’s post is more lifestyle-related & I’m sharing what I’ve been up to lately – including the tastiest meals I’ve made, the workouts I’ve been doing & the best things I’ve purchased since quarantine began.  Hopefully this gives you some new recipes to try, fun activities to do & simple ways to make this time of staying at home a little more enjoyable!

THINGS I’VE BEEN BUYING

All these are exclusively from Target & Amazon because they have the quickest delivery available (so many other retailers have delayed shipping right now).  I love utilizing the order pick-up option at Target & I’ve discovered that many of their items actually have special deals/lower prices when you do it this way – for example, I can get my favorite coffee for $2.00 less!  Here’s the best of what I’ve bought over the last month:

Ribbed Crewneck Tees My t-shirt drawer has been needing a little update, so I was happy to discover these cotton/modal blend tees.  They are so soft & stretchy and the ribbed detail gives them a more refined look (perfect for dressing up or down).  These come in 11 different colors & they’re on sale now – I bought two in blush brown & white (not see-through at all!).  These are a little more fitted than your average tee, so I’d size up if you prefer a looser fit.

Acrylic Stackable Organizer Drawers Quarantine provides the perfect opportunity for organizing…and since we have the added benefit of packing for our upcoming move, we’ve been purging a lot and working to identify what we need to maximize storage space once we’re settled with my parents.  I bought some of these clear drawers, which are ideal holding vitamins, first aid items, toiletries or makeup – you can set them side by side or stack tall & they come in two different size options.

Healthy Snacks Who else feels like they are snacking constantly while stuck at home?  I’ve learned that if we don’t have healthy options on hand, I will end up eating my kids treats (hello, leftover Easter candy).  So I am trying to keep a constant stock of my favorites like this grain-free granola (so good with fresh fruit & yogurt), these roasted pistachios (no shells to hassle with) & these cheddar cheese crisps (pairs very well with red wine!).

Posture Corrector File this under things I should have bought years ago.  I cannot tell you what a difference this has made & how much it’s helped me to stop slouching & hunching over my desk all day long.  It’s comfortable and you can wear it under or over your clothes – I put mine on around 9am & take it off at 3pm.

Reusable Silicone Straws I love that these are color-coded & come with their own carrying case so everyone in the family gets one.  These come with a little cleaning tool, but I usually just throw ours in the dishwasher.  We typically keep these in the car for easy access on-the-go – although we haven’t been going out much lately, I know these will come in handy on our cross-country trip in a few weeks.

Wireless Charger As soon as the kids started doing school from home, we realized that we didn’t have enough chargers for all the devices in the house during the day – and, let’s be honest, we were getting a little tired of hearing them argue over who had a lower battery life and needed it more.  So we bought two of these wireless chargers and put one on the main floor & one upstairs near their bedrooms.  It’s such a great price & is compatible with most devices (works for AirPods too!).

Geometric Earrings + Straw Headband I used to love walking through Target to just browse their new arrivals & try things on…but those days are gone, so now we have to do it all online.  When I was buying the tees mentioned above, I needed a little more to add to my order, so I threw in these fun accessories at the last minute and I couldn’t love them more!  Both of them are 5% off right now when you use Target Circle (sign up for free here).

Adult Coloring Book + Colored Pencils We’ve been trying to get creative with family activities since quarantine started – challenges be an ordeal or an adventure…so we are doing our best to focus on the latter & make fun memories for the kids.  We’ve done outdoor scavenger hunts, game olympics, fitness challenges, and our new favorite: art night.  I ordered coloring books on Amazon for everyone – my son got this Harry Potter coloring book, my daughter got this summer scene coloring book, my husband got this muscle cars coloring book & I chose this street style coloring book for myself.  We turn on some music & sit around the table while we talk, laugh & color together – it’s the perfect activity for those rainy evenings when we can’t go for a family walk.

Core Sliding Discs I’ve definitely been buying more workout equipment over the last month & these are the latest addition – try them for an effective core workout like none other!  These are double-sided so you can use them on hard floors or carpet.  If you don’t already own resistance bands, there’s a great combo pack with sliders here.  This is a great reference sheet for different moves to try with them.

Elastic No-Tie Shoe Laces These are a game changer if you’re like me & have been wearing sneakers more lately.  Just take out your regular laces & replace with these and you’ll have shoes that you can easily slip on & off!  After I bought mine, I ordered some for my mom & dad since they have a harder time bending over now that they’re older.  These come in 22 different colors & would also be great for little kids!

Silicone Stainless Steel Tumbler We’ve been trying to do a family walk after dinner each night when the weather is nice – it’s such a great bonding time and the dog loves it when we’re all walking him together.  Since it’s usually a leisurely stroll around the neighborhood, I’ve started bringing my wine along with me in this sleek tumbler.  It’s vacuum insulated so it’s great for hot or cold drinks + the lid keeps your drink safe from splashing out.

Expressie Nail Polish So many of you have messaged me asking about at-home manicure tips and I think this video is the best tutorial I’ve seen (I use the same techniques when I paint my nails).  I recently picked up these new polishes to try & was amazed by how fast-drying they were!  They have a slightly angled brush, which I think is so much easier to use.  I got the shades Second Hand, First Love and In A Flash Sale (perfect for spring!).  Right now, Target has a promo where you can get a free bottle of nail polish remover when you buy two of these.

Pixi Eye Patches I’ve mentioned these before but I just ordered more on my latest Target order pick-up because I’ve been using them so much.  They really are the best eye patches I’ve ever tried for depuffing and hydrating.  Highly recommend!!

Olly Energy Gummies I don’t know about you, but I’ve had the hardest time with my energy levels lately (probably doesn’t help that we’ve been staying up much later than usual since quarantine began).  I’ve sung the praises of this brand for years so I decided to try these gummies to see if they would help.  I’m chronically low in B12, so it’s a supplement I need anyway + this flavor is so good.  I definitely feel like I’m more motivated to get going & able to focus better throughout the day.

MEALS I’VE BEEN COOKING

If there’s one thing that quarantine has forced us to do, it’s to have more meals at home.  If you’re like me, you’re probably running low on ideas. I’ve been trying out tons of new recipes and, to be honest, there have been some hits & misses.  So I thought I’d share with you the ones that my family has loved & that we’ve now added into regular meal rotation at our house.  These are all gluten-free and most are Whole30 compliant too!

Vegan Creamy Cauliflower Wild Rice Soup Comfort food at its finest – this is so creamy, you won’t believe it’s dairy-free! I serve this with a side salad & these almond flour crackers.

One-Skillet Spinach Artichoke Chicken I made this for the first time when I was in Oregon for Christmas with my family & it was a huge hit!  You can serve it over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower.

Paleo Fish Tacos This is my Dad’s favorite recipe of all time – he asks for it weekly!  I buy the Siete Almond Flour Tortillas and heat them up in a small pan until they get a little crispy (if you’re not GF, you can use whatever brand you prefer).  I recommend using slightly less sparkling water than is called for, so the batter is thicker.  I serve with homemade guacamole & these chips (also love these for a grain-free option).

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken There’s nothing easier than a good crockpot meal – just throw everything in, set the timer & forget about it!  This is so easy & delicious – I recommend doubling the sauce ingredients so you have extra.  I also modify this a bit and use Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce & this unsweetened ketchup (you can add more honey if you prefer it a bit sweeter).  I serve with jasmine and/or cauliflower rice & French green beans.

Crispy Zucchini Fries This obviously isn’t a meal in & of itself, but these are such a tasty side dish!  I make them when we have burgers & they get devoured.  I use this ranch dressing (if you’re dairy-free, this is a good alternative).

Mexican Pizza This tastes so similar to the Taco Bell version I grew up eating – definitely a more indulgent (and filling!) meal, but so worth it if you have a craving for Mexican food.  Her sauce recipe is amazing & I’ve ended up using it for homemade enchiladas too!  I double the recipe for our family & use Siete Almond Flour Tortillas for myself and these white corn tortillas for everyone else.

Maple Walnut Crusted Salmon This sounds & looks so fancy, but it couldn’t be more simple.  My kids aren’t huge fans of salmon, but they gobble this up.  If you don’t have walnuts, you can substitute pecans (I did this last week & it was just as delicious).  I serve alongside Japanese sweet potatoes & roasted broccoli.

Black Pepper Chicken This tastes just like Chinese take-out…without the guilt (or MSG)!  And don’t worry if you don’t have fish sauce on hand, it’s just as good without it.  I serve this with jasmine rice and/or cauliflower rice.

Honey Mustard Sheet Pan Chicken & Brussels Sprouts I love this meal because it’s quick & easy and you only have one pan to wash when you’re done!  I recommend cooking the chicken for about 15 minutes before adding the Brussels sprouts (unless yours are very large) – mine were smaller & ended up a little overcooked when I made this the first time.  I also double the sauce to have some extra leftover (trust me, it’s so good!).

WORKOUTS I’VE BEEN TRYING

Active by PopSugar This site has over 500+ workouts & you can join for free!  They have pretty much everything you could want – yoga & pilates, dance, high intensity cardio, low-impact exercises, boxing & barre.  There’s a good range of 20-60 minute workouts & most don’t require any equipment (the 60-minute cardio boxing is my current favorite).

Modern Savvy Run Club My blogging BFF just launched a running club challenge that starts May 1st & I’d love for you to join us!  Just download the Nike Run Club app (it’s free) and request to add Alyson Seligman as a friend.  Once accepted, she will send you the invite to the challenge, which is to complete 30 miles by May 31st.  Even if you’re not a runner, you can jog or walk the miles – it’s a great way to stay motivated to move a little each day & get that accountability that we all need right now!

Madeline Moves I just discovered this sweet girl a couple months ago and, once quarantine began, she started sharing at-home strength training workouts on her Instagram.  I’ve created a workout folder & saved all of them so I can reference them easily – you can choose whatever weight works best for you & I like that she offers modifications for certain moves.  Other Instagram accounts that I like to follow for workouts: Alexia Clark, Cara Loren & Megan Roup.

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[daysofnikki-blog]

The next Sunday.

Damn. I get worse and worse with this. But at least I’m keeping it up :) Kind of.

Thursday I was supposed to see Vadim, and to be honest, I just didn’t feel like going. So I kept making excuses that I wasn’t feeling well. I told him that I had the impression he just wanted to fuck, and I wasn’t in the mood for fucking that evening. Just wanted to give him the heads up so he wasn’t disappointed. He said so long as we were being honest, he was starting to feel like a meal ticket due to the lack of intimacy on my part. I answered back that that honest was one reason why I loved him, but my time was more valuable than to waste two hours of my time on a date just for $20 worth of food and drink. But he sold me on it. Damn do I love his honesty. It’s so refreshing. 

So I went. And was thoroughly impressed. He owns a 3 story condo in Sandy Springs and his decor is perfect; a great balance of retro and modern. You can tell a lot about a guy from his place. And I liked his place a lot.

He’s also very different at home. He loses most of that pompous asshole front he puts on in public. He’s actually a really cool guy. We watched a documentary on mushrooms, followed by a Volume 1 & 11 of Nyphomaniac, a delightfully thought-provoking film about a girl’s sexuality with a very unexpected ending. Another plus in Vadim’s book for choosing great films. He hand-fed me delicious chocolate raspberry 420 edibles, we shared some red wine, and then we went to bed, where the unthinkable happened... we fucked (it was rough like I like it, and surprisingly amazing) and the freakin condom got stuck in me. Again. Twice in one week. By two different guys. I feel like such a slut.

Thankfully I didn’t freak this time. It didn’t come out that night but I knew it would. The next morning he had to work at 6:30 AM and went to fuck me again. I said he couldn’t, there was a condom in me, so he fished it out and then put on another one and we went at it again. He told me after, “babe, just sleep as long as you want and set the alarm on your way out. I’ll leave a key under the mat.” When I woke up though I was so sleepy from the amazing cuddles from the night before that I went out, set the alarm, and.... realized I was barefoot. My boots were still inside. I didn’t want to risk the alarm going bananas though so off to home I went in my bare feet.

Friday I had a date with guy named Rish at Fado’s in Midtown. Awful. He hardly listened to me, conversation was shit, and I told him so. I offered to get the check and he could leave, but he said he’d rather get it and asked me to stay until it was paid for. I agreed. Never going to speak to him again, though. Randomly saw a guy, Wei, that I had met at a party months earlier but I didn’t say hi since I was with Mr. Asshole. 

Saturday I downloaded another dating app and started talking to the hottest Brazilian girl, Nara. Damn. She is something else.

Also had a gay guy contact me on there. He said he didn’t want to fuck because he was into guys but I was gorgeous and me and him were gonna be besties. We’ve talked every day since, too; he’s pretty great.

Saturday afternoon I met a girl from work and her bf at their place and we went to the King of Pops Field Day. In a rare change from the usual, I dressed in full athletic gear for the occasion. However, there were no field games like I expected so I just looked like a dingdong. There was, however, a shit ton of free popsicles, popcorn, and cotton candy, so it was my kind of Field Day. I met with my roomie, Hamsa, and his French co-worker Madeline after and we walked to Ponce City Market. I was proper drunk and needed some time to sober up, and left as soon as I did cause I kind of felt like I was crashing their party. I went home, chatted with my new online matches, passed out. 

Sunday I was supposed to go riding in the mountains with Jules but it was raining. So I stayed in jammies all day. Hamsa told me that he and Madeline had been drinking until 3 am. He had the cops called on him at a gas station. Apparently his phone died, he went to the station to use theirs, he was being disorderly and wouldn’t leave, they called the police. The policeman let him charge his phone when he explained the situation.

Monday Vadim invited me over again. I figured he would want to fuck as soon as I walked through the door but he didn’t even try. He made me dinner; shrimp and steak fajitas. Even got me tortillas even though he doesn’t eat them. Homemade guacamole. He continues to impress me. We watched a movie called 1922 and he made a fire in the fireplace while we enjoyed some wine. After we had amazing sex, again... holy fuck it was good. His favorite thing seems to be getting me off. I don’t even like being eaten out, but... I want him to do it to me again and again. It’s so unbelievably perfect. And after it’s so much sweeter by the fact that he just looooves to hole me while we sleep. Mmmmmm. Getting very attached to him.

So attached, in fact, that I went over there the next night. We had leftovers. While clearing the table he came up behind me and started to rub my clit. Ended up fucking on the table. He came on his rug. I loved it. The cuddles were again, amazing. I brought a bag this time to get ready in the morning; I put on my silk robe from Jules and told him I was going to wear the outfit he fucked me in the next day to work (and I did). I pulled him to me on the couch and told him I was going to hold him; he loved it, even set an alarm on his phone so he could sleep for twenty minutes in my arms. As SOON as his alarm went off, the final flame in the fire went out. I was watching. He has the cutest snores when he is sleeping.

Wednesday I went out with Wesquan, who I had went on a few dates with two years ago and re-matched with Saturday on the new app. He’s very cute, easy to talk to, but just seems to want to fuck, which isn’t appealing. We went to three bars then his place and I left when he went to open some Spanish champagne, called Cava. I told him I’d see him after my date Thursday with Brian (fun conversation, but he’s too vanilla for me) but I didn’t. He just wants to fuck. It’s not my style. Friday he left for Rio for a week, thank God. Thursday I tried to go to Vadim’s but he wasn’t picking up my hints. Friday I was frustrated cause I wanted to see his ass so I told him I needed to come pick up my heels  I left over there. 

(FUCK. Side story- I brought some heels that week cause he wanted to fuck me in them. The next morning I left them so he could see what he had to look forward to, and went to put some lingerie in his nightstand, where instead I found a pair of a woman’s size 8 cheap heels. Not sure what to think about that.)

So I go to get them while he’s preparing for a Magic tournament. He wanted to fuck (so did I) but instead I blew him. It was lovely, and he was delighted. I love the way he tastes. Then I went to a house party that Wei had invited me to online. i went because it seemed fate that I had noticed him at Fado’s (but he didn’t see me) a few days before I got his FB invite. I was with a bunch of GT nerds. They were so flustered around me. Was adorable. I felt like a princess. I actually met two guys there who play Magic, and mentioned that a friend of mine was playing in Roswell; when I told them it was Vadim, one guy (Ricardo) laughed his ass off in a weird way and pulled up Vadim’s photo and made fun of him. Was weird. The only black guy there, VJ, walked me to my car after and invited me to watch the Dome implosion Monday morning. I might go.

I went to Vadim’s after and told him I had met two guys who knew him. When I said one was Ricardo he made me laugh by asking, “He was talking shit, wasn’t he?” We spent another great night together, and I had to leave with him at 6:00 for work for some reason. We didn’t have sex that night but I gave him a BJ and he rubbed me off really well :) 

Saturday I came back home and slept on the couch for 4 more hours. Hamsa wasn’t home so I smoked some weed in his room. Woke up at 11:15 and needed to meet Jimmy, the gay guy who wanted to be my friend, at noon. Oops. Thankfully he was even later than me. We shopped, then got drinks at the pub and had a blast. He invited me to a member’s only sex dungeon, which I can’t wait to attend. I’m glad he chose me to be friends :)

I met Nara in Marietta that night at a bar. She is even more beautiful in person. Very flirty, very sexy. Stayed for hours, just talking, eating. She was clumsy because she was nervous, and you know how I find that so endearing. It was raining when she walked me to my car, and kissed me so hotly in the street while raindrops rolled down our faces. She’s a little rough and pulled my hair back to kiss my neck. I loved it.

Met a woman named Beautiful in the bathroom. She has a glass eye and let me tap it. Told me she was a model for prosthetics. She was a cool person. Gave me her number. Pretty sure we’re pals now.

It’s Sunday and I haven’t changed from my Ariel pajamas. Vadim just invited me to a birthday party for his friends tonight. It feels too “soon” for us for me to go, but I want to see him badly so what the hell. I’m off to shower now and get cute. Crossing my fingers I wake up in time to see the Dome tomorrow morning before work :)

[ditalkseats-blog]

Super Loco, SCBD, Jakarta Selatan, ID.

Got the chance to feast on this happening Mexican restaurant thanks to pergikuliner! A collaboration between Union and Loco from Singapore, no wonder this place becomes hip in a bat of an eye. Newest addition of middle-upper class restaurants in Pacific Place. One essential tip from me before you visit this place: lower your expectations! The service was not up to par with its hype.

Food and beverages: 4.5/5 Personally I’m a big fan of Mexican food. Tacos, quesadillas, nachos, guac, you name it! We splurged on a few of their menu, starting from appetizers, main dish, to desserts. - Con Todos: corn chips with spicy piña salsa (FAVE! Using pineapple as main ingredient, I love this one since spiciness didn’t overpower and rather addictive), guacamole (tasted great, balanced between sour and savory but lacking original avocado texture - too mushy), and salsa roja (fresh tomato and sour in the right way). Corn chips itself was salty and crisp, combined with the sauces it became even tastier! Served as a great appetizer or snack if you’re in that state where you’re not that full and still want a bite. - Quesadilla (Queso): quesadilla filled with fresh aged cheese and mozzarella, topped with sprinkles of jalapeño and parsley. So damn good! The cheese was so prominent, the quesadilla dough was finely sliced, it was almost like thin pizza. Jalapeño and parsley were a perfect addition that spiced it and escalated the whole thing. - Tacos (Cachete y Lengua): taco filled with sliced ox tongue, diced ox cheek, coleslaw, and chili. This one’s spicy enough to satisfy me! Tortilla had a distinctive floral scent that contrasted the slightly stinky meat. Somehow worked well together although the spiciness was a little too dominant. - Tostadita (Cangrejo): crispy tortillas with blue swimmer crab, habanero mayo, avocado, and onion. Another favorite of mine! The flavorful toppings collaborated so well with the crispy corn chips! Crab was fresh and still had its texture. Had the most amazing taste! The only downside was the too small portion. - Burrito (Camarones): this one’s only available on lunch time so if you want a bite of this, you should come by at 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This burrito is filled with grilled king prawns, avocado, lettuce, achiote mayo, and quinoa. This dish is quite fulfilling while the others were more suitable for light bites. Tasted average though, the prawn had a smokey taste. The dressings were too salty. - Pastel de Maiz Azul: cornbread served with vanilla ice cream and berries, this dessert was quite heavy. The cornbread itself was sweet, vanilla ice cream was even sweeter, and the berries balanced everything with its sourness. - Churros: soft batter inside and crispy outside made me understand why there’s always room for dessert. Came with two dippings: berries and chocolate. I couldn’t stop savoring this postre. - Orange Juice: fresh orange juice without ice! Gaaawd. - Mandarine Jasmine Tea: very calming and smelled nice! Great choice to water down the spiciness that’s a trademark for mexican food. Overall the foods were great, most came in small portion but since we ordered a lot it was fulfilling enough (especially the burrito).

Pricing: 3/5 Overpriced! Even though the food tasted awesome, the portions were relatively small. Besides the food, I think they were also selling the “vibes” and ambience of this place. Con Todos costed IDR 110k, Quesadilla Queso IDR 65k, Tacos Cachete y Lengua IDR 70k, Tostadita Cangrejo IDR 105k, Burrito de Camarones IDR 105k, Pastel de Maiz Azul IDR 65k, Churros IDR 55k, Mandarine Jasmine Tea IDR 45k, Orange Juice IDR 55k, with overall tax 20% (10% service and 10% PB1). All in all the three of us spent almost IDR 900k. Pricey!

Ambience: 4.5/5 One word: fancy. A new spot located in Pacific Place, easy to spot since it’s on the outside. There are two parts of this restaurant: outdoor and indoor (you can smoke inside after 4 pm). There are only three tables available outside divided by trees and covered by glass panes that look so pretty under the sunlight. The ceilings are high and a small bar is also accessible. Once you go inside, you’ll find a pleasing bar with inviting warm lighting on the right, and on the left there are cute murals by the wall and the seatings (booths, sofas, and normal chairs). The ceilings are so high that makes the place seem so spacious and you definitely will be charmed by the iconic murals. The booths are quite cramped, the sofa can be a photogenic spot since the mural is behind it. I suggest you take the place outside since it’s very pretty! I sat in the sofa by the murals facing the bar. I just love the vibes this place offer and its super extra decors.

Service: 2.5/5 We made a reservation since the week before and specifically asked for outdoor seating but when we came, the lady upfront easily said that outdoor seatings are strictly for walk-in only and it isn’t available at the moment. They could’ve said that on the phone! We weren’t allowed to take outdoor pictures as well (with professional camera). We were seated in the booth, where we feel cramped; then we asked to move to the sofa. A few minutes later, we were told that the table was only available until 4 pm. WHAT?! Luckily the food came fast and we were able to finish it before 4 pm so all is well. The waitress and waiters were really nice and attentive though (one of them named Akmal and he’s really proficient in English, knows the dish well and was able to answer our inquiries, bravo!). Overall I was not satisfied with the service.

Highlight: start with con todos as an appetizer or snack, then have quesadilla queso and tostadita cangrejo, finish with a plate of churros and a cup of hot tea while you sit outdoor watching the cars pass or simply having a conversation with your friends! A blissful afternoon guaranteed!

#SuperLoco #pacificplace #SCBD #jakarta selatan #indonesia