#stir fry lovers

[viapu-com]

Indulge in the rich taste of our simple-to-make Beef Stir Fry. A seamless blend of sizzling beef, crisp veggies & mouthwatering spices. Treat yourself to an explosion of flavor at home! #SavorTheFlavor 🍲

#beef stir fry #easy recipes #home cooking #Savor the Flavor #food lovers #delicious meals #quick and simple #Asian cuisine #cooking at home #flavorful dishes #recipe of the day #foodie inspiration #homemade stir fry #beef recipes #high protein meals #kitchen adventures #savory meals #stir fry lovers #culinary delights #taste bud explosion

[toriadisphoria-disphoriclul-blog]

Teriyaki beef and black bean stir-fry tonight

#fatty #food #foodie #foodpics #foodporn #dinner #cooking #home cooking #one meal a day #stir fry #beefstirfry #teriyaki #black beans #so yummy #food lover #foodlover

[134340am]

i can never get over how big yellow onions are like some of them are even bigger than apples!!!! @_@

#the funny thing is my family only eats red onions and shallots #and one day a few years ago my maternal figure came back with a yellow onion and all of us were like 😮😮😮 #we were INTRIGUED #yellow onions taste so gooood tho like they cook down faster and they’re so soft and sweet #but i don’t think they’re as fragrant as red onions!!! : ( #so yellow onions go better in like thick soups for flavour and some natural sweetness #but red onions and shallots are better for stir fry… methinks #this is an onion lover zone #onion haters dni #tmi tuna #cw food

[hartmanclay]

Veggie Stir-Fry with Potatoes Try this hearty stir-fry that is vegan-friendly as a side dish or filling main course; the meal is a little different because it uses potatoes instead of noodles.

#place potatoes #potatoes recipe #twist #veggie stir-fry #stir-fry lovers #red potatoes #noodles

[zhongrin]

“no, i’m not jealous.”

— he is, most definitely, jealous.

◇ characters ◇ zhongli (ft. platonic!childe), al haitham, ayato, cyno

◇ tags ◇ fluff, crack, (character) is so totally not jealous, okay? okay.

◇ a/n ◇ i wrote this at like 2am don’t @/ me-

bad summary of content utc: 1) rip childe. 2) legends say you can foretell your future by the shape of al haitham's pecs. 3) ayato vs taroumarou; who wins? the result might surprise you. 4) cyno just wants some cuddles someone save him.

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 ⬙ 𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡

zhongli, jealous? ridiculous.

zhongli is unyielding and self-assured. he was a revered archon, for celestia’s sake; he knows he’s wanted, and even now as a mortal he’s not foreign to the longing looks, stuttered words, and the blushes that rise to his fellow mortals’ cheeks whenever he speaks to them.

and you - you want him just as much, if not more; yet you’re different than the others in the way that you’ve successfully managed to carve a perfect little home in his heart and chose to stay there, much to his delight.

you’ve promised him your heart and the entirety of your life. he’s promised you happiness and his eternal love. you’ve been bound by the most sacred contract of all, the proofs of your vows to each other clearly wrapped onto your ring fingers.

so really, what would such petty, shallow emotion like jealousy serve?

“wow, you’re really good with your hands!”

“i’m not sure if being able to use chopsticks is a good measurement of one’s proficiency with their hands, but... thanks?”

“isn’t it harder to-” childe pauses to speak when you offer him a bite of sweet-and-sour pork and rice, gratefully takes the food, and hums in appreciation before continuing his words, “-feed others with a chops-”

“chew and swallow first; you’ll choke.”

the harbinger obediently obeys, but not before chirping a playful “okay mom/dad!” with his mouth full. you sigh and turn towards your abnormally silent lover, finding him barely picking at his own food.

“li? why aren’t you eating?”

“hm? i was just… thinking.”

“thinking,” you repeat with a fond roll of your eyes and a teasing grin on your lips, “when are you not? well, i’m sure you haven’t forgotten how to use chopsticks, so i don’t need to feed you, right?”

your husband’s lips part, as if he wanted to say something, but right at the same moment, you notice childe trying to pick up his rice, failing miserably with his horrible chopsticks control. as if on autopilot, you used your utensils to pick up the grains from his bowl into his mouth.

zhongli’s words fizzle on his tongue. the way you fuss over the brunette fuels the rumbling growls of the slumbering dragon which has been sleeping for eons, slowly baring its fangs inside his chest. gloved fingers wrap around his teacup a tad too tight, but alas, you fail to notice your brooding husband's silent fury.

he knows it’s just your instinct, to care for others and to cater to other people’s happiness. it’s one of the traits he adores from you. if anything, it looks more like a parent-child(e) relationship rather than that of lovers - besides, no personage living in liyue would think of you as the snezhnayan's significant other. that, he is confident of.

but do you really have to hand-feed a grown-up man - a fatui harbinger who almost leveled your whole nation onto the seabed at that - who was most definitely capable of feeding himself, and with your chopsticks nonetheless- wait.

before you can bring the two sticks anywhere near the plates containing childe’s food, your husband's hand gently pushes your chopsticks away. upon the questioning arch of your eyebrows, he opts for a patient and calm-sounding tone, “darling, please. eat. you haven’t touched your food for far too long.”

he then replaced your set of utensils with his own; the movement so smooth and natural you didn’t even notice, before turning to childe and scooping the extra spicy vegetable stir fry towards the brunette.

childe’s blue eyes widen in half shock and half embarrassment, and you nearly choke on your food at the comical sight.

“um-”

“eat.”

“a-ah, miss xiangling, can i have a spoo-”

“eat.”

no, he most definitely isn’t jealous.

“-who’s my prettiest boy? yes you are!”

“… what in teyvat are you doing?”

you blink innocently at your boyfriend, who had just woken up judging from the way his coat is still missing from his person, and momentarily your eyes flit downwards to appreciate the way his muscles look in his tight black bodysuit.

hmmm. ah, yes. you can see it from the way his abs look today. it is going to be a good day.

“hey,” a condescending snap of his fingers right in front of your face, and you glare at the smug expression on al haitham's face, “eyes up here.”

“i wasn’t looking at your pecs.”

“i never said anything like that.”

“not your manboobs either.”

“for the hundredth time, i do not have manboobs. and for the second time, i never said nor implied anything even remotely close to that.”

“well, i would like to inform you that i was not.”

al haitham gives you a knowing smirk and you huff in embarrassment, choosing to ignore him by looking away and refocusing on the tiny sprout (the actual plant, not that little adorable sprout on the top of his head), smiling and going back to the higher, loving pitch you used previously.

“i’m sorry baby, ignore mr. narcissist over there. now. you’re growing up so well! i can’t wait to see you grow taller and see the beautiful blooms you make! i just know my little pogchamp will-”

“what in lord kusanali’s name are you doing?”

“shut your damn mo- ahem!” you sigh and throw a pointed look at the scribe, “i am conducting a research, mind you. kindly fu- i mean- kindly ignore me and go prepare for your day.”

“enlighten me, then. what kind of research involves baby-talking to a plant?”

you roll your eyes and turn to address him properly, “ugh, fine, if you’re soooo curious, i’ll tell you. so, i read a research journal that testified something along the line of ‘speaking positive words, such as encouragements and praises to a plant, will aid its growth and make them bloom faster’. i’m trying to test that theory. now - this is veveh. i am going to tell him he’s a good, beautiful boy every day and praise him and sing for him. that one,” you point towards the plant at the far opposite side of the room near the windows, “is hawky. i’m going to tell him he’s a bast- the opposite of what veveh is. and we have [nickname] in our bathroom, which will be the control group. i’m going to give them all an equal amount of sunlight and water, and i have a journal and a kamera to regularly record the state of the plants. i plan to monitor them at least three times a day, and-”

“and who named these stupid plants?”

you gasp, scandalized, and swiftly move to cover veveh as if you’re covering a child’s ears from harmful words. which, in this case, the image isn’t far from the truth in your eyes.

“hey!! what did i say?! watch your words!! and it was kaveh’s idea!”

“of course it was,” the scholar sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, “are you not my significant other? surely you’re smart enough to notice the implications behind the names and the assignments of the roles. why would you agree to make the plant named after me the specific sample that would have to suffer from derogatory words?”

“…”

“…”

“…… wait, haitham, are you jealous?”

al haitham blinks and looks at you as if you’ve told him that you’ve replaced him as the akademiya’s scribe and he’s been exiled from the akademiya because his performance is unsatisfactory.

“i never said anything like that.”

“awww, would you like me to tell you you’re a good boy too? want me to tell you how pretty and lovely you are? how you’re doing suuuuch a good job at work? oh, sweetums-”

“i will be leaving now, you’re creeping me out.”

you giggle uncontrollably and lean closer to the tiny plant, snickering and lowering your voice into a whisper as you watch your beloved running away in embarrassment finally leaving you to your own devices, “hey, veveh. your dad is adorable, isn’t he?”

. . . ⚘ ⚘ ⚘

veveh ends up flourishing and its first flower bloomed way ahead of the two, therefore concluding your research on a high note. however, the morning after you submit your first draft of your thesis, you find the plant missing.

instead, in its place is hawky. you also find your boyfriend sitting right beside it, reading his advanced quantum theories book outloud.

yes, your boyfriend is truly very adorable indeed.

ayato loves dogs, he really does.

he also does not condone animal abuse, and that principle is currently the only thread that’s preventing him from pushing the animal away from your lap. your lap, which should have been his pillow. his much-needed, much-deserved, comfiest pillow on teyvat that could make him fall asleep in minutes and is the only reason he would skip work.

“oh, darling, i thought you were busy?” you ask in surprise upon seeing his form standing by the door.

“i needed a break, i was getting a little stressed,” he says, walking towards your side to sit on the cushion, hoping you’ll catch on to what he’s implying with both his words and actions.

your eyes are shining as you regard him, and his heart jumps-

“good job, i’m happy you’re not overworking yourself, love.”

“... why, thank you.”

you nod and glance down as taroumaru twitches and whines in his sleep, crooning softly at the adorable sight of the animal’s twitching legs.

“i wonder what he’s dreaming about,” you giggle softly.

ayato doesn’t understand how you can make him feel as if he’s falling in love with you all over again, yet at the same time, you make him want to punch the nearest wall in frustration.

with a tired sigh, he flops his head onto your shoulder it should have been your lap darn it and he nuzzles into the fabric of your kimono like a cat that’s seeking attention. the sweet soft laugh escapes your lips once more and he waits.

….

….

.... your hands are still petting the dog.

this is ridiculous, he thinks. the mutt is asleep; surely you would turn your attention to your poor fiancé, right? surely you wouldn’t be so heartless as to ignore him when he’s seeking you out like this? surely you would pity his overworked self and grant him some comfort even just a little-

“you really don’t have any meetings?”

“…. no, i don’t,” he hums casually and adds an exaggerated yawn.

“i think you need a nap, ayato.”

one of your hands finally rests upon his cheek and caresses his skin lovingly. a content little smile stretches his lips, but it disappears when your touch retreats all too soon for his liking.

maybe he should consider having a ‘no pets allowed in kamisato estate’ rule.

the door suddenly slides open to reveal thoma, who took one good look at the two of you and being the ever so polite man that he is, immediately splutters an apology for interrupting what seemed to be an intimate, relaxing moment between lovers.

the yashiro commissioner seizes the chance.

“it's fine, thoma. you’re here to take taroumaru on a walk, yes?”

at the keyword, the canine’s ears flick and his beady eyes open.

“huh? no, i just-”

“wonderful! why don’t you take him on a long walk, i’d say he’s just itching for some exercise after napping for so long.”

“eh? um-” thoma freezes at the cold smile on the young master’s face and forces a laugh at your inquiring gaze, “-y-yeah! waka is completely right! c’mon boy, it’s time for your walk!”

with a happy bark, the dog leaps out from your lap and bounds towards the housekeeper, who gave the two of you a sheepish nod before sliding the door shut.

ayato hums in satisfaction and reclaims his throne. without him even needing to ask, your fingers settle onto his blue locks, blunt nails scratching his scalp. you bend down to place a loving peck on his forehead, your scent envelopes his senses, and he melts.

ah, the taste of victory is always sweet.

“just one more game!”

“but love-”

“just one more game, please please please please!”

cyno sighs, “you said the same thing three rounds ago.”

i’m tired, i want to cuddle you now, the general mahamatra tries to telepathically communicate right into your brain by staring at you with his soft and downturned vermillion eyes. alas, you are too focused on refining your tcg deck and testing it against the man and the legend himself.

“i swear this time it’ll really be the last!!”

being a rather new player that you are, you’re still clumsy in your actions and strategies, but he can sense you improving with every match you lost. the way you’re so passionate and fully throw yourself into the things you’re interested in never fails to bring a sense of pride into his heart, but seriously - even the most serious of men needs a cuddle every now and then. plus, you fit so well into his arms! can you blame him for being a little needy after a whole three hours of being denied any sort of affection despite the fact that you’re seated right across this stupid table??

you can’t and you shouldn't.

“you promise this will be the last round?”

“for today, yes!”

your boyfriend sighs and nods. yes, his need to cradle you in his arms is overwhelming. but when you look at him with eyes that shine brighter than the stars in the desert at night, how can he refuse? he’d give you a whole oasis if you asked for it. he can last just one more round of tcg.

... right?

cyno swears it has to be the longest match of his life.

you’re so cute when you’re thinking over your actions; eyes gazing upon your cards and his in contemplation as you mumble strategies under your breath. you’re so cute when you do a little cheer as the dice gods graced you with luck on your dice rolls. you’re so cute when you gasp in awe as he pulls a rather tricky maneuver that ruined your plans to attack his deck in this round.

archon kusanali give him strength, for you’re so cute and he wants a cuddle so badly.

“nooooooo,” you cry out in despair as he downs the last two of your characters at the same time with a well-timed elemental reaction, your body slumping against the table.

cyno can’t help but smile, although he does feel a bit bad from beating you yet again, so he decides to give you a little tip to hopefully cheer you up, “almost got me there. why don’t you try using a freeze team next time? you have the cards for it, and i think it'll suit your playstyle.”

at once, your head snaps up and you meet his gaze with determined eyes.

oh.

oh, he just dug a grave for himself didn’t he.

“[name]-”

“you’re right. let me- let me rebuild my deck, wait-”

“you promised-”

“i know, i know! just- fifteen minutes! give me fifteen minutes!!”

cyno wishes he could bang his head against the table, rattle his stupid brain and zip big mouth shut.

he just wants a cuddle.

why is it so hard to get a cuddle?

what’s a man gotta do these days for a cuddle??

cyno sees you staring at your character cards with your hand on your chin, clearly in deep thought. your boyfriend then opts to glare at his character cards, as if they were the ones who had stolen his cuddles, but a few seconds into that and he scoffs, looking away to the side as warmth rapidly bloomed across his cheeks.

seriously, what kind of man gets jealous of a card game?

but cuddles...

© zhongrin | 2023 ◆ no repost. reblogs much appreciated. feel free to reach out to submit suggestions, feedback, comments, or if you just want to talk!

◇ taglist ◇ @thestarsofenkanomiya | @genshinparty | @abyssmal-skies | @hamdehlesmis | @depressivecomforts | @sophiethewitch1 | @why-am-i-here-someone-save-me | @sunnshineflxwer | @heartonthemoon | @yuutasbabe | @percyval-archives | @carbs-need-more-love | @rebeccka | @queen-belial | @stygianoir | @silentmoths | @niktwazny303 | @dustofthedailylife | @herdrops | @diebischesther | @marina-and-the-memes | @angryhope | @mixed-kester | @shuangxo | @fiannee | @lordbugs | @anonymousficreader | @shizunxie | @ladylofspades | @sup-zfam | @ansy-tea

#genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #zhongli #zhongli x reader #ayato #kamisato ayato #ayato x reader #al haitham #al haitham x reader #cyno #cyno x reader #rin writes

[theminecraftbee]

> check social links

(Which Social Link should I check on...?)

0 FOOL School Rescue Committee Should this really be an official school club? The group of Persona-users that I'm in now, whether I like it or not. At least I'm helping people by doing all this weird magic nonsense...

I MAGICIAN Scar A fellow Persona-user a year below me, although my senior in fighting Shadows. He's dragged me into his scam crystal-selling operation, which is actually weirdly fun.

II PRIESTESS Beef Pretty large and muscular for a priestess, but sure, I'll bite. A volunteer EMT who is trying to decide whether to follow his family's wishes for university.

III EMPRESS Gem A fellow Persona-user in my year. She wants me to help her study for entrance exams, apparently. Not sure why she's asking me, I missed an entire semester? But it's good enough study for me as well.

IV EMPEROR Impulse A fellow Persona-user in my year. He has a single-minded devotion to overworking himself, despite the fact he seems to be trying to prove it's fine for some reason.

V HIEROPHANT Xisuma An older man who hangs out in the local tea shop. Keeps trying to parent me for some reason, although it seems like his relationship with his actual family's a bit less good, so maybe that's why.

VI LOVERS Etho My lab partner. The whole school's obsessed with him for some reason. My only solace is that he seems to be just as disconcerted by that fact as I am.

VII CHARIOT Skizzleman A fellow Persona-user in my year, and my first friend in this town. I'm helping him find a part-time job. He's sort of ridiculously cheerful, but I know he understands me better than most people.

VIII JUSTICE Grian A fellow Persona-user a year below me, although my senior in fighting Shadows. Keeps dragging me into his pranks, although for such a gregarious guy, he's weirdly isolated.

IX HERMIT Joe Hills One of my teachers, and the head of the School Rescue Committee. He's, frankly, the most bizarre guy I know, and I don't know what to make of any of the "wisdom" he tries to impart on us.

X FORTUNE Tango Apparently, he's a bit of a prodigy in the robotics club, but he first came to me to confess he's considering quitting. I have no idea why this is my problem, but Impulse frowned at me about it, so here I am.

XI STRENGTH False A local martial artist who's been decorated with a number of titles. I just wanted her to teach me how to fight better, but apparently, she's starting to doubt her own fighting ability as well.

XII HANGED MAN Jimmy Igor's assistant in the Velvet Room. He's a bit of an idiot, but he's also my idiot. Mostly wants to request I escort him to places in the human world, although he wants specific fusions sometimes too.

XIII DEATH Cleo A "florist" in town who can source us weapons and fence goods from Altered Space. I'm pretty sure she's actually Yakuza, or at least criminal. She and Joe know each other, although strangely, she doesn't seem to remember from where.

XIV TEMPERANCE Iskall and Stress Two priests at the local shrine. I work for them occasionally to help them with odd jobs around town. They share some common past they don't like to talk about.

XV DEVIL Ren The student council president. He's bizarrely mad with power on a good day, which is weird, because he's also bizarrely kickable on a good day. Keeps on trying to rope me into the Student Council.

XVI TOWER Doc An inventor trying to invent a safe new clean energy source. According to rumors, his last try exploded, killing his lab partner, which constantly makes me question why I'm here.

XVII STAR Zedaph Proprietor of the famous local "Mystery Stir Fry Extravaganza". Frankly, his creations terrify me more than Doc's do. I have no idea why this is Impulse's favorite restaurant.

XVIII MOON Mumbo A fellow Persona-user in the year below me. Apparently, he still gets bullied a lot, but he has a scheme to, and I quote, 'learn to be something scary, like a horse.' Good luck with that, mate.

XIX SUN Pearl An artist that I've always admired. Recently, she was in a terrible car accident, and her hands now constantly shake because of it. I still think she can draw organic shapes better than me, though.

XX JUDGEMENT Soul Reappearance Committee Judgement. Hah. I guess you'd call this Judgement Day, sure.

XXI THE WORLD ... It's me.

#smallishsona au #a bee fic #WOO I HAVE THE FINAL LIST OF EVERYONE! #some of joel's descriptions here actually give away the social link plotline #but a FEW of them actually do not. #but WOO HERE ARE THE SOCIAL LINKS! :D

[soapskneebrace]

What kind of lover is Soap? Is he sweet? Does he playfully pick on his S/O?

Soap x gn!Reader. Fluff, mildly suggestive.

He still smells vaguely like dust and gun oil, half an hour after his arrival and draped over you from behind like a blanket.

“Smells amazing,” he says into your neck, scraping his stubble across your skin. “How’d you know I was craving stir fry, bonnie?”

You hadn’t, in fact. It had been an effort in mitigation, a band-aid for a lonely evening—you’d thought of a previous night together, plates balanced on knees and stuffing yourselves silly as you’d wolfed down beef and snow peas in the best sauce you think you’d ever made.

“Table not on your list of priorities, hen?” he’d asked, mouth full. The sweat patches on his chest, back, and armpits had dried, but the enormous stack of boxes against your living room wall loomed still ominously.

“Tomorrow,” you’d said, because he’d promised to help you move everything, and you wanted an excuse to monopolize his time more.

“What if I get called in?” he’d said, one cheek punched out like a chipmunk’s. “I can still go tonight, ‘m not tired yet.”

In the end he had gone back for the table, and after that you’d both collapsed on your unmade bed, stale and unwashed and dropping off to sleep almost immediately.

Johnny always snuggles up to you, sometime in the middle of the night, so you'd felt it early that morning when he'd gotten up. You'd heard a flush, running sink water, and then he'd returned to you, gathering you close and kissing your face over and over to annoy you into waking.

His breath had stunk, not having seen a toothbrush since before dinner. When you'd opened your eyes, you'd still let him kiss you, tongue and all. After all, yours couldn't be much better.

"I'm a telepath," you respond, swirling meat and veggies around in the pan with a wooden spoon.

Johnny's arms are broad and warm around your middle, and he distracts you with little circles of his fingertips on your ribs. He has you flush against him, back to front, the furnace of his body almost matching the heat of the stove.

You close your eyes, let the smell of the food and Johnny's skin fill your lungs. You could be in bed with him again, with his weight at your back, too tired and unwilling to even move.

He presses his lips to your neck, licks the skin before biting down. "What am I thinking right now?" he murmurs, tongue soothing the new hickey.

"You'll resort to cannibalism if this isn't done soon?"

"Oh, eating is definitely involved."

"Damn," you sigh, "I didn't know you were into vore, Johnny, that's kind of gross."

He bites you again. "Hey."

You grin. "Get some plates down, will you?"

Soap expresses his love with touch and acts of service.

He always wants to have a hand on you. He will take every chance he can to get his mouth on you. He loves kissing you.

Soap also loves doing things for you. He will often overexert himself on your behalf.

I would not call him sweet so much as easy. Being with Soap is like breathing. He has a confidence that makes you feel like you can be completely and totally yourself around him.

#answered #soap x you #soap x reader #john mactavish x you #john soap mactavish x you #john soap mactavish x reader #john soap mactavish #soap mactavish

[laundryandtaxes]

@fetusdeletustotalus I actually happened to take pictures the most recent time I made beef burgundy, which is very handy here. What I usually make is basically an extremely simplified, totally stove-top version of the dish. I don't necessarily reference a specific recipe, but ATK has a version called Modern Beef Burgundy that's similar, though theirs is much more complex and probably, resultingly, better. I find that using fairly few ingredients works perfectly well for me, and allows me to cook this routinely without any fuss and without needing a special trip to the grocery store for anything other than a shallot if I'm out or some fresh thyme. I rely on method to build flavor, and it works for me.

Basically, for one pot:

1 lb or more of chunks of high connective tissue beef- I usually just buy what is labelled "stew beef" by the grocery store

As many carrots as I want (about twice the amount pictured), half cut into circles and half cut into quartered chunks

One onion, half cut into big chunks and half diced

A tablespoonish of butter

1 shallot, half quartered and half sliced

As much garlic as I'd like

As many potatoes as I'd like, cut to roughly similar sizes and then submerged in cold water to keep them fresh in the fridhe while everything else works. This recent batch featured maybe too many potatoes even for me, an extreme lover of potatoes

1 bay leaf

A few sprigs of thyme

3ish cups of chicken broth (not beef broth, because the storebought stuff just isn't good ime, though I've been meaning to experiment with better than bouillon beef since the chicken is so good)

3ish cups of red wine, ideally something drinkable and robust

Corn starch dissolved into a little bit of cold water- more than I, at least, initially guessed I would need

S&P

Prep all your items, and you can spend almost no time touching anything after the first few minutes.

Steps post prep:

Sear beef over medium high heat in a generousish amount of oil, just enough to get sufficient color on all chunks. I salt in the pan, and cook in batches. The reason I do this is to prevent crowding the dutch oven/steaming the meat rather than frying it. Once a chunk is ready, set it aside on a plate, etc, working in batches. You will need to monitor heat, and likely lower it at some point in this process to prevent oil smoking or anything burning. This is the only step that's trickyish.

Lower heat to medium low. Add a tablespoonish of butter. I do this for yumminess reasons and because it helps to prevent the oil/beef fat in the pan from burning. Add in the roughly chopped half of the carrots and alliums. S&P in pan. Cook until everything has some light charring. Then, add in chicken stock, wine, the bay leaf, and maybe 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. Salt again. The reason that I do this is basically to make a richer beef stock- the flavor from these carrots and onions is part of the stock, and these will eventually become mush. These are not to be eaten as pieces.

Bring to a low/moderate boil and let it reduce a little. I let it reduce until I no longer really strongly smell wine. At that point, add in beef chunks, submerging them as much as possible in liquid. Reduce to a simmer. Walk away and forget the stew for a minimum of 2 hours.

Pull beef chunks, set aside. Pour the stew liquid into a bowl through a strainer. You will be left with very mushy vegetables and your herbs in the strainer, and basically finished stew stock in the bowl. Toss the bay leaf and thyme. I personally mash the vegetables up as much as possible, then add them to the stew and stir as much as possible. If I were being sophisticated, I might immersion blend the veggies in for texture uniformity. But it's stew, and I don't have an immersion blender and this sure isn't worth using a standard blender for me. The only reason I don't just mash the vegetables in the dutch oven is that I use a potato masher and don't like using metal in my dutch oven. Otherwise, I'd just mash it in the pan directly after removing the beef.

Put everything back into the pot, and add your more nicely cut carrots, onions, and potatoes. Simmer for another 30 minutes minimum.

Prep corn starch. Once added to the stew, bring it to a boil for a minute minimum to allow the corn starch to set up.

Profit

Basically, once the veg is cut and the meat is seared, you're doing very little. This is definitely not the most classic or involved beef burgundy, it's just how I personally choose to make beef stew when I make it. Some people like to remove the fat from the broth, and there is a special measuring cup sort of device you can purchase cheaply for that purpose, or you can use an ice and ladle trick that I've heard works well. Or you can do what I do and just leave it.

[deartouya]

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE — KATSUKI BAKUGOU

⚘ summary: prompt #63 "trying to concentrate on a task, but your lover kisses your neck, making your head spin"; from my lavished in love event for @kiyelle. you've never known katsuki to be very patient, something only made worse when he's tired and needy.

⚘ pairing: pro hero!katsuki bakugou x gn!reader

⚘ warnings: a little suggestive? not too bad, established relationship, fluff, mentions of food/eating, katsuki gets clingy when he's tired bc i said so. hiii this is kinda sucky but i hope you still like it !! and i hope i did clingy katsuki justice >:))

“We’re cooking, Ki.” The words come out more exasperated than anything else, layered beneath helpless affection as you let Katsuki pull you against him, “can’t you wait until we’re done.” He huffs petulantly, shoving himself tighter against you in answer. You sigh, “never gonna be able to start the show if we can't get this done." 

It’s become increasingly difficult to focus on chopping the carrots, finishing the stir fry’s the farthest thing from your mind. Warm hands run over your hips to rest flush against your stomach and Katsuki’s nose nudges against the underside of your jaw before nestling into your hair. “Aw c’mon, angel—don’t really see you complain’.”

You’re definitely not, but it’s—he’s—distracting. The heat of him draped over your shoulders and lips running along the length of your neck. The smell of him, woodsy and sweet, seeping through your back. 

He laughs when you huff, fingers curling back around the knife to resume chopping the vegetables in front of you. Katsuki hums, low and amused, and his hands curl into your sides, thumbs beginning to rub soft circles into the skin of your hips.

It’s as if he can feel he’s already won. Your body already melding back into him, already thinking about turning off the stovetop. His teeth graze against the crook of your neck as he smiles, “mhm, no fun if you give in this fuckin’ easy. Where’s your fighting spirit, sweetheart?” He turns to start dotting kisses along the length of your jaw and neck. You can feel the flash of teeth before he nips at your pulse point.

The action makes you gasp, jolting in his hold and your fingers loosening around the knife. It provides Katsuki with an effective in, his own hand capturing your wrist and slipping the cutting board away, pulling you back against his chest.

“Katsuki—!”

You barely have time to react before you’re tugged away from the counter. A thick arm belted around your waist as Katsuki made his way into the living room, leaving dinner to grow cold on the stove.

“I hope you're happy,” you huff with one last forlorn look toward the kitchen, sinking into the plushness of your couch and surrounded by soft throws. “We’re gonna starve and it’s all because you’re too needy to wait one more hour.” 

Despite your whine, you’re quick to follow him, letting Katsuki move you onto his lap, legs bracketing his thighs and hands curling into his hair. And you’re even quicker to melt into the kiss.

Warm palms cups your cheeks, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear when he pulls back. You want to be madder, but your half-hearted glare melts under his gaze—softened with affection and adoring, cheeks dimpled with a grin.

“Shuddup, we’ll get something delivered,” Katsuuki nips, tucking your head underneath his chin and arms curling tightly around you. You can hear his heartbeat through worn-soft cotton—soft and content against you, “and I’m not fuckin’ clingy.”

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #♡.lavished in love #✶ writes #✶ writes.bnha #✶ writes.deku

[petermorwood]

Mushrooms in Cream Sauce...

...or Pilze in Sahnesoße.

This is for @killerblackberrypie, who went looking for the version on our "European Cusines" site and found the site gone.

@dduane had taken it down for maintenance, a new theme and to take some new photos, but while the site was down it web-provider went belly-up. These things happen.

"European Cuisines" Will Return - just not quite yet.

Our recipe was, ironically, one of the recipes slated for new pics, so while this text is from the site's offline backup (with a couple of tweaks from me, because why not?) photos are sourced from the web.

There are many, many other recipes online; they're mostly in German, but Google Translate handles Rezeptedeutch well enough. I've linked to a couple, which is only fair since I'm using their pix.

You'll also see the French word "champignons" in German recipes as often as German "Pilze"; I don't know whether this indicates a French origin for the recipe, or refers to a specific mushroom, or makes the dish sound more classy.

Here's one: Champignons in Sahnesauce mit Spätzle.

And here's ours...

*****

Pilze in Sahnesoße from European Cuisines.

Contrary to popular belief, Germany is not a vegetable-free zone.

In fact, unless you find yourself buried in some tiny backwater in the Black Forest or someplace similar, Germany is much kinder to both vegetable-lover and vegetarian than a lot of other places. It will be rare to find a menu that doesn't have at least a few vegetarian or at least mostly-vegetable options on it, often far more creative than you might expect.

But leaving aside for the moment the issue of vegetarianism per se, Germans really do like more vegetables than potatoes and cabbage, especially seasonal ones in their prime. Asparagus season, for instance, has its own name: Spargelzeit - "asparagus time".

And mushrooms (all right, not as true veggies, but at least as fungi) turn up as stars in many entreés, especially in dishes meant to be served in the autumn, "Pilzsaison", mushroom season, when the good little creatures are coming up all over in the woods and the supermarkets.

This recipe calls for the mushrooms to be sautéed with onions in bacon fat (the bacon is added later). The pan is then deglazed with white wine, and various spices are added, one of them being paprika, which instantly suggests that this recipe probably sneaked over the border from Austro-Hungary, possibly via the Czech Republic.

Finally the cream and bacon go in.

The result is substantial, surprisingly elegant, and yummy.

This is definitely a recipe for a high-end Hobbit menu: an entrée for anyone who doesn't want their mushrooms upstaged by overly large amounts of meat.

The bacon-fat and bacon CAN be left out completely, making the dish meat-free. Use more butter along with more mushrooms and a red pepper diced small, and add 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika.

*****

INGREDIENTS

NB, we work in metric so that's "correct"; Imperial is converted and "approximate", though it won't make much difference. Just don't combine them or your mushrooms might crash into Mars...

1 kg / 2 lb fresh mushrooms, domesticated or a mixture of wild types to taste

125g / 1/4 pound bacon, diced

60gr 1/4 cup butter or margarine

2 large onions, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

60ml / 1/4 cup (or more if needed to deglaze) white wine, preferably a medium or medium-dry one

A pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of mace

250ml / 1 cup heavy cream

The juice of half a medium-sized lemon, strained

2 sprigs of fresh parsley

METHOD

Clean the mushrooms with a soft brush or dry cloth. (Never wash mushrooms.) If they're big, cut them in half.

Fry the bacon in a wok or large pan until lightly browned. Remove the bacon from the pan and set it aside.

Add the butter to the pan drippings. Add the onions; sauté until lightly browned.

Add the mushrooms; cook them until they're tender, stirring often.

When they're tender, raise the heat slightly and stir in the wine, salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg, and mace. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Add the cooked bacon, cream and lemon juice. Reheat until just warm. Do NOT let this mixture boil!!!

Garnish with parsley and serve with noodles, dumplings, mashed potatoes, whole potatoes... And some crusty bread to chase the last of the sauce.

*****

Our original photo used Spätzle, as in the first pic. Ribbon tagliatelle works just fine as well, while here is Saure Pilz-Sahnesoße served alongside Bohemian Dumplings, a long bread dumpling boiled in water or stock then cut into thick slices.

From the same site, here's a simple potato treatment, Pilz-Sahnesoße mit Kartoffeln:

As far as we've been able to make out, the main difference between mushrooms in cream sauce as a main dish, and creamy mushroom sauce for use with something else, is the proportion of mushrooms to everything else, and often the size of pieces into which they're cut. Really small bits are one more ingredient, large generous chunks are much more front and centre.

Ours is definitely a main course, and though we haven't made it for a while, the memory of that last time still makes my Mind Palate go...

Soon. Soon...

#food and drink #mushrooms in cream sauce #german cuisine #pilze in sahnesosse

[toriadisphoria-disphoriclul-blog]

Teriyaki beef stir fry for 'stir-fryday' 😋

#food #foodie #foodpics #foodporn #fatty #dinner #cooking #home cooking #dinner time #stir fry #fryday #one meal a day #teriyaki #foodlover #food lover

[nekomacheercaptain]

You can’t help but admire your oblivious and handsome boyfriend as he’s humming and talking about you to himself while making food for everyone late one night. So, not being a person to initiate physical affection, Sanji reacts when you suddenly hug him from behind for the first time <3

Word count: 0,8K

Rating: SFW, fluff

Pairing: Sanji x gn! reader

Requested by @kazenomegaminowanpisu

Content: gender neutral reader, romance, established relationship, first time reader has initiated physical affection, nosebleed

Lively and eventful nights were promised on the Sunny, either with a celebration of surviving yet another exciting and dangerous day, or create some life when you had been on the sea too long without much adventure. However, there was always something missing amongst your joyful crewmates on those nights. And that something spent most of his time alone in the kitchen, telling you to go have fun with everyone with a promise of making you the most delicious desserts no one else had the privilege of eating.

Thinking about how the kitchen used to be a place you would avoid like your life depended on it when you got on the ship, you smiled to yourself as you walked down the hallway, inhaling that delicious smell of your boyfriend’s amazing dishes. To think there was a time without him sent shivers down your spine, unable to imagine his absence in your life ever again. Slowly opening the door to his beloved kitchen, his back was turned to you as he was frying something in a pan and cooking something else in a cauldron, too busy to notice his lover’s presence. Low humming followed by murmured praises of worship about you met your ears while the cook stirred the food, making your lips curl into a small embarrassed smile, heat pooling your cheeks.

Taking silent strides towards him, you held your arms open before hugging around him from behind, your face pressed against his back taking in his scent while he gasped, causing the sound of metal clanking to bounce off the walls along with a loud gasp from the cook. Food may have gone astray from your action and his panic, but when he realized what was suddenly so warm and pressed against his back and held a firm grasp around his stomach, he froze. It was you, his love, the star lighting up his night sky, the sun bringing warmth to his life.

But you were so quiet, and hugging him, a small tinge of concern washed over him at your uncharacteristic action, mixed with a little selfishness; he didn’t want you to let go. Sanji had dreamt of the day you came to him with open arms, switching your roles, but he had accepted that initiating affection was something you just didn’t like. Poor cook couldn’t help but worry that something bad had happened, thus not placing his hands over your smaller ones pressing into his skin.

“Y/n, my love, do you need to talk?”

Only a muffled response was elicited from you as he felt your breath through his shirt, causing goosebumps to rise all over his skin, a shudder shooting down his spine.

“I can’t hear you, darling,” he softened his voice, wishing to not scare you away in this vulnerable moment. Why else would you have come to him like this?

But he was stunned when he heard that sweet giggle that echoed in his mind at each possible moment of the day, feeling the vibrations of your chest and voice against his back, cursing at himself when his knees almost trembled. He felt the shift of your head, feeling your soft cheek press against him, knowing you had freed your mouth to speak.

“I just wanted to see you” and by everything he believed and didn’t believe in, you must have wanted to kill him.

“Wha- what?” an audible croak in his voice met you, and you hugged him harder, hearing his heartbeat grow louder and faster.

“I missed you out there, you’re always here in the kitchen alone,” you answered, your thumbs stroking over his shirt in small circles, forcing the cook to brace himself against the counter, nosebleed threatening to soon fall in the food.

“You - y/n-swan - my love - hugging me first - so warm - m’so lucky!” his words were incoherent, making you laugh against him as you felt him tremble under your touch and confession. With a swift move of your head, you kissed his back, making it arch at the affection with a loud gasp, and nosebleed shot out of his nose.

“Oh y/n! I love I love you I love you, pleaseneverstophugging me! Youcanhugandkissmeall youwant,mylove!”

Staying in the kitchen the rest of the night was a good decision, since Sanji had to throw away the food to make more without blood in it. But it was all worth it, the cook now addicted to feel your hands hug his waist while adoring how warm you were against his back.

I love Sanji’s nosebleed (except under the fishman island arc), so I’m keeping that. Anyway thanks for the request, and hope you enjoyed it!

Tags: @benkeibear @hooliescorner @unsuretater-simp @wurm-food

If you want to join my taglist, you can find it here! <3

#sanji x reader #sanji #vinsmoke sanji #one piece x reader #one piece #my work #request #x reader

[jankandjonch]

Reasons for Waiting

This was requested by my sister. You can blame her for the pain. *Based off of Dorothea by Taylor Swift.

words: ~1000 content warnings: sad, friends to almost-lovers to strangers

_______________________________________________________

“Hey, honey?”

“Yes, Daniel?,” you huffed. He knew you didn’t like him calling you that in front of anyone. Let alone his whole family, and all of the Kiszka’s too. Not that they could hear, you’re definitely out of earshot and he’s speaking low and slow.

“Are you gonna miss me?,” he sounds hopeful, but still so sad and small.

“Of course I will, Danny. I’m going to miss you every second of every day. That’s not even a question,” your hand found his, tangling your fingers together.

He was the lucky one. He was going to have constant distractions, being on the road and traveling the world, being around his brothers and meeting millions of… girls. You’ll be stuck here, back home in Michigan. Waiting around for him. It’s not like you could ever move on.

“We were so close, weren’t we?,” he’s got tears in his eyes now, to match the ones in yours.

“And so, so far,” you let out an unamused laugh.

“So far from where we wanted to be, but we still had a good run, right?,” he brushed a tear off of his cheek with the back of his hand.

“We did. I guess it wasn’t really a run, though. Since you never pulled the trigger,” you dropped his hand from yours, instead favoring to tickle his side a bit to make him laugh, before wrapping your arm around his back.

“You didn’t either!,” he laughed, tears still streaming out of his eyes. He lets a beat of silence go by, just enjoying the feeling of your fingers as they find the hem of his shirt and skirt underneath it to touch his warm skin. “Long distance would be a really, really tough way to start a relationship, honey. I don’t think either one of us is strong enough for that.”

“I know, baby. I know.”

“I wanted to give it all to you, you know? I pictured us getting an apartment out in Saginaw. Working some dead end jobs, just to make a life together work. I never pictured this. I never thought the band would actually make it,” he’s crying in earnest now, you are too. Chests heaving for breath, clinging tighter onto each other. “I almost want to just..”

“Daniel Robert, don’t you ever say that. Music means so much to you, and I would never allow you to throw it all away for me,” you had a hand on his face, making him look into your eyes. Sharing just how much hurt was hovering between the two of you.

“I know,” he mumbles, dropping his face into your neck and taking a shaky breath. “Look, it doesn’t have to be forever, right? I’ll wait for you if you’ll wait for me. Me and the boys, we can go to Nashville and get the band really going. Make some good money, and I can afford to support us both with it. You can move down there with us,” he knows he’s dreaming, but damn does it feel good to have a sliver of hope somewhere in his heart.

“Yeah,” you smile softly against his forehead, knowing it was a farfetched dream too. “I’ll always wait for you, Dan.”

You knew you meant those words. It’s not that he didn’t mean his too, but you weren’t naive enough to think that him launching a rock n roll career was going to keep him humble and waiting. You knew he would do his best to keep in touch, for as long as possible. It’d be a month, maybe six, maybe a year. But it would fizzle out. He’d make new, interesting, shiny, musician friends. You’d keep him as close as possible for as long as you could, though. Vowing not to waste a moment.

~

It was four months, one week, and 4 days.

He started out FaceTiming you every day, showing you his moving in progress into his and Sam’s apartment. Taking you grocery shopping with him so you could remind him what ingredients he needed to make that stir fry you always made him that he liked so well. Propping his phone up in the studio, just to feel your presence while he and the boys played, something they all seemed to enjoy — waving at you, asking you how you felt about a certain lyric, and of course Joshua asking you to take his side in every argument.

It shortened about a month in, to texts every day, but FaceTimes maybe once a week. Then those turned into empty promises of calls, and eventually around month three it was only sporadic texts. Albeit they were lengthy, filling you in on days or weeks worth of information at a time. Month four was when you knew it was going to end soon. You had seen the video a mutual friend posted on instagram, Danny in the back corner laughing and play fighting with a girl. You weren’t jealous, not even sad. You had known it was going to happen.

Above all else, you were ready for the end. To be able to finally let out the breath you had been holding onto for all these years. The boy that was never yours, who almost was, only when it was too late. One week and 4 days later you got text, assumably a drunken one.

“Just wanted to say thanks for always being there. You made my roots something to be proud of. I’ll carry a piece of you with me forever.”

You found yourself smiling as you cried, mourning the death of the friendship you had with him, but feeling so, so incredibly proud of the man you watched him become.

“If you’re ever tired of being known for who you know, you know you’ll always know me. I love you, Daniel.”

#danny #danny wagner #daniel wagner #daniel r wagner #daniel robert wagner #gvf #greta van fleet #danny wagner angst #danny wagner blurb #gvf angst #gvf blurb #greta van fleet angst #greta van fleet blurb

[cryoculus]

— guard dog 06 ⟢

pairing: thoma x assassin!reader

summary: just when you thought your life has stabilized somewhat, familiar faces start to resurface—reminding you of where your allegiance should lie.

word count: 4.3k words

notable characters: thoma, kamisato ayaka, kujou sara

tags: found family, enemies to lovers, slow burn, angst, eventual smut

masterlist

You should find it terrifying, how comfortable you’ve become over the next few days.

After attending the festival with Thoma, he seemed to be more present than what you’d gotten used to. Instead of leaving you a list of chores to get done before fucking off somewhere else, the chief retainer was currently busying himself with repairing some rotting floorboards in the pavilion. Neither the attendants nor the guards found his behavior odd—simply carrying on with their own duties as if seeing the highest ranking retainer subject himself to manual labor was a normal thing. 

Well, this wasn’t the first time you’ve seen him pitch in with the housework around the estate. You recalled the one time you witnessed the man trimming hedges during your stakeout days, but that's besides the point!

Thoma was humming leisurely as he tossed the old slabs of wood with new ones—hammering them in place without a care in the world. And he wasn’t just replacing the floorboards, he made sure they were a perfect fit. He even brought out sheets of sandpaper to smoothen the edges and even them out with the rest of the platform! What amateur carpenter does that?

But before you could watch his handiwork more closely, you were scolded for taking too long to bring Ayaka’s and Ayato’s covers to the wash. 

The next time you saw the chief retainer was on your way to the attendants’ quarters. Laundry wasn't very high on your list of favorite chores, and you figured that an afternoon siesta could give you the proper rest and relaxation you direly needed. 

However, when you passed by the common hall, you heard a fit of familiar laughter spilling out of the room. 

You silenced your steps as you observed the scene through a crack in the shoji. Inside, Thoma and a few elderly retainers were seated around a low table—vibrant crochets and knitting needles in hand. A scowl made itself on your face as the blond taught old lady Furuta how to specifically do a cross-stitch pattern resembling a little shiba puppy. The others giggled at his instruction before silently following his lead as well. 

Sliding the door shut, you muttered to yourself on your way back to your room.

“What the fuck…”

By dinner time, the whiplash had been abated slightly, since you had to retrieve the dried sheets from the clothesline, fold them, and put them back in the cabinets. You were busy enough to not think about a certain chief retainer, and it stayed that way for the remainder of the late afternoon.

That’s until you got to the kitchen—intent on getting a glass of water, only to see Thoma with an apron around his waist as he mixed some stir-fried rice on a large wok pan. 

“What the fuck…?”

This time, you couldn’t quite be left alone with your curiosity. 

“Mmm? Oh, Miss Kira,” the bastard chirped, tending to the coals underneath the stove as he wiped a sheen of sweat off his brow. “Didn’t think I’d see you here. Are you opposed to taste testing the katsudon I’ll be serving later? Oh, I’m also pairing it with my special miso soup, since everyone did a great job today.”

“Are you for real?” 

Thoma raised an eyebrow before turning to the adjacent stove, where he was deep-frying breaded katsu strips and boiling a pot of hot water. “Pardon?”

You could only stare at him in jaw-dropping disbelief. This couldn’t be right. Wasn’t Thoma the chief retainer who swore fealty to the Yashiro Commission? A well-known fixer in Ritou Harbor? Kamisato Ayaka’s unsung bodyguard? 

Who in the seven nations is the househusband standing in front of you right now, then?!

“W-Whatever,” you mumbled, pouring yourself a cup of water like initially planned. “Don’t you have anything more important to do, though? You’ve been doing housework all day, it’s kind of weirding me out.”

He smiled, resting the hand not holding a long metal spoon on his waist. “What do you mean? I’m always doing housework when I don’t have any other pre-assigned tasks. I’m not the Kamisato clan’s housekeeper for nothing, you know.” 

“Excuse me, the what?”

Thoma chuckled softly before turning to the food he’s preparing—not quite entertaining your question just yet. He hummed the same song he’d been humming to earlier in the day as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks resting on the counter. To your surprise, he snatched up one of the katsu strips he’d already finished frying before making his way towards you.

“Say ah~” He opened his mouth wide as if you were a toddler. 

“I am going to kill you,” you spoke flatly. “I am seriously going to kill you and find the real Master Thoma.”

Thoma pouted. “But this is the real me. The only reason I’ve been out and about for the past few weeks was because I was gathering intel about you. The Commissioner refused to sit still until I presented him with enough information to ensure you’re not a psychotic killer that indiscriminately culls the people around her.” 

You scowled again. “So you’re letting me know that Lord Ayato ordered you to do a background check on me just like that?”

“Well, you already knew that I was curious, too, so…”

Unbelievable.

But in the back of your mind, you thought about how his constant presence over the past few days indicated that Thoma was done trying to dig up dirt on you. It’s either he’d already gleaned what Ayato wanted to know, or you’ve already gained their trust. 

The latter was embarrassingly unlikely. 

“Let me have it.”

The blond perked up at your words. “Have what?”

You sighed, pointing at the breaded pork strip he’s still waving around like a snack. “Your cooking. I’ll be the judge of your proficiency as the Kamisato clan’s so-called housekeeper.”

“I see.” He grinned, drawing closer as he held the katsu to your lips. “Well, prepare to be blown away, Miss Kira. Everyone here is a huge fan of my rice bowls. Even the princess.”

Scoffing, you parted your lips—letting Thoma drop it into your mouth before he pulled his gloved hand away with a satisfied smile. You rolled your eyes as you chewed, trying your best to ignore his intent, green-eyed gaze. 

…It wasn’t half bad. The breading added a good crunch to each bite. There’s a bit too much grease for your liking, but it seemed like he marinated the meat well enough to encourage a savory flavor… And was that a hint of lime you’re tasting? 

“You like it.”

“I do not.”

“Your eyes definitely lit up just now.”

“How do you know that? Were you looking into my eyes while I ate your cooking or something?”

“If I told you I was?”

“Um…”

It was only at the sound of another person’s voice that you realized how closely Thoma was hovering in front of you. Almost immediately, the two of you sprang apart, eyeing the newcomer with feigned curiosity. Ayame stood at the doorway with an awkward look.

“Madarame asked us to set the tables at the pavilion,” she said dryly. “Excuse me…” 

“Sure. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” Thoma chipped in. “Oh, and Miss Ayame, can you set out a few extra bowls? I made miso tonight.”

That seemed to surprise her. “Y-You did? I’m sure everyone’s going to be elated with the news.”

After that, two more attendants filed into the kitchen as they helped Ayame carry the bowls, chopsticks, and other utensils needed for a full meal. Thoma engaged you in a lighthearted conversation about how he mixed his breading batter, but as the attendants left the room, you couldn’t help but feel Ayame’s eyes lingering on your form until the moment they departed.

“Miss Kira, did you get that?”

You blinked, turning to Thoma with a flabbergasted look. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I said,” he emphasized, plucking another katsu strip from the serving plate as he brought his chopsticks to your lips again. As absentminded as you were, you gladly ate it. “Milady and I are headed to one of our strongholds in Inazuma City to meet a certain contact of ours. For some reason, she wants you to come with.”

You frowned. “What does she need me for?”

“I have some idea, but you’re not going to like it if you hear it,” Thoma chuckled, scooping rice into individual bowls before layering three strips of pork on top. “So let’s just leave it as a surprise for tomorrow.”

“I haven’t even agreed to go yet.”

“I didn’t really say you had a choice~”

You shot him a grimace that would’ve petrified him on the spot. Archons, if only his cooking wasn’t as good as it was… 

“Fine,” you relented. “You better compensate me for my cooperation.” 

“Sure! I’ll treat you out for a drink at the end of the week,” Thoma proposed. “How’s that sound?”

Another scowl. First it had been Hina and her friends who’d invited you for drinks, and now Thoma? Okay, scratch what you said earlier. These people trusted you way too much. 

…But you’re no saint. Of course you’ll take advantage of that any way you could.

With a smile you prayed was convincing enough, you gave him your answer.

“Looking forward to it.”

You shouldn’t have come along.

Not only did walking back into Inazuma City unnerve you to hell, but the fact that you’re tailing one of the nation’s beloved sweethearts meant that all eyes were on your little semi-royal retinue. Ayaka greeted anyone and everyone who gave her the time of day with a quick nod and a heartwarming smile. It’s no wonder the Yashiro Commission was so close to the people. They had someone as naturally charismatic as Ayaka to keep up with public relations, after all. 

You didn’t really pay much mind to the princess’ popularity, though. You’re more concerned with the fact that an old client might recognize your face, see you with Ayaka, and put two and two together. 

The last thing you wanted to deal with was the possibility of your cover being blown. Of all the places you could be found out, the streets of the capital itself were the most troublesome of them all. If you got outed here, your credibility as a mercenary would wash down the drain, never to be restored aga—

“Miss Kira, you look a bit troubled.”

You turned to Thoma with a disgruntled look.

“You think?” you grumbled. “I’m not exactly used to being in the center of secondhand attention. Not my style.”

The chief retainer chuckled as the two of you watched Ayaka converse with a lady who sold patterned textile for a living. “Well, you have to get used to it if you’re going to be a Kamisato retainer.”

“Like hell I will.”

He let out another laugh before saying something about stubborn loners. Before you could inflict physical pain on him to retaliate, though… 

“Ah, but Miss Kira, before we arrive at our destination.” Thoma dropped his voice a few pitches lower, green eyes roving around as if to survey your surroundings.

Your brow arched. “What?”

“Can I ask you to stay true to your character? As Kira of the Sangonomiya resistance?”

No matter how you tried to process his words, you couldn’t really make sense of the intent behind them. So, with a sigh in defeat, you said, “Buy me two extra pints of beer from your original treat and I’ll do as you like.”

He grinned. “Deal.”

About half an hour later, the plan was in motion. 

“Taroumaru, this is Miss Kira, one of my new retainers.” Ayaka was currently introducing you to a puppy sitting on the counter of some niche teahouse. But as adorable as Taroumaru might be, it didn’t make the exchange any less ridiculous. “We’ll be meeting with someone here soon. Is that okay?”

“Woof!”

Gold conversation content right there.

Once Ayaka had sorted out her introductions to the owner (how did a mindless animal make it as a raging capitalist, though?), you joined both her and Thoma inside one of the vacant rooms. There was a small stage with a couple of drums tucked away up front, but you knew you weren’t here to watch a performance. Ayaka seated herself on the carved out seats in front of the hotpot, fidgeting with the hilt of her sword in quiet anticipation as both you and Thoma followed suit. 

You leaned closer to the chief retainer’s ear, observing Ayaka pour some tea into four separate cups. “Can I ask why I’ve been invited again? You know I can sell the information to the concerned parties, right?”

He grinned at the inquiry. “You won’t.”

“Well, mister, I’ll have you know that I—”

Your words were cut short when Thoma quickly shot back to his feet. You stared at him bizarrely before realizing that their contact had arrived.

“Lady Kamisato.”

The adopted daughter of the Kujou clan was as intimidating as the rumors suggested. Kujou Sara strode into the room with an air of confidence that was leagues away from Thoma’s boyish charm. This was the woman who dictated the tides of the war—a general in every sense of the word.

And…wait. Wasn’t she supposed to be your enemy, as Kira of the resistance?

“M-Milady.” You were quick to blend back into character, but still wholly unsure of what to make of the situation as you hovered to Ayaka’s side. “What is she doing here?” 

With pleading eyes, she whispered, “Trust me. Please?”

The situation was so ironic, you could cry. 

During the entirety of their conversation, you and Thoma merely sat in silence—letting Ayaka negotiate the terms of the Vision Hunt Decree as she seemed to have done countless times already. You knew the Yashiro Commission had long been contesting it, and constantly followed up on the concerns they’d raised for the Raiden Shogun to hear. But from the apathetic look on Kujou Sara’s face, you feared that Ayaka’s efforts were all for naught. 

“Lady Kamisato,” Sara breathed once the princess was done speaking, “I believe you’re aware that I am the general of the shogun's army, not the head of the Kujou clan. I don’t have the power to back up your claim to repeal the Vision Hunt Decree, even if I wished to do so.”

“So you do?” Ayaka asked hopefully. “You agree that this Decree must be retracted?” 

You barely caught it, but you could have sworn you’d spotted a hint of hesitation in the tengu commander’s sharp stare. “If the shogun wills it, then it shall be done. That’s all there is to it.”

“Even if dozens of lives and dreams are at stake? What would you do if the Raiden Shogun suddenly decided your Vision was worth taking as well, general?” The princess’ tone held not a single speck of animosity, but the firmness in her voice caught you off guard. “As a Vision-wielder myself, I know you know that this isn’t right. Something is amiss. Our pleas to have her reconsider have always been vetoed by the heads of the Kanjou and Tenryou Commissions, so you’re the only one who can inform Her Excellency of—”

“That’s enough.”

Sara’s shoulders shook with a sigh as she folded her hands across her lap. It was hard to tell what she exactly was thinking, but from the way her fingers curled into fists, you knew she wasn’t entirely against the Yashiro Commission’s plans.

“If Her Excellency deems my Vision worth taking, then I shall give it to her,” she said simply, her cold, gold irises unwavering. “Now, is there something else you wish to discuss, Lady Kamisato or am I allowed to take my leave now?”

Ayaka pursed her lips.

“No. But I’d like you to keep my words in mind. I’m certain that even if you spend most of your time with war tactics, you’ve at least gotten wind of mine and Brother’s sentiments on the matter.” 

“It’s normal for the heads of the Yashiro Commission to put the best interests of Inazuma’s citizens before anything else.” The general nodded, rising back to her full height. “I’ll take that into consideration. Thank you for having me.”

Kujou Sara made her swift leave, and not one person even touched their tea. 

Deciding that this was the perfect time to resume your world-class acting, you started, “Those Tenryou Commission scum… They never change. Milady, you should’ve let me—”

Thoma put a hand on your shoulder. “Remember, the Yashiro Commission is a neutral party in this war. If we revealed that you were a rebel, that would imply that the Kamisato clan has turned against Her Excellency.”

“But—”

“You saw it, too. Didn’t you, Miss Kira?” 

You turned to Ayaka with a surprised look as she raised her teacup to her lips. After taking a short sip, she spoke again. 

“Kujou Sara isn’t completely sold on the Raiden Shogun’s reasons,” she sighed, setting her cup back on its saucer. “Brother told me that whenever she’s on the front line, most of the soldiers from your faction are often spared.”

You’re so confused that Thoma had to look at you with that same, knowing look to remind you of your situation.

“T-That’s a lie,” you bluffed. “Kujou Sara is merciless on the battlefield. She even ordered her men to have my comrades killed at a battle in Nazuchi Beach. I’m sorry, milady, but I don’t believe a person like that is capable of mercy.” 

Something drifted slowly onto Ayaka’s face—a peal of sadness in her eyes. So fragile and brittle, you almost regretted the words. But something told you she wasn’t sad about your supposed skepticism about Kujou Sara’s integrity... 

“I see,” she murmured. “Yes, it’s normal for you to feel that way. I apologize.”

Worrying your bottom lip between your teeth, you tried to relieve the sudden tension. But of course, Thoma beat you to it before you could even utter a word.

“Miss Kira, the Commissioner placed an order for special fireworks for next week’s festival,” he began, giving you a strange looking slip of paper. “Could you confirm it with Yoimiya at Naganohara Fireworks? We passed by the shop earlier.”

He was trying to get rid of you to talk to Ayaka. Even if it came at the expense of leaving you unguarded in a place where you could very much leave them for good.

I’m going to run the hell away the moment I step out of this teahouse, you thought. 

But at the same time, you could read the message in Thoma’s eyes—clear as day.

You won’t.

The capital was just as peaceful as you remembered. 

Children running around without care, a bunch of vendors calling out for business in every corner, and the sound of the water running beneath the bridges scattered all around. You couldn’t believe you used to conduct most of your transactions in this same, serene city. But only a few people knew how the Inazuman underground operated, and most preferred for it to stay that way. 

Yoimiya was a chipper girl. Flashy accessories, cute accent, and a bubbly personality that had even you invested in a moment’s notice. You complimented her fireworks show a week earlier, and she clapped her hands together in delight.

“You’re Lady Ayaka’s new retainer, right?” she mused. “Glad you enjoyed it!”

“Uh,” you hesitated. “Something like that.”

You showed her the slip of paper that Thoma had given, and Yoimiya was quick on the uptake. She immediately informed that the fireworks Ayato had ordered will be delivered as scheduled, and that he had nothing to worry about. Then, she began talking animatedly about the whole process, though you got lost in the middle of her spiel. In the midst of Yoimiya’s storytelling though, you found your eyes transfixed on the glowing Vision at her side. 

You wondered… What would she do if it was taken against her will? 

The walk back to Komore Teahouse was silent as you pondered Ayaka’s meeting with Kujou Sara. You hadn’t really thought much of the Vision Hunt Decree, given that you weren’t directly affected by it. But the more you see Ayaka and the rest of the Yashiro Commission push for its renouncement in the shadows, the more you’re convinced that the peace in the capital was nothing but a farce.

In your contemplation, someone called your real name from the crowd.

“Hey! It’s been a while!”

Your chest seized into a panic as you felt someone drape a strong arm around your shoulders. Though, when you turned around to see who the perpetrator was—

“You…”

Setsuna Itsuki was a name you looked up to when you were still learning the ropes of being a mercenary. He was a few years your senior, but he’s always treated you like you were old buddies who met at an izakaya. Even now, months since you’d last shown your face around these parts, he still met you with the same familiarity. 

“Thought the cops finally snuffed you out,” Itsuki chuckled, ruffling your hair, much to your annoyance. “And that’s some fancy outfit you’re wearin’. Didn’t take you to be the stylish type.”

“I thought I’d switch things up a bit,” you laughed nervously, tugging on the sleeves of the yukata Ayaka had given. “Are you…still in the business?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I quit takin’ jobs around the same time you disappeared on us. I’ve made enough mora for a comfortable retirement. How ‘bout you? I remember you’re always the one scourin’ for jobs like a bloodhound.”

You didn’t know if you should answer truthfully. Telling him about your contract with the Tenryou Commission was a sure enough ego-booster, sure. But if you told him who you’d been paid to kill… 

“You over there.”

Your saving grace came in the form of a tall, stoic woman with a tengu mask tied to the side of her head. Kujou Sara emerged from a throng of passersby like the god of death descending from a column of smoke. 

“Ah, I just remembered I had to run a few errands,” Itsuki told you nervously, patting your shoulder a few times. “See ya ‘round!”

And then you were alone.

“L-Lady Kujou, I…” you stammered.

Sara held up a hand as if to silence you. “You don’t need to pretend around me. Your identity is no secret to those in the Tenryou Commission.”

Oh. Right. She’d been the one to issue the kill order. But if that was the case, then why did she go out of her way to meet Ayaka anyways?

“But whatever you’re plotting, I suggest you put a stop to it while you still can.”

…What?

She sighed, leaning towards the wooden rails nearby as she gazed at the lower levels of the city from her vantage point. There’s this…vulnerability in her gaze that you hadn’t seen back in the teahouse. 

“We might hail from two separate Commissions, but I am well aware of how Lady Ayaka has unknowingly kept the balance in the war,” the general murmured. “If she were to die by your hand, even I don’t know what fate will befall not only the Vision-bearers of Inazuma, but the rest of its people, too…”

She turned to you, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“I’m sure you know of the Tatarigami incident very well.”

Your eyes narrowed, senses suddenly on high alert. “What about it?”

“The slaying of the Orobashi happened centuries ago. It’s one of the very popular displays of the Raiden Shogun’s prowess in battle,” Sara spoke slowly. “Her Excellency could have done the same with the rebels of Sangonomiya if she so wished. But unlike the time she’d slain the Orobashi, she has someone to regulate the degree of violence she inflicts upon Inazuma now. That being the Yashiro Commission.”

The general turned around, walking closer as she placed both her hands on your shoulders—forcing you to meet her sharp gaze.

“The Tatarigami can only spread if there’s enough chaos and unrest in its vicinity. So in the event that you successfully kill Kamisato Ayaka, and the Raiden Shogun’s final voice of reason has been eliminated…”

Your eyes widened as the implications of her words dawned on you. Migraines. Nightmares. Blood, so much blood…  

You grit your teeth as you shook off Sara’s firm grip, fingers carding through your hair as you gave yourself a minute to think. That shouldn’t be possible, right? The Tatarigami has been contained on Yashiori Island all this time. And…why should you even care what happens after you finish the job? The Tenryou Commission is going to pay you handsomely for it! If worse comes to worst you could always just hop on a boat and leave Inazuma for good.

But then, a dozen faces flashed in the forefront of your mind. The villagers you failed to cure. The innocents you’d slain for money. The retainers at the estate. The princess.

…Thoma. 

Care is also a form of remedy. You care, don’t you, little one?

 “Shut up…” you muttered, squeezing your eyes shut. 

“Whoever your benefactor is, I suggest you terminate your contract with them as soon as you can.”

Sara gazed at you with the same expression she’d worn throughout the meeting earlier—that mask of indifference safely back in place. You thought she was going to leave it at that, but as the general slowly walked away, you managed to catch the rest of her words.

“No amount of money is worth the lives of thousands.”

Your heart felt like it was about to burst through your ribcage. And as Sara’s form faded into the distance, the million-mora question lit up in your disarrayed mind.

If she isn’t my benefactor…

Then who is it? 

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© cryoculus | kaientai ✧ all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my work on other platforms.

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin fanfic #genshin smut #genshin fanfiction #genshin x reader #thoma smut #thoma fanfic #thoma x reader #genshin scenarios #genshin headcanons #genshin thoma #cryoculus #guard dog

[albatris]

🖊 + alex!!

>:3

Alex has only ever killed two people by accident, which is way less than most vampires!

the first was its high school principal, which. hm. very sad very tragic. this was someone Alex looked up to a lot and viewed as a sort of mentor, who was only trying to help at the time. it was right when Alex was first turning and was obviously extremely unwell, and had no idea what was going on :c

the second person was a few years later, and was some dickhead who attacked Alex's good friend Ari the stir-fry guy. a jilted ex-lover of Ari's daughter's, with a grudge and looking for some payback

so, Alex and Ari were already pretty good friends n Alex had a habit of staying late at Ari's restaurant to chat and help out n stuff, n this was when the attack took place. thankfully after closing time! when Ari would presumably be alone. however Ari was not alone, n Alex attempted to defuse the situation without harming anyone but got Majorly Stabbed In The Chest in the process. so the Garble kicked in and was like "hey you need to RETALIATE" n Alex did this with some biting and feeding

you have to understand it was still a lot less practiced when it came to self-control at the time and had also never been like. stabbed. before

anyway Alex was HORRIFIED and MORTIFIED and Ari had to do more work calming it down than Alex did calming Ari down abt the fact that A) vampires are real and 😎 his good friend is one

Ari did pretty good under pressure considering hahaha

when Alex left the restaurant tho it didn't go back for MONTHS bc it freaked itself out thinking that Ari must hate it and be scared of it and disgusted by it. meanwhile Ari is just there waiting like. Alex??? where Alex??? where friend?? 🥺??

idk how Ari finds some subtle way to advertise his restaurant with some "hey you're welcome back here" or general vampire friendliness, but I know he does, n eventually lures Alex back

they're best bros! Ari got it/its privileges with Alex long before Quinn did and Quinn is endlessly salty about it

fun fact if u go to Ari's restaurant and mention ur a friend of Alex's or ask for Alex's special you'll get a double serving w no garlic :3 special deal for vampires. vampires have to eat more just in general 'cause of the increased stomach capacity n in general needing tons more energy. Ari doesn't feel it's fair they have to pay double to get a decent meal the same as a human customer

so yes Ari's restaurant is very popular with the local vampires :3

#this just turned into alex ari facts with monday #alex is not exactly POSSESSIVE of ari but gets anxious that so many vampires Know abt ari #alex doesnt like or trust many vampires #it doesnt want anyone with bad intentions bothering ari #a rental car takes a left down rake street and disappears #there is nothing to see in lot 17 foxtrail lane

[emeryhall]

prompts: hot, humid, water & sweat

CW: bordering on explicit

Remus Lupin had ceased to be shocked by words. Bodies comprised of crooks and holes and ridges wrapped in skin that stretched and breathed—that could overwhelm him. But words? At 36 and publisher of the gay poetry zine, Assonance, he thought he had read everything. He had printed poems about blond boys in bathhouses, public masturbation, the slick sound the handle of a heavily vaselined whip makes as you work it into your lover’s ass. What he hadn’t read—that is until this morning over breakfast—was a poem about himself. 

His top floor apartment was silent and still. He could hear his bare footsteps on the kitchen’s hardwood floor. The flick of the button on the coffee maker, the drip of coffee hitting coffee, the pop of ready toast. 

He sat at the table and placed his mug on the most recent submission to Assonance, where it left a damp ring. A perfect circle around the poem’s title and dedication: 

Palm in Neon For R.L.

It was not the “R.L.” that caught his attention. R.L. could be any number of people’s initials. No, it was the title. His reaction to it was visceral. He could feel the press of a hand against his stomach. 

Summer in San Francisco is cool 50s, but thinking about that skin against his and it was the very tip of a New York summer, the slow end of August 1971. 

He took a sip of coffee and read: 

What are you thinking?

I am thinking of August on asphalt. I am thinking of fire hydrants split and spilling. The cigarette butt pulled from your lips, a tiny fire that sizzles in the crook of the curbed river streaming to the ready drain.

You could fry an egg on the sidewalk, you said. And I think of a delicate shell cracking against cast iron. Later a pool of viscid liquid. Your stomach hard asphalt, hot iron.

We clung to subway poles, touching sweat to metal, but not each other. Shuddering with the clatter and the seconds suspended in blackness released to the blank eyes of underground animals. Yours on me though, glassy with trust and alcohol. Remarkable that you would come home with me.

We ascend into New York’s silence. The mumble from stoops, glass shattering the air at 2 a.m. no different than the air at 2 p.m. in its murkiness.

The street lamps wear wet halos.

My palm leaves a damp print on the stairwell wall as I kiss you into graffiti under a dying bulb.

In my room, it is too hot to speak of touching so we drag the bare mattress. You backwards, me burdened. Still wordless. Wordless with laughter, laughter at our clumsiness our need our risk our hope. Our corner of the roof and sky.

Your skin a sunset, gold and glazed in pink and purple. I place my palm in neon against the flat of your abdomen. Hot asphalt, hard iron, sperm smeared and hazy in your sweat. It fits perfectly in pink boundaries. My wrist dispersing light.

We should not be here come morning, but we are. Folded into our corner the way you fold against my chest. Laundry flickers dull colors above us. A shirt sleeve lax in the still air. I feel you stir as I stir. The stiff fabric of starched jeans pinned on the line. I hold you motionless. It is too light for this. And yet if we are silent. Wordless. The slight shift of your leg. The sheet barely rustles. And I need nothing more.

What are you thinking?

You asked. Of our future. Is what I did not say.

— S.B. 

The mug slipped in Remus’s hand. He wiped his palms against his pajamas. He could feel the sheen of sweat on his stomach, at the roots of his hair, like his body wanted to relive the words. 

He’d met Sirius Black at a bar in Greenwich Village. Some kids must have unscrewed the outlet of a fire hydrant because water poured down the street. He’d accepted a cigarette and leaned against the brick wall feeling like it was too hot to have even this small blaze near his face. As they walked to the subway, he flicked the butt into the rush of water flowing between the street and sidewalk. 

Everything was there. The subway ride, the kiss in Sirius’s stairwell. The stifling heat of his Upper East Side apartment, so oppressive that they couldn’t bear to have their bodies next to each other, so they’d drunkenly dragged the mattress up a flight of stairs. When they emerged onto the roof, they weren’t alone. Several other mattresses dotted the tarpapered landscape, each with bodies sleeping restlessly. They’d hesitated, but found a far corner tucked behind an outcropping of chimneys. Someone had strung their drying laundry between one of the chimneys and an antenna pole and they lay beneath it. 

He’d come on his stomach from Sirius’s hand wrapped around him, and as he lay there naked and sticky, they’d realized that the building next-door had a neon sign in its window. A pink palm, purple script above it reading Psychic, Know Your Future. From that angle, the sign’s illumination left a glowing palm on Remus’s belly, and Sirius placed his hand within the outline, fitting it perfectly, the base of his palm resting in the pool of come. 

They were naked under a thin sheet on a shared rooftop when they woke the next morning, and they knew they should dress quickly, hurriedly drag the mattress back to Sirius’s bedroom, but instead they’d had sex. Spooning, barely moving, trying not to make a sound. The very stillness of it a pressure and a release. 

“What are you thinking?” Remus asked. 

Sirius said something about the heat. Neither of them mentioned the future. Remus boarded a flight back to San Francisco, never got a phone number, but he left his card behind: Publisher, Assonance. 

* * *

@wolfstarmicrofic

word count: 1000 (exactly!)

I wanted to write a fic about gay poetry zines post-Stonewall (real thing) and New York before AC was common. Then it turned into a poem.

#wolfstar microfic #wolfstar #remus x sirius #remus lupin #sirius black #btw Assonance's lesbian sister zine is called Cliteration #sorry #I'm making poetry puns