Swedish meatballs and salmiak

“Well how do I look?” Leona giggled.

“Still very cute, though the trash bag really does look ridiculous,” I stated.

After deciding to stream the last route of Insanity’s ballad together, Astrid had decided to make the event more of a spectacle. One of the things she wanted for the event was a cast of her head and body. Naturally, she wanted Leona to get in on it too. As such, Leona was wrapped in a trash bag and wearing a bald cap on her head.

“Hey, wouldn’t want our clothes to get all messy. Besides you should get used to seeing Leona bald considering I’m going to win our little bet,” Astrid jibbed.

Like Leona, she too was wrapped up in a trash bag. Sven was there as well recording.

“So, when will the merch arrive?” Leona asked.

“Within 48 hours. Kageyama sent the order to the manufacturer as I left.”

“Not bad, what did you do to get her on the high priority list?” Astrid asked.

“I just made two people very happy. That’s all.”

Since Sven was stuck recording them, I decided to stick around until he was done. Afterwards, we planned to make salmiak at my house. I sat down and watched as the girls did their intro.

“HEJ! Astrid here!”

“YO! It’s your girl Leona!”

“Today is prep day 1 for the big Insanity’s ballad stream. We’re at a studio and recording from a phone in case anyone’s wondering why the setup is different.”

“We’re gonna get molds of our heads and bodies made for the stream!”

“If you want to find out what they’ll be used for, you’ll have to tune into the stream in a few days.”

“We won’t be streaming tonight cause of this, but at least you’ll get to see us get our heads cast live.”

“Since it would be boring to just watch us sit here, we decided to spice things up a bit,” Astrid stated as she held up a Joysmitch controller.

“Maria 65 speedrun versus without being able to see or talk. Just good old rumble and muffled sound,” Leona laughed.

The makeup artists then began smearing Vaseline over the girl’s heads and faces.

“Bleh! What is this stuff?” Leona asked.

“It’s Vaseline. Wouldn’t want your eyebrows to get ripped off before your big shave now would you,” Astrid jibbed.

The girls’ heads were then covered in alginate before being encased in plaster.

They then began playing as we waited for the mold to harden.

Naturally, the girls’ gameplay was awful. The two struggled just to get out of the starting area. I then got a devious idea and asked the makeup artist if I could pull it off.

“Sure! Folks do this all the time when someone gets their head cast,” she smiled as she handed me a marker.

I then began drawing on Leona’s cast.

“Not bad. Think I can have a go?” Sven asked as I finished my work.

“Sure, I’ll trade you for the camera.”

I then recorded Sven drawing on Astrid’s cast. Once he was done, I handed the phone back to him.

                                                                                   …

“FREEDOM!” Leona yelled as she was freed from the cast.

“Don’t get too excited. Next, it’s our entire bodies. We’ll also be doing our heads again, but with our mouths open," Astrid giggled.

“This is more like a punishment,” Leona groaned.

“Well, I guess we’ll say it’s what we get for failing to get out of the starting area.”

“Wait! I was in the tree the whole time?”

“Well, that’s all for the streaming portion. The next part will be pre-recorded. Thanks for coming out to watch us flail around like idiots.”

After ending the stream. Sven and I were banished while the girls prepared to have their bodies cast.

“Sis is going to be mad with me when she sees the vod,” Sven laughed.

“I say surprise her by making those faces we drew emotes.”

“Yeah, chat seemed to love it when we drew faces on them.”

                                                                                   …

My mother seemed unnerved when she stared up at Sven.

“This is my friend Sven. He makes cooking videos,” I stated.

“Um nice to meet you. I’ll be in my room. Don’t make a mess please,” my mother said.

“No worries, ma’am. I’ll treat your kitchen with the utmost care and respect,” Sven declared.

                                                                                …

“Sorry about my mother, she can be a little gloomy.”

“No worries. I’m used to people being startled by my size. Since we’re doing this in your kitchen, the video goes up on your channel,” Sven smiled.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, now let’s get cooking. Since you mentioned your father’s coming home for the first time in a while, I decided we’d make dinner in addition to the salmiak.”

                                                                                  …

“Hej! Svenfjordsalt here with Crowboy50 in his kitchen.

“YO!”

“Today we’ll be making salmiak as well as some Swedish meatballs.”

Just like last time, we easily managed to cook the meals together.

“Not bad, wanna try becoming a cooking channel?” Sven joked.

“Nah, I’m only good cause your instructions are top notch.”

“Well thanks for the compliment.

                                                                               …

As we were setting up the table, my father arrived.

“Ouka! I’m home! Huh?”

He adjusted his glasses as he saw me and Sven setting up the table.

                                                                               …

“Not bad. I had no idea Swedish cuisine was this delicious,” my father stated.

“I’m surprised you recognized us and didn’t freak out,” I stated.

“I may have been abroad, but your mother always informed me about what was going on. She even started sending me some of your videos a few days ago.”

“I had to show you how our son was ruining his life,” my mother grumbled.

“No need to hide it Ouka. He’s got some talent. That ghost pepper execution even made an American news blurb.”

“Wait really?”

“Yeah, it was about how this new viral challenge about burning ghost pepper spice was sweeping the nation. Here I’ll show you.”

Sure enough, there I was burning the spice on an American news program.

“They don’t sound like they’re praising me,” I stated.

“Well, they’re older and tend to dislike some of the younger generation’s trends and interests. I on the other hand think it’s important to start paying attention to the trends of the youth if we want the business to grow.”

“So is your company going to start burning ghost peppers?”

“Well, I doubt the boss would do that. Though maybe once or twice in a company commercial.”

                                                                                …

Once we finished dinner, my father pulled out something from his briefcase.

“I brought these back as an omiyage from Phoenix, Arizona. After setting up a branch for the company, our new associate treated me to these. They’re gummy candies made from prickly pears. They were so good I bought a few before heading home. There’s one for each of us so dig in.”

As I tried a piece, my eyes widened.

“It’s so sweet! I’ve never tasted something like this!” I shouted.

“This is a first for me too. I had no idea something like this existed,” Sven stated.

Even my mother seemed to smile a bit as she ate her piece.

“See, I told you this was good.” my father laughed.

“Say father, you said you bought more of that stuff, right? Would it be possible if I could give it to some friends?”

My father adjusted his glasses before responding.

“I brought one for my boss as well. Sacrificing that is nonnegotiable. I did, however, buy one more spare pack for myself. However, I won’t just hand it over for free.”

“Then why don’t we do a gaming challenge for it?”

My father smiled as he got up.

“Sounds good. Now I can see just what you’ve been doing firsthand. Your friend Sven is also welcome to play. You’ll need all the help you can get if you want to beat me.”

I was about to embark on a very difficult side quest for some candy. However, there were people that needed to try that candy. Besides, I like to 100% my games.