#Building Up

[atlaculture]

Favorite Foods: Sokka

Since Sokka is almost always shown shoveling food down his gullet during meal scenes, I figured he prefers foods that he can stuff into his mouth quickly and in large quantities. Like Katara, I also feel his favorite foods would tie back to key memories in his life.

Sea Prunes (Row 1) - Sokka likes eating sea prunes even more than his sister does. Being Hakoda's favorite food, I think eating sea prunes allows Sokka to feel closer to his father. I think he prefers eating them either stewed in five-spice (five flavor soup) or just blanched and paired with a dipping sauce. Real-life sea prunes are small, leathery mollusks traditionally eaten by First Nation and Alaska Native groups along the west coast.

Muktuk - Muktuk is whale skin and whale blubber served raw, like sashimi. It's typically snacked on as the rest of the whale is being butchered for later consumption. Sokka has fond memories of his father's hunting crew bringing home a whale and his father offering him the first bite of muktuk.

Seal Jerky - Sokka's favorite portable snack. Seals are the largest animal that Sokka has ever successfully hunted on his own, so he feels a real sense of pride when he eats this jerky.

Polar Bear Stew - Stew made from polar bear meat. Polar bears are revered in Inuit culture as the greatest of all bears, so successfully hunting one is a considered an impressive feat. As such, polar bear stew is considered quite a delicacy in the SWT. Sokka has only had the dish once, thanks to the bravery and skill of his father's hunting team, and dreams of one day bringing home another polar bear for the whole village to enjoy.

Fermented Eider Egg - Eider is a species of arctic duck. Their eggs are buried underground and left to ferment. They're said to taste like a strong cheese. There's no deep reason why Sokka loves them, he just likes that he can stuff a bunch into his cheeks like a squirrel. ^_^

Green Kasha - Green Kasha refers to a mash of different tundra greens such as sourdock, rhodiola leaves, arctic willow, and mountain sorrel mixed with rendered blubber oil. The oil acts as an emulsifier as it slowly gets incorporated into the mash of greens. Green kasha is used as a dipping condiment for various types of arctic meat. Sokka likes it because it gives him a whole new way of enjoying his favorite foods.

Kumis - Kumis is a fermented dairy product traditionally made from mare’s milk. Sokka was introduced to the drink by Yue and the two often enjoyed the drink together--- the mild alcoholic content made them feel rather grown-up. The color of the drink also reminds Sokka of Yue's hair, so the drink is tied to Sokka's bittersweet memories of her.

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

[random-xpressions]

There was absolute rhythm in the silence between our breaths, I wouldn't want to ruin it with my words...

Random Xpressions

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Do Not Use Foul Language

Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen. — Ephesians 4:29 | Berean Standard Bible (BSB) Berean Standard Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2020 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. All rights Reserved. Cross References: Ecclesiastes 10:12; Matthew 12:34; Romans 14:19; Romans 15:2; Ephesians 5:4; Colossians 3:8; Colossians 4:6

[giffypudding]

It's really coming down out there , Part 1

[idoodlestuffsometimes]

I need to share how the IT guy at work greeted my department on CrowdStrike Blue Screen Friday. Never have I seen a man so shocked by the sight of perfectly functional computers

(They were off during the update)

[nat-20s]

name a more iconic thing to happen for the fictional qpr community than Donna Noble quite literally meeting her soulmate and being like hmm. there's no one I've ever wanted to fuck less

[tom4jc]

2 Timothy 1:6 Stir Up The Gift

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 Children, as they are growing up, individually, often have certain abilities that they can do better than most other people. Parents and teachers who recognize those abilities will encourage the child to run with them and build them up and use them to do great things in life. One is…

[notherpuppet]

Role reversal AU

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Must be a Sugondese joke.

[endusviolence]

Rowling isn't denying holocaust. She just pointed out that burning of transgender health books is a lie as that form of cosmetic surgery didn't exist. But of course you knew that already, didn't you?

I was thinking I'd probably see one of you! You're wrong :) Let's review the history a bit, shall we?

In this case, what we're talking about is the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, or in English, The Institute of Sexology. This Institute was founded and headed by a gay Jewish sexologist named Magnus Hirschfeld. It was founded in July of 1919 as the first sexology research clinic in the world, and was run as a private, non-profit clinic. Hirschfeld and the researchers who worked there would give out consultations, medical advice, and even treatments for free to their poorer clientele, as well as give thousands of lectures and build a unique library full of books on gender, sexuality, and eroticism. Of course, being a gay man, Hirschfeld focused a lot on the gay community and proving that homosexuality was natural and could not be "cured".

Hirschfeld was unique in his time because he believed that nobody's gender was either one or the other. Rather, he contended that everyone is a mixture of both male and female, with every individual having their own unique mix of traits.

This leads into the Institute's work with transgender patients. Hirschfeld was actually the one to coin the term "transsexual" in 1923, though this word didn't become popular phrasing until 30 years later when Harry Benjamin began expanding his research (I'll just be shortening it to trans for this brief overview.) For the Institute, their revolutionary work with gay men eventually began to attract other members of the LGBTA+, including of course trans people.

Contrary to what Anon says, sex reassignment surgery was first tested in 1912. It'd already being used on humans throughout Europe during the 1920's by the time a doctor at the Institute named Ludwig Levy-Lenz began performing it on patients in 1931. Hirschfeld was at first opposed, but he came around quickly because it lowered the rate of suicide among their trans patients. Not only was reassignment performed at the Institute, but both facial feminization and facial masculization surgery were also done.

The Institute employed some of these patients, gave them therapy to help with other issues, even gave some of the mentioned surgeries for free to this who could not afford it! They spoke out on their behalf to the public, even getting Berlin police to help them create "transvestite passes" to allow people to dress however they wanted without the threat of being arrested. They worked together to fight the law, including trying to strike down Paragraph 175, which made it illegal to be homosexual. The picture below is from their holiday party, Magnus Hirschfeld being the gentleman on the right with the fabulous mustache. Many of the other people in this photo are transgender.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of a group of people. Some are smiling at the camera, others have serious expressions. Either way, they all seem to be happy. On the right side, an older gentleman in glasses- Magnus Hirschfeld- is sitting. He has short hair and a bushy mustache. He is resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him. His other hand is being held by a person to his left. Another person to his right is holding his shoulder.]

There was always push back against the Institute, especially from conservatives who saw all of this as a bad thing. But conservatism can't stop progress without destroying it. They weren't willing to go that far for a good while. It all ended in March of 1933, when a new Chancellor was elected. The Nazis did not like homosexuals for several reasons. Chief among them, we break the boundaries of "normal" society. Shortly after the election, on May 6th, the book burnings began. The Jewish, gay, and obviously liberal Magnus Hirschfeld and his library of boundary-breaking literature was one of the very first targets. Thankfully, Hirschfeld was spared by virtue of being in Paris at the time (he would die in 1935, before the Nazis were able to invade France). His library wasn't so lucky.

This famous picture of the book burnings was taken after the Institute of Sexology had been raided. That's their books. Literature on so much about sexuality, eroticism, and gender, yes including their new work on trans people. This is the trans community's Alexandria. We're incredibly lucky that enough of it survived for Harry Benjamin and everyone who came after him was able to build on the Institute's work.

[Image ID: A black and white photo of the May Nazi book burning of the Institute of Sexology's library. A soldier, back facing the camera, is throwing a stack of books into the fire. In the background of the right side, a crowd is watching.]

As the Holocaust went on, the homosexuals of Germany became a targeted group. This did include transgender people, no matter what you say. To deny this reality is Holocaust denial. JK Rowling and everyone else who tries to pretend like this isn't reality is participating in that evil. You're agreeing with the Nazis.

But of course, you knew that already, didn't you?

Edit: Added image IDs. I apologize to those using screen readers for forgetting them. Please reblog this version instead.

[dazfashionz]

Here I was adding the sleeve onto the dress to complete my final step. I had to then overlock around the hem after sewing and press the seam to become neat.

[atlaculture]

What food from their 'cultures' do you think the gang would like? Real life food

Oh, this will be a fun question to answer! I'll make this an ongoing series for as many characters as I can think of.

Favorite Foods: Aang

Seeing as Aang has always loved traveling the world on Appa, he strikes me as someone who prefers food he can easily carry and eat while in the air. He's more a snack guy than a meal guy, is what I'm saying. He's also shown to be very fond of egg custard tarts and fruit pies, so I assume he also really likes rich desserts. With these considerations in mind, here's Aang's food board:

Momos - Tibetan stuffed dumplings. They're easy to carry around and eat on the go. Plus, they share a name with everyone's favorite flying lemur. I think Aang's favorite momo filling would be cheese with mushrooms or veggies.

Shom-Dae - Tibetan rice pudding. It's made by mixing fresh steamed rice with yogurt and sugar. Tibetan yogurt is made from yak milk, so it's very rich in fat content. Yogurt is so beloved in Tibet that it even has its own festival there, called Sho Dun.

Bhatsa Marku - A cheesy dessert pasta from Tibet. The primary ingredients are gnocchi-like noodles, dried yak cheese, butter, and sugar. I've also seen non-dessert versions comprised of the gnocchi noodles with mushrooms and butter. I think Aang would love both.

Chhurpi - A rock-hard cheese traditional to the Himalayas. It's typically a yak cheese that has been smoked and dried to remove all the moisture content. This allows it to be easy to carry and transport, as it can remain mold-free and edible for up to 20 years. One cube of chhurpi can be chewed on for hours, as it takes quite a while for the cheese to soften in the mouth.

Ngarchur - A dried Tibetan sweet cheese made from boiled yogurt. Like chuurpi, it's keeps well and is easy to transport, although it's not hard.

Khapse - Tibetan fried dough. Depending on how you shape the dough, it can be crunchy like chips or soft like youtiao.

Sanga Balep - A crispy Tibetan pastry covered in powdered sugar. Not much to say other than it looks really satisfying to eat.

I also have a series on possible Air Nomad cuisine here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

[random-xpressions]

When will you feel the pressure in these hands, the passion in these veins? The force, the latent heat in my body, crashing against yours...

Random Xpressions

[tenth-sentence]

Nor is there much sign yet that the modern-looking activities were cumulative, building up gradually until they took over.

"Why the West Rules – For Now: The patterns of history and what they reveal about the future" - Ian Morris

[ramburger]

Yet now, I find I've grown into a tall child 🌼

[pangur-and-grim]

came out to find two buddies on two chairs