#Thought I'll add pre and post accident

[galaxyedging]

Joel Miller x Jackson Dr reader

Fluffy little one shot.

Warnings: Depictions of small surgery. Mentions of cancer. Drug use.

Carpe Diem

The days at Jackson's clinic were never boring. The community ran pretty smoothly but when you have that many people living and working together things will happen. Accidents, fights, STDs, common bugs spreading like wildfire. Children are still children even post-apocalypse. They still eat what they shouldn't and shove things up their noses. Experimental teens will eat things they shouldn't and shove things where they shouldn't.

Between being an inner city ER doctor before the outbreak and Jackson’s small town vibes, you'd seen pretty much everything. Not much surprised you. Until the night, you were getting ready to go home and came face to board chest with Joel Miller.

Office hours were over, the day had been pretty quiet. A mildly sprained ankle. A pre-natal check up. There hadn't been much tidying to do. After spending the previous day helping repair some homes that took the brunt of a summer storm, you were looking forward to a hot bath to soothe your aches. The thought of the warm water loosening you up, held your attention as you moved around, locking up on auto pilot. Finally moving to the front door you open it just in time to have Joel shoved at you down the few steps by Ellie who called back “Be good!” as she ran off.

“Sorry.” Joel's hands ghost your sides as you right yourself from the impact.

“What was that about?!” You laugh still watching as Ellie disappears down main street.

“Er…I have something I've been meaning to get checked out. Ellie found out and wanted me to come.” Joel took note of your backpack on your shoulder. “But I can see that you're ready to leave. I'll swing by another day.”

“No, you will not.” your authoritative tone startles Joel. “I've known plenty of men like you. That will avoid the doctors at all costs and say they are ‘fine’ even when they are hurting. By some miracle you are at my door so you will go inside and be treated, Mr Miller.”

Joel's hands rise with his palms up in surrender.

“Yes, Doctor.” He gives you a smile as he steps into the hallway.

The smile that tugs at your own lips is hidden from him as he makes his way to your office. Even if he doesn't seek treatment for himself, Ellie is no stranger to your office.

“So what can I help you with?” You slip into doctor mode after taking a minute to admire how Joel fills out the seat in front of you.

“Er, I have this lump…” Joel starts from under his thick lashes as he looks intently at your desk. “...I've had it a while.”

“How long is a while?” You query.

“About six months.” Joel admits sheepishly. “It's only been sore for like a week.” He adds in a weak attempt at a defence.

“Alright.” You try to keep the annoyance out of your tone. “Where is it?”

Joel seems relieved that you haven't landed into him more. “It's on my back.”

“I'll close the curtain to give you a moment to remove your shirt and lay face down on the bed.” Joel knows there's no room for argument so he makes his way over.

With the curtains closed, you begin to wash up. While you scrub your hands you can help but notice Joel's silhouette in the mirror over the sink. His thick arms bend and flex as he removes his shirt and t-shirt.

Joel had always caught your eye and the two nurses who worked with you were convinced that you'd caught his. Joel was well respected around the community. He was dependable and selfless with his time. He didn't always make the effort with small talk but there was a lot going on under his gruff looking exterior once he let you in. Since he held a conversation with you quite often, that was enough evidence for your co-workers to be convinced that Joel was infatuated with you.

“Are you decent?” You call out, approaching the curtain.

“As I'll ever be.” Joel calls back.

Joel's sense of humour always brings a smile to your face. Even the dad jokes he teases Ellie with, brighten your day.

“Let's see now. No redness. Am I alright to touch you?” You ask, your hands ready and waiting for Joel's permission.

“Yea..yes.” Joel clears his throat and shifts a little on the bed.

Another smile finds its way onto your lips as you wonder if Joel is a little nervous around you in the same way you are around him. Like how you become more self conscious as you want him to see the best version of you.

“Mmmm….uh-huh…okay. You should have come sooner…” It may not be very professional but you wanted to give Joel a little scare. He tried to stutter out ‘why’ before you continued. “...this could have been something bad. Luckily for you it's just a cyst. I can remove it and it will heal up nicely if I get it all.”

Joel's broad shoulders rise and fall as he sighs in relief, the action sends a ripple of flexing down the muscles of his and your hands long to follow them. “Thank you, Doc.”

“Don't thank me just yet. We don't have any local at the moment. I have something to take the edge off but it's…erm…experimental at best.” The best words to describe your new ‘treatment’ escape you.

“Well, what is it?” Joel had turned to face you now. His toned, tan chest is on display with a sprinkling of hair and adorable freckles that you could trace with your finger tips.

“It's CBD.” You tried to sound professional.

“Pot?!” Joel huffs a laugh.

“It has many practical applications. Some patients report it has pain relieving effects when ingested.” Your tone becomes defensive.

“Ingested? You want me to eat it?” The bemused look on Joel’s face cracked through your facade.

“Well, yeah. Damn, Joel, it's not like I can just go out and grab some pain killers. And are you telling me that a man of the world such as yourself has never tried weed before?” You arch an accusatory eyebrow at him.

“Maybe once or twice back in the day.” He gives you a knowing smirk.

Ignoring the goose pimples that break out on your flesh at the sight, you push forward. “Well, then, it's up to you. Let me just cut into your back? Or let me do it while you're high?”

“I didn't peg you for a drug pusher but I'll take the second option.” His voice is decisive until he adds. “Just promise not to take any notice if I start talking all loopy.”

If Joel feels the incision, he doesn't mention it. He'd been lying almost comatose on the bed for ten minutes before you decided to go ahead.

“How are you doing, Joel?” You speak a little louder to grab his floating attention.

“M'good.” He almost slurs.

“Good. So you can't feel anything?” You follow up.

“Nope. Just your magical hands. They're so soft. You're so soft and sweet and pretty…shit! I shouldn't have said that. You are very, very pretty, though. And smart. God, and funny!” The words just run off Joel's loose tongue.

“If you think all those nice things about me, why didn't you come sooner?” With the cyst removed all you have to do is sew Joel up. Sober Joel will probably appreciate you keeping him on the topic of the matter at hand.

“Because I think all those things, I was embarrassed.” The last part is muttered against the bed.

“So you risked it becoming serious, rather than see me?” The final stitch goes in as you shake your head.

“I've had something similar before. Plus what else can a lump mean? Cancer? We ain't exactly equipped to cure that.” The laugh he lets out is bitter.

The fingers checking the stitches stray to stroke his skin softly. “So why did you come today?”

“Ellie.” He responded.

“Well, yeah. I saw that and I know she can be very formidable but surely…”

Joel cuts you off. “No, not like that. If it was something bad, even if we couldn't stop it from…maybe we could have slowed it and I could have gotten more time with her.”

The second the words leave Joel's mouth, your professionalism leaves with them. Your hand lays fully against his bare back. “Joel…that's…beautiful. Ellie is lucky to have found you.”

Shifting to sit up Joel catches your hand as you pull it back. “Thanks, Doc. Maybe now that I know I have more time, you might let me spend some of it with you?”

Despite your best efforts you were sure that your thoughts were clear on your face. “I'll need to check those stitches in a couple of days. If you still think I'm pretty when you aren't high as a kite, we'll talk then.”

“It's a date.” Joel says with a lopsided smile.

“No, it's an appointment!” You chide him.

“Do you make house calls?” Those deep brown eyes burn whiskey gold in the setting sun as they widen into the most pleading puppy dog eyes.

“I think I can in this case.” You give him a smile before heading off to get dressings for his wound.

A few days later, you climb the steps of Joel's porch. The door swings open and Ellie shoots out, again calling out ‘Be good!’ behind her. The scent of honey and tea brewing flows on the wind from the open door. Joel soon fills the gap with his wide frame a second later.

“Come in, Doc. You hungry?” He throws over his shoulder as he leads the way to the dining table, already set up with sandwiches and a freshly made cake.

“What's all this?” Your light laughter joins the honey on the breeze.

“I told you, it's a date.” Joel smiles confidently. “The only thing is that I forgot to put the iced tea on. So we've got some time to kill while it cools.” Joel steps closer keeping his hands on his hips.

“How do you suggest that we pass the time?” It’s your turn to step closer, your hands find your way to the soft flannel on Joel's chest.

“I got a couple of ideas.” Joel's large hands smooth around your waist.

“Are you always this forward, Mr Miller?” Joel's lips are temptingly close to yours as you speak.

Joel obviously notices too as his eyes flicker downwards. “I had a health scare recently. It inspired me to seize the day.”

The air between you is charged with your teasing banter and gentle touches. “Really? What does your physician think of that?”

Joel moves closer still. “From the way they had their hands on my last me I saw them, I think they'd approve.” Once the words are out, his lips are on yours.

The tea is more than cooled by the time you and Joel finish making out on the sofa like teenagers.

Tags: @kirsteng42 @prolix-yuy @hquinzelle @fangirl-316 @gracie7209 @jedifarmerr @doommommy @scorpio-marionette @sturkillerbase @harriedandharassed @aynsleywalker @mswarriorbabe80 @rise-my-angel @adancedivasmom @kinda-nobody @movievillainess721 @munsonownsmyass @mandoloriancookie @faceache111 @elegantduckturtle @manazo @simpingcowboy @pedrit0-pascalit0 @yourcoolauntie @pedrostories @geekrenaissance @its-nebuleuse @sherala007 @vabeachazn

[vangbelsing]

Time for my ten morbillionth vent post for Veilguard. Or more accurately, me bellyaching about my very specific nitpicks that most other people will not have. Not really gonna include spoilers, but I'll add a cut since I'm certain not everyone is keen to read yet another complaint post for this game. So if you're not interested in reading a huge vent post about Rook, go ahead and skip this.

I have to say, for as much as I like the game, I think all of my pre launch anxieties were well founded. Rook is actually everything I assumed they would be, and I do not mean that as a compliment. And no, I'm not upset that pre launch headcanons are largely not applicable to Rook, but I do think that Rook is several steps back from the Inquisitor. I've always maintained that Inky was one of the best rpg protagonists in any of the games I've played, and this has just solidified it.

Inky was perfect to me. They couldn't be evil, but you had so many opportunities to flesh out who they are, what they believe, their personality and what their life was like before. And despite Veilguard having a wider variety of options for customizing your characters background, it actually feels more rigid than DAI. Not only does Rook feel less like my character in terms of their personality, a lot of their background, regardless of what you picked, feels more set.

I also have a huge beef with how Rook is treated. Where the Inquisitor was age ambiguous and could ultimately be played as pretty much any age you wanted, with only a handful of places where it could be argued to that the dialogue might come off as immersion breaking, Rook is treated like they're fresh out of college at oldest, constantly being called "kid" or having characters bring up their youth. Not only does it feel restrictive in terms of character building, I'm personally just legitimately sick of being forced to play 20 somethings for every single game. My characters age should be a choice, or ideally, not brought up at all. What is the point in letting me customize my character to look older or mature if you're just going to practically ruffle their hair and call them a silly scamp no matter what I do?

(And yes, before anyone brings it up, I'm painfully aware that DAO and DA2 are actually guilty of this as well. DAO being the even worse example, considering you can not only make your character look 87 while having an older brother look younger than you are or a cousin of similar age look like your grandchild, but every one of your family members, no matter your origin, is always white, even if you are not. So literally every DA game has handled that better than Origins.)

I feel like, in some ways, BioWare knows their player base too well, and that's both good and bad. I think they know their players will ultimately ignore things and rewrite/headcanon things for themselves, and I think that will often lead to them deciding something isn't worth investing in since the fans will just do the work themselves. And I don't want that to come off as vitriol towards the team or an undermining of the effort that went into this game. I know it was hell, and I know that time, budgeting and other things had an impact on what the team was able to do, but I feel like deciding to make Rook some young 20 year old that apparently is oblivious by default wasn't so much an accident caused by development problems so much as it was a choice. You should be able to play your Rook that way, certainly, but in an rpg about choice, shouldn't you be able to... Idk, roleplay and choose??

I'm just disappointed because I thought the Inquisitor was almost perfect, and Rook feels like a massive downgrade. In a game for which one of the core pillars was lauded as "be who you want to be," it's just a bit of a letdown that I'm less able to be who I want to be than in any DA game before, except for maybe DA2. And it's doubly upsetting, because in some areas, Veilguard is actually so good about roleplay. Getting to choose your characters identity, getting to decide whether Rook is a virgin or if they have experience, etc. Smaller things like that feel so personal, but they're so few compared to the parts that feel like my choices for who Rook is aren't meaningful.

I just don't think I should have to shake my head and go "nuh uh" every time my Rook speaks in order to build a character that I find enjoyable to play. And I say all of this as someone who genuinely enjoys this game. The game has its issues, but I truly do find it such an enjoyable experience. Except for Rook. My Rook in my mind is so different from how I can make them due to how limited the rp is, and that's never been the case for a Dragon Age game before.

That's it, that's the post. If you got to the end, I'm SO SORRY you had to read my whining. Have a random Emmrich for your trouble 🙏

[jaydawne]

Samuel Ramblings

As concluded by the poll, I shall now ramble about Samuel on as much as I can that I haven't mentioned yet already. So, without further ado~ Here is Even More Info™️ about Samuel under the cut (WARNINGS: Mentions of; Purposeful misgendering/deadnaming, physical and verbal bullying, obsessive behaviours [potentially parental yandery], death of a loved one, very long ass post)

So, I've already given a basic rundown on Sam in general, but now you get his

~Backstory~

(I'll get to his other interests and such in another post probably, this got a lot longer than I thought it would) So, Samuel essentially grew up in a household where he was very much loved and cared for, however the way said love and care went was a biiit, askew to say the least. His parents were very helicoptery, wanting to know everything going on with him at every given moment, even going so far as to pull him out of school in order to keep a closer eye on him and teach him things themselves (It is at this point that I think I might have accidentally made his parents kinda yanderey, but without the whole killing thing. Not sure but I'll add that to the warnings/tags anyway just in case). Admittedly another part of that was because Sam was often bullied for his appearance, the other kids finding him to look too weird to be normal, calling him mean names, excluding him during playtime, stealing his food, general mean little kid stuff, but it still didn't really excuse pulling Sam out of school altogether. They even went so far as to put a tracker on him so they'd always know where he is. They're also very in denial about Samuel being trans, calling it a 'phase' and insisting that he's still their 'precious little baby girl' no matter what he says or does. Luckily though, it wasn't all horrible all the time, Samuel had his uncle, Boris, and his little cousin Brody, who had the same heterochromia as him, just in opposite eyes. Boris was a wonderful uncle, he adored and accepted Sam and always did his best to tell Sam not to listen to anyone who tells him to be anything other than himself. Boris taught Sam many things both fun and practical, like how to play a guitar, lock-picking for just in case purposes of course, basic self defence and cooking, anything he could that he thought Sam might need to know in the future. He knew Sam's parents wouldn't teach him anything that would help him survive away from them, so he wanted to do everything he could for him so that if Sam were ever able to get out, he wouldn't be completely unable to help himself. Brody, meanwhile, adored Samuel, and wants to be 'just like him' someday. He's pretty much more like a little brother to Sam than anything else, and he thinks his big cousin is just the coolest ever, and often refers to him as 'Samsam'. They were practically inseparable whenever Samuel came over, also cheering and hugging each other tight when they saw the other. It always made Boris smile to see them so close. Unfortunately though, things couldn't be this happy forever, because when Samuel was 10, something happened to Boris that caused him to pass away (I'm still undecided on what that is, either illness or car accident), meaning Samuel no longer had a safe space he could go to, and Brodi had to go live with his grandparents who live outside of the US. Thus, Samuel was alone, but he wasn't out of hope. He'd had enough. So, he did the only rational thing an 10 year old could think of: he ran away from home Psychonauts anyone? No? Okay then- Admittedly, it did take him a while to do so, but he managed by the time he was 11, and had also taken out the tracker so they couldn't find him. He took a lot of measures to make sure they couldn't find him for a while at the least... This is how he ended up coming across a junkyard, intending to lay low there for a bit until he figured out how he would earn money in order to live on his own. At least, that was the idea, until he ran into a pre-mutation Repo Mantis (who I will be calling 'Manny' as 1. he is not a mantis yet and 2. I yoinked the name from @/rottmnt-risuum , go read their comic it's so good, just mind the gore if you're not into that). Luckily, however, instead of kicking Sam out, he decided to make an offer; Sam can help out in the yard in exchange for cash and a place to live until he's able to make it on his own, to which Samuel accepted. Manny may be a greedy guy, but he ain't the heartless type to leave a kid to rot.

 From that point on for the next roughly 2 years, Samuel would help around the yard, doing tasks that are reasonable for a kid his age, and if anyone were to give him any trouble for any reason, Manny would handle it and add some compensation to make up for whatever it was Sam had to deal with. He may seem like the kind of guy to not care a lot, but he has a pet kitten and kept her even after she mutated and tried to eat him for crying out loud, he has some softness under that Brooklyn accent somewhere, and sure enough he'd grown to like Samuel, becoming a sort of surrogate father/uncle figure to him. Somewhere along that line Samuel was somehow also able to procure HRT and start on that, but how it happened I will never know. It's a show with talking turtle ninjas that have magic I don't have to be logical about things ALL the time.

Soon enough, when Samuel was 12, he managed to save up enough to get himself an apartment and was even able to get into a school and find a relatively okay job that didn't know he was not 14 because he sorta kinda lied on his resume- It was worth it though, he was glad he did it. He was finally able to be independent and not need to rely on others help to get a better life, but he will always be grateful to Manny for everything, and still visits him at least a few times a week either to just hang out or do favours, like fixing something or taking care of Mrs Nubbins, in exchange for being able to scrounge around for parts that he can use for any projects he's working on either for practice or to get one step closer to his dream of being a mechanic/technician. Manny only ever pretended to keep score of how many favours Sam could cash in. As far as he was concerned, Sam could take anything he wanted, within reason at least.

Of course, this doesn't mean Samuel is completely free. He still needs to be wary of his parents, as they're out there looking for him. They almost did find him at one point, but he was able to move somewhere else before they did, but he had to change his contact details and other such things in order to keep them off his trail. It's a song and dance he'd have to go through generally once or twice a year at least, three or maybe four if he's unlucky. He doesn't have a lot with him, so it makes the process easier, but it's never any less nerve wracking or stressful, not to mention expensive. But he's been getting more and better jobs, and eventually he didn't need to lie about his age on his resume anymore, which was a huge relief off his shoulders if he were perfectly honest. He still got bullied at his new school though, again for his appearance, which was unfortunate.

 His main bullies were these two guys, Kyle and Lyle, who sometimes had one or two other guys with them to join in on tormenting Samuel as much as they could, calling him him things like 'freak' or 'monster' or 'failed Frankenstein' (which Sam often wants to correct that Frankenstein was the scientist, not the monster), even going so far as to beat him on the odd occasion. Safe to say, Sam can't really catch much of a break. That is, at least, until one night he sees a video of his employer's kid, Baxter Stockkid, making yet another one of his videos again. He goes to the Stock 'n Shop in order to stop Baxter from doing anything stupid that would get himself into trouble with his parents, only to end up meeting April from school, and two very green very three-fingered people that are very clearly not human despite their cosplayer claims. They are very clearly not cosplayers, he can smell the turtley-ness on them. He's more intrigued by them than freaked though, finding them rather cool and interesting. After that whole situation is over and done with, Samuel ensures that any video footage Baxter might have taken of the turtles is erased in order to protect their secrecy, and also put up a firewall to prevent any of such videos being released in case Baxter had any backups somewhere he didn't know about. It was after this that Sam and April actually met up properly and started to bond, earning Samuel his first friend of a similar age group, and also someone who can and will stick up for him when Kyle and Lyle try shit, which he greatly appreciates but also tries to discourage as he doesn't want her caught up in his shit. It's not long after that when Samuel, while rummaging around Repo's junkyard, he comes across Donnie for the first time. It catches them both quite off guard, but after a moment Samuel recalls Manny mentioning some troublesome turtles stealing that movie buggy he'd found a couple weeks ago, and figured that this terrapin likely is not exactly on friendly terms with the mantis mutant. Thus, he warns Donnie of when Manny would be doing his rounds and that he should get what he needs and go before he's caught before leaving himself as to not draw attention. Skip to a week later, April decides to properly introduce Sam to the turtles and cue recognition and mild shenanigannery, solidifying Samuel as a friend of the turtles. Aaaaaand that's about it! For the most part that is, this is just up to being properly brought into it, there is still a bit regarding his time with the turtles, let alone his change in species and whatnot. That can be for another post on another day, hopefully not several months from now-

[timetraveltasting]

POULET REINE ELIZABETH (THE ORIGINAL CORONATION CHICKEN, 1953)

I've been building myself up to make this Tasting History dish for weeks, and I finally had the time, ingredients, and confidence to give it a go: Poulet Reine Elizabeth, the original recipe for Coronation Chicken created by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume for the luncheon following the coronation of the United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953. This dish is composed of poached chicken in a creamy, sweet curry sauce. Though there is evidence the new Queen did not attend the luncheon and try her namesake dish that day, it did later become a favourite dish of hers for when she would summer at Balmoral Castle. I decided to make this dish because I absolutely adore it in wrap and sandwich-form, even from a cheap supermarket (I will order it whenever I see it available!), and because Max's eyes positively lit up when he tried this recipe. I'm a mayo-loving girl, so I knew there was a high chance I would love this mayo-forward dish! I also made it as a little treat for my husband, who broke his leg quite badly the night before. Despite us nearing the end of summer, it's still pretty hot out, and I thought this cold Coronation Chicken dish would do wonders to cool us off a little. See Max’s video on how to make the dish here or see the ingredients and process at the end of this post, sourced from his website.

My experience making it:

I stuck very closely to the list of ingredients for this dish. I used 4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I should probably have used larger ones, or perhaps one more breast in order to match the amount of sauce made). I used four peppercorns, and for my bouquet garni, I used the Scarborough Fair herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) and dill, because I am obsessed with dill. For the white wine (for poaching) I used a German Riesling, and for the red wine in the sauce, I used an Italian Primitivo. I'll admit, I did use maybe twice the amount of curry powder overall than what the recipe stated, but it was only because I wanted my sauce to be that satisfying yellow colour... which I never quite achieved anyway! For the mayonnaise, I used Hellmann's (the only brand of mayo I will ever buy), and, purely by accident, I used Heinz Curry Ketchup instead of normal ketchup (despite my tomato allergy, ketchup has been processed to the point that I can consume it without side effects, so I tend to use it as a substitute for tomato puree or paste in some recipes). I grabbed the wrong bottle from the fridge, but luckily this was a curry-flavoured dish anyways, so it ended up working out! For the rice salad, I kind of veered away from the recipe a little. I used all the same ingredients except for the French vinaigrette, which I replaced with tzatziki because I had some in the fridge that needed to be used up.

For the method, I went a little out of order, but I think this was a good idea. First, I made some whipped cream, then set that aside in the fridge. Next, I began making the sauce, since I also wanted this to have time to cool in the fridge before dressing the chicken. I followed the method for the sauce very closely, adding all the ingredients when called for. When the recipe said to taste to see if the sauce needed any more ingredients to balance it, I predictably added more curry powder. Letting it to simmer, then straining and letting it cool completely, I next mixed the mayonnaise with the apricot spread. I added the darker sauce to the mayonnaise mixture little by little, using all of it, as Max predicted I would. I tasted it as I went, and I kept wanting to add a bit more flavour. Even when I had added all the sauce in to the mayo, I still thought it could use a little extra curry flavour, so I added a bit more curry powder until I was happy with it. I chilled the creamy curry sauce in the fridge, then folded in the pre-chilled whipped cream. This is what changed the sauce from thick globs into a beautifully light and silky sauce.

I tossed the finished sauce in the fridge and began working on the chicken. Adding the liquids to the pot first, I then put the carrot chunks at the base of the pot, dispersed in order to 'hold up' the chicken (I was worried if the chicken touched the base, the bottom of the chicken would cook too fast). I also added the bouquet garni at the bottom, then layered the chicken breasts on top. I added the salt and peppercorns, then slowly brought the pot to a simmer. Once it just started to bubble, I turned off the heat and covered the pot for 8 minutes or so. Because I don't have a meat thermometer, I cooked it a bit longer than what Max suggested and I cut into the middle of one chicken breast to act as an indicator. At about 10 minutes, the chicken was cooked in the centre, and I removed the breasts from the pot to let cool. They smelled lovely, thanks to the herbs, and the texture was so tender. After they cooled completely, I bathed them in the sauce, then cut them into slices. I had whipped up the rice salad while the chicken was poaching, and had let it cool in the fridge in its tzatziki 'dressing'. I served the chicken on a plate with the salad, and drizzled plenty more sauce on the chicken, because after tasting the sauce as I went, I was already in love with it! There was a lot of sauce left over, and a bit of chicken, so I diced the chicken and mixed it with the sauce to keep for the next day.

My experience tasting it:

I tried a bite of the sauce-covered Coronation Chicken and fell immediately in love with this dish! I totally understand Max's excited reaction when tasting this dish, because mine was equivalent. The chicken is the softest, most tender I have ever made, melding wonderfully with the light, creamy sauce. Despite all that curry powder I added, the curry flavour was not overpowering. Instead, the sauce had a sweetness from the sugar and apricot spread, a saltiness from the mayonnaise, a sourness from the lemon, and a complexity from the wine, bay leaf, onion, and curry powder. What resulted was a perfectly balanced sauce. It had a faint hint of a mustard taste, but as someone who doesn't really like mustard, it wasn't enough to spoil my enjoyment. The temperature was cold and refreshing, and the light tzatziki rice salad was the perfect pairing for the rich flavour of the Coronation Chicken sauce. My husband raved about this dish, as did I. The following day, we had the leftover diced and sauced chicken with some of the leftover rice salad and some cabbage in wraps at lunchtime - it was also amazing used in this way! I have already planned to make this dish again for my family back in Canada next time I visit, and I intend to make it every once in a while as a treat. Unfortunately, because it takes so long to make and uses lots of wine, I will probably not make it too often. However, I can see myself making just the sauce sometimes, because it could go well on so many things. One thing's for sure, if you want to feel the excitement and joy Queen Elizabeth felt on the day of her coronation, this recipe for Coronation Chicken is a must-make. If you end up making this dish, if you liked it, or if you changed anything from the original recipe, do let me know!

Poulet Reine Elizabeth (Coronation Chicken) original recipe (1953)

Sourced from The Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume, 1953.

Coronation Chicken (Cold) (For 6-8) 2 young roasting chickens water and a little wine to cover carrot a bouquet garni salt 3-4 peppercorns cream of curry sauce (see below) Poach the chicken, with carrot, bouquet, salt, and peppercorns, in water and a little wine, enough barely to cover, for about 40 minutes or until tender. Allow to cool in the liquid. Joint the birds, remove the bones with care. Prepare the sauce given below. Mix the chicken and the sauce together, arrange on a dish, coat with the extra sauce. For convenience in serving on the occasion mentioned, the chicken was arranged at one end of an oblong dish, and a rice salad as given below was arranged at the other. Cream of curry sauce 1 tablespoon oil 50g/2 oz onion, finely chopped 1 dessertspoon curry-powder 1 good teaspoon tomato purée 1 wineglass red wine ¾ wineglass water a bay-leaf salt, sugar, a touch of pepper a slice or two of lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice, possibly more 1-2 tablespoons apricot purée 450ml/ ¾ pint mayonnaise 2-3 tablespoons lightly whipped cream a little extra whipped cream Heat the oil, add onion, cook gently 3-4 minutes, add curry-powder. Cook again 1-2 minutes. Add purée, wine, water, and bay-leaf. Bring to boil, add salt, sugar to taste, pepper, and the lemon and lemon juice. Simmer with the pan uncovered 5-10 minutes. Strain and cool. Add by degrees to the mayonnaise with the apricot purée to taste. Adjust seasoning, adding a little more lemon juice if necessary. Finish with the whipped cream. Take a small amount of sauce (enough to coat the chicken) and mix with a little extra cream and seasoning. This is an admirable sauce to serve with iced lobster. Rice salad The rice salad which accompanied the chicken was of carefully cooked rice, cooked peas, diced raw cucumber, and finely chopped mixed herbs, all mixed in a well-seasoned French dressing.

Modern Recipe

Based on The Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume (1910) and Max Miller’s version in his Tasting History video.

Ingredients:

Chicken

4 large chicken breasts, or other cut that you like

6 cups (1 1/2 L) water

2 cups (475 ml) white wine

1 carrot, chopped into large chunks

1 bouquet garni*

2 tbsp salt

3-4 peppercorns

Cream of Curry Sauce

1 tbsp oil

1/2 cup (50 g) finely chopped onion

2 heaping tsp (about 5 g) curry powder

1 heaping tsp (about 6 g) tomato puree

1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine

6 tbsp (90 ml) water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1/2 tbsp (10 g) apricot spread or puree

Generous 1 3/4 cups (450 g) mayonnaise

3 tbsp, plus a little extra, lightly whipped cream

*A bouquet garni is a small bunch of herbs tied together with some twine. Which herbs you use is up to you, some common ones are 🎶parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme 🎶. Any savory herb will work, but I’d steer clear of mint, as it can overpower the dish.

Rice Salad

Cooked rice

Cooked peas

Diced cucumber

Finely chopped herbs, your favorites

French dressing, your favorite French vinaigrette

Method:

For the chicken: Mix the water and white wine to a large pot, then add the chicken, salt, carrot, bouquet garni, and peppercorns and set the pot over medium-low heat. The goal is to raise the temperature very, very slowly so that the chicken cooks all the way through without overcooking the outside and undercooking the inside.

When the water just starts to let off bubbles from the bottom, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Check the internal temperature of the chicken after 5 minutes, you want it to be 150°F (66°C), but not much over. If it’s not up to temperature yet, cover and check it again every couple of minutes (it could take up to 10 minutes).

Take the chicken out of the pot and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, but it’s better to let it cool completely.

For the cream of curry sauce: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the curry powder. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the tomato puree, red wine, 6 tablespoons of water, and bay leaf and bring it to a gentle boil.

Add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, two lemon wedges, and a generous squeeze of lemon juice.

Cook for 1 minute, then taste and add more of any of the ingredients to adjust the flavors to what you want.

Simmer the sauce uncovered for 10 minutes.

Strain the sauce into a bowl and let it cool completely.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and apricot puree, then add the cooled sauce a little at a time until it’s as strong as you like, mixing well before adding more. You’ll probably end up using all of it. Taste again and add more of any of the ingredients to adjust the taste to your liking.

Gently fold in the 3 tablespoons of whipped cream until well combined.

Mix a little of the finished sauce with a little of the extra whipped cream, then coat the chicken in the mixture.

For the rice salad: There are no measurements given for this in the historic recipe, and to be honest, I didn’t measure anything when I made it, but added amounts of each that I thought looked good. Toss all of the ingredients together, adjusting amounts to your liking.

Slice the chicken, pour the sauce over it, and serve it forth with rice salad, coronation optional.

[comfortlesshurt]

Nowhere to call home (so I'll pack and run away) - Augusnippets 2024!

Series TWs: non-traditional self-harm, grief, recreational drug use, emeto/vomit, vague description of vehicular accident, injury, slight suicidal ideation, experiences of poverty (from my own limited experience - it may not line up with yours). (TWs will also be noted per chapter as they are posted, but this is a connected series, so you probably don't want to read any of these if you have an issue with the above TWs. Any fic in the series with at least one TW will have the full fic hidden under a read more.)

Rating: M (raised it from my usual since this deals with more serious themes)

Summary: Snippets of Keith's time in the desert.

Read on AO3 (I find this to be a better reading experience)

Read on Tumblr (...but you might see new snippets sooner here because I queued them all and I'm gonna be traveling a lot this month, which may keep me away from AO3)

Pseuds: occasionalvoltronfiction & sickficlurker

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Main character: Keith

Relationship: Gen (with mentions of Broganes)

Timeline: Pre-series, from the time Keith is kicked out of the garrison to rescuing Shiro from the garrison

Universe: from my research, this could be canon-plausible or could be considered pre-canon-divergent but converging back to canon events at the end. Up to your interpretation!

Challenges: @augusnippets path of whumperless whump with the order modified to better fit the story. Due to modifications, new snippets will be posted every odd day of August from 8/1 to 8/29.

Title inspiration playlist: YouTube/Spotify

Notes: This is sort of an alpha version of a chapter fic I'm working on! The chapter fic will have more content and may have some plot changes to fit with my overall vision, but I thought this would be a good exercise for getting some initial ideas down without the pressure of properly binding them all together just yet. This version comes out around 5k, but the future version is projected between 40k and 50k, so you'll have plenty of new material to hopefully make it worthwhile. I've made some assumptions here that are more fully explained in the chapter fic. The future version has a few additional TWs I'll add when we get to that point.

[dimmestmorn13]

by golly ive spent the whole day thinking about what to write but im gobsmacked by how head empty i am in this moment as mentioned by previous reblog propagandas, daicoltsonsen stems from a killing game rp with friends and uses modern versions of them in that iteration (i have an au of them i made on the spot but we're not talking about that until like the end of this, bc dim talks better in fic writing for some reason)

being the colt proponent, i figured i could put some of my own cents in the ring

fucking screaming bc tumblr deleted my first version. dawg im so upset why does ctrl+z delete most of the post. doing this based on memory now.

pre-facing this with me the being the colt proponent: i know colt most among the four and as such this may focus more on his part of the 'cule

here's a visual since previous reblog propagandas have mentioned that we do use modern iterations for them (theres a spontaneous au idea for them i made but that goes at the bottom. whichwas the reason i ended up accidentally deleting my initial contents. crying.)

colt is misleading. if i had to choose a singular word to use for colt, that would be it. he tends to come off as flirty by accident in public but he cant HANDLE pda in private (something about being genuine, about showing love still without an audience, that makes him choked up about it), he tends to use confusing phrases and mixing them up in the process, and before the relationship with daichi, tends to speak in half-truths. he's still figuring it out, he's still figuring it out. dia-san notes him as ??? in this propaganda post and that's because he's still working it out in the rp (though i inherently write him as lithromantic at least). same goes for his budding relationships with daichi and watson. a lot of the character development i hope i can wrestle into him is finding himself with the help being grounded by the polycule and not being afraid of intimate connections again, but eh. side characters, right?

i also have a drawing of him in a dress due to events in the rp helping his gender exploration, but i'll leave that for a next reblog if it comes down to it.

daichi and colt now have sweet and somewhat flirty banter after settling their quandaries with some good old communication. they're both still learning, but it's a start. communication is important afterall. i feel compelled to add that daichi is such a wet sopping cat for colt. i think he may just be a wet sopping cat in general. colt thinks it very charming. mmight be reading this inaccurately but daichi reads as performance anxiety to me, while colt is fake it til you make it, which. do with that what you will.

i think its hilarious that canon playverse watson and colt are both at least european. this isnt really building up to anything, i just thought it was funny. colt has a specific interest and has worked with the doctor where watson is currently helping at in the rp which definitely sparks a conversation and connection tween the two of them. the leg problems connection i hadn't really known about until nic-san's reblog mentioning it, which i find neat. they're both jovial lads and their conversations tend to be... sunny? in a sense

senri and colt haven't met in rp, but they sure have in ponytown and let me tell you it was the funniest shit. colt barges in saying he has no qualms in multiple partner arrangements so long as everyone in it was happy. senri having known daichi the longest has colt's immediate interest, they both fluster daichi and sometimes the turns table on them, which, rip.

thoughts all over the place but i love how everyone has their own passions in this polycule. colt loves daichi's passionnate music, loves watson's care being utilized into the medical field, and would love senri's keen interest of architecture. colt's passions lie in invention. as well as something keeping him on the island in the rp, but i can't really say.

O(-( x2 combo

lil snippet? for the aforementioned au:

There is a boy on Daichi's computer. There is a boy on Daichi's computer, and Senri is sure that, like many things in his life, it's definitely Daichi's fault that he's been roped into this.

yippeeee

[ofcaptainsandships]

CHARACTER INFO

FULL NAME.  Christopher Pike

NICKNAME(RANK). Chris (commonly used by anyone), Captain (by Leland, post accident)

GENDER. Male

HEIGHT. 1,85 m

AGE. Mid 40's (depending on the verse)

LANGUAGES. English, French, Klingon. (More than 500 post accident, thanks to the translator implant)

HAIR COLOR. Dark Brown (with traits of gray)

EYE COLOR. Hazel 

SKIN TONE.   Fair

BODY TYPE.   Muscular

ACCENT. American

VOICE.  Low, not to deep, often loud and demanding but also joyful and full of compassion

DOMINANT HAND. Right

POSTURE. Professional, keeping his shoulders up. Sometimes he might lose his professionalism but he still remains in a posture enough to make people understand he's a man of authority.

SCARS. Scratch on the abdomen (obtained on his academy days) Various (post accident)

TATTOOS. None, A pattern of stars and an L on his lower abdomen (post accident)

BIRTHMARKS. None

MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). His bright smile. His facial implant (post accident)

PLACE OF BIRTH. Mojave, California, USA, Earth

OCCUPATION. Commanding Officer of The USS Enterprise NCC-1701. Helmsman and First Officer of the Section 31 ship NCIA-93. (post accident)

CURRENT RESIDENCE. Aboard the Section 31 ship NCIA-93.

CLOSE FRIENDS. Spock, Number One, Phil Boyce, James T. Kirk, Katrina Cornwell, Gabriel Lorca, Philippa Georgiou, Sylvia Tilly, Captain Leland, Rachel Ambrose, Sean Edwards, Leon Schneider, Logan Phobs and more

RELATIONSHIP STATUS. Single. Married to Captain Leland (post accident)

FINANCIAL STATUS. N/A

DRIVER’S LICENSE. Car license, Pilot card.

CRIMINAL RECORD. None

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG. Rocket man by Elton John. Until we Go down by Ruelle (post accident)

HOBBIES TO PASS TIME. Listen to music, reading, horse riding (when on earth)

MENTAL ILLNESSES. Anxiety. PTSD (post accident)

PHYSICAL ILLNESSES. Allergies. Asthma.

LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. Right.

FEARS. Losing the people he loves, loneliness.

SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. Average

NEGATIVE TRAITS. Might let his guilt affect his behavior, might be blinded by his emotions, cares too much.

POSITIVE TRAITS. Passionate, caring, loyal, resourceful, charismatic, compassionate.

TAGGED BY : @engineertilly

TAGGING : @fleetsdarkstar, @xtheimpossiblesoufflex, @thefallenwarrior and anyone who wants to try it!

[layniapetrovnaaa]

Logan Howlett Fic-Recs :)

I found this in my drafts and thought I should post it lol

***

“Laura saw you two making-out...” - Old Man Logan x Reader

By: @ellana-ravenwood

#6. Getting caught making out with Logan .

***

I don't mind

By: @siren-and-faies-writing

Imagine Logan being a regular at the bar you work at

***

Reluctantly here

By: @moonlit-imagines

“We are definitely the coolest people here.” with Logan Howlett?”

***

Better

By: @astxrwar

And maybe it’s the time, or the stress of the conversation, or the barely perceptible hum of pre-storm tension that’s been ever-present whenever the two of you are in the same room since that day in the diner, but suddenly, something is making you very aware of the older man in a way that you weren’t before. It’s something in the air. Something in the air has changed, gotten thicker or stronger or more pressing, but somehow you can feel it, and you get the feeling that somehow—somehow—Logan can, too.

***

Nowhere fast

By: @astxrwar

Took the basic premise [of Logan] and turned it into a fix-it fic slash road trip romance

***

Triangles

By: xfandomwritingsx

You meet Logan in his favorite bar.

Christmas Prompt: Holiday Meal

***

In Loving Memory (Series)

By: ourdreamsrealized

After surviving an accident, Logan wakes with no recollection of his time with the X-Men. He has forgotten most of the people he came to love, and the woman who came to love him back.

***

Family Outing

By: @lune-hime

“It isn’t often we see four generations out to eat here. It’s so darling.”

Better watch your cholesterol, Logan.

***

Blast From The Past

By: @lune-hime

Logan runs into an unexpected surprise on his journey back in his days of future past.

***

There is more, but I can't think of all of them. I'll add more as I remember!