#Walnut Recording

[thatswhatsushesaid]

the mdzs subreddit is a cesspool of jgy and jc hate 90% of the time, so i decided to do my part to be obnoxiously, belligerently positive about jgy on main 😌 if you want to help me counteract some of the bad vibes over there, here's the place to do it.

[whiteshipnightjar]

ok but joanna newsom writing little notes on her cds is just so 🥹🥰

[timekeepertwister]

Operation: Time Twister - Case 1: Compiled Control

🥖 Briefing: Support Division, this is your first major case as part of “Operation: Time Twister” and definitely not the last. Unlike the Orientation, which had a set narrative from beginning to end as it was in the past prior to the formation of this task force, you will have your chance to influence the story between posted Files. Likewise, this story will be a lot more complicated as turbulence from other temporal regions beyond Earthbread is to be expected. However, if collateral damage occurs, you will be held accountable for any expenses. Here are the immediate missions that are part of this Case:

Locate Croissant Cookie’s group consisting of her, Walnut Cookie, Almond Cookie, and Roguefort Cookie within the Past Dark Cacao Kingdom and return everyone back to their proper times

Track down the locations of Cinnamon Cookie, Wizard Cookie, and Cream Puff Cookie to return them to [12/24/2020 - PET-EB-C/W] safely

Retrieve loose fragments of the Blue Cheese Watch where possible

Follow up on newfound evidence regarding White Lily Cookie, Beast-Yeast, Lilywhite Space, and the Lilywhite Capital

Locate and retrieve any of White Lily Cookie’s Soulstones if possible

——————————————————————————————

🍓🍰 Disaster Response Division Memo: A new time rift has torn open in a far-eastern region of Outer Earthbread within the Primary Earthbread Timeline. Detected temporal signatures suggest that this rift was caused by loose parts of the Blue Cheese Watch, although more evidence is needed. Intelligence reports suggest that at least three people have fallen into this rift. Be on the lookout for these people who may not appear as Cookies and more likely to look like the Witch. We will be sending Strawberry Shortcake Cookie, the High Priestess of the Pomegranate Village, and a staff member of the railway transportation services of the World of Dreams to lead the detachment’s investigations, the latter of whom were commissioned as support. As such, here are the additional missions posed by the Disaster Response Division for your team:

Assist in the gathering of testimonies from local townspeople from the region

Identify any and all immediately misplaced individuals from this region

Locate misplaced individuals that have been sent to Earthbread after entering the time rift

Return all misplaced individuals to their respective region

Create a comprehensive report on how the time rift opened in the region

Stabilize the time rift before it causes additional damage within the region

Record all individuals involved on the Subject Roster

——————————————————————————————

Case Investigations

Investigation A: The Frost Miko Incidents (Active)

Investigation B: Misplaced Magicians

Investigation C: Y3 Intelligence

Ongoing Side Investigation: The Resolvers’ Incident - Courtesy of the Disaster Response Division. Their investigation’s progress will be listed within the individual investigations.

———————————————————————————————

Supervisory Memos

Timeguard Keepers are on standby for dispatch, and we plan to send three of them. Suggest via the ask box a parallel presence of someone whom you want to see from the canon lineup as a Keeper. Selections will happen behind the scenes regardless.

Support has been requested from forward field agents. It is now up to you to service these requests at your discretion. You as the Support Division can now partially influence the story by sending asks between Case Files according to incoming requests.

The pinned post has been updated to organize AU terminology and tags and to add a few more.

The Subject Roster, Space-Time Atlas, and Inquiry Master List are under development. Remaining Subject Records that have not been processed and made available to you during the Orientation will be processed after the publication of the Subject Roster.

Subject Roster - Under Development

Space-Time Atlas - Under Development

Inquiry Master List - Under Development

[harvestmoth]

girls when they.

[sicksweetcreamy]

@magitober MAGITOBER 2023: Flame Unit - Manaka Kurumi I headcanon she enjoys reading bad reviews about Peanuts on Yelp but doesn't leave any herself because she's above that

[tilde44]

Twinhooker and Paulie Walnuts - Tragedy

[mildmayfoxe]

got half price challah yesterday & made french toast and a quick cranberry strawberry compote about it 🍓

[iihih]

Geology Studio Makes Beautiful Wood Furniture for Vinyl Lovers

In Los Angeles a husband and wife run design studio named Geology makes locally crafted wood furniture that includes nicely designed credenzas and wall units to store and display your collection of vinyl. Founded in 2011 by husband and wife team, Adam and Vanessa Friedman, their well-crafted wood pieces inspired by Midcentury Modern Design are available in walnut or white oak. Geology Studio Wood…

[msb-lair]

Dragon: Walnut - Pearlcatcher Skydancer Fathom Male

First Record Second Record

(Skydancer scroll applied on 2019-04-14) (Runes scroll applied on 2019-04-14) (Leopard scroll applied on 2024-06-14) (Foam scroll applied on 2024-06-14) (Firebreather scroll applied on 2024-06-14) (Fathom scroll applied on 2024-06-14)

Purchased For: 35 gems Hatched On: 2019-04-05 ID: 50775323

Parentage: Gwydd/Septarian Flight: Nature

Primary: Chocolate Python Leopard Secondary: Forest Constellation Foam Tertiary: Hunter Opal Runes Firebreather Eyes: Unusual

Comments: Purchased as a mate for Chestnut.

When fathom dragons released for the 11th anniversary, I decided that he and his mate Chestnut would make a good pair to regene, with a complete redo of him and a single tweak to her (changing her secondary to also be a limited gene).

He's getting my first brewed scroll for the new breed. I'm fine with their offspring only having a 50% chance of coming out as a fathom, so (Oh look rarity of breed was announced incorrectly but) his mate will remain a nocturne.

Apparel: 

Spring’s Breath

Tree Warden’s Guard

Poisonous Woodbrace, Woodtreads, Woodwing, and Woodtrail

Familiar: Flounced Greattusk

Progeny Testing: 

[Test] Chestnut

[Test] Chestnut

Broods: 

Matched with Chestnut on 2019-04-30, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Mated with Chestnut on 2019-06-13, 3 eggs [Clutch]

Clutched with Chestnut on 2019-10-01, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Crossed with Chestnut on 2020-01-13, 3 eggs [Clutch]

Joined with Chestnut on 2024-06-14, 2 eggs [Clutch]

Bred with Chestnut on 2024-07-14, 3 eggs [Clutch]

Paired with Chestnut on 2024-08-13, 3 eggs [Clutch]

Nested with Chestnut on 2024-10-19, 3 eggs [Clutch]

[soloh]

Shoutout to Facebook memories for reminding me that this time 10 years ago a bunch of people I went to school with did BLACKFACE for an inter-house drag competition 😬😬😬

[onryou-onryou]

Deftones - (HMV Records) Philadelphia,Pa 10.10.96 (Complete Show)

[elevate-rp]

Los Angeles Library Living Room Mid-sized open concept dark wood floor, brown floor and vaulted ceiling living room library photo with white walls, a corner fireplace, a stone fireplace and no tv

[timekeepertwister]

Case 0 Type P - File 6 - “The Final Battle”

Location: Vanilla Castle - The Chamber of Audiences

Timeline: PET-K

Date: August 1945, 1:13 PM

Subjects Involved: C/E-73 (22), C/E-22, C/E-925, C/L-33, C/A-95, C/A-78, C/A-42(h), C/A-42(c), C/A-32, CM/B-29, CM/H-?

Employee(s) Responding: Croissant Cookie

Timeline Inspection Record Of: The Final Battle - Prologue (No Spoilers Necessary) [Timeline Maintained]

It’s August 1945. The time is a bit past one in the afternoon. 13:13 on a 24-hour clock, if you’re so inclined. And yet, crimson twilight blankets the tranquil skies of the Vanilla Kingdom. As of now, Dark Enchantress Cookie retains occupation of the Vanilla Castle’s main keep as Pure Vanilla Cookie, Hollyberry Cookie, Dark Cacao Cookie, and Golden Cheese Cookie make their way to the Chamber of Audiences: the castle’s ornate throne room. As Dark Cacao Cookie slams open the doors to the final corridor to reveal the hordes of Cake Monsters separating the quartet from Dark Enchantress Cookie, White Lily Cookie runs in behind them, sweeping past Golden Cheese Cookie to tug on Pure Vanilla Cookie’s shoulder. Destiny has arrived, and the battle for the future begins.

With White Lily Cookie’s arrival, everyone nodded their heads silently as they began their approach towards the throne at the end of the seemingly endless hallway. Although last to arrive, White Lily Cookie was the first to break the silence. She knew she was the one that caused all of this, as she contemplated her mistakes and uttered in despair, “This is… Oh no, what a horrible sight.”

“The whole place is covered in Cookie crumbs!” Hollyberry Cookie added, knowing the weight of the coming battle and the casualties suffered by the Vanilla Kingdom’s Royal Guard and civilian population.

Dark Cacao Cookie steadied his nerve and noted the scent of the devastated hallway. His tone was as stern and resolute as it was when he first took on the mantle of king of his own snow-covered kingdom. “Foul sticky cream… The stench of burnt butter in the air…” Clearly the same expired and otherwise undesirable ingredients that came together to make the monsters that made up Dark Enchantress Cookie’s Cake Monster armies.

Golden Cheese Cookie looked at everyone as she flew behind them and thought about the destruction around her, as well as the comments of her friends accompanied by White Lily Cookie’s late arrival, unaware of what transpired regarding White Lily Cookie’s absence and prior interactions with Croissant Cookie, Walnut Cookie, Almond Cookie, and Roguefort Cookie in Lilywhite Space: a dimension named after her since the incident in the Blueberry Yogurt Academy. With nothing else to say and a demand for answers, Golden Cheese Cookie asked everyone in a sharpened tone, “What on Earthbread is going on here?!”

Pure Vanilla Cookie sighed in reply. “It’s not good. Dark Enchantress Cookie has declared war on the Vanilla Kingdom.”

In outrage, Dark Cacao Cookie snapped back. “The Cookie who has brought the Cake Monster army into our lands?”

“Yes. She attacked while I was occupied elsewhere,” Pure Vanilla Cookie said in response.

Hollyberry Cookie, without a chuckle in her voice, responded by saying, “Hah! That’s gotta be some hard flour, for such a brazen strike.”

Without another word from anyone else, Pure Vanilla Cookie rallied everyone towards the end of the corridor. “We must find Dark Enchantress Cookie quickly! Let us make haste!”

As the Five made their way through the corridor, Croissant Cookie’s Timecraft silently flew in through a shattered window at the end of the hall, landing behind a large pillar next to Dark Enchantress Cookie. Quiet as a mouse in a warzone, the four Cookies aboard disembarked from the time machine to ensure that White Lily Cookie had made it to the others safe and sound. Croissant Cookie was the first to break the silence, her voice safely muffled from anyone else by the ambient noise of war. “We made it. Does anyone see White Lily Cookie?”

Walnut Cookie looked down the hall and back at Croissant Cookie. “No sign of her or the others yet. Just at least a dozen Cake Hounds from what I’ve seen in several weekend horror movies.”

Roguefort Cookie’s patience was growing thinner by the minute. They were originally there to recover a pocket watch, not to fly straight into the heart of the Dark Flour War. Ever the opportunist, they whispered to Croissant Cookie, “Why don’t we just mount our own ambush right here? We’re in a prime position, and completely hidden from her sight. We could finish that thief off right here before she can do anything else.”

Almond Cookie sighed softly and constantly, first at Walnut Cookie’s horror movie comments, then to Roguefort Cookie’s suggestion. “And how exactly would you describe your plan here? Unlike you or the Ancient Heroes, we’re seriously unequipped to challenge a prominent Black Magic user to any extent. And although you may consider yourself a cunning rogue, you’re still a Cookie in our group. If you make a mistake in your own attempt to ambush her, everyone’s safety here would be in serious jeopardy because you compromised the security of our position.”

Pulling Roguefort Cookie aside by the arm, Croissant Cookie stared them in the eyes and delivered her own ultimatum. “Okay Roguefort Cookie, listen up. We are NOT to interact with anyone or anything here if White Lily Cookie appears as planned, as per the mission. That also includes the possibility of attacking Dark Enchantress Cookie, no matter how much I want to fight her as much as you do for the number of anomalies and trouble she’s given us rivaled by other notorious time-jumping outlaws. The dropkick in the dining room that happened earlier only happened because we were in the present era and because pre-calculated physics and trajectory in relation to the time rift opened in the dining room ceiling- which I used to get to that location to respond to prior intelligence regarding a stolen Class II Relic- allowed me to make that entrance. Not to mention, if you were to crumble her in the past at this very moment, our timeline would change dramatically with no known projected outcome. Literally anything could happen as a result of this, even if roaming TBD agents were to immediately arrive on-site to arrest you the instant afterwards. Some of us- including you- might not even exist as a result, so stick to the plan and stay here. The Ancient Heroes will take care of the rest.”

Roguefort Cookie was about to argue back at Croissant Cookie when a loud “OUTTA MY WAY!” from Hollyberry Cookie followed by the sound of heavy metallic clanging sounded through the hall, sending a horde of infernal Cake Hounds flying in the group’s general direction. One of them even managed to sweep Roguefort Cookie’s legs mid-flight, sending them into the floor as the Cake Hound started growling at them. Covering its mouth as they got back up, Roguefort Cookie knew there was no other way out as they stuck it out towards the others like a stack of dirty dishes. “Point taken. Now then, somebody please take this Hound off my hands before it sells us all out.”

Thinking fast, Walnut Cookie snatched the Cake Hound from Roguefort Cookie and threw it into the Timecraft where it stopped growling and started rolling over on the back seat. “There was no other option, we have to keep it quiet so everyone else doesn’t see us!” Walnut Cookie then pointed to the five Ancients as they approached Dark Enchantress Cookie in front of the castle’s throne, thoroughly lined with dark roots and covered in melting frosting and red cake batter.

As the Ancient Heroes approached the far end of the throne room next to where Croissant Cookie’s group was hiding, a tense standoff began. Dark Enchantress Cookie looked down from her lofty position atop her floating staff to see who dared to challenge her, monologuing to her challengers, “And so, upon the ruins of your home, we finally meet. You’re rather late… to your own demise!”

“Dark Enchantress Cookie! What is the meaning of this?” Pure Vanilla Cookie said defiantly.

“Do you know the real reason why we, Cookies, were created?”

Cutting off Dark Enchantress Cookie in her opening statement, Golden Cheese Cookie looked down- no- at equal height towards Dark Enchantress Cookie, asking her in a quite annoyed tone, “What rancid NONSENSE are you peddling now?”

“Now, now,” Dark Enchantress Cookie said, continuing to push her point. “THINK for a moment. I hope it’s not too hard. Why do we exist?”

Hollyberry Cookie spoke up to answer the question: “That’s easy—to live and be happy, all together! That’s exactly why we were brought into this world. Happiness, Dark Enchantress Cookie. That’s what it’s all about.”

“Oh, really?” Dark Enchantress Cookie asked in a calm yet steady response. “And when, pray tell, are you the happiest? When you fall down and crumble? Or when you become—dare I say it… Ha Ha Ha! SOGGY!”

“We are together, in peace and in battle.” Dark Cacao Cookie responded, sword at the ready. “This is our strength!”

“So true!” Pure Vanilla Cookie concluded, “We love and thank our Creators for our deliciously sweet bodies and unique talents! And there is no hardship we cannot overcome. Together!”

Although points were made on both sides of the room, Dark Enchantress Cookie closed herself off from her opponents, effectively knocking herself out of the debate. “RUBBISH! FOOLS! All of you! I shall show you the tragic error of your ways—right here, right now!” As she finished her last sentence, the room began to violently shake, allowing Dark Enchantress Cookie’s Cake Witch to plow straight through the walls of the throne room to reveal itself as the Madoka Magica-looking Witch it was. And floating at its palm, Dark Enchantress Cookie began her attack, charging energy into a beam to wipe them all out.

“The Cake Witch is channeling energy,” Pure Vanilla Cookie told his friends. “We must use the pause to avert her next attack!” Thinking quickly, he cast a barrier around everyone to block out the dark energy laser.

Rebounding from the laser, White Lily Cookie encouraged her teammates. “Listen, we can win this battle…!”

With the battle now in full swing, Croissant Cookie turned to everyone as the floor behind her and the rest of her group collapsed. “Okay then…! This is our cue to evacuate quickly and discreetly. NOW…!”

“Why, this encounter is getting quite interesting~!” Roguefort Cookie replied. “Do we really need to leave?”

“Yeah, we should get outta here before we get caught in the crossfire,” Walnut Cookie said as she boarded the Timecraft with everyone else. “This isn’t our fight, and it doesn’t take a detective to say that jumping in right now to perform your own heroics with them would definitely result in getting you crumbled! Now get in, Phantom Bleu! Get in before your legacy comes to a dishonorable end!”

“Tsk- fine. If you insist, little detective.” Roguefort Cookie begrudgingly climbed into the Timecraft with everyone else, watching Croissant Cookie enter the temporal coordinates of TBD HQ. And as the engine began to spin again, the Cake Witch began to falter from the Ancients’ combined strength. Dark Enchantress Cookie reeled forward in rage as it did.

“GAH!!! HOW DARE YOU!!! NOTHING CAN STOP ME! ESPECIALLY YOU!”

Trying to ward Dark Enchantress Cookie away from her own wrath, Pure Vanilla Cookie screamed, “Dark Enchantress Cookie, NO!”

But it was to no avail. The Cake Witch’s blade descended upon the Ancients, creating a blast that sent the nearby Timecraft spinning into the air and out of control. The Ancient Heroes fell to their knees as their Soul Jam floated over to Dark Enchantress Cookie. With a maliciously evil laugh, Dark Enchantress Cookie celebrated her perceived victory, “YES! Ha Ha Ha! Simply marvelous! Say goodbye to your Soul Jam. IT’S ALL MINE! I have waited an eternity for this moment. It is time to reap the fruits of my promise and share my brilliant vision with the world.”

The battle seemed lost. The Heroes faltered and their Soul Jam taken, and yet, Pure Vanilla Cookie got back up. Casting a barrier over everyone else, he ran back into the fray towards his foe, casting his own magical beam to counter her’s. The struggles intensified on both sides, the other Ancients and the Timecraft’s crew watching intently. Approaching ever closer to see Dark Enchantress Cookie’s face within a magical orb conjured by their struggle, Pure Vanilla Cookie soon recognized her smile and who Dark Enchantress Cookie really was.

Meanwhile Croissant Cookie prepared the machine’s thrusters to begin their time jump. “Brace yourselves! Commencing time jump to the Time Balance Department, 12/25/2020, in three… two… one…” …but her countdown never finished. Nearby, the magical orb expanded as the Soul Jam began to splinter and shatter into countless tiny fragments. Shortly after, a rattling explosion overtook everything and everyone in close vicinity of the Vanilla Castle. The Timecraft was thrown away into the time portal it created in a completely different direction away from their intended destination, its crew screaming either in thrills or horror. In the wake of the massive explosion, the heroes and Dark Enchantress Cookie vanished. Dark forces overtook the kingdom, crumbling the land’s civilizations away bit by bit. Stories of these grand kingdoms and their heroes faded into obscurity.

Meanwhile, the Timecraft was undertaking a time jump that had been interfered with in the wake of the Vanilla Castle’s explosion. The time machine sped uncontrollably through the time streams with everyone on board. “THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH. FIND AN EXIT ALREADY!” Almond Cookie yelled as the time machine soared through the depths of space-time.

“I’M TRYING… THERE! Hang onto something, this is gonna be a rough landing…!” Piloting the Timecraft through the nearest exit rift, Croissant Cookie took the machine into a dive as it scraped against the foreign ground they found themselves in. Not the cleanest landing, but a landing nonetheless. Once the Timecraft came to a complete stop, she asked, “We’ve stopped. Is everybody okay? Did we lose someone while we went through the time streams?”

“Nope, the gang’s all here,” said Walnut Cookie, still holding a now docile infernal Cake Hound as it licked her. “Even this Cake Hound that found our hiding spot is still here. But now comes my next question concerning our situation: Where on Earthbread are we?!”

Roguefort Cookie responded, “What you should be asking, little detective, is when in time are we?!”

——————————

[End of File 6] - [Previous: File 5 - “The Lost City of Vanilla] - [Miscellaneous Case Notes] - [Return to Case Record]

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]The past and present of "eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival"

As the Mid-Autumn Festival/Zhong Qiu Jie 中秋节 is coming, let us learn how “mooncakes/月饼” became an iconic traditional food of the Mid-Autumn Festival

🌕🥮Mooncake/月饼🥮🏮

A mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節).The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching, and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Mooncakes were originally used as offerings to worship the moon god.

Worshiping the moon is a very old custom in China. It is actually a worship activity for the "moon god" by the ancients. Eating mooncakes and appreciating the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival are indispensable customs for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in all parts of China. Mooncakes symbolize reunion. People regard them as festive food, use them to worship the moon, and give them to relatives and friends.

Cultural relics believed to be the predecessor of mooncakes were unearthed:

<China Tang Dynasty Baoxiang flower-patterned mooncakes/宝相花月饼>⬇️

Mooncakes, traditionally offered as a tribute to the Moon Goddess, have a long and rich history. The term "mooncake" was first recorded in the Southern Song Dynasty in Wu Zimu’s <梦梁录/Meng Liang Lu>.

Over time, mooncakes merged with various regional culinary traditions, giving rise to different styles such as Cantonese, Shanxi, Beijing, Suzhou, Chaozhou, and Yunnan mooncakes, all of which are beloved by people across China：

Mooncakes truly became associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival during the Ming Dynasty. In the writings of Liu Ruoyu 刘若愚, a eunuch during the reigns of the Wanli and Chongzhen emperors, he mentioned in his prison work Zhuozhong Zhi 《酌中志》(Vol. 20, "Brief Record of Culinary Preferences"): “八月宫中赏秋海棠、玉簪花。自初一日起，即有卖月饼者。加以西瓜、藕，互相馈送。西苑鹿藕。至十五日，家家供月饼瓜果，候月上焚香后，即大肆饮啖，多竟夜始散席者。如有剩月饼，仍整收于干燥风凉之处，至岁暮合家分用之，曰‘团圆饼’也”

Translation：

"In August, the palace having event appreciates autumn crabapple blossoms. From the first day of the month, mooncakes are sold,it accompanied by watermelons and lotus roots, and are exchanged as gifts.By the fifteenth day, every household offers mooncakes and fruits in worship, waiting for the moon to rise before burning incense and feasting lavishly, with some gatherings lasting all night. If there are leftover mooncakes, they are stored in a dry and cool place until the end of the year, when the whole family shares them, calling them 'reunion cakes.'

In the Qing Dynasty, there were books that detailed the methods of making mooncakes. For example, Zeng Yi, a female writer and female doctor in the late Qing Dynasty, recorded the "Method of Making Crisp Mooncakes" in her book "Zhongkuilu": "Use white ash flour, half of which is steamed in a steamer, and no water vapor is seen; the other half is raw, and kneaded with lard and cold water. Then, mix the steamed flour with lard. Use a ball of raw oil flour, and wrap a small ball of cooked oil flour inside; use a rolling pin to roll it into a cup-sized shape, fold it into a square; roll it into a ball again, and fold it into a square again; then wrap the filling. Use a cake stamp to stamp it, and put it on the stove to cook. For the oil-flavored filling, use cooked flour, sugar, walnuts, etc., and add a little sesame oil, so that it will not fall apart." The method is very similar to today's Suzhou-style mooncakes.

————————

🧚🏻‍Production & Model/Makeup：@曾嚼子

🔗Xiaohongshu:https://www.xiaohongshu.com/discovery/item/66e66ef70000000026033df2

————————

[nopanamaman]

Q&A: Nikita Reizner

Character interview. January 2024

Well, well, well, if it isn't everyone's most behated teacher. Today Nikita Danilovich will answer some of your most popular questions. The interview is image based, but you can find a transcript at the bottom.

Let's get to it!

TRANSCRIPT

VIOLET_GALAXIE asks: What’s your favorite artefact you’ve found in the Zone?

Nikita: I don't have an impressive resume in that regard. My job wasn't to collect artefacts, it was to keep those who do alive. I guess dropping my glasses that one time made for a useful trinket…

MOONPATCH asks: So, off the record, how tempted were you to try and kill/disappear Yura when he blackmailed you? Even if you decided against it, did the thought cross your mind at any point?

Nikita: Of course. That would be the easiest solution. Ah, but I’d prefer not to resort to that. I do not like violence. Regardless, I couldn’t do much after being seen by Sokolov. 

At the end of the day, threats to the family are just more practical.

DYMESTL asks: What is your relationship to the Kazarins? What made you want to work with them?

Nikita: Kolya knew the group Victor was part of first, I joined later. Had I not, that scatterbrain would bite the dust a decade earlier. 

The Kazarins are good folks. All of them. Victor was great. Maria, too. Their relationship, not so much. (She hated us. Really.) 

Well, even if both of them were still here with us, Sasha and Serozha would never grow up… normal. In the plainest sense of that word. But it’s only natural. People like us, stalkers - we’re poison to our families.

BRANDON ONTAMA asks: What's your relationship with Sanya? Any fond memories with her?

Nikita: Oh, Sashka? She ran to me whenever she and Serozha had arguments. Which was great, because I got her to check lab works for me.

Ah, and her cultural development is entirely my achievement. Books, films, documentaries. Scary to think what she’d become if she grew up watching nothing but those… animes.

REKANOCHI asks: Tell us about your daughters!

Nikita: I’m aware they exist. Two girls, apparently. But I was never stated as the father. I cannot contact them.

WALNUT: Do you know how Nadya’s doing these days?

Nikita: …She is dead.

[coneheads-deserved-a-noble-prize]

I AM SO TIRED OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATING ALASTOR WITH ONLY JAMBALAYA SO HERE ARE OTHER CREOLE DISHES YOU HEATHENS

Fanfiction and Comic creators, this is for you especially.

Crawfish Étouffée

This beautiful dish was invented in Breaux Bridge Louisiana, where our favourite radio star is from! Although it's invention is attributed the Herbet Hotel in the 1950s -after Alastors death- it is a classic.

Crawfish Étouffée has a sauce typically made from a blonde roux with that classic cajun seasoning. It contains the Holy Trinity of cajun cooking too: bell peppers, onions and celery. The main meat of this dish is crawfish tails and it is usually served with carbs like cornbread, cajun rice or vegetables such as green beans and potato salad.

It is chock full of flavour, and a filling inexpensive dish for low income families - which I believe Alastor is from.

Some alternatives to the crawfish are chicken and shrimp.

-----

The difference between Étouffée and Gumbo.

These two often get mixed up, and I understand, they're both classic Bayou dishes. Here's how to differentiate them.

Texture: Both dishes use shrimp, chicken, or crawfish tail broth. BUT Jumbo has a thicker consistency, it's made from a dark roux and it tends to use more liquid to remain stew-like.

Flavour: Gumbo and Étouffée both use Cajun seasoning, but due to Étouffées blonde roux, it has a lighter, sweeter taste than the darker, fullness of flavour in Gumbo.

Meat: Gumbo uses a variety of meats at the same time (often shrimp and sausage are key components), as mentioned in the alternatives above, Étouffée typically does not.

-----

2. Red Beans and Rice

We're on a roll guys! This is another dish from Louisiana! Although, it is specifically associated with New Orleans, where Alastor hosted his radio show. It has a fascinating history, partly due to it's African and French/Spanish routes - But it was also a struggle meal during the Great Depression. It was originally a Creole, not Cajun dish.

(Note: Red Beans and Kidney Beans are different legumes)

This dish also contains the Holy Trinity, as well as bay leaves, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and more. Its protein comes from Andouille sausages, but like Gumbo, a variety of meats are used. If you want Alastor to be traditional about it, he should make it on a Monday incorporating the left over ham bones from Sunday dinner. It is also complimented with long grain white rice and green beans, amongst many other things.

Considering Alastor witnessed the Stock Market Crash of 1929 -which led to the Great Depression - There is no way he hasn't come across this dish before.

3. Creole Bread Pudding

The queen of Creole Dessert has arrived. Can you guess where she's from? DING-DING-DING! That's right! New Orleans Louisiana baby! Recipes of this treat have been recorded since 1885, so it suffices to say she's a classic.

Like most bread puddings, it is made by combining stale bread (preferably French), beaten eggs and milk. However, this variation often has an incredible amount of vanilla extract. What it will be complimented with varies from person to person. Some examples are: Whipped meringue and whisky, raisins and apple, or walnuts and butter.

Although not as popular in the modern day, I like to imagine this is something Mimzy, Rosie and Alastor might share together on a day out.

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There you go! I hope you enjoyed this - but more importantly I hope this helps people create a more diverse version of those cosy Alastor cooking scenes that I love.