#alon bisk

[adlamu]

here are some things that i have learned in the last ehhh 10yrs of living alone (more or less):

best before = it is at its best until a particular date but is still safe/edible for another 28 days after that date (ie: roughly a month).

use by = it is very unsafe and very, very unwise to eat/drink that thing after the date on the packaging. you will get sick. trust me.

three options for bread keeping: i. keep it in an air-tight container (such as a bread bin), ii. keep half out and the other half in the freezer (and defrost it later), or iii. keep the bread in the fridge at all times - if it's white spots on the crust only, cut the crust off and toast the bread, if it's Green spots, it's been out longer than 2 months and you should throw it away.

bottom shelf is where you'll find the cheapest stuff, usually (can be top, but is usually bottom because the BrandsTM have to be in direct eyeline - ie: the middle).

don't trust a can? sniff test. don't trust the milk? sniff test. if it smells bad in Any way, throw it out.

sugar is fine, it doesn't go off, only throw it out if it Somehow has bugs in it.

salt is the same as above (i've had the same salt pot since 2017, it's fine).

don't buy 8p potato salad - you will absolutely regret it.

if you aren't going to eat a whole thing of something, bung it in the freezer - depending on what it is, it can last anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months (but once you defrost it, you Have to eat it immediately).

put green bananas in direct sunlight so they ripen and then put the yellow bananas in the fridge (this will slow down spottiness process & prevent fruit flies).

if, for some reason, you have noodle seasoning packets laying around, you can use them to enhance whatever vegetable/meat-based meal you are making (it's basically stock).

if you are hungry (and i mean you are in Pain from hunger) you will end up making a meal out of whatever the fuck you have and/or eat something directly out of its container - this is fine, you're eating something and that is more than enough but also: only eat custard, rice pudding, tuna, and stuff like spam out of the can, if it's like chicken or whatever don't do that, you will get sick.

if in doubt: washing up liquid is good for cleaning p much everything (not the bathroom... just use basic bleach for that if you don't have fancy schmancy stuff).

tap water is usually fine (in the case that it is not, buy a HUGE 3L bottle of water).

a bottle of cordial lasts longer than a carton of orange juice (it's not watertok bs, believe me. ribena? godsend. vimto? godsend.).

weetabix/weetbix/wheat bisks is your best bet for cheap cereal - you add a lil sugar for flavour, maybe some fruit, and you can eat it Both hot and cold.

backpacks are best for carrying heavy objects like bottles, save the totes & reusable bags for lighter stuff if you can.

an electric kettle is your best friend - you can use it for (instant) coffee, tea, hot chocolate, instant ramen/pot noodle, instant soup, anything that is 'instant', use the kettle and you will have Something to fill your belly up.

don't overthink stuff - meal prep if you want but don't overthink it, especially if you're living by yourself - you don't wanna plan a whole roast dinner when it's just you, so get enough stuff for 1 person.

yes the cheap stuff is literally the same as the brand stuff (i get it if you're nd and you can only have Certain foods but this is more for the nts), it's not a conspiracy (fuck you shane dawson and your classist fuckery), it's the same stuff because it's made in the same place, usually.

if you're worried about prices, use a calculator on your phone and then you can put back whatever is making your basket/trolley overbudget BEFORE you get to the checkout.

i don't care what tiktok moms or whatever the fuck are saying, you do not need that super expensive brand thing - it's usually got less portions and doesn't last anywhere near as long as you think it does. just because it tastes good doesn't mean it's gonna last you the week/month.

if you can buy it frozen, do so - it's usually cheaper and lasts far, far longer.

ASK FOR HELP. I KNOW YOU ARE PRIDEFUL AND AFRAID OF THE STIGMA BUT ASK FOR HELP IF YOU NEED TO BUY GROCERIES. IT IS OKAY TO ASK. IT IS OKAY TO GO TO THE FOOD BANK AND ASK FOR HELP. IT IS OKAY TO ASK SOMEONE (FRIEND/FAMILY MEMBER/SOMEONE YOU TRUST) FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT.

[blueikeproductions]

I would like to point out, as the resident RiD15 guy, it didn’t actually utilize really any IDW concepts outside of arguably Windblade. And I say arguably because she was created as part of a Hasbro fan pole, her best known role has been the IDW comics. And now IDW is over and she’s been mostly benched…

Anyhoo, RiD was a pretty straightforward cops & robbers plot just with Autobots as the cops and the Decepticons as the robbers. It wasn’t really trying to be anymore complex than that, and I appreciate that more after the writing disaster EarthSpark’s first season has been. Sometimes you don’t mess with a classic formula, and RiD15’s major flaw is it’s another in a string of tonally incorrect sequels to better entries like Beast Wars to Beast Machines, Digimon Adventure & Digimon Fusion to Digimon Adventure 02 & Digimon Hunters, and I feel like Pokemon Best Wishes fits in here too.

A lot of younger Twitter TF fans raised on IDW have groused before about how the Decepticons are unfairly treated, and how the Autobots are the true bad guys because they’re cops…. I’m not about to get into an ACAB discussion because that’s above my punching weight, but what they fail to understand is the Decepticons are not at all depicted as being sympathetic. Steeljaw has a silver tongue and is emotionally manipulative, Clampdown is a flighty snitch, Fracture is has no scruples, Shadow Raker has nothing but ill intent for Drift and anyone associated with him, Ped’s whole joke is he’s a pathetic loser in the shape of a worm, and is not someone to root for because he’s aggressive, violent and twitchy, Bisk is THAT gamer you’ve met who makes playing Super Mario a life or death situation and is unpleasant to be around, etc. Also Filch and Springload aren’t mentally handicapped. Both are fully aware of what they’re doing, with Springload showing he’s more than capable of cooperating with other Decepticons, while Filch is simple: it’s shiny, she wants it, the heck with who gets in her way. And they show that other Corvicons aren’t much different, with a flock of brothers seeking to blow up Crown City with ammunition they’ve collected to watch it sparkle as it burns. Filch I always assumed operated on Beast Wars logic: her Beast Mode interferes with her logic circuits so her Beast traits become dominate like Inferno’s ant mannerisms. The problem I’ll concede is we never saw how Filch acts in Robot Mode if she’s any different, but going by Boostwing’s brood it’s likely not. The only Decepticon in the show who isn’t interested in conquest is Cyberwarp, and her team looks down on her desire for peace and cohabitation, and Bumblebee is surprised a Decepticon actually wanted peace.

I guarantee if the show continued, they may have attempted to integrate Cyberwarp into the Bee Team as a means to reach the cohabitation desired, similar to IDW, but meeting half way. They give Decepticons who want peace a chance at rehabilitation while the ones who just want to hurt people and take over planets are locked up.

I don’t count Grimlock in this scenario because while he was introduced as a Decepticon, he didn’t really act like a Decepticon from the get go, and the show clearly didn’t want to properly explain how (a) Grimlock was a Decepticon let alone was incarcerated beyond (unintentional) property damage. The best I got from this is while everyone ELSE were Decepticons aboard the prison ship, be they former soldiers of Megatron’s or dangerous criminals, the (Decepticon) High Council just threw people they didn’t like in jail because they’re petty.

I fully believe if RiD15 were forced to comply with IDW, we would’ve seen more characters and direct nods, like Rung, Nautica, Krok, the concept of Forged (Bumblebee likely would be Forged) & Constructed Cold (Fixit’s mass produced model implies Constructed Cold), the Conjux idea applied to Strongarm and Sideswipe to appease shippers, and so forth.

I think what sticks out the most, is while Prime did introduce the concept, IDW was what really went hard in the paint with it were the 13 Primes and their relics.

RiD largely ignored them, doing the bare minimum with the Prime Realm Optimus was in for the 1st season, and never spoke of it again afterwards. Sure The Fallen was the final boss of S1, but they killed him off pretty quickly with the power of Friendship and the combined power of the Decepticon Hunter gadgets (that fundamentally shouldn’t be more powerful than an ancient Prime when you think about it but eh. It’s nothing to loose sleep over). Micronus had a very small role as Optimus’ coach, with the only other noteworthy Prime being Liege Maximo… who only appeared in the children’s chapter books most only know exist via TFWiki.

RiD easily could’ve gone more into left over relics of the Primes like IDW did, and I still argue Onyx Prime would’ve made far more sense in regards to why most Decepticons were beasts, with his funky mask playing a key role like The Forge did in Prime and The Emberstone did in EarthSpark. The Enigma of Combination not playing a role like it did in IDW and Cyberverse still confuses me, as RiD instead opts to have Combiners just exist without it like Chop Shop and Menasor, with Ultra Bee being the stock comic book trope of being a nuclear accident. They really just avoided what they could from IDW, with Cyberverse and EarthSpark going harder into it, and I think partly it was due to younger writers having been raised on IDW including it in there. And with one such writer not being involved for EarthSpark’s second season, maybe that will be an improvement.

Still I think RBA did what some wanted in RiD in trying to habilitate a Decepticon. But they had Wedge, who just randomly said he used to be one with no prior build up, and I think they only did so because he’s a construction vehicle, and Constructicons are popular. The actual Decepticon they converted was Laserbeak… but I think that falls flat too because most cartoon media just has him as a normal animal and not an anthropomorphic one like Steeljaw, so his ability to chose as a stock animal feels in question (Cyberverse had Soundwave just capture a wild Laserbeak and shove him in his chest…), and having him change sides in a post Decepticon era feels… conflicting. It gives the opposite message… So maybe they were better off not doing that.

I think the writing problem within Transformers originates from the fact that audiences as a whole ALREADY felt that they were already being talked down to, and in an effort to appease fans writers deduced that they needed to tackle complex narratives out of their league. In a lackluster attempt of replicating other medias successful attempts, storytellers were essentially pushed to pump out highly intellectual political discussions that they weren't entirely well too informed on and unrealistic publishing/producing schedules added onto this stress

It is my own opinion that Rescue Bots, Rescue Bots Academy and BotBots are better written than TFP, RiD2015 and Cyberverse. Taking that into consideration, I couldn't help but notice that the latter were more influenced by IDW whilst the former were allowed more creative freedom. While this could simply be a reflection of my personal dislike for majority of IDW's work regarding Transformers, I have yet to see an example of anything to combat the implications that IDW and heavily inspired IDW content are a main contributor in perpetuating weaker writing standards under the guise of political depth to appease fans and make them feel intellectually savvy

Like I've said before, in my frequent, frequent lambasting of IDW's writing, sales, characterizations; and pretty much everything that essentially wasn't a crossover with another franchise, there was a lot of trying to be hyper-specific in the focus, which only really served to show just how shallow and dull it all was, missing the core of why anyone would be interested in the franchise and only really enticing a small, hardcore subsection of the fandom. Now, you have a copy of that, unable to replicate even the few things that IDW was credited with making work, and you end up with a caricature of something that wasn't working, to begin with. And with that comes diminishing returns, in show quality, views, and sales of associated merchandise.

I don't really have opinions on Rescue Bots or BotBots, since they were aiming for a much younger audience and I didn't have kids who were interested in them when the shows were airing, but you could argue that they were more focused, instead of trying to do their best to imitate the IDW comics in an attempt to find meaning in the work and creating that caricature of work that was already not that great.

And now we have Earthspark doing something similar after IDW lost the license, trying to do the post-war "The Decepticons had a point" stories only for it to completely not resonate with kids or casual fans, and the toys to clog discount retailers across the country. It's not that you shouldn't try to handle deep topics, it's that your words need weight to them if you want to have any hope of getting people to care.

[mobydickmusical]

“Composer Dave Malloy will perform the role of author Herman Melville in upcoming staged excerpts of his new musical adaptation of Melville’s classic novel, Moby Dick. [...]

Joining Malloy will be Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde) as Ahab, Nick Choksi (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812) as Ishmael, Starr Busby (Octet) as Starbuck, Kalyn West (The Prom) as Stubb, Anna Ishida (Henry VI: Parts 1 & 2 ) as Flask, Andrew Cristi (Pasek and Paul’s A Christmas Story) as Queequeg, Matt Kizer (The River Bridge) as Tashtego, J.D. Mollison (Octet) as Daggoo, Ashkon Davaran (Skittles Commercial: The Musical) as Pip, and Dawn L. Troupe (Brothers ParaNormal) as Mapple.

Or Matias serves as music director and leads an ensemble of musicians, featuring Malloy (piano), Jamie Mohamdein (bass), Hiroyuki Matsura (drums), Alon Bisk (cello), Pinky Weitzman (viola), Curtis Hasselbring (trombone), and Paul Jones (saxophone/flute).“

[silent-dragon]

OCs Fluff Scenarios

Sigurd Farscrew & Theodore Bisk

Sigurd has started mini early practice for the Angel Gala with his students who he sees slouch in class. Theodore mainly so some solo waltz pratice to stiffen those backs a bit. A rare moment gives Theodore some confidence to do something he never thought he would.

☆

"Is this early practice really necessary, bud?" Theodore said exhaustedly. Sigurd had called for early dance practice for his Angel Gala and was getting those with the lazy posture to stand up straight now as training. All the others finished and were sent away but Theodore still couldn't get Sigurd's approval for the day so still was solo waltzing trying to keep back straight.

☆

"Hmmm..still slouchy." Sigurd declared with a sharp tone. Theodore sighed but continued the same dance motion but restarted each time he was yelled at. From 4 times to 42 times repeatedly. Theodore soon was getting annoyed and completely stopped. "Bud please i'm tired can't I leave a d try mor.." He was cut off by the sudden appearance of Sigurd right in his face. His look seemed mad from him stopping but a grin came upon his face which confused Theodore.

☆

Sigurd grabbed his hands and pulled him close into the duo waltzing stance much to Theodore's confused and flustered face. "Dance…with..me" Sigurd whispered to him softly while staring at him. Theodore couldn't resist those beautiful green eyes and instantly began to move as they started to dance together. This had never happened before Theodore knew as Sigurd usually dances alone…why is he? He thought to himself as he adjusted himself to the small suggestions Sigurd was giving as they glided across the dancehall. Violin waltzing music gently looped softly as they continued.

☆

Theodore's motivation seemed ignited as he looked at Sigurd's face which was in a small smile the whole time. He was kinda lost in his own little world that he snapped out of when Sigurd stopped the dance and told him he could go to bed. They stood there for a minute awkwardly as neither had released hands. "You..let..go?" Sigurd asked as he tried to pull apart a bit but was pulled back. He was confused why then eyes met those big red eyes as Theodore gazed upon those fiery green ones.

☆

"Theo?" Sigurd asked again, flustered at being pulled too close. "Yeah you know what bud not letting go.." Theodore said quickly then pulled Sigurd into a kiss as if this was a love fairytale for a moment. It was very brief as Sigurd pulled away the second he could, falling to ground. Theodore, who was red faced tried to help him up but his hand was slapped away as Sigurd breathed heavily with face just as flustered. Neither could say anything and after another minute Sigurd used his magic to vanish away as a tear began to stream down his face.

☆

Theodore tried to go to him as he knew he teleported to his room but at the entrance to the staircase, Wriesa sat worried. She asked Theodore if he knew what happened because Sigurd was in an extremely down mood and nearly collapsed in the hallway after appearing randomly. He didn't have the courage yet to tell her not her who he knew had feelings for Sigurd as well what he did so he lied and said he didn't know but was worried too. He knew she was going to let anyone go up the stairs so he finally went to his room,turned into a worm and slinked into his dresser which was another room.

☆

He had calmed himself down by taking a bite of some mint leaf and curled into his lil cushion bed as he stared at the gently nibbled newspaper piece he had nearby that was a picture of Sigurd with Theo on his shoulder. He stared at it wondering if he was too bold but the moment felt right so he didn't know. He soon closed his eyes as if in sync as back in Sigurd's room his mind was spinning but the sleep tea Wriesa gave him made him close his eyes at the same time Theo did. Both wondering how tomorrow would be.

[dustedandsocial]

Top Several Hundred Records of 2020

My Top 11: 1. Slum Of Legs - Slum Of Legs (Harbinger Sound / Spurge) 2. Oily Boys - Cro Memory Grin (Cool Death) 3. Model Home - SE (Future Times) 4. Valentina Magaletti & Marlene Ribeiro - due matte (Commando Vanessa / Horn of Plenty <O) 5. Kris & Tavi - Kris & Tavi (Misophonia) 6. Still House Plants - Fast Edit (Bison) 7. None - Khneï Khneï Thnacapata Thnacapata (Unknown Precept) 8. Rychlicki / Kostkiewicz - Zapis (Absolute Fiction / Maternal Voice) 9. Rosso Polare - Lettere Animali (Klammklang) 10. Patois Counselors - The Optimal Seat (ever/never) 11. Impatiens - Scene At The River (Altered States) Favorite 20 That Weren't My Top 11: 12. Irma Vep - Embarrassed Landscape (Gringo) 13. FRKSE - Desecration Anxiety II (Iron Lung) 14. Merula - Sleep (Men Scryfa) 15. Al Karpenter - If We Can't Dream, They Can't Sleep!! (ever/never) 16. BbyMutha - Muthaland (the muthaboard) 17. Pose Dia - Front View (Bureau B) 18. SIR E.U - Midnight Train To Velvet (Self-Released) 19. Nightshift - Nightshift (Cusp) 20. Massicot - Kratt (Harbinger Sound / Spurge / Bongo Joe / Red Wig) 21. Alessandra Novaga - I Should Have Been a Gardener (Die Schachtel) 22. Zeroh - BLQLYTE (Leaving) 23. Swallow - Body Horror (ANA) 24. Pink Siifu & Fly Anakin - FlySiifu's (Lex) 25. Balans - Sam pravm (Kapa) 26. Bruch - The Fool (Trost / Cut Surface) 27. P22 - Human Snake (Post Present Medium) 28. ovrkast. - Try Again (do more.) 29. Chapelier Fou - Méridiens (Ici d'ailleurs) 30. Schisms - Speech Copy Rap Master (Fort Evil Fruit) 31. Új Bála - How the Cookie Crumbles (Czaszka Records)

Mozo Mozo - Mozo Mozo (Epileptic Media) Orion Moustache - EP02 (Noorden) Mentira! - Mentira! (Harbinger Sound) Leyden Jars - Gone (Outer Reaches) Last Call At Nightowls - Ask the Dust (Subsound) Gaffer - Gaffer (Helta Skelta) Inturist (Интурист) - Action! (Incompetence) Директор Всего (The CEO of Everything) - Самый занятой гражданин (Doing Great Music) Christos Chondropoulos - On Nature (12th Isle) Uptown XO - Culture Over Corporate  (1 Force United) Lichen Gumbo - Altered Village (Ikuisuus ‎/ Jumatsuga ‎/ Lal Lal Lal) The Worms - Back To The Bog (Hidden Bay) Kneeling In Piss - Music for Peasants EP (Anyway) Taste - Rope In The Closet ( If Society / Half Bear Half Cat / Roge Records) Flogging A Dead One Horse Town - Old Scum EP (MUZAI) BIG $ILKY (Psalm One & Angel Davanport) - BIG $ILKY Vol. 2 (Self-Released) Dame Area - La Soluzione É Una (Màgia Roja / B.F.E Records) Enir Da - Silence (Too Soon Tapes) Obnox - Savage Raygun (ever/never) Mike Cooper - Playing With Water (Room40) Nape Neck - Nape Neck (Self-Released) S.U.V. - Neoliberal Folk Songs II (Otomatik Muziek) Patrick Shiroishi - Descension (Thin Wrist Recordings) Pink Siifu - NEGRO (Self-Released) En Attendant Ana - Juillet (Trouble In Mind) Sergei Demin - Not Music Of The Day (Klammklang) Brandy - The Gift Of Repetition (Total Punk) Nyx Nótt - Aux Pieds De La Nuit (Melodic) Bearer - Precincts (ANA) Norms - Háború és fű (Mindig Otthon Punk Discs) Vertical Slump - Oubliette (Blank Editions) Lau Nau - Själö (With Sound Environments by Janne Laine) (Fonal) Model Home - One Year (Disciples) WOW - Falene (Maple Death) Santa Sprees - Sum Total of Insolent Blank (Leapantique) Edd Sanders - Sun Bleached & Hollow (Cadmus) Charlemagne Palestine - Ffroggssichorddd (Staalplaat) Loopsel - Loopsel EP (Mammas Mysteriska Julebox) Kuupuu - Plz Tell Me (KRAAK) (I forget whether I put the oriinal version of this on my year-end list last year. Here it is again though) QQ - Vanguard Youth (Skrot Up) DJ Speedsick - (All Releases) Armand Hammer - Shrines (Backwoodz Studioz) Lewsberg - In This House (12XU) Ubiquitous Meh! - Fecund With Love (Buried Treasure / Damnsonic) Schulverweis - Suppe (Neoprimitive) La Chasse - Meretrix ∕ Doloris (Donnez-moi du feu) No - Vol. 1 (Faustian Haus) David Nance - Staunch Honey (Trouble In Mind) Hun Bed - Brood I (Het Generiek) Młody Kotek & Niemy Dotyk - New Age Speedball (Enjoy Life) Aurat - Zeher (Etang Brulant) Addict Ameba - Panamor (Black Sweat) Sunset Flips - Between Two Sheds (Altered States) Small Bills (E L U C I D & The Lasso) - Don't Play It Straight (Mello Music Group) Nail Club - Collected Methods (Hot Releases) Maximum Ernst - Time Delay Safe (ever/never) Tim Hicks X The Dirty Church - Bullets (Humble Monarch) Lord Jah-Monte Ogbon - GOD Body & Soul Side B (Self-Released) Red Bennies - Futurist, Nihilist Post-Rock, Cyberpunk, Anti-Humanist Music (Chthonic) Tsap - Flickering Lyghte In Campsite (Altered States) Latex Cop - Privacy Policy (Cadmus Tape) Ka - Descendants of Cain (Iron Works) Violent Quand On Aime - The Movie Star (Simple Music Experience) Flaner Klespoza - Przygody i tajemnice (Nagrania Somnambuliczne) Budokan Boys - So Broken Up About You Dying (ever/never) Datblygu - Cwm Gwagle (Ankstmusik) Pays P. - Pays P. (Gravity Music) Somaticae - Amesys (In Paradisum) Kipp Stone - Homme (Self-Released) Sada Baby - Bartier Bounty 2 Tribalism3 - April on Mars (Collectif Coax) Men With Secrets - Psycho Romance and Other Spooky Ballads (The Bunker) Brainbeau - Infinite Ways (Good Samaritron) Landowner - Consultant (Born Yesterday) Jay & Yuta - Condemned Compilations (Research) Machine Woman - Dj Dolfin Snare 808 Machine (Take Away Jazz) Slowburn - Folketro (momeatdadrecords) Twinkle³ - Minor Planets (Marionette) Unglee Izi - notice & initiation au monde alterné T.1 (Lost Dogs Entertainment) Sick Urge - Structures of Domination (Puukotus-Levyt) German Army - Pulling at Principles (Flophouse) NAPPYNAPPA - IFEELJUSTLYKTHEIRART (Bad Taste) Social Stomach + Body Shame - Split (Bento) Pacific Yew - Squeeze Demo (Hot Record Societe) Isabella - Magnetica (Ehse) Trrma´ & Charlemagne Palestine - Sssseegmmeentss Frrooom Baaari (Jazz Engine) Astute Palate - Astute Palate (Petty Bunco / Eternal Soundcheck) Axel Larsen - Les Éléments Du Crime (Macadam Mambo) Post Spiderhole Ensemble - False Alarms and Excess Baggage (Kitchen Leg) Cash Kidd - No Socks Senyawa & Stephen O'Malley - Bima Sakti (iDEAL Recordings) Henny L.O. - Sages (Mutant Academy) True Sons Of Thunder - It Was Then That (Total Punk) Tim Gick - Não Há Laranja ∕ Scrying Glass Eye (Working Man Lay Down) Junk Magic - Compass Confusion (Pyroclastic Records) Person of Interest - All Tomorrows Parties (Exotic Dance) Pumice - Table (Soft Abuse) Max Nordile - Building A Better Void (Gilgongo) Mrs. Dink + Magnum Opus - Mrs. Dink / / Magnum Opus  (Soil) Swamp Harbour (Stinkin Slumrok, Bisk, & Sam Zircon) - Swamp Harbour (Blah) Camden Malik - Understand Me (10k) Heckadecimal - Critters (Kajunga) Geld - Beyond The Floor (Iron Lung) Drakeo the Ruler & JoogSzn - Thank You For Using GTL Senketsu No Night Club - 沈丁花 (Signora Ward) Jef Mertens - NO AMP (291) Tomaga ‎– Extended Play 2 (Self-Released) [R.I.P. Tom Relleen] Boldy James & The Alchemist - The Price Of Tea In China Shoreline Mafia - Mafia Bidness pisse - LP (Phantom / Harbinger Sound) Reymour ‎– Sarabande A Deux (CAF?) Goldblum - Goldblum (Het Generiek) Phil Struck - Schleswig-Holstein Aufnahmen (Séance Centre) Maths Balance Volumes - A Year Closer (Penultimate Press) Body Double - Milk Fed (Zum Audio) Low Flung - Oil in the Mangroves (Bedroom Suck) Chris Crack - White People Love Algorithms (New Deal Collectives) Krypton 81 - Tranquility Base EP (Dalmata Daniel) Akai Solo - Ride Alone, Fly Together (Break All Records) Gad Whip - Fanimal Arms (Gad Whip Recordings) Tygapaw - Get Free (NAAFI) Pamela_ and her sons - Pink Room (Self-Released) Etceteral - Ama-Gi (Kapa Records) Ghostie - Self Hate Wraith (Self-Released) Young Nudy - Anyways DrxQuinnx & Chase Baby - God Gooch & Blue Jesus EP (Bit Tape) Museum Of No Art - Museum of No Art (Séance Centre) Terrible Signal - The Window (Heart of the Rat) Bambi OFS - Yakka (B.F.E Records / Subsist) Zarabatana - Cum Raio (tsss tapes) Soberin Exx - Normal Islands (Liquid Library) Sylvain Darrifourcq, Manuel Hermia, Valentin Ceccaldi - Kaiju Eats Cheeseburgers (Full Rhizome / Hector) Günter Schlienz + Jeans Beast - Split (Econore) Hasufel - Lamentations of the Foul High Priest (So Called Hell) Delphine Dora - L’Inattingible (Three:four / Meakusma) Suburban Cracked Collective - Swimming Amongst The Dregs (A Colourful Storm) Military Genius - Deep Web (Unheard Of Hope) Mesa Of The Lost Women - Les Tables Noires (Specific) Ferocious (Bill Direen, Mark Williams, & Johannes Contag) - Ferocious (Rattle) Domestiques - Vol. 1 (Glass Modern) gogoj a.k.a Sheng Jie - oviparity (Maybe Noise / WV Sorcerer Productions) Midnight Mines - Live From The Mystery Plane (Independent Woman) Muro - Pacificar (Beach Impediment) Satan - Toutes Ces Horreurs (Jungle Khôl / Throatruiner) Scarlatine - Mimosa (Le Syndicat Des Scorpions) Vanligt Folk - Allt E'nte (Kess Kill) VOLE - Dej Bůh Pěstí (Stoned To Death) Upsidedown Flames - Creeps At Shows EP (Fuck Yoga) Zurich Cloud Motors - Do More Than Deconstruct​-​o (Zazen Tapes)

Buncha other records

Sweeping Promises record wasn't that good though. But if you guys like it when people take singing seriously, you should check out some of this music called "R&B"

[shadowron]

So much drama in the DMZ. Part 4 of Elven Fire in Shadowrun (1st Edition)

“The chapter Ancient Words portrays a gang fight involving dozens of participants. To resolve such a fight using the regular Shadowrun rules could take virtually days. For that reason, the DMZ game rules are recommended for resolving the combat quickly.”

Well, I’m not buying DMZ, “a man-to-man combat board game set in the Shadowrun universe”, even if it is “much bloodier”.

And would it really take days?

FRAG, I NEED TO KNOW

Let’s do some rough estimates. First, let’s count combatants.

In this section, the runners have arranged a meeting with the Ancients in order to see if, you know, they’re the bad guys. There are four named Ancients (Wasp, Green Lucifer, Falchion, Viper), 5 Ancients soldiers, and 2 Ancients mages, for a total of 11.

Green Lucifer. Art by Joel Biske, channeling some real Rick Harris checkerboard energy here.

At some point during their meeting, the Ancients will be attacked by a rival gang, the Meat Junkies, consisting of 10 orks, 10 humans, and a whole bunch of automatic weapons. Total of 20.

This haircut never goes out of style.

Whether the runners realize Elven Fire is a ruse meant to frame the Ancients and ally with them, or piss them off and ally with the Meat Junkies, or just decide to go it alone, they’re still going to have to shoot their way out. The adventure doesn’t give a suggested party size, but let’s just say there’s 5.

Total number of combatants: 36

Each of these three dozen characters will have their own initiative, attack rolls, body rolls, drain rolls (if magicians), and so on. How long does one round of combat last?

While it only takes a few seconds to make a die roll, it takes more time to write down a result, decide which spell to use next, look up a ruling in a textbook, pause to go to the bathroom, stop by the fridge for a new Mountain Dew, etc., so let’s say for one character it takes about a minute.

Then, with 36 combatants, if we truly wished to track all of them, it would take 36 minutes – about a half hour.

For one round of combat.

Note the scale.

And that’s generous – even if we are post Rigger Black Book and using new autofire rules, there are going to be characters with multiple actions per turn that might push this up to 45 minutes or an hour for a round of combat.

From there, it’s easy to see that running this combat straight would indeed be a mini campaign unto itself – if you manage 6 hours per session, then you’re looking at least 3 sessions, and for us old-timers that maybe get a session per week (if that) …

[omniversalobservations]

Disney Adventures (1994)

An epic five-part comic story that ran in Disney Adventures in the later half of 1994, The Legend of the Chaos God (written by Bobbi J.G. Weiss and David Cody Weiss and illustrated by Cosme Quartieri) features a Cross Through linking together The Disney Afternoon shows TaleSpin, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, DuckTales, and Darkwing Duck. The magazine started publishing the comic following Marv Wolfman's departure as the comics editor and at the start of Heidi MacDonald's run in that position. While Disney likely intended to build up to and commemorate the magazine's 50th issue, the comic ended one issue later than planned. Despite that little delay, numerous Disney Afternoon fans still think of this comic as the magazine's magnum opus.

In ancient times, Solego, (the eponymous and immortal Chaos God) destroys everyone who opposes his iron-fisted rule — until a young wizard named D'Shane manages to split Solego in two by imprisoning the sorcerer's immortal mind in a crystal cage and his mystical powers in its gold setting. To ensure Solego's eternal imprisonment, D'Shane keeps the halves separated via a giant jade block.

Many centuries later, archaeologist and professor Simon Potsherd removes the two artifacts from the jade block and fixes a chain to the crystal for handling. He arranges to have both artifacts transported to Cape Suzette, but during a battle with the Air Pirates, the gold setting ends up lost in the ocean. An ordeal at Higher For Hire arises when Solego’s spirit possesses Rebecca Cunningham via the crystal. After a minor tussle, Rebecca is freed, and Baloo and Kit drop the crystal deep into the ocean.

Fifty years later, a lucky fisherman finds the crystal and brings it to the museum where the gold setting now resides (as it turns out, Scrooge McDuck donated it after he found it during a diving expedition). Fat Cat and his cronies sneak into the museum later that evening to steal the crystal, and though they foil his plans, the Rescue Rangers have a brush with Solego, who nearly manages to escape his 'prison' by possessing Dale and Fat Cat. A well-timed electric shock to Fat Cat keeps Solego's two halves apart, and the Rescue Rangers have a pair of crows carry the crystal and the gold setting in different directions to keep them separated.

The crow carrying the crystal grows tired during his flight and accidentally drops it into a car with a computerized brain — which, as fate would have it, ends up delivered to Pete in Spoonerville. When Goofy gets a look at the car, he begins to think something has haunted it; Later that night, Solego uses the car to learn from a TV report that the gold setting has ended up back in Scrooge's possession (it now sits in the Money Bin) after it ended up in a pawn shop. Goofy sees the car hack into his television set and freaks out, and he and Pete try (to no avail) to get Solego out of the car. Solego entraps Goofy and Pete inside the car's interior, then forces the latter to turn the engine on so he can get to Duckburg. The car ends up going over a cliff, though not before Goofy and Pete escape through the windows.

Solego uses the wrecked car's still-working phone to hire Spoonerville's tow service, which tows the car to Duckburg and writes off the bill to Scrooge McDuck. The next morning, Fenton Crackshell takes a look at the car (which Scrooge insists he knows nothing about) and finds the crystal inside. Under Solego's spell, Fenton summons the Gizmoduck armor, which Solego quickly kicks Fenton out of. Solego then uses the Gizmosuit to break into the Money Bin, but discovers that Scrooge sent the gold setting to St. Canard for cleaning. After Solego leaves the Money Bin, Scrooge, Fenton, and the nephew trio meet with Professor Potsherd's son, Bisk, who reveals the backstory of the Chaos God and D'Shane. Once they have all the information on Solego, Scrooge sends Fenton to St. Canard, then calls up S.H.U.S.H. Headquarters to get in touch with the only person in St. Canard who can help now: Darkwing Duck.

Over in St. Canard, J. Gander Hooter briefs Darkwing and Launchpad on their mission. The duo (and Fenton) arrive too late to stop Solego from finding the setting, however, and when Solego finally brings the crystal and the setting together, he assumes his original form and wreaks havoc across St. Canard. During his fight with Darkwing and his compatriots, the Chaos God disintegrates Fenton's Gizmosuit and turns Launchpad into chopped liver (literally), which leaves Darkwing to stand alone against an immortal sorcerer. After a brief cat-and-mouse battle between the two, Darkwing accidentally defeats Solego by turning his own powers back upon him, and the medallion segments are once again sealed away.

The Legend of the Chaos God marked a swan song for the TaleSpin, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and DuckTales comics in Disney Adventures — those shows never had another full-length story in the magazine afterwards (with the exception of a DuckTales story in 1996 that Disney had scheduled to run in an earlier issue).

Source: TV Tropes

(images via Disney Wiki)

[coeurdastronaute]

Kiwi 6

Previously on Kiwi

The penthouse was almost quiet, and the bed was almost warm. The sheets were tangled and different layers covered different parts of the body that was left in it while outside, the clouds hung low and thick, obscuring much of the rest of the city. Just the night before, the weather channel said it’d be clear and a bisk, just below freezing for the millions of people set to descend upon the city for a new year and festivities.

Clarke growled and grunted against the light that filtered through the curtains. She shoved her head into the pillow and rolled around, looking for another body, but came up starfished and empty.

It should have been weird to her that she was asleep in a bed that was bigger than her entire apartment in a sparsely, yet ridiculously expensive and well-decorated penthouse. But Lexa’s place was becoming comfortable at an alarming rate, and Clarke didn’t even hesitate to roll her own eyes at herself at the quickness with which she’d semi-coupled.

She chided herself and then sat up in bed, wondering where the girl with wild hair might have gone. There’d been a promise of the best french toast she’d ever had, and Clarke was eager to collect.

With a stretch, Clarke pulled her hair into a ponytail and padded out toward the living room, making her way down the hall, cold toes meeting cold floor. She emerged into the bright, open living room and smiled at the coffee brewing.

More importantly though, she managed to find the girl that was supposed to be in the bed, but now she understood why she was left alone.

Laid out on the floor, a sweaty musician twisted with a medicine ball, moving it from side to side, muscles flexing with each movement. Thankfully, Lexa was wearing headphones, and thankfully, she didn’t hear the sigh of appreciation the new voyeur uttered as she watched for a few moments. Instead, she kept going, doing different movements with her body, sweaty and lean and perfect and hot and sexy and gorgeous and distracting.

It was a dream-- surely Clarke dreamt up someone who would look like that, so early in the morning, or any time of day, really. Against the windows, the silhouette stretched up after finishing a particularly high-impact circuit of push ups and curls and lunches or such. Short shorts clung like a second skin. A sports bra showed off ink that often remained hidden.

Clarke was exceptionally attracted to the Tinder date, and she couldn’t quite place why, but she was sure it had something to do with her being a morning person.

“Oh, hey, sorry,” Lexa smiled as she finally turned around and found someone watching her. Sheepishly, she stopped working out and straightened up. “Did I wake you up?”

“No. You’re fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“I woke up to an empty bed, but this isn’t so bad to wake up to see.”

“What? Huh?” Lexa furrowed and looked down at herself. “Oh, I see… you’re a perv.”

“You bet that sweet ass I am.”

Far away from the brooding, from the melancholy of her normal, tortured artist state, Lexa laughed and rolled her eyes, toweling off the sweat of her neck and chest. She walked towards the girl leaning against the wall and smirked.

“You’re all sweaty,” Clarke made a face, even though she wrapped her arms around Lexa’s neck as she complained.

“You’re going to be super grossed out when you see me after a concert.”

Hands slid to hips and Lexa pressed closer anyway, finding no actual resistance despite the face made.

“I don’t think you’ll be sweaty tonight. It’s supposed to be below freezing.”

“Oh I’ll be sweaty somehow.”

“So there’s that to look forward to,” Clarke sighed and waited to be kissed.

She wasn’t disappointed, earning a smile pressed against her own just an instant later. Lexa was warm and vibrating, and it was contagious.

“Are you hungry?”

“Starving, but more curious as to why you’re awake and training to avenge someone’s death.”

Again, Lexa smiled warmly and shook her head, making her way toward the kitchen. Clarke trailed behind, admiring the view and the way the muscles of Lexa’s back moved with each step. There might have been words said, but she certainly didn’t hear them.

“I was waiting until you got up to make a smoothie. Do you want one? It’ll look like grass, but it tastes so good, and it’s packed with antioxidants.”

“There was supposed to be french toast,” Clarke furrowed as she sat down on a stool. “That’s the only reason I stayed.”

“The only reason?”

“One of,” she shrugged.

Lexa started pulling things out of her fridge, including, to Clarke’s excitement, ingredients to make breakfast that was much less healthier than a smoothie.

“Do you normally work out all morning when a half-naked girl is in your bed?”

“I normally work out when I want a drink,” Lexa said flippantly. “And I’m going to perform in front of the entire world tonight. That make me a little nervous. So whenever I want a drink, I work out until I can’t think about drinking anything other than water.”

“You must want to drink a lot.”

“Constantly, to be honest,” Lexa grinned. “I’m sorry. No one wants to get unloaded on first thing in the morning. I’m just trying to be open about things.”

“I just meant that… I mean… look at… all of…” Clarke blushed slightly as she gestured toward the near naked girl. “That. You’re just very fit, and must work out often. The math is that you want to drink a lot. But not in a bad way.”

“Kind of a bad way,” she chuckled. “But thank you. Are you done perving?”

“Not even close.”

“You could work out with me next time if you want.”

“Can I just watch?”

“Looking’s free, but touchings going to cost you,” Lexa wiggled her eyebrows and waggled the knife that was peeling fruit.

“Put it on my tab.”

“Racking up quite a bill there, babe,” she murmured, pouring a mug of coffee.

The morning started, somehow, right there. Lexa sipped her smoothie and shared it for a sip before earning a face. Of course that meant she was immediately rushed to start making breakfast properly. And Clarke sat at the stool and watched as breakfast was prepared for her while making enough jokes and small talk to keep the musician distracted.

She’d be okay with more of the working out, but breakfast making was a treasure to enjoy. It didn’t hurt that the french toast was spectacular and Lexa beamed when she got the compliments that poured out of Clarke’s mouth.

“So are you less nervous now that you’ve worked out and made me breakfast?” Clarke ventured as she pushed away her empty plate.

“I’m still plenty nervous.”

“It’s just a concert where you only play two songs or so,” she shrugged.

“Yeah, but you’ll be there,” Lexa murmured into her smoothie. The tips of her ears burned a little warm with the admission.

“I make you want to drink?”

“No… no… it’s just… all of it,” she tried to explain, rubbing her eye and trying to explain but failing. “I’m excited and nervous, but more importantly it’s a new year, and I think it might be a good one.”

“It will be.”

“You still want to come right? I mean, I’m nervous, but you’re the one that has to deal with all of it, and how different--”

“I want to come,” Clarke promised quickly.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it the shorts?” Lexa grinned, teasing and all.

“Something like that.”

The phone calls came almost immediately after breakfast. Before the dishes were even stacked and scraped and shoved in the dishwasher after a quick rinse, Lexa’s phone vibrated almost steadily on the counter.

Clarke should have known things weren’t going to be quiet. It was the last day of the year and they had plans. The plans that involved kissing around midnight and confirming all of the other grainy pictures. And it was fine. Clarke was fine with it.

Except that she really wasn’t as comfortable as she liked to pretend, but she had this weird knack for faking her confidence that always led her into deep waters, and so far, it hadn’t been anything she’d drowned in. It was around this level of metaphor that she realized it was inevitable. She’d drown sooner or later.

“I’m sorry. That’s it for now, I think I headed them all off,” Lexa sighed as she moved around the living room and flopped on the couch.

“You’re a popular girl. I get it.”

“I’m not that popular.”

“Everyone else is anxious about the performance?” Clarke ventured.

A body slid slightly and buried a face in Clarke’s hip. Hot breath exhaled against shorts and a growl murmured against the couch.

“So many details. But we’ve practiced,” Lexa explained, coming up for air to push her hair away from their face. “Everyone is just antsy.”

“Could it be because you’re unpredictable?”

“Nah. That doesn’t sound like me.”

Clarke shook her head and let her phone drop to her chest, no longer interested in whatever someone was saying on the other end of the three dots. A hand moved along her side to her thigh to her knee.

“You have to get ready, huh?”

“Yeah, lots of press and stuff beforehand. But I’m not late until my sister starts to yell at m--”

The door opened before she could finish, but the noise made Lexa was somewhere between a growl and surrender.

“Indra said you weren’t answering her.”

Tall. Anya was taller than Clarke imagined. Taller and prettier and decidedly more annoyed than she would have hoped. Quietly, Clarke gulped as the person on top of her on the couch sat up a little taller.

“I didn’t give you a key to come and yell at me.”

“You’re late,” Anya argued, hands on  her hips as she spoke.

“I am not.”

“You are,” she insisted. “And I have to go see the baby, so it’s your turn to do press.”

“That kid ruins everything.”

“I know.”

The two shared a smile and Clarke looked back and forth between the two, unsure of what a look like that meant. Siblings were a weird species. But a second later, she’d wish that she was simply watching, whereas suddenly hazel eyes were searching her completely, finally noticing the distraction, or at least acknowledging it.

“Introduce me to your friend.” the older sister bossed.

“No.”

“Lexa.”

“Clarke, this is my sister Anya,” Lexa sighed, defeated once again. “An, this is Clarke. We met on Tinder and have been hanging out for a few days while I’m in town.”

“The infamous Clarke,” she smiled.

Her lips curled somewhere between friendly and knowing, having already figured everything out years ahead of anyone else. But it was nice enough, and part of her wanted to believe that Anya was welcoming, despite her greater fears that it was a very complicated situation, and the oldest sibling knew as much and worried because of it.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Clarke offered with a weak smile.

“You as well.”

“Great, you’ve met,” Lexa stood nudging her sister with her body language. “I’ll shower and head down in less than an hour.”

“I’ll let Indra know. Please don’t be late.”

“I won’t be,” she promised. “Go see the baby. Go relax. I’ve got this.”

“You sure?”

“Promise.”

With  a nod, Anya agreed. She moved toward the door, satisfied with having done he best she could with her sister. Clarke watched the entire thing, even as they whispered near the door and Anya cast one final look in her direction. After a few more seconds of sibling conversation, Lexa shut the door and sighed, leaning her back against it and regrouping.

“So that was your sister?”

“In the embarrassing flesh,” Lexa nodded. “I’m sorry about that.”

“No, no, it’s fine. She was nice.”

“She’s a pain.”

“You should go get ready.”

“Why does it always feel like we’re saying goodbye for good?”

Despite herself, Clarke chuckled and acquiesced, fighting the feeling as if she’d never see Lexa again. It felt like she was clinging, and she chalked it up to the time of year and the change that was happening to herself. It was the internship and figuring out her life, and struggling but remaining happy. And now there was this entire situation in which she was actively sleeping with someone who had Grammys on her bookshelf.

It was natural that it felt like it was always about to end, and she hated feeling that way, though she was grateful to not be alone in it.

“I’ll have the driver at your place around nine, if that’s okay? We can hang out backstage in between all of the hunk I have to do.”

Lexa ran her hand up and around her neck, sheepish about the suggestions.

“I’ll be ready. I’m going to wear a cute dress, but you won’t be able to see it under my big coat.”

“I could take your word for it,” she grinned, all wolf and predator and amused. “Or you could show me at the after party.”

“If you play well enough, I think I can be persuaded to be your date.”

“It’s locked up then.”

The two just smiled at each other from across the penthouse, unsure of how to actually leave, and knowing that they had to. It turned into a game of chicken, with neither wanting to break it, adn the odds getting more and more dire with every second.

“I’m going to go put on pants so I can do the walk of shame home,” Clarke finally muttered.

“Is it really shame?”

“Shut up.”

There were lesser addictions in her life, though perhaps addiction was the wrong term for these things. There were these things that she could almost not live without, but that she could not think about until they were happening.

Being on stage was one of them though.

The feeling of both control and lack of it. The rush of adrenaline that made her bones feel like they were being squeezed and her muscles like they were so strong they could do anything. That was the feeling-- the invincibility of having thousands of people yell her own words and feelings back at her. She wasn’t addicted because she didn’t crave it. But she did miss it when she didn’t have it for a while.

The world faded away to nothing, and Lexa pushed the hair from her face in a mess and smiled wide as she grabbed the microphone.

From the edge of the stage, in the section for friend and celebrities and hosts, Clarke watched as Lexa put on her show, sang her song, became a very different person than the one that kissed her hips and sent her pictures from the art museum.

But it wasn’t that they were different people, or that Lexa was split between two sides, but rather that different parts were just magnified when she wa on stage. Gone were the worries of the world, and instead, there was a freedom. In the short time they knew each other, Lexa seemed especially burdened by her life, by being alive, by existing. It was something to see her completely unencumbered.

“How was that?” Lexa asked as she hopped off the stage and into the holding area. Bundled up as best she could, there was still sweat on her brow, but her smile was distracting.

“That was… spectacular is the only word that comes to mind.”

“I’m really glad you got to be here.”

“Me too,” Clarke smiled as she earned a hug.

“All I could really think about is this dress you promised to let me see.”

“That’s all?”

“I’m a simple girl.”

There were crowds everywhere, all around them people moved and celebrated, music played and everyone smiled. Even hidden backstage, there was an energy in the air of a new year and the fresh start.

“We still have about ten minutes before the ball drops,” Lexa smiled. “What should we do to end the year?”

“Can we find something to eat?”

“God,” Lexa tossed her head back and shook it before offering a prayer. “You are the perfect girl, did you know that?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Have you ever watched the ball drop in person?” Lexa asked as they huddled near the edge of a platform.

“I’m usually working,” Clarke shrugged. “You?”

“I’ve been kind of dazed the past few holidays, to be honest,” Lexa explained. “But I’ve never been here for it. We usually like to be back home.”

“Here’s to the first of many holidays you remember.”

Clarke lifted he water bottle and tapped it against the singers before taking a sip. The voices started to raise as the seconds ticked closer. Lexa leaned her shoulder against Clarke’s and hid in the worn leather of her jacket slightly, burrowing into her scarf while a girl with a pretty pink tint to her cheeks stared out onto the throngs of peoples.

“So, I don’t want to make this complicated. Can we not rush? Just… date?”

“That’s what you’re thinking about now?” Clarke furrowed.

“Yeah, kind of,” she shrugged. “I don’t want to rush into anything. I’ve known you for like three weeks, and I want to take it slow.”

“I thought we were going slow.”

“We are, and it’s great,” Lexa assured her. “I just want to be on the same page, and I’m not ready to commit to anything serious.”

“I’m not either.”

“But we don’t have to say goodbye.”

“I’d hope not.”

“No, I just mean,” Lexa tripped over her own tongue and it made Clarke smile as she shifted and turned toward her. “I want to keep dong whatever we’re doing. I just didn’t want to make things harder.”

“I’m still wary of the pictures and you and whatever is happening. I think slow is good.”

“Okay, great. Because we were kind of just…”

“Getting caught up in it a bit?”

“Yeah! Like really mashing all the minutes together real quickly because there’s a time limit,” Lexa nodded eagerly. “But there isn’t a time limit.”

“I like you. We can keep talking and getting to know each other.”

“Good. I just like to have my year started out with a clean slate. You were the last thing that I’d think of carrying ove, but I want to.”

“At midnight you won’t turn into a pumpkin?”

“Nope.”

Clarke’s hands toyed with Lexa’s scarf, adjusting it for her and laughing at the look on her face. There was something so simple about her that when she dug it out from the boulders of life, she felt a twinge of affection.

The countdown started for the final few seconds.

Lexa stood a little straighter, no longer leaning or watching the chanting or the crowd or the ball atop the building as it began a slow slip into next year. She pressed a little close to Clarke, and for just ten seconds, it felt like another year passed. Hands held onto her jacket, toying with the zipper and buttons.

“I’m really glad we figured this all out,” Lexa breathed.

Hands moved to Clarke’s chin, to her neck and held her there.

“Figured out that we’re just going to play it by ear?”

“Yeah.”

“Me too.”

It wasn’t even the new year yet, but Lexa didn’t care. She felt hands on her hips and she leaned forward with a smile and kissed Clarke until the fireworks started and a new year dawned without even noticing. She was trapped.

When it finally ended, she pressed her forehead against Clarke fo a moment with a smile and her eyes closed until Clarke swallowed her neck into another hug where she clung and mumbled into her neck.

“Happy New Year to you, too,” Lexa mumbled into Clarke’s shoulder, squeezing back even tighter to hide her smile.

NEXT

[mambo-rewritten]

Day 19: Scorched

“It’s so hot…” Mambo groaned, stretching out her body to keep from touching herself. “It’s too hot to even think about wanting to turf…” She grabbed her drink off of the table and took a long sip from the straw. “It’s not like we even have a team to turf with anymore.” She glared over at Boii, who in turn looked away.

“It needed to be done, Five.”

She blinked in surprise. “You haven’t called me that in a long time…”

Boii only shrugged, taking a long drag from his own drink. “I couldn’t leave him alone out on the streets. The kid’s only twelve. Soon enough, he’s gonna figure out how to shift and be able to turf. Once that happens, he can rack up cash and find a place to call his own.”

Mambo blinked and sat up, hissing as the hot metal of the table scorched her arms. “Woah, hey. Isn’t he a little too young to be living on his own, though? The apartment is big enough for the three of us.”

“Grim was right, Mambo. One of these days, us sticking together in a group is gonna get us killed. It’s just too risky.”

The girl growled and slammed her fist on the table. “You say that as if we still live in the Valley! Well news flash, we don’t! No one is actively searching for us, and no one is going to kill us. Get your fucking shit together, Boii. The kid needs someone to take care of him, and that someone is gonna be me. And after everything we went through together, I was hoping you’d stick with me through this too. You found him after all… he sees us as older siblings. I don’t want him to lose his family again.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and pushed his headphones down so that they were hanging on his neck. “Alright, alright, fine…”

She sighed and crossed her arms again. “I can’t believe you were thinking about kicking him out in the first place,” she grumbled as she got up to throw away her cup. “I’m gonna go work a Salmon Run shift, you wanna come?” She asked, turning around to look back at him.

He shook his head. “I’m gonna go sit in Bisk’s shop and see if he’ll let me play with his guitars. It’s too damn hot to do anything else. I’ll see you when you get back.” He got up and walked into the shoe store.

Mambo watched him go, deflating a little. “Yeah… I’ll… I’ll see you later, then…” She sighed and turned to walk into Grizzco, not sure why her heart felt so heavy in her chest.

[techcrunchappcom]

New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/open-for-business-florida-tech-news/

Open for Business - Florida Tech News

In 1980, gas cost $1.19. 

Post-It notes, the Rubik’s Cube and Pac-Man hit the market. 

Hair was big; shoulders were padded; the tech boom was just beginning. 

And in Melbourne, Florida, a visionary physicist’s fledgling university was ready to broaden its academic offerings outside of the science and engineering realms.

Yes, 40 years ago, Florida Tech established the School of Management and Humanities, today, the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business.

Like the rest of the university, Florida Tech’s business program was established to meet the needs created in and around Cape Canaveral by the burgeoning space program. 

While science and mathematics courses were important, the business college’s immediately impressive enrollment numbers were proof that professionals found development of their leadership, management and critical thinking skills equally valuable. 

“I was there at the very beginning, and let me tell you, it was crazy,” says Roger Manley, who worked for 33 years in the business college—starting before it was a college—and served as its second dean from 1988 to 1990.

The College of Business was built on core values of innovation, ethics, leadership and diversity. 

And unlike trendy toys and hairstyles in Vogue, 40 years later, these values have never changed.

Business at a “STEM” School

Jim Stoms, the first College of Business dean, was an engineer.

Manley, the second dean, was, too. 

In fact, in the first several years, the business college’s faculty, like much of the university’s, consisted of almost entirely adjunct professors who also worked full time at the Cape and other local technology companies. 

While some accreditation boards at the time thought this reflected negatively on the institution, Manley says, Florida Tech found that the structure provided students with the breadth of real-world experience to make the learning practical, relatable and applicable outside of the course’s primary subject matter.

“Adjunct professors who had good academic credentials and actual life experience brought so much more into the classroom than somebody who went straight into teaching without any real-world experience to draw from,” Manley says. 

While full-time, academically qualified professors comprise the College of Business faculty today, the college continues its appreciation for professors with prior professional experience.

Abram Walton, business college professor and director of the Center for Innovation Management and Business Analytics, has worked in a variety of industries and roles, including as an EMT and, later, a manager at Walmart Inc., before entering academia.

“Our faculty don’t only come from the top of the academic sphere, but they have actual business experience,” Walton says. “So, the difference with Florida Tech faculty isn’t just their academic depth, but the breadth of their knowledge and their ability to apply it.”

And just as the college was started to introduce a complementary set of business skills to STEM-minded students, today, it also does the reverse, teaching business students basic principles of technology beneficial to careers in any field.

The Raspberry Pi project, for example, incorporates weeks of workshops teaching students to program the Raspberry Pi, a small, single-board computer developed to help teach computer science basics, before placing them in groups to use the new skills to develop unique products with potential for business development. 

“Currently, only 4% of all invention proposals developed are marketable,” says College of Business Dean Ted Richardson. “The goal of the course is not only to develop an idea, but also to test its ability to generate revenue in the marketplace.”

Likewise, each year, international business students participate in X-Culture, which groups 5,000-plus students from more than 100 universities in 45 countries into teams tasked with developing business strategies for actual global companies, using the latest technology tools to coordinate and communicate with their international teammates.

Group projects like these, as well as those in interdisciplinary courses, foster an innovative, entrepreneurial-minded atmosphere in which students build product concepts, prototypes, business plans and, most important, lifelong connections with peers in and out of their industry.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find any other business school that has its business students learning how to build and use even the simplest of technology programs, let alone bringing their business ideas to life in their very first year,” Walton says. “But here, at Florida Tech, they have an opportunity to be part of some really awesome teams and engage with their engineering peers to actually bring their ideas to fruition.”

Throughout its 40 years, the college has grown with the times, making the modern changes that universities need to make, while managing to keep its character as that small, personal university. 

Steve Thomas ’88, College of Business Advisory Board President

Community Connections

In the College of Business, the goal has always been greater than a degree.

“The university was built to support engineers who were helping NASA put people into space,” Richardson says. “To enable that to happen, you also need business people who understand the leadership, accounting and finance. So, the College of Business started off as an extension of that mission.”

Today, the college strives to make an impact on its local community outside of just NASA.

In addition to internship, cooperative education and practicum programs, the business college has established three prestigious centers that conduct important research and provide business insights to the local community while enhancing students’ understandings and experiences through hands-on work. 

The Center for Entrepreneurship and New Business Development is an all-inclusive center primarily focused on entrepreneurial growth on campus and in the community. The center houses the Momentum Student Business Incubator, which provides entrepreneurial-minded students with a physical location for their business ventures, as well as the guidance of community mentors and faculty advisors. 

The Center for Innovation Management and Business Analytics is, essentially, a research and consulting center. Walton leads the center, serving as editor of the Journal for Innovation Professionals and overseeing the center’s involvement with the International Standards Organization (ISO).

“In the center, we are basically writing the world standards for innovation management systems, collaboratively with other countries, on what innovation management should be for companies,” Walton says.

Walton and graduate students working at the center also host various training sessions for businesses in Brevard County and across the country and collaborate with College of Engineering and Science colleagues to merge the technological side of product development with their expertise in market analysis and innovation management. 

“So, instead of creating a technology and then trying to find out if the market will use it, we try to find out what the market needs first and then try to match technology with those markets,” Richardson says.

The Center for Ethics and Leadership focuses on an oft-undervalued aspect of business that at Florida Tech is considered one of the most important.

“Aside from being the right thing to do, we’ve found that there is a financial component to being ethical,” Richardson says. “Most businesses with a good return on investment have a high degree of ethics with their customers and employees, and we’ve found that to be very important to companies’ growth.”

In addition to the research and discussion conducted at the center, the college also hosts a high school business ethics competition and a business industry ethics conference each year. 

“Overall, I think the centers really help us progress in terms of providing great diversity, ethics and leadership across the business spectrum,” Richardson says.

Another integral part of the college and its community involvement is weVENTURE, its Small Business Administration-funded women’s business center that provides training, counseling, mentoring and technical assistance targeting local small businesses and entrepreneurs, both male and female.

“weVENTURE, in particular, has been very successful, recently receiving thousands of dollars in grant funding as a vital community resource for local small businesses struggling to deal with the ramifications of the COVID-19 crisis,” Richardson says.

College of Business students working in a small group

Vision for the Future

As any College of Business graduate will tell you, no business can succeed in the long term without evolving, and the same goes for the college itself.

In its 40 years, it has grown from a school to a full-service college. As such, it offers bachelor’s degrees in all areas of business, as well as the Master of Business Administration (MBA)—with more than 8,000 graduates worldwide—an innovative master’s degree in accounting and financial forensics and, most recently, a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).

Most important, it is constantly adding new courses and cutting-edge degree programs in response to ever-changing industry needs.

“Instead of being behind the market, in terms of what people are doing in business, we want to be ahead of the market and able to attack it,” Richardson says. “And that’s a goal that requires constant effort.”

One such effort is the creation and continuous development of the College of Business Advisory Board, consisting of about 40 senior community members, local business leaders and alumni, who work with faculty and staff to cultivate both a vision for the college and a plan to execute it.

“Throughout its 40 years, the college has grown with the times, making the modern changes that universities need to make, while managing to keep its character as that small, personal university,” says advisory board president Steve Thomas ’88. “And that’s what we aim to continue.” 

The work is far from done. On the horizon, the college seeks further accreditation, increased enrollment, more degree programs, more mentorship opportunities and more recognition for the prestigious institution that, in just 40 years, it has become.

“When people leave, we want them to think about their experience here and how that experience has enhanced their critical thinking, their communication, their life,” Richardson says. “We hope that somehow, this university has touched them in a way that motivated them to try, to succeed and to help somebody else. That is—and always has been—our goal.” 

[hbisk]

Here you can find a quiet and calm Bisk. They weren’t expecting much today. Especially after being an obnoxious anon and constantly complaining about how they’re too shy to talk to those really cool Jims over there. And then.. There’s a disturbance. Bisk is silently screeing and hoping not to embarrass themself. Bisk has gained a follower. ...*wave wave* Hi. Hello. ...Where did you come from? I don’t even post stuff very often.. I don’t know how to socialize. Let alone how to tumblr. EDIT: Why are there 41 of you?! And why are you all so quiet.. I’d love to interact with you all..!

[ebmordecai]

Gendrya prompt from timecubed... My response

Five times Arya cooked for Gendry + one time Gendry cooked for Arya

@timecubed

Life has that funny way of reminding you that you’re not in control. I had plans for myself. I was going to graduate from culinary school as this famous chef and then travel the world, but life decided to throw me a curve ball and remind me that I’m powerless. So, instead of traveling the world I find myself with two jobs and barely any time left to sleep.

The first job, which is my day job, is a waitress gig at a fancy Italian restaurant. Not my ideal choice, but I need the money. My second job, at night, is closer to my degree, but far from my dreams of traveling. I’m the chef for a billionaire tycoon. I wish I could say he was someone you could easily hate, but that’s far from being true.

Gendry Waters had earn his money the hard way, working his way from the ground up. He owned numerous business dealing with iron and metals. He had taken his skills and turned it into a billion dollar industry. I respected the hell out of him. He was a private man, staying out of the spotlight as much as possible. There wasn’t any heavy scandals with his name involved, yet he remained a total stranger to people, including the people who worked for him.

Monday…

I pay the cab fare, as the man driving stares out at the mansion I work in. The kitchen is my fortress, and everyone knows to give me space as I work. Tonight’s menu is lamb with mint sauce, asparagus seared in butter, hot rolls and a glass of chardonnay. Mr. Waters has a set menu that he seldom strays from, which makes my life simple seeing as I’m sleep deprived and I don’t need to give much effort to the menu.

Mrs. Caldwell, my supervisor awaits my arrival with instructions for tonight’s dinner. As usual, Mr. Waters will be eating alone. He never has dinner guests, not that I’ve seen in the three months I’ve worked for him.

When I enter the dining room He’s already seated, his face hidden in a newspaper. I serve him the hot meal and stand off to the side against the wall in case he needs anything. These silent moments are my favorite, for I get to watch him without him being aware of it. He’s still wearing his three piece charcoal suit from work, looking like a Greek god. I see why he’s considered Westeros’ most eligible bachelor.

His hair is as dark as night, worn short in the back and long in the front. His bangs almost come to his eyelids and I watch him push the hair from his forehead several times. The few times we’ve made eye contact I’ve come face to face with a set of sea-blue beautiful eyes. His sleeves are rolled up giving me a clear view of sculpted arms. So, yeah, I have a crush on my boss.

Tuesday…

My feet hurt. That’s all I can think as I enter Mr. Water’s home. I need rest, a vacation, but I know that’s never going to happen. My mind’s heavy tonight, but I don’t have time to think on all my problems. I need this job and it’s good pay, badly.

Tonight’s menu is spaghetti and meatballs. I had laughed the first time Mrs. Caldwell showed me the menu that he wanted. Spaghetti was the last thing I thought someone like Gendry Waters would want. He was country clubs and yachts. But I cooked him what he wanted, my grandmother’s special recipe.

He seemed to like it more than the lamb, and I’m caught off guard when he looks up at me. Our eyes meet and I stand a little taller, trying to ignore the screaming pain in my feet. He gives me one of his rare smiles and I feel my cheeks burn. He never speaks, not to me, but his smiles say the words his mouth doesn’t. Thank you for reminding me that I’m human, it says, just by serving me spaghetti. He’s as lonely as I am… his smile says that too.

Wednesday…

I’m running late tonight and my head is pounding from the table of twenty I served at the restaurant. Old men taking more grabs at me than they should, their drinks of rum coming every five seconds seems like. I’m in a foul mood, and my cell ringing doesn’t help. I swear if it’s Mrs. Caldwell I’ll hang up on the woman with the first word. Yes, I know I’m late.

“Hello?” I mumble.

“Hello, Miss. Stark, this is Nancy Forrester.”

I freeze on the cold sidewalk as the world around me shifts. I forget the pain in my head immediately. The blood runs from my face, leaving me chilled. Something’s happened.

“Are you there?” she asked, concerned. “Y—yes,” I answered, softly.

“There’s no easy way for me to say this, Miss Stark, but the money has run out. It’s time to think of other options. We can give you a few days, but by Saturday we need you to make other arrangements. We will help you any way we can.”

I’m feel lost and alone. I knew this day would come, but I thought with the two jobs I could stay ahead of this dreaded day.

“How much do I need to come up with?”

“Two thousand dollars, Miss Stark.”

The weight upon me becomes heavier, and as I hurry into the kitchen at Mr. Waters home I’m fighting back the tears. I can’t come up with that money by Saturday. I barely have six hundred in the bank. I don’t have a choice. I ignore Mrs. Caldwell’s beady eyes as I place the Lobster Bisk and cob salad on the plate and hurry out to the dining room. Wednesday’s are Mr. Water’s light days. Soup and salad. Looks like I’m not the only one who’s late or in a foul mood.

Five minutes after I place his food on the table, he enters mumbling under his breath about stupid investments. His tie hangs loosely at his neck and he digs right in. The more time that passes in silence the more I know what I need to do, but I’m scared to open my mouth. Mr. Waters can help me if he chooses. He’s really the only option I have, and I’ll do anything at this point. I wait till he’s done and he looks up at me. There’s no smile tonight, but I press forward.

“I was wondering, sir, if you wouldn’t mind giving me an advancement on my check. I’ll pick up other chores around the house to pay you back quicker.”

He stares at me, surprised that I’ve spoken to him. For what seems like forever no word is spoken.

“Arya, correct?”

“Y—Yes, sir.”

He nods his head, but let’s more minutes pass before answering. “And you need this advancement because?” he questions.

No one, not even my boss, knows my issues. I don’t want, nor need, anyone’s sympathy. I’ve made the decision to take on this burden, and until now I’ve needed no help. It’s the least I can do.

“Personal reasons.”

His eyebrows raise, “I see. I don’t give advancements. I’m sorry.”

With that, he stands from his chair and leaves me standing in shock. I feel hot tears in my eyes, but I blink them back. I’ve lost the only option I had in a matter of seconds.

Thursday…

I’ve picked up two extra shifts and talked to a loan officer, but all that gives me is fifteen hundred. I’m five hundred short. I haven’t slept in thirty-six hours and all of the stress is making me sick. My hands shake as I place the ribeye steak next to the baked potato and broccoli on the plate. Mrs. Caldwell is watching me closely, but I ignore her.

I almost don’t make it to the table before dropping the plate. He’s there, his hands reaching out to steady me. I don’t make eye contact with him, but I feel his eyes burning into the back of my head as I take my place in the corner. I want to sleep for days and not wake up, but life doesn’t give me that option.

“What’s the advancement for?” he asked, making me jump in shock.

When I look at him, his blue eyes are intense. If I tell him the truth he’ll fire me. He will know my baggage and question my reliability. He’s never shown interest in me, so I hoped I could get the advancement no questions asked… I was wrong.

“I’m sorry I asked for the money, Mr. Waters. I don’t need it.” I barely got the words out. I need the money more than anything.

“Are you in some kind of trouble? And call me Gendry. My father was Mr. Waters.

“No, sir. Nothing like that, Mr—Gendry.”

“You’re not doing drugs? No gambling debt?”

I clenched my jaw, trying my best not to be pissed. He’s only trying to help, I tell myself.

“There’s nothing like that going on, I promise you.”

Mr. Waters… Gendry wiped his mouth with his napkin and stands. I think He’s going to leave it there, but he stops half way out the door and turns to me. “How can you expect me to help you if you don’t even trust me enough to tell me why.”

I’m left feeling worse about my situation as he storms out of the room.

Friday…

I’ve searched every pocket of jeans, every hole and crack that money could fall in and I’m still four hundred-eighty five dollars short. I allowed myself two hours of sleep before my double at the restaurant and then Gendry’s. My last hope is my tips I could make tonight, though it’s been slow this past week.

When I walk in my manager is waiting at the door for me and signals for me to follow. I swallow the lump in my throat as I sit before his large desk.

“I’ve had to cut back, and I regret to tell you that you’re no longer needed here. You’ve served me well, Arya, but I need full time staff, not part time.”

I felt sick to my stomach, and I stood from the chair and left without a word. Before his door closed I heard him say my last check would be mailed to me in two weeks. I’m not down just a little anymore. I’m down the whole amount, for I needed that last check early. No check… no loan officer. I spend the rest of the day on the phone, calling around for another option to my problem. It’s not good.

When I finally entered Gendry’s kitchen my eyes were red and swollen, but it couldn’t be helped. I had come to the end of the line. Mrs. Caldwell scolded me twice when I burnt the chicken and had to start over. I wanted to throw the chicken in her face, but this was my last job… a last way to get money. Finally, the Zuni Roast Chicken with Fennel Panzanella was finished and laid out for Gendry. I walked to my corner of the room and waited… and waited… and waited. The food I slaved over for two hours grew cold, yet the door never opened.

“He won’t be dining at home tonight, Miss Stark. He said to have his meal wrapped up and sent home with you,” said Mrs. Caldwell.

I didn’t want it, couldn’t eat it even if I did want it. I gathered the food and dumped it in the garbage bin outside. Any other day and I would have wanted to dump it on Gendry’s head for wasting the food, but not today.

I took a cab to the only place I knew I needed to be this late. It was after midnight, and usually they don’t allow visitors this late, but Kate is working. She always let’s me in. Sure enough, she pulls the door open and ushers me in, making sure no one saw me.

I enter a darkened room, but I know this room as well as I know my own bedroom. I’ve spent the majority of my time here for the past six months. This room is the reason I don’t sleep some nights. The person laying in the bed is the reason my burdens are so heavy.

“Hey, Sansa,” I whispered, knowing she’s not going to answer me. She hasn’t answered me for six months.

I reached out and took her hand in mine, laying my cheek upon her smooth skin. My older sister doesn’t respond to my touch. She’s all I’ve had since I was twelve. Our parents died in a car accident. She was seventeen when she took over my care. We had each other, and no one else. Now, our roles are reversed and it’s me taking care of her.

Or I was taking care of her. The insurance money we saved from our parent’s deaths has run out. There’s no money left, and I’m having to take her out of the care home she’s in, but I have no where to take her. Six month ago Sansa walked out of our apartment to go to the store and never came back. She suffered a brain aneurysm in the store and has been asleep ever since. There’s some brain activity but not much. One of the options they will discuss with me come morning is letting my sister go. I can’t do that. She’s all I have left.

I laid my head on her bed and allowed the tears to fall. It’s the only time, in the darkness, that I allow myself to feel hopeless and alone. No one can see my weakness.

“Please, Sansa. I don’t know what to do,” I cried, softly. “Come back to me.”

There’s no response. Just the silence and my soft sobs. Tomorrow will come soon, so for tonight I give in to my grief.

Saturday…

“Miss Stark.”

I come awake with a start to see Nancy Forrester standing in my sister’s room. I feel the dread consume me, knowing what’s about to happen. I have no answers to this problem.

“M—Mrs. Forrester. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. I came in last night to pack my sister’s things and fell asleep,” I said, not wanting to get Kate in trouble.

Mrs. Forrester looked at me, confusion in her features. “Are you moving your sister? But, I thought after you paid the entire year you were keeping her here.”

Her words took several moments to register in my mind. I couldn’t have heard her right. I opened and closed my mouth, not able to comprehend what was happening.

“W—What?” I said, my words choking me.

“We received your payment for the rest of the year. I was coming by to make sure your sister was comfortable and in good care.”

“That’s impossible,” I whispered, my vision blurred in tears.

She looked confused and laughed, as if uncomfortable. “I assure you there is no mistake. The person on the phone said he was a cousin of yours, said he would send money whenever it was needed, and that he wanted Sansa well taken care of.”

“He?” I said, and before she could finish I was on my feet and out of the door.

The fifteen minute ride to Gendry’s was the longest of my life. I laughed, smiled, cried… every emotion hit me at once.

I entered the house, realizing it was unlocked and no butler to meet me. I searched the house, every room, until I heard movement in the dining room. When I entered I noticed the dining table fixed up for two. The plates were laid out with wine glasses ready to be drank.

Gendry came from the side door connected to the kitchen with a large pot in his hand. When he saw me, he froze. He had his sleeves rolled up, sweat dripping from his brow. Had he been cooking?

“You weren’t supposed to be here yet,” he said, hurrying to sit the pot on the table.

“Gendry,” I said, my voice cracking.

“Come and sit. We can talk after we eat.”

He pulled a chair out for me, and I sat down feeling like I’m in a dream. He poured us a glass of white wine. When he raised the top off the steaming pot, and I saw what was inside, I burst out laughing. All of these months I struggled with my sister and being alone came out of me in those few seconds. For the first time I sobbed in front of someone.

“Do You know why I ask for spaghetti on Tuesdays?” he asked, pointing to the hot spaghetti in front of me. I shook my head no. “My parents died on a Tuesday. They left me to grow up in an orphanage. The last memory I have of them is my mother in the kitchen making me spaghetti. Every Tuesday I visit their graves. It’s the hardest day of the week for me. When you cook this for me, it helps me to cope with the loss. Now, I want to help you the same way, so I slaved over this spaghetti and I pray it’s half as good as yours.”

I take a bite and am surprised at how good it really is. I look up and meet his kind blue eyes and smile. “Its delicious,” I whisper.

“Good. You eat while I talk, then. I did some research and found out about your sister. I hope you aren’t mad at the intrusion, but I worried. When I found out that they were releasing her everything made sense to me. I couldn’t let that happen. I paid for the entire year and have set up an account to keep your sister stable for as long as she needs it.”

I open my mouth to protest, but he doesn’t let me.

“Eat. Not on only that, but I’m flying in three experts in the field of brain trauma to look over your sister’s case. If there is a solution they will find it, but even if they don’t she will never want for anything. You will never have to worry for her.”

“But, why? Why are you doing this?” I ask, a tear slipping down my cheek.

“Because, you may not realize it but you take care of me, and I wanted to return the favor. And…”

He hesitates, unsure of himself. “And?” I ask.

“Since the moment you walked into my house three months ago I’ve tried to get up the nerve to tell you how you’ve captured me mind, body and soul. I didn’t help your sister for payment, but I couldn’t allow you to do this on your own. And… if you will allow me, I’d like to take care of you as well. I’d like to take you on a date, Miss Stark,” he says, his cheeks growing red.

I am up and out of my chair before I know what I’m doing. I wrap my arms around Gendry, feeling his heart beat as wildly as my own. His arms snake around my waste and hold me tightly. In that moment I let go of all of my baggage, all of my hurts and pains. It’s going to be okay now. I can finally say it’s going to be okay… and I say it over a pot of spaghetti. Maybe life does know better than me.

[policecarrot77-blog]

Cheesy Turkey Burger Bake

This recipe I am sharing today is not only very tasty, but also quite family friendly, simple to make and fairly healthy, especially if you use the leanest ground turkey you can buy and a low fat cheddar.  It is also very economical!  So its a winner all round! 

I confess that I am not overly fond of ground beef. It goes back to my childhood I guess.  Mom always bought really cheap ground beef. It was fatty and full of gristle and sometimes bits of bone.  If there was any gristle or bone in it, it always seemed to end up on my plate and as soon as it hit my teeth I would be gagging! Very unpleasant. 

I do eat ground beef now, but not very often and I always grind my own when I do. Did you know that when you are buying ground beef at the shops, the meat in your pack can come from several animals, but if you buy a piece of beef and trim it, then grind it yourself, you know for sure it came from just one. 

We I actually prefer ground turkey to ground beef. Its lower in fat and much better for you.  Its actually on the list of what are considered to be Super Foods.

The protein in Turkey alone could make it a Super Food,  but actually this lean meat has much more to offer. It is also chock full of nutrients, particularly niacin, selenium, vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc. These nutrients are heart-healthy and also valuable in helping to lower the risk for cancer.

Turkey is also one of the leanest protein foods and is low in calories, making it an excellent healthy food choice. The selenium in it  has been shown to inhibit cancer development, improve the immune system, and aid in the metabolism of our thyroid hormone. 

We love turkey and turkey, it seems  . . .  loves us!

This is really a very easy bake to make.  Turkey is browned in a pan along with some finely chopped onion. (Just spray the pan with some low fat cooking spray.) I like to add a few herbs and some salt and black pepper for more flavor.  You could also add chopped celery if you wanted to.

This gets spread in a baking dish and topped with a layer of grated cheddar cheese.  I use cheddar because it is a favourite of ours and packs a lot of flavour in, so you don't need as much cheese as you would another type. I use a lower fat cheddar. It works beautifully.

You sprinkle the cheese over the cooked turkey in a baking dish and then beat together some baking mix, milk and eggs and pour that over top.  Then it is as simple as popping it into a hot oven and baking it until it is done.  Presto, you have a delicious entree that the family will love.  I often add a layer of chopped cooked vegetables between the layer of turkey and the cheese.  Also, very good and healthy too! (I make my own homemade baking mix.  The recipe is below.)

Yield: 4Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe

With ImageWithout Image

Cheesy Turkey Burger Bake

prep time: 15 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 45 mins

A simple bake which is not only delicious but very easy to make and family friendly. Serve with your favourite vegetables and salad if you wish!

ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, finely minced

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp each dried parsley, sage and thyme

salt and black pepper to taste

120g grated strong cheddar cheese

60g baking mix (1/2 cup, something like Bisquick or Tea Bisk)

(Or you can use a homemade version, see link)

240ml whole milk

2 large free range eggs

instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.  Set aside.

Spritz  a skillet with some low fat cooking spray.  Add the ground turkey and chopped onion, and brown until evenly cooked and no longer pink.  (I mash mine with a potato masher as I am cooking it. to help break it up.)  Stir in the garlic powder and herbs.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Scrape into the baking dish. Spread out into an even layer.  Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over top.  Whisk together the baking mix, milk and eggs.  (Or blitz in a blender to combine.)  Pour over the turkey and cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and the cheese has started to turn golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let stand for several minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Note  - If desired you can add a thin layer of cooked vegetables over the turkey before sprinkling the cheese over top. Chopped broccoli is nice as are peas/corn/carrots,  or chopped cooked spinach,etc.

Yield: 24Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe

Homemade Baking Mix

prep time: cook time: total time:

This is  mix which comes in really handy to have in the cupboard, ready to use for making muffins, pancakes and all sorts.

ingredients:

1260g of plain flour (9  cups)

245g milk powder (1 cup)

5 TBS baking powder

50g white sugar (1/4 cup)

1 TBS salt

220g white vegetable shortening (1 cup)

instructions:

Whisk flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, about 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

To make biscuits/scones:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Stir in 180ml buttermilk  (3/4 cup) with a fork, Pat out, cut into circles and bake in a 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for about 10 minutes.  Makes six large biscuits (scones).

To make Pancakes:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl. Whisk in 3 TBS sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 TBS vegetable oil and 2 eggs.  Whisk together until  smooth.  Cook as per regular pancakes on a greased griddle.  Drop 1/4 cupful at a time onto hot greased griddle.  Cook until the edges are dry, flip and cook until golden.  Makes about 14.

To make Waffles:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Beat together with 310ml  milk (1 1/3 cups), 2 TBS vegetable oil and 1 egg.  Pour into centre of hot greased waffle maker.  Close lid.  Bake about 5  minutes or until steaming stops.  Remove with a fork and keep warm.  Makes about 12.

  We had friends pop in the other day when I was making this so I simply popped some vegetable chips into the oven and we had it with them and some steamed baby peas.  Everyone loved it.  In fact my friend's husband had seconds!  Bon Appetit!

Source: https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2018/09/cheesy-turkey-burger-bake.html

[blockzone06-blog]

Cheesy Turkey Burger Bake

This recipe I am sharing today is not only very tasty, but also quite family friendly, simple to make and fairly healthy, especially if you use the leanest ground turkey you can buy and a low fat cheddar.  It is also very economical!  So its a winner all round! 

I confess that I am not overly fond of ground beef. It goes back to my childhood I guess.  Mom always bought really cheap ground beef. It was fatty and full of gristle and sometimes bits of bone.  If there was any gristle or bone in it, it always seemed to end up on my plate and as soon as it hit my teeth I would be gagging! Very unpleasant. 

I do eat ground beef now, but not very often and I always grind my own when I do. Did you know that when you are buying ground beef at the shops, the meat in your pack can come from several animals, but if you buy a piece of beef and trim it, then grind it yourself, you know for sure it came from just one. 

We I actually prefer ground turkey to ground beef. Its lower in fat and much better for you.  Its actually on the list of what are considered to be Super Foods.

The protein in Turkey alone could make it a Super Food,  but actually this lean meat has much more to offer. It is also chock full of nutrients, particularly niacin, selenium, vitamins B6 and B12, and zinc. These nutrients are heart-healthy and also valuable in helping to lower the risk for cancer.

Turkey is also one of the leanest protein foods and is low in calories, making it an excellent healthy food choice. The selenium in it  has been shown to inhibit cancer development, improve the immune system, and aid in the metabolism of our thyroid hormone. 

We love turkey and turkey, it seems  . . .  loves us!

This is really a very easy bake to make.  Turkey is browned in a pan along with some finely chopped onion. (Just spray the pan with some low fat cooking spray.) I like to add a few herbs and some salt and black pepper for more flavor.  You could also add chopped celery if you wanted to.

This gets spread in a baking dish and topped with a layer of grated cheddar cheese.  I use cheddar because it is a favourite of ours and packs a lot of flavour in, so you don't need as much cheese as you would another type. I use a lower fat cheddar. It works beautifully.

You sprinkle the cheese over the cooked turkey in a baking dish and then beat together some baking mix, milk and eggs and pour that over top.  Then it is as simple as popping it into a hot oven and baking it until it is done.  Presto, you have a delicious entree that the family will love.  I often add a layer of chopped cooked vegetables between the layer of turkey and the cheese.  Also, very good and healthy too! (I make my own homemade baking mix.  The recipe is below.)

Yield: 4Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe

With ImageWithout Image

Cheesy Turkey Burger Bake

prep time: 15 minscook time: 30 minstotal time: 45 mins

A simple bake which is not only delicious but very easy to make and family friendly. Serve with your favourite vegetables and salad if you wish!

ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, finely minced

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp each dried parsley, sage and thyme

salt and black pepper to taste

120g grated strong cheddar cheese

60g baking mix (1/2 cup, something like Bisquick or Tea Bisk)

(Or you can use a homemade version, see link)

240ml whole milk

2 large free range eggs

instructions:

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.  Set aside.

Spritz  a skillet with some low fat cooking spray.  Add the ground turkey and chopped onion, and brown until evenly cooked and no longer pink.  (I mash mine with a potato masher as I am cooking it. to help break it up.)  Stir in the garlic powder and herbs.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Scrape into the baking dish. Spread out into an even layer.  Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over top.  Whisk together the baking mix, milk and eggs.  (Or blitz in a blender to combine.)  Pour over the turkey and cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until cooked through and the cheese has started to turn golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let stand for several minutes before cutting into squares to serve.

Note  - If desired you can add a thin layer of cooked vegetables over the turkey before sprinkling the cheese over top. Chopped broccoli is nice as are peas/corn/carrots,  or chopped cooked spinach,etc.

Yield: 24Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe

Homemade Baking Mix

prep time: cook time: total time:

This is  mix which comes in really handy to have in the cupboard, ready to use for making muffins, pancakes and all sorts.

ingredients:

1260g of plain flour (9  cups)

245g milk powder (1 cup)

5 TBS baking powder

50g white sugar (1/4 cup)

1 TBS salt

220g white vegetable shortening (1 cup)

instructions:

Whisk flour, dry milk powder, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Cut shortening into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, about 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture resembles cornmeal. Store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

To make biscuits/scones:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Stir in 180ml buttermilk  (3/4 cup) with a fork, Pat out, cut into circles and bake in a 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7 oven for about 10 minutes.  Makes six large biscuits (scones).

To make Pancakes:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl. Whisk in 3 TBS sugar, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 TBS vegetable oil and 2 eggs.  Whisk together until  smooth.  Cook as per regular pancakes on a greased griddle.  Drop 1/4 cupful at a time onto hot greased griddle.  Cook until the edges are dry, flip and cook until golden.  Makes about 14.

To make Waffles:  Measure 260g (2 cups) of the mix into a bowl.  Beat together with 310ml  milk (1 1/3 cups), 2 TBS vegetable oil and 1 egg.  Pour into centre of hot greased waffle maker.  Close lid.  Bake about 5  minutes or until steaming stops.  Remove with a fork and keep warm.  Makes about 12.

  We had friends pop in the other day when I was making this so I simply popped some vegetable chips into the oven and we had it with them and some steamed baby peas.  Everyone loved it.  In fact my friend's husband had seconds!  Bon Appetit!

Source: https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2018/09/cheesy-turkey-burger-bake.html

[buhbuhbilly]

Covered my favorite Rufus song of all time :) Gonna shoot a video next month. Full credits: 

Vocals: Billy Joe Kiessling

Guitar/Arrangement: Charlie Rosen Cello: Alon Bisk Bass: John Murchison Violin 1: Andrew Mayer Violin 2: Pearl Rhein Clarinet: Cathryn Wake