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najia-cooks · 10 months

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[ID: Two large flatbreads. The one in the center is topped with bright purple onions, faux chicken, fried nuts, and coarse red sumac; the one at the side is topped with onions and sumac. Second image is a close-up. End ID]

مسخن / Musakhkhan (Palestinian flatbread with onions and sumac)

Musakhkhan (مُسَخَّن; also "musakhan" or "moussakhan") is a dish historically made by Palestinian farmers during the olive harvest season of October and November: naturally leavened flatbread is cooked in clay ovens, dipped in plenty of freshly pressed olive oil, and then covered with oily, richly caramelized onions fragrant with sumac. Modern versions of the dish add spiced, boiled and baked chicken along with toasted or fried pine nuts and almonds. It is eaten with the hands, and sometimes served alongside a soup made from the stock produced by boiling the chicken. The name of the dish literally means "heated," from سَخَّنَ "sakhkhana" "to heat" + the participle prefix مُـ "mu".

I have provided instructions for including 'chicken,' but I don't think the dish suffers from its lack: the rich, slightly sour fermented wheat bread, the deep sweetness of the caramelised onions, and the true, clean, bright expressions of olive oil and sumac make this dish a must-try even in its original, plainer form.

Musakhkhan is often considered to be the national dish of Palestine. Like foods such as za'tar, hummus, tahina, and frika, it is significant for its historical and emotional associations, and for the way it links people, place, identity, and memory; it is also understood to be symbolic of a deeply rooted connection to the land, and thus of liberation struggle. The dish is liberally covered with the fruit of Palestinian lands in the form of onions, olive oil, and sumac (the dried and ground berries of a wild-growing bush).

The symbolic resonance of olive oil may be imputed to its history in the area. In historical Palestine (before the British Mandate period), agriculture and income from agricultural exports made up the bulk of the economy. Under مُشَاعْ (mushā', "common"; also transliterated "musha'a") systems of land tenure, communally owned plots of land were divided into parcels which were rotated between members of large kinship groups (rather than one parcel belonging to a private owner and their descendants into perpetuity). Olive trees were grown over much of the land, including on terraced hills, and their oil was used for culinary purposes and to make soap; excess was exported. In the early 1920s, Palestinian farmers produced 5,000 tons of olive oil a year, making an average of 342,000 PL (Palestinian pounds, equivalent to pounds sterling) from exports to Egypt alone.

During the British Mandate period (from 1917 to 1948, when Britain was given the administration of Palestine by the League of Nations after World War 1), acres of densely populated and cultivated land were expropriated from Palestinians through legal strongarming of and direct violence against, including killing of, فَلّاَحين (fallahin, peasants; singular "فَلَّاح" "fallah") by British troops. This continued a campaign of dispossession that had begun in the late 19th century.

By 1941, an estimated 119,000 peasants had been dispossessed of land (30% of all Palestinian families involved in agriculture); many of them had moved to other areas, while those who stayed were largely destitute. The agriculturally rich Nablus area (north of Jerusalem), for example, was largely empty by 1934: Haaretz reported that it was "no longer the town of gold [i.e., oranges], neither is it the town of trade [i.e., olive oil]. Nablus rather has become the town of empty houses, of darkness and of misery". Farmers led rebellions against this expropriation in 1929, 1933, and 1936-9, which were brutually repressed by the British military.

Despite the number of farmers who had been displaced from their land by European Jewish private owners and cooperatives (which owned 24.5% of all cultivated land in Palestine by 1941), the amount of olives produced by Palestinians increased from 34,000 tons in 1931 to 78,300 in 1945, evidencing an investment in and expansion of agriculture by indigenous inhabitants. Thus it does not seem likely that vast swathes of land were "waste land," or that the musha' system did not allow for "development"!

Imprecations against the musha' system were nevertheless used as justification to force Palestinians from their land. After various Zionist organizations and militant groups succeeded in pushing Britain out of Palestine in 1948—clearing the way for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to be dispossessed or killed during the Nakba—the Israeli parliament began constructing a framework to render their expropriation of land legal; the Cultivation of Waste Lands Law of 1949, for example, allowed the requisition of uncultivated land, while the Absentees’ Property Law of 1950 allowed the state to requisition the land of people it had forced from their homes.

Israel profited from its dispossession of millions of dunums of land; 40,000 dunums of vineyards, 100,000 dunums of citrus groves, and 95% of the olive groves in the new state were stolen from Palestinians during this period, and the agricultural subsidies bolstered by these properties were used to lure new settlers in with promises of large incomes.

It also profited from the resulting "de-development" of the Palestinian economy, of which the decline in trade of olive oil furnishes a striking example. Palestinian olive farmers were unable to compete with the cheaper oils (olive and other types) with which Zionist, capital-driven industry flooded the market; by 1936, the 342,000 PL in olive oil exports of the early 1920s had fallen to 52,091 PL, and thereafter to nothing. While selling to a Palestinian captive market, Israel was also exporting the fruits of confiscated Palestinian land to Europe and elsewhere; in 1949, olives produced on stolen land were Israel's third-largest export. As of 2014, 12.9% of the olives exported to Europe were grown in the occupied West Bank alone.

This process of de-development and profiteering accelerated after Israel's military seizure of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967. In 1970, agriculture made up 34% of the GDP of the West Bank, and 31% of that of Gaza; in 2000, it was 16% and 18%, respectively. Many of those out of work due to expropriated or newly unworkable land were hired as day laborers on Israeli farms.

Meanwhile, Palestinians (and Israeli Palestinians) continued to plant and cultivate olives. The fact that Palestinians do not control their own water supplies or borders and may expect at any time to be barred by the military from harvesting their fields has discouraged investment and led to risk aversion (especially since the outmoding of the musha' system, which had minimized individual risk). In this environment, olive trees are attractive because they are low-input. They can subsist on rainwater (Israel monopolizes and poisons much of the region's water, and heavily taxes imports of materials that could be used to build irrigation systems), and don't require high-quality soil or daily weeding. Olive trees, unlike factories and agricultural technology, don't need large inputs of capital that stand to be wasted if the Israeli military destroys them.

Olive trees are therefore the chosen crop when proving a continued use of land in order to prevent the Israeli military from expropriating it under various "waste" or "absentee" land laws. Palestinians immediately plant olive seedlings on land they have been temporarily forced from, since even land that has lain fallow due to status as a military closed zone can be appropriated with this justification. The danger is so pressing that Palestinian agronomists encouraged this habit (as of 1993), despite the fact that Israeli competition and continual planting had lowered olive crop prices, and despite the decline in soil quality that results from never allowing land to lie fallow. In more recent years, olive trees have yielded primary or supplementary income for about 100,000 Palestinian families, producing up to 191 million USD in value in good years (including an average of 17,000 tons of olive oil yearly between 2001 and 2009).

Israeli soldiers and settlers have famously uprooted, vandalized, razed, and burned millions of these olive trees, as well as using military outposts to deny Palestinian farmers access to their olive crops. It prefers to restrict Palestinians to annual crops, such as vegetables and grains, and eliminate competition in permanent crops, such as fruit trees.

This targeting of olive trees increases during times of intensified conflict. During the currently ongoing olive harvest season (November 2023), Gazan olive farmers have reported being targeted by Israeli war planes; some farmers in the West Bank have given up on harvesting their trees altogether, due to threats issued by organized networks of settlers that they would kill anyone seen making the attempt.

The rootedness of olive trees in the history of Palestine gives them weight as a symbol of homeland, culture, and the fight for liberation. Palestinian olive harvest festivals, typically celebrated in October with singing, dancing, and eating, have inspired similar events elsewhere in the world, aimed at sharing Palestinian food and culture and expressing solidarity with those living under occupation.

Support Palestinian resistance by calling Elbit System’s (Israel’s primary weapons manufacturer) landlord, donating to Palestine Action’s bail fund, and donating to the Bay Area Anti-Repression Committee bail fund.

Ingredients:

For the dish:

2 pieces taboon bread, preferably freshly baked

2 large or 3 medium yellow onions (480g)

1 cup first cold press extra virgin olive oil (زيت زيتون البكر الممتاز)

1 Tbsp coarsely ground Levantine sumac (سماق شامي / sumaq shami), plus more to top

Ground black pepper

For the chicken (optional):

500g chicken substitute

5 green cardamom pods, or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

4 cloves, or pinch ground cloves

1 Mediterranean bay leaf

1 Tbsp ground sumac

For the nut topping (optional):

2 Tbsp slivered almonds

2 Tbsp pine nuts

Neutral oil, for frying

Notes on ingredients:

Use the best olive oil that you can. You will want oil that has some opacity to it or some deposits in it. I used Aleppo brand olive oil (7 USD a liter at my local halal grocery).

If you want to replace the taboon bread with something less laborious, I would recommend something that mimics the rich, fermented flavor of the traditional, whole-wheat, naturally leavened bread. Many people today make taboon bread with white flour and commercial yeast—which you might mimic by using storebought naan or lavash, for example—but I think the slight sourness of the flatbread is a beautiful counterpoint to the brightness of the sumac and the sweetness of the caramelized onions. I would go with a sourdough pizza crust or something similar.

Your sumac should be coarsely ground, not finely powdered; and a deep, rich red, not pinkish in color (like the pile on the right, not the one on the left).

For this dish, a whole chicken is usually first boiled (perhaps with spices including bay leaves, cardamom, and cloves) and then baked, sometimes along with some of the oil from frying the onions. I call for just frying or baking instead; in my opinion, boiling often has a negative effect on the texture of meat substitutes.

Instructions:

For the onions:

1. Heat a cup of olive oil in a large skillet or pot. Fry onions on medium-low, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until translucent.

2. Add 1 Tbsp sumac and a few cracks of black pepper and reduce to low. Cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are sweet, reduced in volume, and pinkish in color.

For the chicken:

1. Briefly toast and finely grind spices except for sumac (cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf). Filter with a fine mesh sieve. Dip 'chicken' into the pot in which you fried the onions to coat it with olive oil, then rub spices (including sumac) onto the surface.

2. Sear chicken in a dry skillet until browned on all sides; or bake, uncovered, in the top third of an oven heated to 400 °F (200 °C) until browned.

For the nut topping:

1. Heat a neutral oil on medium in a small pot or skillet. Add almonds and fry for 2 minutes, until just starting to take on color. Add pine nuts and fry until both almonds and pine nuts are golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon.

To assemble:

1. Dip each flatbread in the olive oil used to fry the onions, then spread onions over the surface.

Some cooks dip the bread entirely into oil; others press it lightly into the surface of the oil in the pot on both sides, or one side; a more modern method calls for mixing the olive oil with chicken broth to lighten it. Consult your taste. I think the bread from my taboon recipe stands up well to being pressed into the oil on both sides without tearing or becoming soggy.

2. Top flatbread with chicken and several large pinches more sumac. Bake briefly in the oven (still heated to 400 °F / 200 °C), or broil on low, for 3-5 minutes, until the sumac and the surface of the bread have darkened a shade.

3. Top with fried nuts.

Musakhkhan is usually eaten by ripping the chicken into bite-sized pieces, tearing off a bit of bread, and eating the chicken using the bread.

Some cooks make a layered musakhkhan, adding two to three pieces of bread covered with onions on top of each other before topping the entire construction with chicken and pine nuts.

#Palestinian #Palestine #palestinian food #recipes #long post /

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abookishdreamer · 3 months

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Character Intro: Krysothemis (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- Kristy by her family & friends

Age- 11 (immortal)

Location- Hearthwood neighborhood, New Olympus

Personality- She's a wallflower through & through- shy, introverted, and actively avoiding being in the spotlight. In social groups & situations, she's rather be around beings she knows and is comfortable with than with beings she doesn't know.

After her induction ceremony in a few years, her official title will be demi-goddess of the harvest festival. As of now her current powers/abilities are limited photokinesis and limited chlorokinesis- as it pertains to wallflowers, trees, & daffodils.

Kristy is a fraternal twin. She's the older sibling by thirteen minutes. Her twin is her brother E.B (Eubouleus II). Their father is Karmanor (demi-god of the harvest). Other members of her immediate family includes her grandparents- Eubouleus (god of the swine & ploughing) and his wife Baubo (nicknamed Barbie), her aunt Karme (demi-goddess of the harvest), & her cousin Britomartis (goddess of mountains, hunting, & fishing nets).

Kristy, her brother, and their father live on their small 10 acre farm in the Hearthwood neighborhood of New Olympus. Sometimes to her it doesn't feel like she lives in the biggest city in all of Olympius. The walls of her bedroom is covered in gold wallflower patterned wallpaper while the furniture pieces & flooring are a light cedarwood. The windows are covered in white lace curtains and there's also a canopy bed. On the farm, there's a spot that Kristy deems "her oasis." There's a canopy tree where a swing hangs from that she sits on for hours at a time when she wants to be alone.

Notable physical features include her peachy skin, long straight wheat blonde hair, & her hazel green eyes.

On the farm, Kristy has her own horse named Meadow. Sometimes in the early morning, she loves riding Meadow around the farm.

A favorite piece of jewelry that she always wears is the gold cornucopia pearl charm necklace that was gifted to her after she was born by her grandfather.

A go-to drink for her is her dad's homemade lemonade. She also likes homemade sweet tea, lemon infused mineral water, ginger ale, apple cider, white grape juice, and peach juice. Her favorite thing to get from The Roasted Bean is a cafe au lait.

Kristy is still getting used to her braces, having got them last year. when having her picture taken, she's aware of how she trains her mouth to smile. She had the braces put on by Paean (goddess of physicians).

Apples, peaches, white grapes, & lemons are her favorite fruits.

Kristy loves when her dad makes breakfast- laying out a HUGE spread of buttermilk vanilla spice pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sauasage gravy, cheesy grits, buttermilk biscuits, and hash browns. During school days she'll settle for toasted slices of wheat bread topped with lemon jam, a breakfast granola bar, or a bowl of Golly Grains cereal- her favorite flavors being cinnamon oat crunch & the crunchy pecan flakes.

She hates the fact that she looks more like her mother than E.B, who's essentially their dad's clone.

Kristy doesn't know much about her biological mother Birdie (who was a dryad)- except through what little her dad told her, eavesdropping on conversations had by other family members, and a faded polaroid photograph of her at the beach, smiling ear-to-ear, her short light honey blonde hair covered by a giant sun hat, & her hand caressing her pregnant belly. Kristy has no idea why Birdie left her, her brother, and her father. Was Kristy & E.B at fault? Were they too demanding as babies? Were they even possible to love? Most of Kristy's thoughts and feelings about her mother is put down onto the pages of her journal. Sometimes at night when she's looking at the sky from her bedroom window, she wonders if her mother is looking at the same sky or if she's even alive.

Wallflowers & daffodils are her favorite flowers!

She loves snacking on pretzels, shelled sunflower seeds, peanut butter granola bars, and unshelled pumpkin seeds.

Kristy adores her father Karmanor. She feels bad that he feels the need to overcompensate to make up for her mother's absence. She loves how genuinely involved her father is and how comfortable she feels to talk to him about almost anything. Kristy looks forward to their time together- a day spent by having tea and macarons at the Grand Eaglepoint Hotel, sharing cotton candy at the Candycloud shop, & then a trip to the Pterýgio & Kýlisi bookstore, where Karmanor will buy her a few new books. She's also appreciative that her dad taught her how to cook with Kristy's specialties being her creamy white cheddar & sour cream mac n' cheese, corn pudding, and chicken fried steak topped with sausage gravy.

Much like her dad, her favorite frozen treat is butter pecan ice cream. She prefers making the ice cream herself at home with the limited edition Hearth's Kitchen old fashioned ice cream maker! Kristy actually enjoys turning the crank.

Her & her brother E.B are as close as any pair of twins. They look out for eack other and are always honest with each other. Sometimes E.B's more optimistic and hopeful temperament gets on her nerves, but Kristy knows it comes from a good place. He has even taught her how to fish.

A guilty pleasure for her are a large order of cajun fries with crispy buttermilk chicken tenders (with hot honey dipping sauce) from Olympic Chef.

She, her brother, and their dad has traveled quite a bit- often to Crete to see extended family. Kristy loves seeing her grandpa, Barbie, & Auntie K at the barbeques Eubouleus hosts. She helps out Karme and Barbie in the kitchen & will even exchange a few words with Britomartis. Kristy will eat a hot dog or two or three- topped with honey mustard, relish, & BBQ sauce.

Even with her mother's absence, she's appreciative of all the other maternal figures in her life. Even though she's a dryad, Kristy adores Barbie's larger-than-life personality, her wicked sense of humor, her infectious laugh, her bosom heavy hugs, and her delicious buttermilk pie. One time while in Crete, Barbie took Kristy on a girl's day out which consists of going to a beauty salon for mani-pedis & matching super curly updos. She even gifted Kristy a pair of pink suede cowboy boots.

Her and her family have also been to Achaea, the highlight being the Achaean Beignet festival.

She's been to Eleusis a few times to visit Karme. They'll often tend to her garden, check out a farmer's market, and go shopping. Afterwards, Kristy will help out her aunt prepare her most well known dessert- the peach bourbon upside-down bundt cake. She's never been to the Cornucopia festival before.

Kristy enjoys reading, having ammased quite the book collection. From the sweet & fluffy young adult contemporary novels written by Erato (muse of love poetry) to the romantic historical fiction novels written by Philyra (goddess of perfume, paper, & beauty).

She has a couple of hidden talents. Kristy is actually a pretty good singer. She has only sung in front of her family once, but is always singing to herself in her room while listening to music. She has also started up guitar lessons- being taught by Euterpe (muse of music & lyric poetry). Karmanor bought Kristy an acoustic guitar from Lyre Center.

Kristy & her brother attend an esteemed private middle school in the city. They're sixth graders. One godly student that they're both friends with is Philia (goddess of friendship). Kristy is also aware of the other godlings in the school like Dysis (goddess of the sunset), Pandia (goddess of the full moon), Epidotes (god of purity), Pompe (goddess of rites), Achelois (goddess of the moon & comfort), Telete (goddess of prayers), Calocagathia (Aggie) (goddess of nobility & goodness), Thespios (god of acting), Deucalion, Anaideia (goddess of ruthlessness, shamelessness, & unforgiveness), and Thrasos (god of boldness, insolence, recklessness, & courage). Her own friend group consists of identical twin anthousai named Camellia & Cassia, a mortal girl named Xanthe, as well as an anthousai boy named Florian.

Her favorite classes are home economics, literature, science, & art.

Outside of school, she also likes to hang out and is friends with Philia's younger sister Xenia (goddess of hospitality).

In the pantheon Kristy likes & respects some of her dad's friends like Pathos (god of emotion), Thilasmós (goddess of nursing), and her noná Pherusa (goddess of substance & farm estates). She's super stylish, makes the best fruit parfaits, and is mother to Kristy's all-time favorite musical act, The Gypsy Belles, otherwise known as The Seasonal Goddesses- Thallo (goddess of spring & new growth), Auxo (goddess of summer, vegetation, & plants), and Carpo (goddess of autumn & fruits). Kristy also likes Hestia (goddess of the hearth), Demeter (goddess of the harvest & agriculture), Eunostos (goddess of the flour mill), and Promylaia.

At her most recent birthday she was gifted with a golden pumpkin jeweled Diamond Ave. clutch from her noná.

Kristy baked 100 hummingbird brownies, which her & her brother sold at their school's annual bake sale.

Her other favorite music artists to listen to include M9 (The Muses), Eurydice (a dryad rapper/singer), and Apollo (god of the sun, music, poetry, healing, medicine, archery, plague, light, & knowledge).

She owns all the CDs & vinyl records as well as having all the music downloads of The Gypsy Belles. Their hit song "Champagne Wishes" is the ringtone of her smartphone. In a couple of months Kristy's dad will take her, Philia, Xenia, and Xanthe to see them in concert at Acropolis Square Garden.

Kristy can speak a little Old Greek & Minoan.

In her free time she enjoys doing embroidery, bike riding, doing lanyard, cooking, baking, tending to the farm, hanging out with friends, baseball, and swimming.

Kristy's all time favorite meal is a plate of fried chicken, her creamy white cheddar & sour cream mac n' cheese, and sauteed collard greens & kale.

"When the harvest moon rises, all troubles seem to disappear."

#my oc #oc character #my character #my oc character #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek goddess #greek goddesses #greek mythology #greek pantheon #greek myths

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transmasczeroone · 11 months

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I started this blog because I thought I was desperate to figure myself out in a gender sense, after about a decade of angsting about it and experimenting. What I didn't understand was that I didn't actually want to figure myself out; I wanted to convince myself that I could be happy as a cis butch lesbian, as just a masculine afab person without the need for transition. I didn't want to discover that I was a trans man, that medical transition was the key to my happiness, that being called "she" actually did hurt every time, so I pretended it wasn't true. I was afraid of what being a trans man would mean for my life.

Eventually, though, I accepted that yes, my 15 year old self had been correct. I am a boy, and there has never been anything wrong with that or with me. Baby steps got me there, the classic she/her -> she/they -> they/them -> he/they progression.

Then of course one conversation with a (well-meaning but ill-informed) family member had me doubting myself again, and I nearly deleted this blog completely and went back to being a miserable 'woman', after all the work it took to admit that I wasn't.

I'm proud to say I somehow gained the confidence to trust that I am doing the right thing, that this isn't "just internalised misogyny", that I am a man. I'm glad I had that particular period of doubt, though (and all the others that came before it). It just reaffirmed for me that this path is the right one.

so I suppose this is my way of saying, I'm back now. I am a man, and things have progressed incredibly in such a short time. In January I found the courage to tell my inner circle to use he/him pronouns for the first time, after being too afraid to try it for years, and now I'm out to everyone in my life, living openly as a man. It looks like I'm going to be starting T in the next month, with top surgery sometime next spring/summer.

I have never felt more myself. Being trans is very hard - and I will be writing about those difficulties at length on this blog I expect - but it's a gift. Frankenstein's act of creating new life, god giving us wheat with which to make bread, and all that.

I'm not sure how to finish this, but um. I'm here i guess

#ignore me quoting lyrics from sonic video games in a serious post about my transness. follow me im standing on the border of everything etc #zero.text #ftm #transmasc #trans man #trans guy #trans pride #transgender

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etheraltale · 11 months

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re doing this because the old one is VERY outdated

no spoiler alert bc the story isnt even out yet soo,,

starting with frisk nobody really considered frisk to be the 'leader type' usually they were known to only follow orders, not give them but since they've fallen into the underground the monsters have formed a relationship with them, boosting their confidence therefore when the monsters have escaped the underground, the humans were amazed by frisk making it out alive so on their 17th birthday, they were crowned king / queen. they stopped using resets, claiming from now on theyre only going to be used when they really needed it.

asgore asgore has always been known for being mysterious and cold, he's been king of the monsters since his father died in the war before they were sealed, and now he's the one sending his men and soldiers to the continuation of the fight, now that theyve escaped the underground. he cut off toriel after they separated, leaving toriel to leave royalty and start a new life somewhere called deltaburgh.

toriel since she's moved away from the castle her life has never been better, she started a successful bakery called torielle's and has been selling the best pies in town. she adopted a child named kris as well as caring for asriel. she was also known for her kindness in the town, she'd host food givaway events for the poor and about 30% of her earnings go to poverty she cant really say she hates asgore, she doesn't really love him either although she's willing to forgive him.

alphys since she left the underground there was a burden inside of her, undyne promised that the day they leave the underground, the first thing theyll do is stargaze. they would often "stargaze" at the fake star ceilings of the waterfall hoping that theyd see real stars one day. so what she did, was invent a telescope in honor of undyne. she moved to a lighthouse, and to make her less lonely she created a puppet, mettaton as a side project. she also enjoys going to theatres

mettaton he's still a wip but he's already got personality, he hopes he could perform on stage one day. but for now, he needs to be finished first. hes sorta cocky but he's also very passionate, he also wishes to see alphys happy. he treats alphys as if she was his bestfriend and would try cheering her up or motivating her to work on the telescope. behind his cocky personality, he's a very good listener, and would gladly listen to anybody rant

sans when he and papy left the underground, they both bought a farmhouse to make a living, but papyrus had other plans, he asked sans to help him train, so he helped him ofcourse. as well as helping papyrus sell the wheat to markets. the only thing he knows how to cook are loaves of bread and eggs. he and papyrus weren't really well known either, sans liked his life the way it was until papyrus left him to fight in the army since then, he developed a fear of abandonment, and a smoking and drinking habit

papyrus after he left sans to fight in the war, he was grouped with a small clan to share a big tent with, he realized how lonely his clan members were because they were separated from their families as well, so he became the "dad friend" (even if he's like the youngest in his group) he adopted monster kid after finding him in a hospital without his guardians after a bomb attack. (ps, monster kid's former guardian was alphys. she just lost him unfortunately)

chara they're dead <3

THATSTH IT JS

#undertale #undertale au #etherealtale #papyrus #undertaleau #deltarune au #au sans #sansau #papyrusundertale #frisk #mettaton #sans #toriel #alphys

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survey--s · 1 year

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523.

When was the last time you’ve gone shopping with a friend? About eighteen months ago. We don’t really have shops near us - the nearest shopping “centre” type place is an hours’ drive from here.

If you’re not already, when do you plan on getting married? I got married when I was 29.

Do you like your nose? I actually do. I think I have a pretty cute nose.

Are you one of those people who listen to songs on repeat? For an hour so sometimes, yeah, but inevitably I get sick of those songs and just never listen to them again lol.

Is there an accent you prefer? Irish or Australian.

Would you date the lead singer of a band? No. I wouldn’t date anyone whose work took them away from home for long periods - that’s just not compatible with what I want from my life.

Do/did you have to wear a uniform to your high school? Yeah, pretty much all schools in England require a uniform.

Have you ever visited a sex shop? Yeah.

How many cousins do you have? What are their names? I have eight first cousins but we’re not very close and I’m n

Have you ever had a scary encounter with a wild animal? No, thankfully not.

Have you ever had sex in a kitchen? Yeah.

Which part of your state/province do you live in? Right on the west coast, about a mile from the sea.

Who in your life can you count on the most? My parents and my husband, and also my father-in-law.

Have you ever wanted to be the opposite gender? No.

What’s a fictional being you would like to be? Like a vampire, an elf, etc. A fairy or a mermaid.

Do you like frogs? I don’t really have any strong feelings about frogs either way, lol.

What’s the creepiest thing someone has ever done to you? Nothing in particular is coming to mind right now.

Does being scared or nervous make you need to poop? Yeah, my stomach is definitely linked to my anxiety and nerves.

Does it bother you when dogs lick you? It depends on the dog, honestly. I work with dogs and some of them I don’t care if they lick me, but with others it really grosses me out lol.

Have you ever lost a nail completely for any reason? What happened? Yeah, when my toes have been bashed about in walking/ski boots. It just fell off and grew back naturally.

Have you ever had any experience with alcoholism? Yeah. Both my dad’s parents were alcoholics and I had a client who was an alcoholic too - ultimately it killed them all, which is why I don’t really drink at all as an adult.

How often do you see family members that you don’t live with? I see my mum every couple of weeks and my dad maybe 2-3 times a year. I see my in-laws most weekdays as they have the dog for us during the week. Otherwise all my family live overseas so we never see each other.

What color eyes do your pet(s) have? Archie - brown Layla - yellow Purrlock - green Toby - orange.

If you could have a car in any color, which color would you choose? I like the colour I have now, which is like a metallic grey. Silver looks good too.

Do you plan to vote in the next election? No.

Have you ever used anything unusual to masturbate with before? If so, what? No.

Who is the last person that saw you naked? My husband.

Are you more likely to give a hickey to someone else or get one? Neither lol.

What is something you want but can’t afford to buy? A horse on full livery lol. Never gonna happen and I don’t have the time or energy to keep one on DIY.

Do you usually eat wheat bread or white bread, or are you gluten-free? White but generally I sourdough or ciabatta.

What type of church do you like the most, if any? I don’t mind looking around churches - they’re generally impressive buildings but I have zero interest in the religious aspect of them.

Was anyone rude to you today? No, but then again, I haven’t really seen anyone today.

Do you think you would be happier if you had more money? Sure. I mean, we don’t struggle financially but why would anyone ever turn down more of it? lol.

What is something currently on your wishlist from Etsy? I don’t use Etsy. It used to be really good but lately it seems to be full of drop-shippers.

Have you or have you ever considered messing around with the same sex? I have done before. What is your opinion on same sex marriage? 100% supportive. I really don’t understand how people aren’t.

What are your opinions on stretched ears? Would you ever do it? Do you like it on other people? I think they look horrendous but people can do what they want to their own bodies. It’s none of my business.

Your ex, do they still like you? You’d have to ask them that question.

Think back to your last relationship. Was it worth it? Sure. We were pretty happy for the most part, and I learned a lot.

Could you go for the rest of your life without drinking alcohol? Yeah, I barely drink as it is.

Have you pretended to like someone? Probably in middle school or something, yeah.

Did your last kiss take place in/on a bed? No.

Who did you last see in person? Mike.

What is the last thing you said out loud? "Go on then, out!” - to the dog.

Are you good at hiding your feelings? It depends on the circumstances. I can be when it’s necessary.

Have you ever regretted kissing someone? No.

Have you ever been to New York? Nope. I’ve always wanted to go and I remember my mum visiting for work when I was a teenager and I was SO jealous hahah.

What is one thing you will never do again? Date someone with children.

What happened the last time you cried? I can’t remember the last time I cried.

What would your parents be surprised to learn about you? I don’t think there’s much - they know most of the important things anyway.

What fictional character do you have the biggest crush on? Captain Jack Sparrow, hahah.

What one thing would you be most disappointed if you never got to experience it? I’d be gutted if I never got to visit Japan.

What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? Pay off the mortgage.

If earth could only have one condiment for the rest of time, what would you pick to keep around? Mayonnaise.

What is your weirdest dealbreaker? I don’t think any of them are particularly weird - I wouldn’t date someone who didn’t want animals, if that counts?

What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Teletubbies lol.

What is the weirdest thing you find attractive in a person? I have no idea.

What is the scariest experience you have ever had? Being followed in France at about 1am.

Would you give up one of your fingers if it meant you’d have free wifi wherever you go, for the rest of your life? No.

#survey #surveys

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nickgerlich · 1 month

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Too Much Bread

At the risk of sounding really old—I know, that may be a foregone conclusion already—it’s fun to slip into storytelling mode. And believe me, now that I’m into my 36th year at WT, I have plenty of them. Your job is to nudge me if I start to tell you the same story again down the road.

I remember my very first semester here in the Fall of 1989. I was teaching a Principles of Marketing class among others, and since we didn’t have the internet on campus, and certainly not online courses, this was a twice-weekly face-fo-face encounter.

And there was a young woman in that class who brought plenty of her own stories to each session. As much as my Midwest accent betrayed my origins, her thick eastern European accent suggested strongly she wasn’t at all even remotely from around here.

Turns out she and her family had recently immigrated to Amarillo from Poland, or as it was known when they were escaping it, the Polish People’s Republic. It was anything but a republic, because it was under the control of the USSR. Think rationing, shortages, and the usual ineptness associated with that regime.

In one particular class session we were discussing consumer choice. I had thrown out such lofty topics as product attributes, price, manufacturers, and the like, things we kind of take for granted. We know we can just go to any supermarket and enter a world bazaar of products. We are pretty accustomed to having choices.

But she wasn’t.

She related how people relied on the grapevine and scattered news alerts that bread was available at the local supermarket, which, based on her recollections, wasn’t all that super. Think empty shelves. And when they did have bread, there was one kind. Take it or leave it. One size fits all. If they ran out, oh well.

It was thus no surprise when she and her family froze in our supermarkets, because not only did we have bread all the time—well, aside from when they put the word “snow” in the weather forecast—we have 30 or more varieties. Cheap bread. Whole wheat bread. Rye bread. Fancy breads. You name it, we have bread. You might think we grow some wheat around here.

My student went on, one tale after another, of how their transition to the US, albeit one they wanted, was difficult if only because we have it so good here. I wisely put down my lecture notes and let her do the talking, because I couldn’t begin to teach as well as she was doing.

In contrast, we have grown numb to so much choice, and once we have determined “our brand,” we can boldly walk down the bread aisle and quickly cut through all the clutter, grabbing the one we always do.

Well, that is until they are out of it, or life throws you a curveball, like my wife and a recent diagnosis of being pre-diabetic. Another family member was just declared Type 1 diabetic. Both are having to make massive dietary changes, which essentially means reading every damn label and trying to cut out carbs. That’s no easy task in a country that grows so much wheat and corn. Most of our food is little carbohydrate bombs.

The same holds true when you are trying something new, like following a recipe for a new dish, and you are starting with a clean slate, no accumulated memory, little or no product knowledge. A person could spend an hour in the store trying to figure out which curry or pho noodles to buy.

It’s an interesting conundrum we have here, living in the land of abundance with more choices than we can begin to tally. Amazon alone has more than 12 million products. Enter a search query and wait to be overwhelmed. And yet we somehow manage to survive.

Sometimes, though, too much choice can be crippling, as I was trying to convey a few days ago when I said that “less is more.” At least sometimes it is, and only to a point. Grocery chains like Aldi and Trader Joe’s abide by this mantra, with only about 4000 items, compared to the 45,000 you will find at major chains.

There’s actually a line of academic inquiry of this phenomenon called the Paradox of Choice. As you can imagine, the conclusion is that having too many options can lead to decision fatigue, and even post-purchase regret. It’s a topic we will discuss again later in the course. It is also a topic that can be applied into other arenas, like the Mating Game. Think about all of the prospects for the partner of your dreams. Yikes! It is no wonder that dating can be exhausting. It’s kind of like shopping in the world’s largest supermarket.

Thankfully, when it comes to less complicated acquisitions—bread versus a life partner—we have developed a defense system, as I noted earlier. We can blur the background like on a Zoom call, and focus on the one thing we want. It’s just that it doesn’t always work like that.

I wonder whatever happened to that young woman. She’s got to be in her late-50s now, and no doubt long acclimated to the land of plenty. In her extreme state, though, as a newbie here, it was the perfect illustration for how too much choice can lead to headaches.

I am sure, though, that it was a hell of a lot better than standing in a queue in Krakow hoping there’s still a loaf of bread left when it’s my turn to get in.

Dr “I’ll Take Paradoxes For $1000, Alex” Gerlich

Audio Blog

#marketing #consumer choice #paradox

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subikshafoods · 7 months

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Elevate Your Dining Experience with these Instant Paratha Fusion Ideas in Madurai

Transform your family dining experience with the convenience and deliciousness of Instant Paratha Madurai. These versatile and quick-to-prepare parathas are the perfect addition to your family meals, bringing a touch of Madurai’s culinary charm to your home. Hello all, welcome to the blog that will discuss some delightful ways to incorporate Instant Paratha into your family dining.

Family Paratha Feast:

Create a paratha feast with various flavours like plain, onion, and garlic.

Serve them alongside a selection of chutneys, pickles, and raita for a diverse dining experience.

Paratha Wraps for Lunch:

Make wholesome wraps by filling instant parathas with your family’s favourite ingredients like grilled vegetables, paneer tikka, and fresh greens.

Roll them up for a convenient and tasty lunch option.

Weekend Brunch Delight:

Turn weekend brunch into a special occasion with a spread of parathas, accompanied by aloo sabzi, chole, and yogurt.

Let everyone customize their parathas with their preferred toppings.

Paratha Pizza Party:

Get creative with paratha pizzas. Top them with tomato sauce, cheese, and a variety of toppings like bell peppers, olives, and mushrooms.

Let each family member design their pizza for a fun and interactive meal.

Stuffed Paratha Extravaganza:

Experiment with stuffed parathas by filling them with mixtures like spiced potatoes, paneer, or even leftover curries.

Serve with yogurt or pickle for a delightful twist.

Family Taco Night with Parathas:

Replace traditional taco shells with instant parathas for a unique taco night experience.

Fill them with seasoned meats, beans, lettuce, and your family’s favorite toppings.

Paratha Rolls for Snacking:

Make snack time exciting by preparing paratha rolls with a variety of fillings like shredded chicken, kebabs, or egg bhurji.

These rolls make for a quick and satisfying snack for the whole family.

Paratha Sandwiches for School Lunch:

Create easy and tasty sandwiches using instant parathas as the bread.

Fill them with cheese, veggies, and deli meats for a lunchbox treat.

Paratha Fondue Night:

Set up a paratha fondue night with a spread of parathas and an assortment of dipping sauces like cheese fondue, hummus, and salsa.

Dip and enjoy a flavorful experience together.

Sweet Paratha Desserts:

End your family meal on a sweet note by making dessert parathas.

Fill them with sweetened coconut, chocolate spread, or fruit compote for a delightful treat.

Introduce the joy of Instant Paratha into your family’s meals, and watch as it becomes a cherished and versatile addition to your dining rituals. Whether it’s a quick weekday dinner or a leisurely weekend brunch, Instant Paratha Madurai adds a touch of warmth and flavour to every family gathering.

Find us inside Subiksha Foods at No 110 A, Bypass Road, Bethaniyapuram, Opp Babu Sharkar Marriage Mahal, Madurai — 625016, or call us at +91 80567 44906. You will be able to browse our website at https://subikshafoods.in/ for details.

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#idlydosamavunearmemadurai #wholewheatparathamadurai #instantpoorimadurai #instantchapatimadurai #instantparathamadurai #instantchapati

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itsdetachable · 1 year

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food talk below the cut, referencing low carb and managing a diet etc behind read more

since many family members develop Type 2 diabetes as they age I've decided to make dietary changes to hopefully hold it off a bit longer. Right now my A1c is RIGHT on the cusp between Normal and Pre-Diabetes (how...not cool) so uh beyond time to start working on this. I'm trying to monitor my carbs + sugars and recently have started adjusting my diet to have less carbs in it. So far it's going good but its been two days lol. Main difference is less obvious carbs, like breads/rice/etc and less pure sugar (in tea and coffee), and more fruits, meat protein, nuts. Shockingly! The past two days I worked in the office and the food I packed for breakfast and lunch and some snacks kept me full until I got home, usually I'm STARVING when I get home. So that was a win.

I'm planning to get low carb tortillas for wraps and as bread-substitutes in some food ideas I have. Also I have been having the BEST time making my own lunchables with these mini double smoked sausages, some cheese, and these whole grain? or whatever? crackers + yogurt dessert. Also I realized I love Pluots SO MUCH I need to find where I can buy more of them because I need fruits I actually enjoy eating to fill out my diet.

Also limiting the amount of sugar I use in tea/coffee and the amount of tea and coffee in general I'm drinking and replacing it with lightly flavored water I think is helping as well.

Either way, after two days my Blood Glucose is consistently 10 points below where I was before I started the new diet (when testing at the same times, Morning before eating and late afternoon 2 hours after last time I ate something) which I think is a good change. If I can manage to keep this up for 85% of the time I think I'll be okay?

It IS involving getting some prepackaged portions (mainly of cheese) to make life easier on myself. I'm also trying to learn more about complex carbs vs simple carbs. Whole Wheat breads have complex carbs, so apparently even if they have a similar amount of carbs to white bread it's better for you? (Pumpernickel's glycemic index is only a 6 which is really good, that's the bread my mom eats and it has made a big change tbh to her blood sugar levels).

So I'm going to make a visit to my doc for a comprehensive blood test in about a month and try to keep this diet going until then and see what the tests show, and make tweaks if I need to.

(tbh I'm excited because I found a way to have Chipotle burrito bowls that are low carb and decent on the fat so when I do wanna get a 'special' lunch I can spring for something I really like but will still be low carb without being a straight up salad lol) (i think I figured out how to make pulled pork wraps with low carb tortillas feasible, i just want to think of a side that's veggie. Coleslaw? But that comes with other things like fats and the sugars/carbs from bbq sauce hmmm... i'll figure it out. I still wanna eat food that tastes good lol)

So basically - less cheap carbs in the sense of white breads and simple carbs, more protein (lean meats, yogurt), more nuts, more veggies and fruits, less added sugar in teas/coffess, less tea/coffee in general, more water. I think I'll be okay just hope this doesn't like rock the boat with cholesterol (though that's always been good fingers crossed) and I dunno salt content in regards to blood pressure? Although less coffee and tea overall might help with that too. We'll see

OKAY END OF RAMBLING GOOD NIGHT

#food #diet #low carb diet

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danielwallis789 · 1 year

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Foods Made Out Of Grain

It can be thought that whole wheat boasts a definite feature that enhances the normal flavours in meals preparations, creating the dishes better flavorful and succulent. That may be, needless to say, the objective, to produce preparations that will fulfill the palate. For this reason most Taiwanese dining places to make classic Chinese dumplings, they merely use all-natural whole wheat. And also the same with the noodles as well as other meals, they create them through the best grain flour. And thus with breaded and battered meals. Not only does it have got better dietary fiber information but also it plumps our things that give them natural flavoring diners will always really like.

In top-rated dining establishments, they simply take advantage of the best wheat flour to make excellent products which they move on his or her respected consumers. Because they preserve this top quality, they aspire to gain clients trust and patronage. Although some dining places may opt for rice grains his or her ingredients, leading-ranked eateries feel that their desire to the grain makes the food much better flavored and additional particular.

The usage of whole wheat is indeed functional that the wide range of recipes how the make can consider appear to be limitless. From sugars and pastries to traditional Taiwanese food choices, the items made out of whole wheat that they may prepare to provide is infinitesimal.

It is known that a person clothes for some individuals to discover, whilst a single consumes to fulfill themselves. You will definitely select an eatery that is certainly in accordance with his flavor and choice. Man's preference is very mystical often that is why some restaurants do well, and some don't. Sometimes they concentrate more on the decorations from the spot and the beautiful outfits from the staff members. The tube in tunes to get more and more people.

Of course, the environment also plays a role in the climate that may motivate you to try to eat.

But definitely a single cannot exchange the price of making use of the correct ingredients inside the dishes the prepare will prepare. One might try to replicate a specific element or replacement it using a less costly a single. Due to the fact to achieve this implies more cash for the cafe owner. It might be able to pass through for a short time. But there is one thing that solely determines with this make a difference. The palate of the one who is eating. Simply because the important thing of all here is the preference buds that may dictate precisely what is palatable and which can be not. And assured, the food produced from wheat or grain is surely on top of the line.

Are you trying to find the best and most delicious Ragi Dates Cake? Find the greatest recipes for mouthwatering Mutton Keema that are ideal for family gatherings. For more delectable dishes like Goan Crab Curry, Pulao in Rice Cooker, Prawns 65 Recipe, and much more. Visit the amazing website Quichentell.com right away. Until then, have fun cooking!

#4 hour baguette #goan crab curry #prawns masala kerala style #whole wheat apple bread

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servin-up-surveys · 1 year

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survey #141

When was the last time you’ve gone shopping with a friend? Holy shit it's been years, I have zero idea.

If you’re not already, when do you plan on getting married? Ideally after Girt and I have lived together long enough to be entirely confident that we exist well together and are always going to want that unless one of us seriously changes for the absolute worse.

Do you like your nose? I mean it's fine, it's one of the extremely few features I don't hate on myself.

Are you one of those people who listen to songs on repeat? You. Would. Not. Fuck. Ing. Be. Lieve. How many times I can repeat a song in a row lmfao like I will sometimes do this for days on end, especially when I discover a new one that I really like.

Is there an accent you prefer? British.

Would you date the lead singer of a band? In the completely hypothetical situation, I think so. The only thing I might struggle with is if they were very successful and went on long tours frequently.

Do/did you have to wear a uniform to your high school? No, but I did in middle school.

Have you ever visited a sex shop? No.

How many cousins do you have? What are their names? I have no clue whatsoever; I have cousins I haven't even met, and I only know two even remotely well, and I no longer associate with them. The names I do know are Audrey, Robby, Brenna, Amanda, Ricky, and I think that's all I remember.

Have you ever had a scary encounter with a wild animal? No.

Have you ever had sex in a kitchen? No, and that doesn't sound appealing.

Which part of your state/province do you live in? The eastern side, very near the coastal plains/Piedmont divide.

Who in your life can you count on the most? Certainly my mom. Girt is right behind her, but that's my mom, and she is everything a mother should be and honestly more; she will do anything for her children, and she's always proven it.

Have you ever wanted to be the opposite gender? No.

What’s a fictional being you would like to be? Like a vampire, an elf, etc. A nymph of some sort, probably. Add druid abilities to the mix and holy shit I'd be in total bliss.

Do you like frogs? I love frogs!

What’s the creepiest thing someone has ever done to you? Try to date me when our age groups were not compatible, like I was a literal minor.

Does being scared or nervous make you need to poop? So this might be TMI but I have gastrointestinal issues and fear, discomfort, or nervous anticipation actually does really upset my stomach.

Does it bother you when dogs lick you? No, unless it's my face.

Have you ever lost a nail completely for any reason? What happened? No.

Have you ever had any experience with alcoholism? Yes, my dad was an alcoholic and never stopped/I'm assuming got help after the divorce.

How often do you see family members that you don’t live with? I usually see my older sister and her kids on Fridays, but lately I have been going less; my mom babysits and I just get very tired by the end of it all. I don't see Nicole on a consistent basis, and I see Dad even less.

What color eyes do your pet(s) have? Roman's are blue, Cookie's area very dark brown that really just look black, and Venus' are black.

If you could have a car in any color, which color would you choose? Probably a shade of pink.

Do you plan to vote in the next election? Yes.

Have you ever used anything unusual to masturbate with before? If so, what? No but granted I don't even do that to begin with, it's just not something I personally get anything out of when someone I love isn't involved.

Who is the last person that saw you naked? My mom.

Are you more likely to give a hickey to someone else or get one? Uh not too sure in more recent times.

What is something you want but can’t afford to buy? A new, good phone.

Do you usually eat wheat bread or white bread, or are you gluten-free? Wheat. I'm thankful I actually prefer wheat over white; it's rare that I enjoy the healthier option more.

What type of church do you like the most, if any? Abandoned ones.

Was anyone rude to you today? No.

Do you think you would be happier if you had more money? I can 200% confidently bet every moment of my fucking life on the fact that I would be, at least by a decent degree. Being financially well enables you to do so, so many more things, including not worrying that tomorrow you're gonna be on the fucking streets.

What is something currently on your wishlist from Etsy? One I really love is a pair of ear gauge plugs that are a vibrant green leaf's detailed texture; the only reason I didn't go directly for them once I decided I was done stretching is because of the material, it's not ideal for healing ears.

Have you or have you ever considered messing around with the same sex? What is your opinion on same sex marriage? I have done so, lightly anyway. I am aggressively pro-LGBTQ+ rights and would marry a woman myself, so take a guess.

What are your opinions on stretched ears? Would you ever do it? Do you like it on other people? Well, given what I just said two questions ago, I'm fine with it. I personally don't really like massive ones, but if others do on their own body, good for them. Mine are stopped at only 4mm, so very small; I was going to go maybe a couple more gauges bigger, however my left earlobe piercing is overstretched from what we think was caused by 1.) getting it pierced too low (I got mine done at Claire's, go figure) along with 2.) wearing heavy, dangly earrings, and I've been told by a professional that going any bigger would almost certainly tear the ear, like it already is very close to doing so, so 6G it's staying at.

Your ex, do they still like you? For the two that ever meant anything even remotely real, no. Jason might not hate me, but I doubt he has a positive opinion on me.

Think back to your last relationship. Was it worth it? I guess. It was verification that I do in fact like girls, and I have good memories when spending time with her, but a lot of times I also just wish I'd never met her at all.

Could you go for the rest of your life without drinking alcohol? Yes, it's never played a big role in my life and I don't even enjoy most of it, it seems like.

Have you pretended to like someone? No, that is extremely mean. There have been occasions where I was confused if I liked them and that may have shown at least mildly, but it never would've been an attempt to mislead.

Did your last kiss take place in/on a bed? Yes.

Who did you last see in person? Girt; he was here last night and I fell asleep before he left, and Mom left the house this morning before I woke up.

What is the last thing you said out loud? Something to Girt, but I don't remember what.

Are you good at hiding your feelings? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Have you ever regretted kissing someone? Yes, I kissed him because I thought I was supposed to, and I think also because I was trying to convince myself that I actually liked him.

Have you ever been to New York? The state, yes, but never the city itself. I feel like I remember Mom telling me she was pregnant with me during a NYC visit, but I sure as hell didn't know lmfao

What is one thing you will never do again? Keep friends that clearly show they do not truly believe in me and my ability to succeed, nor those that clearly don't even care about me in a complete way.

What happened the last time you cried? Girt is very aggressively hyper-restricting food intake to try and lose weight (which he doesn't even need to do, like at all), like he's a six foot 29 y/o man that thinks it's completely fine to only have 1100 calories a day. It's a topic he's extremely sensitive with, and he's also the most hard-headed person I've ever met, so I ended up panicking and crying over him with worry because he's not budging on adjusting his diet because in the past, this worked for him; even me reminding him that effective methods to lose weight are often not even healthy didn't change his mind. I'm just so worried and also sad, like I understand far too well what a poor self-image is and how much it hurts, and I think the fact he's in perfectly fine shape makes it even more upsetting, because he sees something that isn't true at all.

What would your parents be surprised to learn about you? Certain things I've done sexually. I feel like at least Mom (I don't think Dad knows me well enough for this stuff) tends to see me in this really innocent, vanilla way, I think because of my long past being abstinent and cautious with the topic of sex, but. There's shit I'd never tell her lmfao.

What fictional character do you have the biggest crush on? BAYONETTA she makes me FEEL THINGS

What one thing would you be most disappointed if you never got to experience it? My normal answer would be being truly, fully in love with somebody, but I have experienced that and am right now too, so I'm gonna go with something I haven't: real contentment with where I am in life. I refuse to believe anybody is ever going to be without any source of stress whatsoever, so I'm not even striving for that, but I feel like I'd know when I reach a place of reasonable happiness with my life and what I'm doing with it.

What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery? Buy my mom a house. I say just her instead of us because if I won the lottery I'd definitely buy Girt and myself a house as a second priority since we want that now but the housing market is just too absurd, even for someone like him who makes good money.

If earth could only have one condiment for the rest of time, what would you pick to keep around? Ketchup.

What is your weirdest dealbreaker? Hm... all the dealbreakers I can think of are very reasonable imo. I guess the one that has the biggest chance of some people being like "huh?" would be that I would absolutely never date a trophy hunter, I fucking couldn't. Killing things for sport disgusts me.

What was your favorite TV show as a kid? It was Pokemon. :')

What is the weirdest thing you find attractive in a person? I want to preface with that I would never wish scars on somebody since pain is always behind them, but nevertheless I do tend to find scars very attractive, particularly facial ones.

What is the scariest experience you have ever had? A breakup that I thought was physically impossible and all that it caused, particularly reaching a point of truly believing I'd become insane. I still think I literally was at a point.

Would you give up one of your fingers if it meant you’d have free wifi wherever you go, for the rest of your life? This might surprise people, but no.

#survey #surveys #random questions #personal questions

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thebibliosphere · 4 years

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Do you have a preferred brand of enameled cast iron cookware? Please and thank you.

Le Creuset is the one almost everyone knows. I like them, and I even like their stainless steel range. (I’ve had terrible luck with All-Clad over the years, but my LC stainless steel pots have survived, well, me so that should count for something.) They are expensive af, but if you wait for the sales, sometimes you’ll manage to score a piece that will last you a lifetime for 50% off.

Same with Staub, Staub is probably the best-known rival to Le Creuset. I have one of their dutch ovens, and it holds up just as well as the LC, if not actually better. I feel like the meat inside stays juicier, though it is harder to clean imo. Not sure why, might just be a me thing. They used to be slightly cheaper than LC, but I’ve noticed a steep rise in their prices over the last decade. Again, look for them in the sales and you’ll get a piece that will hopefully last you many, many decades with the right care.

Lodge has recently (I say recent, it might have been years ago but what is time) brought out their own enameled cast iron products, and while they are much more limited in range than the other two, it seems much more affordable and would be a good starting point for someone to figure out if they want to invest in enameled cast iron pieces. I haven’t used any of their enamel products, but I do like their cast iron skillets and would hope that level of quality carries through. Might give them a whirl with some of my Christmas money if I find a good deal :)

#cookware #memprime #all of my expensive kitchen stuff is bought on sale haha #or acquired through birthdays and christmases #it's worth saving up for imo #I'll hopefully never need to replace them #unless something catastrophic happens again #like a family member using them to make wheat bread in >.<

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abookishdreamer · 6 months

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Character Intro: Ioke (Kingdom of Ichor)

Age- 45 (immortal)

Location- Lunar district, New Olympus

Personality- An observant individualist, she's comfortable being in the background, noticing the details of her surroundings that most people overlook. She's also resourceful, independent, & a self described feminist. She's dating.

She has the standard abilities of a goddess except shapeshifting. As the goddess of pursuit, tumult, & battle rout her other powers/abilities include enhanced speed (not to the extent of other messenger deities like Hermes or Iris, but far greater than her sister-in-law), invisibility, enhanced combat skills, and power/energy redirection.

Ioke is the younger sister of Homadus (god of the battle-din). She has one child- a daughter Alala (goddess of the war cry). Other members of Ioke's immediate family include her sister-in-law Proioxis (goddess of attack, onrush, & battlefield pursuit), her niece Anaideia (goddess of ruthlessness, shamelessness, & unforgiveness), and her nephew Olethrus (Olly) (god of havoc).

She lives on the outskirts of the Lunar neighborhood in New Olympus in a sturdy log cabin house (which she built herself) near the Nightfall Forest. The interior design is casual & athletic with leather furniture, metal furniture pieces, and various animal fur rugs & decorative pelts. The sword that Ioke used during the war (which was forged from Imperial Gold) proudly hangs on display on the main wall of the living room. Its name is Lightstriker. The color scheme of her place is neutral shades of ivory, steel blue, pastel green, & gray. Ioke has a few pets- a few vizslas and siberian huskies. Their names are Dash, Echo, Kai, Timber, Ghost, Amber, Sienna, and Zara.

She can run throughout Olympius in less than 10 minutes compared to Hermes who can make the distance in a few seconds tops!

Ioke always starts off her mornings with a run along with her dogs through the forest. She'll then go on a walk with them through Eaglepoint Park before stopping by the Power Zone gym for a high intensity cardio workout. Because of her overzealousness in running, she has unintentionally damaged a few treadmills!

She used to be married to Polemos (god of the war cry). Their initial relationship started from a brief hookup and before Ioke knew it, they were married & expecting a child. They both grew comfortable with the fact that their marriage was a loveless one. She was well aware of the fact that he was carrying on with Hybris (goddess of insolence, hubris, & reckless pride). The only shared moment of genuine care and mutual respect between Ioke & Polemos was the birth of their daughter. She views her divorce as a "second birthday."

A go-to drink for her is coconut water. She also likes beer, cola, coconut milk, ginger ale, Strengthify ionized water, red wine, gin & tonics, classic martinis, and mojitos. Her usuals from The Roasted Bean include an olympian sized dark roast coffee, a large iced tea, & a large iced green tea.

Ioke and her daughter have never been super close, not even when Alala was a kid. Sometimes she feels insecure and envious over the close bond Alala shares with her father. Ioke once jokingly remarked that Polemos was her daughter's "true mother." She still makes the effort to reach out to her daughter with a check-in text here and there as well as a bimonthly visit. A small stride has been made with Alala inviting her Ioke to a "girl's trip" of sorts to Lemnos in the summer!

A typical breakfast for her is a large bowl of Golly Grains salted caramel curls cereal. Her other favorite flavor is the s'mores one. She also likes the chorizo breakfast hash she makes that has scrambled eggs, diced jalapeños, scallions, chopped hash browns, sour cream, salsa, & potatoes as well as slices of toasted wheat bread topped with fig jam.

Ioke loves her brother, even if she feels like he's behaving like a "total asshat." She was the one who came to Homadus' defense when he got into financial trouble and even offered for him & his family to stay at her place till they got back on their feet. Now, she knows better than to offer her brother a loan or anything that resembles financial help. A pasttime that they both partake in that fade away all their stresses is cooking, especially when Ioke stops by the motorhome park for a visit. They'll usually end out the day pigging out on jibaritos & beer while watching wrestling on their smartphones.

Her favorite frozen treat is rocky road ice cream.

She loves listening to rap and rock music.

Ioke is a HUGE fan of indie and professional motor racing. Every year she looks forward to the Olympian Grand Prix, the most widely known & exclusive motor racing event in all of Olympius. Even with her status as a minor deity, pictures of her taken by the paparazzi has been at these events. She also frequents auto shows too!

A guilty pleasure for her is an olympian burger along with olympian sized onion rings from Olympic Chef.

A secret desire of hers has been to start up a car collection.

Ioke is the common shoulder to cry on for her sister-in-law Proioxis when she laments about her financial situation and marriage. She doesn't try and give advice, instead remaining non-judgemental & supportive.

Though she lives frugally, she doesn't mind splurging every so often on her dogs, racing events, auto shows, and sneakers.

Her favorite thing to get from The Bread Box is the french dip sandwich (with extra dip).

For income she models for/endorses Momentum & Vita!, the athleisure brand of Nike (goddess of victory).

Ioke's best friend in the pantheon is Ichnaea (goddess of tracking). She's even the noná to her daughter Phyge (goddess of escape) who's a couple months old. Ioke loves visiting Ichnaea and her family in Phrygia, where the two go on hunting trips!

She's also friends with Dyssebeia (goddess of ungodliness & impiety), Axiótimos (god of honor), Palaestra (goddess of wrestling), Lelantos (Lantos) (Titan god of air, the unseen, & hunting), Nárkosi (goddess of sedation), Pallas (Titan god of battle & warcraft), Auge (goddess of first daylight), Limos (goddess of starvation & famine), Taygete (one of The Pleiades), and Lycana (Titaness of lycanthropy).

She's aware of her ex-husband's new wife Enyo (goddess of war, destruction, bloodlust, & devastation) having briefly met her. Ioke holds no ill will towards her.

Her all time favorite dessert is the coconut cake from Hollyhock's Bakery.

As for her love life, Ioke is currrently dating an up-and coming mortal race car driver named Valerio Baros. They first met at a high class auto show and she asked him out on a date a few weeks later at a racing event. She's enjoying her time with him and not placing any expectations on both of them. Ioke says that his kisses makes her go weak in the knees.

In her free time Ioke enjoys boxing, working out, go-karting, basketball, archery, football (soccer), rollerblading, playing pool, cooking, reading, spending time with her dogs, spending time with her friends, swimming, and spending time with her family.

Her all time favorite meal is pastelón.

"While we are postponing, life speeds by."

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ninjaslegos · 3 years

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Tumblr is glitching on me so idk if my morro x gender neutral reader who's a necromancer fluff went throught. So pls ignore this if this is a duplicate! (the one where people are intimidated by the reader but they are actually a shy and quiet sweetheart). Thank u and sorry again ksjkjd

You would be correct; Tumblr did not give me your request! I hope this really sweet oneshot makes up for the wait! In general to anyone else wondering if their requests got to me as well, here are two tips. 1. check the que! if the number changes then it's likely I got it (I try to update it twice a day) 2. if I haven't answered it in at least a week, try again! I'll let you know if I got it.

Undead Zombie, Rotten Hobby, Love Probably

Where true friends are the ones you make yourself.

You sniffled as you washed your cloak of tomato juice and alcohol. The villagers were mean to you again, but you never fought back. It would only make things worse. Your groceries were ruined, and you would have to go hungry tonight. You just hoped tomorrow would be better.

"Say out of the village, freak!" "We don't want your kind around here!" "Evil people like you should be locked away for the rest of your life!" "The Necromancer is coming! Hide your children before they curse them!"

The shouts of angry people still haunted your mind, as you lay tossing and turning in bed. People were either scared to death of you, or hated you to the point of throwing things at you in hopes of causing distress or injury.

But what you were didn't justify what they did to you. You pursued necromancy under your master, who taught you how to communicate with, borrow powers of, and raise the dead. You wanted to use this ability to reunite people with their lost family members, but no one appreciated it. Instead they looked at your dark, ominous clothing and called you a monster and a creep.

You happened to like your clothing; long sleeved shirts, pants, boots, a mask, and a cloak, all in dark colors and adorned in holes for cosmetic purposes. You thought it looked cool, but no one else seemed to.

The door to your room opened, and your master, Gardi, stood there with a saddened face. "I'm sorry for what happened today." In his hands was a plate of honey and bread, and a glass of apple juice. "I know this will help." He smiles as he places it on your bedside table. After living with him for a solid 11 years of your life, the elderly man knew you like you were his own child. It's funny how when he first met you, he refused to take you in, but after you showed signs of illness, he let you in his house and nursed you back to health. Now he was teaching you high level spells and cheered you up when you were feeling down.

You sit up and take a bite of honeyed bread. "Thank you," you nod, then sigh, "but all the groceries are ruined. I failed."

"Well," he rummages through the pails you brought. "The milk is definitely soiled," he looks at the milk pail and frowns, "I'll have to go out tomorrow if we want any cheese, but a few eggs and the wheat and berries survived. We can make some jam with the fruit and use the wheat to make bread." He smiles at you. "You did better than last time."

You rub your eyes as tears start to flow from them, "but I have to do better than this, or else we'll starve! Everyone thinks I'm evil, and they hate me!" You wail, and Gardi opens his arms to hug you.

Feeling warm in the elder's arms, he comforts you. "Who cares what they think? What's more important to you, your work and your willingness to reunite lost families, or those cranky bastards in the village?"

You giggle, "you said a swear word."

He sighs, but chuckles with you, "I don't think bastard is a swear word, but today it counts, okay?"

You nod, and he smooths down your hair. He looked to you as his own child, despite declaring years ago that he did not want to get married nor have kids. You were perfect, though. You were sweet, kind, and polite; you never rose your voice against him, you always tried to help him when you could, you cleaned every weekend and worked in the garden every Monday and Tuesday, and you never disturbed him while he was busy.

"Get some sleep," he kisses your forehead and tucks you in, "tomorrow you can stay inside and work on your basic spells again; I can't have you getting rusty on me, now! Even I practice them every once in a while to make sure I don't forget."

"I will, Gardi. Thank you." Snack eaten, and stomach full, you're ready for some sweet dreaming. However, after trying to fall asleep for at least an hour or two, you still can't manage to sit still, or even keep your eyes closed for too long. You toss and turn in bed, thinking about what happened today, and how badly you did at your task, and letting the worry keep you awake. Finally, it's too much to handle, and you get out of bed, leaving your shoes behind and throwing your cape around your shoulders.

The air outside is fresh and cold, and you were especially careful not to wake up Gardi as you exit the hut. You left your shoes there in case he did wake up, so he would know you were coming back. There's nowhere really to go, as it's all wetlands and swamp where you live. There's a narrow path leading from home to the village, but you don't want to go there. Instead, you walk barefoot in the grass, heading for the main river. It was a dry season, so not only was that the only thing left, you wouldn't get your feet too wet and muddy.

The moon was high in the sky, coating you in silver glow, as you ran through the trees towards the river. You just had to get away from everything. The village, the dead people who wandered aimlessly; you were told to ignore them, and even Gardi. Of course you were strong in your power, but you felt like he wouldn't want you anymore if he couldn't even depend on you to bring in groceries.

You just needed time to yourself. You could see your breath in the chilly, autumn night weather, but you didn't pay much attention to that, instead just coming to a stop at the riverbank and sitting down, dipping your toes into the freezing water. It only served to keep you awake longer. Finally alone, truly alone, with nothing alive nor dead around you to listen and watch, you sobbed. For the loss of your parents, for all the times Gardi was strict in your early teaching, and for every time you were called a witch, a nuisance, a monster, unlovable, evil, freak, and a threat of every type of death under the sun; you sobbed and cried and screamed and wailed.

You could finally let go and be loud, and not care about yourself or others around you right now.

"Why are you so damn loud?! Do you want me to hurt you?!"

The voice makes you hiccup to a complete stop, as you hold your breath to keep from making more noise and turn around to face the stranger. He's not alive; you can tell by his green body and dark eyes. He hasn't been dead long, as he is still walking while most ghosts fly, and he can still feel hints of pain. "I'm-I'm sorry," you hiccup, "I thought I was alone."

"Yeah, I did too." He growls, kicking at the ground. "Why are you even here? There aren't any houses in these woods."

So he's freshly dead. "These aren't woods, they're wetlands. It's just the dry season." You stand up and brush grass and sand off your butt, "and I do live here, with my master. We live that way, and we're necromancers. Well, I'm still training." It's not like he can even enter the house; it's under a spell and even the items inside are coated in a special serum that prevents ghosts from interacting with them. In fact, your clothes are even washed in it. It prevents possession.

"Huh," he rubs his chin, "so that's why you're the only one who can see me so far." He raises his hand momentarily, then drops it. He looks like he's fighting an inner turmoil, before he finally speaks again. "You didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

"I-I just...life's not very good right now." You drag your sleeve across your face to get rid of as many tears as possible. You didn't want to dump all your problems on him, but by that aloof look on his face, something told you that he didn't quite care. "I came here to get some time to myself. No one likes me except for my master, but I fear that I'm failing him."

He scoffs, "as far as I can tell, you're doing necromancy stuff right now, talking to the dead. You're fine."

"That's not what I mean," you turn to glance into his eyes briefly, but look back away when you just see annoyance, "I'm powerful, sure, but I can't go into the village without getting harassed. I bring back ruined items, and I need a bath every time I go, even if I bathed before."

Rolling his eyes, he tries to offer advice. "If you're so powerful, just raise the dead on them, and teach them not to mess with you."

He sounds sympathetic. "I can't do that!" You protest, "it'll just prove them right! They call me evil already, and threaten to kill me if I turn on them, so I'll only make it worse."

He scratches his cheek, looking away, before he speaks up, "just...why don't you..." he doesn't have any other ideas for you, and just trails off, staring at the ground. He seems to get frustrated, you couldn't tell if it was at himself or you, and kicks at the grass, "ugh, why am I even wasting my time here? You're supposed to be some smart wizard necromancer person, you figure it out!"

His yelling makes you start to cry again, and you slump to the ground.

"Don't be such a cry baby." He scoffs, but you can feel a faint hand on your shoulder. "Why don't you ask your master for help?"

You shake your head, "I can't bother him with something like that. I'm his student, not some kid he has to watch over." You rub your face again, "if I wasn't sick, he wouldn't have taken me in at all. I was an orphan, so he was really my last chance at life."

This seems to poke at a soft spot of his, as when you glance at him, his posture is more relaxed, and his face isn't so angry and stoic anymore; it's sympathetic and regretful. "You know, I was an orphan once, too. I would've starved to death if my master didn't take me in. His name was Wu, and he taught me how to use my wind element." You can tell there's more to the story, as this man died young, but he doesn't seem to want to talk about it. "He was my last chance at life."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." You change the subject. "You have...wind powers? Can I try them?"

He grunts with skepticism, "you're a necromancer, only people who are born with an element can use it."

You giggle, feeling a little cheered up. "I can borrow power. Of course, I won't be good at it, the person I'm borrowing from has to be dead, and I can only use it if the master is nearby, but I can still use the power." To show him what you mean, you outstretch your arms towards him, palms up. Tentatively, he puts his hands in yours, and the moment he makes contact, a rush of wind blows from his side to yours. "Ta da!" You smile and start to move your arms, practicing your wind manipulation, and using it to blow the grass around you, and create small waves in the river.

"You...you don't need to be all extravagant, just point." He sighs, watching you move your arms and body, almost like you were dancing with the wind.

"But this is the strongest way to manipulate this type of element. There are three types of elements; elegance, strength, and will. Elements like wind, water, and fire are elegance-based, and work best through fluid movements and follow-through. Earth, ice, and metal elements are strength-based, and work through rigidity, and the ability to keep yourself sharp in movement. Sound, mind, and speed are will-based, meaning if you believe you can manipulate this power effectively, then you can." You explain to him. "Pointing the wind won't get you very far. When I spin my body like this, it generates speed and strength, and letting go of it allows me to throw it at an enemy with destructive force." You slow down, and drop it instead of tossing the air, "but I don't want to destroy anything."

He's quiet for a bit, processing the information you offered him. "Maybe that was why I wasn't strong enough to become the Green Ninja."

"You're a ninja?" You ask, tilting your head.

"No, well, kind of." He scowls. "The Green Ninja is supposed to be a legendary ninja, capable of defeating evil permanently, I think."

You deadpan at him. "Well, that's stupid. There's no such thing as eliminating evil, just as there's no such thing as eliminating good."

"Yes, but without evil, then no one in the village would bully you anymore." He argues. "I died trying to become the Green Ninja, because I wanted to be the strongest being there ever was."

You frown. "I...it's true that I don't want the villagers to be mean to me anymore, but without conflict, life becomes boring. Obviously there are bad and unwanted types, like total evil, but eliminating everything bad in the world means that only good things would happen ever. No one would cry, no one would feel anger, no one would try to be good at something they love, because there would be no reason to. There wouldn't be sports or competition, and no one would learn anything because they wouldn't want to disprove old science. Everything we know would change." You look at him with compassion in your eyes, "if you became the Green Ninja, and eliminated all evil and bad in the world, you wouldn't be the Green Ninja anymore. No one would be special."

He takes your words to heart, and thinks it over. "I didn't...think of it like that." He scratches the back of his neck. "Ugh, you make me feel weird!" You didn't think it was possible for ghosts to blush, as they don't have blood anymore, but his cheeks turn deeper in green. "Don't you have to sleep, or something? Go home! Go to bed!"

You flinch at the harshness of his voice, and duck around him to flee to Gardi's hut. You don't stop running until you get there, but when you do, you toss your cloak to the floor and flop down in bed. Finally, you can fall asleep.

"(Y/N), were you outside last night?" A voice wakes you up the next morning.

It's Gardi. "Yeah," you nod tiredly, rubbing sleep from your eyes, "there was a ghost outside nearby, and I went to check it out."

He sighs with relief, "did they say anything?"

"Well, he's barely dead, he still can't float." You shrug, "so he didn't have much to say."

"Is he, perhaps, that young man outside your window?" He chuckles.

"Huh?" You scramble out of bed, making sure to only peek outside from the corner of your window so if he did happen to look your direction, he wouldn't see you. "Oh." You didn't even get his name last night. Why was he here, anyway? To beat you up? He sounded angry when you left, so you figured you wouldn't see him again.

Gardi rubs his chin, "he seems to like you; as ghosts only follow those they want to keep safe."

His statement makes you feel warm, but you don't believe him. Maybe this ghost boy is just trying to get something from you. "I'll...go see what he wants." This time you slip on your boots and leave your cloak behind, as you planned on going back inside when you were done. "Hi." You sheepishly wave.

"Your master told me to introduce myself to you. I'm Morro." He holds his hand out awkwardly for a handshake.

"Oh, uhm, (Y/N). I'm sorry for disturbing you last night, you can go back to what you wanted to do." You shake his hand quickly, then bite your lip anxiously.

"That's the thing; I'm dead now, I have no plans. Well, maybe to become alive again somehow, but other than that I got nothing. So...I figured I'd follow you around and see what your life is like." He then blushes again, like last night, "just because I'm bored and don't know what to do; nothing else."

You smile, "sure, just...you can't come in the house. It's protected."

"Right..." He groans.

"I'll be right back, I just need to take a bath and get dressed." True to your word, half an hour later, you're outside in fresh clothing.

He snorts at you, "oh, gee, I wonder why people think you're evil when you're dressed like that. You look like an assassin." You wince and rub your arm, avoiding looking at him. He knows he said something wrong, and tries to backpedal. "It, uh, it looks good on you, though." You don't respond, and just head for the garden. "I'm sorry for what I said, okay?"

"No, it's fine," you insist with a fake smile, trying to make him feel at ease, "you don't know me that well, so you don't know what bothers me or not."

He sighs, but follows you close behind. "So...what should we do?"

"I'm gonna work in the garden, pull a few weeds, before going back inside and practicing my basic spells." You shrug, grabbing the weeding basket and getting to work, yanking the stubborn plants from the ground and dumping them in the basket, where you'd feed them to the bugs later.

Morro gets down on his knees to help you, but his hands go through them a few times. You can see the frustration in his eyes, but he tries to hide it from you. "Why do you need to practice spells you already know?"

"Think of it like doing back flips. First, you have to learn how to balance your body before you can do regular flips, then after perfecting front flips, you can do back flips. But if you don't keep practicing balance, then every back flip you do will fail. Necromancy spells are just like that; advanced spells are built upon basic spells." You explain it to him.

He nods in understanding. "Can I watch?"

You chuckle, "from the window, sure. You're not allowed in, remember?"

He laughs at your statement. It's short, but it's a sweet one that you're sure to remember. "Why do you even do necromancy?"

"Well, at first I did it for myself. I wanted to see my parents again, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find them. Instead of giving up, I decided I would use my power for good. Even if I can't reunite with my family, I'm going to try my best to reunite other people with theirs. Or, at least I wanted to. No one seems to appreciate it." You stare at the ground and bite your cheek as you finish up on your weeding.

You can see him shuffle around from your peripheral vision, but he doesn't touch you, and he doesn't speak. He picks up the basket and disposes the weeds inside for you. "I'm...sorry that your parents...that you couldn't get in touch with them."

"Don't be," you forcibly smile at him, "it wasn't your fault or anything so you don't have to apologize."

You head inside and take the stairs to the potion room. Not only does it store all the ingredients for necromancer potions, it also has all the magic books and was also used as the kitchen, since it was the only place in the house with a stove. It was your room temporarily, but you had your own room made and added to the back a year after living with Gardi. "Where is your friend?" Said old man smiles at you.

"He's outside." You respond quickly, rummaging through the book cupboard. "He's gonna watch me practice magic."

Gardi sighs, "you know, you don't have to do that so soon. Go outside and to the village, my back is killing me today, and I know I promised you I'd go out today, but I can't."

Disappointed, you try not to show it and instead you nod, "okay. I'll see if the apothecary has anything to help you out." You leave your book on the table in the main room before heading outside.

Morro is quick to greet you, as you catch him staring through the window to your bedroom. "Oh, you're out early. I didn't even get to see anything." He almost sounds like he's pouting.

"I was sent to the village." You reply sadly. You didn't want to go, but you didn't quite have a choice. "But, you're here. Maybe you'll give me confidence."

He scoffs, "you don't need confidence, I'll just do ghostly stuff, haunt people. That should get them off your back."

"No!" You protest. "I already told you, I can't do anything like that, or I'll just get them even more mad at me." You grab his hands in yours, staring into his eyes. "Promise me, you won't do anything to provoke the villagers."

He glances away briefly before looking back into your eyes. "I promise, but I won't be happy about it."

You sigh in relief. "Thank you, Morro. It means a lot to me."

He's blushing again, and pulls his hands from yours. "Yeah, of course."

On the walk there, he keeps asking you about necromancy, and your past, and what your life is like. It flusters you, as no one has ever been this interested about you, and asked you so many questions about your life. Even Gardi, who never really asked you anything except for where you came from. You knew it was because he didn't want to come off as nosy, but you wished he did sometimes, because to you it was a sign that he cared about you. After being abandoned by your family, and torn apart by angry or scared people, you found it hard to trust people. So why did Morro make you feel different? Was it because he was dead and couldn't hurt you? Was it because Gardi called him your guardian? Well, not exactly. He just said that any ghost who follows you wants to keep you safe. You knew of those types of ghosts, but they don't typically stick around long; just until they find a loved one.

"Do you get any perks from necromancy?" Morro asks, practicing a little floating as he keeps a hand on your shoulder to hold himself steady.

You think about it for a bit. "Well, yeah, I can communicate with dead people, and supposedly my loved ones, but you saw how that turned out." You huff. "Gardi also once mentioned that when you become a True Necromancer, you become essentially immortal. I don't know how to become one yet, or what he means by 'essentially', but I do know that he's, like, 200 years old."

Morro snorts, "that's nothing. Sensei Wu was at least 800 years old, maybe even a whole century."

"Uh, a century is 100 years. Did you go to school? Wait, of course you didn't; uh, did Wu teach you anything?"

"Actually," he thinks on it, "mostly just fighting, cleaning, and a bit of cooking. I guess it's the essential stuff."

"True." You shrug. "I had to learn a lot of basic things, like reading and writing before I could learn any type of necromancy. It involves a lot of memorization and writing to become a True Necromancer. I still don't know how to write some of the longer words."

"You know, you could just become a scholar. People wouldn't mock you or belittle or harass you for that."

"I do know." You frown with a sad sigh. "It's just that this is so much more interesting. Would we have ever met if I wasn't a necromancer?"

He rubs the back of his head shyly. "I...guess not. It's better you than anyone else, I guess."

You continue talking together; about favorite colors, foods, and your cultures and dreams for the future, before you arrive at the village. Morro, who was smiling earlier, now steeled his gaze and kept a look out for any threats. He floated around you like some sort of guard dog, which was both endearing and strange for you. "Just, act natural, or something."

"You act natural, these idiots can see you, not me." He crosses his arms and glares at everyone. His protectiveness over you made you suddenly feel warm and fluttery; a hard to describe feeling that wasn't quite love, but it was almost more than friendship.

"Sorry."

He knew you were trying to hide it from him, but it was obvious that you were feeling skittish, and ready to run. He comes close to you and drapes his arms over your shoulders, loosely hanging off you so you could tug him along, but mostly as a way to provide comfort. He didn't like how close he got to you so quickly, but it was just so easy to do so when you were so kind to him, and listened to him. Not only that; you were someone he could relate to. If he was still alive, he probably would've fallen in love and married you. Okay, maybe that was a stretch, but he'd never made a friend before, and as far as he knew, all friends fell in love. Right?

The first villager you saw passed by with a scowl, and although your hands were full, you laid your head against Morro's arm, trying to get any type of reassurance from him. On the outside, it probably looked like you were flinching away from the stranger's gaze. Morro glared at the man, but put his hand on your cheek and whispered to you to keep going. "Ignore this idiot, just go get the milk and meat."

You nodded slowly, and kept walking, head low. Your ghostly guardian steered you around so you wouldn't bump into anyone by accident as you stared at the ground. You were doing much better than yesterday.

Unfortunately, your luck didn't last. The woman who gave you milk knew you were Gardi's student, and gave you what you needed, but she didn't talk to you, and she wanted you to be as fast as possible when fetching it because she didn't want anyone to think you were friends. It would lower her reputation. You paid her and headed outside.

"(Y/N)!" No one could hear him but you, as Morro yanked you out of someone's way just in time. However, you just so happened to lose your balance, tripping over a loose stone in the pathway and spilling your bucket of milk all over some tall, buff looking man.

Everything around you stopped at once. Your jaw ached as you landed on it harshly, and your chin was split and bleeding. Your forearms were scraped up as well, and you would definitely need some healing after this.

Whispers erupted from the crowd, all critical of you and your actions, while the man in front of you clenched his fists and stared down at you in pure rage. "Get up." He demands. You sniffle and struggle to get back on your feet, much less your knees. Kicking your arms out from under you, he yells at you again, "get up!"

Despite the pain, you stand up as quick as you can, feeling woozy from getting up too fast. He grabs you by your collar. "Do you know how much these pants and shoes cost me? Do you?!" He roars, shaking you around.

You shake your head, trembling. Morro is nowhere to be seen. You really did believe in him, but you supposed since his only reaction to violence was more violence, he would just have to sit this one out. "I-I don't kn - I didn't mean to, I'm - I'm sorry-"

He throws you to the ground. "'Sorry' won't fix this! 'I didn't mean to' won't clean the milk from my clothes! By the looks of it, my shoes cost more than you'll ever see in your entire life, you miserable little shit!" He picks you up again, but this time by the back of your cloak. "Let's see what you're hiding, huh?" He nearly rips it off your body, trying to pull the hood off. He scowls in disgust, and smacks you hard across the face with the back of his hand. "You're that zombie freak! Figures someone as pathetic as you would do something like this."

You land hard on your side, dislocating your shoulder and giving yourself a nose bleed. You can't even speak nor cry; you're so horrified, and you worry for your life, so you keep quiet and accept the punishment.

"What; are you crying?!" He laughs, "don't tell me monsters like you have feelings?" He kicks you hard. He turns to the villagers who gathered in the area. Obviously a crowd-pleaser, he addresses them, "this is the witch-thing we're so scared of? Look at it!" He shows you off like you're some sort of wild animal he caged. "This pathetic nuisance we call evil and believe put curses on us is nothing more than a scared little brat with no friends and no reason to live! It doesn't belong in our village!"

You're okay with this, it's fine. It's fine, it's okay, it's okay, it's okay. It suddenly becomes very not okay when he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a sharp knife. "I think we've all been waiting for a day like this, huh folks! We've been letting it torment us for too long! Today, we turn the tables on them!"

"No, no!" You plead, scrambling backwards on your hands and knees. "I didn't mean it, I didn't mean anything," you begin to sob, "honest, I've never hurt anything in my life!"

"Look at you, dirty swine, begging like the scum you are!" He raises his knife, ready to stick it into some part of you. You didn't really want to know where, so you close your eyes and brace for impact.

It doesn't come, as there's a strong gust of wind, and a grunt from above you. "Now, is that any way to treat someone?" In front of you stands your savior, a tall, thin man dressed in green with pure black hair. He looks back to you, and you'd recognize those green eyes anywhere. "Are you alright?"

"What the...what are you?" The guy who was literally about to murder you is suddenly frightened by Morro's appearance.

"Haven't you heard of the elemental masters? I am the master of the wind." He explains. "Morro, is my name."

"Morro...you're that strong student that Wu trained!" The guy falls to his knees, "what is it that you need?"

You and he both know it's wrong to use his elemental mastership in such a way that other people meet your every demand, but in a case like this where you refused to choose violence, there truly was no other choice. He holds his hand out to you and you take it gently, letting him help you stand. "I happened to pass into town and went to see what the commotion is, when I see a big, strong man like you harassing a - say, how old are you?"

"17, almost 18." You timidly mention, still not letting go of his hand. He doesn't seem to either notice or care, and you can't tell which one it is.

" - a child?" He tsks at him, "Harassing a child. And for what? Your own sick amusement?" The person Morro is puppeting looks hardly like him, but more like someone who holds strong intellectual power and even wealth. Someone a lot of people know not to mess with.

"I, no, Master of Wind." He is practically begging on his knees. "This person is a necromancer, able to bring back the dead at their very whim and put them all under their command, as well as curse the living. If we make them feel powerless, they won't feel strong enough to overpower us and hurt us."

"So, your logic is to hurt them, so they don't hurt you? How do you know they even wanted to hurt you in the first place?" Morro then addresses the shameful crowd, "to hurt any of you?!" The silence is deafening and the air is dense with guilt. "And they are not even an adult." He emphasizes, just to make everything the villagers had done to you truly sink in.

He turns to you. "Why did you become a necromancer?"

The question is simple, but you can't find the answer. Everyone is staring at you, and you're too used to their gazes being scrutinizing to be brave right now. "I...I w-wanted..."

"This is your chance, (Y/N). Tell them about your mission." Morro whispers to you.

You take a deep breath. "Being a necromancer is...it's more than raising the dead. It's about understanding the living. It's knowing that even the smallest insect can feel, and that even the plants have souls. My first reason for being a necromancer was selfish, I wanted to see my dead parents. I was unable to find them, but I realized that I didn't have to learn it for myself, I could use my power for good, and reunite other people with their loved ones; even just for a brief amount of time to say a goodbye, or to relieve a guilt or burden."

Everyone is whispering, but no one is scared, and no one is mad. The atmosphere is full of sorrow and remorse.

You continue. "I only come here when I need to get food, or medicine for my master, but every day it gets harder and harder to leave my home, because I'm scared to come here. I...I almost lost my life today because everyone is scared of me, and angry at me, for something I never wanted to do."

Morro listened to your speech, proud of you. Things would be awkward for at least a week, but you weren't going to die by angry mobs any time soon, and you were certainly going to be able to bring groceries back in one piece. You were right, violence wasn't the answer all the time. Both of you just needed a little push.

Once you were done, you left the crowd to their thoughts, and headed back to get more milk. Morro followed you around the rest of the day, and even carried everything for you. "You're hurt."

You sigh. "I know. And I'm tired already. All we have left is the apothecary, then we can go home." You order a little bit of pain medicine for yourself, and your guardian brings it home for you. "Where did you even find a body like that?"

"Well, I remembered what you taught me, about wind being that flowy element, or whatever. So I used strong gusts of wind to help me run faster from a more prestigious part of the village. I figured a wealthy-looking guy would have more influence over the commoners than like some other person." He catches you frowning. "What? I'm going to put his body back! It's uncomfortable to wear, anyway. I'm not this tall and it's stretching my body out."

It's quiet for a bit between you, and the more you think about what he did for you, the warmer you feel. "Thank...thank you for helping me out there. I don't know what I would've done without you." You glance into his eyes, shiny and green as ever. "Is there...anything I can do for you in return? You're a new ghost, so that means I can revive you and you can continue living, if you want."

"I..." he thinks it over, his eyes wet like he was going to cry. "It's a really nice offer, and part of me wants to take it, but if I do then that means I can't be your guardian anymore. When I died, it was because I was trying so stupidly to become the Green Ninja. But you helped me, and opened my eyes. I'm afraid that if I go back, I'll forget everything; forget you."

You sigh sadly. "Yeah, you would forget. Your soul is a different thing than your body, so everything that happened would be like those faint memories you just can't reach anymore. You might remember my face, but you won't remember my name; or you'll remember hearing me cry, but you won't remember where."

He sniffs and puts the pails down so he can wipe his eyes. Or at least his possessed body's eyes. "I don't want to forget you. I...I'm giving up my life to remain your guardian. You're my best friend."

You smile and kiss his cheek, "thank you, Morro. You're my best friend, too."

#idk if witch is *truly* a neutral term for magic user; but that's how I use it #also I picked Gardi as a name for a special reason #ALSO also; I KNOW this isn't an 'x morro' but like...it's implied later in life they discover they're crushing on each other #I'm NOT proof reading this; it's way too long for me to go through and I want people to see this now!!!#ninjago #ninjago morro #morro and reader #morro x reader #blood #injury #death mention #does this count???#swearing #oneshot

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theres-an-impulstor-among-us · 4 years

Text

Separation AU Part 1!

Requested by @grant-likes-minecraft. Hope you enjoy!

Summary: Impulse and Skizzleman have lived in the same world together for decades, and that’s just the way they like it. But all that will change when one day, Impulse is summoned (literally) to the Hermitcraft server...

(Based on Impulse literally canonically being brought to Hermitcraft via summoning circle in season 3)

...

“WHOAAAA!”

With a yelp, Impulse dropped into a shallow hole over where he had just been walking. He stared upwards as he heard laughter and spotted the grinning face of his best friend a few blocks above him.

“Skizz!” Impulse laughed indignantly. “This is like the oldest trick in the book!”

“Uh huh, and you fell for it,” Skizzleman replied through his laughter. “Skizz: one. Dippledop: zero.”

“Get me outta here and I’ll SHOW you zero,” Impulse snickered. “Got any ladders?”

Skizzleman dropped a single ladder into the hole. At Impulse’s raised eyebrow, he giggled and dropped a few more, before stepping back and letting his best friend climb out of the hole.

Impulse shook his head amusedly at the grin on Skizzleman’s face. “Have you done your chores yet? Or did you spend the whole morning setting up that prank?”

“Whaaaat? Does that sound like something I would do?”

“Yup.”

Skizzleman made eye contact with Impulse, causing him to giggle again. “Okay, yeah, I did.”

Impulse chuckled as he started walking back towards the house, letting his best friend fall into step beside him. “It’s your turn to harvest and replant, buddy.”

“Aww, but it’s so boring,” Skizzleman complained, flipping around to walk backwards so he could talk directly to Impulse’s face. “Can’t we just skip chores for today and go to the beach?”

Impulse scoffed. “Skizz-.”

“C’mon, just look at that ocean.” Skizzleman threw his arm out to indicate the sparkling sea, just visible through the trees. “Can’t you hear it calling you? Don’t you wanna just dive into the cool, refreshing water and just relaaaaaax?”

“You’re doing a great job of selling it, I gotta admit,” said Impulse amusedly. “Okay, we’ll go to the beach, but only if you do crops for the next two days.”

“Done.”

Skizzleman broke into a run, causing Impulse to laugh and pick up speed to catch up with him.

However, at just over halfway to the beach, Impulse skidded to a halt, realising his entire body had started to glow. “Uh, Skizz?”

His best friend stopped a few blocks ahead of him. “What? Oh…! Wait, what’s happening?”

As Impulse was staring down at his glowing hands, he felt himself be lifted slowly off the ground, the block around him glowing brightly.

“Wh-What’s going on, dude?!” Skizzleman yelped. “What are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything!” Impulse started to panic. “Skizz, help me!”

He reached out blindly and Skizzleman grabbed his hands. Impulse hung almost upside down in the air, as if something was dragging him upwards by his legs. He strained against the invisible force, focusing on holding onto Skizzleman’s hands as tightly as he could.

But the pull was just too strong.

“IMPULSE!”

Skizzleman cried out as he felt Impulse’s hands slip from his. He toppled face-first into the dirt, but by the time he managed to push himself onto his back and look up, Impulse had disappeared.

Impulse couldn’t stop screaming as he fell through a weird, terrifying vortex of swirling colours. He managed to angle himself so he was feet-first, but this did nothing to alleviate his fear.

And then he landed.

He stumbled as his feet hit the ground, but quickly regained his footing enough to not fall over. Blinking against the bright sunlight shining directly in his face, he realised he could see the slightly blurry outlines of three people standing a little way off, watching him.

Just as he registered them, one of the figures rushed towards him and grabbed him in a tight hug. “Impulse! Oh my god, I can’t believe it actually worked! You’re actually here!”

The person’s distinctive voice helped Impulse identify him immediately, and he was so shocked that he momentarily forgot his disorientation. “T-Tango?!”

Tango released him and stepped back, an expression of pure joy on his face. “You’re really here! I can’t believe it!”

“Wait, wait…!” Impulse frowned, his brain still trying to figure out what had just happened. He stared around and found himself in a brand new world, entirely different from the one he had just come from. “Where am I? And how did I get here?”

Tango beamed. “You’re on Hermitcraft, buddy!”

“And you got here through a… uh… sort of wormhole,” added an unfamiliar voice.

Impulse turned to find a person wearing green armour and a purple helmet.

“Hi, I’m Xisuma,” the person said, giving a friendly smile. He indicated the suited person behind him. “This is Mumbo.”

“Hi!” said Mumbo happily. “Welcome to Hermitcraft.”

“I…” Impulse blinked, hardly daring to believe it. “I really am on Hermitcraft? But- But why did you bring me here?”

“Because you belong here, Impy.” Tango gripped his friend’s shoulders. “I’ve been trying to bring you here for months and it never worked until now. I don’t really know what Xisuma did, but you’re finally here.”

“What about Skizzleman, though?” Impulse asked urgently. “You’re gonna bring him here too, right?”

Tango’s smile fell. He glanced back at Xisuma, whose shoulders drooped. “I… um… I tried to grab onto both of you and get you both here, but… it didn’t work for Skizzleman. There’s something in his code, something that didn’t let me latch onto him. I can’t bring him here. I’m… I’m sorry.”

Impulse stared at him, his stomach lurching. “So… I-I’ll never see him again?”

“Not never,” said Tango quickly. “Just…”

When Tango failed to come up with anything else, Xisuma said, “The borders between servers and worlds are rocky at best. We can’t send you back or bring him here, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a good life here.”

“A good life?!” Impulse’s fists clenched. “How can it be a good life without Skizzleman?!”

Xisuma held out his hands to steady him. “Impulse, please, calm down a moment and-.”

“Calm down?! Y-You just plucked me out of my world without my consent! Forcibly separating me from my best friend! What gave you the right to make that decision for me?”

“Impy-,” tried Tango.

“Don’t Impy me!” Impulse’s voice cracked. “We’ve lived together for most of our lives; I can’t just abandon him!”

“You’re not abandoning him.” Tango grabbed his friend’s hands soothingly. “You’re moving on to a new life, a better life. If Skizz is truly your best friend, which he is, he can’t possibly resent you for taking the opportunity.”

“I…” Impulse hesitated. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him.”

Xisuma winced and hung his head. “I’m sorry, Impulse.”

Seeing how defeated Xisuma was, Impulse’s anger slowly ebbed away. He glanced back at the spot where he had been summoned, a lump rising in his throat.

“Impulse, this is the start of a new life for you,” Tango said gently. “And for me. Finally, you and I get to live on a server together. Imagine what we can do! The possibilities are endless.”

“But they’re not,” Impulse whispered. “Because Skizz isn’t here.”

“Listen…” Tango hesitated. “You two have been together for… for god knows how many years. This change will be good for both of you.”

“And I’ll keep investigating to see if we can bring Skizzleman here,” said Xisuma. “But in the meantime, your new life awaits you.”

Impulse cleared his throat. While part of his brain wanted to scream and cry at being separated from his best friend, he couldn’t deny that he was excited about the chance to finally be on Hermitcraft, as a member of their family. So many more things were possible on a server than in a simple world, from building materials to redstone contraptions. And it wasn’t as if he would be alone; he had Tango, he had Xisuma and Mumbo, he had many other Hermits whom he hadn’t even met yet.

“Alright, then.” A smile slowly spread over Impulse’s face. “What first?”

A spark ignited in Tango’s eyes. “Oh, first we gotta introduce you to all the other Hermits! Then we can talk about building bases. You and I could build one together! I’m thinking a giant underground base in maybe a nether style? There’s so many block palettes we can use and- oh, I think I might already have the perfect thing back at my-.”

“Whoa, buddy, slow down,” laughed Impulse. “Let’s start with meeting the other Hermits, okay?”

As Tango nodded happily, the phrase “other Hermits” reverberated in Impulse’s mind. He knew it would take a long time to get used to this change and wrap his head around the fact that…

...that he was a Hermit now.

…

After six long, sleepless nights in the big house all alone, Skizzleman had finally given up and moved. With his limited building skills, he had managed to construct a small shack near to where Impulse had vanished. His spark, his passion for life, faded a little more with every day that passed.

Skizzleman exited his tiny shack and harvested the small amount of wheat next to the pond, before replanting it monotonously. He then used the wheat to make a few more pieces of bread for his stock. It wasn’t much but it was enough to get by.

After his chores were done, he made his way slowly towards the beach. The sand and the sea used to call to him, urging him to rush down there and have some fun. Not anymore.

On his way, he passed the spot Impulse had disappeared from. No sunlight hit this block anymore. The small allium Skizzleman had managed to plant there was barely visible in the shade.

He lay down on the grass and stared morosely up at the sky, his hand resting on the dirt around the flower, his elbow bent slightly as if he had his arm over his best friend’s shoulder. Closing his eyes, tears trickled down his cheeks.

Skizzleman had never been so alone before.

#hermitcraft #impulsesv #skizzleman #tangotek #xisuma #mumbo jumbo #separation au #Vaunna writes

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