#paper plate palettes

[seokljin]

my fluff ♡

[aira-cc]

.˚₊┈୨ The Artist in Me🪞୧┈₊˚. 

Hello all!! Yes, I know that everyone is playing with infants right now and probably doesn't want to see anything else, but I still want to share what I created with you. In the poll I recently made on Patreon, the artist's room concept came first and I can say this set has become as complicated as an artist's mind 𖦹 In order to share this month, I had to cancel some of the big items, make more clutter and use some ea meshes. I couldn't do everything I wanted to do and think I didn't do justice to this concept. It's not artsy enough if that is the correct term. So, I plan to continue the set in a better way in the future but hope you like what I share now ♡ The set includes a functional easel, mirror, and many decor items for your artistic sims. You can read more information below.

The set includes 17 items:

♡ Bread Plate | 6 Swatches | 900 Polys

♡ Mini Easel | 5 Swatches | 90 Polys

♡ Food Tray | 7 Swatches | 1k Polys  

♡ Pear Teapot | 4 Swatches | 2.6k Polys                          

♡ Deco Canvas | 3 Swatches | 270 Polys      

♡ Easel | 6 Swatches | 780 Polys  

♡ Tools | 1 Swatch | 1.4k Polys 

♡ Desk Clock | 8 Swatches | 1k Polys 

♡ Brush Holder | 6 Swatches | 1.5k Polys 

♡ Palette | 6 Swatches | 2.5k Polys 

♡ Paper Roll | 12 Swatches | 370 Polys 

♡ Paper Rolls | 12 Swatches | 1.1k Polys 

♡ Desk Mirror | 8 Swatches | 1.8k Polys

♡ Frames | 3 Swatches | 1.2k Polys 

♡ Paint Bucket | 10 Swatches | 95 Polys 

♡ Paper Bag | 5 Swatches | 460 Polys 

♡ Cart | 10 Swatches | 1.3k Polys                             

Additional Info:

BGC

Tagged swatches

Custom thumbnails

Custom specular maps

Frames, bread plate, and pear-shaped teapot were suggested on Pinterest. Thank you very much to those who gave the suggestions🌼 You can quickly access these items by searching “artist” or “aira” in the game. If you run into any issues please let me know. Enjoy!!

♡ Download on Patreon(Free)  

────────────────────────────────────────────

Now this is done, I'm going to update all my mods/cc so I can play the game and eventually do small cc requests. I haven't even played with infants yet :S I want to make cc for them and the babies so badly, maybe this can be the next concept. As I mentioned before, I may not be active for a certain period of time but you can be sure that I stop by and check on my fellow simmers from time to time and continue to create content at a slow pace in the background ₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎

[billskeis]

heyyy how are youu? can you do 2009tom x reader fluff,where tom meets reader’s family for the first time,he meets her niece and nephew,also her brother and etc🥹

ᡣ𐭩 tom meeting your family

“come on tomm, it’s really cold..!” you exclaim to your boyfriend as your shivering in your spot at the front door of your parent’s house.

“wait babe i gotta grab the cake i bought,”

he slammed his car door to reveal a somewhat fancy paper bag that presumably carried the cake he was talking about.

“you bought cake? you’re so cute, they’ll definitely love you with or without it though,”

“i know—i just—first impressions y’know?”

you kiss him on the cheek to watch his face turn a rosy palette, knocking on the front door the both of you await for someone to let you in sooner than later.

as the door swung open, you were immediately met with your loving mom.

“hey baby—mwah—” as she kisses you on the cheek, “this must be tom! hello hii welcome to the fam it’s so nice to finally meet you!”

“it’s great to finally meet you too..”

“call me mom!”

“o-okay..! i bought a cake, i hope it you’ll like it,”

“oh how kind of you sweetie, i’ll take that from you! come in come in you guys must be so cold,”

the two of you enter the house you once remembered to love so dearly before you moved out with tom. looking in his direction, you can see him smile ear to ear as his cheeks tint a nice pink.

he’s shy, and nervous, but secretly so happy over the fact that your mom already loves him.

as the two of you converse, you find that tom get’s along with everyone. he met your dad, loves him. your brother and tom both play the guitar, tom offering to even give one of his own to him to which your brother jumps in joy.

aunts and uncles and grandparents treat him as their own, pinching at his cheeks, spoon-feeding him, giving him immense amount of compliments, hugging him as if he were their own blood and the overall coddling of your 20 year old boyfriend.

however, it seems as though one particular individual isn’t so fond of him.

“who the heck is this!? and what’re you doing with y/n??” it appears to be a small boy, probably around the age six or seven, gap toothed and seems to be in a sour mood at the appearance of your boyfriend.

“sammy, this is tom! my boyfriend!”

his face contorts in disapproval, tom pouting to retaliate your nephew’s foul mood.

“no—i don’t like him..”

“hey! you don’t get to talk to my boyfriend like that..”

“tch, whatever.”

you click your tongue and decide to just go prepare and grab plates of food for tomorrow and yourself to eat.

you had to leave before you actually strangled the kid.

“i’ll be back baby i’m just gonna go grab us something to eat ‘kay?” tom nods as you kiss his cheek to leave him in the room with sam.

silence. absolute silence, as they both stood there staring at each other.

“do you love her?” sammy asks.

“i do love her.”

“what do you love about her?”

“everything. she’s my whole world to me, i was hoping to get along with her family, she says it means a lot to her that we do,”

sam twiddles his thumbs within his hands, had he made y/n upset? was he being immature?

one cannot help but feel protective over the aunty that cared for her since he was born.

“you like—really really—love her??”

“really really, sam,”

“ew don’t say my name, but i guess.. i guess i can get to know you,”

“yeah?”

“yeah.”

“but if you ever break y/n’s heart.. i’ll come for you,”

“alright big man, whatever you say,”

tom holds out a fist, sammy hesitates to reciprocate the gesture, with a big cheeky smile, the little boy punches tom’s arm and runs off to god knows where.

“ow..”

as tom rubs his arm to relieve himself of the pain, standing alone, he feels a tug on the jeans he calls pants, way too baggy for him to even touch his legs, but enough that he felt the sensation of pulling at the bottom of them.

he looks down, he spots a little girl, seemingly younger than sammy. in pink frills and two low pigtails, she looks up at tom with beady eyes.

“well hello there child,”

she doesn’t respond. not yet verbal enough to actually make out the words she would’ve wanted to say to him, if there were any at all.

letting go of the pant leg, she makes grabbing motions at tom. to his surprise, it seems as though stranger danger isn’t really a concept to her as it is for sammy.

picking her up in his arm, he carries your niece holding him up to his chest as she sit on his forearm comfortably.

he jumps her up and down in his arms to see her smile, also smiling on his own.

“why aren’t you cute??”

he coos, holding out a finger in front of her, for her to wrap the totality of her hand around his index finger.

tom could feel his heart melt at the sight of how adorable she was.

coming back, you hold two plates in both hands to witness the site of your boyfriend getting along with your niece.

“aren’t you two the sweetest?? seems like you’ve meet lily!”

“she’s so.. cute!”

the little girl cannot help but shy away, hiding her face in tom’s neck.

it doesn’t explicitly show, but it seems as though your niece has taken a very big liking to tom, she definitely thinks hes the cutest boy she’s ever seen.

“hey! don’t go stealing tom from me now, that’s my boyfriend,” you rush to put the plates full of food on the table to tickle at your niece.

she giggles and jolts in tom’s grasp as he attempts to securely hold onto her, lily wrapping her small arms around his neck.

you sulk and cross your arms, she won the battle, but you also cannot help but gawk at the sight of seeing tom hold your niece so lovingly.

“she stole my boyfriend from me,” you scowl as you playfully hit tom’s arm.

chuckling, tom cannot hide the wide grin plastered on to his face, smiling ever so brightly.

“jealous?”

“…yes”

“awww don’t be like that, you’ll have enough of me later,”

your mouth agape as he smirks at you, clearly intending something behind that, you feel anxious, but impatient.

you need to give him a child.

[spockandawe]

Here's a big project I've been sitting on! All That You Love Will Be Carried Away, by our very own @ceruleancynic! And a box, naturally, building boxes for books continues to bring me immense joy.

What we have here is not just the main fic, or the main series, but also All That You Love (The High Hope Remix) alt pov short fic by byzantienne, and, a detail that I was really excited to include: the initial comment exchange between these two fantastic authors of m the first fic in the series. Did I title that second little book 'all that you meet cute will be carried away' as a silly placeholder? Did I then get super attached and refuse to change it? Uh-

Hell yeah, I refuse to be dignified about any of my favorite hobbies!

But the real secret delight here was that I've been looking for the right opportunity to get weird with boxes. Peller boxes, hinged slipcases, yes, fine, but those are like the box version of my sixfold book adventure. I'm still shooting for some parallel to my fourteenfold book, I'm looking for a way to go completely off the rails. I have some ideas, but it's hard, finding a good large chonk and a small number of equally sized texts, which made a unified and complete set, AND which excited me to work with. That might sound unnecessarily picky, but I swear, there was a good reason for it!

Oh baby. Oh baby.

This worked out so perfectly. I wanted a large book at the center of things. And I wanted two small books oriented in a different direction, placed end to end, at its edge. And I got it! I didn't want to commit too early, and it would have been heartbreaking to fail, but once the big book was together, and the preliminary typesets for the two little books were almost identical? I just HAD to try.

Tumblr is already silencing me and refusing to let me attach as many images as I want, so for this post, let's talk about the main book a little! Cute little quarto bricks are my new FAVORITE favorite thing, as I'm sure you can guess from my archives, and this one was a dream to put together.

It had to be a three-quarter leather binding, naturally. And I was sitting on some gorgeous iridescent maroon paper for endpapers (no photos in this set, it refuses to photograph well, as is the way of pretty iridescent things). I spent some time agonizing over my other material, and whether to use two different marbled patterns, but I went with it in the end. The vibes were distinct enough but the palettes overlapped enough that I really enjoyed the effect. And with the northcott art of marbling fabrics (my beloved) I was able to use lines of symmetry to get some nice fussy cuts for the big book and the little ones. All of the books have leather endbands, matching the spine. And the big book has the big thick faux raised bands I tried out with my last svsss! I don't have enough pictures to show off all the book interiors, but I used this cover plate for the series and main fics within it.

And then, like I showed you above, I put it all together. Marbled paper and silk moire for covering the box, a lot of very tense wrangling of glued-up paper in very small spaces, and, at one point, carefully lowering glue-covered pieces of moire bookcloth down these little pits (walls already covered) using that tab in the front like the world's awkwardest elevator shaft. But the EFFECT!

I'm very, very pleased with myself, and delighted to have delivered this book to its new home. I've been absolutely VIBRATING with a desire to share, so! I can't be contained by tumblr's image limit. Hold on for two seconds (approx.) and I'm going to reblog this post with some wip pictures and more detail about how I worked this thing out and assembled this box and modified my initial design on the fly

[literaryvein-reblogs]

More Art-Related Vocabulary

Abstract Expressionist: An artistic movement of the mid-20th century emphasizing an artist’s freedom to express attitudes and emotions, usually through nonrealistic means.

Age of Exploration (also, Age of Discovery): From the early 15th century to the early 17th century, European ships traveled around the world in search of new trading routes, lands, and partners to supply an ever-growing European market.

Albumen silver print: A photograph made using a process that was prevalent until the 1890s. The paper is coated with albumen (egg whites), and the image is created using a solution of silver salts.

Brayer: A hand roller used for applying ink to relief printing blocks or occasionally for the direct application of paint or ink to a surface.

Caricature: A representation in either literature or visual art that includes a ridiculous distortion or exaggeration of body parts or physical characteristics to create a comic or gross imitation.

Ceramics: Vessels of clay made by using a variety of shaping techniques and then hardening or firing the clay with heat at a high temperature.

Chasing: A term encompassing two processes in metalworking: (a) modeling decorative patterns on a hand-shaped sheet-metal surface using punches applied to the front, and (b) finishing and refining a cast sculpture.

Classical: Describes a prime example of quality or “ideal” beauty. It often refers to the culture, art, literature, or ideals of the ancient Greek or Roman world, especially that of Greece in the 4th and 5th centuries B.C.

Collage: An art form and technique in which pre-existing materials or objects are arranged and attached as part of a two-dimensional surface.

Color palette: (a) A set of colors that makes up an image or animation, and (b) the group of colors available to be used to create an image.

Composition: The process of arranging artistic elements into specific relationships to create an art object.

Daguerreotype: An early method of photography produced on a silver plate or a silver-covered copper plate made sensitive to light.

Exoticism: Fascination with and exploration and representation of unfamiliar cultures and customs through the lens of a European way of thinking, especially in the 19th century.

Expressionism: A style of art inspired by an artist’s subjective feelings rather than objective or realistic depictions based on observation. Expressionism as a movement is mainly associated with early 20th century German artists interested in exploring the spiritual and emotional aspects of human existence.

Gelatin silver print: A photograph made through a chemical process in which a negative is printed on a surface coated with an emulsion of gelatin (an animal protein) containing light-sensitive silver salts.

Illuminated manuscript: Comes from the Latin words illuminare (to throw light upon, lighten, or brighten), manus (hand), and scriptus from the verb scribere (to write). A handwritten book, usually made from specially prepared animal skins, in which richly colored and sometimes gilded decorations, such as borders and illustrations, accompany the text.

Illuminator: A craftsman or artist who specializes in the art of painting and adorning manuscripts with decorations.

Impressionist: Referring to the style or theories of Impressionism, a theory or practice in painting in which objects are depicted by applying dabs or strokes of primary unmixed colors in order to evoke reflected light. Impressionism was developed by French painters in the late 19th century.

Inking plate: A flat surface used for rolling ink out in preparation for applying ink to a plate or block.

Inscription: A historical, religious, or other kind of record that is cut, impressed, painted, or written on stone, brick, metal, or other hard surface.

Source Art Vocabulary pt. 1

More: Word Lists

[najia-cooks]

[ID: A fried 'chicken' cutlet topped with tartar sauce and served with rice and a green salad; bowls of tartar sauce and miso soup are in the background. End ID]

チキン南蛮 / Chicken nanban (Japanese fried chicken with sweet-savory sauce)

Chicken “nanban” (南蛮; "barbarian" or "foreign") is a classic example of 洋食 (yoshoku)—Western-style food adapted to a Japanese palette. Chicken breast is breaded, deep-fried, and coated in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar to create a crispy, tangy, savoury-sweet dish.

The method of breading and deep-frying used in making chicken nanban, tempura, and other Japanese dishes was introduced by the Portuguese during the Muromachi period (16th century). Chicken nanban itself, however, is far more recent: Nao-chan diner in the Miyazaki Prefecture of Kyushu is credited with having invented it in the 1950s. Nao-chan's version of the dish does not include tartar sauce, but it is often added to provide a sharp, creamy complement to the savoury chicken.

Chicken nanban works well as a main dish served with sides of rice, soup, or salad. If you're using pre-made chicken breasts, it comes together in around half an hour.

Recipe under the cut!

Patreon | Tip jar

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

4 Gardein chicken breasts, or other chicken breast substitute, thawed

1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch (optional)

2 Tbsp egg replacer (I used Bob's Red Mill)

Water

Pinch kosher salt

A few cracks of black pepper

Oil to deep fry

For the nanbanzu / 南蛮酢 (nanban sauce):

3 Tbsp Japanese soy sauce, such as Kikkoman's

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

3 Tbsp granulated vegetarian sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp mirin (for a low-alcohol version, use aji-mirin; for an alcohol-free version, replace with 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar and 1 Tbsp sugar)

For the tartar sauce:

1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise

1/2 tsp mild Dijon mustard

2 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp dried ground shiitake mushroom, or kombu dashi powder

1 tsp vegetarian sugar

A few small sweet pickles or 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber, diced

1/2 small yellow onion, minced

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch of MSG

Minced dill or parsley (optional)

If you eat eggs, you can replace the first five ingredients with 1/2 cup Kewpie mayo (キューピーマヨ).

Instructions:

For the nanbanzu / 南蛮酢 (nanban sauce):

1. Heat sugar and soy sauce in a small pot over medium-low heat until simmering, stirring to dissolve.

2. Add vinegar and mirin and heat for another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

For the tartar sauce:

1. Mince the onion. If you prefer, you can submerge the minced onion in cool water for 10 minutes or so and then drain to remove some of its sharpness. Seed and mince the cucumber.

2. Whisk mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, salt, black pepper, MSG, rice vinegar, and mushroom powder together to combine. Add onion and cucumber and stir. Top with herbs. Refrigerate while preparing the chicken.

For the chicken:

1. Mix flour, starch, salt, and black pepper together on a plate or cutting board. In a small bowl, combine egg replacer with water according to package directions and allow to thicken.

2. Fill a deep fryer or medium-sized pot with several inches of a neutral oil and heat it to 340 °F (171 °C). A chopstick placed in the oil should slowly form small bubbles around its tip.

3. Coat chicken breasts with egg replacer; if it is too thick, you may need to whisk in an additional 1-2 Tbsp water.

4. First deep fry. Carefully lower one chicken breast into the oil and fry without disturbing for about 2 minutes, until the egg coating on the bottom side is cooked through and lightly golden brown. Flip over and continue to fry for another 2 minutes. Use chopsticks or a slotted spatula to remove the chicken breast onto a wire cooling rack or paper-towel-lined plate.

5. Use a slotted spoon to remove any bits of batter from the oil and re-check the temperature. Repeat with each chicken breast.

6. Second deep fry. Increase the heat slightly to raise the temperature of the oil to 355 °F (179 °C). Re-fry each chicken breast for about a minute, flipping once halfway through. Set aside.

7. Coat with nanban sauce. Place the fried chicken breasts in a shallow rimmed baking dish or tray and spoon most of the nanban sauce over them, turning over several times to coat. Reserve the rest of the sauce for serving.

8. Slice each chicken breast widthwise and transfer to an individual serving plate. Serve with additional nanban sauce, tartar sauce, rice, a green salad, or soup.

[minniebbang]

within the forest | chapter 6

pairing: fairy!Chan x princess!reader word count: 1.6k words summary: another day with Chan but someone seemed displeased with your decision. a/n: posting this while waiting for my food which took longer than I expected...btw, hope you have a wonderful day today!!

main masterlist | series masterlist | next

“Come on! You will miss the sun kiss, Chan!” She ran to him, helping him carry one of the easels. Chan let a smile dominate his lips as he quickened his pace toward their painting place for today - his mother’s favourite place. While positioning the easel, he caught her spinning around the meadow - hands spread widely and her sky-blue skirt billowing. Her brown lock shone under the golden afternoon light - her eyes reflected it.

His action died down in an instant. He twirled his hand in a motion. Flowers around her bloomed after a wave of yellow dust flew across them. She seems more like a fairy than himself - glowing under the sunlight and with a beaming smile. He called out her name.

“You got entertained easily, little flora”  He ruffled her brown hair gently as she glanced up. Rosy cheeks and a broader smile plastered for him to witness. Under his touch, she still felt like the little girl he had met. It doesn’t matter if she ages up, she always would be Chan’s little flora. His flora that he would protect and care for until the end.

“We don’t live forever, Chan. So, I make sure every moment spent is exhilarating.”

“I’m glad you have that mindset. Should we start our painting session, Your Highness?” He offered his hand. She placed her hand on top of his palm - playing along. The easels were backing each other so there was no space for peeking at the other’s artwork. Beside the easels, a table stood with a colour palette and a plate of creampuff. 3 stems of purple lilac were on the plate.

“One question before we start. Why did you place the easels like this?”

“I want to keep our artwork as a surprise for each other. We’ll reveal it on my birthday”

“Whatever makes you happy, channie”

Silence took over when their hands reached for the palette and brush. The low sound from the caressing brushes was barely heard because they thought deeply about what to draw. The first stroke - your first action - will determine the outcome. 

Hours passed and the drawing began to take shape. Chan tilted his head to check up on her. With a brush on her right hand, she carefully placed black paint onto her canvas. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration before continuing to paint. She probably didn’t realise the smeared purple paint on her cheeks. He kept quiet because she was adorable with it.

“I have never seen you in a full dress before” 

“I’m not really into dresses. It limited my steps and most of my dresses were only for special occasions so I can’t wear them daily,” she replied, not sparing any glances at Chan.

“What a bummer…” he sighed and faced the canvas. He peeked at her once again before painting the features on his drawing. 

“You would look lovely and exquisite in one, little flora"

“If you are that eager, how about you be my stepbrother?” she chuckled but deep inside, she meant it. If Chan were her brother, nothing would stop their relationship - they could have fun daily without anyone judging glare.

“I would scare everyone in the palace with my hideous wings then”

“What are you blabbering about, Chan?” She set the brush away and approached him. She ran her fingers through his wings. Despite what he said, she was always fond of his wings - it was the part of him that made him special. Chan stood up and pulled her into a hug as a gesture of thank you. Parting away, the breeze blew his dark hair along the sudden ‘thud’ behind them was heard. An arrow bulged on the side of Chan’s canvas that had fallen to the grass. 

Chan yanked the arrow and untangled the tight-up paper on its shaft. Ripping the paper, a single line of words was written in red ink. He crumbled the paper and grabbed her hand. His indecipherable face caused curiosity to crawl into her. 

“You need to return now, little flora. They found me” he said, voice oddly calm.  

“Who did?”

“Them. Meet you tomorrow, safe ride” He closed his eyes as black feathers began consuming her. She vanished when the feather turned into dust. Chan eyed the canvas, a contemplating sigh escape. He twirled his finger and all of the equipment entered his cottage. He unfolded his palm, the paper uncrumpled, revealing the sentence - the bigger threat is coming, better watch out.

The strong light blinded her as she sat up, pondering while looking around. Open flower fields filled with her mother's favourites. Why is she here? Why did Chan send her back? Despite the strong light, she could make out a silhouette at the gazebo far away - a fully dressed woman, rushing toward her. 

“Flora? Where have you been?!” 

Oh, it was her mother, face worrying than ever. Her mother helped her stand up. 

“I was walking around, reliving my childhood. You don’t have to worry, Mother”

“How couldn’t I? I asked anyone about your whereabouts and nobody saw you!” 

She took her mother’s hand into hers, lips resting into a tender smile. Sometimes chasing her freedom, she forgot the one who allowed her to experience it - her mother. Was it a selfish act? Lying to her queen to save Chan and herself from being punished? Her grip tightened, yet careful so she didn’t hurt her.

“I’m sorry, mother.” 

“Let’s go inside. Father and Seungmin must be waiting for me” Her mother nodded and they went inside the palace. 

[later that night]

He threw the paper into the forked flame of the fireplace, watching it crumble into pieces and turn into ashes. His eyes were shut when a line of memory hit him, returning him to the past he wanted to forget. His wings wrapped around him as if they were comforting him. The scar that stretched across his right wing was visible under the fire. 

“Did the fire remind you of that accident?” A deep, familiar voice spoke out from behind the chair.

“What are you doing here, Duncan?” He asked, clearly unwelcoming the guest of the night. A figure lurked out of the shadow - a tall man with a pair of wings similar to Chan. His wrinkly face was wearing a sinister grin, it was more like a mocking grin the more Chan stared at it. A modern suit fitted him, an expensive suit for a man like him. He must be out on another hunting. 

“I heard from Minho that you made a new friend. The Stelious Princess, wasn’t it? What a decision when you’re on the verge of death. The king already had threatened you”

Chan faced him “You would tell me that if you have an offer to make. Stop beating around bushes.”

Duncan chuckled “Work with us again and I’ll guarantee your safety. Besides, could you bear your siblings mourning over your death?”

Chan’s face remains stoic although Duncan’s words twisted his inside. Imagining it was enough to terrify him. 

“Say yes, chan. You aren’t risking your life for a stranger” Duncan extended his hand in an inviting gesture, unfolded palm shoved in front of Chan. Chan wanted to take his hand but he stopped when a screeching scream rang in his ear. He hesitated, hand hovering over Duncan’s.

A train of memory winded in his head, and his hand instantly retreated. He questioned himself - do you want to experience the pain again? Do you want to be called a betrayer again?

“Your offer was sincere, Duncan but I say no. I can handle the king by myself”

“Minho will continue working with you. I’m not capable of it” 

Duncan scoffed, turning around. “Then, all the best. I’ll be there if you change your mind” 

"We'll see how far you will go for that girl"

Outside the cottage, two fairies watched Chan through the window. They couldn’t understand their discussion due to the distance they were in. The brunette fairy stood on the branches, holding the trunk to balance himself on the thin branch. He huffed. The forest was cornered with huge black thorns that grew from the ground. It will be difficult for someone to barge into the forest now.

“That fairy caged us in here, Taehyun!” He sulked while he nibbled his sugar cube.

“It’s for our safety as well, Beomgyu. The king will kill us if he sees us”

“But…”

“Another sulking from you and I’ll throw all of your sugar cubes, gyu”

“Fine!”

Her footsteps rang loudly in her ear as she headed toward her bedroom. The dim light from the candle in the hallway did less to brighten her path. As she took a step, the guilt from the dept of her heart escaped as the image of her mother flashed in her mind. How could she neglect her duty as a good daughter to her mother? Why did she realised it now?

“Make up your mind, Gale! Kill the fairy or I’ll execute your son!”

Her steps halted as well as her breath. She glanced beside her, instantly stepping back when she noticed it was the King’s office. The shadow on the floor shows how the king was grasping his hair in frustration. 

“Locate the dark fairy. We’ll attack him as fast as possible. As long as he’s alive, our people’s safety is at risk”

She covered her mouth with her hand as a gasp was let out. She hears her father’s words, nice and clear. Her heart dropped to the pit of his stomach at the realisation. Her father was the one who sent the arrow. She ran to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. 

Both males in the room jolted at the slam. The king felt unease so he perked his head outside his room. Only the night wind greeted him, causing his shoulder to slump forward. He was being paranoid for nothing. He slowly closed the door behind him.

“What was that, Your Highness?”

“I’m not sure”

“I hope it wasn’t Flora”

[the-lumpfish-king]

In my post about the number of pancakes needed to crush a human skull I referenced an alternate image with 5376 pancakes instead of 5264.

So without any further ado, I have one question for you:

The bnuuy is dead once again

Original image with 56 pancakes by jean bomjan

This image made by @mousefluff

Ingredients

100g plain flour

2 eggs

300ml semi-skimmed milk

1 tbsp sunflower oil or vegetable, plus extra for frying

pinch salt

Method

STEP 1: Put 100g plain flour and a pinch of salt into a large mixing bowl.

STEP 2: Make a well in the centre and crack 2 eggs into the middle.

STEP 3: Pour in about 50ml from the 300ml of semi-skimmed milk and 1 tbsp sunflower oil then start whisking from the centre, gradually drawing the flour into the eggs, milk and oil. Once all the flour is incorporated, beat until you have a smooth, thick paste. Add a little more milk if it is too stiff to beat.

STEP 4: Add a good splash of milk and whisk to loosen the thick batter. While still whisking, pour in a steady stream of the remaining milk. Continue pouring and whisking until you have a batter that is the consistency of slightly thick single cream.

STEP 5: Heat the pan over a moderate heat, then wipe it with oiled kitchen paper.

STEP 6: Ladle some batter into the pan, tilting the pan to move the mixture around for a thin and even layer. Quickly pour any excess batter into the mixing bowl, return the pan to the heat.

STEP 7: Leave to cook, undisturbed, for about 30 secs. If the pan is the right temperature, the pancake should turn golden underneath after about 30 secs and will be ready to turn.

STEP 8: Hold the pan handle, ease a palette knife under the pancake, then quickly lift and flip it over. Make sure the pancake is lying flat against the base of the pan with no folds, then cook for another 30 secs before turning out onto a warm plate.

STEP 9: Continue with the rest of the batter, serving them as you cook or stack onto a plate. You can freeze the pancakes for 1 month, wrapped in cling film or make them up to a day ahead.

Recipe from the BBC

[thornnii]

⎯ ✦ morganite & red jasper

genre: fluff wordcount: 1.0K pairing: Audrey Rose x fem!reader pronouns: she/her other: Y/N is daughter to the Queen of Hearts (mainly for the colour palette), takes place after D3, reader is described as wearing a lot of jewellery/accessories, reader wears gold jewellery, established relationship, they live together warnings: one swear word, implication of arguing with parents summary: there is a little surprise for Audrey and Y/N when they reveal their one year anniversary gifts to each other thorn's notes: originally posted 30/Sep/2022; edited from original. I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to actually start reposting, exams have had me in a chokehold recently.

⏤ return to old posts masterlist

Y/N of Hearts is known all around - both on the Isle and on Auradon - for her fierce temper, and with her heritage it would be more concerning if she didn't have any sort of temper. It wasn't uncommon for her to blow up over the smallest of things, hell she'd even gone up against some of the teachers before and almost against the King himself. There was only one person in the entire world Y/N would never yell at, her girlfriend: Audrey Rose.

The day the barrier had come down and willing villains and VKs were able to pass through was the best day of Y/N's life, finally able to escape from her mother's wrath - something which was always stronger when battling against her own.

When Y/N and Audrey had first met they had both been standoff-ish towards the other but Y/N had quickly grown a soft spot for the preppy, pink princess. The way she never stood for Y/N's bullshit and would always tell her so. The way she was willing to patch Y/N up after a fight. The way she never grew upset or angry at Y/N for little things. The way she actually cared.

And thus a most unlikely friendship formed, a friendship that blossomed into a loving relationship.

Speaking of relationships, it was a week before Y/N and Audrey's one year anniversary and Audrey had brought Evie and Dizzy along with her to the mall to look for gift options and provide Audrey with second opinions. Audrey felt sure jewellery was a safe option; Y/N tended to wear a multitude of accessories at any one time, somehow always making it work without looking too much.

Walking into a jewellery store, Audrey broke away from the other two to look around at what the store had to offer. This store was different to any of the others the girls had been in so far today, almost all the jewellery displayed had some sort of crystal element incorporated into the design.

It was a collection of rings that caught Audrey's eye, specifically one towards the middle of the display case. All the rings were made up of a thin gold that wove itself delicately around different crystals. The one that Audrey had noticed was a crimson red stone labelled 'Red Jasper'.

Audrey called Evie and Dizzy over to where she stood - both of them agreeing the ring was the perfect present for Y/N. Next Audrey waved over a sales employee, asking about price and whether the ring could be wrapped to be bought as a gift.

Five minutes later the three girls were leaving the mall, Audrey carrying her purchase in a small paper bag.

Finally it was the day of Audrey and Y/N's anniversary. Y/N woke up first - deciding to leave her girlfriend in her peaceful slumber - and made her way to the kitchen of their shared apartment, preparing to treat Audrey to breakfast in bed. It wasn't fancy by any means, simply scrambled eggs and toast (cooking was not something that was really taught on The Isle).

Y/N plated two lots of the food, balancing the food and a glass of water on a tray and manoeuvred her way back to the bedroom. Audrey was awake now, the lack of warmth that typically radiated off her girlfriend stirring her from her dreamland. She sat at the vanity across from the bed, brushing out any tangles that had formed in her hair during the night.

Y/N pushed the door close with her foot and pressed a kiss to the crown of Audrey's head as she passed to put the breakfast tray down on the end of their queen-sized bed. Walking back over, Y/N pecked a kiss to the same place as previously before her love turned around on the plush, velvet pink ottoman. "Good morning." Audrey greeted, earning a peck on the lips in reply.

"Morning." Y/N returned the greeting with a soft smile. "Happy anniversary lovely, I'm looking forward to later." 'Later' meant the anniversary date the couple had been planning for a while now, both wanting everything to be perfect.

"Happy anniversary to you too gorgeous. I have something for you." Audrey turned back to face the vanity, reaching into one of the side drawers.

"And I for you." Y/N had moved towards the bedside table next to her side of the bed, pulling out a small black box. Y/N was back in position before Audrey; the box the ring she had bought was in had slipped to the back of the drawer, causing the girl to have to grope around a bit to try and find it.

When Audrey turned back around, Y/N was down on one knee, as if proposing, a small black box sat open in her palm to reveal a ring of gold that intricately wrapped around a soft pink gem. It looked almost the same as the one in the box Audrey held.

Rather than answering Y/N's 'proposal' in words, Audrey pulled out the ring box she'd hidden behind her back, popping it open to reveal the scarlet red stone encased in gold. Seeing the likeness of the rings, the two lovers laughed. They had bought rings from the same set without knowing it. Slipping each other's rings on, Audrey inspected her's closely. It wasn't rose quartz from what she could tell, but she wasn't sure what it was instead.

Noticing the puzzlement on her girlfriend's face, Y/N couldn't help but chuckle. Grabbing both of Audrey's hands she explained:

"The crystal is called Morganite. Supposedly it radiates the energy of love, peace and compassion," adding in a quieter tone, "at least that's what the store employee said." Returning to her normal volume, the girl continued, "It melts boundaries to make everything seem possible. I heard that and I thought it suited us, more importantly I thought it suited you."

Y/N's words brought a warm blush to Audrey's face as she buried it in her hands, while Y/N just looked on lovingly at her partner. There was no doubt in her mind that, come what may, she would stay by Audrey's side until the day she died.

[theflintwarlock]

Art magic and tools

A follow-up to my previous post on art magic with some more ideas surrounding what tools you use rather than specific art mediums.

Palettes

There are a couple of ways to make palettes magical. Of course you can bless a plain palette, wash it with blessed water or draw a sigil on the bottom. But there is also the symbolism of the objects you use for a palette. For an example, a large sea shell can make an excellent palette:

Here I was using gouache and the seashell as a base really helped connect me to the energies of the sea for this landscape painting.

In addition, you can use China plates (from the thrift store in my case) as paint palettes, and depending on the colour and decoration they can be used for a whole manner of purposes.

Brushes

Softer brushes, whether synthetic or genuine animal hair, can be a great way to blend and add softness to your work. By contrast, thick, coarse brushes can act as a rougher edge: more powerful in some cases, less subtle.

If you're using genuine animal hair, get to know what animal the hair came from to understand the energy of that brush. And make sure to thank the animal's spirit, if you do such things.

If you're particularly crafty, you can even make your own brushes using human hair. I've always wanted to learn to do that.

Pencils

In the past I have painted sigils onto my art pencils for use in my practice, relating to creativity and inspiration. But the type of pencil you use also has an effect.

A harder pencil, like a HB, will have a different effect to a softer 2B or 4B for example. Your pencil sharpener can also help you to embue energy into your tool: Think about your intentions as you sharpen.

Pastels

Oil pastels have a certain nostalgic feel for me, like I'm using crayons for grownups. You can carve into the base of the pastel a small symbol, or use colours based on association. You can also wrap the pastel in paper with any number of things on it, from a petition to a poem.

Mediums

Whether it's refined linseed oil for oil paints or water for watercolour or acrylics, your paint mediums can be used to bless your art work. Paint a sigil on the jar that holds the medium, or if its suitable you can bless the medium itself. For watercolour and such, you can use sacred water such as moon water. Or add a drop of essential oils into the mix (if it won't react with your paint) with intention.

Sketchbooks / Canvases

As for the paper itself, it can help to make sure you know the differences between different papers you're working with. Cold-pressed watercolour paper will have a different feel and texture to hot-pressed. Oil paper tends to be more coarse, sketchbook paper thinner ect. I mostly use mixed media paper and watercolour paper for my art.

If you have a hardback sketchbook, decorate the front with symbolic art work or sigils. I painted water lilies on the front of my sketchbook, to symbolise beauty, calmness and growth.

For a canvas, sanding down that fresh canvas can be a way to embue your intention into your piece. You can also add a sigil or rune before you start sanding. Using a canvas wedge to tighten your piece at the end or beginning can help lock in that intention.

[ladyjanesta]

Hannibal Season 4

I have a very specific way I want it shot. Nothing like Silence of the Lambs, they're out in the world let's have fun with it.

I want it to cut between the FBI team who have been tasked to hunt them down and them just navigating a new relationship when they have history and just two long time bachelors learning to live with one another (Will's three year marriage notwithstanding as there's no way he was 'himself' whilst with her) whilst also in hiding from the FBI.

Hannibal can't have a pretentious speech ready at all times, especially about basic, tedious day to day life like, you know Hannibal has to buy a shit ton of lint rollers because of Will's dog habit.

Will being sent out to buy a certain ingredient from the market and just slightly getting it wrong, not wrong enough for it to be a problem but Hannibal was very specific in what he wanted, Will not really seeing the problem and Hannibal having to choose to make it an issue or to just let it go.

Just, the little readjustments when sharing your space with another person as an adult.

Does Hannibal snore? Does Hannibal snore loud enough that it keeps Will from sleeping? Does Hannibal occasionally wake up to Will standing over him white knuckling a pillow?

I think it's a huge thing for Hannibal because anyone invited into his space has always been on his terms, plus he's always presented a palatable version of himself in order to escape any negative/suspicious attention. And now he's sharing everything about his life with someone he cannot lie to and can seen who he is down to the bone. That's got to be a hell of an adjustment: being naked after nearly forty years wearing a 'person suit'.

I want to make it known that the FBI parts are shot like a normal, traditional procedural show, complete with tedious aspects like paper work and wrong leads and lots of speculation (Jack is a bit character in this (retired or just dipping out), he pops in and gives his impressions with make sense to us the viewers but is batshit insane when explaining to another person). Lots of beige and petty office politics.

This team is not the all star team, the Murder Husband case is quickly fading from public interest but the FBI has to show they're still trying to catch these two. The Murder Husband Basement is the naughty corner for agents who screw up with their bosses or in the field.

The murder husband side is filmed like The Santa Clarita Diet/Pushing Daisies, shot with a light palette with deep dark macabre overtones. Hannibal just having fun with the fake passport names and Will visibly gathering strength as he introduces himself as Mr Achilles Alphonso Papadopoulos, and his husband Mr Patroclus Papadopoulos. Will catches himself making a cannibal pun and wants to throw himself into traffic but Hannibal is delighted with Will's progress.

Will always gets a middle name. It's a little something just for Hannibal.

I have day dreamed whole episodes about this.

The FBI team go to a crime scene where the Murder Husbands are the main suspects and it's super serious, a monstrous tableau which haunts the team (there's little mini scenes where the team are talking to a (normal) psychiatrist about it and we (the audience) learn just horrific details about the murders/victims) and it cuts to Will and Hannibal arguing over the crime in progress in their murder suits, on how to place the ribcage just so. Is the underlaying theme too pretentious?

Hannibal getting Will's attention in order to wave at him with a severed arm. Will getting Hannibal's attention and pointing at a hideous couch and asking, 'don't you have a suit like that?'

Just two dudes having fun.

Scenes from an opulent dinner party with the camera panning on the certainly human meat plated with such care and attention, cutting to the limp, sad gas station doughnuts that the FBI team have access to. Utterly pathetic, grey toned cheese sandwiches with way too much mayo cutting to beautiful breakfast foods, crafted with love...and human flesh. (I also like to think that Hannibal puts human meat in everything, even things that don't traditionally have meat in them).

At one point the team are looking at photos of Hannibal's meals and one of their stomachs just start growling loudly.

The team realising that Jack Crawford has certainly eaten human flesh.

A mini episode featuring Hannibal's never ending battle against the dog hair in their home, in which he is slowly losing.

One of the FBI team literally bumping into one of the duo but because they're distracted or they've gone face blind staring at their photos in The Basement and it never clicks.

The duo don't even know about the team, that's how out of reach they are, or, Hannibal is in contact as a 'specialist' with one of the team, they have a rapport.

In-jokes, Hannibal sends memes, Hannibal sends memes that he has cleared with Will to the team, etc, etc...

Miriam Lass now has a successful morning cooking show online. She has different cooking attachments for her arm, she's thriving. Her show is sometimes on in the back ground in scenes because everyone watches her, everyone's low key forgotten she was a Ripper survivor.

Hannibal has some of her merch, it's an apron with her on it waving, but at the end of her arm is a whisk attachment. Hannibal has low key forgotten she's a Ripper survivor, Will asks whether wearing the apron is a bit ghoulish and Hannibal has a, 'Oh, right', moment.

The fun is endless.

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

The Maystone mangler pt2

Usually, you'd sleep in on Sunday but today you were up getting dressed in the best and most modest outfit possible. You hadn't attended church since you lived with your parents but you decided you probably should, considering you didn't go out much. Perhaps you'd have the opportunity to get to know some of the townsfolk better.

You looked at yourself in the mirror, checking if your outfit was suitable enough before leaving your bedroom and entering the kitchen.

You turned the light on and stared at it for a moment. It was still flickering, you'd have to buy a new light bulb at some stage.

You grabbed some bread and put it in the toaster before grabbing some spread. While you waited you made your way to the front door and grabbed the newspaper. You put the paper on the dining table on your way back to the kitchen, open the fridge, and grab a carton of juice. You pour yourself a cup before grabbing your toast, putting it on a plate, putting on the spread, and making your way to the dining table.

You sit down and take a bite of toast as you begin to read the news. Nothing really catches your attention. It kind of makes you miss the city news, sure it wasn't all good but gave you something to think about. You sip your juice and finish eating before you leave.

🍂🍂🍂

The morning sermon ended and everyone flocked outside where they grouped up to socialize. You were surprised, when you were a kid everyone was desperate to leave the second the sermon was finished but here everyone seemed to get along with one another.

Honestly, you felt a little out of place. All these people who'd probably known each other their entire lives and you were just some stranger.

“Oh (Y/n) it's good to see you here today” a sweet southern voice that you immediately knew.

“Oh hello Mauve” you greeted as you turned to her direction where she stood with Blackmore who was obviously dressed in his Sunday best. Black dress pants, a white button-up shirt, and a dark blue tie that he was currently fiddling with in his hand.

“And hello Blackmore” you greeted him too. His expression brightened immediately.

“So what brought you to church today?” she asked you.

“Well I finished up with most of the house maintenance and I thought I'd get to know my community more” you replied.

“Oh you poor thing, you tried fixing up that old

house all by yourself” she said as she put your hands in yours.

“You know you can ask all of us here in town if you need any help” she assured you.

“T-thank you” you stuttered, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Blackmore and I were going to head to the diner for breakfast if you want to join,” she offered and you accepted.

You followed them both for 5 or so minutes before you arrived. It was a small diner with a muted palette of browns and dark greens. You sat down at one of the stalls and a waiter quickly handed you all the menus.

You looked at the menu trying to figure out what to eat but you couldn’t decide.

“Do you know what you want (Y/n)?” Mauve asked.

You looked down at the menu, it was massive. And you had already eaten an early breakfast so you weren't too hungry.

“I might just get the standard bacon and eggs and coffee” you replied.

“Are you sure that'll be enough for you?” She asked.

“Yeah, I had some toast before I left” you replied.

“And you want your usual?” Mauve asked as she turned to Blackmore.

“Yes please,” he said.

“Are you ready to order?” the waitress asked. You turned to face her to reply. She was young no older than 14. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

“Oh good morning Lucy, I was wondering why you weren't with Steven this morning” Mauve greeted her.

“Martin called in sick so I offered to take over his shift this morning” she explained.

“anyways what can I get you guys?” She asked.

“Could I get two teas and a coffee, eggs Benedict with a side of mushrooms, the berry waffles, and bacon and eggs?” she told Lucy before you had the chance to tell her your order. Lucy quickly jotted the order in her notebook.

“And how would you like your eggs? Boiled, fried or scrambled?” Lucy asked you.

“fried please” you asked.

“No problem,” she told you.

“I'll have your drinks in a minute,” she told you before leaving.

“Lucy's an absolute sweetheart, she came here only a year ago after she was adopted by the Steels. She's been saving up to go to a nice college and become an English teacher” she told you.

“That's some dedication, when I was her age I had no idea what I wanted to do” you replied.

Shortly after Lucy came back with both a tea and coffee pot along with cups, carefully placing them down while balancing the tray in one hand.

“Food will be out in a few minutes” she assured you before leaving again.

“So (y/n) have you had enough time to explore Maystone?” Mauve asked you as she poured herself and Blackmore some tea.

“A little bit, mostly central,” you replied.

“Oh dear you've been missing out, the best sites are just a little outwards. About a decade ago we'd go hiking in the woods just a bit south of here. The lake was just gorgeous” she told you. Looking at Blackmore there was a somber expression on his face.

“The boys would fish there for hours” she sighed, reminiscing. You could tell that there was a sadness to it. Then you remembered what Magenta said about Frederik.

🍂🍂🍂

After breakfast, you both headed home. When they returned Blackmore went into his room and sank into the double bed, the quilted blanket his mother made pretty much absorbing him. He never was fond of getting up early. Nowadays he didn't really have the luxury of sleeping in but it was a small price to pay to help his mother. So on Sundays, he'd take a nap after church. He closed his eyes only to get startled by a knock on the door.

“Yes, mom?” He asked while sitting up. She opened the door and stood by the doorway.

“Isn't (y/n) so lovely?” she said.

“Um… yes!” he blurted a little flustered.

“You should try talking a little more, I know you want to get to know them better” she spoke sweetly. It was true, he did want to get to know you better but he was absolutely terrible at socializing. Always had been.

“I'm sure they'd really appreciate your company, after all, everything here is entirely new to them" she continued.

"Maybe take them to the old inn for the monthly get-together?” She suggested. He blushed a little at the thought but then he shook his head.

“But what about you? if you were to get hurt I wouldn't be there to help you” he asked. He knew his mom never attended, the idea of leaving her alone and her getting hurt terrified him.

“Blackmore, sweetheart… you shouldn't worry so much about me, live a little for yourself” she said as she came over and hugged him.

“I know it's been tough with everything that's happened, but you've got to set your sights on the future,” she told him before kissing him on the forehead before she got up and made her way out.

“Also I came to tell you I'm putting on some lamb shanks for tonight,” she told him before closing the door.

[finalmere]

WHEN: A few days after her attack. WHERE: Meredith and Stevie's apartment. WHO: Meredith. WHAT: Meredith deals with her grief and increasing paranoia.

Paint swirled around on the paper plate Meredith was using as a palette.  She hadn’t done much of anything the past few days, smearing color against canvas had been the only thing keeping her from completely losing her mind.  Work gave her a few extra days off, it seemed being the sole survivor of a murder gave her a bit of leeway.  It was just as well anyway, no part of her was ready to face her coworkers and feel their eyes staring daggers into her back.  No one knew how to talk to her or approach the subject, she wasn’t sure how to either. Wicked’s Rest wasn’t exactly a stranger to odd goings-on, deaths and disappearances were a common occurrence.  But not only had Meredith never been a part of one of the stories that passed from ear to ear, she usually scoffed at them.  She assumed most of the sensational tales that spun around her university were hoaxes and jokes pulled by drunk college kids.  She never believed in Bessie or things that go bump in the night.  Now she didn’t know what to think.

A loud noise came from across the apartment and Meredith’s head snapped up.  Her paintbrush fell to the floor with a clatter and she tried to scramble to her feet and stumbled backwards.  A shaky hand reached for the kitchen knife that hadn’t been far from her side since she got home.  She inched towards Stevie’s bedroom door, her feet careful not to step on any of the creakier floorboards of the cheap Harborside flat.  She wasn’t sure she was ready to face her demons again- but before she had to make up her mind, a small feline came lumbering out the cracked door, loudly meowing up at Meredith likely in protest of the giant knife in her hand.

“Fucking hell,” she groaned, smacking the blade down on the kitchen island as she sighed.  “You’re back.”  In her death Stevie had left behind a cat.  He was a stray that seemed to be drawn to the apartment.  He’d somehow make his way on their fire escape where Stevie began leaving small plates of food.  Eventually she started propping her bedroom window open and he’d come and go as he pleased.  Meredith would start to come home to find them curled up on the couch together.  

“I wasn’t sure I’d see you again,” she told him, a pause lingering in the air.  “She’s not here.”  She couldn’t believe she’d avoided people for days and now she had to have this conversation with a fucking cat.  She felt a pang of guilt in her gut.  Mere had never considered herself much of a cat person, but she felt a sudden kinship to the creature who was likely mourning just as she was.  “Hang on, I think I know where she kept the food.”  She walked around the counter to find the cabinet that was stacked with small cans of cat food.  She cracked one open and dumped it on a plate, her nose scrunching in disgust.  “Here,” she said, placing the plate down in front of him.  “Bon appétit.” Mere sat herself on the floor next to him, her back leaning against the wall of the kitchen island.  Her eyes stared through the window across the room as she listened to the quiet noises of a hungry cat.  “She’s not coming back,” she said softly, and she swore for a moment he stopped to listen.  “But I guess I have nothing else to do with the food so I suppose I can keep putting it out for you.  Until it’s gone.”  Her head fell back, gently hitting the counter behind her.  After a moment, she felt the soft fur of the stray cat rest against her bare leg.  She took a second, then carefully scratched his head.  For the first time since the attack, she let a tear roll down her cheek.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Corn on the Cob Day

Nothing says summer quite like a perfectly grilled (or boiled) corn  on the cob, doused with butter, salt, pepper, or perhaps a more creative  seasoning profile.

In the height of summer, under a cornflower blue sky filled with  cotton-ball clouds, the smell of grilled meat fills the air. Children  are laughing and playing in the creek, and the adults are setting up the  picnic tables with checkered table cloths, red solo cups and paper  plates.

In the middle of the table sits a giant bowl covered with a layer of  aluminum foil, with steam gently escaping from around the edges, rich  with the smell of fabulous, buttery corn on the cob.

Corn on the Cob Day celebrates events like these, whether held  outdoors or indoors. It reminisces about the gathering of family around  one of the sweetest healthy cookout treats that is available throughout  the summer.

It’s Corn on the Cob Day!

History of Corn On The Cob Day

The history of Corn On The Cob Day goes back to a time even before  European settlers actually first came to the Americas. Corn is a new  world plant, native to the American lands, that was originally enjoyed  by the Native Americans who were there before the westerners  “discovered” the land.

Since then, corn has made various appearances in dishes all over the  world, and the by-products of this plant have been used in quite  literally millions of different products. For instance, in the United  States, high fructose corn syrup is found in almost every candy, and  certainly, in almost every carbonated beverage that can be found. Other  corn products that are used en masse include oil, cereals, snacks,  breads and even fuel.

Corn on the cob comes in more varieties than a person might think!  Sure there’s the traditional yellow corn, but there are also white and  mixed colored corn that can be eaten on the cob.

In any case, almost every type of corn can be prepared into corn on  the cob through various methods of preparation, and each brings its own  combination of tastes and flavors. There is no limit to the delicious  meals and fantastic flavors when a little corn on the cob is added to  the table.

Corn On The Cob Day is the opportunity to try different flavors, grab the butter, and enjoy delicious corn on the cob!

How To Celebrate Corn On The Cob Day

Celebrating Corn On The Cob Day is simple and fun! Try these ideas for celebrating or create new ideas:

Try Different Ways of Cooking Corn on the Cob

Start by cooking up some corn on the cob in the traditional  way–boiling. It only takes a few minutes in the water (don’t salt it  first!). Then enjoy eating it with a generous heap of butter and salt!

Now that opens the doorway to a whole variety of options to be  considered. Another way to prepare the dish is to wrap corn on the cob  in aluminum foil and let it roast in the coals of a campfire (or in the  same way on a gas or charcoal barbecue grill) until it’s positively  bursting with deliciousness.

Explore Seasoning Options

Anyone knows that corn on the cob needs butter and can be delicious  just on its own. But don’t stop there because other options are worth a  try as well! Start by adding butter as a base, and then dust the corn on  the cob with a choice of seasonings. Simple salt can work just fine, or  get more creative with seasoning salt, pepper, or any of a variety of  spices that suit your palette.

Try these varieties:

Cajun Corn on the Cob. Mix garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper, paprika and oregano, then sprinkle lightly.

Corn on the Cob Citrus Seasoned Salt.  Add sea salt, hot smoked paprika, black pepper, smoked salt, and finely  grated orange zest, then rub on (while cooking on the grill, if  preferred).

Italian Corn on the Cob. Go  Italian by sprinkling buttered corn on the cob with parmesan cheese,  powdered garlic and italian seasonings (basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme  and marjoram).

Learn More About Corn  

While it is in most people’s kitchens at one time or another, many  people don’t know some of these fun facts about corn. For instance,  although the most common corn color is yellow, it can also be cultivated  to be purple, green, blue-gray, red, white and even black. Here are  some other fun facts about corn:

The word ‘maiz’ or ‘maize’ has Native American/Spanish language  origins and that is what this grain is called in many languages.

Most cobs of corn have an average of 800 kernels, arranged in 16 rows around the cob.

Corn is produced on all of the inhabited continents on the planet (but it cannot grow in Antarctica).

The United States is the largest single producer of corn on the planet, providing at least 40% of the world’s corn harvest.

Celebrate Corn on the Cob All Summer Long  

While corn on the cob day comes at the beginning of June, anyone from  the corn growing belt in the US knows that the best time to get fresh  corn on the cob is at the end of the summer. The great news is that it  isn’t necessary to choose between the two–just go ahead and celebrate at  both times. In fact, corn on the cob can be celebrated all throughout  the summer!

Source

[winxwiki]

Whitewashed classic Winx merch

I saw some people speculating that this Italy exclusive merch had to be bootleg, because all characters have fucked up skintones. These are very much official! I own some of these! Sometimes, the production process fucks up and nobody cleans it up.

Unlike post season 4 episodes of whitewashing on stock art and the tv show itself, these seem to be out of incompetence because of printing on specific materials, rather than malice (I hope...). The stock art itself has the correct colors on more traditional media, like plastic and paper.

This plaid in pile has all the skin tones messed up. Musa and Tecna are darker than Flora!

I own this but the photo isn't mine. It's made by Novia, a well known brand and licensor with Winx.

Another one I own, not my photo because it's not in the home I'm currently in. You can see the color palette is very limited, to the point Aisha and Flora share the same skintone, even though they obviously shouldn't. This is likely a limitation of the glass paints used (non-toxic).

I don't have this one unfortunately... still, the photo makes it clear the color palette is limited and inaccurate. Still very official Nutella glasses!

The In cucina con le Winx Tognana plates also have inaccurate colors for Aisha. But not on all items. Once again it seems they fucked up the colors in printing, Aisha's stock art is lightened up to hell.

These are all official bedsheets by Novia, but as you can see the colors are messed up for everyone. Still official!

Despite these fuck ups on fabric and porcelain, most Winx merch has always been accurate to the stock art in colors. It's mostly towels, plaids, sheets, curtains, plates and glasses that got the short end of the stick, unfortunately. Stuff that isn't produced anymore since Season 4...

Actual bootleg products are badly traced and recolored and don't have any Winx, Rainbow or brand logos anywhere. If they actually steal stock art, they are misprinted putting skin colors where there should be clothes, uniting stock art from different seasons and have no brand regardless on the tag

The more you know!

[berylcluster]

⊰ starter for @pumpkinstabs HANNIBAL for MICHAEL ⊱

➫ HANNIBAL flipped open the mornings newspaper with a loud crinkle, glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. He had made them a nice spread for breakfast, two plates laid out on the table, coffee for the chef and just about any drink Michael could ever want in fancy glass pitchers, all aligned in the center. Cereals, fruits, breads of various sorts, meat of course, eggs and little vegetables for garnish. Sometimes he'd eat his breakfast with a bed of spinach or some tomato and although he had tried to refine the other killer's palette, he'd also provide him with simple, pedestrian choices as well. He had the paper covering his head as he read, the clink of his fork on the plate occasionally to let the other know he was still there. This was a very typical morning for them, the doctor could catch up on the week's news, Michael could take his time waking up from the night's sleep, whether he got any is another story. He crossed one leg over the other, eyes flicking across the page and landing on a grizzly black and white photo.

Blurred images of four bodies strung up, posed in a way that was perhaps only recognizable by a select few who enjoyed Botticelli. Each member of the family holding each of their stomachs, lined up in a celebration of flesh and family. The painting happened to be one of his favorites, he hardly read the actual words of the story, simply basked in this discovery. He didn't even compose himself as he brought down the paper, a smirk growing on his face as his gaze turned on the other, a loving stare in his eyes. Hannibal knew only one who could pull of an art piece this grotesque like the Chesapeake Ripper, an almost perfect copy - if he had only brought some trophies home. "My love, did you happen to get out last night? It seems there's a blood thirsty killer on the loose again." He clicked his tongue, before handing over the newspaper. "It might be best if you lay low until the police finish chasing their tails."