#a treat for bean while they toil

[venomous-qwille]

#harvest moon #gitm au #ghost in the machine au #a treat for bean while they toil #qwilledraws #ghost in the machine #i miss drawing in this style

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Pallas (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- The Beast of Battle by the people of Olympius

Brother by Perses

Gray Eyes by Dione

Age- 53 (immortal)

Location- Thessaly, Olympius

Personality- Generally, he can be extremely stoic & pugnacious and profoundly untamed and stubborn at times. He's also highly intelligent. He's "relaxed" a great deal since retiring from his official duties. He's currently single.

As the Titan god of battle & warcraft, he has enhanced speed, strength, reflexes & endurance (though not to the extent of Hermes). When triggered by intense emotions of anger, he can transform into a hulking muscled mass- standing at almost 14 ft tall & weighing over 2,000 pounds! He has an innate expertise in battle strategies & is proficient in the art of the sword.

After staying a while at his best friend's place in Colchis, Pallas has recently built his own home- a house made entirely out of black stone in Thessaly near the moutainside. He genuinely likes the seclusion & sense of privacy, being away from the continuous noise that is New Olympus. In storage, Pallas still has his chariot that he used to use when in battle.

He has dealt with a lot- his term of punishment in Tartarus (for siding with Kronos during the Titanomachy), the breakdown of his relationship with Styx (Titaness of hatred) & their eventual divorce. At first, Pallas compared those moments to having his insides sucked in through a black hole, but now, he's starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He longer refers to his ex-wife as the "vile low-life she-witch who sucked out my entire life force." He now looks forward to being a more involved father & being around others he respects and likes.

To keep himself some company, he has recently gotten some new furry companions! Pallas owns two bloodhounds and three german shepherds (all boys) and their names are Major, Cadet, Victor, Scout & Pilot. They all go for a five mile jog and mountain hike every morning.

His go-to drink is a qamar al din (apricot juice). He doesn't drink alcohol. He also likes orange juice, protein wheatgrass & spinach smoothies, goat milk, and water. His usual from The Roasted Bean is an olympian sized roast coffee (with plenty of sugar).

He also enjoys smoking cigars.

Pallas' best and closest friend in the entire pantheon is Perses (Titan god of destruction). They have been through more than most beings go through in many lifetimes! They lava surf, smoke cigars, work out, sword fight, jog, play football (soccer), and ride their go-karts. He's also good friends with Acheron (Titan god of pain), Nomos (god of laws), Ioke (goddess of pursuit, tumult, & battle rout), Anytos (Titan god of anonymity & secrets), Homadus (god of the battle-din), Draco (god of dragons), Coeus (Titan god of foresight, intellect, & knowledge), Soter (god of safety), Kydoimos (god of uproar & battlefield confusion), Menoetius (Titan god of rage, violence, & rash actions), Ponos (god of hard labor & toil), Harpocrates (god of silence & discretion), Erebus (god of darkness), Polemos (god of the war cry), and Alastor (god of blood feuds & vengeance).

Pallas' favorite frozen treat is dark chocolate espresso ice cream.

To this day, he still despises Zeus (god of the sky, thunder, & lightning) and particularly dislikes his daughter Athena (goddess of wisdom). Pallas views Ares (god of war) as being too reckless, but he doesn't dislike him.

As far as his relationship with his children, Pallas does want it to be better all around. He wasn't there while they were growing up (due to his imprisonment in Tartarus). He can't help but feel closer to his daughter Nike (goddess of victory), mainly because she's the one who visits him the most. Despite being the oldest of the quadruplets, Pallas does baby her in a way. He even makes her favorite dessert, kanafeh. He does wish that his other son Zelus (god of envy, jealousy, & zeal) and his other daughter Bia (goddess of force & power) would talk & be in contact with him more. Pallas does try to make an effort, scheduling a family dinner with the five of them every week, but Bia has only been to a few & Zelus not showing up to any. Pallas does have a fairly good relationship with his other son Kratos (god of strength) & has even taken up his idea of making a profile for an online dating app. They also sword fight and fence.

As a business, Pallas operates a veteran center for soldiers currently or retired from the Olympian Army. The center is there to provide help & services for the soldiers and their families.

In his free time he also enjoys mountain climbing, reading, basketball, chess, fishing, archery, hiking, & working out.

Aside from kanafeh, Pallas can also make a delicious mejadra- rice cooked with lentils & topped with crispy fried onions and spanakopita. He also likes the meat lover's burger & lamb gyros from Olympic Chef.

"Till the last drop of your blood, never give up."

#my oc #my oc character #my character #oc character #pallas #oc intro #character intro #oc introduction #character introduction #modern greek gods #modern greek mythology #greek myth retellings #greek gods #greek mythology #greek pantheon

[holocene-sims]

📎 for everyone in Grant’s family? Or at least as many sims as you can answer for? Pretty please 🙊🥺

jdjlskdjkslfs this is so sweet, thank you for the ask! 😭 idk if i can get everybody because the list is pretty extensive but i'll get the main folks at least!!

enjoy the chaos that this ask brings

📎 paperclip - a random fact

general family fact: this family is so incredibly neurodivergent. good luck finding many neurotypicals here

grant: this man who typically listens to classic emo hits and metal also has a ridiculously strong affinity for disco music. disco king! chaotic music taste for the win! like he absolutely loves donna summer, ABBA, boney m, etc. get him just drunk enough on fruity cocktails and he will ignore the fact that he has a terrible singing voice and will provide you with disco karaoke

mother mary: very briefly had a modeling career while she was in college. she might be evil but she is beautiful

dear old dad juhani: he's completely colorblind!

grandma aoife: she's kind of a jack of all trades! she grew up on a dairy farm, was an unofficial but very reliable midwide for a while in her hometown, then she toiled in a factory making cars, worked on a fruit farm...and finally started her own bakery!

grandpa joseph: he built the house he and his wife, miss lovely aoife, have lived in since the mid-1960s! he did it with his own handiwork, alongside the aid of aoife's older brother and a local friend who runs a very small construction company

uncle paddy: for a good few years as a younger man, he was a member of a celtic punk band! he played guitar. iconic, really. the band needs to make a full comeback LMAO

aunt catherine: one time in the early 2000s, she and paddy took their kids to florida, which was a very expensive ordeal they saved up a long time to afford. well, she got terribly sunburnt, then got heatstroke, and had to be treated at the hospital for her near-death experience with the sun. she has since vowed to never touch a single beach except the ones on lake michigan during cloudy days

cousin adam: within the family, he's the practically undefeated champion of monopoly (okay, mr. business degree)

brittany: proud one-time winner of the pie eating contest at the iowa state fair

cousin hannah: obsessed with pinterest, especially pinterest DIY/crafting projects. like unhealthily obsessed.

connor: went skiing one time in connecticut with his family while he was a kid. he broke his collarbone. never again.

cousin chelsea: got an actual honest-to-god terrible concussion because someone closed a car door on her head

jasmine: she was in marching band during middle and high school, also even college. she's an alto saxophone queen. okay, maybe she's mildly embarrassed about her band days, but at the same time, she had a good time, so?

cousin alex: suffers (?) from a very strong fear of crustaceans. the lobster tanks at red lobster definitely traumatized him as a child

lilly: once snuck into a celebrity wedding out of sheer curiosity by pretending to be a waitress for the event. it was boring and the food portions were sad as fuck

aunt bridget: she was a camp counselor as a teenager, which was a great experience, but also spawned the most embarrassing moment of her life. just after midnight, she was uhhhh ~flirting~ with a fellow female counselor in the "privacy" of the woods behind one of the counselor's cabins. everything was going swimmingly until some kids who snuck out of their cabin to go on the hunt for frogs caught them in the act

uncle sean: if a movie is sad, he's 100% going to cry at some point

cousin shannon: wrote and published fanfiction about the sims 2 premades, including a 100000k words angst & hardcore sci-fi story about bella goth's abduction

colm: his long estranged father is quite literally in the mafia. a story for another day is colm's interactions with his father's colleagues trying to chase him down to get him to stop spilling the beans about his father's affiliations

cousin lorcan: cannot sleep without using his airpods to listen to text-to-speech reddit thread videos from youtube. so interesting yet such cheap content with a droning voice. perfect sleep material

sydney: she gives herself stick and poke tattoos when she's bored

#asks #i used the relationship titles based on how grant would be related to them LOL #just to limit confusion #i'll come back and tag everyone later #jfsdjflkdjflksd RIP #but for now #hlcn: oc info #hlcn: story extras #hlcn: callahan family

[sp00kymulderr]

sweet tooth (Ezra x Reader)

Warnings: NSFW, but no actual smut. food play (chocolate being licked off the body, mainly), mentions of sex, described nudity, weirdly more fluff than intended.

Pairing: Ezra (Prospect) x F!Reader

Word Count: 3,258

Summary: Ezra has a sweet tooth, but is there anything sweeter than you?

A/N: if you’re seeing this for a second time it’s because I accidently deleted all the text in the original post when trying to edit it 🙃. Anyway, here is a fic about Ezra and chocolate. I feel like this is heavily inspired by my love @goldafterglow and some of her Ezra fics, so I hope she doesn’t mind me taking inspiration from her. Enjoy and let me know what you think, your comments are always appreciated!

Ezra has a sweet-tooth. It’s something he’s always had; ever since he was a child and he found himself unable to resist indulging in candies wherever he could find them. Always chasing that sticky, sugary high. Years on and he still finds himself craving that pleasurable rush.

Of course, confectionery isn’t so easy to get your hands on, not these days – transport commissaries sometimes stock the brightly coloured boiled sweets, the ones that crack your teeth and coat your mouth in a syrupy residue. Not unpleasant but not quite the thing Ezra finds himself wanting the most.

Chocolate was always his favourite; dark and bitter, creamy milk or sickeningly sweet white, he’ll doesn’t mind which as long as it tastes like the real thing. There is something about it that fills him with delight. Perhaps because it takes him back to a time when he was young, seeming so long ago, to those few years he had a place that was almost home to him. Where blueberry bushes grew around the farm, and he can still taste the bursting fruits covered in the white chocolate that one of the farmhands used to bring back from the market every few weeks. After the long day of toiling was done, the workers would sit around the pot of melted chocolate and dip in skewers of berries while swapping stories and laughing ‘til the sun went down. Ezra met his first love over those shared fondues, so it is a memory and a taste he knows he will never forget, something so blissful and made only more so by time.

All he really has is the memory of the taste. The only thing mass-produced and readily available is Bits Bars, but even when food is scarce those are a misery – sad and cardboardy, made for nutrition and not enjoyment. Nowadays real chocolate bars are like gold dust; the ingredients are difficult to find on most planets, the climate rarely being right for growing the cacao beans. Occasionally it is possible to stumble upon something homemade, sold in brightly wrapped little bars, on planets with the right resources. That is always a fortuitous moment of delight to Ezra, and as long as he can afford to he will always buy a small amount and make it last as long as possible, savouring the taste and every morsel of a happy memory it brings him.

Truly it makes him only more thankful to have you, his own sweet love. You and your candied kisses with your lips so gentle on his. Your honeyed, tender words intoxicating him. The high is almost the same; that warm, syrupy feeling that consumes him. And yet you have never had the pleasure of trying his other favourite luxury, and Ezra finds it unfair; If anyone deserves that sweetness it’s you.

So when, finally, finally, after too many cycles of searching Ezra finally finds the elusive treat at a small market in some isolated town between jobs, he can’t help but spend an inordinate amount of his credits on two foil wrapped bars of the delicacy. What luck, he thinks, that he finds it now. He is overjoyed, so pleased with himself like he’s just found the most perfect pull of aurelac. He cannot hide the excited smile from you for even a moment once he finds you quickly in a neighbouring alley of the marketplace.

“What’s got you so happy?” you ask, noticing his sunny demeanour straight away, nothing like how you feel trying to barter for parts with unwilling vendors all morning and shivering in to your old, worn coat. It’s cold, and you’re exhausted, just wanting to rest your aching body safe in his arms for a few hours.

And of course Ezra knows you’re tired, that you’re struggling. He’s noticed that your spirits have become more and more dulled over the last couple jobs as the toil of the life catches up with you – he knows the feeling all too well, can spot it a mile off. Truth be told he feels responsible, whether he should or not, and some desperate part of him hopes that the small offering will spark some new joy in you, like it does him.

“I have something for you, moonflower. A rarity almost as perfectly sweet as you” he tells you, moving closer to press his lips to yours, thrilled. Admittedly you’re intrigued, charmed by his enlivened manner.

He seems different to you in this moment. Almost younger; not that Ezra has ever truly seemed old to you but that weariness he always carries with him – that comes with drifting and living from job to job for as long as he has – has practically vanished in the few moments you were separated at the market. His eyes shine like they hold all the stars in them, and it lifts your heart to see him so light. It’s all you want, to see him carefree, and you can sense his good mood breathed in to you like you are one and the same. It’s quite catching and you find yourself giggling at him as he offers you another excited kiss and takes hold of your hand, practically dragging you away from the market and back to the meagre accommodations you had rented for the week.

------

You gladly let him rouse your spirits with increasingly fervent kisses as you make your way back, and find yourself hungry for him quickly. At the lodging he seems to forget about your gift for a moment, as you enter and he’s pushing you up against the nearest wall before the door has even closed behind you. It’s a breathless exchange of ardent, fiery need. Touches that warm you quickly, heat twisting in your core when he palms at you with an eagerness. He always makes you feel like you are so deeply wanted.

“I can never get enough you, stardust” he mutters against your jaw before kissing down your neck and eliciting an excited gasp from you.

“I feel the same way, sunbeam” you respond in kind, using the nickname he had earned because of the lovely tuft of blonde hair you were so fond of running your fingers through. He hums happily at the moniker, burying his face against the crook of your neck almost bashfully.

“So, is this my gift? Not that I’m complaining...” you chuckle, more a breathy giggle as his fingers slide under your shirt and run feather-light up your side. Your mood has shifted entirely, in the last half hour, and you find yourself greedy for more of his addictive ebullience.

“Ah no, I have something even better for you. Your beauty is frankly quite distracting” he answers amusedly after a moment, like he is shook out of some daze and reminded of his plans. He gives you two more soft kisses, making you sigh once he pulls away, before he is picking up the mystery bag and striding eagerly towards the small kitchen.

“Be quick” you beg, already craving the warmth of him crowding you again. Oh, the ways he fills you with life, makes you come to life.

“You have my assurance of that, stardust. I do hate to keep you waiting” he chuckles, turning to look at you as he speaks.

Your eyes meet and you are suddenly transfixed at the notion of him, a man so doting and kind and so giving of himself to you. How did you ever get so lucky? Every time you feel yourself slipping in to displacement and exhaustion it’s like he knows, and he finds a way to pull you from it and keep you steady. He is your sunbeam; and all you need is to luxuriate in his glow.

He is your love, nothing has ever been truer.

And right now you need to feel him, you need your love to touch you any way he wants to. All at once as you muse on his rich brown eyes and his handsome form, you’re overwhelmed with it; the lust he sparks in you, the desire to be his and to make him yours as you have a hundred times before. But still you want it, want him, so badly that you notice your blood thrum in your veins from the intensity of your need. There was never this urgency with anyone else, but Ezra can light a fire burning in your core with a simple look, a word, a single touch. He strikes a match, stokes the fire, and you burn for him.

You make your ways towards him, pressing yourself against his back and your hands sliding down from his lower back. He lets out a low groan, and draws a breath when your mouth meets the skin of his neck and you bite down gently just enough to let him feel the indent of your teeth against him.

“Your impatience is admirable” he laughs, not trying to shuck you off or shoo you away, genuinely sounding entirely taken with your determination.

“Take me to bed, Ezra” you whisper against him before placing open mouthed kisses up his neck and to his jaw, “I want you”.

“Believe me, I intend on taking you to bed. But I have something for you first, remember?”

“Mhhmm” you affirm but still preoccupied with him, teeth scraping against the shell of his ear before you kiss the patch of skin just underneath.

He turns and you let go of him, but stay close enough that you’re pleased you can feel his own arousal against you. Enticed, you make to reach down, want to take him in your hand and feel that pleasurable weight of him in your grip, but he catches your attention and your eyes are drawn to the small square he’s holding between his fingers.

“What’s that?” you query, curious because you know if Ezra used his hard-earned credits for it, it must be something special.

“Open your mouth” is all his says, deep voice sending a shiver of desire through you “Trust me, it’s good”.

You trust him implicitly in everything, including this. And besides when was the last time you ate anything decent, anything that wasn’t some miserable beige gruel?

You open your mouth, interested, and he gently places the little square on the front of your tongue. As you close your mouth and bite down, your eyes widen and Ezra titters excitedly at the way you close your eyes and moan at the delicious sweetness of the food.

It’s unlike anything you’ve ever had before.

Sure some of the nutri-bars that get packed on long-range jobs have vaguely similar tastes but where those are dull and hard, this delicacy has more flavour than you’ve ever experienced previously. It’s heavily sugary but it’s not too much, the right balance of sweet and bitter, and it’s a flavour that fills you with pleasure. And the way it melts on your tongue, so heavenly smooth as you quickly finish it.

Once you open your eyes Ezra is practically beaming at you; bright eyes watching you take in the delicate gift he was so excited to give you.

“Good?” he asks but he already knows the answer.

You surge forward and kiss him hard, opening up to let him taste the trace of flavour left on your tongue. His hand holds the back of your head, not letting you break away until he’s satisfied.

“Incredible” you pant out when he finally breaks the kiss, answering his earlier question. “Ezra, is this what I think it is? Chocolate? It’s so...so…” you mutter out enthusiastically, you can’t think straight; between the devastating kiss, the heady aftertaste of the confectionery, and the way he’s so happily smiling as you talk.

“You should have some” you reach behind him to where a few more pieces have been chopped off the bar. He shakes his head and takes your hand, looking in to your eyes with such smouldering intensity you’re suddenly breathless.

“I have a proposition for you, moonflower. See, I know this will taste divine but I have a theory it will be even more so if I were to sample it on you. Taste is straight from your body. Can I do that?” he speaks slowly but he can’t find the excited lilt to his tone. Searching for any hesitation in your response he finds none, all you can do is nod - dumbfounded by how suddenly hot it is in the small room.

With a smile he kisses you again, quick and light. He’s clearly been thinking about this since the market, that’s what got him so excited, and now he’s so obviously pleased that he can put his plan in to action. You want to tell him he can do anything he wants but all you can do is whimper at the contact of his lips on yours for the mere seconds they are.

“Good. Now, take your clothes off for me”  

------

Ezra sits besides you on the bed and takes in the sight of you for a moment; you now naked save for your clearly already soaked underwear, he runs a finger from your inner wrist up and enjoys the trail of goosebumps that form from your anticipation. He leans over and presses his lips to yours lovingly and then he is softly pushing you to lie down. You see that excited glint still shining in his eyes and it makes you wonder if this is something he’s been imaging for a while, or perhaps something he’s enjoyed before. You’ll have to ask him about that another time.

He climbs over you and straddles low on your thighs, reaching over to the nightstand and dipping two fingers in to the small ceramic pot there. He starts with a soft touch of the now-melted chocolate to the exposed skin of your stomach, just to the right of your bellybutton. You relax in to his touch and the feeling of the fluid as he traces lightly. It’s thick, slightly sticky, and enjoyably warm on you, and you can’t help but be reminded of the other way he likes to paint your body. The reminder sets off another heavy wave of arousal through you.

When he’s finished placing his surprisingly intricate design, Ezra brings his hand up and taps two fingers gently to your lips. You take them in to your mouth eagerly, eliciting a gasp once the delectable taste of it hits your tastebuds again. It is so sweet; truly sweeter than anything else you can think of. You let his fingers go, overwhelmed with this second taste. The saccharine confection is almost overpowering, it makes your head spin, it’s so much more decadent than anything you’re used to.

How did he even find this delicacy, this rare sugary bliss? You haven’t seen it at any market for years, it’s a wonder that he chanced upon it in this backwater town. You look down at him, want to ask, but you’re words are trapped somewhere in the back of your throat when he leans down to where his fingers had been gently tracing on your stomach. His tongue flattens against your skin, pressing down until he’s licking up the melted chocolate straight from you.

You could burst, just from the sensation of his tongue laving against your skin. He moves slowly, savouring every moment and every burst of flavour, and it’s easy to see how much he’s enjoying himself in this new way of exploring your body. You feel enthralled by the feel of him like this, his mouth hot against you and his rough hand gripping at your hip to keep him steady.

“Exquisite” he groans out, and you feel your whole body tremble at the deep cadence of his voice. It takes everything you have not to beg him to fuck you right now. The sensual, heady air in the room making it almost impossible to think of anything else.

“Ezra...” you breath his name out, shakily.

Before you can voice your thoughts, he’s reaching for more and this time smearing it in the valley of your breasts, and once again offering you his fingers to clean off. This time you swirl your tongue around the digits, suck on them a little just so you can hear him moan your name. You smile sweetly at him, innocent. And he laughs amusedly before he pulls back, admiring the intricate pattern shining on your chest. He’s quite the artist, and you are certainly his favourite canvas.

“I can’t determine…” he starts before licking a long stripe, “which is sweeter, you or the chocolate”.

And maybe you could think of a smart answer, but he’s reaching up again and of course this time he can’t resist running a circle of the liquid around your nipple, sucking it in to his mouth and then pulling it gently between his teeth and making you cry out in surprised pleasure. You go blank for a moment or two as he gives the same attention on the other side. He always knows how to turn you speechless.

Ezra leans forward, forehead to yours and you whimper quietly at the intimacy of the action.

“But I am certain you are the most delectable treasure on this or any other planet, my stardust.” it’s soft, impossibly adoring, the way he says it. It makes your heart stutter at the pure devotion.

“Kiss me, please” you just about manage, suddenly so overcome, needing to feel grounded.

He obliges immediately, and you wrap your arms around him and pull him down on to you, sticky skin be damned. You stay like that for a while longer, enjoying his heat and weight on you, the haste you felt earlier dissipating as you just enjoy him.

Eventually you reach up to blindly dip an index finger in to the pot while he’s mouthing down your throat, and when he looks up to see what you’re doing you dab the liquid right on the tip of his nose, immediately breaking out in to a fit of giggles even as you kiss it off. Ezra laughs with you, thrilled by your playfulness and he soon joins in; making you squeal when he does the same to you on your nose and all over your face then licking away the mess between giggles and kisses.

You both laugh until your breathless, until you feel light, until he collapses against your side on the cosy bed. Being able to laugh with Ezra, even in these most intimate moments, is one of the things that keeps you going. The lilting, delightful sound of his laughter is like your own personal sugar rush.

When you quiet down to steady breaths again, your heart flips at the beauty of the happy man besides you.

“I love you” you murmur, stroking a hand over his cheek.

“And stardust, I love you more than any other sweet thing in this life” he whispers back, and you want to bask in the words, like sunlight on a cold day. For a moment you do, the two of you just enjoying the quiet paradise of each other until you start to feel the urgency of lust once more. You lean forward and kiss him hard, passionate, knowing exactly what you want to happen next.

Doing your best to mimic his earlier instruction, you climb off the bed and make for the kitchen again, turning to him before you leave the room.

“Now take off your clothes, sunbeam. It’s my turn”

Permanent tag list:

@youhavereachedtheendofpie @princessbatears @catfishingmorales @hdlynn @fleetwoodmactshirts @chews-erotically​ @keeper0fthestars​ @marydjarin​ @readsalot73​ @a-seeker-of-imagination​ @agentpike​ @heatherbel​ @din-damn-djarin​ @seasonschange-butpeopledont​ @mstgsmy​

Ezra tag list:

@pedropascallion​

#ezra x reader #ezra prospect x reader #ezra (prospect) #pedro pascal #ezra x you #fic #fanfic #reader-insert #one-shot

[arcticdementor]

Warning: a longpost

Tensions between the social effects and "imperatives" of technological developments and elements of our human natures are not new — people have been debating it as far back as Diogenes, Confucius, and Laozi. But in recent discussions, I note a rather stark polarity.

On the one end, you have the people for whom the human must be subordinated to the technological. Issues created by technology cannot be fought, only individually adapted to, mostly via more technology. The people who will admit — or even go on at length — about the toxicity of social media… and yet for whom the idea of actually doing anything about it — other than individually tuning out if you can — is anathema, and they react with horror when you raise the possibility. People whose response to widespread obesity, particularly among the poor, as a result of modern lifestyles is pushing bariatric surgery (like some doctors friends and family have dealt with). Or at further extreme, singularitarian or singularitarian-adjacent ends, the people who look at our society's increasing difficulty producing future generations, and say either that it's no biggie because Any Day Now™ we'll cure aging and no longer need future generations, or it's no biggie because Any Day Now™ we'll figure out the tech for mass-manufacture of future generations like Brave New World or Battletech's Clans. At the furthest, you have the people who take the Marxist arguments about the "inherent contradictions" between industrial "capitalism" and human flourishing… and say 'so much the worse for humanity; time to start engineering the AI corporations to replace us dumb monkeys' like Nick Land.

Then you have the people at the other end, who go Luddite. Again, you can go back to filthy hobo Diogenes for this one. You've got the "environmentalists" who see anything more advanced than being a hunter-gatherer as the "rape of Mother Nature" and who unironically quote Agent Smith. Then there's the Right-wing primitivists who note that preindustrial societies cannot afford much leftism, and therefore argue that giving up electricity, indoor plumbing, medicine that works, etc. (let alone escaping this small, fragile planet) are all a small price to pay to Own the Libs.

But Confucius, while acknowledging that the creations of the Sage Kings, in bringing us from the "Greater Harmony" to the "Lesser Peace," created a certain tension between societal requirements and our human nature, pointed out that such things, like buildings, and clothing, and fire, and agriculture, and writing, et cetera, are worth the trade-off as opposed to a more natural lifestyle as naked cavemen. But, accepting the trade-off doesn't mean we can't do things to ameliorate those tensions and try to reduce the negative impacts.

Tyler Cowen posited his future Average Is Over dystopia of the vast majority of the population relegated to being impoverished, packed into overcrowded favelas eating beans and bugs, pacified by VR, drugs, and omnipresent government surveillance and enforcement… and when confronted about the undesirability of such and how we might avoid it, simply proclaims it inevitable: the Economy has spoken, and we humans can only obey its dictates. Whatever happened to the idea that our tools and our economy exist to serve us, and our human needs, rather than us existing to serve their needs? Okay, probably most people who held that view from a secular perspective likely ended up embracing Marxism as the means of doing so, and then Marxism failed. (This links in to my unwritten potential post about how Wokism is neither Marxist nor postmodern, despite drawing partially from both.) And those who did so from a religious perspective ended up divided by their various specific sectarian views and given to "solutions" that boil down to unsupported individual piety — or else, being the Amish.

There's that whole bit about "unless you're over 60, you weren't promised flying cars. You were promised an oppressive cyberpunk dystopia." And plenty of people have covered this ground before, about how our visions of technological progress used to be about how it would make our lives better and allow us to better pursue our various human ends, but now are all about how it will make our lives worse and force us to pursue its various inhuman ends. Even the few "optimistic" visions are hyper-individualist, and when confronted about man's nature as a social animal, either insist that said needs will be met through "relationships" with individualized AI surrogates (the whole "2d > 3d," yay sexbots view), or else that the need for human connection will prove yet another "flaw" to be engineered out in whatever manner of "posthuman" creatures replace us.

I look back on those more optimistic visions. At what past societies considered a better future, before we gave up on it. And I note how even the utopian visions of 19th century socialists are, compared to our day, rather spectacularly un-Woke — and definitely better than 'soypunk dystopia, but at least with rainbow flags and nobody being misgendered while they toil for Amazon.'

And, of course, if you go further back, you eventually end up before any serious ideas of progress. Then, ideas about a better world were not speculations about the future, but about the afterlife. I recall a couple of discussions about Bleach, Soul Society, and the average Tenth Century Japanese peasant's idea of Paradise; or (IIRC, prompted by some terrible "humanity curbstomps the invading Legions of Hell who are wielding Bronze Age weapons against modern militaries" story on SpaceBattles) what a Bronze Age goat-herder would consider Heaven?

Are subordination to technological imperatives or Luddism really the only two choices? Are we really left with either the poor afflicted with starvation or the poor afflicted with obesity? For those of us who find the society "progress" has created increasingly alienated, and who prefer older visions and modes of living more attractive, is total renunciation and "going full Amish" really the only alternative?

I look at writers like Chesterton and Lewis and Tolkien, and their ideal social structures, and I think, isn't there some way that technological progress can be channeled towards allowing us — or, at least those of us who want to — to achieve a better, more comfortable, more broadly-available, less labor-intensive version of the Shire Hobbit lifestyle, rather than better digital circuses to numb us while we all eat bugs in our dorm tubes in Scat Francisco?

Or, for those of you so inclined, a better, more comfortable, more broadly-available, less labor-intensive version of the Oscar Wilde lifestyle? After all, I note that a perennial condemnation of aristocrats has been about what big, degenerate perverts they are behind closed doors — that de Sade got in trouble, more for atheism, but also for the "writing publicly about it" part? I mean, aside from maybe @ponteh2dhh1ksdiwesph2tres, where are the people trying to work out, instead of "Fully-Automated Luxury Gay Space Communism," how we might create "Fully-Automated Decadent Space Aristocracy"? Where are the people trying to use computers and AI to create a better version of the Imperial court of Elagabalus without all the slavery and need for foreign conquest to pay for its orgies?

Is there even a term for this idea, of using technology to create better versions of the past, rather than simply letting "progress" take us wherever it will, and all negative consequences treated as simply things we must each individually struggle to avoid and cope with, with all of us in competition against one another to become one of those chosen few ultra-rich tech overlords wealthy enough to escape living in the favelas, the few powerful enough to avoid ruination should one end up on the wrong end of Twitter cancelation?

Wow. Look at me, gloomy pessimist that I am, actually calling for some optimism and hope for the future. Yeah, I probably shouldn't have even bothered with the effort of writing this post. Because of course the only possible futures are all terrible.

[plannedscape]

Tw this is kind of a dismal outlook but i need to rant for a moment

I know people make like shitposts about vegetarians and that shouldn't be the case, but it's got me thinking about farming practices, because genuinely we treat plants as badly as we treat animals. Like, without even going into the mistreatment of the people who work with the plants, because that deserves to be its own topic, even beyond that, the soil management and pesticide use and tilling practices are bad enough for ecosystems on their own. And without even going into the deforestation and other environmental destruction that occurs in the interest of crop farming, the plants themselves are capable of recognizing threats. They may not hurt as we do, but they certainly respond to attack and injury. Plants are not passive features, they are still living beings who fight to stay that way as much as we do.

Plants and insects may not have the same charismatic, sympathetic eyes of livestock animals, but anything you eat, and any beverage you drink, has at least some components that were once part of a living being. Anything you can eat, someone or something toiled for, whether it's overcrowded animals, or plants in depleted soil, or laborers underpaid and overworked.

I'm not trying to argue that we should prioritize plant suffering over animal suffering, but just because plants express distress differently doesn't mean that they don't fight for survival just like anything else.

The only things I can think of that aren't a direct product of living beings are salt and water, and you can't survive off those. Even things that can be collected without hurting or killing, like honey and nectar and even milk, you can't survive off that.

There's maybe a separate argument to be made about people who will eat chia sprouts, which is a living thing, but won't eat honey, which is not. Or people who will eat beans and sunflower seeds, but won't eat eggs because they could turn into chickens. But i don't think that argument is especially nice or fair to those people, and it would get into some pretty vile territory if you extend the metaphor. To be clear, my argument would be in favor of eating eggs, not against eating seeds.

While we're clarifying my point - i'm not saying you need to feel bad about eating! You don't need to feel bad about the part where you need to eat other life forms to survive, because you can't do anything about that. You can't feed off sunlight like plants or heat like deep sea bacteria, you are a heteroproph, and anything you eat, something will have died for, even if it is "just" plants. Feel bad about the part we could maybe do something about. Feel bad about the mistreatment of animals and the depletion of soil and the toil of laborers, if feeling bad leads you to do something about it - vote better, sign petitions, write to people, shop responsibly, whatever you can. I just don't subscribe to the mindset i occasionally see that "i dont want to eat animals because i dont want things to die for my meal." Plants die too. I have all the respect in the world for vegetarians who choose that lifestyle because they don't support industry animal farms, or because it's healthier for them personally. That's great. But I find it hard to be on board with the suffering argument knowing all the ways that plants grow and struggle and defend themselves and each other. I can't feel bad about some of it and not feel bad about all of it.

I don't really have an uplifting conclusion here. I guess the point of all this is, take care of yourself? You are a living creature too, you are maybe fighting for survival. If you're trying to minimize the hurt you cause, maybe that is enough? You don't need a reason to justify eating food, wanting to stay alive is enough. If you really must justify to yourself, like i do, you can tell yourself that you have to eat to survive to make the world a better place - that the enegy you gain from food, you spend supporting your friends, and learning how to be more ethical, and making art or doing a job or being there for people in ways that improve other lives. That you'll use that energy to fight against unnecessary loss of life, to argue that farming practices need reform to minimize suffering for all life involved. But just... you don't need to feel bad about eating food. Wanting to live is enough.

#this was all over the place i know #i have a lot of feelings and i just got up

[vannahfanfics]

Treat, Mei x Melissa

You got it, friend! Hmm, what treat can I think up for these two lovely ladies? 

The Night is Young

Mei ignored the drooping in her eyelids as she hunched over her worktable painstakingly winding screws into her latest contraption. It’s only 11 p.m.! The night is still young! she thought as she barely suppressed a loud yawn with the back of her hand. There’s still plenty of work to do. Can’t stop now! Thus, she ignored her body screaming in exhaustion as she continued to toil away at her work. 

Mei hadn’t realized how gloomy her lab was until the door opened and light from the illuminated hall flooded in. Mei sat up in her chair blinking rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. A shadow bobbed in the doorway, but her tired eyes took a few moments to recognize the form. 

“Oh! Melissa!” Mei crooned when she finally cognized the bubbly blonde standing in the threshold. Melissa pursed her lips and flicked on the remainder of the fluorescent lights, causing Mei to hiss and curl into herself as her corneas were assaulted by the bright beams. Melissa tutted as she approached Mei at the workbench. 

“Oh, Mei. Putting in the midnight oil again?” 

Ever since Mei had graduated from U.A.’s Support Course and begun working on I-Island, she had been assigned to Melissa Shield’s lab group. Mei greatly admired the brilliant woman, and in the short time they’d been working together, they’d become the best of friends. Mei and Melissa often talked well into the night about their latest ideas and worked together on many a project— when Mei wasn’t holed up in the lab working on her “babies.” 

“Yep, yep! My newest baby is almost complete!” she cried as she whirled in the chair. However, as she looked at it, she was not nearly as far along as she thought. “Hmm, well... Maybe halfway? At least a third,” she hummed and tapped her index finger against her pursed lips. Melissa smiled concertedly and looked at the haphazardly arranged pieces of metal and screws comprising her “baby.” 

“I suppose you won’t listen to me if I tell you that you should get some rest?” Melissa smirked in slight amusement. Mei stretched her arms above her head, brain still whirling with the plans to bring her invention to life. 

“Come on, Melissa! It’s not that late!” she insisted and reached for the screwdriver again. Melissa just shook her head, but it was too often an occurrence for her to be in disbelief. 

“I thought you’d say that. I brought your favorite,” Melissa hummed as she set a paper coffee cup on the workbench. Mei squealed and snatched it right up, inhaling the decadent aroma wafting up from the lid. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg titillated her nostrils, making her sigh in contentment. When she sipped the coffee, its warmth flooded every corner of her being, buoying her body up on clouds of coffee beans and cream. 

Melissa had always been kind like that, bringing Mei little treats while she toiled away in the laboratory. Sometimes Mei stayed late on purpose, just so she and Melissa could have these isolated moments like this with only the night and their creative minds. 

Mei grinned wildly as her energy came rushing back to her. Whether it was the brew or Melissa’s presence, she didn’t know, but what was the point in trying to riddle it out when there was still so much work to be done?

“O-kay!” she cried as she slammed the coffee down on the workbench and clenched her fists determinedly. Steam nearly poured from her ears from how fast the gears in her brain were whirring. Her hands scrabbled over her tools and parts as she muttered under her breath. Melissa leaned against the workbench to watch her with a serene smile, occasionally offering advice that Mei would excitedly praise. Melissa had no obligation to stay, but she did, just like she always did when Mei got on these invigorated inventing binges. 

The scent of nutmeg and cinnamon and coffee embraced the two inventors as the night deepened— but it was still young, right up until they both fell asleep on the laboratory floor with Mei’s completed contraption and an empty coffee cup nestled between them. Smiles painted their restful faces as the sunbeams poured over their forms, but they continued to sleep peacefully on. 

Enjoy this drabble? Feel free to find more on my Table of Contents!

#meilissa #mei x melissa #mei hatsume #hatsume mei #melissa shield #bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia

[squiishiichaos]

How We Cope: 2, Travel Part 1

Eos would’ve been a truly beautiful world, Riku thought, if only they hadn’t landed in an endless desert wasteland.  

(Read previous chapters here!)

With miles of wilderness in all directions and no sign of civilization anywhere to be seen, the Silveret wasn’t sure what their navigation gummi had sensed that led it here.   In retrospect, he supposed that trusting Roxas to just let the ship lead them where it would wasn’t one of his best decisions, but considering all the items they needed to acquire before this mission was done, Riku couldn’t say he was all that disappointed.   If nothing else, at least it was nice to have company his own age for once.  

What was this—the first time?  

It felt like the first time.    

So did going around an unknown world without the threat of imminent doom sitting pretty on his shoulders.   A part of him wondered if he’d ever been to any places in the past where he felt safe enough—comfortable enough—to just enjoy the scenery without looking over his shoulder every five seconds.    If he’d ever stood in a room without feeling eyes watching him from shadows, waiting for him to make a mistake; to show weakness. He couldn’t remember.   No matter how hard he tried, all he could recall were cold shoulders and even colder glares.

Even after all that, Riku couldn’t stop asking himself, how could I have been so blind?

Well, at least you can see well enough to know that’s not a tomato, he commended himself as he watched Roxas bend down to grab the ninth leiden potato in a row.   No matter how the blonde wiped dirt off the root vegetable, it remained crusted with a layer of cracked earth.     He let out a heave of breath, falling hard onto the ground while mindlessly throwing the potato up to him.

Riku caught it effortlessly.   “Giving up already?”

“It’s hot,” Roxas returned flatly, “I’m tired, and there are no goddamn tomatoes on this fucking world.”

“There has to be tomatoes somewhere,” he assured. “Besides, that’s only one missing item on the list.  We still have a whole host of other ingredients we’ve yet to find.”

“Wow, you are just a beacon of encouragement,” Roxas chided, lying down on the ground with his hands folded beneath his head.  Was it bad that he kind of wanted to kick him?  

“Like you’re any better.”  

“I’m not the one who walked into the Bistro during the busiest hours to tell everyone I was going on a long ass quest of self-exploration.    Don’t pin this on me.”   It was definitely bad that he wanted to kick him.  

“Look, I just wanted our friends to know where we were going.”

“Why?  So if we got eaten by the Heartless we haven’t even seen they could put their whole head together in some botched attempt to rescue us?”  

“Are you always this pessimistic?”

“Do you always ask this many questions?”  Okay, on second thought, maybe it was better he traveled with older individuals.  

The darkness had nothing on Roxas.   “You could’ve stepped in and told them to fuck off like you so enjoy telling me.”

“Jealous?”  Riku rolled his eyes.  

Lying there, peaceful and relaxed, it was hard to believe this was the person who made him contemplate the morality of murder on a daily basis.   But Roxas had always been an anomaly to him.  The way he wore darkness like it was a second skin while wielding light without any effort.    The way he picked fights with all the confidence of victory on his side, never counting his losses.   The fact he could stand toe to toe with someone like Xemnas and say the boldest of words and absolutely mean them.  

He wasn’t sure if the Blonde was someone to be idolized or feared, but he was sure that no light should look as good as his cohort looked bathed in his shadow.    “I guess I’ll just find the rest by myself, then, if you’re too lazy to help.”

“Good luck, Pretty Boy.”  With another roll of his eyes, Riku walked over the other boy, accidentally kicking his legs as he went.

He was beginning to regret this decision.  

At first, traveling with Roxas had been a godsend after months of lonely nights aboard the gummiship.   Sitting in the same seat Sora had sat time and time again, practically hearing his memories echoing off the walls along with snippets from Donald and Goofy had been almost too much for his heart to take after the incident.  Having someone else there—someone willing to talk—had filled that endless void with all the distractions he needed to bypass grief and dash straight back into focus.  But once the initial relief wore off, the realization of what he’d done sank in—deep and fast.  

Between the eight-hundred messages Roxas received daily in comparison to Riku’s one—if that—and the endless rounds of snarky wordplay that had no off-switch, he was starting to lose his mind.   If he was woken up one more time in the middle of a warp-gate to the Blonde’s phone chiming painfully into the night, murder would no longer be a possibility in his mind.  It’d be a very real, very bloody reality.  

This felt like fighting the darkness all over again, only somehow worse.   At least back then he had Sora to look forward to.   What did he have now?

Oh, right, nothing.

“Fucking Roxas…” He grumbled, kneeling down to inspect a small bush of pebble-like beans.   Shaking a few loose into his palms, he pocketed them into his satchel before standing back up and making his way forward.   On his far right, the first sign of civilization sat alone in the dilapidated ruins of a shack.  Unopened boxes sat cluttered by a hole where the entrance once stood, untouched by everything but dirt and aged dust.  Signs of weathering existed on each slat of wind-worn wood barely holding the tiny thing together.  Scars from sand storms bit dents and scratches into its bare bones, offering shadows where light reflected off the hollowed structure.  

Something about the shack drew him closer.   Carried him inside the rickety framing where pockets of isolated sunlight beamed down through the many cracks in the ceiling like a ladder of pock-marks leading him beyond the entrance and toward the very back of the building.  In the left corner, huddled beneath a series of faded, old newspapers sat a discarded little trinket.  Silver and round, it shone with the brilliance of an abandoned relic after his thumb brushed off some of the dust.  

A reflection of himself peered back from atop its surface, drawn in lines of curiosity and caution.  Traces of dirt and toil sat stark against the paleness of his skin, darkening strands of his hair from silvery-white to ash-grey. Emerald pools appeared large and tourmaline when he moved it closer for inspection, obscuring parts of the object from view like moss atop a rock.  Brushing his thumb over the surface again, he hissed as a sharpened edge dug into his skin, drawing out a pinprick of blood to the surface.  

Sucking on the cut to stem the bleeding, he quickly pocketed the piece into his pants before standing and retreating back the way he came.

With no new finds to mark off his list and no real discoveries of note, he found himself torn between returning to his cohort and just continuing on his merry way, but he could practically hear that all-too-familiar voice sharp in his ears, scolding him again.

Who are you trying to fool?  

Perhaps it was himself—again.  This time, he wasn’t so sure.  

Definitely not Roxas—at least that much he knew.   Even if he tried, he didn’t think he could hide from the Blonde.   He was too damn perceptive.  

“Back so soon, eh?”  Speaking of which, Riku rolled his eyes at the boy still lying still on the ground.     For all the different aspects that made the Blonde so vastly different from Sora, there were a plethora of others that reminded him—constantly—how similar the two were.    This particular one made Riku painfully nostalgic for lazy days on endless shores.   “Did you find any tomatoes?”

“No, but I did find signs of civilization and a couple of nifty trinkets.  Have you moved at all since I left?”

“Sure have.  Took a quick little walk in that direction,” Roxas drawled while lazily pointing away from them, “and found a billboard for an outpost called Hammerhead, or some shit.”

“Sounds super promising.”

“What?  You don’t believe me?”

“I’m pretty positive you haven’t moved an inch since I left.” At that, Roxas sat up and managed a glare at him.  

“You calling me a liar, Pretty Boy?”

“I sure as hell aren’t calling you cute.”  The Blonde let out a grunt of effort as he got to his feet, dusting off his clothes of any dirt clinging to the dense fabric.   Stepping closer, he poked a finger into Riku’s chest with a narrowed leer.

“First off,” he growled, wrapping his fist in one of Riku’s jacket lapels, “I am fucking adorable.  Secondly,” he continued while dragging the Silveret behind him, “the sign is right fucking there.”  

Sure enough, standing in stark contrast to the barren isolation all around it, that singular billboard rose over the landscape in a shadowy sheet of billowing letters printed into deteriorating steel.  A faded arrow pointed to the east of them with names and locations printed in a language that was strangely foreign to him.     How Roxas had managed to decipher anything with all that dirt and peeling plaster, Riku would probably never know, but given that the Blonde was still leading him down the pathway carved out by the arrow, he figured there was really no point in asking.

Might as well see where this goes, I guess.   “So, did that sign say anything about where to find ingredients?”

“I’d assume that an outpost in the middle of a goddamn desert would likely have something resembling a moogle store for us to peruse.”

“That feels a lot like cheating, Roxas.”  

“Does it?”  He finally let go of Riku’s collar, wiping his hand down his pant leg like there were cooties he just had to get off.   The Silveret couldn’t help a little leer.  “I think I prefer the term critical thinking.”

“Whether or not you want to accept it, this is a mission.   We should treat it like one.”  

“It wouldn’t be a mission if someone hadn’t bothered to offer in the first place.”  Riku rolled his eyes.

“It’s not that big a deal, Roxas.  It’s just a few more items and then we’ll be free to go wherever your sassy heart desires.” The Blonde spotted him a glare over his shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s what you said ten minutes ago when we got our twentieth potato in a row!  You do know that for a fraction of the munny we have saved up from our collective travels we could buy out a small shop of all these ingredients and more, right?”

“We don’t even know if this world takes munny.” This time, Roxas actually stopped and turned where he stood to glare up at Riku like he was the biggest idiot on the planet.   Maybe he was, judging by his choice of companion.

“What world doesn’t take munny?  What other currency even is there?”   Reaching into his pocket, Riku held up the chipped coin he’d found in the shack, letting it shine brightly in the afternoon light.

“This world has gil.”

“What the fuck is gil?”  Before the Blonde could snatch the silver piece from his palm, Riku jammed it back into his pocket and continued on their journey east, shaking his head.  

“Wow, Roxas.  Just…wow.”  

Silence enveloped them after that, lending a peace to the journey Riku thought impossible after all the tension lingering between them as of late.   Although it was a subtlety he prided himself on ignoring for the most part, he still felt the gap between them like the cold, icy chill of a drop off hidden beneath cerulean waves.  Like a cavernous depth waiting to engulf them, it only grew the longer the two of them tip-toed around the main reason—the only reason—they were even here in the first place.

But Riku didn’t want to be the one who said it, not when he felt like mentioning Sora around Roxas was somehow taboo.  

A large part of him—which he blamed on the Brunet—wanted to ask if he was okay. To see if the boy who’d been so deeply connected to his friend’s heart felt just how empty and bottomless the Silveret felt when he realized his best friend was gone.  If he sometimes woke up from a dream, ready to share it with the bubbly hero only to remember that he wasn’t there.  If he ever looked in the mirror, stared into his blue eyes and thought—I shouldn’t be here.  

Because Riku did—all the time.   A piece of him wanted to summon his keyblade right now and reach deep into the bowels of his heart for the last threads of Sora he could still feel tumbling around inside it. To cling to cherished memories and let them open the keyhole that’d lead him wherever his friend was resting now, if only so he could see him one last time.  

But I was the one who let him go, he always reminded himself.  This is what he wanted—what made him happy.   I can’t tarnish that because of my selfishness. 

A part of him kind of hoped Roxas was less selfless than him, but given that he had resumed begrudgingly retrieving random ingredients from any living vegetation willing to yield results, he didn’t think he’d have much luck.   No matter how boisterous and sarcastic the Blonde was, Sora had a way of leaving a lasting imprint on every heart he touched.   No doubt, it was even larger on the blonde than it even was on him.  

He must really miss him, he thought solemnly as Roxas quietly dropped a few pieces of root into their satchel of goods.   Riku decided to take mercy on the poor sap.  

“Well, I think that’s pretty much everything on the list.”

“Fucking finally…” The Blonde grumbled, kicking at the ground.   They both stopped and looked at the strange, paper object that tumbled away with the momentum of the hit.   Already furrowed brows came together in a disgruntled look of surprise. “Cup noodles?  Out here in the desert?”

Riku glanced down at him sheepishly.  “What’re cup noodles?”

The Blonde stared back in disbelief.  “How do you not know what cup noodles are?  What kind of teenager are you?”

“The kind who got swallowed by darkness and subsequently charged with saving the world?”  For a long, quiet moment, Roxas did nothing but leer at him. 

After what felt like decades, he finally responded, “anything else you wanna unpack while we’re here?”

“Now that you mention it—”

“That was rhetorical,” he interrupted, dismissing Riku’s soft words with a careless wave.  He stomped over to the cup and crouched down to poke at its flimsy surface with a ringed finger.  “But seriously, where did this come from?”

“Didn’t you say there’s an outpost nearby?  Maybe someone dropped it on their way back from it.”  Roxas shook his head as he picked up the cup and inspected it for any clues.  Turning it this way and that in the sunlight, he glanced briefly back at Riku.

“It’s still pretty warm—too warm for a building that’s nowhere in sight.” Putting the cup back down, he took a quick picture of it with his gummi-phone before standing back up. Riku casually jerked his head at the winding dirt roads heading deeper into the open mountains.

“Why don’t we follow the trails?  We might find something.”

“Yeah?  Like what? More ingredients?”  Offering a smirk, he took the first step off the road and into unknown territory.

“If we’re lucky, sure.”

“Well, in that case, I guess we’ll be eating death for the next couple mornings.”

Riku rolled his eyes.  “Are you always like this or are you just being extra dramatic for me?”

Roxas’s grin was nothing short of shit-eating.  “That’s cute, you think I act different around you.”

“Alright then, hot shot,” he taunted, reaching for his phone, “let me just call Xion or Ax—”

“Don’t you fucking dare, Pretty Boy.”

Riku shrugged, letting the plastic fall back into the depths of his pocket, “I guess that proves I’m right.”

“How the fuck does that—” Whatever the Blonde was about to say died as a loud click boomed through the emptiness.   Both boys shared a quick look before their keyblades materialized into their hands, ready for whatever monster wished to disturb their peace.  

Instead of a heartless, a lanky Blonde with hair oddly similar to Roxas’s smiled sheepishly at them while holding his camera up in surrender.  “Hey, uh, sorry about that!  I didn’t think you guys would notice me in the midst of your couple’s spat!”

Riku went ghost white as Roxas shaded an angry red. “We’re not even friends.”

“Hah, well, you certainly fooled me.”  Casually heading down towards them, Riku and Roxas finally let their weapons dematerialize back into their hearts. The man didn’t even blink.  “The name’s Prompto, by the way.   Are you guys new here?”

“No,” Roxas seethed, his blue eyes narrowed into a deadly glare, “are you?”  Despite the storm clouds backing each and every syllable, Prompt still managed a light-hearted laugh.

“’Fraid not!  Me and a couple of pals are on a road trip to Altissia!”

“What are you doing out here, then?”  Riku questioned, gesturing at the barren landscape around them.   For a moment, Prompto just bit his lip and contemplated them, but after a couple of seconds, he gave a large shrug and stepped closer to them.   

“Can you guys keep a secret?”  He asked on a conspiratorial whisper.

Riku answered, “yes,” right as Roxas responded, “no.”  Unfazed by their lack of synchronization, the Blonde leaned an inch closer and looked at them in turn with the eyes of someone who had definitely seen some shit.

Oh no, not again.  “See, my friend is kind of a big deal around here. The biggest deal, so we have to keep to the outskirts or he might be assassinated.”  

Taking a moment to let that sink in, Roxas looked up at Riku and stared with all the disdain of the world over.  “Oh,” he said in that penetratingly flat tone, “wonderful.”

“Yeah!  Come on,” Prompto encouraged with a jerk of his thumb up the mountain, “I’ll introduce you!”   Without waiting for an answer, he dashed off at a clumsy pace, looking back only once to make sure they were there behind him.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Roxas leaned into his space and whispered, “have I mentioned this was a bad idea?”

“Only six times.”

“Only six? Wow,” the Blonde proclaimed, actually looking pleased at this information, “I’m proud of myself.”

“It might have been more,” Riku teased, “but I tuned you out after the first two.”  Throwing a narrowed glare at him, the Blonde stomped after Prompt with a little huff.

Despite himself, Riku thought, I’m glad I brought him along for this.  You really have a great Other, Sora, with a smile up at the bright blue sky.  

“Come on, you slow poke!  Demyx’s somebody is getting away!”  I take that back, he thought as he nearly doubled over in laughter, you have the best other.

#rikuroku #riku #roxas #soroku #soriku #how we cope #ffxv #kind of #kh3spoilers

[bestmanualcoffeegrinder-blog]

Instructions to Grind Coffee Beans Without a Grinder

In case you're not kidding about your espresso, you have a dependable processor sitting on your kitchen counter at the present time.

Be that as it may, an espresso processor is mechanical, and regardless of how incredible it will be, it will inevitably separate.

Have you at any point stood sobbing in the dimness before anything else, in light of the fact that your processor surrendered the phantom? OK, perhaps you didn't really cry, yet we wouldn't accuse you on the off chance that you did. A messed up espresso processor is certainly not a decent method to begin your day. Nor is depending on gross, drive-through espresso to shield you from nodding off during your regularly scheduled drive.

Regardless of whether you don't have an issue with your processor, you could simply be some place you don't have one helpful. Whatever the reason—you have espresso beans, water, and no espresso. However.

Dread not! We'll tell you the best way to granulate espresso beans utilizing devices you can discover in many kitchens.

Voyaging?

You'll have the option to discover at any rate a couple of the apparatuses essential for pounding espresso beans in a normal drug store or enormous box store. Hello, in case you're extremely hard squeezed for instruments, you can generally go full cave dweller and crush up your espresso beans with a major shake. In any case, before you do that, think about some progressively cultivated alternatives.

Bean Grinding Tools

When you're working with negligible assets for crushing espresso beans, you must get imaginative. Check out your kitchen or the corner store closest your campground, and check whether you can discover any of the devices you can use for crushing your espresso beans without a processor.

Clearly you need to transform your espresso beans into toils you can use to mix some espresso. You definitely realize how to pound your espresso beans the typical way, the objective here is to get your beans as near the standard consistency as would be prudent, so you can mix a pleasant mug of espresso. Else, you could simply hurried to the corner store and purchase some consumed espresso, as opposed to utilize a moving pin for cautiously smashing and granulating your espresso beans close to medium-pound and mix your own.

In light of that, the way in to these strategies will ensure your beans are adequately ground or squashed without going over the edge and going them to tidy.

Blender

This option is somewhat self-evident. You're attempting to make sense of how to crush espresso beans without a processor, so you go somewhat to one side or right and snatch your blender. Have you at any point utilized your blender for pounding beans however? It's somewhat trickier than it sounds.

Some portion of the reason is blenders work best when there's fluid to help move around the solids you put in them. In the event that you've at any point made a smoothie or milkshake without enough fluid, you know how it can hang up your blender sharp edges and exhaust the engine. Do this over and over again and it can even consume your blender engine.

To get a fair medium granulate out of your blender, first verify whether it has a pound setting. In the event that it doesn't, or in case you're intending to utilize a one-speed individual blender, utilize this stunt: Add a modest quantity of beans, at that point crush them to legitimate consistency utilizing short blasts of intensity. Expel the toils, at that point crush another little serving.

This will take some time in case you're intending to blend an entire pot of espresso, however it can help keep your sharp edges from stalling out. On the off chance that you toss a large portion of a sack of espresso into any old blender, you'll have conflicting drudgeries with pieces of beans all through. Or on the other hand more regrettable—you could wear out your blender's engine attempting to carry out a responsibility it's only not up to.

Mortar and pestle

An unquestionably more acculturated alternative than a little shake and huge shake, yet at the same time quite old school, is the mortar and pestle. This strategy for smashing things goes back to antiquated Egypt. You may have one of these in your kitchen for making pesto, aioli, or chimichurri.

Or then again maybe you're an interest scientist. If not, you can purchase a mortar and pestle in the kitchenware area of generally stores. You likely won't accomplish the ideal granulate, yet you'll get grinds you can use after all other options have been exhausted.

When pounding your espresso beans with a mortar and pestle, you'll need to be mindful so as not to smash them into un-filterable residue. You'll require around two tablespoons of toils for each cup you need to blend. On the off chance that you can fit it into your mortar, include the same number of beans as you need at the same time.

Utilize the pestle to squash them against the base of the mortar. Work them up a piece as you go to guarantee you get every one of the beans squashed. Keep in mind not to go over the edge or you'll wind up blending a cup loaded with mud.

Hand mincer or processor

In case you're curious about this gadget, it works likewise to the old, metal pencil sharpeners your primary teacher most likely had around her work area. Hand mincers (likewise called meat processors) are gadgets used to finely cut up a wide range of meat and vegetables.

It's anything but difficult to perceive how to pound espresso beans with a mincer. It is a hardened steel or plastic machine with an interior sharp edge get together which you work with a hand wrench to hack up whatever you put in it—even espresso beans.

To get your pound on with a hand mincer, measure the measure of beans you need to granulate. Make sure to put a bowl or estimating cup where it can get the espresso beans as they exit. Turn the hand wrench while gradually emptying the beans down into the mincer. You can filter your toils and put any huge pieces back through the processor a couple of times, if fundamental.

Meat tenderizer

Additionally called a meat hammer by those of us who appreciate giggling, this kitchen apparatus is a little, metal sledge utilized for relaxing and smoothing cuts of meat. The leader of the hammer has two level sides canvassed in little knocks or spikes. You can most likely think about how to continue, yet let us include a little helpful counsel before you start your bean crushing.

Empty your espresso beans into a zipper cooler sack. Press all the let some circulation into before fixing the pack shut to abstain from popping it like an inflatable. Envelop the pack by a drying towel so you won't cut it with the meat tenderizer. Utilize only a tad of power to pound the beans as equally as could be expected under the circumstances. Check your advancement after each few wacks, so you don't render your espresso beans pointless.

Mallet

As you can figure, this is a similar device you use to drive nails into things. While it doesn't have about the surface region of a meat tenderizer, it will do a similar activity in a similar way. You will presumably not get the best granulate from utilizing a sledge, however you'll have the option to mix some espresso.

It doesn't make a difference much which kind of mallet you use, yet you likely need to abstain from utilizing a sledge hammer—for evident reasons.

To pulverize your espresso beans with a mallet as conveniently as could be allowed, placed them in a zipper cooler pack. Press the let some circulation into and seal the sack. Spot a kitchen towel around the pack. Mallet equally, and attempt to abstain from pulverizing your espresso.

Moving pin

Regardless of whether you move with the standard wooden model, an overwhelming marble one, or a sparkling, treated steel moving pin, this kitchen staple will give you a chance to crush your espresso beans without a processor. This technique gives you more even crush than mallets, while as yet utilizing just things the vast majority as of now have in their kitchens.

First you'll gauge your espresso beans, at that point empty them into a plastic cooler sack. Push out however much as could be expected, at that point seal the sack shut. Start rolling gradually, from one side of the pack to the next.

In the event that you move from the base of the pack toward the zipper, it might constrain your espresso beans out the zipper and make a wreck. You can include some additional chaos assurance by enclosing the sack by a towel, yet the additional cushioning could likewise expand your moving time.

In the event that you don't occur to have a genuine moving pin, you could even utilize a strong glass or wine container to roll your espresso beans. Simply be cautious. Nobody needs broken glass in their espresso or their hands.

For a Small Fee …

You have one more choice if none of these are useful for you. On the off chance that creation do and pounding espresso beans without a processor doesn't speak to you, drive to the closest market or coffeehouse with a processor, and granulate your beans there. Simply make sure to ask first. They dislike you crushing beans you didn't buy from them.

Some cafés may granulate your beans for a little charge or expect you to make a buy. Obviously, on the off chance that you have a close by companion with a processor, they likely won't charge you an expense.

No Grinder? Don't worry about it!

Regardless of whether your espresso processor kicked the container or you've wound up without one for some other reason, you can in any case crush your espresso beans into brewable consistency. Whichever strategy you use, it's critical to be patient and apply weight as equally as conceivable to get the best granulate you can.

Since you've found your inward MacGyver here's a paper clasp and bit of gum. See what you can make with it—after you complete your espresso, obviously.

#manual hand grinder #manual coffee grinder #coffee #coffee grinder #best manual coffee grinder

[flyingmustachio]

I just want a website that focuses on good, nutritious recipes without the assumed fear of gaining weight or being “unhealthy” or “bad.” I don’t want recipes that try to recreate “bad” foods with “healthy” alternatives. I don’t want “just-as-good-as-the-real-thing” pseudo mac and cheese with those weird no carb slimy mushroom noodles and eggs and weird shit in it to make it  sort of the right texture. Show me a recipe where the weird noodles are the feature and the ingredients play to the noodles’ strengths as a food. I don’t want “chickpea salad that you will barely notice isn’t chicken.” I want “HOLY FUCK GUYS EAT THIS CHICKPEA SALAD BECAUSE IT IS DELICIOUS!! What? Why are you bringing chickens into this? No it’s not a version of a chicken salad, it’s chickpea salad because chickpeas are delicious!” Like doctors and dieticians wonder why people shy away from a lot of nutritious ingredients, when all the while they’re trying to shoehorn them into dishes where they really don’t belong to try to convince people to eat them, when instead they could be saying like “Here are some fucking scrumptious new dishes to add into your diet. Your body will be happy with this quality fuel and your tastebuds will be happy to eat it.” Like, food is a really basic human need and taste is a very visceral sense. It’s absurd to expect people to choose what they eat for nutrition alone and completely ignore taste and joy. The solution isn’t to try to gaslight people into pretending they like food they don’t or pretending bad recipes taste better than they do, and then implying they’re of poor moral character when they eat “badly” more than they should. The solution is to make a variety of tasty, simple, satisfying meals made of nutritious ingredients the norm. It’s a bit absurd to expect people to keep high calorie/ low nutritional value foods relegated to “once in a while treats” when the foods they eat the rest of the time taste disappointing, and don’t keep them full. But if instead of “boring salad,” “chickpeas trying to pass as chicken,” “boring salad,” “MAC AND CHEESE BUT ONLY ON FRIDAYS!” people’s nutrition programs looked like “HOLY SHIT VEGETABLE STIR FRY I FKN LOVE BEAN SPROUTS,” “OMG SALMON NIGHT I LOVE IT” “GODDAMN THIS WEIRD NOODLE IS SUPER GREAT IN THIS RECIPE,” “FUCKIN MAC AND CHEESE WITH THE CRUNCHIES ON TOP!” I mean it’s easy to keep nutritionally crap, excessive calorie foods as once in a while treats when you’re genuinely excited to eat the nutritionally rich, calorie reasonable foods the rest of the time. Like I mean goddamn. Everybody talks all the time about how healthy Japanese food is and how one of the reasons they have so few obese people is the abundance of fast, healthy foods, but I really think the more important point people are forgetting is that in Japanese cooking  THE HEALTHY FOODS ARE AS DELICIOUS OR MORE DELICIOUS THAN THE LESS HEALTHY FOODS. I mean fuck, put some American, overcooked, nasty, boogery, flavorless green beans in front of a kid or some crisp, flavorful Japanese tempura vegetables and see which one they freaking pick.  We’re a particularly intelligent species of ape who got as far as we have by evolving to prefer foods with a certain flavor profile. Eating, hunger, flavor, it’s all beyond logic, it’s also instinctual. It’s kind of absurd to pretend that we should just... ignore taste, instead of finding a way to work with our bodies and our unique preferences that also takes into account our energy needs according to our energy output. It’s absurd that instead of being taught to like, listen to what our bodies want and need and eat when we’re hungry and stop when we’re full, we’re taught to just ignore our bodies more and more and do a bunch of math calculations for every single meal to see what we’re “allowed” to eat and only eat until this time and this far apart and it doesn’t matter if you like the food and it doesn’t matter if you’re not hungry yet or if the food doesn’t fill you up. None of this is normal or mentally healthy. It isn’t a moral failing to want to eat foods that taste good to you. Same with exercise. Unless you are in physical therapy for a specific issue that needs to be fixed, why the fuck should you be expected to just... move in ways that are boring and not fun or are even painful for you for hours and hours per week? That’s absurd. We know that movement and physical activity are necessary for a healthy body but GUESS WHAT? PEOPLE MOVE VOLUNTARILY AND GLADLY WHEN THEY DO SO IN A WAY THAT IS FUN OR FEELS GOOD! We should not encouraging people to “go to the gym 5 times per week even if you don’t like it at all and it doesn’t fulfill you and you feel super awkward and sad the whole time, because you have to to be healthy. We should be encouraging people to  MOVE YOUR BODY BECAUSE IT’S FUCKIN’ RAD AND IT’S GOOD FOR YOU AND IT FEELS GREAT!! YOU LIKE THE GYM? GREAT!! YOU HATE THE GYM? THAT’S FINE, THERE ARE SO MANY FUCKIN’ GREAT THINGS OUT THERE YOU WILL LIKE! MAYBE YOU’RE A SPORTS PERSON!! Like for me, I absolutely loathe the gym or sports or anything that feels timed or restricted, but I FUCKIN’ LOVE hiking and kayaking and sauntering around the neighborhood, and like, that’s just as valid! Like goddamn, valuing pleasure is not morally wrong, and health and movement and good nutrition don’t have to look just one way. But if people are only exposed to “healthy” foods or modes of exercise that they loathe, they won’t stick to them. Instead of putting them down about it, expose them and give them easy access to a larger variety of healthy foods and ways of movement, so everybody can find something they actually genuinely like. We seem to romanticize toil and masochism in pursuit of a goal in this country to a very unhealthy degree. We treat life itself like the pursuit of a goal, and we give up so many small pleasures to get to the goals we think we want but life isn’t a goal, it’s not linear. Like, sprinting is really hard on your body. Sometimes you have to sprint, and you have to ignore pleasure and emotional needs in order to survive, but nobody can sprint forever. Your body can’t safely do it. You can’t ignore happiness and pleasure and fulfillment indefinitely in pursuit of some undefined health goal. You will hurt your sense of self and your mental health just as much as sprinting for days would damage your knees and your lungs. Stop pretending sprinting through life is normal or healthy.

#ok wow that was long #intuitive eating #thinness is not health #mental health is as important as physical health #they are intertwined #helping one will help the other #hurting your mental health to help your physical health is not good or reasonable or sustainable

[nowwhateinstein]

Land of Endless Sky: ch 5

Intro & Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 ++++++ Chapter 5

She had forgotten how hard saddles could be; her lower back and backside ached within the first few hours of setting out. At least her mount proved to be an calm and obliging beast - perhaps he was thankful to finally have a rider who didn’t whip or beat him.

They rode side-by-side so that neither of them had to choke on the other’s dust. The rising heat of day soon had her sweating profusely beneath her hat and dress. Neither spoke much as the morning wore on. But presently - for want of something to focus on other than how hot and sore she was - she spoke.

“So, tell me a little about yourself, Captain.”

“Please, call me Mulder. My Army days are behind me.”

“All right then, Mister Mulder...”

“Just Mulder will do,” he interrupted. “Never cared much for honorifics, least as far as they pertained to me.”

“You do not use your given name?” she asked, mildly astonished at this peculiar admission of casualness from him.

“You wouldn’t either, with a name like Fox,” he said, turning his head and giving her an ironic look.

She smiled. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t,” she replied, and wondered what had possessed his parents to confer such an unusual name. “Please continue, Mulder.”

“Not to much to say, really,” he said. He squinted in the midday glare and shifted in the saddle. “I grew up on the outskirts of New York City. Graduated from West Point just as the war with Mexico was winding down. I spent my first years with the Army down in Texas, patrolling the frontier and protecting homesteaders from Comanche hostiles.”

“And what brought you to Nebraska Territory?”

He didn’t immediately answer, and she wondered if he’d heard the question. Presently, though, he said, “The War Department sent us up here to make sure the Sioux didn’t cause any trouble to the settlers heading west.” Then his voice dropped, and his words took on a somber tone. “In truth, it was the other way ‘round.”

She looked over. His face, partially shaded by his hat brim, was stony, his eyes narrow as he stared straight ahead at the trail. She wondered if there was a connection between his enigmatic words and the reason he was no longer in the Army. But he offered no further explanation, and she sensed it was best to leave the subject alone for the present. Still water runs deep, she recalled her father saying. Trouble them at your own peril.

“And where are you headed now?” she asked, in an attempt to change the conversation.

“Not sure yet. Heard there’s plenty of opportunity in California for a man to make his fortune. I suppose it’s a good a place as anywhere to make a new start.” He paused, then said softly, as if to himself, “that’s what I’m looking for.” He fell silent, and she asked no further questions.

++++++

They stopped late in the afternoon and made camp among a stand of cottonwoods beside the Platte River. Mulder strung a picket line for the horses between two of the trees while she set to cooking supper. It was meager fare - beans and bacon - but there was enough for both of them to eat their fill; despite the bone-weariness that came from spending most of the daylight hours in the saddle, she found herself unexpectedly ravenous.

The sun went down and night sounds crept in among the crackling pops of the campfire. Crickets chirped from unseen refuges in the grass. An owl hooted from a nearby tree. The dancing, erratic flames, coupled with the quiet murmuring of the river as it flowed by on its long journey eastward, had a mesmerizing effect.

As sore as she was, as traumatic as the events of the past day and a half had been, she felt herself start to relax back into the familiar rhythm of the trail: long periods of toil and monotony, punctured by short, almost blissful moments of peace and rest.

“It’s the best kind of night.” Mulder’s voice broke the silence, but not the spell of the evening. If anything, his words added a magic of their own to the prairie twilight.

She looked up at him across the leaping flames. Despite the shadows cast by the fire, she could make out a smile playing out across his face.

“The sky is clear, the wind is slight, and the fire is warm.”

“It is peaceful,” she agreed, craning her head to look up at the star-studded sky.

He stretched out on ground, resting his head on his saddle. “There’s enough stars up there to keep a man wondering for a lifetime,” he said, staring upward.

“Wondering about what?” she asked, leaning back on her arms for a better view of the sky.

“Wondering what - who - is out there, among the heavens.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at this outlandish statement. “I find it difficult to believe that an educated man such as yourself would espouse such nonsense.”

This earned a chuckle from him, then he responded: “ ‘To the terrestrial Moon to be as a star, Enlightening her by day, as she by night This Earth-reciprocal, if land be there, Could not there be fields and inhabitants?’ “

“True,” she answered, “but Raphael went on to warn Adam: ‘Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there live, in what state, condition or degree… Think only what concerns thee and thy being.’ Some things are beyond our knowing, Mulder.”

The pause that followed her reply was all the indication she needed that she’d surprised him; she allowed herself an inward smile of satisfaction at rendering him momentarily speechless.

“My father loved Milton, and would often read him to us on long winter evenings,” she said by way of explanation.

Mulder shifted so that he faced her. His words took on a humble tone. “I see now that I am in the company of not only a physician, but a woman of learning as well. Your point is well made - and well taken, Miss - or I should say - Doctor Scully.”

She was grateful that the light of the fire was dim enough to hide her blushing. Most men she’d encountered treated her with courtesy by virtue of her sex, bordering on the point of deference, and in this regard Mulder was no different. Yet in her experience, such regard was superficial, mere flattery; dig a little deeper, and what was ultimately revealed was the attitude that women were fragile, inferior creatures - both physically and intellectually - good only for the bearing and raising of children. They were objects to be coveted and possessed.

It was a familiar attitude that had played out numerous times in her adult life, and one of the reasons she’d never married. Her training as a physician, even in the informal manner of assisting her father, was viewed as queer by many people back in Maryland, and some had raised questions regarding her feminine modesty and respectability because of it.

Her father had dismissed the naysayers as hidebound fools. “They may not assent to a woman doctor when they’re firmly set in the land of the living,” he had once told her, “but when injury or illness takes them within sight of the Valley of the Shadow, any person - man or woman - with the skill to recall them is viewed as the instrument of Divine Providence.” His words had proved true in Independence, when she was the only doctor willing to go among the cholera-stricken camp to provide what help she could. Many had died, yes, but she had to believe that her efforts did save some.

Mulder was certainly not a hidebound fool. She could detect no trace of condescension in him, neither in his manner nor in his words. He had not tried to coddle her after her assault, and had trusted her enough to attend to his wound. He also had the decency to show surprise and admit his own shortcomings - a rare thing in a man. Even rarer was his presumption True, they had met just yesterday, but she felt a certain ease in his company, as if she’d known him for years.

“Please, call me Scully,” she replied. “This land doesn’t lend itself to the civil manners and pleasantries one is accustomed to back East, and if you prefer to be referred to by just your surname, then I suppose I will adhere to the convention, as well. At least while we travel together.” She found herself surprised by her own words; what on Earth had possessed her to insist that he call her by her surname?

“Scully it is, then,” he affirmed.

Their eyes met across the dancing flames, and for a brief moment, she was convinced that his eyes expressed a similar familiarity - of knowing, of recognition - towards her. A sensation came over her that they had shared this look, this conversation, this very moment, countless times before. Like the ripples made when a stone is dropped into a pool of water, the present seemed to reverberate endlessly outward across time and Heaven. It was at once both disorienting and comforting; disorienting in that she had no reference point on which to anchor this feeling, and comforting due to its seeming insistence that this moment had happened before, and would happen again.

“Goodnight, Scully.”

“Goodnight, Mulder.”

She laid out her dust-laden bedroll beside the fire and stared up at the stars, letting the sound of the river carry her off to the Land of Nod.

#land of endless sky #work in progress #my fic #historical au #xf fic #txf fanfic #msr fanfic

[heywoodborrowman]

French Press

Do you like your espresso solid? Indeed, even thick? At that point a french press is the best approach. French presses are utilized the world over and called numerous names, for example, press pot, espresso unclogger, cafetiere, and espresso press. Some espresso specialists guarantee the french press gadget may have begun in Italy, however the individuals of France made it mainstream and thus the name stayed with them. The manner in which they work is that an unclogger is pushed down the chamber molded container once the espresso beans have fermented with the water. This style of "unclogger espresso" utilizes a nylon work as the channel in spite of the fact that you will frequently get dregs in your espresso adding to the more grounded flavor. French press espresso doesn't keep going as long as customary dribble prepared espressos, after around 20 minutes a run of the mill 8-cup french press is finished. Another significant factor that we found on a few espresso destinations is that you should utilize a burr factory as your processor and not the sort with the cutting edges. You need coarse espresso grinds for a french press with the goal that the toils don't get past the channel.

french pressBuying Guide - by far most of french presses were made of glass, however that is gradually changing as producers are attempting new materials. You would now be able to discover a press pot produced using treated steel, polycarbonate plastic, and even glass/steel blends. While picking an espresso press, you should choose how much espresso you will mix a lot of like a customary espresso producer. They come in 4 cup, 8 cup, 12 ounce, 3 cup, and 34 ounce limits. The top brand names are Bodum, Bonjour, Frieling, Nissan, Aerobie, and West Bend. Costs run from a low of about $10 for the BonJour Hugo 3-Cup Unbreakable French Press and up to about $150 for the Alessi Aldo Rossi Coffee or Tea Press Filter - 8 cup. We went looking for buyer audits on french presses and found a few enlightening assessments on the web and in the Wall Street Journal. 

The Journal reviews on the main brands also with their assessments on styling, taste, and usefulness. We found the best determination online with all the top brands recorded despite the fact that you can discover french presses in ordinary stores like Target, Williams Sonoma and Crate and Barrel.The Bodum Chambord 8 cup French Press ($40) is a top vender  and client surveys are overwhelmingly sure on this model. Bodum french presses are trustworthy and produce some solid espresso. The Chambord press gives you 32 ounces of espresso and the glass carafe makes for simple cleaning. The hardened steel press component is anything but difficult to utilize and the espresso blended will give a lot of flavor to you and your visitors. A few proprietors gripe that the serving limit is excessively little (a cup is just 4 ounces in espresso terms). 

A great many people who purchased this unit, however, state the espresso is better than your standard blends and once the water is warmed you get your espresso in around 4 minutes. You can get the 12 cup model for $45 in the event that you need more coffee.We discovered this model remembered for a few surveys and despite the fact that it is anything but a french press, it makes a comparative showing and functions admirably when outdoors or hiking. It utilizes paper channels and makes coffee or espresso. The Aerobie AeroPress has a needle like look to it and you press the unclogger down after you have blended the ground espresso and water together. At $25 it may not be the most complex espresso creator, yet surveys and proprietor sentiments were truly ideal (71of 77 clients gave it 5 stars).  

The Frieling Thermal French Press is wonderful and buyers state it is "unquestionably worth the cash" and "unique". A couple of individuals chose to go with the Frieling over the Bodum and state they are not baffled by any stretch of the imagination. Numerous proprietors state they like the protected impact of the carafe which keeps the espresso hot for quite a long time. Another top merchant is the Thermos Nissan 1.0 L/34 oz. Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Gourmet Coffee Press ($30) which is difficult to beat for cost. 

The West Bend 57040 4 Cup Electric French Press ($40) has a beginning switch with a programmed shutoff for amazing temperature control. The carafe is sans string permitting you to serve your visitors without any problem. Commentators note that the french press makes for extraordinary espresso or tea. In general audits are blended on this model, yet numerous proprietors state they like the hardened steel unclogger and channel. You can peruse more surveys online  and contrast this West Bend press pot with others in this classification.

[aisleb]

Phen375 composition - Lose Your Stomach Fat Fast

With the proper components, you possibly can lastly get the base you should burn more fats, suppress appetite, and show sure vital outcomes. Without the right elements, it doesn't matter what claims they might make, you aren't going to get any outcomes. But with the best elements, you get off to the proper begin. It is regarded by many as one of the best appetite suppressant for girls. Obesity doesn't only take toil on one’s health but also one’s thoughts. In a hope to lose weight many dieters take the help of weight loss supplements. Phen375 appears to be one of the individuals’s favorite decisions when it comes to shedding weight and fighting cravings. Although they could be a bit extra pricey than your average supplement, it looks like there’s a cause for it. Phen375 seems to be a favorite choice for quite a variety of individuals. It has an estimated weight reduction price of 3 to 5 pounds per week, and many customers have seen that it also suppresses their starvation, whereas additionally being helpful in bettering their temper. So, lengthy story quick, if you want to obtain one of the best outcomes, then you must take only as many Phen375 weight loss supplements as recommended. In an eventuality, you exceed your recommended dosage, there’s a chance that you may have to cope with some delicate unwanted side effects. CHECK PRICEWhat’s an important factor you have to find out about this resolution? Phen357 is the fact that is one hell of an urge for food suppressor. It goes without saying that the unacceptably high percentage of people suffers from weight problems, which comes because of unhealthy life habits.

How To Lose Stomach Fat Without Exercise Or Dieting

It is a reliable product that may aid in growing energy, accelerating metabolism, and losing weight. Losing weight can often result in your body feeding off of muscle for vitality earlier than using saved fat. This will result within the unwanted loss of muscle mass throughout the body. Phen375 claims that it has thermogenic properties that aid in the constructing of muscle fiber, which implies you received’t lose your attractive muscle tone while reducing weight. Weight loss dietary supplements are generally referred to as anorexiants. Most of the load loss supplements are doubtlessly safe and effective provided that they're used with correct instructions and directions. These weight loss supplements alone can not assist in the discount of weight. We look to start with for the best components. The elements are the idea of any product, and if they don't work, obviously you aren't going to get any results. Thus, these manufacturers can embrace pharmaceutical parts instead of totally pure components. Some of those compounds may be even banned. Also, such manufacturers could produce their merchandise in improper conditions which are not FDA-approved. You will get exactly result you wish to get and have the ability to strike everyone by your way of look. And PhenQ may also help you to improve your inside state.

Lose My Belly Fat Fast How To Lose Excess Weight In Legs Quickly Menu

Do not forget that dietary supplements ought to always be used with a correct fats burning food plan and exercise program, however while you do pair the three collectively, you merely won’t beat the fat loss results that happen. Get it revved as much as very high ranges and you’ll eat more meals and nonetheless see the load loss you are trying for. Li Qingyun and his cousin stood and spoke, and he was phen375 weight loss capsule Pills Extend Pills pleased to phen375 weight reduction capsule Pills Mens Health see the king go beyond the limelight, so long as there are not too many individuals to concentrate to themselves. At this time, Prescription Medications To Treat Overweight And Obesity Phen375 Bali Tian Linger had flown to the stage, a distance away from Shen Tiandou, arching his hand Please enlighten the most effective diet tablet available on the market Weight Loss Supplement me, Brother Shen. In case we want to describe Phen375 we might say that it is a authorized fats burner, a well being-safe food regimen complement and a top slimming capsule, absolutely effective and with active capability already demonstrated in research and in use from thousands of individuals.

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They even package deal a free diet plan and train program with every purchase. With the urge for food suppression claims made by Phen375, a nicely-balanced diet and train should make you are feeling fuller quicker. Thus, the feeling of being hungry, which all the time threatens the weight loss target, will lessen to a completely manageable state. We aim to offer consumers with helpful, in-depth details about vitamin and weight-loss products. All product names, logos and types are property of their respective house owners. What’s even more essential you will be sure that your physique is correctly hydrated on a regular basis. We all know the way this is essential for any weight loss plan.

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It s not as dizzy, feverish, and weak as regular chilly How can I spit out the meals I eat Big deal, I spend extra time, two days a day, four days a day, 4 days a day, and I phen375 gnc Weight Management spend ten days and a half months, I ca n t believe I ca n t fda anti obesity medication Fast Weight Loss digest it. It is a truth Phen375 is one of the most popular fat burner drugs. More than 250,000 Phen375 users are proud of the product after they have solved their problem with further kilos and obesity.

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Many people declare that the product labored for them although they did not comply with a regimented exercise workout or food plan plan. However, like all weight loss complement, when you mix Phen375 with decreasing your caloric intake and consistent exercise, your weight loss might be accelerated greatly. Phen 375 is an over-the-counter dietary complement selling “a slimmer, sexier you.” It has been available on the market since 2009 and claims to have a scientifically-researched superior method that may lead to lowered meals cravings, elevated metabolic rate, fats burning, elevated power, and weight reduction. PhenQ costs approximately $2.30 per day which is about the price of a cup or two of espresso. If a product is highly effective, you will notice significantly higher results than food plan and train alone, and you'll notice larger weight loss with it. ⚠️. As is at all times the case for our weight loss evaluations, we prioritized supplements with secure and natural weight reduction compounds over these heavy with artificial compounds, and we ignored merchandise that contain ingredients that have been associated with hazardous unwanted side effects, like synephrine.

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Here’s a easy fact about each dietary complement. If you want to maximize the benefits of a product you’re utilizing, the make sure you are using it correctly. Sometimes, should you don’t stick with the suggestions, you may even danger your personal well being because you’re exposing yourself to the potential unwanted effects. Many of those side effects may be from a few of the individual elements, quite than the whole method.

Lose Tummy Weight In 3 Weeks

It also contains an extract of white kidney beans that will take up any extra starch and fat deposits in your body. According to the producer, Genius Diet Pills has a particular sort of Saffron often known as Satiereal which will regulate your weight and suppress your meals cravings quicker than another urge for food suppressant. Many dieters have been misled and given wrong path by many slimming tablets that hail themselves as magic tablets to shed weight. Now you possibly can decipher the effective from the destructive one through the web and its retailer of websites, blogs, vlogs and so forth offering all essential info related to food plan supplement. Also, based on DSHEA, it’s just the producer’s liability to offer a plausible evidence of its product security. But sadly, not all the companies which manufacture the dietary treatments meet this demand. Created by Shippitsa ltd., Phen375 is a weight loss complement that claims to be made in an FDA-compliant facility and use scientifically researched components. The company states that their product will allow you to to suppress your cravings, burn fat, and lose weight.

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Remember that a whole weight reduction program with weight reduction dietary supplements must embody a smart nutritious diet and some train to achieve success and wholesome. There is such a excessive demand for weight reduction aids and especially fat binders that some corporations simply can't sustain, and their product high quality suffers. Proactol XS has a scientific support of more than forty scientific trials which have confirmed that the efficacy of this weight reduction complement considerably exceeds the efficacy of other fats binders. Commonly included in at-home detox recipes to spice up metabolism, when included in a weight reduction complement formulation cayenne pepper helps to extend blood flow, permitting the opposite elements to be absorbed higher, while additionally burning energy. Also often known as Trimethylxanthine, or just caffeine, this ingredient is often found in weight reduction supplements. However, Forskolin 250 weight reduction complement is not for everyone and individual results might vary. Be cautious before trying any new health regimen or complement, and consult your doctor before purchasing this product. PhenQ is essentially the most powerful weight loss complement obtainable on the market today. This highly effective supplement works by burns fats and suppresses the urge for food so that you eat much less. It also contains an extract of white kidney beans that will take up any extra starch and fat deposits in your body. According to the producer, Genius Diet Pills has a particular sort of Saffron often known as Satiereal which will regulate your weight and suppress your meals cravings quicker than another urge for food suppressant. Many dieters have been misled and given wrong path by many slimming tablets that hail themselves as magic tablets to shed weight. Now you possibly can decipher the effective from the destructive one through the web and its retailer of websites, blogs, vlogs and so forth offering all essential info related to food plan supplement.

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It is a reliable product that may aid in growing energy, accelerating metabolism, and losing weight. Losing weight can often result in your body feeding off of muscle for vitality earlier than using saved fat. This will result within the unwanted loss of muscle mass throughout the body. Phen375 claims that it has thermogenic properties that aid in the constructing of muscle fiber, which implies you received’t lose your attractive muscle tone while reducing weight. Weight loss dietary supplements are generally referred to as anorexiants. Most of the load loss supplements are doubtlessly safe and effective provided that they're used with correct instructions and directions. These weight loss supplements alone can not assist in the discount of weight. We look to start with for the best components. The elements are the idea of any product, and if they don't work, obviously you aren't going to get any results. Thus, these manufacturers can embrace pharmaceutical parts instead of totally pure components. Some of those compounds may be even banned. Also, such manufacturers could produce their merchandise in improper conditions which are not FDA-approved. You will get exactly result you wish to get and have the ability to strike everyone by your way of look. And PhenQ may also help you to improve your inside state. It has ingredients like blackberry, cranberry, and ginseng. This makes the supplement top-of-the-line teas to depend on for curbing your extra intake of food. I even have no doubts in regards to the fat burning and urge for food suppressing powers of PhenQ. It has helped well over a hundred and fifty, 000 individuals in the U.S alone to lose weight.

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However, this doesn’t imply that you could nonetheless eat whatever you like and shed weight. This answer needs to be mixed with probably the most appropriate meals that has been beneficial by nutritionists. The combination of all the ingredients above assist to not only suppress your food cravings and burn energy, but it helps by boosting your physique’s natural ability to burn fats and increase your metabolism. Apart from being a detox tea, Green Tea Plus also acts as a natural appetite suppressant.

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Phen375 is going to ship the mind-blowing outcomes only if you mix these tablets with an appropriate exercise plan and a healthy diet. There aren't any shortcuts when it comes to weight reduction, no less than not those which might be threat-free. Of course, the catch is to not starve or really feel dangerous when you’re utilizing this weight loss supplement.

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Li Qingyun and his cousin stood and spoke, and he was phen375 weight loss capsule Pills Extend Pills pleased to phen375 weight reduction capsule Pills Mens Health see the king go beyond the limelight, so long as there are not too many individuals to concentrate to themselves. At this time, Prescription Medications To Treat Overweight And Obesity Phen375 Bali Tian Linger had flown to the stage, a distance away from Shen Tiandou, arching his hand Please enlighten the most effective diet tablet available on the market Weight Loss Supplement me, Brother Shen. In case we want to describe Phen375 we might say that it is a authorized fats burner, a well being-safe food regimen complement and a top slimming capsule, absolutely effective and with active capability already demonstrated in research and in use from thousands of individuals. Phen375 is designed in services which have acquired all Food and Drug Administration’s approvals. This implies that the producers of Phen375 needed to comply with the strict guidelines in this field that regulate the production of these sorts of products. The very fact that these diet pills have been approved by essentially the most respectable physique on this business should be greater than enough to give you the absolute peace of thoughts. Phen375 is one of the finest weight reduction drugs available in the market right now that has stood the take a look at of time. It is a scientifically formulated diet pills that suppress appetite, boosts physique metabolism and promotes quick fat loss.

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But of course, you will be able to benefit from the mentioned advantages solely if you purchase the weight loss supplements from the internationally renowned producers. You may choose to look at prescription slimming capsules, there are several selections. The drawback with many of those is that there typically are undesirable unwanted side effects. Proactol Plus remains a rather unique complement as a result of it has the potential to bind fats making it simpler to remove. How is that this achieved and are the results dependable?

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Finally, the third and equally important motion of the efficient Phen375 triple action fats burner is to extend the energy ranges. EVERY particular person within the food regimen and slimming phase feels fatigue, exhaustion, loss of power and energy. Phen375 is a fats-dissolving, weight-loss product, obtainable out there since 2009 with an ever-growing impression in the world. One of the merchandise we like probably the most is Noom. In addition you'll not have disagreeable feelings or discomfort. So lowering a food consumption you're going to get a great and fast therapy which is able to help you to attain unbelievable results. PhenQ boosts your vitality ranges, makes you eat much less by giving you a sense of fullness, and helps you burn fat with minimal effort. PhenQ is not the cheapest weight reduction pill on the market however works fabulously. PhenQ is made with one hundred% pure ingredients with zero side effects.

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A fat burner PhenQ acts with no hitch whatever the length or severity of the issue. Now the medication fat burners are the preferred drugs for the treatment of obesity. They assist to rapidly and safely scale back excess weight. They could be taken individually or together with some actions which improve a affected person’s situation and Phentermine – PhenQ is the most effective representative of these tablets. Having got rid of the excess weight will probably be simple for you because you'll get rid of a heavy load of your physique. PhenQ is one of the best fats burner and you will ensure in it. Under the affect of PhenQ weight reduction happens and a person doesn't resort to onerous exercises, diets or surgical intervention. Also, factors corresponding to age, energy burst, or overdose (if someone takes more than the 2 recommended pills per day) can contribute to certain unwanted side effects. Citrus aurantium is also referred to as bitter orange and is a citrus fruit found in southeast Asia.

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Here’s a easy fact about each dietary complement. If you want to maximize the benefits of a product you’re utilizing, the make sure you are using it correctly. Sometimes, should you don’t stick with the suggestions, you may even danger your personal well being because you’re exposing yourself to the potential unwanted effects. Many of those side effects may be from a few of the individual elements, quite than the whole method.

[caiocostasouza]

When Time is Short, Try These…

Uh oh…you have guests coming over within the hour and you haven’t anything in to serve them. What to do?

Rather than run over to the nearest shop to buy ready-made treats, why not whip up something fresh for your guests? Cooking doesn’t have to mean toiling away for hours in the kitchen. You can just as easily make something in under an hour that your guests will still love.

Read on for some quick and easy recipes…

Canapés

Canapés are the perfect bite-size party food. While they look almost too pretty to eat, throwing them together really is a piece of cake.

The GoodtoKnow website put together 50 fast and simple-to-make canapé recipes. Dazzle your guests with items from this list, which includes these creamy Parma ham and mozzarella bites, minty pea and prawn crostini, smoked salmon-topped rushed potatoes, and quirky leek, blue cheese and walnut pizza. These dishes require very little prep time and go a long way in keeping your guests satisfied, not to mention impressed by the colours!

Soups

Soups are warm, delicious and filling, and fortunately for you, there are plenty of recipes out there that can be made in no time. So grab your pot or pan and try out some of Genius Kitchen’s 13 one pot soups.

We love the cheesy toppings in this hearty macaroni tomato soup and this spinach and sausage soup, which is paired with a lovely Parmesan toast floating on top. For a vegan option, this delicious black bean soup hits all the right notes and will have your guests begging for more.

Stir Fries

Who doesn’t love a good stir fry? Not only are they absolutely tasty, but they can take less than 30 minutes to prepare and end up looking effortless, making them the ultimate fast option for unexpected dinner guests. They can also help clear out your fridge if you don’t know when or how to cook a particular ingredient.

Bon Appétit shares 35 customisable stir fry recipes that can be whipped up in no time. Use up leftover grains by mixing them with prawns and eggs in this recipe, or find a creative use for romaine that’s starting to reach the end of its life. Or you could imitate your favourite takeaway with this beef, shiitake and snow pea stir fry. There are endless options!

Pasta

Preparing pasta is a simple and quick concept: boil the pasta, drain them, and mix them with sauce, cheese, and other ingredients, et voila! A filling dinner is yours.

Taste of Home’s put together a master list of 50 pasta recipes, all ready in thirty minutes or fewer. Try this scampi-inspired garlic chicken rigatoni, or, for something cheesier, give this garlicky sun-dried tomato linguine a go. For flavours that cross cultural boundaries, this Bangkok-style Thai chicken pasta is sure to be a hit with your guests.

We hope some of these recipes help you when you need it most! Which are your favourites? Let us know in the comments below.

Until next time…

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[ican-t-think-straight]

For Great Advice On Planting Flowers, Try These Great Tips!

Organic gardening is the option to making use of poisonous products such as plant foods or chemicals on the food you are going to consume and the environment you stay in. A great deal of techniques for organic gardening really don't set you back a whole lot of money. Maintain reviewing for some valuable tips on natural horticulture.You could utilize the wood deals with of your devices as dimension sticks. Tools with considerable manages, like rakes, hoes and also huge shovels are fantastic for taking measurements. Place the deals with on the flooring, then established a determining tape along with them. Make use of an irreversible marker to classify ranges. This will permit you to have a ruler at your fingertips when you are exercising in the garden.Long plants that add or about a fencing or wall surface are often valuable for concealing ugliness. Climbers have many various uses and spread quickly. Climbers could additionally be educated to expand as well as cover an arbor, as well as they will certainly expand through or around existing trees as well as hedges. Some require connections affixing them to assistances, but others will certainly connect themselves to any surface close by. Reliable selections consist of wisteria, honeysuckle, climbing roses, clematis, and also jasmine.Stink pests can harm your yard, particularly if you garden in the autumn. They such as beans, peppers, tomatoes and lots of fruits. If kept untreated they can absolutely do a lots of a damages to your yard so you ought to do exactly what you should to reduce their population.Autumn not only suggests chillier climate but new veggies to plant. A pumpkin can be made use of as a planting container as opposed to clay pots. Use some Wilt-Pruf to avoid your pumpkin from decaying and then you can place your plants right inside. As soon as you have actually done this, you could plant.Split up your irises. Breaking up overgrown teams of irises will permit you to easily raise the number of irises in your yard. Root out round irises if the blossoms have wilted. These bulbs will separate right into several components naturally when you choose them up. You could then replant them, and enjoy them blossom the following year. Use a blade to divide up roots. Get rid of the facility and keep the brand-new items you cut from the outside. Every item has to have a minimum of one good offshoot. For optimum stability, plant your new cuttings into the ground without delay.Good green yards start from seeds, not plants. Not only is this more of a reliable technique for gardening, however it's likewise more environmentally-friendly. It prevails for industrial plants to be packaged in plastic that is not frequently reused, as well as consequently, it is much better to utilize seeds or acquisition growings only from merchants that utilize natural packaging.Broad-spectrum pesticides ought to be avoided in your garden. These pesticides will eliminate every sort of insect in your yard, including helpful bugs that consume yard bugs. Beneficial bugs are a lot more susceptible to strong pesticides than the insects you are actually attempting to obtain rid of. This will certainly lead you to finish up exterminating the excellent bugs in your yard, leaving the area vast open for the dangerous ones. This could create you to use an extra quantity of chemicals in order to attempt to fix this problem.Some people make use of gardening as a resource of relaxation. While there are several various means to unwind, picking the appropriate one for you is vital. Cultivation is a fantastic way to just kick back, relax, and also enjoy your time with nature. It is not prohibitively costly, and also has numerous benefits. The ideal point you will get out of it is tranquility and also happiness recognizing that you could expand your personal garden.If you grow heather in your garden, you will certainly attract pests that are valuable. are brought in to heather, and they can bring a resource of nectar early in the spring. Plant a heather bed, it will house many bugs that are great for a yard such as crawlers and also ground beetles. As a result of this, do not forget to shield your hands when trimming heather beds.Let your children be included in your organic horticulture initiatives. Toiling together in the yard brings your family members more detailed together and also offers various opportunities to learn new things and impart eco-friendly values.Plant strawberries for your kids. Youngsters actually take pleasure in plucking treats straight from the ground, as well as may have greater excitement for the work if they see the outcomes of their labor right away.You'll conserve energy and time if you keep devices close-by while operating in your yard. You could maintain them in an excellent sized pail, or wear utility trousers that have a my website lot of large pockets. Maintain typical tools such as your gloves or your pruning shears available so that you can swiftly and easily preserve your yard whenever you require to.By applying the suggestions that is in this short article, you can expect to have a healthy, toxic cost-free, productive garden in the very future. When you function to keep your yard harmonic with nature, you'll also see more birds and animals visit for a check out.

[meltingalphabet]

I thought I heard you

“I thought I heard you in here.” My grandpa says to the room. Christmases have been rough since grandmother died.

As a young child, I always looked forward to Christmas at my grandparents’ house. The warm smells that floated in the air: cinnamon, pumpkin, and ginger mixing together into a shapeless cloud around me. Just a hint of mint tinging the air with a crispness that made the warmth all that much more pleasurable. The small home was cozy and comfortable, the polished wood worn with use, brown with age, cracked and creaking from the weight of our lives. My grandpa made sure to always have a fire roaring in the cast iron fireplace, the yellow glow playing across our faces, making the presents gleen under the tree, begging to be opened, the bright green and red metallic wrapping paper pleading to be ripped by our hands. The warmth of the flames ate at my skin, dancing expertly along the line of pleasant heat and burning pain.

My mother and grandmother would cook and bake together. They’d make pies and turkey, cranberry compote and pumpkin cookies, mountains of mashed potatoes sweetened with fresh butter and thick cream, homemade caramel and green beans with shallots, mushroom gravy and sweet potatoes with coconut, coffee crumb cake and mulled wine. The air would alight with the scents of their cooking and my stomach would kick and growl with anticipation. Grandmother would slip me a cookie or a candy cane, the sweet treat accompanied with a small innocent wink. I’d eat it slowly, savoring each small bite as I eyed the rest of the meal that grew, almost organically, on the counter before me, the sights and smells tickling my nostrils. Dinner time would not come soon enough, but until then, it was a sight I hungrily devoured, my eyes full, my tastebuds lacking.

My father would read me stories, epic tales of fantasy worlds where mythical beings lived in the ground and the trees. He’d change his voice with each character and gesticulate wildly with his arms, the line of vision from his eyes to the words on the page teetering with each arching movement, each brave dwarf, each cackling witch, each billowing wizard. He’d create a magical world so believable, so engrossing, that I would become utterly entranced. The smells and sounds of the house heightening my absorption, blending my mind’s eye with what was directly in front of my face, making the fake world as tangible as the real one, the real world as intangible as the one my father was creating with his voice. My grandfather would add his own power to the Christmas cheer by playing songs on the old piano in the living room. The cabin would fill to the brim with both his fast and cheerful melodies as well as the slow and brooding songs that seemed more of a warning than a celebration. The heavy ivory keys creaking as the hammer hit the tightened string, a crystal note rising quickly to the air, only to dissipate instantly above me, showering me with sound.

And every night, as I lay awake in my grandpa’s office, the cushioned cot beneath my small frame, I’d pull my favorite of grandmother’s quilts, the red and white one that smelt of pine and lilacs, up to my chin to protect me from the drafts and groans of the old house. And every night, Nana would come visit me. She’d share secrets with me, stories of Santa and his reindeer, of the elves and their toys, the North Pole and how, even on the chilliest of days, no one there ever gets cold.

“No one shivers at the North Pole.” Her cobwebbed throat would strain with the words. Like opening the cover of an old and forgotten book, the binding cracking, the pages falling with a thud instead of a rustle, her voice would rise with a cloud of dust. “There’s magic in the air,” she’d whisper, “magic that keeps everyone warm, all the time. No one ages. There are no wars, no famines. It’s a magical winter paradise.” She’d lean close to my face, so close that only her bright eyes filled my vision. “And you can be Queen.” She’d wink at me, a slow wink, as if her eyelids were heavy, heavier than they should be.

I’d smile, “I can be Mrs. Claus?”

Nana would nod, a slow and calm nod, as her thin lips turned up into a small, tight smile.

I would fall asleep with images of the North Pole in my mind, the voice of Nana flitting about my subconscious like a lost butterfly.

“I thought I heard you in here.” My grandpa says to the room.

“Who do you think is there, dad?” Mom asks.

Grandpa turns to her, blinking his eyes as if adjusting to a great brightness, confusion etched on his lined face. “I thought… I thought I heard your mother.”

Shushing him like one would a child, my mom escorts him out of the office, one hand firmly, but gently, grasping the side of his upper arm, the other hand on his back, guiding him away from the ghost of his dead wife.

We still visit my grandpa every Christmas. Since grandma died, he’s been really lonely. My mom, dad, and I always make the trek up to his cabin. My parent’s old station wagon slowly dragging us up the mountain, tracing the snowy winding roads. Even with my thick winter coat and the dry heat from the dashboard, the cold crept through the car’s windows and bit into my skin like a snake.

The smells of Christmas are fainter now than they were when I was young, the rooms slightly cooler, the house less comfortable. Sometimes I’ll sit in my grandma’s old rocking chair and a shiver will suddenly break over my body, running from the top of my head through my neck and deep into the bottom of my spine. Whether from cold, loss, fear, or all three, I do not know.

It is now my job to stoke the fires. Grandpa is too old, too lost in the archaic crevices of his mind. He stares out the windows for too long, his eyes no longer seeing, the cold begging him to give in. Mom still cooks and bakes, but each year there is less and less food. Each year our holiday feast morphs more into a simple dinner. Instead of reading to me, dad plays Sudoku on his smartphone, the blue glow illuminating his face, scrunched in calculated concentration.

I like to think back to my younger years often. The warmth of the cabin an enveloping hug, holding me close, protecting me from the outside, from the snow. Nana sitting on the edge of my bed, whispering to me, her voice barely audible, almost too quiet to carry through the air. Each word would rise and fall with the indiscernible movements of the draft in the chilly office. Her voice was light, like a broken feather, fluttering towards me, landing lightly on my skin, tracing my features as it crawled from every direction, sliding slowly into my ears.

Images of a great man, strong and ancient, standing proudly over his workers filled my mind. His long grey beard flowing gracefully down like a waterfall, stopping in a wispy curl against the dirt ground, packed hard from years of toiling, years of heavy boots and sharp bone hooves. His mass filling the room, the space glowing red as his body reflects in the polished stone surrounding him on all sides. Stone flat and tall like walls but bigger, higher, stretching endlessly into the black cloudless sky.

“You can barely breath at the North Pole, for he encompasses all, even the molecules of air your lungs need and the blood in your veins craves.”

“But Nana, won’t I die if I can’t breath?”

Nana’s chuckle was low and each strained sound was cut short, like a cough deep in someone’s throat, muffled and painful as they try hard not to let it escape. “No, child. You won’t die at the North Pole.” She brought her dry, crusty lips closer to my face, “you’ll live forever.” Her breath, a strange mix of peppermint and mud, kissed the tip of my nose delicately, like a ballerina, weighing almost nothing, as close to air as a human could ever be

She told me stories of the different types of elves that live at the North Pole: the ones that carry long leathery whips, stained a deep rust color that flaked, the whip strong while the stains fragile, only permanent through repeated application. The elves that had dark metal spears, the points of which were so small, they dissolved into atoms.

“The tip is so fine, one poke, and you don’t even realize you’ve been pierced.” Her voice, so impossibly rough and strained.

Images danced across my mind. Pictures of elves with cutting, blood-stained knifes, elves with red hot matches. Elves with heavy chains, with chisels meant to flay skin, hooks to pierce and pull at flesh, pliers, boiling water, pins and needles and thread. Elves created to pierce, burn, tear, cut, and break the bodies of the sinners. Sinners no longer in the hands of an angry god, but instead in the claws of a loving demon, so infatuated with every inch of their skin, the softness of their lips, the moistness of their groins, that it wants to lick and suck and eat every sweet morsel. Again and again it will have them. A lover never satisfied, an executioner never done.

Reindeers with teeth that snarl at their prisoners, drool forming and flowing from between each deadly fang, their eyes gleaming a menacing red that matches the blood stains on their coarse and wiry fur. Reindeers that beat the ground with their hooves and kick at the bodies in front of them, that step on heads and hands alike, not stopping when the bodies break or pop beneath their powerful weight.

There is an awkwardness in the air as my grandpa shuffles into his office, and tells the empty, silent air, “I thought I heard you in here.”

My mom and dad ask grandpa if he needs anything, maybe a nice cup of chamomile tea to calm his aging nerves, and mom leads him out of the office, my bedroom for the week, and into the kitchen.

Only I realize that it’s not my grandmother that grandpa hears. It is the dry, dusty voice of Nana. I can see the shadows of her hands underneath the cot, her bright orange eyes reflecting in the twinkling white Christmas lights hanging around the door frame. Her long, crooked fingernail, black with age or earth, possibly both, or probably something beyond either, beckons for me to come, to join her.

Maybe this is the year I do. Maybe it’s finally time for me to follow Nana to the enchanted North Pole. To take my promised place as Queen.

#nosleep shorthorrorstory horror xmas christmasshortstory christmas