#but I need more tests before I publish the recipe

[s1ck-b1tch-2]

There’s so many amazing soups out there and I want all of them in my mouth now

#I really want mohinga 😭😭 #I’ve made it before #but the hmart near me closed #so I’ve got no clue how to get dashi #I also want to make my vegan sopa de flijoles again #it’s not nearly as good as it is with dairy #but it’s still amazing #but I need more tests before I publish the recipe #it comes out thinner than you want #because there’s no sour cream #I also want the chicken potato curry from y favorite restaurant #I could make it myself #but it’s so cheap and so worth buying it out

[crow-stars]

❝JUST A FEW MINUTES❞

❦ summary; taking a break is always needed, even if for a little bit.

♪the characters in this story; riddle rosehearts, gn!reader

✎word count; 1,056

☛the author's notes; wow this is longer than vil's aha i wonder what happened there. i also hope to publish the next work maybe sometime today in the afternoon or maybe the evening. i'm on a bit of a writing spree this weekend it seems.

☪look at the catalogue?

It had been... a very, very, very, long day for the Heartslaybul housewarden. 

The Adeuce duo seemed to think that today, the day before Heartslaybul’s monthly tea party, to test out a recipe that the Prefect had recommended. Apparently, though, they thought they could do it without a recipe or the Prefect’s help and it resulted in a catastrophic mess in the kitchen. It was off with their heads for that one, but it didn’t stop there, oh no!

There was also Floyd, ever the troublemaker, deciding that he would ‘grace’ Riddle’s presence for the day. Hanging off his shoulder, constantly making little jabs at the second year that were sure to make Riddle’s face blossom red in anger, and repeatedly throwing Riddle off track of whatever task he aimed to do. It lasted for the better part of the day until Jade had to pry his brother away for his shift at the Mostro Lounge. It couldn’t have come sooner enough, as Riddle was ready to chop that eel’s head off.

Those were the biggest instances, with smaller, but still considerate, events happening that made the stress pile on and on. An alchemy mess that got Riddle in the crossfire, students exhibiting horrid behavior, Sam’s shop running out of his desired drink, it all made Riddle want to scream. Even now, even as Riddle was trying to complete some homework, he couldn’t help the feeling of wanting to snap his pen in two.

A knock at his door pulls Riddle from his thoughts, head lifting up to face the door. He calls out, demanding to know who’s knocking on his door, disturbing him during his studying time. He’s almost ready to hurl some fire towards this person, wanting to sulk about his day in isolation.

But, in response to his demand, he hears your voice and his irritation melts, if only for a little.

Your head peeks into the room soon enough, lips curling in a sympathetic smile as you enter the room. The door closes behind you silently, shoes making small sounds against the floor and soon enough Riddle feels your chin rest on top of his head. Your arms wrap around his midsection from behind, an action that makes something flutter in the housewarden’s chest. It makes warmth that isn’t rage spread through his body and it makes him feel just a bit better.

“I heard about what happened.”

Riddle felt his shoulders slump at those words, gripping his pen tighter as memories of the day rushed through his head. He only lets out an annoyed huff.

“Oh yes, my whole miserable day.”

Riddle feels your chest rumble with laughter, perhaps if only to fill the tense silence.

“Sorry you had a bad day.” Your chin moves from his head to his shoulder, voice closer than it was when you rested on his head. Riddle’s hand moves up, moving to reach your head and sort of hug your head. He could feel an amused huff of air tickle his neck and Riddle sighed happily.

This moment only lasts for a few more seconds before Riddle mentally declares that he’s strayed from his work long enough. His hand falls, ready to return to his work, but it seems you have other plans.

You grab his hand and raise your head. “Ah, ah, ah! What do you think you’re doing?” 

There’s a temptation to question you, to ask why you’re preventing him from doing his work, but Riddle resolves to just raise an eyebrow, not having the energy to lecture you. Though he doesn’t think he’d ever have the heart to, with how your hand is so gentle with holding his, gently squeezing his palm just a bit tighter. 

“‘What do I think I’m doing?’ I’m trying to finish what needs to be done.”

You sigh, shaking your head just a bit. While admiring the Heartslaybul housewarden’s dedication to his work, after hearing the day that Riddle had, he deserved at least some semblance of relaxation. 

“You need a break, Riddle. At least rest for a few minutes.”

He shook his head stubbornly. “I refuse to. Just because I had a bad day, that doesn’t warrant me slacking off in my studies.”

Another sigh at such stubbornness, but this is a battle that won’t be won if both sides refuse to compromise. So, instead, Riddle’s hand gets freed and you step back.

“Fine. I’ll let you work. At least let me fix your hair a bit.” Riddle’s hand flies up to his rose colored locks, wondering what was amiss with his hair. The chuckle that slips from your lips can’t be helped, with Riddle having a subtly panicked look at the thought of looking disheveled in any way. His hair was only a bit messy, but it was still amusing regardless. 

“I-” Riddle pressed his lips together before he sighed. “Alright.” Turning back to his desk, Riddle picked up his pen, feeling your hands move to his head and into his hair. 

You let Riddle begin working for a few seconds before beginning. Slowly, Riddle feels your hands run through his hair, fingertips brushing against his neck occasionally. All the way down and then back to the top of his head to massage his scalp. It was a repeated motion, done over and over again at a comfortably slow pace.

It was hard to resist the urge to close his eyes, to lean back in his chair and enjoy the feeling of your hands in his hair. It was almost mind-numbing, wanting to let all the thoughts in his head slip away and only focus on the touch he’s receiving, it almost makes him want to fall asleep, but Riddle tries to resist. His work must come first, it must.

Unfortunately for the young student, after his day, he doesn’t have much strength to resist as he soon falls victim to your touches and his pen is promptly placed on the desk with a small clack. Riddle leans back, eyes closing and a stuttered breath leaving his lips. The feeling of your hands, rubbing gentle circles on his head was so soothing, so relaxing.

Perhaps just a few more minutes without work will be nice. He’s had a long day, as you said before. If it’s you, he doesn’t mind at all.

#✎haunted books✎ #twisted wonderland #twst #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #twisted wonderland writing #my writing #twst writing #riddle rosehearts #twst riddle #twst riddle rosehearts #riddle twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x reader #riddle rosehearts x reader #riddle x reader

[woodelf68]

For @nostalgiamonth's "Food" prompt. The classic Jell-O recipe book, first published in 1962 by the General Foods Corporation as far as I could find. There's no date inside my copy of it.

Powdered Jell-O gelatin was first introduced in America in 1897, as a way to make gelatin-based dishes quicker and easier to make. It's popularity soared in the 1930s with the advent of electric refrigeration, with sales peaking in 1968, after which they began a slow decline over the next two decades. As more and more women entered the work force, they didn't have time or energy to craft elegantly molded desserts and salads to show off their creativity in the kitchen, at least not on any kind of a regular basis. By the late '80s, with sales having decreased by 50% since their peak, the brand changed to marketing their product as a kid's snack, and selling it pre-made in plastic cups. I can't imagine anything more boring, so let's return to the sixties, when Jell-O briefly offered such flavours as celery, Italian Salad, Mixed Vegetables, and Seasoned Tomato to use as bases for their salad recipes. None of them lasted long, however although personally if I wanted to encase cole slaw or potato salad ingredients in Jell-O, the Italian Salad or Celery flavours sound much more appealing than adding them to a fruit flavour. So get ready to add some veggies to fruit gelatin! Mm, doesn't this Vegetable Trio Loaf look delicious?

You could also try the Barbecue Salad, which doesn't actually feature any barbeque sauce in the basic recipe, but which does offer suggestions for extra flavour!

Ingredients: 1 package Lemon or Orange Jell-O 3 Oz 1 1/4 cups hot water 1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash of pepper Directions Dissolve Jell-O in hot water. Add tomato sauce and other ingredients. Blend. Pour into individual molds. Chill until firm. Place on crisp greens with mayonnaise. For extra spiciness, add any of the following before chilling: onion juice, seasoning or celery salt, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce or horseradish.

If you are having Uncertain Thoughts about the edibility of this recipe, don't worry! You can simply watch this brave soul who made and taste-tested a bunch of vintage Jell-O recipes in her New Joy of Jell-O Project. (Fascinating viewing, and while I'm not going to spoiler you, I will say that not all of the recipes got a complete thumbs down, some much to her surprise.)

Or there's Chicken Mousse, if you need something to serve up at your next Sunday luncheon if you want the guests never to come back.

Last, if you by now are desperate to cleanse your palette with a more fruit-based dessert dish, I offer the Avocado Strawberry Ring, since avocados seems to be a big thing right now. I'm not a fan myself, but if you like them, this recipe got a passing grade, and since the strawberries are only a garnish for the center of the ring, you can substitute any other fresh fruit of your preference. I'd think a smaller berry like blueberries or blackberries would like nice, myself. Or cherries.

And if anyone grew up on any fancy Jell-O recipes, I'd love to hear about them -- both the good and the bad.

#jell-o #recipes #vintage recipes #nostalgiamonth #jell-o salads #jello #yes this was supposed to be for last friday but i got sucked into watching all those videos in the name of research

[tastesoftamriel]

Quick update

This month's recipe will be slightly delayed by a week or two because work is killing me (but I'm employed again so that's a treat). I have the recipe ready, just need to test it before publishing!

I've also closed the inbox temporarily. You can still contact me via dm, but I just don't have the time for more asks rn, sorry!

Hope you all have a great long weekend. Happy whatever it is you feel like celebrating! ~Tal

#Mod post

[vividracing]

New Post has been published on https://www.vividracing.com/blog/139649-2/

While purists, myself included, will always prefer three pedals to two, I will be the first to admit that since it’s 2003 debut, Volkswagen Auto Group’s Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) or Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) was a gamechanger. A quick google search would hail countless pages of noise samples, roll races, and technical ins-and-outs, but simply put… it’s fast… but it could be faster.

That being said, we were hyped to learn that the third generation Audi S3 would not only feature the 300hp 2.0 liter TFSI inline four cylinder engine, but it would also be paired with a fast-shifting Direct Shift Gearbox. A sure recipe for success, Audi kept this power combo together for 4 model years, giving us the chance to really test the limits of the S3.

For starters, 300hp and 281ftlbs of torque is more than enough to get a skilled driver from 0-60 in just 4.8 seconds utilizing lightning fast shifts at a 6800rpm redline that keeps you pinned under what is one of the most impressive factory torque curves in its class! Holding strong from 1800-5500rpms and five crispy shifts later, you’ll find the factory limiter hard set at 155mph, but not before passing the ¼ mile performance benchmark in about 13.3 seconds. All of this, by the way, was done on the factory 225/40 street compound tires. To say this platform is impressive is the understatement of the century, but like every car that crests the white and grey Vivid Racing dyno lab doors, it could be faster.

Our first issue with the Audi S3 was the same issue we run into with almost all OEM’s, so we addressed it immediately. The factory overrun fuel cut delay produces some happy exhaust burbles, but they serve as no replacement for response. A little acceleration enrichment management and throttle mapping saw our otherwise factory S3 immediately come alive, completely eliminating the pedal delay that plagues so many automatic transmission vehicles. From there, we spent a little time on our timing and fueling strategies, even delaying that overrun fuel cut even more for a few fireworks out the tail pipe, before ending with a safe, but aggressive 368 hp and 357 ftlbs of torque. Our new found 20% increase in horsepower and 26% increase in torque was amazing, but we knew something was missing. So, we disabled the speed limiter, and it was impressive, but still not perfect yet. So we looked to the transmission.

Interested in this Audi RS3 ECU Flash? Order Here

From the factory, the DQ250 is one of the most capable modern transmissions in the sport compact game, but unlike our beloved T56’s and R154’s, the DQ250’s brawn depends less on it’s hardware and more on its software. In regular trim, Audi designed this transmission for the common person. It has been refined to focus less on violent acceleration and more on comfort, emissions, and longevity, but like most things, the OEM’s took this refinement to the extreme, effectively caging the DQ250’s spirit in the name of normality. Luckily, here at VR Tuned, we have developed a flash that allows you to harness every bit of power and translate it seamlessly to whatever road surface you choose.

The DSG is similar to your automatic and manual transmissions in that it translates engine torque to the wheels, but the way it does it would require its own article. In short, we were able to extend shift points, quicken the clutch engagement, and modify a few parameters to ensure efficient repeatable launches with our higher power levels. Most importantly, nothing we did to our transmission computer affected our engine computer. This means there were no check engine lights, no need to re-tune our ECU, and we had nailed the direct plug-and-play simplicity we have grown to enjoy across all platforms with our VR Tuned products.

Interested in this Audi S3 Transmission Flash? Order Here

  All in hand, if you’re fortunate enough to own one of these marvels of German engineering, you owe it to yourself, your car, and your time slips to get it VR Tuned. Whether you’re stock, Full Bolt-On, or just wanted some burbles, you must get your DSG Tuned.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to reach out to [email protected], otherwise, we’ll see you at the track.

#Audi #Audi S3 #VR Tuned #vrtuned ecu flash

[eazy-group]

Chorizo Quesadilla: Easy Camping Recipe Ready In Minutes

New Post has been published on https://eazycamping.net/chorizo-quesadilla-easy-camping-recipe-ready-in-minutes/

Chorizo Quesadilla: Easy Camping Recipe Ready In Minutes

If you love easy campfire recipes, this quesadilla is a great option. You can use a cast iron skillet or griddle for this meal.

This works well also if you prefer preparing camp stove recipes with non-stick skillets.

Recipe Steps

Step 1. Prepare your ingredients, heat source and equipment as directed. You’ll start cooking over medium-high heat then eventually reduce down to medium low heat.

Hand Test For Cooking Temperatures

You don’t need a thermometer to determine the temperature of your heat source for cooking. Here’s steps for the “hand test”.

Hold the palm of your hand about 5 inches above the heat source (campfire coals, charcoal briquettes, propane grill etc.) you’re using for cooking. (Make sure nothing is flammable, like clothing or jewelry.)

Pull your hand away from the heat before it hurts and note how many seconds have passed. Example: 5-6 seconds = medium heat.

Heat Level Temperature Range Time High Heat 450-550°F 2-3 seconds Medium Heat 350-450°F 5-6 seconds Low Heat 250-350°F 8-10 seconds

Hand Test For Cooking Temperatures

Step 2. Brown the meat. You’ll begin by browning the sausage. Depending on the brand, the flavour in the meat comes from paprika, cumin and local chiles so the raw sausage already has a reddish-brown color to it. You can tell when the meat is browned by the crumbled texture more than the color.

Step 3. Complete the meat mixture. Add the potato cubes, onion and garlic to the meat. Cook covered until the potatoes are tender.

Step 4. Assemble the quesadilla. Make a “sandwich” out of the two tortillas by spreading the meat mixture between them.

Step 5. Toast & serve. Reduce the heat to medium low and toast both sides of the quesadilla. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Pairings

I love this recipe when I’m preparing camping meals for two. It doesn’t really need anything on the side but if I want to bulk up the meal, I’ll heat up a can of refried beans.

If I’m serving this as one of my camping snacks as an appetizer to a main dish, I like staying in a similar flavor profile. Here are some great options:

Send me FREE camping tips!

I want “5 Secrets To Successful Camping Trips” plus weekly camping tips & recipes.

Leftovers

If I have leftovers I just wrap them in aluminum foil and refrigerate them. Then, I just throw the whole packet over hot campfire coals to reheat the meat and re-crisp the tortillas.

Similar Recipes

Try these Camping Breakfast Quesadillas that uses chorizo as the flavorful meat.

If you want to serve eggs to everyone at the same time, a casserole is a great option. Try this Southwestern Camping Breakfast Casserole when you want a little extra kick in the morning.

These Camping Breakfast Burritos combine chorizo with scrambled eggs in a soft tortilla.

Print This Recipe

Chorizo Quesadilla Recipe

Kim Hanna

Camping For Foodies Dinner Camping Recipes: This chorizo and potato quesadilla makes a nice easy dinner for 2 or an appetizer for 4.

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Resting Time 1 minute min

Total Time 28 minutes mins

Course Dinner Camping Recipes

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 2

Calories 527 kcal

Cooking spray (if needed for sticky pans)

1/2 pound chorizo sausage browned (Use the pork chorizo Mexico variety, not Spanish chorizo. Use bulk ground sausage, not links.)

1 small potato peeled and diced into small cubes

1/2 small onion diced

1 clove garlic minced

2 large burrito size flour tortillas

1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese shredded (can substitute pepper jack or cheddar cheese)

Optional Toppings Suggestions

Salsa, guacamole, fresh cilantro, avocado slices tossed in lime juice, scallions and sour cream.

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

In large skillet over medium-high heat of campfire coals or propane stove, lightly brown chorizo sausage, crumble sausage as it cooks. (see * Note)

Reduce to medium heat. Add potato, onion and garlic to the skillet, cover and cook until potatoes are soft and meat is cooked through. Remove pan from heat.

Lay one tortilla on a flat surface, spread meat and potato mixture in an even layer over the tortilla. Then, cover with cheese and top with second tortilla.

Use a paper towel to remove excess grease from the pan, reduce to medium low heat and return pan to heat source.

Place sandwiched tortillas in pan to brown first side, then, flip to toast second side.

Remove from heat and let stand a minute before slicing to serve. Serve hot with optional toppings, if desired. (see ** Note)

Serving: 1gCalories: 527kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 25gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 993mgPotassium: 414mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 827IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 229mgIron: 2mg

More Yummy Meal Ideas

Source

#camper

[sfarticles]

Passing marks: America’s Test Kitchen makes the grade ATK puts winning recipes in cooks' hands

The elevator to the massive kitchen at America’s Test Kitchen (ATK)

While we’re enjoying the things that define summer; a day at the beach, swimming, grilling outdoors and barbecues, a staff of editors, photographers, cooks, cookware specialists and food stylists, are busy inside the kitchens of America’s Test Kitchen (ATK), creating content for fall and holiday issues of its magazines The recipes and photographs on those end-of-year issues are sure to warm our spirits long after summer has given way to the colder nights of autumn and winter. There are test-kitchen cooks working on recipes for cookbooks (12 to are published each year) and other media, too.

The test cooks at work

ATK is the publisher of Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and a plethora of cookbooks, and let’s not forget the television programs, “America’s Test Kitchen” and “Cook’s Country” air on PBS television, plus the online cooking school and websites.

I was invited to spend the day learning what goes on behind the scenes at ATK , a food organization I have admired for decades. Located in the Innovation and Design Building in Boston’s Seaport district, the 15,000 square foot test kitchen is where the rigorous testing of recipes, kitchen equipment and pantry items takes place. There are photography and video studios, rooms storing all sorts of kitchen tools and equipment waiting to be tested prior to the expert’s ratings of the devices being published so readers can make the right decision when making a purchase, whether it be a toaster, peeler, knife, or stove. Familiar packaged ingredients are lined up, waiting to be tested and compared, so the culinary experts can share their findings in ATK publications.

Kylie Alexander, Associate Art Director for ATK books and Daniel van Ackere, photographer

It was interesting to learn that the company prefers to be known as a “digital entertainment company,” rather than a publishing company. If you think about it, many of us are mesmerized and entertained by food television programs, food-centric websites, food festivals, and celebrity chefs.

Those mouthwatering magazine covers at the checkout line that get our attention at the supermarket or on display at a magazine shop, can take days to style the food and then photograph the dish to get it just right, as to appeal to every eye passing by… And each recipe, as I learned, goes through many tests before it is published thus it can be prepared with ease and confidence, knowing it will yield astonishing results. More about the process, later.

Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country, published by America’s Test Kitchen

Racks of plates in every imaginable color, pattern and shape, props and backdrops, line the walls in several rooms, giving inspiration to the food stylists. Staff members are assigned to do the food shopping for the dishes scheduled to be prepared. This might seem like an easy job, however sourcing high-quality seasonal ingredients several months ahead of their availability makes it a challenge. If you enjoy food shopping as I do, it seems to be the perfect job!

On the day of my visit several dishes were being tested. Dish after dish was being prepared and tasted by the cooks and editors. Comments followed like, ” This needs a little more salt,” “The sauce needs more spice,” and “The noodles need to be cooked more.” Detailed notes are taken, and the recipes are adjusted and tested again and again, until they are flawless. Each one takes months of meticulous research and testing.

So, what is the roadmap a recipe takes from beginning to end?

First, recipe ideas are compiled by the kitchen staff and editors. Then their team of volunteer-home cooks are surveyed. If 80% of them like the idea it moves to recipe development. The ATK cookbook library houses thousands of books so test-cook team members can source and research any respective dish upon which they are working. The test cook then submits a proposal to editors and fellow cooks. If it gets the okay; the test cook prepares five versions of the recipe culled from the library.  Next, they experiment with techniques and ingredients to write an original recipe before it is tested, then critiqued by editors and fellow test cooks.

Additionally, hundreds of outside volunteer cooks prepare the working recipe at home, providing feedback and scoring the recipe. If 80% give the recipe their blessing, the ATK team performs an” abuse test,” taking into consideration survey results, anticipated substitutions, errors, and shortcuts home cooks might make, and finally test the recipe one more time. After the recipe is finalized, a photo shoot occurs, and the headnotes are written. The signature headnotes “Why this recipe works” summarizes the recipe’s development.

Once published, an online survey is done; rarely is it refined further. The high-scoring recipes are then used in several ATK media and publishing outlets.

Wow, you might be saying…. all this simply for a recipe. If you have prepared a recipe by ATK, you’ll probably agree with me; that they always work.

With so much testing, an abundance of ingredients is used.

The grocery bill in 2022 was almost $400,000, I am told. The number of staple items uses is astonishing……

·  9,550 eggs

·  2700 pounds of flour

·  144 gallons of milk

·  1,098 pounds of unsalted butter

·  232 pounds of Kosher salt

·  1,615 lemons

·  138 gallons of chicken broth

Each recipe costs approximately $11,000 to develop. This includes ingredients, labor, and research. An ATK article said, “Our Texas Barbecue Brisket recipe took two years and 500 pounds of beef to get right!”

You might be thinking, what happens to all the food produced each day…well, there is a “take-home” refrigerator stocked with the days creations for employees to take home.  Now, that’s a tasty benefit.

The mission of America’s Test Kitchen is “To empower and inspire confidence, community, and creativity in the kitchen.” Since 1993, it’s been a well-respected resource for curious cooks to hone their skills.

Do you want to be a volunteer recipe tester and peer behind the scenes at ATK? Visit:  bit.ly/46Y4UnO

Here are two recipes that were being worked on the day of my visit.

Red Lentil Kibbeh

Kibbeh (item on right of plates) and other dishes are lined up to be photographed

The headnote says, “Why This Recipe Works: Kibbeh is a popular Middle Eastern dish made from bulgur, minced onions, varying spices, and often ground meat that can be formed into balls, pressed into a pan, and baked or grilled, or served raw like this. Our version uses lentils in lieu of meat as the texture of the two is similar. Red lentils are a vibrant, strong source of protein. Cooking them with tomato paste brings out a sweet, umami quality, and harissa adds deeper flavor. To balance the aromatics, we stir in lemon juice and parsley at the end. This dish is flexible, so spoon it onto Bibb lettuce leaves or eat it alongside pita bread—depending upon your exercise that day. We prefer to use our homemade Harissa  but you can substitute store-bought. This recipe can easily be doubled.

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 small onion, chopped fine

½ red bell pepper, chopped fine

½ teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon harissa

1 tablespoon tomato paste

½ cup medium-grind bulgur

2 cups water

⅓ cup dried red lentils, picked over and rinsed

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ head Bibb lettuce (4 ounces), leaves separated

⅔ cup plain low-fat yogurt

Lemon wedges

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, bell pepper, and salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in harissa and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Stir in bulgur and water and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until bulgur is barely tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in lentils, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils and bulgur are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Off heat, lay clean folded dish towel underneath lid, and let sit for 10 minutes. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, parsley, and lemon juice and stir vigorously until mixture is cohesive. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon kibbeh into lettuce leaves and top with yogurt. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2

Chocolate olive oil cake with hazelnut filling was one of the dishes being tested the day of my visit

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

The headnote says, “We strongly recommend measuring your ingredients by weight. If your cocoa is lumpy, sift it before using. You can use any fresh, mild-flavored olive oil and milk of any fat level, or even non-dairy milk. If your springform pan is prone to leaking, place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips. A plastic take-out knife works well for loosening the edge of the cake without damaging your pan. Serve this cake simply on its own, or dressed up with berries and whipped cream, crème fraiche, or ice cream.”

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

¾ cup (3 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

¼ cup (¾ ounce) Dutch-processed cocoa powder

¾ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon table salt

1 cup (7 ounces) sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided

2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk

½ cup milk

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Using paper towel, wipe sides of pan, leaving only thin film of oil. Combine olive oil and chocolate in bowl and microwave until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute. Stir until combined. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.

Whisk 1 cup sugar, eggs, and yolk in large bowl until combined. Whisk in olive oil mixture until fully incorporated. Whisk in milk until incorporated. Whisk in flour mixture until smooth. Transfer batter to prepared pan; sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over surface. Securing pan clip with one hand to prevent it from opening, tap pan gently on counter to dislodge air bubbles on surface. Bake until skewer inserted diagonally into crack and aimed toward center of cake comes out with few crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer pan to wire rack and let cake cool completely, about 2 hours. Run knife around edge of cake to loosen. Remove side of pan. Cut cake into wedges and serve. (Leftover cake can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to three days.) Serves 8 to 10.

Stephen Fries, is Professor Emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. [email protected] For more, go to stephenfries.com

[responsivedeck]

Features of Reading Food Sites

Originalsindesserts.com

There are several benefits anyone online can receive from making to read a variety of meals blogs. These excellent resources can be utilized simply by individuals with little to help no cooking working experience, as well as by chefs who already have a certain amount in culinary martial arts styles. All you need is a absolutely adore of food, together with a desire to learn more about the topic.

Originalsindesserts.com

First, a wide variety of barbecuing tips can be found by simply reading through these sites. You may learn the right temperature to prepare a meal your chicken, the most beneficial length of time to spend marinating your steak, and which desserts can be best served when ever celebrating a romantic event. You may even discover recommendations that help you make more effectively and effectively.

Second, you are sure to discover foods you may have never even discovered before. For example , I discovered Anzac biscuits, which are actually created for troops during World Struggle I in Sydney and New Zealand. The cookies please take a long time to mess up, so they were simple transport to the militia. They also taste superb. It can be fun to test your hand in developing a dish that is cutting edge and exciting.

Other, food blogs give readers a chance to discover how to use everyday meals in a wide variety of means. Eggs can be become Western omelets, quiches, casseroles, and even custards. Pork chops could be baked, breaded, in addition to grilled. You can pitch kielbasa in a pasta salad, or cook dinner it with pineapples and brown carbohydrates. There are so many different a combination that it makes sense to help you browse the ideas associated with others and record anything that sounds like it'd quickly become a most desired in your home.

Fourth, you might actually be able to maintain to date on high profile chefs and just what dishes they are designing. People like Paula Dean, Rachael Beam, Gordon Ramsey, perhaps even Martha Stewart publish fabulous new tasty recipes all the time. Also, should you have a favorite celebrity cocinero, you'll be able to learn about almost any upcoming food competitive events they might be in, and also talk shows they usually are visiting.

So the when you are on the prowl for some cooking suggestions that will lead you to a unique entree, start examining relevant blogs. Maintain a list of your preferred as you go through these individuals, so that you can come back every once in awhile and discover even more delightful meals, and your coordinating ingredients.

[mediadiscord]

Try Before You Buy - Tiny Thor

Hello and welcome to try before you buy, where I find a game coming out and give it a test to let you know whether I feel it’s worth testing. These may be available demos or just indie games that got money to expand into full fledged games with more content. In any case, I will also provide links to where you can download these and try them on your own as our opinions may differ. Today I’m taking a look at a game that caught my attention from a press release, months after it was announced for the Nintendo Switch and Steam. I’m a big fan of nostalgia and when I saw Tiny Thor, it immediately brought me back to playing my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MfeFK7DPUI Tiny Thor is set for a Q2 release this year and is scheduled to come out on the Nintendo Switch and on Steam. Asylum Square Interactive gmbH developed the game and Gameforge 4d GmbH published it. In Their Own Words Asylum Square is an independent games developer, based in the Black Forest in Germany. We grew up with game systems like the Sega Master System, SNES or the Commodore Amiga and C64. In 2014 Jochen founded Asylum Square to create games he would have loved to play back then and there on the living room carpet. To achieve this we work together with a bunch of very talented people and industry veterans. Some of them even were part of those original, inspiring experiences and have joined us on our current endeavors. Tiny Thor features 16-bit graphics and gameplay centered around using Mjölnir, leading our Norse hero through challenging levels filled with all kinds of obstacles. It offers tight controls, fast-paced action and an experience tinged with nostalgia. Tiny Thor will feel familiar to retro fans, but also unique in its own ways. It features true 16-bit pixel art from Henk Nieborg and an original soundtrack by Chris Hülsbeck. Starting as a relatively simple platformer, Tiny Thor unfolds along the way, as you unlock all kinds of abilities that you dreamed of having back in the day. The platforming is punctuated with exhilarating boss battles which will test the son of Odin. Each realm features a set of almighty adversaries who want to stop Thor on his way to becoming a true god. You will need to make use of everything you learned along the way to beat them! Features - Master ricocheting hammer throws to overwhelm enemies - Learn awesome special abilities - Explore over 30 handcrafted levels across three distinct realms - Challenging boss fights, each with unique mechanics - Rattle your brain to solve tricky environmental puzzles - Discover tons of secrets and collect hidden gems to unlock challenge levels - Enjoy the story of a boy taking responsibility My Experience and Thoughts As I mentioned above, I am a huge fan of nostalgia. When they said that this was a love letter to the 16-bit era, they weren’t kidding. If you were to sit this game down in front of me when I was 9 and have me play it, I wouldn’t bat an eye, because it looks like it belongs on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This game did also catch my eye, because with the rise of Marvel movies, when you say the name Thor Chris Hemsworth comes to mind. So, a side scrolling game with a sprinkle of nostalgia topped with a Norse god that came to comics and then to movies is a recipe of a game that I have to play. You start the game (demo) being told that it’s your birthday and that you have to get home to get the present from your father Odin. This level is really just a tutorial with some story and it’s meant for you to learn how to control Thor. I played this on Steam via the demo and used my Xbox Series X controller and it worked just fine. The game recognizes the controller and the dialogue boxes and button prompts change from keyboard to controller to aid you. You quickly learn that this is a platformer as they are blue gems scattered throughout that are there to be collectables as well as a guide to the correct way you should be going. If you ever get lost, just look for the blue gems and use them as your guide to where you need to go. During my gameplay there isn’t a significance that I noticed with the blue gems, only to be something you collected. This is topped off by a counter in the top right showing you how many blue gems are in the stage, so if you find yourself going a while without grabbing a blue gem then you probably missed an area. The blue gems aren’t needed to pass the level, but if you’re all in on getting every collectable than your time in a level may differ from others. You come across enemies and realized that jumping on their head is the best way to dispatch of them. This game mechanic isn’t set to just 16-bit games, but it’s a mechanic that works and has worked since I Super Mario Bros.. You don’t have a life bar, but you do find hearts with numbers in the middle. It was later that I found out that this allows for you to get hit without dying, but when you do get hit the heart leaves your body and starts bouncing around with the number in the middle counting down. The tough part about tying to run after it and getting it back is that fact that it may bounce off a cliff or to the enemy that initially hit you and it may be difficult to get back. This is also a nostalgic throwback to Super Mario Bros. where if you hit a question mark block and a mushroom came out, it may go the opposite way of where you are and you must go chase it down. As you jump on enemies to take them out you’ll eventually come to a large rock where electricity comes out when you get near it, these are save points. Like in most games with available save points, these are scattered around and you’ll more than often find them after completing a difficult section of the level. The one thing that I didn’t catch until I came across it a few times were white rats showing you were hidden rooms are. There are fake walls that you can walk through to get more gems or hearts. So, if you see a white rat walking around, do a quick once over in the area and look for any hidden rooms with potentially helpful items such as hearts. You make it to your father and are given Mjölnir as a gift. You can throw the magical hammer and it will ricochet off the walls and bounce around the level hurting and eventually taking out enemies it hits. You can also use the hammer to open pathways and to grab items that may be out of reach, such as gems. Even though the hammer will bounce all over where you are, if you press the same button to throw it again while it’s out of your possession it will return to you. There’s a bit of geometry that comes into play, so you’ll need to take time and aim it so it will eventually get to where you want it to go. This will be your main attack along side your jump and both will work to aid your adventure on through the rest of the game. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdXrVAbDFmk The story progresses and you start making your way to different levels and experiencing different items to find. Along side the blue gems, there are also red big gems that are hidden and can be used to open different pathways. I feel like the game is rewarding for taking some extra time to explore the levels they’ve built. You also learn that Thor is not much a swimmer and dies if you hit the water. Luckily there doesn’t seem to be a set number of lives available, so if you need to take an hour and try to complete a section so you can get to the next save point, then that’s what you’ll be able to do. I was briefly stuck at the end of the first level as it didn’t really end, but I found something that looked like a portal with the option to quit level. Surely I didn’t want to quit the level, but after a few minutes I realized that the wording may not be the bets, and that’s how your end the level once you’re done collecting everything. The second level is where the difficulty ramps up when it comes to enemies. What you think is harmless snail with small spikes on his back is actually one of the more frustrating enemies you’ll meet during this demo. Throwing your hammer at it will do nothing, but it will become vulnerable when it pops out of it’s shell and starts walking towards you. You have to treat it like a Boo from Super Mario World and turn your back to it and then throw your hammer, jump over it when it comes back to you and have it hit the snail. This is simple enough when it comes to one snail, but when it comes to multiple it can be tricky. You can even bounce your hammer off a snail that is in it’s shell so it comes back and hits the snail behind you. The first big boss you fight is a forest creature who drops blocks like Tetris pieces has lark vine walls come up from the world The object is to hit the monster with your hammer, but if there are walls blocking the way you’ll have to bounce it off the falling blocks so it destroys the wall and breaks through to the monster. I really like the set it and forget it aspect of the strategy asking to be used. You can have it bound back and forth until it hits the monster all the while being able to jump to safety. I also like how there’s a tad bit of a delay when the blocks emerge when they fall, this gives you time to jump out of the way or call back your hammer if you’re trapped and a block is going to fall on you. After defeating the monster you acquire the ability to perform a double jump. The map opens up and instead of going to the next level you have two options. There is a blocked pathway I couldn’t get to because I accidentally missed a gem and couldn’t unlock it, and there’s the other path. Now I don’t know what levels 3-7 had but for some reason the difficulty jumped up by a lot. I’m not talking about enemies, I’m talking about puzzles that involved tough enemies. The bees so far must be my least favorite enemy to face. Even with bouncing your hammer all over the place it’s hard to take them out. I spent almost an hour on a puzzle where I had to step on a flower and bounce my hammer off a wall to hit another flower, which caused it to blow air under me and allow me to get a higher ledge. The geometry part was frustrating, but then you get a section where there ware two bee hives spewing out bees and you have to hit the boxes above you to open the pathway. You can jump down to try to avoid the bees, but it blocks your view of the opening above  and if you try to jump back up to kill the bees you’re guaranteed to get hit and die. I tried numerous strategies and ultimately it was just an issue of not throwing the hammer the right angle so it hits everything. Later the bees turn into a moving walkway as you have to jump off of them to go left and right and up to reach higher places. After making it through this very difficult level the demo ends. Despite what you may think, I had fun with the game. The difficulty spiked up pretty quickly, but if you have a mouse and keyboard and play on Steam that puzzles where you have to bounce your hammer off the walls may be a little easier. I wonder if can switch it up and disconnect your controller when you get to those parts so you can use your keyboard and then plug it back in to continue your game. I really like the visuals and the game itself ran very smoothly. The puzzles were frustrating, but fun. I didn’t want to give up on them, because there were unlimited lives. I feel that adds to the ability to spend so much time in one area, not having to worry about eating all your lives and starting the whole level over. There should be a degree of difficulty and this game meets it, but I would start off with the easy difficulty until you get really good with throwing your hammer or else you may get stuck like me in a section for almost an hour. I’m not sure what the price is going to be, but if you play the demo and really like it then it really shouldn’t matter. Get it on Steam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIyRCrwnjGI Read the full article

[cheapcourses]

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[foodbytesback]

The Rise and Fall of Bon Appetit

Sometimes life comes at you fast.  Sometimes, that means stories in the food industry break in such rapid succession that you have no time to blink in between.  Sometimes, it means someone found out about something racist you did a few years ago.  What happens when it’s both?  Ask the fine folks at Bon Appetit.

In recent years, Bon Appetit made a name for itself, rising from the ashes of dying print media, through its Youtube channel featuring a diverse cast of personalities.  But over the course of this past week, many of the publication’s executives have been found to foster a toxic workplace culture, rife with racism, sexism and homophobia.  

Before I get too deep (because this is going to be a long one), I feel the need to point out that while this story’s breaking happened to coincide with Black Lives Matter protests across the country and gained traction from people’s outrage towards inequality, the events that have unfolded should not be blamed on “cancel culture,” “political correctness run amok” or any other reactionary dismissal of critical thinking.  Adam Rapoport didn’t lose his job because Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter came to be because of the damage that many in positions of power like Rapoport have done in both mainstream media and society as a whole.

[Also, yes, there are going to be a lot of links to Instagram posts that have been screenshotted and uploaded to Twitter.  Clearly the real takeaway from this debacle is that I need to get an Instagram account.  Also also, thanks to Tumblr’s new rules about offsite links, you’ll have to go to my main site for the full receipts.]

Preamble

Shortly after the killing of George Floyd, Adam Rapoport, Editor-in-Chief at Bon Appetit, wrote an editorial highlighting some of the coverage they’ve given to black chefs.  Many criticized this as being superficial and performative, with others saying that BA has, on numerous occasions, shut down articles relating to black culture for not being “trendy” enough or otherwise was discriminatory towards black employees. (Also, the repeated use of “uprisings” instead of “protests” seems a little suspicious.)

An article from Eater criticized the role BA played in the appropriating and whitewashing of many cultures’ ingredients and cuisines (gochujang, Aleppo pepper, and sumac seem to be some of BA’s favorite ingredients) that had become prevalent in food media in recent years.

While it’s a fairly minor offense in comparison, it may also be worth bringing up the time Rapoport accidentally called Priya Krishna “Sohla,” the name of his other Indian employee.

Monday, June 8th

Food writer Tammie Teclemariam posted a screencap of an Instagram post made by Rapoport’s wife, which depicted the two of them donning Puerto Rican stereotypes as Halloween costumes, brownface and all.    

Many were quick to declare their outrage and demand that Rapoport either resign or be fired.  Meanwhile, Sohla El-Waylly, one of the leading stars of the Youtube channel, was one of the first BA employees to speak up, and disclosed that this kind of behavior was just the tip of the iceberg.  She said that BIPOC workers have been paid disproportionately for their work, including not being paid a per-video commission that the white stars of the Youtube channel receive. 

Molly Baz, one of the aforementioned white stars, announced that she would no longer make videos for BA until all of El-Waylly’s demands were met.  One by one, their white coworkers chimed in in agreement.  

Former staff photographer Alex Lau also wrote an extensive tweet thread about his experiences at BA, including how he had futilely tried to fix the system from within.

By the end of Monday, Adam Rapoport had resigned from his position as Editor-in-Chief.

Tuesday, June 9th  

Since Rapoport’s official resignation did little to fix many of the systemic problems in place at BA, many began to turn their attention to other senior members of the staff.

Some came for Andrew Knowlton, the Restaurant Editor, for behaviors such as gaslighting an employee for trying to bring up racist practices in the offices.

Others called out Matthew Duckor, a VP at Conde Nast and BA’s former “Head of Video” (Did a 3 year old come up with that job title?), for a series of old racist and homophobic tweets.  He tried to apologize by saying that he was young and didn’t know any better at the time, but many were quick to point out that he was, at the youngest, 20, aka for all intents and purposes An Adult when he wrote those tweets. 

Tammie Teclemariam returned to ask current and former BA employees to DM her information about Duckor that they didn’t want to go public with themselves, ranging from his hand in the aforementioned pay disparity to making inappropriate comments towards women.

Teclemariam also did even more social media muckraking and found that Drinks Editor Alex Delany had once decorated a cake to look like a Confederate flag, while others found things like a Vine where he says the f-slur and some questionable comments about women on this Tumblr.  He later deleted his Tumblr and Twitter, and issued a cookie-cutter apology on his Instagram.

She also vague-tweeted that Brad Leone, one of the most beloved stars of the Youtube channel, is “possibly not a great guy,” but later added, “don’t fret.” At that point, some began to accuse her of just trying to stir the pot.

Ultimately, Matt Hunziker, director and camera operator for Leone’s show, reported that the higher ups were ignoring the situation regarding the pay disparity, and that they were not “learning and growing.”

Wednesday, June 10th

By this point, journalists were able to do more thorough investigations and put together exposés that were more than a blurb about an accusation followed by a nut graph.

Business Insider published an article where they interviewed 14 current and former BIPOC employees of Bon Appetit.  In addition to information already discussed above, it also described events such as an incident where several BIPOC staffers were told they weren’t allowed the test kitchen. (Carla Lalli Music, the Food Director at the time, would later defend her stance in the affair on Twitter.)  Ryan Walker-Hartshorn, a black woman who served as Rapoport’s personal assistant, recalled that she would often spend her day doing menial tasks like polishing her boss’s golf clubs or trying to teach his wife how to use Google Calendar.  In another incident, Knolton called Rick Martinez a “one trick pony” for only developing Mexican recipes, which is what he was being forced to do so BA could tout “diversity” bonus points.  Martinez would also say that the magazine under Rapoport’s tenure “went from old and irrelevant and white-washed content to young and trendy white-washed content." (Martinez would also upload a more graphic description of the treatment he received  to his Instagram that same day.) Later that day, Business Insider would also report that Duckor had left the company.

Vice would liken Rapoport to Michael Scott from The Office, but noted that that kind of bumbling, endearingly insensitive bad boss archetype isn’t as charming in the real world where real employees are being affected.  Parallels were also drawn between the Youtube channel and The Office itself, stating that the “quirky workplace” facade put on in the videos helped hide the more sinister practices that lurked beneath the surface, and that the notion that they were “one big family” often pressured BIPOC into doing more than their fair share for the greater good.

Jezebel showed email transcripts where Rapoport argued the semantics of having his costume be called “brownface” when he wasn’t wearing makeup, and had to be explained to, like a child, that the term refers to the racist caricature and not the literal act of putting brown makeup on one’s face.  What a douche.

Bon Appetit published an official apology on their site, a whole two days after the controversy began.  Many believed that their empty promises of “learning from their mistakes” were a day late and a dollar short.

Meanwhile, on Twitter, former BA writer Alyse Whitney said that senior editor Andy Baraghani had, on several occasions, used his influence to undermine her efforts. Whether this had to do with racism, sexism, or just Andy being petty is up for debate, but still constitutes as unprofessional behavior to say the least.

Thursday, June 11th

As interest in the story seemed to wane for many in the industry, Claire Saffitz, arguably the face of the Youtube channel, released another statement on her Instagram.  She said that her relative silence was due to taking time to find the right words, and that the same-old promises to “learn and grow” that most had been giving felt empty and performative. Unlike many of her white coworkers, she directly apologized for being complicit in the toxic environment  and for not using her status to try to leverage even pay for her BIPOC coworkers.  

Another BA Youtube personality, Amiel Stanek, also released a statement in response to BA’s official press release, where he demanded Conde Nast to stop avoiding action by setting vague timelines for changes or making excuses for not giving BIPOC workers raises like “the money just isn’t there.”

Associate editor Christina Chaey also opened up about her experiences with being pushed into more and more videos to “diversify” them- all without compensation.  

Friday, June 12th

The biggest scandal of the day was that, as Teclemariam predicted, Brad Leone is possibly not a great guy.  A leaked screenshot of an Instagram DM showed him making callous, almost Trump-y comments regarding El-Waylly’s demand for better pay.  He also allegedly said that if Delany were to be fired (as of that day he had been sent on leave), he would quit.

Saturday, June 13th

The New York Times published an article suggesting that the issues prevalent in BA’s management may go all the way to the top of Conde Nast.  Highlights include Chief Executive Roger Lynch chastising the whistleblowers within the company for raising their concerns in such a public manner and an account of an incident where he gave his black assistant a guidebook on how to speak “proper” English.

The Sporkful released a special episode of their podcast containing interviews with several current and former BA BIPOC workers.  Nikita Richardson divulged that after she was laid off, a story she had already done all the leg work for was picked up and credited to Amanda Shapiro, a white staff writer who is now acting Editor-in-Chief in lieu of Rapoport.  Sohla El-Waylly confirmed that the self-congratulatory editorial Rapoport wrote in the wake of George Floyd’s death was the real beginning of the end, and that the racist photo was just the final straw.  She also described a company-wide Zoom meeting held after the photo began to be spread around where Rapoport issued a half-hearted apology, and began talking about how he would “fix the brand” before El-Waylly demanded he resigned.  Furthermore, she revealed that after her Instagram posts began circulating rapidly, Duckor had offered her a new contract with increased pay, but she is refusing to sign it until all BIPOC have received similar compensation.  She also said that she had a hand in the wishy-washy statement that BA had published on Wednesday, and said that it originally had taken much firmer stances on the issues but their PR office made them tone it down.  Also, she commented that Leone, for the most part, just seemed like she “genuinely think[s] [that he] just found out racism is real.”  Ultimately, she was glad that the story was getting as much coverage as it was, since it made her feel that her voice was finally being heard.

Sunday, June 14th

Baraghani released a statement on Instagram apologizing for his behavior, saying that trying to achieve his personal goals in BA’s toxic, competitive environment made him lose sight of solidarity with his fellow BIPOC.  

While that may seem like the end of the story for now, it’s important to note that, even with the resignation of two executives, nothing has truly been done to fix the systemic problems at hand.

#bon appetit #adam rapoport #matt duckor #alex delany #sohla el waylly #molly baz #carla lalli music #andy baraghani #brad leone #clair saffitz #amiel stanek #tw racism #tw homophobia #tw sexism

[swanpyart]

The Short Lived Adventures of RAPH and Casey Jones

This is an old pic that was made for a zine that was never published. So I’ll leave it here. It might not ever be finished, but I think the story is decent enough on its own.

Part 1:

Casey was completely fine by herself.

Sure, her parents never really paid her any mind, but she never needed them to; Casey was a fast learner, and was able to cook, clean, and do pretty much anything the adults could do.

“Look!” Ten-year-old Casey held up an English vocabulary test, with an “100%” written in the corner in cursive. “I passed!”

“Honey,” her mother barely looked at her from her seat at her desk, “One hundred percent is the bare minimum. Anything less means you practically failed.”

There was always an empty space in the bleachers whenever Casey had a hockey game. She would cross her arms as she waited for her parents to pick her up and watched as the people in the audience rushed down and hugged their own children after a game, regardless of whether they won or lost. When her parents finally showed up, she sat in the car quietly as they drove.

Casey spent almost everyday after school at her Granny’s while her parents were at work. The old woman’s house was always warm, mostly because she was always baking; cakes, cookies, and especially her famous brownies - made with a special ingredient.

At twelve years old, Casey had failed a math test for the first time, and burst into tears as she walked through her Granny’s front door. “I’m a failure!”

“Sweetie, everyone fails every now and then,” her Granny wiped a tear from Casey’s cheek and got out an antique mixing bowl, “but I can tell you tried really hard. That’s what matters; that you don’t stop trying your best.”

Afterwards, Casey and her Granny spent the afternoon baking brownies, and that was when she was granted the knowledge of the secret ingredient. She swore her secrecy and never told anyone.

Of course, that was a while ago; her grandmother had passed away sometime afterwards. Her parents reacted with more emotion when Casey had shaved her head than when they attended the funeral.

They also seemed only mildly surprised when, at thirteen years old, Casey was accepted into the Foot Clan and never came back home.

There, Casey promised to herself to show the world just how much of a not-failure she really is! Even if she had to work with the most vile Clan in all the world to achieve it and release the Shredder, the ultimate evil, unto the world. She had worked above and beyond to get where she is, and no one could stop her!

At least, that’s what she thought before the Shredder disappeared, and with him, the Clan’s purpose. And way before those strange, overgrown turtles with no sense of honor or discipline showed up and destroyed their chances, time and time again.

Suddenly, the group she had worked with since she was a preteen, and the closest thing she had to any family, were dragged away by outside obligations she never understood.

Foot Brute and Lieutenant were better parents than her own, but, in the end, they were her bosses and coworkers, and no replacement for a family.

Sure, everyone else may have given up, but she would stay committed to the Clan’s ultimate vision, even if she had to use her dear Granny’s recipe for evil. Grandma CJ’s Brownies were an absolute bust, but she had to try something.

Then, she met this weird, giant, smelly rat with a Japanese accent dressed like a teenager who somehow turned out to be the father of those overgrown turtles.

And, as weird as it was, despite not even being human, he sat next to her and heard what she had to say; and, for those few minutes, it was almost like being next to her Granny again.

“Just because you failed doesn’t make you a failure.”

If she had been smarter, maybe she should have listened a bit harder to what he was saying. If she had been smarter, maybe she would have calmed down and talked to the girl that was beating up the Girl Scouts. There were so many opportunities to just talk.

But then the Shredder was restored, and she really thought it would be the return of her Clan’s glory. Even as she looked at the beaten down forms of her previous bosses. Even as she saw Splinter and his family struggling for their lives. Even as she realized winning would mean the end of everything, including her.

There was no more Clan. She was still alone. She was just alone with a giant evil suit of demon armor.

But, now, she wasn’t.

Even after everything, Splinter offered her an invitation into their...

Family.

------------------------------------------------------

He had invited her to the lair a few weeks after the fight with Shredder.

“I’m working at the Foot Shack. After my former clan disbanded, they got bought out by another company, Splinter, sir.” She squeezed the mug of tea in her hands.

“Just ‘Splinter’ is fine,” Splinter had opened a bag of chips, and was reclining in his seat. The turtles were out with April at the arcade, taking a break from repairing the lair. “Where are you staying? Do you have a place to live?”

“Yes, I actually have my own apartment.”

There was a moment of awkward silence. Splinter sighed. “Listen, Casey, I know that it’s probably hard having to... uh, sort things out by yourself-”

“What?! No, I’m fine!” She flapped her hand dismissively. “My life is fantastic! It’s definitely not in complete shambles after losing everything I know.” She blinked, realizing that she overshared, and collected herself. “I’m doing great.”

“I-I never said it was in shambles,” He massaged his temple with two clawed fingers, his beady eyes squinting in frustration. “Look, all I am saying is that, if you ever need help, or if you ever get lonely and just want to talk, I am here. And my sons would probably say the same thing. You’re a Hamato now, at least in spirit.”

Casey’s eyes widened, then she looked down. “Thank you, but I’m a very independent person. I’ll be sure to not bug you unless it’s an emergency.”

Splinter nodded, but he’d dealt with enough children to see that Casey was a bit lonely. Still, he said nothing.

For a good while, Casey stuck to what she said; she didn’t really come by the lair unless she really felt the need to or if they needed an extra set of hands with repairing.

But… occasionally, she found herself asking questions. She found out Michelangelo loved cooking, and somehow he got her to agree to bake her Granny’s brownies together. She realized that Leonardo wasn’t just annoying in battle, but all the time, and that she started getting more and more used to it, even occasionally laughing along. She found out while playing video games with them, that Donnatello was just as vicious as her, and that April was equally as competitive.

And Raph, well… they didn’t talk very much. But he seemed nice every time they spoke.

But she kept her distance. After all, it was better if she didn’t get too attached.

She occasionally goes down to the local hockey rink and plays a few rounds with total strangers, and usually gets kicked out due to a combo of delinquent children and complaining parents.

So, here she is, lying on her bed, staring blankly at her phone, with a half eaten sandwich laying on her chest, and old sweatpants that she’s been wearing for a week because her clothes are in the laundromat. For a ninja-slash-ex-cult-member, her life had fallen into a fairly mundane pattern.

Everything could always be worse. So why did she still feel like such a failure?

And for some reason, Casey found herself at the sewer grate. She didn’t even know why she came here, really.

She was about to turn back when a feminine voice spoke from behind her. “Hey, CJ, what’s up?”

She spun around. It was April.

“I was just coming to visit.” Casey tensed up. She hadn’t expected to run into someone else.

“Oh, me too!” She opened up the grate, and started climbing down the ladder. “You coming or what?”

Casey gulped. She couldn’t back out now.

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Raph paced the lair, quietly groaning as he tapped his chin.

It had been about six months since the fight with Shredder, but another challenge had presented itself; cleaning up the lair after it had been almost completely demolished. Thankfully, with Draxum’s help and Donnie being able to scavenge some old tech that didn’t get destroyed and whip up some devices for reconstruction, the place was finally fixed up after about a month and a half.

Now what? Well, in Leo’s words, it was the time for “rest and relaxation.”

That was pretty easy for the rest of his family to do.

Leo’s entire existence hinged on “rest and relaxation”; Mikey has an assortment of hobbies to keep him busy; Donnie had a tight schedule trying to repair all of his broken inventions; April was trying to adjust to all of the changes at school due to all of New York recovering from the recent Battle Nexus catastrophe; and Splinter, of course, was parked in front of the TV, finally at peace after the Shredder was defeated, and helping himself to milk and cake.

Raph should be relaxing, or at least recovering from all that’s happened to them. The fight with the Shredder was the most stressful and terrifying time of their lives. They lost their Gram-Gram, and even if she was now able to rest with their ancestors and her father, it still stung.

But it’s been such a long time since he’s been in a real fight, and he can tell he’s going a little bit stir-crazy.

Of course, the turtles would spend a lot of time out of the lair; but whenever Raph gets a call on the phone, he finds himself hoping it’s some kind of an emergency, only to turn out to be Todd calling them about the puppy farm, or Leo pestering Senior Hueso with an order for pick-up. It seemed like even their strongest enemies have gone on hiatus as well; there was no word of Big Mama as of late, and every other major bad guy they fought recently seemed to have been exhausted by the Shredder ordeal as well.

Raph’s usual sparring partner, Frankenfoot, is absolutely wonderful, but fighting him wasn’t exactly what Raph had in mind; it was fun, but couldn’t really be compared to the thrill of a real fight.

“Come on, guys,” Raph stood in front of the screen, blocking Leo and Mikey’s view of a Jupiter Jim rerun while Pops was passed out on the couch, snoring, a bag of chips lying open on his stomach. “We’ve been cooped up in the lair for a million years. Who wants to go wreck some bad guys?” He pounded his fist in his opposite hand for emphasis.

“Raph, I can’t see!” Mikey waved his hand in a dismissive way as he said it, and leaned to peek around his older brother and continue watching the screen.

“Ugh, we’ve been over this,” Leo exasperated from his spot on the ground, on his stomach and his head resting on his propped arms. “No crime fighting while we’re on vacation! This is the time to chillax, my guy.”

“How long are we gonna be chillaxing, exactly?” Raph put his hands on his hips, an inquisitive look on his face, even if, deep down, he knew what response he’d get.

“I don’t know, until some other crazy evil mutant guy tries to take over the city? There’s bound to be another one of those eventually.”

“What, so we just wait until some evil mastermind has some evil plan and gets all of New York in their evil clutches? It’s our job to make sure that doesn’t happen.” Raph tried to summon the energy he usually exudes when he attempts to make a rousing speech, but the rolling eyes and groans from his youngest brothers quickly made its effect futile.

“You know,” Donnie said from the back of the room, the other three having not noticed him walk in, “We did, oh, I don’t know, save all of New York City, take down Big Mama’s Battle Nexus scheme, and, most importantly, defeat our bloodline’s greatest enemy?!”

Raph furrowed his brow, his sharp fang digging into his lower lip.

“We deserve an indefinite break, and I need it, because I actually refuse to do any fighting until I have all my stuff back online. I’d love to fight with only my impeccable mind, but let’s be realistic.” The sandwich in his hand was brought to his face and he swallowed it whole. Donnie knew he had made an excellent point.

“Don’t worry,” Mikey beamed, tucking his arms and legs into his shell, “We’ll get back into the groove of things before you know it!”

“Yeah,” Leo agreed, “Think of it as, like, you know, self-care. Sometimes, you need a break from what you’re used to. Now, can you move out of the way?”

Raph sulked out of his siblings’ view of the screen and sunk into a beanbag, next to the couch their father was snoring in.

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“Hey, guys!” The turtles turn around to see April and... Foot Recruit walk in.

Raph didn’t really know what to think of Foot Recruit, or Casey, as she preferred to be called. Pops insisted that she wasn’t dangerous anymore, but it was hard for him not to be a little wary; I mean, come on, she used to work with the Shredder!

 She’d been over only a handful of times over the past few months, usually to speak with Splinter and Mikey.

“Casey! April!” Mikey stuck his hands out of his shell in joy. He ran over and hugged them both. “It’s been a while.”

“Hey, Apes. And, hi to you too, Casey.” Leo kicked his legs up behind him.

“Above ground has been pretty hectic,” April leaned on Donnie’s shoulder as she spoke, “Everyone has been freaking out about disappearing from New York for a few days. Relaxing on a yacht sure beats coming back to the city in shambles. And finding another job is so hard when everyone’s paranoid we’re gonna all disappear again. Ugh, I wish we did, then I’d get another break!”

“Well, if you want a job, you can help me repair what’s left of my s- I mean, S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. The Shredder tore him apart.” Donnie put his hands on his hips and relaxed his posture to cover his slip-up.

“Aw, your cute robot son isn’t repaired yet?” April teased.

As the two bickered while walking towards the lab, Raph looked back at Casey, who was standing by the entrance, visibly tense. 

“Hey, Casey. Um, why are you here?” Raph asked innocently, not realizing how rude he sounded.

“Smooth,” Leo chimed in unhelpfully.

Before he could take it back, Casey spoke, with a glare on her face. “I’m here for the orange one.”

Raph blinked. “Huh?”

“We’re gonna bake brownies!” Mikey clarified, his chest puffed out with pride. “Casey decided that I’m worthy of learning an old family recipe.”

“Yes!” Casey grinned, in a way that was far too menacing for someone talking about brownies. “I decided that, as a new member of your- um…” clan? Group? Committee?

“...Family?” Raph assisted.

“Uh, yes, that,” she turned shy for a few brief seconds, only to return to her previous bravado, pumping her fist in the air, “I will honor you with the knowledge of my grandmother’s most nefarious secret!”

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Raph peeked into the kitchen as Mikey and Casey got to work. Of course, he trusted Mikey; but he had a hunch that Casey might be up to something.

Or maybe the boredom was just making him a bit more paranoid than usual.

Dirty dishes, half-full cups and brownie mix were strewn about the kitchen counter. Whatever this recipe pertained, it must be pretty intense.

“And, now, for the final ingredient. This one was given to me by my grandmother.” Casey pulled a canister of brown powder. She leaned over and whispered close to Mikey’s head. Whatever she was saying, Raph couldn’t hear.

Mikey gasped. “PUMPKIN SPICE?!”

Casey shushed him, then yelled herself. “It’s a secret, remember?!” She poured a generous amount into the mixing bowl full of batter.

The two of them looked so happy baking together, and Raph felt a pit of guilt in his stomach for assuming the worst. He really needed to chill out.

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“Wait, so let me get this straight,” Leo sunk into the bean bag chair, “You’re a fan of Lou Jitsu, right?”

“That is correct.” Casey was sitting stiffly in her seat. Her expressions were intense, like she was about to strangle someone, but Raph had realized pretty quickly that this was just her default.

“You have all of the movies memorized?”

“Of course! I used his guidelines for self improvement in my schemes to take over the world! I mean, that’s not really relevant now, but-”

“And you said you spend almost all of your available money on Lou Jitsu merch?”

“I hide them all so my guests don’t see.”

“And, yet, you’ve never watched a Jupiter Jim film? The Jupiter Jim, his longtime franchise rival and co-star in Jupiter Jim Vs Lou Jitsu?” Leo clutched at his chest, as he held up the DVD case of the movie he was talking about for emphasis.

“Leo,” Raph warned, looking up from his phone, “don’t make her feel bad-”

Leo chuckled. “Oh ho ho, trust me I won’t. I’m definitely putting on a Jupiter Jim Vs. The Galaxy Riders Part 1 and Part 2, and you are going to love it!”

Casey cackled ominously. “You really think this ‘Jupiter Jim-’” She made quotation marks with her fingers for emphasis, “-can measure up to the greatness that is Lou Jitsu? Fine, I guess we’ll just have to see.”

Raph ended up dozing off after the fifth film, and woke up to see Casey and his brother still openly debating whether Lou Jitsu would beat Jupiter Jim if they were both in a desert completely unarmed and at full strength.

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“I’m not scared of much,” Donnie mentions offhandedly one day, while Raph was doing a bicep curl, “but she -”

He points to Casey eating a sandwich like a hyena, while April sat next to her, texting.

“She terrifies me to no end.”

Donnie’s strange relationship with their new friend took Raph a while to comprehend. Then it became clear as day. If anyone could match Casey in moral ambiguity, it was his immediate younger brother.

“I made you a little gift,” the softshell grinned smugly, as he handed Casey what looked like a metal hockey stick.

“Oh, um,” Casey's eyes were wide, and a little watery, and her lips were in a warbly smile. “Thank you… no one’s ever given me something so nice.”

Donnie grinned. “Press the button on the side.”

When she did, the widest end of the hockey stick flipped open like a lighter, and a stream of fire shot out of the tip. Casey’s tears of joy gave way to maniacal laughter. “Those kids at the hockey rink won’t know what hit ‘em!”

Donnie joined her in glee, his eyes and teeth shining menacingly in the light of the flames. Raph watched in mild horror (He was plenty used to Donnie’s antics), at least until the fire alarm sounded and they were all drenched from the sprinklers.

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Another month had passed since Casey started coming around, and Raph seemed like the only one in the lair who hadn’t quite jived with her yet. Sure, his suspicion had pretty much subsided, and he liked her company plenty, but the two of them hadn’t really clicked.

However, he noticed some slight changes over time. Casey’s eyes had bags under them which were more obvious in brighter lights, and sometimes she fell asleep on April’s shoulder (and snored louder than his Pops, somehow). Sometimes, there were hints of sadness on her face, even when she was laughing along with everyone.

Raph didn’t mention it for fear of being rude, but he couldn’t help his concern. After all, if she was upset, she probably wouldn’t mention to him all of the people.

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Hockey wasn’t a sport Raph and his brothers knew much about, but he couldn’t help but get excited as Casey gushed about it, holding tightly onto the treasured tech-hockey stick Donnie had gifted her, wearing a huge grin on her face.

The two humans and four turtles (disguised as humans, of course) were just entering the hockey rink. The hall to the auditorium was cold and echoey.

“I come here every other Friday. The regulars here know my face, and they fear it. It’s ‘cause they know I’ll decimate everyone in my path!” She pumped her fist as she spoke, a sinister grin on her face, before she caught herself and straightened out. “Well, I do until the rink’s supervisors kick me out for making a scene and being mean to children.”

“Don’t sweat it, Casey,” Donnie spoke up, “You’re not the only one whose been kicked out of establishments for scaring kids.”

“Uh huh, exactly!” April agreed a bit too eagerly, and Raph looked back to see the distant, traumatized look in her eyes, and he could tell she was remembering the screams of children and the  sinister laughter of animatronics at a certain pizza joint.

The six teens got to the rink’s auditorium, and put their bags down on the bleachers. There weren’t too many people around.

Mikey whistled. “This place is massive!”

As Raph put on a maroon hoodie and pulled on his skates, Casey rolled onto the rink, over to a huddle of teenagers wearing hockey gear. “Hey!”

One of the teenagers - a boy with messy brown hair covering his eyes - responded. “Oh, you again. Guys, look, it’s that crazy girl from last week.”

“The name is Cassandra Jones!” Casey pulled down the hockey mask she was wearing and held up her stick. “I’m challenging you to another round! Did you really think you’d escape my wrath?!”

The kids started laughing. “You challenge us every time we’re here, and you always lose. What makes today so different?”

Casey laughed. “Well, for one thing, I’ve got my own team now, so you better get ready to go crying to your mommy!”

The group hadn’t stopped laughing, even as Casey walked back to the bleachers. Raph raised a brow. “Uh, what was all of that?”

She looked down. “Those are my enemies,” She clenched her fists, “A group of jerks who manage to beat me every time I come here.”

Raph paused for a second. The look on her face was determined, but had a hint of sadness to it. Raph understood how she felt; wanting to fight, but getting beaten down time and time again. He’d realized a while ago that he didn’t have to do it alone; and neither did she.

Raph put an arm around Casey’s shoulders, and cupped a hand to his mouth, shouting to the teenagers from across the rink. “Hey, knuckleheads! You get ready for a match; you’re not just dealing with Cassandra Jones anymore! you’re dealing with the Mad Dogs, now!”

“Yeah, right!” One of the kids, a girl with a ponytail, shouts back.

He turned to face his brothers and April, who were sitting on the bleachers, their attention already on Raph from his shouting. “Hey, those guys over there are saying we’re gonna lose! What do we say to that?!”

“Oh ho ho, I like this energy!” Leo stood up on the bleachers, joining in the hype. April and Mikey stood up beside him.

“Yeah, you chumps aren’t even at our level!”

“Ya’ll ain’t seen nothing yet!”

Donnie stood up slowly, his arms crossed from the cold. “Yeah, we’ll definitely beat you! But-” He switched to his normal volume, “let’s not make promises we can’t keep.”

Raph dismissed him, and looked at Casey, who was smiling. Together, they were able to beat the Shredder. This would be a piece of cake.

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“Are we done? My mom is here to pick me up,” One of the kids, a girl with pigtails, mentioned as she walked towards her belongings on the bleachers.

Raph was gasping for air from his spot on the cold ground. Hockey was hard. Like, really, really hard.

In hindsight, their loss made sense; this was the turtles and April’s first time playing hockey, and even Casey, who’d been playing since she was a kid, wasn’t able to beat these kids. They really were just that good.

“Is that all you’ve got?!” Leo had fallen in front of the goal, two huge purple bruises visible on his face; one on his forehead, and the other under his eye, popping out from his green skin and red birthmarks.  

Mikey was crying on his knees, while April patted his shell, cussing out one of the kids who she felt pushed him too hard. Even as the kid was walking away. “And another thing-”

Donnie lay flat nearby, looking like a purple stain on the white shiny floor. He was never good at sports, but he tried. Geez, it was almost more embarrassing, with just how hard he tried.

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They found a vending machine, and after Raph gave Leo a cold soda can to hold over his bruises, he walked past Casey, sitting with her head in her hands.

“Hey,” He placed a hand on her shoulder, and looked around to see if the others were watching. April, Mikey and Donnie were going off about losing the match, while Leo sat dejectedly in the corner, nursing his injuries. “Are you alright?”

She looked up, tears in her eyes, and her lower lip wobbling. She hastily rubbed at her face with her sleeve, her eyeliner smearing. “I’m...I’m fine.”

“Is this about us losing?”

“No, no, it’s not that,” She sighed. “It’s a lot of different things- It’s just…”

She trailed off, and Raph sat down next to her on the bleacher. He realized this had definitely been bubbling up for a while. If only he’d talked to her sooner.

“Ugh, all I’ve ever wanted was to be a success. Taking over the world was everything for me- helping the Foot, working for the Shredder, making that whole brownie pyramid-scheme. But now? I don’t have anything. I’ve hit rock bottom. Now, I’m stuck in a stupid rivalry with a bunch of kids in a hockey rink.”

She began to cry again. “What am I going to do? Am I just doomed to be a failure?”

“Just ‘cause you’re not taking over the world doesn’t make you a failure. Most people just stick to regular, everyday stuff and they turn out fine.”

“It’s not just about taking over the world,” Casey sighed. “I don’t have a purpose. No Clan, no commitments, no future. It’s like everything I do is a failure. I’m a failure.”

Raph felt himself start to tear up, too. What she was saying felt way too familiar. “You’re not the only one whose failed.”

“Huh?”

“My Pops told us we were supposed to die in order to protect the Dark Armor. We failed to do that, but we realized how messed up that was, and we decided to do our own thing. And it totally worked out for us, ‘cause we ended up destroying Shred-face once and for all.”

He stood, wiping the small tears from the corners of his eyes. “Think about it. So what that you don’t got a purpose? I get it, but your ‘purpose’ was handed to you by those Foot-faces. What do you wanna do? What do you wanna succeed at?”

Casey sat quietly for a few moments, thinking, and Raph feared that he might have said something hurtful. He was never as savvy with people as Leo or Mikey.

Then she spoke. “I spent all of my life trying to be the best, even if it meant being the biggest bad guy in the world. Now, I want to be the best good guy!”

Her expression softened. “I guess what I really want - I want to stop people who were like me once. I want to stop evil people who want to control others. But...how?”

Raph thought. Then, an idea struck him. “You and me can team up!”

“For what?”

“I was a vigilante for a little while. I mean, I used to be, but I guess since I was already part of a team, and with the whole Shredder thing, I just sort of stopped. But, since my bros are on hiatus, you and me could fight crime undercover!”

Casey was looking at her lap, her head bowed. Raph cleared his throat. “I mean, only if you wanna, it’s just a suggestion-”

“That sounds amazing.” Casey looked up at him in awe, her dark eyes glossy with unshed tears. Suddenly, she stands up, and pumps a fist into the air. “Raph and Casey, the most feared vigilante duo in all of New York!”

“Yeah, Go big or go home!”  Raph pounded his fist into his other hand in excitement.

“Oh me gosh, stop yelling!” The two look behind them to Leo, still holding the can to his face. He turned in the direction of his twin. “Donnie, get me another can! This one’s warm!”

Casey was giving him a big smile, a far cry from her previous mood. Raph smiled back. Finally, he’d be able to go out and fight crime again; and this time, he wouldn’t be at it alone.

#rottmnt #rottmnt raphael #rottmnt raph #rottmnt Casey jones #rottmnt casey #rottmnt foot recruit #Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise of the tmnt #teenage mutant ninja turtles

[rebellionbeach]

The Usami brothers and whole family as a whole are really interesting characters.  Due mostly by the fact of how different Haruhiko and Akihiko are yet similar in many ways as well.  Let’s start with rabbit boy.

Not only is this man extremely sexy but he’s also one of the most popular novelists in Japan believe it or not (not in real life guys)  Akihiko is the presumably biological son of Natsuko and Fuyuhiko and younger brother of Haruhiko Usami.  Growing up, he had always yearned for the attention of his parents, wanting to impress them and make them happy.  Haruhiko had actually been introduced to the Usami household at the age of 12 so Akihiko was 10 at the time and significant development seemed to grow from this change.  As shown from volume 21, everyone had been cheering Akihiko on as the legitimate heir of the Usami family meaning to take over the family business however he had never gotten this support from his parents before.  As a young child he had believed that if he just tried harder and became good at everything, then his parents would finally recognize him.  However, this wasn’t the case unfortunately as shown in the same volume once a young Akihiko came home from school gaining full marks on a test, eager to show his father when he caught him telling Haruhiko that he truly intended to make him the heir of the family business.  This impact was further felt once his mother, who had also witnessed this, declared that she should have never bore Fuyuhiko’s child which in the eyes of a young child must have been completely shattering.  An important seed was planted however and I believe that it was at this moment that Akihiko had started to evolve into the person he is today.  He poured all his emotion, pain, loss, suffering into his notebooks, his stories, proclaiming it to be his entire world.  Overtime we see that Akihiko grows to be very adept at the talent, being one of the top-selling authors from debut which occurred while still in high school and becoming a full-fledged novelist.  Doing this, he completely rejected his family and any connections he might have had to take over the business.  

Looking as Akihiko today it is very clear the type of individual he is, independent and self-serving, he’s his own boss and does only the things he wants to do.  From the first episode of season 2 we see this as there is a key event that takes place between the two Usami brothers in which a confrontation between two escalates into a full-out argument over Akihiko coming back to, as I assume, take over the lead of the Usami company and or serve there.  I will note later on Haruhiko’s tone and content of his language but it’s Akihiko’s response which truly stuck out to me as he stated that he had no inclination of going back to that house and if that Haruhiko truly didn’t like being there then why doesn’t he just leave as well.

This point may seem entirely irrelevant but I actually believe it highlights an essential part of Akihiko’s character that not only serves as his strength but also a blind spot in that of his independence.  Akihiko is the type of person who is able to do the things he’d like to do and encourages the people he cares about, basically Misaki, to do the same such as in episode 2 of season 3 where he is actually the one who encourages Misaki to enter into Marukawa after Misaki dismisses those thoughts as just a fantasy.  This is a thing for his relationship with Misaki as he allows the man a different perspective and in a way allows him, or at least encourages him, to be more selfish.  However this can also be seen as a flaw of his character as it can be interpreted that the only reason he has this lax and independent personality in the first place is because of his more well-off family and the fact that he’d had connections from the start.  In all honestly though, this part of Usagi-san’s personality is one of the main reasons why I actually enjoy his character, along with his thoughtful nature, as I believe that it’s a pretty unique and well-suited trait.

Let’s get into Harry Potter or the eldest brother of the Usami residence, Haruhiko.  Haruhiko isn’t Akihiko’s direct brother as stated before but rather a product of an affair that Fuyuhiko had with his mother.  For the first 12 years of his life, Haruhiko had actually been raised by his single-mother whom he loved very much.  During these times he had been seen to be much more happy despite living in poorer circumstances.  This is a large aspect that is pretty big onto why he is the way he is today.  After his mother tragically passing on, Fuyuhiko took him into to live in the Usami residence.  Now this in itself is absolutely devastating, living with a father-figure that had never truly been there for you with a new mother-in-law that despises your every existence because you’re the proof of the infidelities of her marriage and a new younger brother who seemed lifeless from the rest of this.  Top it all off with the devastation from losing the only person you truly loved and was there for you and damn I’m surprised that Haruhiko didn’t full out lose it.  

Now going back to the scene originally discussed with Akihiko’s backstory, let us switch perspective onto Haruhiko during this situation.  Your new dad just stated that the person he had truly loved in his lifetime was your dead mother and that he intended to make you, a 12 year old child, the heir of their family company that you had just learned about.  Not only this but everyone around you is your enemy as shown through all the people cheering on Akihiko to become the true heir and saying that Haruhiko stole his position.  There is basically no one there to support you, similar to Akihiko, and unlike Akihiko he actually was not used to this new circumstance making the situation even worse. 

I’d like to discuss the scene stated before during episode 1 of season 2.  Here, Haruhiko is visibly angry as Akihiko’s lack of care for his role in the Usami residence.  This is something we’ve never actually gotten to see ever since with Haruhiko barely showing any emotion at all.  However, if you take in the full context of his upbringing and circumstance to that point, you can see a fuller picture of what the man has gone through to become the stoic chosen one we know today.  Akihiko, after being hoisted by Isaka to finally start publishing his works, his entire being, finally achieved success independent from the Usami residence, marking himself finally as an individual allowing him to finally see that he only needs himself.  I think this is what caused Akihiko to cut most connection from his family, despite the occasional visits, and totally puts himself away from the idea of succeeding and become the heir of his family’s company.  This leaves Haruhiko with the burden of shouldering the entire Usami company’s future, something he never truly wanted to today with architecture being his main priority.  What he see’s in Akihiko is this lazy, selfish person who only thinks of himself, abandoning all his familial duties to a brother whom he barely batted an eye to during childhood.  This is what he hates in Akihiko, but also envies.  A very interesting point that season 2 makes with the connection between the Usami brothers is the inherent jealously Haruhiko feels toward Akihiko, with him trying to steal things from him during their upbringing together according to Akihiko.  Even Misaki finally has this revelation during episode 8 I believe when he was distracting him from Kaoruko.  I think his jealously mainly stems from the fact that Akihiko got his independence while Haruhiko is still confined to the Usami gates.  With all of Akihiko’s absent-minded behavior and to quote Haruhiko, “having the eyes of a dead fish”, Akihiko in the end still achieved that sense of independence that Haruhiko could only dream about having.  Add onto the fact that everyone around you hates that you got this position, lobbying for your younger half-brother who barely gives in the effort to succeed you, then baby that’s a recipe for childhood resentment if I’ve ever seen one.  

So what does this all mean, well nothing since this is an over-analysis on a yaoi manga but in a reality I think it comes to show the clear dynamic Haruhiko and Akihiko have on one another.  In recent chapters it is shown that Haruhiko is more and more aspiring in his own pursuits in architecture, even accepting his position as lead of the Usami household and accepting the fact that he’ll never get Misaki, wanting to stay as his ally instead (which is a lot more than I can say for a CERTAIN manga author).

I love Haruhiko AND Akihiko, they both are really great characters and I’d think it would be nice if in the future they could perhaps reconcile their relationship and kind of start to get along.  The Usami household fucked up a lot of kids but they are still going strong and who knows, maybe Haruhiko might get a lover in the future (AKA Todo)

Thank you and now I implore you to go listen to Nelson’s After the Rain album, 10/10 made me cry.

#junjou romantica #nakamura shungiku #haruhiko usami #akihiko usami #misaki takahashi #usagi san #bruh sorry for not posting #hopefully there aren't too many spelling errors

[sfarticles]

Go green: Salads are taking center stage at mealtime

Southwestern Black Bean Salad For a black bean salad with bold but balanced flavors that evokes the Southwest, the recipe uses a mixture of black beans, corn, avocado, tomato, and cilantro.

Check out my latest column 

https://www.timesherald.com/2023/05/27/go-green-salads-are-taking-center-stage-at-mealtime/

It’s the time of year when many of us enjoy eating a salad, especially on a hot, humid day. But what exactly is a salad? What comes to mind: Caesar, Waldorf, potato, tuna, pasta? Some even think of it as rabbit food, which perhaps is true, if you think about how salads were prepared back in the day…iceberg lettuce, a slice of onion and cucumber, a wedge of tomato, some shredded carrots, and perhaps an olive or two. Today, many restaurants, especially fast-food restaurants, still serve this type of salad.

In years past, salad was served as an appetizer or side dish, with little creativity in its preparation. Remember the salads that included cubes of Jell-O?  Am I aging myself now?

Fast forward…. Salads today, quite often, take center stage of meals, using a variety of greens largely unbeknownst to most in the past. Arugula seems to be popular and has become a favorite of mine. Watercress, Bok choy, endive, kale, and a plethora of lettuces have taken over from plain old iceberg. Fruits, both fresh and dried, heirloom vegetables (roasted ones add great flavor), seeds, beans, grains, nuts, meats, fish, cheese and easily made delicious dressings are now part of the ingredient repertoire.

Salads are a time-poor cook’s secret weapon for putting a healthy and delicious meal on the table. They offer endless possibilities; go to your local farmers market and introduce yourself to some unfamiliar greens and vegetables. Ask the farmer for some suggestions too. With some creativity, a simple, easy to prepare dish becomes a delicious and healthy lunch or dinner. But remember, some salad dressings can add those unnecessary, and unwanted, calories.

Many years ago, I met Wiley Mullins, (aka “The Salad Man,”) author of “Salad Makes the Meal,” published in 2008. He inspired me to add more dinner and lunch salads to my diet. It is quite easy with a cookbook giving inspiration.

“The Complete Salad Cookbook: A Fresh Guide to 200+ Vibrant Dishes Using Greens, Vegetables, Grains, Proteins, and More,” by the editors of America’s Test Kitchen (2021, America’s Test Kitchen, $32.99), is a welcome addition to my collection, especially with all the local produce becoming available. You might be thinking you don’t need a cookbook to make salad…perhaps you don’t if you choose not to go beyond tossed greens and a couple of other ingredients. Why not take your salads to the next level, mixing textures, and flavors. You’ll learn to incorporate roasted, grilled, sautéed and pickled vegetables as well as grains, dried and fresh fruit, beans, and a variety of pastas.

Before getting into the recipes, the editors differentiate salads by cutting technique, cooking method, assembly, and flavor profiles. Think, chopped, or sliced, shaved, spiralized, shredded, grilled, warm and wilted. A layered salad will impress your guests. The architecture of a salad and flight plan information is helpful in constructing a salad… “do you want it to be filling or light? Is it going to be the whole meal or just the starter?” Following the suggestions about how to get the most out of the ingredients, enhancing their flavor and appearance will make your salad appealing, anything but boring. The “what should I make?” section suggests specific recipes to make for each season: brunch, main-dish vegetarian, fruit-forward, dinner salads, around-the-world salads, salads in less than 15 minutes. I found the information on how to keep wooden salad bowls in tip-top shape helpful as well as the recommended tools to make salad making a cinch.

You’ll be introduced to new ingredients to use as well as the science behind making a vinaigrette that doesn’t separate. And talking about new ingredients to use…. I was intrigued by the use of grated chocolate that the editors said adds the perfect finish to the recipe for Pinto Bean, Ancho, and Beef Salad with Pickled Poblanos. Ready to make your salad a masterpiece? Here are a few recipes from the book to get started. For the recipe on green bean salad with shallot, mustard and tarragon go to: bit.ly/43jxBci

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

The headnote says: “Why This Recipe Works: For a black bean salad with bold but balanced flavors that evoked the Southwest, we used a judicious mixture of black beans, corn, avocado, tomato, and cilantro. Sautéing the corn (both fresh and frozen worked well) in a skillet until it was toasty and just starting to brown added a pleasant nuttiness to the kernels. For a dressing that could stand up to the hearty beans, we used lots of lime juice and spicy chipotle chile, with a little honey to balance the bright citrus. Raw onion was too harsh in the dressing, but thinly sliced scallions provided a pleasant onion flavor. You will need three to four ears of corn to yield 2 cups of fresh kernels. ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn

4 scallions, sliced thin

⅓ cup lime juice (3 limes)

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed

2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and chopped

2 tomatoes, cored and chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn and cook until spotty brown, about 5 minutes; let cool slightly. Whisk scallions, lime juice, chipotle, honey, salt, and pepper together in large bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in remaining 2 tablespoons oil until emulsified. Add beans, avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, and corn and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste Serves 6-8.

California Chicken Salad Instead of just throwing on diced avocado, prepare the luscious, dairy-free dressing with avocado, pureeing the ripe fruit with lemon, garlic, and olive oil.

California Chicken Salad

The headnote says: “Why This Recipe Works: You can put avocado on just about anything and call it “Californian,” but we wanted to earn our West Coast cred with a healthy, hearty salad that paid respect to the Golden State in every bite. Instead of just throwing on diced avocado, we prepared our luscious, dairy-free dressing with avocado, pureeing the ripe fruit with lemon, garlic, and olive oil. Of course, a California salad should burst with fresh flavors, so we went heavy on green vegetables such as spinach and sugar snap peas. Thinly sliced radishes offered a pop of color, then we added sweet grapes (think Napa Valley). And then we realized we were missing something quintessentially West Coast: a light, fluffy mound of alfalfa sprouts. Sprinkle on chopped California almonds too, if you like. We like using Perfect Poached Chicken (page 43in the book) here, but any cooked chicken would work.

8 ounces (8 cups) baby spinach

2 scallions, sliced thin

1 cup Creamy Avocado Dressing (recipe below)), divided

4 cups cooked chicken, chopped

9 ounces seedless grapes, halved (1½ cups)

4 ounces sugar snap peas or snow peas, strings removed, halved

8 radishes, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin

2 ounces (1 cup) alfalfa sprouts or microgreens

¼ cup chopped almonds

Toss spinach, scallions, and half of dressing together in bowl to coat, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among individual plates. Serve, topping individual portions with chicken, grapes, snap peas, and radishes. Drizzle with remaining dressing, add alfalfa sprouts, and top with chopped almonds. Serves 4.

Creamy Avocado Dressing

1 avocado, halved, pitted, and cut into ½ inch pieces

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 3 tablespoons juice

1 garlic clove, minced

¾ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon pepper

Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately. Makes about 1 cup.

Cherry and Goat Cheese Couscous Salad To enhance the cooked couscous, add sweet, tart, and spicy flavors—dried cherries, pecans, arugula, and goat cheese.

Cherry and Goat Cheese Couscous Salad

The headnote says, “Why This Recipe Works: Back-of-the-box instructions for couscous yield mushy, clumpy granules. Toasting uncooked couscous in butter and garlic sets the starch in the pasta, which keeps the granules separate and prevents them from blowing out. It also adds nutty flavor. To enhance the cooked couscous further, we added sweet, tart, and spicy flavors—dried cherries, pecans, arugula, and goat cheese. You can eat the salad immediately, but it will improve if you let the flavors meld for 30 minutes or so. Do not substitute pearl couscous in this dish, as it requires a different cooking method and will not work in this recipe.”

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups couscous

1 cup water

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon table salt

1 cup pecans or walnuts, toasted and chopped

1 cup baby arugula, chopped

1 cup dried cherries, chopped

4 ounces goat or feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 scallions, sliced thin

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until grains begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add water, broth, and salt; stir briefly to combine, cover, and remove saucepan from heat. Let sit until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff couscous with fork.

Combine pecans, arugula, cherries, goat cheese, oil, scallions, and lemon juice in large bowl. Stir in couscous until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

Source: Recipes and photos courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen

Stephen Fries, is Professor Emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College, in New Haven, CT. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 15 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, CT. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. [email protected] For more, go to stephenfries.com.

#The Complete Salad #America's Test Kitchen #Salad

[slocumjoe]

2 headcanons per companion

Cait:

- Touchy person. After learning and understanding that it doesn't inherently mean pain, learns to speak and hear it as a love language. Her touches are very jock, though. Shoulder slaps, light punches, hair ruffling, kind of an older brother form of physical affection. Often gets into play-fights with MacCready.

- Has a lovely singing voice, but no one knows because she never sings. Ever. If she sang, it would be a quiet, raspy croon. The type of singing you'd expect to hear in a castle ruins at the coast during a storm. Haunting and enchanting.

Curie:

- Amazing baker, not so good at cooking. Baking is a science, cooking is more about intuition and creativity. She's a by-the-books girl, and unless she has an exact recipe, her cooking is going to taste like anxiety. Great at breads, burns eggs. Always makes delicious muffins, her soups and stews are flavorless and soggy.

She has no idea. Thinks it's fine, and no one will dare tell her to stick to dough-based foods.

- The first time she got drunk, it was off wine. She woke up with her head in agony and on the roof of a shack about 50 miles away from Sanctuary. And with a tattoo on her back. Doesnt know about the tattoo. No one knows about the tattoo. It's a spoon. A very poorly done spoon. Possibly a ladle.

Danse:

- This man may as well be a bear. He has a big appetite, sleeps like he's hibernating for winter, is covered in thick body hair. Danse will wake up only for his natural alarm, his clock alarm, or someone walking up to him and telling him to get up. No noise or physical disturbance will wake him. Nothing. As for his stomach, he isn't a glutton, but look at him. Big guy needs fuel. He can eat a normal amount and be fine, but could get himself kicked out of Golden Corral.

- Speaking of food. He eats everything with no reaction regardless of if he likes it or not. It looks like he's bored even if he's eating the rare good meal. Food is just something neutral, with cons to certain things. He prefers plainer flavors, but is immune to spice. Can drink an entire bottle of Tabasco sauce, Sriracha sauce, and a chile sauce with no expression. The blank stare and spice immunity aren't synth things, Curie and X6 are just the opposite.

Deacon:

- Takes long walks at night through settlements. Feels at peace in liminal spaces. The ruins of Boston and all the other destroyed cities don't have the same effect. Something about being the only one aware, living unnoticed in a place filled with people. It's lonely, but nothing gives the same clarity.

- Hates subway tunnels. Go on forever, too long to see what's at the end, something could be at any corner - they creep him out. If you still, you'll hear something. Machinery even when the place is inactive. Shuffling. Even stiller, might hear breathing echoing from way down a tunnel. Hates it to hell and back. Has to take a long smoke break if he has to go in one alone.

Hancock:

- Weird with kids. Likes them, but worries about himself. He isn't the...best example. He has no filter, they can tell something is wrong about him, and he just doesn't know how to act. They're just tiny humans, but there are rules. He doesn't want to accidently hurt them or inspire them to follow his screwed up footsteps.

- He doesn't care about what people think unless he cares. Some schmuck sneering at him when he pops a mentats? That guy's issue. Nick's frown? Curie's wide-eyed fretting? The way Cait's face goes soft and her eyes crinkle in sympathy?

...that matters.

He starts using less.

MacCready:

- Extravert. He needs his space, but hates being alone. Not having a support to fall back on is terrifying. The most anxious he'd ever been since Lucy died was his time alone in the Commonwealth. Sure, he had people, but not...not people of his own. Not a family. Leaving his boy was hard and being alone just as. Was often nauseous and prone to headaches until the SoSu.

- Hates the acknowledgement of intimate body parts in public. Hancock and Cait went on a tirade of sex jokes and he was just as, if not more, squeamish as the other prudes. While exploring a vault, a sex ed video came on the projector and he was red as a tomato for hours. It didn't help that he was standing in front of it and...well. You know what happens when you stand in front of projectors.

Goes all blushy when more adult talk comes up. Apparently Danse didn't know what m*sturbation was and that moment in that room nearly had him crawling out of his skin.

Nick:

- Has a little switch in his brain that decides if he's capable of math. One day he'll be a walking calculator, another he'll forget that 7 is more than 6. He was a weird math student. Did all the reading and none of the work, aced the tests. You put him under pressure and he'll crank out the craziest equations, but you ask him to multiply two 4 digit numbers and you can see a little blue swirl in his eye before he sighs and goes to fetch scratch paper. Being a good tester doesn't mean he's not a born theater kid.

- Coat pockets are portals to other dimensions. Has everything you need. Bobby pins? Check. Ammo? Check. Food rations? Clean water? Smokes? Check. A small statue of Cappy? A page from a magazine that was never released due to a MLM scam in the publishing company? Half a pair of sunglasses?

Sometimes puts random garbage in his pockets just to screw with Ellie. Other times, genuinely doesn't know where things come from. Once found a yao gui claw in his chest pocket. It's a good luck charm, but he never picked it up and no one could have slipped it in. Jokes about the coat being haunted, but only half joking.

Piper:

- Opposite to Nick, things go missing in her coat. Nick calls it "the washer" for some reason. She'll drop a pen in a pocket and never see it again. Double checks the pockets for holes and splits before heading out. Still loses things. Once lost a whole pistol.

But more interestingly. She lost a purple gel pen.

Week later, Nick pulls a purple gel pen out of his pocket.

Has a corkboard for the theories about the connection.

- Makes an amazing stew of yao gui, carrots, potatoes, stingwing honey, and various herbs. Its a family recipe that just isn't a normal stew, there's something different about it. When asked, will joke that it's human meat. Very few people realize she's joking. Either way, it has a flavor that sets it apart from other stews.

The secret?

There's a mutated form of garlic in the southeast part of the Commonwealth.

Only her family knows where it grows and what it looks like.

Preston:

- Not so much of a night owl as much as he just...doesn't have a steady circadian rhythm. You can find him in the kitchen at 1 pm asleep on the counter in the middle or awake at 1 am making a 3 tiered cake. Doesn't have an alarm clock. His sleeping pattern bothers even the poorest sleepers. Danse is visibly upset when he describes his schedule.

- His history of partners, both romantic and purely sexual, is crazy. He has the most interesting and horrifying stories. One girlfriend was convinced she was the reincarnated Mistress of Mystery. A boyfriend cheated on him with his step grandmother. He was once involved in a multi-person break up because apparently his boyfriend was in a poly relationship that went south on all fronts due to a chem deal's profits going missing as they were about to split the caps.

Don't ask about Marge.

Marge was...probably something he imagined during a fever.

X6:

- His pantries and fridge have nothing but junk food. He likes vegetables and fruit, but they take up valuable sugar space.

Once ate a giant, 200+ year expired cheesecake and puked for an hour. When Nick found out, popped a fuse. X was out of commission for...so long. Turns out he's lactose intolerant.

- Has been flirted with so many times. Each time, turned pink and lost all control of his words. He becomes a stuttering, cherry-cheeked mess at romantic interest. Not because he reciprocates, he just wasn't trained for it. There is no protocol for "Wanna come back to my place?"

Someone kissed his cheek and he actually ran and jumped out of a window to escape. Hancock has it on video and sometimes watches it to produce serotonin.

#fallout 4 #fo4 #paladin danse #nick valentine #robert joseph maccready #gangpost

[poisonepel]

School Uniform Story Notes ✨ (1/2)

this is for the people like me who can never remember which story a certain scene you’re trying to find came from 💢 and for anyone else who just wants to know what happened 😭😭

Part 1: Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Octavinelle, Scarabia Part 2: Pomefiore, Ignihyde, Diasomnia (coming soon!)

Riddle 🌹 There’s No Drawback to Not Knowing

Ace and Cater discuss which phone cases are in style right now; Riddle doesn’t know anything about the latest trends but he’s fine with that because it makes no difference to him. When Ace tries to explain them, Riddle repeats that it’s not important and snaps at them to go somewhere else. Once they leave, he mutters to himself that he’ll look into them later.

They mention that a paper talking about new discoveries in the history of the Land of Hot Sands was published (which affected everyone’s history tests) 👀 I wonder if that involved Jafar at all

Riddle doesn’t check the results of his exams because he knows he always gets 100%

Cater’s phone case is considered trendy right now lmaoo

Ace mentions wanting a phone case design featuring creatures with “fuzzy heads and legs growing out of their eyes” (the momeraths??)

Ace ♥ Such an Honest Freshman

Ace helps Trey carry back groceries from the store, under the guise of wanting a piece of pie with lots of cherries on it in return. Trey suspects that he wants more than just some cherry pie—Ace ends up spilling that he wanted Trey to tell him which topics would be covered on their history tests.

Ace’s brother is 7 years older than him, and used to take him lots of places together 🥺

Trey usually reads or does homework to pass time at the dorm; he didn’t slack off even as a freshman because he knew Riddle would be coming the year after and he didn’t want Riddle to be angry with his grades 😂

Trey used to make sweets for his little siblings when they pestered him for them!! And he’s been helping around his family’s bakery since he was little

Deuce ♠ One With the Wind

Ace can’t decide which club he wants to join since they all sound tempting. Deuce mentions he joined track and field because there was no Magical Wheel club, which gets him started on a tangent about how much he loves those motorcycles and how he can’t believe Ace has never even touched one.

Deuce tried to open a Magical Wheel Lovers Club but Crowley rejected it

When he was little, Deuce used to get Magical Wheel magazines and admire all the models 😂😂

Magical Wheels are fueled by the drivers’ magic power 👀

Deuce loves the high-speed feeling of “becoming one with the wind” (ie. going really fast on a motorcycle, also sprinting and things for track and field)

Cater ♦ The Portrait of Rosalia

Cater tries to get Kalim and Leona to join a party to keep the lonely portrait Rosalia company. The truth is, he just wanted to put Rosalia in a good mood so she’d share what would be on the next history test with him.

Rosalia hangs in the west school building (the rose in the west wing??), near the staff room and has been there for years; she knows stories about magift tournaments from the past.

Cater implies he knows some secrets about Kalim 🤔

Mentions that Leona comes from a ‘ladies first’ culture

Trey ♣ Open Your Mouth

The Queen has a rule saying that if you eat turkey for dinner, you must brush your teeth two times that night. Ace tries to get away with only brushing once, but Trey catches him and asks both him and Deuce to let him smell their breath to make sure they both brushed at least once already; then he apologizes because he used to do that with his little siblings and it became a habit. He proceeds to give them detailed advice about brushing their teeth.

I didn’t like this one lmao it felt kind of pointless

But anyway Trey knows weirdly thorough tooth-brushing techniques, a lot about teeth in general, and has multiple brushes for focusing on different parts of his mouth 🦷

Leona 🦁 I Grew Up Spoiled

Vil needs Leona to take some pictures with him for the school newspaper. Although reluctant at first, he eventually agrees because Vil won’t stop annoying him about it. Before they go to the shoot, Vil notices one of the buttons on Leona’s vest is coming off and offers him his sewing supplies to fix it. But Leona says if he wants it fixed he should just do it himself (also Leona grew up spoiled and doesn’t know how to sew). Vil gets really salty with his attitude and says he’ll only do it because he needs “his props” to look pristine.

They’re both super catty with each other 😂

At one point Vil said the button wasn’t the right one and asked for a different one; Leona handed him a new one and said “Oh btw this is a magic button, it always comes back even if it comes off.” Vil was like “????” and Leona explained sometimes he’ll leave his clothes that lost a button in his room, and he’ll find it later with this button sewed back on again

Vil said it’s probably Ruggie who quietly sews them back on for him 😭😭 but smh Leona just replied “Oh well same deal, it always comes back”

Jack 🐺 I’ll Expose Your Crimes!

Jack smells something weird in the cafeteria and decides to go investigate. The smell first leads him to the Leech twins; he wrestles Floyd for this suspicious briefcase that they have (turns out there was just a beauty serum inside that they were bringing to a customer). Then Jack realizes the smell was actually coming from Epel; he forcibly pulls a container out from Epel’s jacket pocket and finds... several types of onion product in there (Jack hates onions). Epel reveals he’s been hiding the onions because Vil is forcing him to eat really bland food and the onions help give them flavor.

Jack suspected the smell was a chemical leak in the school and his first thought was “I won’t be able to get in today’s workout!!” sir,,,,,

His sense of smell gets immensely better in his wolf form

After they sorted everything out, Epel invited Jack to sit with him for lunch 🥺

Ruggie 🐆 In Grandma’s Hands

Ruggie comes down to the cafeteria in the middle of the night because Leona wanted a midnight snack. He finds a bunch of vegetables in the kitchen and decides to make some soup with them. Jade appears and informs him that those actually belong to him; to avoid having to owe him any debts, Ruggie offers to teach Jade some ways to cook them, since the reason Jade had left them there in the first place was so that he could ask the ghost chefs for recipe suggestions in the morning.

The awkward laugh they shared when Ruggie realized the vegetables were Jade’s tho 😂😂 I wish the side stories were voiced omg

The one who taught Ruggie all of those recipes was his grandma

Also Ruggie sings while he cooks 👁👁💖

Azul 🐙 Just One Die

Idia brings a game called The Magical Game of Life to one of the board game club meetings; Azul gets very passionate about it despite at first turning his nose up at games that only rely on luck. Eventually he starts practicing how to perfectly throw a die to land on the number he wants so he can cheat the luck factor.

Azul.... honest to god he never slacks off 😭

Jade 🐬 A Mindset I Can’t Understand

Jade is making teas in the middle of the courtyard when Kalim stops by to see what’s going on. Kalim ends up talking about teas from his home, and Jade asks if he could show him how to brew the special tea they have for guests. It’s supposed to be super sweet so Kalim insists on dumping as much sugar as possible into the cup, but Jade really hates sugar.

Kalim got so disgusted when Jade was talking about his raw meat diet in the sea 😂😂

But also Kalim 🙏 He tries so hard to help everyone but he always happens to miss the mark

Floyd 🦈 Talk with Me About Something Fun

Floyd gets bored working on a report so he decides to go bug Riddle, insisting that they do their homework together. He helps Riddle find a book he needs but won’t quit playing around with him over it. In his anger, Riddle brings up how differently Jade is compared to him, and Floyd immediately gets bored and leaves.

The book Riddle needed was called “The History of Magic Carpet Weaving”

Kalim 🦂 Let’s Get Along!

Kalim is shopping at Mr. S’s Mystery Shop for the Scarabia 1st years welcome party. Riddle asks him why he’s the one running errands and not Jamil (the reason was that Jamil was stressed with how Kalim was handling the decorations for the party so sent him away basically 😂). Kalim ends up inviting Riddle to the party; he only agrees after he hears there will be a magic carpet there.

Kalim is so rich it hurts 💀 Riddle called him out for yawning during dorm leader meetings and he said “If I yawned at Scarabia, Jamil would just get my bed ready for me!”

When he was talking about the magic carpet Kalim said “Let’s go to the end of the world together” (Was that the name of the wintry tundra in Aladdin??)

This is the one where Kalim talks about how he only eats Jamil’s food because he used to get poisoned as a child; his dad & Jamil had told him “This is the fate of the oldest son of the Asim family”

Jamil 🐍 I Mean It

At lunch, Kalim and Ruggie go get food for themselves plus Jamil and Leona; while they’re waiting, Leona implies that Jamil might try to hurt Kalim someday, much to Jamil’s offense. Later Ruggie and Jamil mull over having to work with their respective ‘masters.’

Leona’s intelligence is often downplayed bc of how lazy he is but he really is good at figuring things out 👁 This was shown in Cater’s story too.

Ruggie and Jamil having that little squabble about how they think each other’s masters (for lack of a better word) would be more difficult to deal with was kind of cute 😂

#twisted wonderland #rambles #THESE ARE SO SATISFYING OMG #you wouldn't believe how many times I think 'lets read some personal stories :D' but then every one I click sounds so familiar #I know I haven't read them all #I just can't tell which ones I already read #lets just go through all of them again problem solved #this time taking notes 🖊