#is it just. like. extracting it? but then why the mixing stuff? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sil-te-plait-tue-moi · 3 months

Text

You're killin' me!

Quick summary: Phantom and Maverick have had their fair share of head-butting – competition, ego and feelings don't mix well, apparently. Finally, however, they seem to reach a peace after a day on the beach.

Word count: 3K (getting into writing these shorter fits woo!)

Warnings: Kind of angsty but also you make out so like is it really that bad; allusions to smut; lots of swear words; yeah, not much for this, it's pretty PG.

A/N: YAYYY, I'm back, sort of but also not really but also ENJOY THIS FIC. Yes, technically it is an extract from an unfinished chapter of the mav x reader Wattpad story I'm halfway through writing (yes, I have a wattpad, it's called nonoitsnina), and maybe (BIIIIG emphasis on MAYBE) I will do a second part where y'all actually fuck and stuff but for now just take this. If anyone's still slinking around the Top Gun stuff, that is. Also, Bee is your RIO here. Just to preface. And Phantom (YOUR CALL-SIGN) shortens to Tommy or Tom from time to time but like if you read the Wattpad book (YES I KNOW I SOUND LIKE A SCARY 14 YEAR OLD) it makes more sense. OKAY ENJOY COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED HAVE A LOVELY JUBBLY DAY

***

Stupid smiles plastered bright across their faces, Bee and Goose are already dashing down the road, speed-walking like a couple of suburban mothers, one swathed in a beach towel and picnic blanket, the other lopsided with a half-empty cooler grasped in one hand.

I watch them go, brow furrowed, over my shoulder, slightly disconcerted.

“I guess they—” Mav pauses, then huffs, equally as confused, “—really wanted those ice-creams.”

Sure. That’s why they keep glancing back at us and giggling like idiots: ice-creams.

Maverick and I are strolling along the boardwalk back home – despite washing my feet at the tap, there’s still sand between my toes that tickles my skin with every step, but I could care less. He’d asked if I wanted us to take the bus—but I’d said no. Call me a loon (Bee certainly would), but, even after a full day of work—or play—nothing beats sitting outside in the quiet. Except sleep, I guess. But, when I can keep my eyes open, looking out a good view—and, boy, is this watercolour sunset some view—is perfect. After growing up in a city full of dust and cracks, I’ve embraced it: I’m gonna be one of those old ladies in a rocking chair on her porch, day and night, night and day.

Having just finished my own crêpe, I eat Maverick’s. When I ask him if he’s bothered by it, he tells me he’d bought them both for me in the first place.

Sweet. Y’know, I really thought I was a good judge of character. I had to be, to be fair, growing up, pursuing this career – you must always assume the worst until proven otherwise. That’s the safe way, and it’s served me well. Until it had me screaming and yelling at everyone. That’s not—right. It makes me absolutely nauseous.

So, all of these estimated traits, good and bad, have either been tossed or been filtered out.

It boils down to Maverick and his easy grin. He walks along the edge of the sidewalk, just looking at me with that goddamn easy grin. I’ve half a mind to slap him, just to give me a break from his attention. It makes me horribly self-conscious, forces a little thrill on me, like when you’re at the apex of a rollercoaster, just about to tip over. It feels like that, but it also feels like light streaming through a half-blinded window, so the warmth just collects there on the sill so that, when you touch it, you wish you could roll under it like a blanket. Of course, that warmth accumulates. I’m sweating. Like—a—pig.

Jesus, I want to scream into my hands with how good he looks. His dark hair is still slightly damp with seawater, stiff in some places and criminally soft in others. Every now and then, he’ll pull at the white button-up that sticks just a little to his chest, to the contours of his stomach, and fan the skin there. Jesus Christ. My hands are basically twitching to touch him there, to feel the heat of him beneath my palm, solid and beating gently with his heartbeat. I clasp my fingers very tightly around my fork, my crêpe slip, concentrating it all into one point.

I can’t tell if feeling like this is the best or the worst. Jesus, imagine if the other guys knew. They’d never shut up about it. Christ, they’d never take me seriously again. I don’t want to be the “girlfriend” – I want to be a formidable pilot. So many people just don’t think those two things can ever coexist.

Not that I want to be a girlfriend. I couldn’t say that word out loud without feeling wrong. I’m a lot of things, but I don’t know if I could be that.

A bike passes with an urgent ring of its bell, and Maverick twists his body in towards mine, hand hovering over my back, to push me out of the way from it.

I go blank, scrambling to remember where we were in the conversation, mouth dry.

“So, you’re telling me,” I begin, grinning, “going into Return of the Jedi, you hoped that Luke and Leia would end up together?”

Mav sighs and rolls his eyes, tearing off a little of what remains of the crêpe. ‘Well, at the time, I didn’t know they we’re fuckin’ siblings—”

“Maverick, that is incest.”

“Come on!” he laughs, and it’s the best sound in the world. “Goose thought so, too! Luke’s the main guy, so, like, it’s not not logical to think he’d get the main girl, right—?”

“But it’s Han Solo!” I exclaim, throwing my head back with a snort. He smiles down at me, eyes warm, in a way that I’m probably misinterpreting and will replay over and over in my head when I’m trying to sleep in bed tonight. “I thought you’d be a Han Solo kind of guy.”

“What, I remind you of him?” He tosses his head back and smoulders. I fake a gag.

“Well, he’s just—he’s just—” I trail off into laughter. “He’s really—I can’t explain it! If you ask any girl, she’ll know what I mean. Han Solo is so—” I giggle again, remembering how stunned and attracted to him I was when I first watched A New Hope in the theatre. “He’s just a lot of things.”

“Oh, yeah?—like what?”

Gosh, I can feel myself burning up – does he have to lower his voice like that? Does he have to try and catch my eye? God, it’s almost easier to hate him, to be honest – at least then I wouldn’t be acting like such a puddle.

“Like, charming and daring and, um—and clever, and—I don’t know. It’s just the way he speaks or something.”

He hums, hands in his pockets, his dad’s jacket draped over his forearm – I don’t think I’ve seen him go anywhere without that leather jacket. “And you like those things?” he pushes.

I bark out a laugh. “C’mon, Maverick, everyone like those things.” True enough – I could be blind and still fall in love with Han Solo and his smooth-talking. “And why Luke? Even if they weren’t siblings, why him? He had zero chemistry with—”

“Because he’s the chosen one!”

“—yeah, well, he—”

“He’s cool! Luke is objectively cool. He’s a pilot, he’s a Jedi, he’s a leader, he’s—”

“What-ever!” I exclaim, scrunching up my nose at him, and we giggle into quiet. “I’m not saying I didn’t like him as a character – I think he’s an amazing character. I just wouldn’t fuck ‘im.” I cackle at the absurdity of it all.

We continue walking.

Maybe all of this will fade in a couple hours. Maybe it’s the magic of Top Gun, this beach, this dusk that settles in fast around us, the lights that illuminate the darkening boardwalk. It’ll all be over in a couple more weeks, anyway. Bee ‘n’ I’ll go back to the carrier and be on with things, and Maverick will do whatever it is that he does. I know Goose says we should make plans to meet after school’s out, but who really has the time to spare? So, thank God Mav didn’t ride in on his motorcycle, ‘cause, if he’d insisted I hop on and wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his shoulder and la-la-la, I’d be in great danger of sleeping with him.

“D’you wanna head straight back?”

I look up at him. “Hmm?”

Jesus, he needs to tone down his looks or something – it’s disarming, a hazard, really. Those green eyes are givin’ me some mean butterflies, alright. Nowadays, I’ll see him fresh out of the sky, hair spiky and dishevelled with sweat – he doesn’t wear helmet hair as well as others, that’s for certain – and I’ll have to bury my face in my locker. I’ll see him absentmindedly chewing on his dog-tags, and it’ll have me air-headed for the rest of a lecture. I can’t classify it as a distraction, but it’s—certainly not intended. My head isn’t screwed on so tight, and I can’t keep tipping up in the cockpit – I know my ambition to win and these thoughts about Maverick have no correlation, but, good God, maybe if I could just focus more in classes—

“There’s—” he starts, then swallows. “We could go to the pier. Not really a view anymore, but we could see some lights. Boats, maybe.”

“Yeah,” I reply, excitement jolting through my body.

“Yeah?” I nod. He smiles. “Okay.”

When he asks me if I’m cold, he readjusts his jacket on his arm, like he’s already made his mind up to lend it to me. Of course, I shake my head – I’d probably end up stinking up the damn thing with how much I seem to be sweatin’.

We take our time to the end of the pier. When we reach the railing, we step up onto the bar and lean out to look down at the softly lapping water.

“You—erm—”

I turn to look at him, and the stutter of his words stops abruptly, his eyes wide. He looks at me dumbly, like I’m one of the seven fuckin’ wonders. Now, I’ve seen Maverick drunk, stupid, and downright embarrassing himself—just think of the time she lost that fuckin’ lovin’ feeling—but, even when he doesn’t know something, he always keeps face. He always has something to say. Now?—now, here, he looks hopeless.

“You—”

“I what, Mitchell?” I grin, shoving my hair behind my ear in light of the strong breeze that suddenly billows in from across the sea. “Watching the ships, right?” There they are: little dots on the horizon.

He flushes, snapping his attention away. “Right.”

I know what’s coming – I pick up on all of it: the fidgeting of his hands, the downcast dart of his eyes, the way he bites down on the inside of his cheek. Though it kinda perks me up to begin with, I just end up wilting again at the reminder of a certain instructor who I am evidently not.

Still, it’s nice to hear him say: “It’s just—” I tilt my head towards him, “—I think you’ve got great eyes. Great everything really. I dunno. I think—you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

I snort. “That 4% really got to you, hey, Mav?”

He doesn’t laugh, just pauses, takes a second to think about what he’s going to say. “I—don’t know—how to say it.”

My heart drops—in the bad way. “What?"

“That I think about you—a lot.”

Oh, Christ. I let out a deep sigh, and, immediately, his face drops like a stone. “Oh, don’t do that, Maverick.”

“Do what?” he protests through a weak smile.

I recoil just a little bit: he’s a flirt, yes, but I didn’t take him for a dirtbag. “Do what?” my ass. He knows what. Blonde-hair-and-bright-eyes, who’s what. Think of how smart she is, how accomplished she is, how beautiful she is, how level and respected she is – all of these things and a man can still write Charlie of as not that big a deal? That’s fuckin’ low.

“You’re being mean,” I tell him firmly, trying to force down the disgust that pushes under my tongue and the embarrassment that burns over my cheeks.

Maybe Carole and Goose really weren’t exaggerating. Maybe he has got eight women all lined up for him, just waiting for him to call.

His hand makes to touch my shoulder but doesn’t end up making contact – it just hovers, unsure. Either way, I wasn’t going to let it happen. Either way, I find myself scurrying back, away.

Mav has the audacity to look confused. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to—”

“So, what?” I snap, hopping down from the railing and scowling unabashedly at him once more. “I’m one of those girls you string along?”

He laughs – only, it’s not cute anymore; it’s fucking annoying. “No—!”

The wind blows strongly, warm, still, but with the promise of a storm. I have to raise my voice in order to get myself across, I tell myself: “What?—you wanna challenge yourself, or something? Me and Charlie—?”

This?—this seems to piss him off. Mav’s expression crumples into indigence as he protests strongly again, “No—!"

“But—”

“Phantom,” he presses desperately, eyes pleading for me to listen – I’ve seen that expression on him before; every time I’ve ignored it, I’ve ended up regretting it, yelling myself silly over a misunderstanding. So, I pause. I listen. The urgent haze fades away within the span of three deep breaths.

“I wanted Charlie’s advice on how to speak to you. I was nervous—am nervous—and I don’t want to say the wrong thing. She’s very—to-the-point. And Goose and Bee fluff like their lives depend on it.”

Nice one. Nice going, Tommy: do what you do best and throw a fuckin’ rage, why don’t you?

“I thought you didn’t like me—” I say to him dumbly, “—after what I said to you.”

We don’t talk about that argument in the locker rom. We don’t talk about the one after volleyball either, or the one in the air. It’s no excuse – that Viper is breathing down my neck, that I know Skipper expects highly of me – to act like a dick to all the competitors that block my way to that damn trophy. I need to climb this hill.

And here Maverick is, thinking about me—a lot.

“Your opinion matters to me more than you’d think,” he admits with a snarky, little snort. “You’re—” he trails off; the gale dies down. “You’re just—I don’t know how to put it. I’m—not great at the serious-talking stuff.”

“Embarrassed?” I tease. God, I know I am.

He grins. “A little bit.”

We make our way back to the dorms, talking. He tells me he’s liked me ever since this one lecture at the beginning of Top Gun—after the induction, after the bar, after the first exercise—when he’d said something dumb in response to Charlie’s criticism. According to him: “You turned back and looked at me and—and you just smiled. God, I dunno – I just couldn’t look away from you. Even—even after you, y’know, y’turned back around, I—I was just staring at the back of your head, hoping you’d do it again. That you’d look at me again, smile at me again.”

I don’t even remember that day.

He walks me to the door of my dorm, where the windows are all dark and the blinds all flat shut.

No way to make it up to him. No time, either. Should’ve kissed him right then and there at the bar that first night when he came over to the jukebox. Bee saw it in my face – I know that now. I should’ve let him win that bet with himself.

I might be about to do him that favour now, I guess. All flushed, all pretty, all nervous—he gets nervous?—Maverick is so close to me that the heat of his body radiates onto mine, far too dangerous for my liking. This is not what I intended. This is so far off my plan of how this program was gonna go.

But his nose is brushing mine, and his hands are so warm and gentle as they press over my arms.

“Can—?”

I nod softly. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

The kiss, when it comes, is this soft, tentative sink into a brittle release. The gentle press of his nose into my warm cheek elicits a quiet sigh from the both of us – the break from silence must render me into this here embarrassing mess, melting like the ice-cream we shared earlier in the hot sun, because Mav gets that shit-eating grin on his face like he’s watching me lose to him at volleyball all over again. Whatever – he’s the one that probably had to take a cold shower over how I looked.

I cup my hand over the back of his neck, drawing him closer still to me.

Maverick kisses like he’s paying attention to every single detail of it – his eyes are slanted just slightly open, watching my face, and one of his hands rests kindly over my neck, his fingers pressing just a little into the pulse point which I’m sure is racing like a damn horse by now.

Of course, he’s beautiful at this. Just my fuckin’ luck. Technically, yes, it is prohibited to have sexual relations on work premises. Even a man and a woman behind a locked door is assumed to be inappropriate – I’ve heard that one too many a time by the air boss back on the carrier. I’m far from a goody-two-shoes, but rules are rules for a reason. So, of course, it’s just my luck that I meet an unfairly handsome pilot with pretty eyes and entirely too destabilising a kiss. He trails his nose down along my jaw before burying it there in my neck; I hold him tight to me, fingers curling around the thick muscle of his shoulders.

When we kiss again, it’s different: searing, crushing, slow, breathless. The chorus of crickets and cicadas and other night-things is drowned out by the roaring of blood in my ears and the soft noise that slips past Mav’s lips as he pauses for breath, to pant hotly over my cheek.

“You’re gonna have to help me out here, stud,” I mumble helplessly against him, to which he nods fiercely, reaching out blind for the door-knob and guiding me stumbling into my room.

Bee isn’t here – upon the side table, there’s a little, folded note that reads in chicken-scratch handwriting: Staying with Goose for the night. Have fun!

#pete mitchell x reader #pete maverick mitchell x reader #pete mitchell #top gun #top gun maverick #goose bradshaw #tom cruise x reader #im back on my bullshit #i feel the need for speed #i need him in me

55 notes · View notes

unironicallycringe · 10 months

Note

do koltin and kilton fit in your extended demonology lorebuilding? interested what youd classify em as

THEY SURE DO, ANON, THANKS FOR ASKING!

Right so like, BotW/TotK is so incredibly far from the events of my AU, but I have definitely overthought about how the Demon Tribe stuff would fit Kilton and Koltin in.

Firstly though, some Boko Tribe stuff reminders

1) Their advantage is having very plastic physical adaptability <- to account for their wide variety of body types in the different games, encompass all the various subtypes (Moblin, Bokoblin, Miniblin, etc), and explain why they're the only demon tribe that has persisted in any noticeable numbers through the ages. They're just really pro at adapting to new things.

2) They're easily affected/warped by Magicka <- to account for the game's evil Bokos. In this way, they're a result of Malice being overused to control and resurrect them, rather than evil behavior being their norm. Basically they are on the same level of sentience as humans, but exposure to uncontrolled Malice degrades their minds much faster than it would others. It's essentially the flipside to the above plasticity advantage. They're malleable in ways that are both good and bad.

Man, what does this have to do with Kilton and Koltin, Shea?

✨They have mixed Hylian/Boko heritage ✨

(I always thought the silhouettes here were really similar and wondered if it was intentional, but anyways)

So the headcanon here is that Kilton and Koltin's parents are a non-corrupted blue Boko and a particularly adventurous Hylian. I imagine they're a very sweet couple!!!! Here they are when they were younger.

I never thought of names for them, they just exist somewhere and probably don't hang out much in towns. (We love a power couple, but this sort of thing is likely to freak out the Hylian locals.)

I like to draw the two brothers with tiny little horn nubs as a nod to this. They don't have full horns and never will, but they probably were very excited for their lil skull bumps to grow like 0.05mm over the years.

The family would very much be aware of the whole Malice corruption thing. That's why Kilton is so passionate about "monster education" - he knows the corrupt Bokos were once normal people and often just mind their own business in the wilderness, but also knows that it's dangerous for humans to try and approach. So his ventures with his traveling stall and presentations in Tarrey Town are his way of trying to bridge that gap safely.

Additionally, I imagine Kilton and Koltin can travel pretty easily amongst corrupted Bokos, but not bands of Lizal or Lynel. Kilton would have attempted creating masks because of this issue, then afterwards added the various Boko masks for humans to use. (The Magicka is extremely rudimentary, like, barely a Glamour if you're familiar with my magic systems, which is why they fail frequently). And sidenote for monster extract, I think it would be funny if it's just like, a normal ingredient his mom uses and he just puts purple food coloring in it for the Exotic Flair. Like it's just vanilla extract or something lmao.

That was the rambliest possible answer, but tldr they're half-Bokoblin teehee

#thank you for the ask i couldnt sleep so i decided i should doodle things #answered ask #demon tribes au #zelda headcanons #botw #totk #bokoblin #boko kana #my art #im back at it again with giving backstories to silly side characters #koltin is just reverse batreaux send tweet #kilton #koltin

145 notes · View notes

consult-sherlockholmes · 3 months

Note

Hello, Mr. Holmes! How are you?

So, long story short, I ended up with an optical microscope in my room more or less 4 months ago, with 200 previously made slides (secured in a proper box), and lots of new ones too, for me to prepare myself. I love microbiology (it's one of my hyperfixations, curse my neurodivergency) and now I love it even more (my mother has had to drag me away from the microscope - I named it Wesley - in the middle of the night multiple times now).

After much conversation, I finally convinced my mom to buy me the proper equipment to prepare the slides!

So, I'm sending this ask to you, as I know you also have a microscope and that you use it a lot: what kind of equipment do you recommend me buying (gloves, scalpel blades, tints, etc), while still remembering that all of the stuff needs to stay in my room (properly taken cared of by me, of course)?

For example, I'm unsure if different dyes are used for different smears and specimens due to it's affinity (I've noticed that on 'organic matter' slides, images are usually tinted purple or pink, while on plant-based slides, images are usually tinted green and blue, with a few red structures.) Considering that I don't have access to a mortuary, I will mostly make plant slides. There must be a difference in the dyes then, right?

Sorry for the long text! Hope this isn't too much of a bother.

- a 17-year-old :)

Congratulations on your new light microscope. I do hope you get the best out of it. I am overjoyed that someone else appreciates the art of microscopy and microbiology.

However, you need to be careful to not strain your eyes. It is recommended to take breaks every 15 minutes to close your eyes or focus on something in the distance to reaccommodate your eyes. And get up every 40 minutes, stretch and correct your posture. And it is recommended to not use a microscope more than 5 hours per day. John has to chase me away from my microscope sometimes to take a break when I sit there for hours, my posture like a Caridea.

Concerning equipment, you will obviously need a scalpel or other sharp blade to make very thin slices of your specimen, as thin as possible. And forceps to move your samples (best just get a whole dissection kit it has everything). Obviously slides and coverslips, pipettes for the stains or water, maybe some tubes. A pen to label your slides. In many staining procedures ethanol or acetone is also used. A waste jar to safely dispose of any chemicals, but be careful what you mix. A rack for staining and containers. I would recommend nitrile gloves, some people are sensitive to latex.

The dyes you use depend on the specimen. For example in histological slides of tissues hematoxylin and eosin are most commonly used (short HE-stain). That's what you most likely saw on your slides, it's blue, purple and pink. Hematoxylin is a basic compound extracted and oxidised from the logwood tree (Haematoxylum campechianum), and it stains acidic compounds in the cells (or basophilic because they have an affinity for basic substances). For example nucleic acids like DNA or RNA get stained by hematoxylin because they are basophillic. And where are lots of nucleic acids? In the nucleus and ribosomes, that is why they appear blue to purple in the staining because they bind hematoxylin. Eosin is an acidic compound, and stains basic or acidophilic compounds red or pinkish, like proteins, collagen, cytoplasm, extracellular matrix.

(Ductus epididymidis with HE-stain)

(Tongue HE-stain, pointer marking a ganglion; that is my picture)

Of course there are more specific stains for specific tissues like Golgi's silver staining for neurons.

For plants toluidine blue is often used, high affinity for acidic tissues, and can stain blue to green to purple. It is often combined with safranin, a basic azine, which is probably the red stain you saw. It stains polysaccharides and lignin, woody parts of the plant. Safranin and astrablue is also often combined, astrablue stains non-lignified parts of the plant.

(Ulex europaeus stem; not my pictures I don't have any samples currently, source Atlas of plant and animal histology)

Safranin is also used in bacteriology, in the famous Gram staining. In Gram staining you use crystal violet (blue/purple), Lugol's iodine solution, then wash it with ethanol and add safranin (red) as a counter stain. Bacteria is gram-positive if the crystal violet stays in their thick murein cell wall, can't be washed out with the ethanol and the bacteria stays blue. Gram-negative appear red because of the counterstain.

(Staphyloccocus aureus (violet, gram positive) & Escherichia coli (red, gram negative); not my picture, source Wikipedia)

However, I am not sure whether you have access to any of those substances, if they are too expensive for you or if they are too hazardous if used in your own room for a prolongued time. Of course those substances need to be stored properly, and your own room is probably not a good place, especially for ethanol or acetone. The fumes. I would recommend to ask your biology or chemistry teacher whether they can recommend anything further and where to buy said solutions in your area, and if they can't they are idiots. There are also many useful resources and tutorials on Youtube.

Another fascinating experiment for your microscope, that you can perform without buying any chemicals, is a hay infusion. You put hay into a container filled with water, and let it sit undisturbed for a week in a sunny area but not in direct harsh sunlight. During that time the microorganisms in the hay are reproducing in the solution, feeding on the polysaccharides of the hay. Protozoans also flourish in the hay infusion and eat the bacteria. It might get cloudy and a bit foul smelling (best not do it in your own room if you don't want to sleep next to a rotting smell). When you put a drop of the solution onto a slide and look at it in the microscope, you should see a variety of microorganisms like bacteria (like Bacillus subtilis), amoeba, ciliates, heliozoa, algae et cetera. At different depths of the liquid you should find different kinds of organisms, because of differing oxygen content. However, pathogens can also occur in the hay infusion so handle it carefully and work sterile, wash your hands properly.

And even if you don't work at a morgue you can still get tissue samples to experiment on, after all meat is sold in supermarkets, basically the same as a human body. And at the butchers they even sell organs like chicken hearts, pig kidney, liver, blood et cetera. Or observe your own hair under the microscope.

Which kind of samples and slides were included in your starter kit? Be careful to not leave them lying around in the sunlight, or the stain might fade. Always store them in the proper box.

46 notes · View notes

batbirdies · 5 months

Text

I’m here with impress-your-friends advice and make-your-dessert-extra-amazing advice in one.

If you like whipped cream this advice is for you! The short version, if this post is too longer for you. Is make your own whipped cream! Add 3-4 tablespoons of powdered sugar to 1 pint of heavy cream and whip until stiff. There you go!

For more detailed instructions and some explanation, read on:

My family has always been kind of foodies but also very unpretentious. I enjoy lots of things but certain homemade versions of the store bought stuff are just way better and easy enough to make that I will go to the trouble.

Whipped cream is one of them. My family has always made whipped cream “from scratch” rather than getting the canned stuff. And I never realized just how few people have ever made whipped cream themselves.

I just went to a potluck style dinner and brought a frozen Sara Lee Dutch apple pie and a thing of homemade whipped cream and the amount of amazement that I made the whipped cream was surprising! People asked if I had a big stand mixer to use, and how I did it.

And I’m here to tell you it is EXTREMELY EASY and so worth it in my opinion.

Whipped cream is typically two ingredients, heavy cream (or whipping cream or heavy whipping cream depending where you buy it, (cream with a fat content of 36%)) and powdered sugar.

My recipe is typically:

1 pint heavy cream

3-4 tablespoons powdered sugar

(You can add as much sugar as you want but I prefer mine not to be super sweet)

I usually just dump the entire 1 pint container of cream in a bowl and use a hand mixer (on low for me because my mixer is insane but usually medium to high speed) until it starts to thicken. (This should happen quickly. Within a minute or two or you need to up the speed) Once you start seeing indents in the cream that stay when you move the mixer I add three to four tablespoons spoons of powdered sugar and continue mixing until the cream is thick enough not to drop off the mixer when I raise it out of the bowl. You can also add the sugar in at the very start but I personally find it whips up faster if I don’t.

This is the part to be careful at because you can over whip it and it will turn to sweet butter. Which is good! But not great to eat by the spoonful. Just check frequently and taste as you go (with a clean utensil!) to check for your desired level of sweetness. Once the cream is thick enough to keep its shape STOP mixing.

And there you go you made whipped cream. Spoon it into a Tupperware and take with your pie.

You can also customize by adding flavors! I am partial to a tiny bit of vanilla extract or even a little amaretto for a nice boozy fruity flavor if it’s paired with a chocolate dessert.

The only draw back to this vs canned whipped cream is that it doesn’t last. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days. (3-4 in my opinion) but it will start to melt a little before then and you might see liquid cream in the container when you open it, becoming more so with time.

Technically it is probably a little more expensive as well but that’s because the first ingredient to canned whipped cream is WATER. Which is why the flavor of homemade is much stronger and fattier/luxurious.

(If you do accidentally over do it. Go ahead and keep at it until all the liquid comes out and you have a nice firm butter and bring that with you anyway, people will be even more impressed and you can have it with your dinner rolls or something. )

#cooking #whipped cream

77 notes · View notes

comingfromastatechampionasshole · 8 months

Text

Doc's Best In Goddamn Show Montana State Fair Coconut Cream Pie

As promised, the baked good that did the best, I'll release the recipe. This is one of my favorite pies of all time, hewed into a perfect custard-based pie that won me my first Best in Show rosette in nine years. And pies is even a tough category!

The other shocking thing: This is one of the easiest pies I make. It's very much "don't worry about it." It even tastes better if you make everything but the topping the day before serving.

“Doc, why don’t you use cream of coconut for the custard?” Friend, I tried for years to get that to work, only to find out that cream of coconut just does not bake up as nice as milk and cream, so I use a nice extract and toast the coconut to get the flavors.

YOU WILL NEED:

A crust (I presume you can either make or buy a crust. I might even have a recipe here on the blog, I can’t remember)

Pie:

5 eggs

¾ cup caster/baker’s sugar

2 cups of whole milk

½ cup half and half (I believe this is called half cream in the UK)

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1 tsp coconut extract (I like Olivenation or watkins. Also, bear in mind you may need to use more. I do this to taste and the tsp is a guess on my part. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you where to taste in the recipe)

Pinch salt

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Topping:

2 cups heavy cream VERY COLD (can use whipping or double also, but I prefer heavy)

2 tablespoons jello or jello style pudding mix, coconut

Powdered/icing sugar (this will be to taste)

Decoration: Most definitely toasted coconut. I really like Nuts.com’s organic dried coconut chips, but it depends on how flush I’m feeling--I did not use it in this competition. Macadamia nuts are great, dried pineapple, for this competition I used coconut rolls from costco. This is mostly for visual appeal, so be creative.

Toast your coconut: Put the oven at 350F. Put some parchment down on a baking sheet, and then put your sweetened flaked coconut on the sheet. Don’t forget to put in a bit extra for your topping decoration. Toast for about five minutes, it will probably need a stir and watch it closesy--coconut burns easy. When it’s a nice pale golden, pull it and up the temperature of the oven to 375F.

Blind bake your crust. If you haven’t done this before, I think it’s easy but admit maybe not everyone will. Roll your crust out into a pie plate, just like you always would, and then cover the bottom with tin foil, and fill with pie weights or beans, or rice--I’m a big fan of using sugar. Whatever you use. Bake it about 15-17 minutes, it should be lightly brown at the edges. Take out the pie weight you used. Bake it about 5 minutes more, just so the bottom gets very lightly toasted.

Make the filling! Beat your eggs in in a large bowl until they are very well combined but not whipped. Beat in everything but the coconut itself. NOW TASTE IT. Does it taste coconutty enough, or do you want to add a little more extract? Have an easy hand with the stuff, it’s powerful. Mix in the toasted coconut.

Yeah, I’m serious, that was the whole of the filling instructions. I told you this was ridiculously easy.

Bake: Pour your filling (carefully) into the pie crust, and cover the edges of your pie crust so it doesn’t burn (I use tin foil, but they do make fancy pie shields). I like to put it on a jelly roll pan so it’s easier for me to take in and out of the oven. You’re going to bake it at 375F for about 30-40 minutes, but the real test is: if you shake it a little, is it set at the sides but with a little wiggle in the center? That’s when it’s done.

Let it cool totally.

Topping! Beat your cold cream and pudding mix together, adding the powdered sugar slowly. I start with a quarter cup and work my way up until it’s as sweet as I like. I prefer a harder peak for this, but soft peaks are acceptable if you enjoy that more. Decorat with your topping choices!

GO WIN A FUCKIN ROSETTE

Please tell me if you made this! If you found this really helpful and would like to leave me a tip, my ko-fi is here!

#recipes #dessert recipes #pie recipes #baking tips

85 notes · View notes

tanglepelt · 10 months

Text

The acts Unmasked

AO3 prev Master next

Danny panics in the alley.

Danny was just lost. Just waiting for some ball to drop.

Why would they help?

The girl, the black bat, gave him chalk and they didn’t bat an eye at frostbite. They just didn’t make sense. No one had ever listened before. He had fully expected them to go back to doing whatever sketchy stuff they were up to on that rooftop. He hoped.

He had also hoped his parents wouldn’t touch Ellie.

That didn’t pan out.

Yet this group actually did.

It was obvious these three were in some type of group. Working together with no need of talking. Non-verbal responses, and nodding of heads are obviously trained. Nodding to one another. It would be three against one. Well, one and dead body weight. Who knew when Ellie would wake up?

The alley had to be beyond cold. Even he could feel it now. His core was free for most to feel. Ellie needed more ectoplasm frostbite and said she just needed to rest and balance out. He couldn’t stand the waiting.

It wasn’t safe. It was always a matter of time until someone found and attacked them. His ectoplasm was already leaking into the air. Mixing with the dead vibe of Gotham.

Batman was slow to approach them. Cautious likely. Danny did go making a few big threats here and there. You know.

Suggesting the end of the world and all.

Danny didn’t really want to hear the man out he just wanted his sisters. Both of them, Ellie was still asleep, and who knows how long it will be and Jazz was off somewhere in Gotham. No matter how much he pushed his ectoplasm into her it felt like nothing was happening. It just wasn’t replenishing as quickly as it had been taken.

Blood blossoms are deadly to ghosts. It makes sense it would take a while to recover.

When the man finally made it in front of him, he discussed moving out of the alley. Getting somewhere safer.

Batman offered two options.

When a spaceship thing in space was mentioned, man Danny really tried not to be in awe. No matter how cool that was, he thinks an ambassador wouldn’t get starry eyes over something like that. Out of everything he went with, why an ambassador?

What did they even do?

Batman did make plenty of points on why staying on Earth could be bad. With the passing of the acts, the United States wasn’t safe. No duh, they literally bought his little sister. Plus, there was the whole extraction thing Jazz had mentioned at one point. Ellie was probably... maybe… at least equivalent to a fugitive.

Total not his little obsession with space acting. It's not his fault ghost cores required them, once he fully recovered from the operation he’d have more control. It’s just like how little kids have issues regulating their emotions. His love of space just happened to be his problem. Danny wasn’t a kid he just really had to focus on not being distracted by it. He was a master at focusing.

So, it was just the logical decision to agree to go to space.

They just needed to find Jazz for him first. She was no doubt worried, and she’d help keep Ellie safe while recuperating.

And…. Well... hopefully Jazz could help him tell Ellie what was going on.

How does one say oh… yea… by the way you’re a princess. The core transplant kind of made you a member of the royal family. We just didn’t bother to tell you that part. And you may have been outed just a tad bit even before you were aware. Oh… and by the way. Don’t out me as royalty as I did to you. That just wasn’t going to go well.

Jazz had warned him to let her know. Not to just spring it on her as the council did to him. She at least wouldn’t have Fright Knight showing up in the middle of movie night announcing himself as bodyguard to the king.

The trio had thought Pariah was back and coming to take them on.

It was such a great way for the council to inform him of his position. 0 out of 10 would not recommend it.

Fright Knight just kept following him around. If he was human frighty, was invisible and hovering. The dude did not appreciate Dash at all. Frighty wanted to send him off to his nightmares. Proclaiming how he was bound to serve and protect the royal family. Which he didn’t get the whole bound to the royal family nonsense. The man just had no chill in his humble opinion. Danny just wanted peace and quiet, not the fright knight announcing him to all his rouges.

The faces he got were almost worth the annoyance. The look on the box ghosts face had been his favorite.

Frighty had stayed way too long.

It took weeks to convince him he was fine.

Only for Vlad to ruin his peace after Ellie first came into existence. Fright Knight had made a second appearance after finding out he had been cloned.

Danny blamed all of it on the fruitloop for destabilizing the king's core and forcing Danny into this position. The old king never would of been freed, and Danny never would have absorbed Pariahs core. He could in fact wait to be king. Vlad just had to try to gain power from the ring and crown.

The Fright knight had been ready to throw hands at the fruit loop. At first, following the madman around after the events of Pariah's core fizzling out. Returning to announce himself as Dannys supposed body guard crown and ring in hand. Only to then offer Danny the chance of disposing of him, after the reveal of the whole bodyguard thing. At first, he was very confused by the question.

Like why had frighty offered?

Danny had no intentions of sending Vlad to the nightmare realm for all eternity.

The fruit loop just needed to calm down.

Just like Danny needed to calm down.

How long does it take to find a person? Why haven’t they brought Jazz to him yet? He gave them her university and the location of the apartment, what more could they possibly need?

He just had to be patient. Once she got here, they’d all ditch this death-filled town. Not just out of the country. No someplace off the earth.

Space.

It was totally the safer option. Yea… jazz, she would definitely agree. mentioned extradition in previous contingency plans. So, like. Other countries are not that safe. They needed to be prepared for anything.

Honestly, there had been no good ideas.

But SPACE. That’s a new one. That’s an unknown. Never before had they considered that option. In theory, he didn’t need to breathe when ghost. At least he is assuming. They tested it underwater once. No issues there. The cold of space wouldn’t even bother him. His cores base was ice after all. The cold only bugs him when he bottled up his powers.

He should test his theory and just fly to space. Wait no. There was that spaceship thing.

This was apparently on a thing called the watch tower. But they couldn’t leave the alley with the agents yet. He had no guarantee that Jazz would be with them if not.

Ellie needed to wake up. Jazz needed to show up. He was getting antsy.

The agents still remained. Restrained as they were.

Batman claimed people were coming to collect them. To at the minimum move them. Jack and Maddie were already taken away. A person who had hardly given a second look at him and Ellie. They deserved the Harsh treatment the man in red gave them.

Words were spoken between the two. But man, he didn’t care what they had to say.

Batman had just grunted at him. Like he didn’t approve or something.

He didn’t even feel bad that whatever was coming for them would be far worse than the prison. Walker may be obsessed with his made-up rules but overall, the prison wasn’t that bad. Jailbreaks were easy enough from there.

Now Fright Knight on the other hand has an entire nightmare realm who knew what else they had in the realm? It would be handled by someone else. Frostbite had always assured him that they would get what was coming for them. Honestly looking back that was more said to himself than to Danny. Frostbite had been waiting for this moment.

The dungeon at Fenton Works had nothing on the one in the king's keep. That’s an entire area he avoided when there. Gave off tyrant vibes. Slowly it was morphing into his personal preferences, meaning fewer torture devices. Hopefully, that lower level entirely disappeared.

He did not need to think about the keeps torture chamber. Nope. He needed to focus on the alley. Where even less agents remained. He needed to focus.

There was no one else to rely on.

It was just him to protect Ellie. Can he actually trust this guy? The dud has kept away from him, which was nice. But adults don’t care. When Spectra gave the school the ghost flu, the adults just accepted the answer with no care. Jack and Maddie caused property damage left and right with no citations. The GIW just come into town, and they all just accepted it. The acts hadn’t passed but no one batted an eye.

Why was he just going along with this?

He needed to leave.

No, he needed to-to… Needed to breathe. He needed to stay calm. Ellie would wake up. Jazz would show up. It all would be fine.

Where were they?

Honestly. What was taking this long? He wanted Jazz.

Not to be in some alley with a man who wanted to be a bat.

Did one of the agents twitch? Yeah... definitely.

He wouldn’t let them get her again. Never to one of their labs. He has stopped them before. The ghost hadn’t even know what happened. That exams table was never used.

Three months of attempts at capturing another speciemen.

Three months of stopping them.

If they ever got one, they were free within an hour.

It had been so easy when it was just his donors. HE never thought the first four months would have been so nice. Only dealing with the ghosts and blundering oafs of his parents.

Nocturne had been such a snooze.

Undergrowth only needed to chill out.

He had even kept Vortex from leaving Amity.

He’d rather take on the three ancients than see one of those rooms again. The GIW twisted it all. Weapons designed to sting and hurt. To linger and fester. The pure white of the room.

Barely avoided that disaster.

How many times had this universe just had to make a name for itself? Why study ghost here? WHy force a hole through reality? just why get noticed by the realm?

Why couldn’t he just focus on what was happening in the alley?

Danny still hasn’t told the council about the missile. How could he? It would have destroyed the realm and every other dimension. It would have ended everything in just a blink of an eye.

Wouldn’t that make this place an even bigger threat? Would the stopping of the GIW even save the planet? Would this even work? Where was jazz? They were twitching. He couldn’t help but despite how close she already was but pull her in closer. The air dropping in temperature even more. She needed to wake up. Why did his donors have to be like this? If they had listened even once. This wouldn’t have happened. Jazz and he went off on them over and over. But of course, no they didn’t listen. Facts vs science, with the “science” oh so falsified and based on personal beliefs, and don’t get him started on The GIW just shoot first and wouldn’t listen, shot after shot. No one ever helped no one ever liste-

Breathe

He’s human right now, that’s right. The air was important for his human half.

Did Batman just have to remind him to breathe? The dude really just reminded him of a vital bodily necessity and then backed off. Which he means. Well, it’s actually nice. Not to be hovered over.

Did someone just groan?

Ellie, she just groaned.

She was still half asleep, but awake. He couldn’t stay in the alley. It had been too long. Too much time had passed, and his ecto signature ran rampant in the town. Just because the agents o and k’s groups were down. They had plenty of others. It would only be a matter of time until they were found out again. The air was thick with his own ectoplasm the GIW had multiple ways of tracking it. Amity just had too much residual to get anywhere specific unless you used the boo-meranang. That was a direct tracking device.

That device at the least had been in the lab. It should have gone out with a bang.

Who knows what else his parents had sold to the government? Anyone willing to sell a child of any dimension had no morals.

Danny managed to ask the bat about Jazz. According to the bat, Jazz wasn’t in her dorm or the apartment.

She was probably out looking for him. She’ll summon frostbite eventually, At the 24-hour mark, as per the agreement with the realm. A whole shebang he argued against for hours which he lost. The realm insisted on knowing where he was and how he was. They needed check-ins, updates, and everything under the sun.

Which come on. If the realm can force a crown on him, he should be allowed to do as he pleases. He can't be that bad.

So, what if he did the same with Ellie? She is only 12 and has a non-existing and unstable core. He didn’t care that Jazz agreed with the council Danny was nearly 16 it was not necessary. This wasn’t about him tho.

He just had to focus on Ellie.

Get away from the alley.

Get away from amity.

Get as far away from his donors as far as possible.

Dragging a half-asleep sister into space was the best solution. The bonus of space. No risk of extraction as there was in a separate country.

Seeing as there were no more blood blossoms, no chains, and not even any attempts to secure him and Ellie. If this was a trick….. well it would be a good one. He was still confused about who exactly the league was, only having one group's perspective was not ideal.

He blames Jack and Maddie. The two didn’t believe the news, it was all fake. No newspapers, nothing. If only Sam or Tucker was here maybe, maybe they would know who they were. The Batman was just watching him, waiting for him to give his okay. It was just odd. No, forcing him the guy wasn’t even forcibly starting a conversation. Just the one time when he was panicky and even then, it was just one word and then answered his question about Jazz. Just patiently watching.

It was now or never. Danny, holding the bulk of Ellie’s weight as she moved had at least nodded in response to leaving the alleyway.

Out of all the ways they could end up in space, he wasn’t expecting some form of teleportation. That was the one skill he had yet to see in the realm. The question he’s sure Tucker would be asking is if it’s science or magic. He really needed to get ahold of Sam and Tucker.

More things just kept popping up.

But He could see the stars.

So much better in space than any observatory he had been to. Amity didn’t have the best one around. All the lights from the lab, the constant green glow from the town border. He swears sometimes he can even see a dim green glow in the sky. The green light pollution really lost sight of the stars.

How could anyone focus with a view like this?

It was so amazing. So vast. Stars aplenty.

THUD

“Danny focus” Did Ellie really have to smack him on the back of the head? “You can fangirl over space later.”

He wasn’t that bad… it was just space. The stars were just so bright. His donors took away the possibility of becoming an astronaut. He could always fly up, but that wasn’t the same. Right focus.

Rapid blinking and shaking of his head… right. Not going to look at the windows or everything around them. Definitely not going to look twice at what appeared to be an obvious alien. No ecto signature so he couldn’t blame the green skin on that. Didn’t feel human either. They were in space. Anything was possible.

Shoot... yea focus.

Oh man, he really most overused his powers. His head was absolutely pounding.

No, not focusing on the random headache. Focus on Ellie and the weird ship in space. They were in an unknown situation. Ellie still wouldn’t be able to transform, so the air was a must. No noping off into space for them.

His momentary lapse of focus had unfortunately definitely been noticed. He was definitely selling his position of power. Well, the observants called him unfocused and immature, so yea this track.

Batman and the green man were looking at him. Ellie was just giving him her version of Jazz's disappointed look. It was adorable. He couldn’t help but notice the man in a trench coat, who felt all sorts of messed up. Human but something more was up, he felt split up? Yea, split up that felt right.

That man was just staring Ellie down. His face went from confused to a very concerned one. That look when you know you messed up. Could he tell she wasn’t fully human?

No… man why can’t he focus.

Right, Batman had a room for him and his sisters to wait?? Rest... honestly not too sure. He didn’t really ask too many questions, just knew that Ellie needed to get off earth not in the realm and they promised to bring Jazz.

Concerns for a future date. Preferably when he could freak out with Jazz and after the whole princess reveal.

He just had to follow them. Ellie was more aware at least. Her sass was back so that was good. He just needed to follow them. Not look at the stars in the windows. Why were there so many windows in space?

Now Ellie was elbowing him. He lost focus yet again. Why did she elbow him? Oh…. they were at a door.

Tagging

@serasvictoria02 @ivymala07 @perfectwastelandcreation @imgonnaeatthatglitter

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dp dc crossover #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc #dc x dp #shared core au #fanfic #phanfic

146 notes · View notes

justanotherbirdbrain-blog · 3 months

Text

Writing about Mines in your Fictional Universe: A Geology Introduction

Hello! I'm Bird, and I am here to guide you on a journey about different mines that exist, what materials are being mined, what those materials might be mined for, and what rocks/what processes might make these areas mineable. I will also touch briefly on the idea of gem quality, the commonness of the material, and what these things might look like fresh out of the dirt!

First things first, lets talk about the what types of things we might want to mine for in a fictional universe! There are a lot of things that are used daily that require mining, but there are a few that I see written about the most: Gold, Gemstones, Iron, and Coal. I personally would love to see this idea expanded on a bit, so lets talk about some mines that would definitely be necessary but overlooked! First one is pretty easy, glass! those beautiful stained glass windows are useless if no one is mining quartz to be made to glass, and I imagine it would be quite a profitable business seeing as glass, in general, was a luxury in ye olden times. The next thing we need to address is Abrasives! want to sand and polish stone and metal? Want to sharpen your blades for battle? May I introduce you to abrasive minerals! garnet, corundum (Ruby and Sapphire), and yes, diamond! Why are we using such beautiful gemstones to polish other things? Simple, even if you are to find a deposit of these gemstones (garnet being one of the more common ones) most of the time they are inclusion rich, ridiculously small, an undesirable color, or all three of these.

Finding gemstones that are good quality is hard, your character will not stumble upon it, pick up the rock and immediately know if the location is good enough to mine gemstones. If you are determined to make it a gemstone mine, have your character hold the mineral up to the sun/a light source and let them be able to see light coming through, though it is considerably thick.

Moving into metal mining! Metal mining is both easier and more complicated to write! Why is it complicated? Because unless it is gold or silver you are unlikely to see the desired metal itself. Why is it easy? welllll, I am going to try to make it easy. First things first, a lot of metals are chromaphores, this means that when the element is present, it will influence the color! Copper is an excellent example of this, old pennies oxidize and turn blue/teal/green, so do most rocks bearing copper! Looking for iron? It will probably stain the rocks dingy and brownish red. Things to note: copper and iron can be found in mineable amounts together! If you do this, iron will be present in the form of pyrite, or fool's gold, this has a nice cubic shape and can be described as such, the copper will typically leave a teal residue or veining across the rock, which in this case will almost exclusively be black to dark gray (Its basalt) but it can be found as the mineral chalcopyrite also (looks like fool's gold but it doesn't make cute crystals). Malachite is also a copper ore, in my experience I have never seen malachite from a mine that has looked like some of the stuff I have seen in gem shops, azurite (A darker blue mineral) can be present also, but again, these are usually very fine grained and would not be able to be used as jewelry, but obviously, in some places it must happen, just much less frequently.

Another thing I will briefly mention is that, if you are writing about metals remember that these metals will require a smelting process to extract a pure metal, this usually requires some other material (For iron, it is charcoal). Also remember alloys! Most useable metals are a mix of different metals to make them harder. This even includes gold jewelry. Last comment about metals, a very interesting plot for a fictional universe would be the use of lead. Lead ore was a hot commodity before we knew it was toxic, the side effects (Being nuts) could really create some tension.

Lastly in terms of mined material, I will briefly mention coal and stone in general just to say, coal is a sedimentary rock, distinctly different from the typical environments necessary to form most gemstones and heavy metal deposits (Yes, there are exceptions). Coal is dark black/gray, which is quite uncommon for sedimentary rocks which tend to range from reds/tans/browns/grays. When coal is lifted it will feel much lighter than you anticipate, which is the polar opposite of what happens when you lift a metal rich rock, which will feel immensely heavy. Finally, Coal will not turn into diamonds in nature, diamonds need mantle pressures and temperatures to form, there will be no diamonds under a coal mine unless there was a mantle derived eruption that got covered in a swamp, that became coal and as they dug they exposed the kimberlite pipe (I mention this because I just read this in a story and it hurt my feelings). Finally, If you want to write about a mine that is definitely necessary but want the content to be pretty low-maintenance, but profitable for whoever owns it, owning a granite/marble/ or really any desirable stone quarry would be perfect.

Now I will move onto what kind of mining exists today, I will not talk about every exclusive mine, but I will talk about ones that are common that are on my radar. First up, the one everyone talks about in books, underground mining. Underground mining is used when you are getting the material from the 'primary'/original source. The rock is rich in copper? Lets mine said rock. However, mining underground is the most dangerous form of mining, there can easily be a lack of oxygen because of insufficient ventilation (That's why people will carry something with an open flame when going into abandoned mines; if the flame goes out there is not enough oxygen and you have to turn back). There can also be lots of collapses due to overhead rocks, enough said. Cave mining is primarily done when the amount of rock above the deposit is too great to strip mine.

Now lets talk about strip mining! Strip mining is when you just mine on the surface, and dig deeper and deeper into the ground to obtain your desired resource whether it be stone, coal, gemstones, or anything else. It truly is less glamorous, but it is safer than digging a tunnel. That said it has its own issues, sure the oxygen is good, and you don't have to worry about the rocks collapsing over your head, but oh wait, the rocks can collapse over your head. Landslides can occur due to the over steepening of sides, excessive rainfall, and most importantly, old faults or planes of weakness that happen to be facing towards the mine (the diagram will help this make sense). Both of these types of mines can also create ecological damage, which can be mitigated nowadays, but then maybe not so much. Namely acid mine drainage, I will not talk much on the effects but a quick google search will give you plenty of information that might be useful for writing.

Now both of these are trying to mine a targeted rock, but sometimes its best to let nature do the work so we can do less. Diamonds, gold, corundum (rubies/sapphires), and garnets all have one thing in common. They are dense! So when erosion happens, and that sediment makes its way into a river, everything will separate based on its density. This is just because faster moving water can hold heavier sediments, and slower moving water will drop those heavy sediments leaving only the lighter sediments within the water. Lots of places that mine the things listed above will pan/sieve in active rivers and streams, or they can surface mine where rivers and streams used to be! These are called placer deposits. There is one setback though, the gemstones will not be perfect crystal shaped, they will be rounded due to being thrown around in a river (like beach glass). These are sapphires, but they have been rounded over time in the river.

Final thoughts, writing about a mine can seem nerve-racking, intimidating, or just something that you want to briefly mention and move on from, but truly I think going into the weeds could really add something to a story! Even if stories are slightly inaccurate about information, I am still 100x more excited to see it mentioned in more detail than to see it as a sentence. Besides it is fantasy, it doesn't always have to be exactly like earth.

#geology #rocks #stem #science #creative writing #dnd #dnd worldbuilding #fictional world #worldbuilding #worldbuilding stuff #crystals #gemstone #writing resources #writing #fictional writing

43 notes · View notes

meiliarotten · 10 months

Text

Team Fortress 2 Kinktober Time

Day 7: Oh Sugar Sugar (Food Play)

🔞MINORS DNI🔞

Pairings: Engineer x Fem!Reader

Summary: You know, I was never in to southern charm until Engineer

Tags: Food play, whipped cream, kinda silly/cheesy, reader can’t fucking bake

Word Count: 2.2k

The Masterlist

To say that you had never so much as touched an oven would be an understatement. You had never really been taught to cook when you were young, and by the time you were old enough to learn, you were out doing so many odd jobs for money that you pretty much lived off of fast food. So, it was a mystery as to why you had suddenly decided that you would attempt to make cookies from scratch.

The results were just as disastrous as anyone could have predicted.

Several trays of burnt or undercooked cookie-like concoctions sat on cooling racks beside the stove. You stared at them pathetically as you feebly tried to convince yourself that maybe they wouldn’t be so bad. Turning around, you looked at your haphazardly assembled ingredients, which amounted to anything sweet that you could find in the kitchen. Sugar, brown sugar, chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, and even freaking whipped cream. Just looking at the ingredients made you even more sure that these cookies- if you could even call them that- would be unsalvageable.

Your only saving grace was that no one was around to see this mess. Of course, the moment you let yourself feel thankful for that was the moment Engineer waltzed into the kitchen, stopping short the moment he witnessed the scene. The crime-scene, you could even say. An utter crime against baking that you had committed.

“Woah, darlin. What happened here?” He asked, staring at the items stacked on the counter as he tried to decipher what exactly you had been attempting to make.

“A tragedy, that’s what. An absolute travesty against bakers and cookies everywhere,” you said, finally letting the defeat settle in. You stared at the cooling racks, unable to meet Engie’s gaze.

“Oh, surely it can’t be that bad,” he said, although he wasn’t very convincing. Especially since he did a terrible job of suppressing a wince at the sight of your baked monstrosities.

“I thought it would be a nice surprise for everyone,” you said. “I guess I conveniently forgot about my total lack of cooking experience.”

“So, I’m guessin’ you mixed up all this sweet stuff, hopin’ that it would result in cookie dough somehow?” Engineer asked, once again examining the wide range of sugary substances on the table. Each would be delicious on their own, but put together, they had resulted in a complete mess.

“Yeah,” you said curtly, leaning on the counter now with your head in your hands.

“Why didn’t you just follow an actual recipe? It would‘ve been easier.” Engie asked after pausing for a moment, probably noticing that you were becoming a bit agitated and trying to figure out how to pose that question in the most polite way possible.

“Well, apparently I don’t like doing things the easy way!” you responded, a bit annoyed and more than a bit embarrassed at this point.

Honestly, when you began this whole endeavor there was a part of you that thought you could do it better without any recipe, as if you could reveal some innate inner talent for baking if you just went at it blind. The mess on the kitchen counter was the evidence showing how wrong you were, and you really just wanted to clean it all up and forget this ever happened.

“Most people just use vanilla extract to make cookies sweet,” Engie said, picking up an open bottle of chocolate sauce in his ungloved hand. He stared at the rest of the mismatched ingredients scattered across the counters with a grimace.

“What’s that?” You asked. He turned to look at you with a thoroughly bewildered expression. You felt the flush of humiliation rise in your cheeks again.

“Oh. Oh darlin,” he said, a tone akin to horror evident in his voice. Apparently you had forgotten a very crucial ingredient. With the chocolate sauce still in hand, Engie walked over to a cabinet, opening it and retrieving a small brown bottle. He handed it to you. “Here, take a sniff. This makes a much better flavorin’ for baked goods than ice cream toppings.”

You sniffed the dark liquid, eyes going wide at the sweet vanilla aroma. Before Engie could even get a word out to stop you, you had taken a sip. That little taste was all it took for your face to immediately contort in disgust.

“Oh god!” You cried as the bitter taste coated your tongue. You shoved Engineer to the side to get to the sink, quickly cupping your hands beneath the running faucet and gulping water down until the horrible flavor ebbed away.

“Now, look at the mess we’ve made darlin.’” Turning around, you saw that when you had pushed Engie, he had accidentally squeezed the chocolate sauce bottle. The topping had spilled onto his button-down shirt as well as his ungloved hand, which was still holding the bottle a bit more tightly than necessary, causing the syrup to drip down the sides of the container.

“It serves you right!” You said, unable to drum up any sympathy for Engie’s current situation. “That was terrible!”

“Well, to be fair, I never told you to drink the stuff!” Engineer said, clearly trying to hold back laughter.

You glared at him, and that only seemed to make it more difficult for him to smother his amusement. That glare faded away however, as you watched him glance down at his chocolate covered shirt, consider it for a moment, and then begin to unbutton it.

“Woah, what are you doing?” You asked

Engineer looked at you, eyes half lidded. “Well, I can’t exactly go around with a shirt covered in chocolate sauce, now can I?” He said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“I guess not,” you said, stammering slightly when you noticed the less than innocent look in his eyes. All your focus suddenly went to trying to keep the blush rising in your cheeks under control.

“Of course, that doesn’t take care of this mess,” he continued, holding up his hand, still sticky with chocolate. “Maybe you could help me clean up a bit, sweetheart?

You managed to regain your composure a bit, at least enough to take action. You closed in quickly, grabbing Engie’s hand and opening your mouth to suck his fingers clean. Because by God, if you were going to lick chocolate sauce off a man’s fingers, you were going to take charge while doing it. You made quite the show of it, swirling your tongue around and relishing the sweet taste, even playing it up with a moan every so often.

“Atta girl,” Engie crooned, pulling his fingers from your mouth with a wet pop. “Nice and clean.”

“Want a taste?” You asked before pressing your lips against his.

You moved against each other, eventually slipping your tongues into each other’s mouths. Engineer groaned as he tasted the chocolate on your tongue, relishing the sweetness of your mouth. With a quick motion, you were hoisted onto the countertop, shoving items to the side without a care to make room for yourself.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the cylindrical shape of a can of whipped cream. A devious idea began to form in your mind. You reached out to the side, picking up the can and shaking it, grinning against Engie’s lips as you did so.

Noticing the noise, Engineer pulled away to see what you were up to now. He didn’t get a chance to ask questions before you let the plastic cap fall to the floor with a clatter. Within the next moment, you had managed to spray the whipped cream onto Engie’s neck. You were met with a startled yelp.

“Darlin’! That’s a bit cold, y’know.” His complaint was cut off with a small gasp when you leaned in to lick the whipped cream off his neck. You were quite pleased with the reaction, planting soft kisses on the sensitive skin once it was completely clean.

“Well, we can certainly play that way,” Engie said, his tone dipping in a way that made you shiver.

You let him take the can from your hand, and you took the opportunity to strip off your shirt, tossing it to the side before unclasping your bra, which followed suit, thrown to the side. Out of sight and therefore out of mind.

Once your upper body was free of clothing, Engie began by spraying a dollop on your neck, just as you had done to him. However, he quickly migrated to your chest, where the temperature difference was much more noticeable. You tried not to shiver as the cold cream teased the sensitive skin of your breasts, only for Engie to then lean down and sweep it away with his tongue, relishing every sweet morsel until he returned to your neck where he had started.

Engineer placed a gloved hand on your thigh. He paused there, gently rubbing circles on the supple flesh before looking up at you for permission.

“Wanna go a bit further with this, darlin?” He asked as his robotic hand caressed you. You could feel the difference even through the glove, but it wasn’t bothersome, just a bit odd. Maybe even tantalizing if you thought about it enough.

“Yes, please,” you said, moving to unzip and remove your pants, shimmying them down along with your underwear. Engineer grinned and gave you a hand, pulling them down the rest of the way himself and allowing the garments to fall upon the tile floor.

“Well then, lemme give ya some sugar, darlin’” he said, his grin widening as if that was the most suave thing anyone had ever said.

You, on the other hand, couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that downright painful word play. It wasn’t long before Engie was laughing with you, self awareness having caught up with him.

“Yeah, I guess that was pretty terrible, huh?” He gasped in between fits of laughter. You sighed, finally catching your breath as your giggles began to subside.

“Just shut up and keep touching me,” you said, playfully swatting him on the shoulder.

“Sure thing, honey.”

The can was shaken up once again and Engie dragged the nozzle tantalizingly down your left thigh, building up anticipation. You once again failed to suppress a shiver when the whipped cream was finally applied in a line down to your mid thigh. Engie followed the sugary trail, licking his way up your thigh, pausing every so often to press a kiss to the supple flesh. His breath teased your inner thighs before he moved to repeat the process on the right.

The feeling of his tongue on you coupled with your rapidly increasing arousal had you shaking by the time he was finished with the right thigh. After that, he positioned himself between your legs. You saw him glance at the whipped cream, before shaking his head and placing it aside on the counter.

“Nah, I won’t be needin’ this anymore,” he whispered, placing a kiss on your inner thigh. “You’re delicious enough just as you are.”

You gasped as you finally felt the heat of Engie’s tongue upon you. He occupied his hands by caressing your thighs and hips. You knew that robotic hand was clutching you with a mere fraction of the power it could exert, and that made it all the more arousing to you.

Leaning back on the counter, you practically convulsed when Engie flicked his tongue upward, striking your clit. He took notice of your pleasant reaction, and if his mouth wasn’t otherwise occupied he probably would have grinned. He swirled and massaged his tongue against your clit, making you moan louder until you were finally pushed over the edge.

Engineer continued to go down on you as you rode out your orgasm, determined to make you feel as good as he could. Only when you began to pull away from the overstimulation did he stop, sitting up to admire the sight of you, satisfied and simply enjoying the afterglow.

“If this is what happens every time I screw up making cookies, then I’ll never be motivated to get better,” you said with a dizzy laugh. Engie simply chuckled, stroking your cheek until you regained enough strength to sit upright again.

“Want me to take care of you too?” You asked, palming at his erection through his pants. You smirked at the soft groan you got in response.

“I’d appreciate that, sweetheart,” he said, trying to maintain his composure. With a nod, you picked up the can of whipped cream and gave it a good shake.

“I guess it’s my turn for dessert, huh?” You said, smirking like it was the most clever thing you had ever said. However, it wasn’t long before you both dissolved into giddy laughter once again, half due to anticipation and half due to your cringe-worthy one liner.

Still, you planned to make this experience as good for Engie as he had made it for you. You were going to take your time with him, and you were going to enjoy every minute of it. By the time this was over, you would probably need to buy more whipped cream.

#engie x reader #engineer x reader #tf2 x reader #fanfic #fanfiction #merc x reader #minors dni #smut #tf2 smut #team fortress 2 #team fortress #tf2 #cross posted on ao3 #tf2 fanfiction

58 notes · View notes

breannasfluff · 9 months

Text

Merchant & Flock - P2

Wild rises early the next morning, carefully extracting himself from the nest. Ravio blinks slowly and burrows into his robe before yawning widely and climbing out as well. Bereft of heaters, Legend grunts, and rolls until he finds Hyrule. The merchant grins to see his flockmate burrowing under a loose wing.

The magpie is in the kitchen looking through cabinets when he comes in, stretching his wings. “Need help?”

The hero muffles a trill of surprise, whipping around. “Why are you so quiet? Farore’s breath, you’re going to give me a heart attack.” Then he turns back to the cabinets. “Figured I’d make everyone breakfast.”

“I can make it,” Ravio says.

The magpie just shrugs and goes back to opening doors. “I always do the cooking. The flock can be picky.”

Right, a lot of different diets to accommodate. At least the hylian side lets them eat almost anything, even with preferences. Still, he has a mission to get to know this new bird better. “Please let me help.”

“Okay, sure. Got some bowls for mixing?”

Ravio does and pulls them out, happy for the easy acceptance. He can’t help the little side glances he darts at the other’s shiny feathers, though.

Wild notices and extends a wing. “Ledge and Hyrule help me preen them. They were a mess at first.”

“They’re so pretty.” Ravio reaches out on instinct, then trills an apology when Wild yanks the wing back in.

His smile is strained. “I don’t like people touching my wings.”

“Sorry,” he whispers and turns back to the bowls. He can hear the magpie shifting uncertainly, but then he starts pulling things out to cook with.

“I thought we could make rice bowls? That way we can top them with meat or seafood depending on what someone prefers.”

“…right.”

Wild must catch the hesitation because he turns with a frown. “I can make something else—do you not like that idea?” Then he grabs the slate and starts scrolling. “I’ve got most ingredients if there’s a dietary restriction you have—do you eat the same things as Legend?”

Ravio stuffs the bitterness the question brings a little deeper and tries for a bright chirp. “No, rice bowls sound good! Let’s do those.”

The magpie stares, then starts measuring rice into a large pot. “How long have you known Legend?”

“Oh, I helped Mr. Hero on one of his adventures, you know. He let me stay here and sell things. When it was over I went home, but…I missed him, you know?” He catches himself reaching for the feathers and yanks his hand back down.

Wild just hums and heaves the pot into the sink to fill it with water. “You like blue, then? Legend is always going after anything red or shiny.”

If only his wings were red instead of blue. “Blue is the best shade,” he sniffs. “I guess red has its…place, sometimes.” He glances around the kitchen, which is still oozing blue. It probably wouldn’t hurt to switch some of it out for Legend’s preferred color. Or something more neutral. With that thought in mind, he gathers up the placemats and puts them in the closet, pulling out white and red checkered ones.

Actually, the table might look nicer with some flowers in a vase. Sure, the ones out front are blue, but there are still some red ones behind the house. He hums to himself as he goes out the back door, careful to select only the best for his little bouquet. A variety of colors; to make everyone feel comfortable.

Wild has the rice covered and cooking on the stove when he comes back in. The flowers are added to a vase of water and Ravio can’t help but adjust them a little to show off the colors best.

“Those for Legend?”

He puffs, because he lost himself in the motion and forgot he was being watched. “O-oh, no, they are for everyone.”

“Mmm,” Wild hums with a grin. He doesn’t seem to believe it.

“Mr. Hero is my valued friend and flockmate,” Ravio says piously because Legend hasn’t claimed them as more. Maybe. His fingers brush the feathers again.

“Sure, sure,” Wild waves.

Read the rest here!

#lu wing bois #lu wing au #lu wild #lu legend #lu ravio #lu hyrule #wb wild #wb legend #wb hyrule #wb ravio #breannasfluff #my writing #linked universe #linkeduniverse

36 notes · View notes

sunlitlemonade · 1 year

Text

y'all can actually 100% disagree with me on this. like genuinely. but every time ian is mentioned and alex is like 'he was training me into something i never wanted to be' i have to take a second and wonder if it was actually like that or if he's just a teenager who never even knew his parents finding out the only living relative he had, the one who brought him up, was something alex never expected him to be. he must feel untethered and betrayed. add to that the trauma he was so nicely handed on a platter right after ian's death and seeing that the skills he had been taught by ian actually helped him. there must be so much bitterness. i think that's part of the reason why every memory mentioned then on is just,,,, tainted with that visceral mix of emotions he never got to process.

lemme show y'all some snippets from Spy Trap. it's a short story set between Skeleton Key and Eagle Strike. anyone who hasn't read it/doesn't want to, the gist is: alex and crawley are in 'car crash' and alex wakes up in a place which acts like a rehabilitation center for MI6 operatives after missions with absolutely ZERO memory of what happened for him to get there. truth is alex and crawley are being kept on a steady diet of drugs to keep them confused and loose to extract valuable intel under the guise of therapy sessions and there was never any car crash. they were drugged and brought in. it was not a hospital for MI6 agents but a set up by foreign intelligence. with all of that in mind - y'know that alex is clearly very disturbed and agitated and under the influence of bad bad stuff - lets see what he has to say about ian [and i know i put a significant chunk here but bear with me]

do you notice how he was prompted into saying what ian wanted from him when dr feng said 'and he wanted you to be a spy too'? for real, with conviction, i know for a fact that he would have refused to elaborate/volunteer any information on ian just the way he did with jack. he wouldn't have said another word. not if that sore spot wasn't hit. and in the very last section we see it boil down to him feeling like luckiest boy in the world but learning he was lied to. we see it all came down to 'I don't even know what Ian really felt about me. Did he like me or did he just want to use me?'

tell me this isn't a boy that hasn't had every memory he had with his uncle overshadowed and tainted by grief and lies. he just wanted love and i truly do think ian loved him. maybe that's just me but hey you're reading my post and i for one am incapable of being normal about these guys.

just think about it - alex was ian's only remaining family too. tell me ian wasn't worried that the way john's work had caught up with him and had gotten him killed, the same might happen to him too? or maybe one day alex could be used as leverage against him and he wanted alex to be ready to defend himself? ok, you might say 'but sunny. that explains the martial arts and physical fitness. what about all the extreme sports and other skills.' well there's this lovely little post by @lapseinart that might give you a little insight. besides, we are working on very little material because we really don't know much about ian except the fact that he was one of the best operatives MI6 had and was important to alex and his competency as a spy.

anyways so immediately after this he says:

and you can see him actively trying to put the session behind him because he seemed to verbally admitted to things he hadn't even admitted to himself before.

idk. i just have a lot of emotions and thoughts but its very interesting to see it progress from 'ian had taught him *insert skill* which is useful here!' to 'ofc another thing ian taught him to discreetly make him into something he didn't want to be'. there's never any proof that ian did that to turn him into a spy [at least as far as i remember lmao. i read the books years back and am on the 4th one on the reread. so my memory of the rest of the books is pretty hazy. correct me if im wrong lol] we never will have a concrete answer because well. ian's dead lmao. we'll never know what he had in mind for alex and why exactly he did all of this. but also,,, the way sorrow and lividity at being lied to twists alex's way of thinking about ian is Something Else.

#woof too much thinking for my pea sized brain. gonna go read some jayroy smut now #meanwhile here's a meta(ish?) post for any other nerd that cares #alex rider #ian rider

92 notes · View notes

missamyrisa2 · 5 months

Note

Miss amy what do you think about the ai tickle art stuff?

Mostly the same as I do about tickle text AI. It's incredible to see and if that helps someone find the comfort they seek in their tickle fetish, good for them~! For me, I have the sort of mind where I recognize patterns really quickly. Reverse engineering is kind of my thing, so when I'm looking at things like AI generated tickle talk I can't help but see the strings behind the scenes. I played around with some sessions and they're fun to start and try to throw things at it and see where it all goes but there's a very certain heartbeat in all of it that takes me out of the scenario ~ if that makes sense. It's the same with AI art. I can't not recognize that it's imagery of people nonspecifically laughing or looking desperate pounded together with imagery we associate with tickling. Gossssh I'm getting all philosophical and up my own navel here but tickling is soooo ~human~ it's just something to me that feels so vibrant and alive with spiritual sparklies all around. A tickle machine is still so tickly in theory to me because it's facilitating ~or rather forcing~ that hugely human experience. You just need that random imperfection y'know? Perfection to me is boring. That's why I write teases & stories in a single push and only go back to edit any misspellings or huge grammatical mistakes, and why I only write when the idea hits instead of cranking this these out like a factory. What was I talking about?

Oh yes ~~~ the little tingle you feel in the back of your head crawling up to you forehead while you play with AI generated tickle content, unknowing that a Purplish Villain has decloaked behind you and is milking your ticklyyy thoughts in this content creation to feed her wicked machine ~ which is currently compiling right behind youuu ~ pitttttyyy you're so distracted ~ you don't even notice the mind probe until it's toooo late and those ribbony long arms snatch you from your chair. A smirking robotic face looking remarkably like the tickler you were just bashfully generating looks you up and down as scanners begin gliding all over your body.

"Hmmm ~ mmmhmmm~ yeahhh that's what I thoughtt~" she muses, watching in contempt as the beams converge on your royal area and chimes start dinging happily. "Very naughty." Her purple dress swishes and sashays to the side as she spins, giggling and activating the machine to move full force. "You wanna be naughty? Let's seee how you do with an overload of those lovely scenarios you've crafted while I just go ahead and milk you of everything you've got." The sneering villainess leans in close and presses her plush lips to your ear. "And I'm gonna add your mind's ticklish thoughts to my collective, to my army of machines." She kisses and coos, as the machine spins up with a surge and begins deploying the feathery and buzzy tools from your dreams to your hot spots, the very tickles you had moments ago been inflicting on fictional characters. "Here's how the purple giggle bitch thanks her milkeeees~" With a tap of a button two extraction devices join the mix ~ a fluffy band slides around your head ~ and a silky probe drifts down to your royal area as machine hands strip away your clothing~ and with a smug look, hands on her hips ~ she watches intently as you are drained of your tickle ideas, your energy, and your royal essence through all those writhing giggles while she feeds her collective of wicked machinery~<3

9 notes · View notes

bitletsanddrabbles · 7 months

Text

Tasty cake. No grasshoppers needed.

When I was in high school, I took cooking as an elective. I'm not any great shakes at it, mind, but I can toss a cassarole dish in the oven and get something edible in the end, generally. There was one recipe, however, that I absolutely adored and was sure the hang on to so I could make it again in the future.

Naturally, the recipe was missing the next time Mum and I went to make it, so we have to sort of re-invent a little every time.

But the recipe is:

GRASSHOPPER CAKE

Now, for those of you who are unaware, at least in America 'grasshopper' in cooking normally means chocolate-mint. No actual grasshoppers involved. You can, occasionally get little boxes of grasshoppers as novelty food items, but they're not a protein staple here. So if you're wondering how on earth you can have grasshopper cake without grasshoppers, there's your answer.

(If, for some reason, you would like to add actual grasshoppers for protein content, try your local pet supply store. You may have to make due with crickets though.)

Now, the recipe goes something like this. You will need:

1 box white or yellow cake mix 1 jar hot fudge topping 2-4(?) tsps mint flavored stuff 1 pint whipping cream Food colouring (optional)

The original recipe specifically called for a white cake, because you were supposed to add green food colour to it. Yellow works just as well and, fun fact! Yellow is one of the primary colours that makes up green, so you can still add food colouring if you want to. Also, the original recipe called for creme de menthe as the mint flavor. Mum and I just use regular old extract.

You make the boxed cake according to the instructions, only you add food colouring if you like and some mint flavouring. How much? That's one of the things Mum and I can't remember. It's one or two teaspoons and every time we have a debate over which and every time, I'm pretty sure we do something different. Never had the cake taste bad, though, so I would say two tsps if you really like mint and one if you're a bit shy of strong mint flavor.

Once the cake is partially cooled (but not all of the way) heat your fudge topping to the point you can easily get it out of the jar and spread it over the top. You don't need the topping to be completely melted - the warm cake will help it move.

Let cool. Possibly refrigerate, if you're in a hurry.

When your cake is good and cool, mix up your whipped cream. Add more food colour if you like, whatever you prefer for sweeteners (if any) and another teaspoon or two of mint flavor.

If there's anything left once you and the entire family have sampled it, stick it in the fridge.

Variations:

At one point I did this with orange instead of mint. I forget why, but it was also tasty.

At one of my former jobs I had a coworker who loved choco-mint and cake and was sadly diabetic. I discovered that Pillsbury makes a very nice sugar free boxed yellow cake and Smucker's has you covered on sugar free hot fudge topping. Sweeteners, of course, have lots of options. TASTY CAKE FOR ALL!

#cake #grasshopper cake #tasty food stuff #chocolate mint #diabetic friendly

15 notes · View notes

spooniechef · 1 year

Text

Instant Hot Chocolate Mix (1-2 spoons)

I like me some hot chocolate, but obviously it comes with its own set of problems. Lactose intolerance is an issue, though largely I take a Lactaid and bear it. Plus, frankly, the quality of instant hot chocolate mix is not all that and the alternative of making cocoa the old-fashioned way is time-consuming and involves a lot of stirring and who has the time? I mean, especially if you live alone and making enough for one cup is just a pain. Thing is, awhile ago I tripped over a TikTok (whose TikTok name I do not now remember) where the person was making their own shelf-stable instant hot chocolate mix. I saw that and thought, “If she can do it, why can’t I?” and started Googling recipes. I found one on Julie’s Eats and Treats page, but noticed pretty much right away that the actual prep stages needed to be tweaked a little, because for all it’s only four ingredients and no heating, there’s more to it for someone with chronic pain than the recipe makes out. So I’ll provide the recipe, then bullet point a few tricks to turn it from a 2 spoon recipe into a 1 spoon recipe. It’s worth it either way, though; it tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 cup cocoa powder (use the good stuff)

2 cups icing sugar (powdered sugar is another term for it)

2 cups powdered milk (there is lactose-free powdered milk but you’ll have to go to a health food store or order it online)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Seriously, use the best cocoa powder you can get hold of. I personally like Green and Black’s. Not really sure what brands are available in North America.

Here’s what you do:

Using a sieve, sift the cocoa powder, icing sugar, and powdered milk into a large bowl

Add the granulated sugar

Stir until thoroughly mixed

Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place

You’ll need about a third of a cup of the instant hot chocolate mix for a large mug of hot chocolate. Add marshmallows or flavouring as desired (a drop or two of mint or orange extract can be glorious).

Sounds easy, right? The thing is, icing sugar is incredibly dense, and sifting two cups of it is painful. That’s on top of the other stuff that needs sifting, and then stirring on top of that. The sifting isn’t optional, incidentally; even smaller clumps will make it harder to properly mix, so you’ll end up with uneven flavour between cups. However, I picked up a few tricks to make the sifting and stirring easier.

Use half-measures or lower where possible. The powdered milk’s okay to do one cup at a time, and the cocoa isn’t too terrible as it’s only a cup, but the icing sugar is difficult do even sifting one cup at a time, never mind two. Sifting the icing sugar in half-cup increments gives an opportunity for microbreaks, and prevents you from having to lift two cups of dense powder one-handed.

Stir the icing sugar instead of sifting. Making your sieve-bearing wrist do all the work just causes more pain in the end, and can be messy if you’re doing a side-to-side sift because the whole mass will tilt in that direction and possibly spill into the bowl unsifted, or just onto the counter and/or floor. Using a soup spoon to stir the mixture around spreads out the wrist action required, and involves less hefting of any kind of weight. Plus when you get to the last dregs and clumps of sugar too big to fit in the sieve’s holes, you can just press them down with the soup spoon and crush them up smaller, which will get those last bits into the mixture.

You can do the same “press the dregs down” trick with the powdered milk and cocoa, incidentally, but with the powdered milk, there will be some tiny hard nodules at the bottom no matter what you do. Just ignore them; an amount that small doesn’t affect the recipe.

Stir with a whisk instead of a spoon. Not only does it mix a fine powder better, but if you stick the whisk into the mix and lift, you’ll get a lot of the powder trapped inside the whisk, including the stuff on the bottom that needs to blend with upper layers. That makes the preliminary blending a lot easier and quicker, and involves less stirring and more of an up-down motion of elbow and shoulder. This should help if repetitive motions cause you problems. (Don’t use an electic mixer, though; those go too fast and you want control or you’ll end up with powder everywhere and the cocoa powder in particular sticks to everything and is a bugger to clean.)

This, like the versatile chocolate fudge from last week, is another one of those morale booster recipes. I find it’s nice to make things just for me, especially when they’re better than I could buy at the store. Nothing says “self-care” like spending part of a good day making something nice to give you comfort during the next few bad ones.

#The Spoonie Chef #Recipes #sweets #beverages

40 notes · View notes