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#don't have a full batch ready but i did make this
mama-qwerty · 2 days
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The Garden
Just something I wrote up really quick in one of the servers I'm in. Trying to dust off the brain and get it working again.
I am rusty. Holy moly.
~~~
Callie stood in the side yard of her house, staring at the weed-bed her landscaping had become. Thistles and onion grass had crowded out any other plant she had tried to grow--although, granted, that had been a number of years ago.
She wasn't a gardener. By any stretch of the imagination.
She had everything she needed to deal with the offending weeds. A hand shovel, a full-sized shovel, a little hand rake, and a paper bag to toss the pulled weeds into.
Everything except the motivation to get started.
She hated dealing with this crap.
"Whatcha lookin' at, Mom?"
A voice behind her, and she turned. Silver stood with his head cocked to one side, a curious look on his face. She sighed, offering him a little smile.
"Just doing some gardening, Bug. Wanna help?"
A smile brightened his muzzle, and he nodded. "Okay!"
The boy stepped forward, and the two took to their knees, looking upon the chore before them. Callie pointed out the different weeds and named them, explaining how they'd need removed by the root to make sure they didn't grow back. Then they'd have to turn the soil, remove any grubs or other harmful insects, before planting any of the decorative flowers she'd bought.
Silver seemed excited to help, and the two worked for a while, slowly pulled the weeds out.
"Greetings, Callie," a deep voice called behind them, and they turned. Knuckles emerged from the trees surrounding her home, and he nodded toward the hedgehog. "Silver."
"Hey, Knux," the redhead called. "To what do I owe the visit?"
"Mother would like to borrow your spare coffee maker. There was an . . . incident with ours."
"Sonic or Tails?"
"Tails. He insisted he could make it work faster and . . . it did not end well."
"Hmm. That kid."
"Yes. Mother was not pleased."
"I can imagine," Callie said, pushing herself to her feet. "I think it's in the basement, but it may take me a few minutes to find it."
The echidna nodded. "Of course."
She turned to the hedgehog. "Silver, why don't you show Knux what we were doing. Maybe he'd like to help."
Silver nodded. "Okay."
A few minutes later, as Callie dug through the boxes in her basement, Silver and Knuckles sat near the weedy patch near the house. They stared at the many unwelcome batches of vegetation, a silence hanging over them for a moment.
"That is an impressive amount of weeds."
"Yeah," Silver said. "Mom's not really into this kind of thing. She keeps saying she'll let me make a garden, but we never get around to doing it."
Knuckles turned to him. "You would like a garden?"
Silver nodded. "I like to take care of plants and think it would be fun to grow my own vegetables."
The echidna lowered his head as he thought. "Hmm." He lifted his head, his chest pushed out. "I will help you, young hedgehog."
"Help me what?"
"With your garden. Mother has allowed me one at home, and it is very relaxing."
"Really??"
"I will help you now."
Silver furrowed his brow. "What about the weeds?"
Knuckles waved a hand over them. "They are not going anywhere. Come. Show me where you would like your garden."
The two hurried off to a spot in the yard Silver had been eyeing for his garden for months. And at first things went well. Knuckles used his claws to dig in the ground, turning the earth and preparing it for planting. Silver used his telekinesis to rake the soil smooth, giving any rocks unearthed a quick flick to send them flying into the trees. They worked quickly, and soon they had a proper garden plot prepared, ready for seeding.
And then Callie returned.
"What are you two doing??"
It came out a little harsher than she intended, and startled the two boys with her tone. Silver jerked, sending the rake and three rocks he still held in his telekinesis flying toward her.
Callie gasped, holding the coffee maker before her as a makeshift shield, before Knuckles hit her in the midsection, shoving her out of the way.
Silver came rushing over, hands over his mouth, eyes wide.
"I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" he cried, his forehead fan bristling in fear.
"It's okay," she said, Knuckles helping her to her feet. "My fault for startling you." She looked back at the roughly tilled earth. "What are you doing?"
"Making our garden!" Silver said, his fear forgotten in his excitement. He rushed over and gestured to it with extended arms. "Look! Knuckles helped me get it started!"
"He did?" Callie cast the echidna a raised eyebrow. "Did it occur to you to ask me first?"
Knuckles shrugged. "He said you kept promising to make one, and hadn't gotten to it. I was merely doing what you had already promised."
She narrowed her eyes. "I suppose that's fair." She looked back at the garden. "I'm not sure how well it'll do over there, though. That spot seems pretty bad with grubs and rocks."
Silver waved a hand. "I took care of the rocks, and Knuckles took care of the grubs."
At first Callie's brow furrowed. Then it cleared as understanding hit. She flicked her eyes down to the echidna.
"You didn't."
He looked back, unblinking.
"Knuckles."
He shrugged. "They have a different taste here, but it is not necessarily bad."
Callie pulled a face. "Gross, Knux."
"We're not in trouble, are we?" Silver asked, pulling a head spike forward to give a little tug. "I mean, you did say I could make one."
Callie gave a little sigh, nodding. "Yeah, I did say that." Another sigh. "Why don't you head in and grab those seeds we've been holding onto and you and Knuckles can get them planted, yeah?"
Silver smiled, one that stretched across his muzzle, and he zipped into the house with a speed that would have made Sonic proud. Callie watched him with a smile, before looking down at the echidna.
"Did you really eat all those grubs?"
He shrugged. "Should I have saved some for you?"
"Gross, Knux."
A little smile curled one corner of his lips, and he walked over to the tilled earth. He sorted through a batch of dirt, before picking something out and bringing it to her. A small white grub squirmed in his outstretched hand, and she curled her lip in disgust.
"Don't."
His smile spread wider.
"Knuckles Wachowski, don't you dare."
He chuckled, a deep rumble in his chest, and popped the insect into his mouth like popcorn. He chewed twice, then swallowed, a loud, exaggerated, sound.
Callie nearly gagged. "Ohmygawd, you're such a turd."
That produced a loud laugh from the echidna, and he shook his head as Silver returned, his arms full of seed packets.
"Ohmygosh!" he cried, bouncing up and down in his excitement. "I don't know what to plant first!"
Callie gestured to Knuckles. "Ask Mr. Grub Breath over there. I'm gonna sit over here and tend to the weeds and try to forget what I just saw."
Knuckles laughed again, and the two boys began the task of setting up the different rows and sections for Silver's garden.
Callie sat before the weed patch, thankful for something else to focus on.
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just-illegal · 2 months
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beatrixstonehill2 · 3 months
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"That's right," Dr. Klein said to Carolina. "You have to sign off on your next script since it's what's known as a life-altering or debilitating medical decision."
"Oh wow..... um, I'm not so sure I understand? Sorry, I'm so horny these days I can't think straight. All these different things you keep prescribing me! I can hardly keep up." She giggled, jiggling her hefty breasts.
"I know, you're not as sharp as you used to be. But that's OK, do you even remember being that skinny, flatchested aspiring lawyer who walked through my door last year?"
"Ummmm, I don't know?" She giggled. "Why did I want to be a lawyer?"
"Sweetheart, I'm not the one who would know."
"Oh! But you know everything! I feel so much better after coming to see you. Men are obsessed with my new curves. I have soooo much sex it's crazy. I let guys pump me full of their cum whenever they want!"
"That's wonderful to hear darling. See? And you were so skeptical about taking what I was recommending you..."
"I must've been soooo dumb back then!" She furrowed her brows. "Ummm, how do I spell my name? I think it starts with a C then an A? Can you help me....? I'm not a very good speller these days!"
"That's because you're down to an IQ of 46, from 172! Isn't that great news? My prescriptions are working wonders."
"Wow, is a forty-six really good?"
"It sure is, sweetie. Now let me help you." The doctor guided her hand, making her sign.
"Oh thank you so much! You made it look soooo easy! Mmmmm, I should thank you for being so nice...." She suddenly leaned in and started kissing him on the lips, but he pulled away.
"That's quite all right, Carol. Just be a good girl and take this new script to the pharmacy and take two a day."
"What's it for???"
"Well, you know how your breasts have gotten really big and bouncy?"
"Yep!" She jiggled them for the doctor.
"They're going to get much, much bigger. So big they'll fill your whole lap and be much too big for clothes of any kind...."
"Oh my! That sounds..... really hot! How will I carry them?"
"You might need a push cart, or someone might have to escort you in a wheelchair. You could easily lose the ability to walk...."
"Just from how big my boobs are? Mmmmm, guys are going to love that! I'll be so helpless, it'll be so fun, getting set out on a blanket or something at the park on a nice day.... My boobs exposed, too heavy for me to lift. I have to ask men to help me..... God I'm going to get fucked so good! If men find my body irresistible now...." She leaned back, patting her round pregnant belly. "Already five months along with batch two! Is it true when we met I said I had no interest in having kids?"
"Correct, but we fixed that little problem. Looks like you're going to stay pregnant from now on, huh?"
She giggled, shrugging. "What choice do I have? I'm always getting filled with cum everywhere I go...."
"Good girl. Just remember to keep taking these pills no matter how big your breasts get, OK? I'll see you in three months."
"Just in time to see me ready to pop with all these kids..... you're so naughty...."
"And I better not see you wearing any clothes up top, those things should be too big for them by then....."
"I'll stop wearing tops asap!" She removed hers, tossing it behind her. "Whatever you say, Dr. Klein! You're the professional!"
He patted her head. "I'm glad you finally agree."
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imabeautifulbutterfly · 2 months
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A glorious idea has spawned in my brain
Hunter x Criminal!reader where they have a Batman/Catwoman relationship, however this time Omega meets the reader and absolutely adores her so the reader decides to stick around a bit (despite Hunter's protests). During this time, the reader and Omega form a mother/daughter and Hunter secretly loves it and falls for the reader everytime he sees her with Omega
Hello my lovely anon,
Thank you for such a fantastic request. I hope I did your request justice. The setting is Season 1 of Bad Batch, so hopefully you don't mind too much. I wrote with f!Criminal!reader, hope that's okay. Reader has a nickname.
Enjoy.
Also, since this isn't part of the Fic Roulette request, it'll be filed under the One Shots Master List. It's a little longer almost at 2400 words.
Love oo,
Not Ready
Warnings: Slight thieving, Omega in danger, dangling from a tower, banter, angst, fluff, shooting, dangerous driving, I think that's it. If I miss any please let me know.
Part Two
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“Give it back, and we can just both walk away.”
You twirled the rather large knife in your hand, “Hmmm, no.”
Hunter clenched his fists, “I said, hand it over.”
“And I said no.” You smirked underneath your mask, the only thing visible on your face were your eyes. Eyes so full of cockiness, determination and experience. “I gotta ask though, why so long?” You chuckled, “Compensating for something?” You flipped it back and forth in your hand, twirling it around your palm and the back of your hand. “Has good weight.” You smirked as you arched your brow, “If you know what I mean.”
“I don’t have time for your nonsense!” Hunter looked behind, sensing the Imperial troopers closing in, he let out a sigh, and before you even realized what was happening he tried to stun you. 
Unfortunately, he missed thanks to your ability to sense when danger was imminent. Without even thinking your body back-handspringed away from the blue stun blast. “That was rude.”
“Listen, I need to get to my sister, and I don’t have time to mess around!” Hunter could hear Tech on his comms as he described Omega hanging from the tower. 
“Your sister’s in trouble?” All teasing and flirting died on your lips as soon as you heard that.
“Yes!”
You nodded and tossed the knife back to the chiseled red-bandana wearing man in front of you, “Let me help.”
“No. You’ve helped enough.” His tone full of annoyance and frustration. He grabbed the knife and took off running towards Omega, ignoring the pang of regret from his tone. It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t know he was running to help Omega. Yet, the frustration from having to waste even a minute on you was more than enough to make him worry about Omega’s safety and that’s all that mattered. 
His feet came to a sudden halt when you appeared in front of him with a speeder bike, “Hop on!”
“What?”
“Just … I feel bad, ok! Now shut up, and get on!”
He didn’t delay, jumping on the back of the speeder holding on to your waist tightly as you weaved through traffic.
“Where is she?” You shouted over the noise of the air rushing past your ears. 
Hunter didn’t respond and simply pointed to the person dangling from the tower, as another helmeted person neared her position. 
You sped up the speeder, you’d know Fennec’s helmet anywhere. You weaved and dodged against the oncoming traffic, almost as though you could see where and when the next vehicle was going to be turning or shifting. Your heart nearly dropped as you saw the tiny person slip, driving faster and more dangerous to catch her in time. 
Hunter reached out his hand and grabbed a hold of Omega’s in midair, tossing her onto his lap, pinning her between the two of you. “You okay, back there?” You shouted to make sure everyone was safe as you saw Fennec jump down and commandeer a vehicle of her own chasing after the three of you. 
“We’re fine. Get us out of here!” He shouted as he quickly checked over Omega to make sure she was uninjured and safe. He couldn’t see much from how she was clutching to his chest plate, but it didn’t seem like she was in pain either. 
“You got this?”
“What?” 
“I’m asking if you know how to drive a speeder?”
“Yeah! Why?” He didn’t clue in to what you were preparing to do until you flipped over him and landed on Fennec’s vehicle.
“Hey gorgeous!” You smirked as you looked at her.
“Ugh! Should’ve known you’d be here.” Fennec answered, rolling her eyes as she tried to keep her eyes on her target.
“Wasn’t supposed but I sort of owed him one. Back off.” You stood aiming your blaster into the hood.
“No can do, little Butterfly.”
Force you hated that nickname, somehow it had stuck among the bounty hunters and assassins, simply because you were quick and light on your feet. Dazzling them with your antics and before they even realized you slipped out of their sight, blending into the crowds more often than not. 
“Fennec, I like you, but you need to back off!”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Nothing.”
“I’ll split the reward with you, if you help me capture the little girl.”
You tried to stay balanced as Fennec tilted the vehicle side to side, “You disappoint me, going after a child.”
“Jobs a job, honey.”
You shook your head, “I warned you,” you shot your blaster into her engine, jumping off onto a nearby transport, watching as her engine began to sputter. She jumped to safety standing on the closest terrace she could find, as she watched you and her target move further away. You jumped down, finding your way back to the ground, hoping from one transport to the next. 
Once you touched solid ground, you looked back up to see Fennec turn and walk away. ‘Until next time, gorgeous.’ You mumbled as you headed back to the marketplace, before you even got five feet away, you felt your body jerk forward as tiny hands wrapped around your waist. You looked down to see the blonde girl, the rather striking man had rescued, his sister. 
“Uh… thanks, kid. I think…” you giggled as you pulled her arms away from you. 
“You saved me!” She beamed with a brilliant smile as she looked at you.
“I think your brother did that. I just drove.” You subtly shook your head, subtly moving away from the overwhelming bundle of joy.
“She has a point,” Hunter offered, “if you didn’t show up with a speeder when you did …” you could tell on his face he didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened.
“Listen, Fennec would’ve come up with something. She’s a bounty hunter, but she’s a fairly decent one. Anyway I’m glad you’re safe,” you patted the little girl’s head, “take care of yourself and your brother. Seems like he gets into trouble easily.” You turned to walk away when she gripped your fingers.
“Come with us.” She pleaded looking at you with big eyes that were asking for more than you were prepared to give, or have given to anyone since you could actually remember. It was nice to feel needed, but it was too much. 
Hunter wanted to grab Omega and pull her away from this woman who showed up, and was constantly surprising and making him feel uneasy at every turn. “Omega, we don’t know her circumstances. She’s probably already committed to something else, right?” Hunter narrowed his eyes on the helmeted woman in front of him, not wanting her to take the invitation Omega offered.
You’ve seen that look a thousand times before. It said everything that really mattered, you weren’t welcome, and he wanted you to leave as soon as possible. 
“Don’t worry,” you started keeping your eyes locked on the man standing behind Omega, “your brother is right, I’m … currently … occupied with other matters.” You smiled as you turned your attention to Omega, and kneeled before her, “Omega, right?”
She nodded, not letting your fingers go. 
You smiled and pulled out a collapsable vibroblade, “This is Vala,” you flicked your wrist and opened the vibroblade, “my father gave me this when I was about your age, he told me ‘this galaxy is full of good and bad people. Sometimes the good outweighs the bad, and sometimes there are too many bad, you won’t be able to find a good one. Vala, will always be there to protect you.’” You turned her hand palm-up and placed the vibroblade in her tiny hand. “It will protect you. Ask your brother to train you on how to use it. Never rely on someone else to save you, in this galaxy, sometimes the only person you can count on is yourself. Take care, Omega.” You ruffled her hair one more time, before standing up and walking away without looking back. 
It felt strangely comforting to be wanted, even if it was for a brief second. 
“Wait!” Hunter shouted, causing you to turn around, “We left your speeder that way” he pointed over his shoulder, you couldn’t help laughing.
“Don’t worry about it, handsome, it’s not mine.” You smiled and walked away.
Omega turned to Hunter, a saddened smile on her face, “Why couldn’t she come with us?”
“Omega,” Hunter kneeled, “we don’t know who she is. Whether she can even be trusted? It’s best if she goes her way and we meet up with Wrecker, Echo and Tech.”
“But…”
“Omega, I know you have a good heart, but you’re too trusting. It’s best if we keep a low profile and avoid entangling ourselves with people we don’t know. Come on, we gotta meet back up with the others.”
He guided her back to the hangar trying to avoid the Pantoran police force and the troopers that seemed to be searching for someone. 
Omega kept watching as one Pantoran guard held up a picture to a passerby, it was a picture of you. She pulled on Hunter’s sleeve and pointed to the Pantoran’s datapad. 
“They’re looking for her.”
“We should go…” Hunter tightened his grip on her hand, but she refused to move.
“We have to help her.”
“We don’t know why they’re looking for her. She could be a wanted criminal or a murderer, a thief.”
“Hunter, please. She saved me, it’s the least we can do.”
He looked at the picture and commed Wrecker, “Wrecker, where are you?”
“Just entering the marketplace right now, why?” 
“I need you to take Omega back to the ship, I …” he turned his head to look at Omega, “I have to repay someone who helped us get Omega back.”
Wrecker walked through the crowd faster than the others as people naturally moved out of his way, he stood in front of the both of them, tilting his head. “Who, you helping?”
“Don’t worry about it, just get Omega back to the ship and tell Tech we need to take off the minute I get back. Make sure Echo makes it back to the ship too. We may have to get out of here faster than expected.”
“Copy that” Wrecker picked up Omega and had her sitting on his shoulder as he headed back to the hangar with her. 
Hunter could hear the comm chatter between Wrecker, Tech and Echo. He let out a huff and shook his head, this was just asking for trouble. He ran back, heading the way you were walking. It wasn’t long before he found you sitting at a cafe sipping on something warm. 
“Came back to tell me you love me?” You teased him.
“Came back to tell you, you’re in danger.”
“Shocker.” You didn’t react or flinch, as you kept your eyes locked on the man’s eyes. 
“I need to know, are you a murderer?”
“No.”
“Do you have a bounty on your head with some crime boss or something?”
“No.”
“Then get up” he grabbed your arm and forced you to stand, grabbing your helmet as he pulled you along, running behind him. 
“Wait… hey!” You stopped in your tracks and pulled your arm out of his hold, “Who the hell do you think you are, pulling me like that? You know I have the right …” he put a hand over your mouth and pushed you into a darkened alley, hiding you with his body as a Pantoran patrol passed the two of you.
“They’re searching for you, and not just the police. The Imperial troopers are looking for you too.” He stepped away and handed you your helmet, “Listen, I don’t care what happens to you, but Omega was worried, and I’m not going to disappoint her. You’re warned. So you can either go back out there and try and avoid whatever trouble you got yourself into or…” he let out a sigh regretting the words that were about to come out of his mouth, “You can come with us and we can drop you off somewhere.”
“Us?”
“My brothers, Omega and myself.”
“Why are you helping?”
“Like I said, I don’t want to disappoint Omega. So what’s it going to be?”
You looked at him and then at the increased patrols you hadn’t realized were slowly filling up the streets, they all seemed to be looking for you. You closed your eyes and tapped your helmeted head against the wall, “Alright. I’ll trust you. Lead the way.”
He stepped closer to you, “I’m taking a chance on you, you put any of us in danger, and you and I are going to go another round, understood?”
You narrowed your eyes at him, “Fine. What do I call you anyway? Because I don’t think ‘stuck up jackass’ would work.”
“It’s Hunter, and what do I call you? Because I don’t think ‘crazy tooka’ works.”
You smirked as you looked at him, “You can just call me Butterfly. Hunter.”
“Fine. Now let’s go. Butterfly.”
“You know I’m not as bad as you think.”
“And hell is just a sauna, shut up and follow me.”
As much as you tried to fight the urge to smile, you couldn’t help but enjoy the banter you two had. You also couldn’t help but examine his physique as you followed behind him, moving around the crowd, ducking and avoiding capture until you made it to his ship. 
Omega ran to you and hugged you again, “I knew he’d find you, come on. Let me show you inside.” 
She gripped your hand and dragged you along. You weren’t looking for family, but … as you moved closer to the ship, there was a strange sense of belonging that came from meeting the rest of her brothers. For the first time in a long time, you felt at home. 
Hunter watched you and the way Omega gripped your hand, as you introduced yourself to Wrecker, Tech and Echo. He had to admit, you were attractive, when he saw you without your helmet, he almost felt his tongue getting all tied up. Not to mention, the outfit you wore also drew attention to your physique which didn’t help. He didn’t know why but he had a feeling this could either be a really horrible idea, or it would be a very pleasant surprise. 
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jedi-hawkins · 20 days
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"Strap in, kid. You're not gonna want to miss this view." - Sgt. Hunter
I've seen a few others make a tribute post for the batch and I felt some words pulling at my chest.
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I was a latecomer to the fandom, I binged season 1 & 2 in July of last year and it's been a wild ride since. I've laughed and cried and everything in between. It's hard to even articulate what this show means to me.
I began my Star Wars journey like many others, with the original trilogy at some point in childhood (you could consider me a zillenial). I liked them, but I was much more of a Harry Potter nerd at the time, my head was at Hogwarts. The prequels, however captured my heart. I don't remember when I first watched TCW, but it's very clear my heart belongs to the times of the Republic.
Like things often do, other fandoms have faded out of my peak interests, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Maximum Ride to name a few, but any time I've come back to Star Wars, it feels like coming home. A galaxy far far away so vast and full of hope and love and grief and sorrow.
The last year has been far from easy. For the last few years, that feels like all we've been saying, huh? But in all seriousness, I really did loose myself in the past year, but oddly enough, Star Wars was a constant for me, it was an escape. I joined tumblr right after I binged season 1 & 2 of The Bad Batch and immediately fell in love with the wonderful world of fans and writers and artists here.
At first, I was a lurker, just a name that popped into the reblogs, but I began interacting more and more. I've brushed on this with a couple people (so sorry for repeating myself), but it was actually through reading fanfiction, that I came to terms with the fact that I needed to leave a 2.5 year relationship. It's not that I 'fell out of love' with them or anything, I just realized I didn't trust them as much as I should, I didn't want to share as much as I should, I wasn't being fulfilled in the ways I needed. And for that, fanfic authors, I thank you. Please never stop creating.
I also learned a lot about myself, get ready cause I'm about to get cheesy.
Hunter, you brought me a lot of comfort. I saw how heavy the wellbeing of your squad weighed on your shoulders. How you sacrificed and starved yourself, mentally and emotionally for their safety and benefit. I've lived that more times than I can count and with you, I didn't feel quite as alone in that experience. Even though we never talked, and we never will, I feel like you saw me. Crosshair, you healed some of my faith in humanity. That people can change, they can see the error in their ways and turn against a system they just sort of slipped into. You reminded me that healing isn't linear, and that's okay. You reminded me that courage and bravery aren't the absence of fear, but they are going and facing the mountain despite every atom in your body telling you to turn the other way. Echo, you reminded me it's okay to leave a group if your goals don't align. That it's not always an "in or out" situation. They can still be your family, people you rely on and who can rely on you even if you're not sharing bunks or meals anymore. You also reminded me that no matter how dire a situation is, or how grumpy you may be, a little humor goes a long way. Wrecker, you reminded me that people's perception does not define who you are. You can be big and gentle. you can love explosions and destruction and still be very intuitive. You can take some time to process things and still be skilled and intelligent. You reminded me to take joy in the simple things, a Lula, some Mantel mix, an ice cone. Things are always a little better with a full belly. Omega, you brought back some of my childlike innocence. You approached the galaxy with wide eyes full of wonder and always gave people the benefit of the doubt. You never lost hope. Even though you had to grow up too fast, you didn't let it break you, you still opened your heart to anyone who would see it. Tech, dear Tech. You reminded me to never dull myself or apologize for being authentically me. That my interests and skills are a good thing, no matter how niche they are. That I shouldn't be embarrassed or feel annoying for my knowledge or my eagerness to share it. You reminded me that love and humor and kindness and connection come in all shapes and sizes.
I've also made friends in this fandom at a level I wasn't even expecting to. I've made connections beyond the galaxy of Star Wars and found love and support in amazing ways. I was pulled to create more than I have in a long time, writing, drawing, hell even building my own server.
For sake of not clogging people's notifications, fighting with Tumblr's tagging bugs, and inevitably forgetting to tag someone: You all know who you are. Three M's, Havoc Marauder.
I began writing this tribute post before I watched the finale, and I'm finishing it after the finale. I'll end my ramble with this:
Dee and Michelle, thank you for bringing these characters to life over the last four years. You two really were the heart and soul of this project and your voices will forever ring true as Clone Force 99. Filoni, thank you for creating the concepts for this wonderful show that has become such a big part of so many people's lives. Brad, thank you for the immense work you've put into the show, your direction will not be forgotten. Jen, Joel, KinerBros, and Noshir (The Four Horsemen), y'all are a bunch of trolls and I hate you for it. I'm sending you my therapy bills. (I mean thank you for your work too, but you've been playing with my emotions for the past three months so forgive me if I'm a bit bitter)
It has truly been an amazing view. I don't plan on going anywhere, the fandom is just getting started, I am on the edge of my seat for all the wonderful fan creation that are yet to come.
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CT-9901 ~ Sergeant Hunter ~ Havoc 1
CT-9902 ~ Tech ~ Havoc 2
CT-9903 ~ Wrecker ~ Havoc 3
CT-9904 ~ Crosshair ~ Havoc 4
ARC-1409 ~ Echo
Omega ~ Havoc 5
Clone Force 99 ~ Signing off 🫡
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texas-gothic · 18 days
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Dracula Daily - May 3: Chicken Paprikash!
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Welcome boils and ghouls to another year of Dracula Daily. It is the 3rd of May, and as our dear friend Jonathan treks his way across Central Europe, bound for ominous castle of Count Dracula, we encounter the first real star of this most foundational gothic novel: a spicy chicken dish fixed up with paprika. That's right, everyone! It's time for Chicken Paprikash!
Earlier this week, most of you (or at least I'm assuming most of you, because holy cow did a lot of y'all pile in after I posted it) will recall my guide to gathering the ingredients for this most essential of Dracula Daily Dinners. Tonight, we will discuss it's preparation, and whether or not the deviations I have made from the previous cycles rendition will pay off or not. So, if you've got those pots and pans ready, let's go!
Lets begin with the equipment you'll need for preparing Chicken Paprikash.
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All the usual suspects are here. Knives, cutting board, some whisks and woodem spoons, a couple of bowls for ingredients. But the real stars of this show are going to be a large dutch oven, and a large building pot. Examples of these can be see in the photo above.
Once you have all your equipment ready, it's time to move on to the most annoying part of every dinner. It's time for...
Part One: Mise En Place
Cooking can be hard, or cooking can be easy. It all depends on how well prepared you are. If you have everything you need ready beforehand, actually cooking the meal can be a breeze. Sadly, this process will usually take up most of the time you spend making dinner. Is it worth the peace of mind later on? Probably, but I've never passed up a chance to gripe.
So, what all must we prepare for our Chicken Paprikash. Let's make a list:
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Roughly 2 Pounds of Chicken Thights (salted preferably 1-4 hours beforehand)
2 Cups of Chicken Broth (or Stock)
2 Medium Yellow Onions (Chopped or Diced, to your preference)
2 Roma Tomatoes (Diced this time, with their seeds removed)
2 Hungarian Wax Peppers (Diced as well, be sure to remove those seeds unless you want to go for a ride like dear Jonathan)
2 Cloves of Garlic (Minced) (Don't let your desire to protect yourself from the undead lead you to add more, garlic is one of those flavors that can radically alter a dish in only small quantities)
About half a stick of butter (Though for this task you could substitute with some kind of oil or lard. Lard will make this dish even more rich, but butter is the easier option.)
3/4 Cup of Full Fat Sour Cream
1/4 Cup of Heavy Whipping Cream (make sure to shake your carton beforehand, this stuff gets clumpy if it's left undisturbed)
3 Tablespoons of All Purpose Flour
4 Tablespoons of Sweet Hungarian Paprika + 1 Tablespoon of Hot Hungarian Paprika (Stirred together for ease later on)
Salt + Pepper (To your liking)
1 Bag of Spaetzle
With all this completed, it's time to get started in earnest
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Part Two - Get Cooking
Alright, with all our ingredients in hand, its finally time to start cooking.
The very first thing we're going to do is brown our chicken thighs. Set your dutch oven over a large burner, and get the heat up high. When ready, turn the heat down to medium or medium-high. This change is important, unless you want to smoke out your kitchen. Remember, smoky paprika is great, but nobody likes smoky dry wall.
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Once you've prepared your pot, and lightly brushed your thighs with a high heat cooking oil (I prefer avocado) begin to brown them. Lay your thighs skin-side down for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Any longer than this risks burning the skin. Repeat in batches until all your chicken thighs have a nice crispy exterior.
(Sadly, this is where the demonstration photos stop. Turns out, a breezier cooking schedule doesn't leave much time for snappy pictures.)
Once you've brown your thighs, remove them and set them aside. Now, it's time for the real corner stones of this dish. Take that half a stick of butter you have sitting around, and give it a good swirl around the bottom of the Dutch oven. As the butter melts (this will be very quick, so you must act accordingly) do everything you can to scrape up the delicious fond left over from browning your chicken. This residue will add flavor to our dish.
The moment your butter has fully liquified, and coated the whole bottom of your dutch oven, add in your onions. These we will stur around and fry until they are a nice golden brown. You can use this time as well to keep scraping up that fond on the bottom of the pot. Make sure to keep the heat on medium throughout.
Once your onions are nice golden brown, add your tomatoes and hungarian wax peppers. Stir these around with the onions and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. When you begin to approach the last 45-30 seconds, add in your garlic, and cook until fragrant, but not a moment longer.
This next step is crucial. Remove your dutch oven from the heated burner, and allow to cool for roughly 3 minutes. Paprika is something of a tender spice, and it scorches very easily when heat is applied to it. Once the pot is no longer smoking hot, stir in the combined Paprika, and give it a good mix around all the ingredients in the pot. When you have finished, return the dutch oven to the heated burner.
Return your chicken thighs to the pot, and pour in the 2 cups of chicken broth. The thighs should not be entirely covered, but mostly. Bring the pot to a boil, and once boiling, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer for a little under an hour, about 40 minutes.
Now, while this is happening, we will prepare our dairy thickener. In a bowl, mix the sour cream, heavy whipping cream, and flower. I prefer to use a tiny whisk for this task, as it does a very good job of moving through every part of the mixture, and combating any clumps from forming. A normal whisk should still work.
While you wait, you're going to pour about a quart of water into that steel pot, and bring to a boil. About 28 minutes from the completion of the paprikash, stir in your spaetzle to the boiling water. Allow to sit, undisturbed for roughly half an hour.
Once the 40 minutes are up, once again remove your chicken from the pot, and remove the dutch oven from the heat. Allow to cool once more, which will prevent your dairy mixture from curdling. Once cool, mix in the cream. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven, place the cover back on, and allow to heat through. About another 5-10 minutes.
And just like that, we're done! Now, let's find out how we did, shall we?
Part Three - Paprikash
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This is how mine turned out. And I'm happy to report that my experimentation payed off! The heat really comes through this time, creating that good warming feeling you should get from chicken paprikash. The paprika is warm and smoky, and the chicken is tender and delicious. I'd never had spaetzel before, but I really liked it. It's still not as spicy as our good friend Jonathan described, but I think it's time that I stop differing to the opinions of a 22 year-old English orphan when it comes to any kind of cuisine.
The August Kessler Spatburgunder (Pinot Noir) proved to be an excellent pairing. The wine possesses a splendid earthiness, and it makes a beautiful partner for that smoky paprika flavor.
Well, that about does it for this year's Chicken Paprikash. Did you make Paprikash this year? How did it turn out? Anyway, I'll be making a dedicated effort to make more conversational posts with the program this year, and I cannot wait to discover what rocks we'll turn over this time around.
Join me on Sunday when we'll be diving into Tokaji, the Hungarian desert wine Dracula serves to Jonathan Harker at the end of his, if I may, strange journey.
Happy Dracula Daily, Everyone!
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"Infiltration" and "Extraction" Review
Those two episodes were genuinely some of the most terrifying we've seen in the Star Wars. It burned the safety net for me because no one outside Rex, Gregor, and Wolffe are safe. They could start dropping the Batch like flies at any point honestly. Unlike Clone Wars, the Batch don't have plot armor so the show can end their tale by killing them all off. And unlike Rebels, there is no family-friendly rating so yes, this show can be as dark as it wants if it chooses the Rogue One option. We don't know if the Batch will make it. It honestly gave me Game of Thrones vibes (like early GoT when it was good).
Before we get into spoilers, both episodes did great job capturing the danger that everyone was in. The atmosphere was tense and the music did a great job enhancing that. This is why I say the safety net is gone. Our heroes are being closed in from all sides and it's anyone's game now.
Alright, spoiler time
The clone assassins are legitimately terrifying. They were clones that willingly chose the Empire and were subjected to who knows what in order to become what they are now. Worse, Hemlock tried to do it to Crosshair. It's so evident that Crosshair's trauma didn't end on Barton IV, the clone assassin program did something to him. The way he is so scared of the clone assassin when he sees him just hit my feels. I hope he lets his family in whenever he's ready to talk. He's hurting still and he needs all the support he can get. Also, let's add almost drowning again and more brainwashing to Crosshair's list of bad things because he really is the show's punching bag.
Also, Crossdad nation supremacy. I loved his banter with Omega and him constantly looking out for her. He's so naturally protective I can't. This man loves her so so much. It's also so cute when Omega was copying him with the toothpicks. First, she copied Hunter, then she copied Phee, now she copies Crosshair. Can our little ray of sunshine get any cuter?
The interactions with Howzer were also really great. It makes sense why he doesn't trust Cross because he did get hurt at Cross' hands. However, seeing Crosshair interact with Omega changes his perspective. The two begin to understand each other and even have a small conversation about loyalty. I'm glad that Crosshair was willing to open up to Howzer. He's a changed man and he is healing. Crosshair later pushes Howzer out of the way to protect him. It all came full circle at the end when Howzer saved Crosshair from being murdered by Clone X.
Cross aside, the stuff with Rex with phenomenal. It's so cool to see him working with Riyo and even Avi Singh as they try to pass info along. Riyo talking about systems coming together foreshadows the rebellion that starts to bloom over the next several years. Even though the year is 18 BBY, the seeds of rebellion have already been planted; now, they need time to grow. Rex's cause is genuinely so tragic because you know it's only going to come crashing down on him. I think that the end of show will feature the end of the clone rebellion in that it will be destroyed. Rex will be forced to go into hiding like we see in Rebels. Those who survive will do the same (but since we only see Gregor and Wolffe, the chances are limited). Speaking of Wolffe, omg my boy is back! I had a feeling he's with the Empire, but seeing him in his full wolf pack armor and his choice to spare Rex gives me hope. He's not fully gone. The chip is loosing its power over him. Sooner or later, Wolffe will join Rex and his fight against the Empire.
The episode title "Infiltration" was also really clever because it wasn't about the Batch at all, it was about the clone assassin. In any other season, or another show, these two episodes might've been about the heroes infiltrating and extracting some important information or person/object. But no, it's about Clone X infiltrating the heroes and then Echo extracting the heroes before it's too late. That's such a chilling idea. Now, we know the heroes are mostly safe, but it doesn't make it any less tense. The way Clone X slips in so quietly is creepy. We aren't ready to hear about what they did to those clones on Tantiss because if it produces results this efficient, then yikes. I do have a theory on Clone X, but I'll save that for later.
And I think Echo is 100% gonna die. It's so sweet he gave Omega the upgraded bow, but my man is gonna bite it soon.
Overall, these episodes were tense, dark, and truly sinister. The Batch can never truly hide anymore, not even on Pabu. The clone assassins will not stop until Omega is captured and the Batch is presumably dead. Whatever safety and peace Hunter thought they could have is now gone. Whatever happens next, the Batch are truly in for the fight of their lives.
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Louk's Bad Batch rewatch part 23 !!!
I'm back batchers rip my sleep schedule lmao but nothing can stop me from watching tbb
I've got my skittles and my tumblr and disney+ and I'm ready to go 🤟
The Bad Batch 2x03
this entire planet looks like it's made of spice
nervous imperial you're not fooling anyone my dude
Tawni Ames 👑 shoutout to the queen herself Tasia Valenza 💕
CORUSCANT !!!
CROSSHAIR 🥺🥲😭💕❤ I missed you sm (I watched s1 hours ago 🤫)
another Kallus parallel 👀
regs will always hate tbb lololol
Rampart 🔫😁(me, I hate his guts)
32 rotations... 32 ROTATIONS I- 😫
the empire are bitches and we don't negotiate with terrorists
the memorial wall 🥲 (we're gonna pretend it isn't a bunch of random letters hehe)
a few behind Crosshair literally say: sdflkphi, dkniihqaz, aweututn, qqhgouer ~ anyone know more aurebesh than me who can explain this pls ??
he called him by his name !!!
CODY CODY CODY CODY 💕💕💕💕👑👑👑👑
Cody's face when Crosshair mentions the jedi 😭
the only two without their helmets on !!!
FLASHBACK TO THE FIRST BAD BATCH APPEARANCE IN TCW 👀
"mmhmmmm" ~ battle droid, bro 💀
"Dooku was right in the end" real
"We always get shot down when we travel with regs" 👀
"How unfortunate... for you" ~ someone else said this and now I can't find it 🙃 anyway I'm pretty sure it was Crosshair idk
the droid high five lmaooo
clever boys 👑
Crosshair and Cody team up will never fail to make me happy 👌
"I've beaten clankers with far less" tbb mention 🥲💕
Cody trusting Crosshair 🥰 "you do make things interesting" I'd love to see early Cody + tbb missions pretty pretty please 🥺
my mans doesn't even flinch !!!!!
I can feel his smirk when he blows up the tank hehe
Cody has a jetpack and still went nah Ican make that jump 😂 I mean he did but still
Cody complimenting Crosshair 💕
WYLER AND NOVA OWN MY HEART FR
droidekas !!!
Wyler r.i.p my love 💔
There is just something about clones vs droids ya know
Crosshair and Nova silent communication I love it 👌
Cody screaming for Nova and Crosshair pulling him away 😭😭😭😭
r.i.p Nova my beloved 💔
Crosshair's discs !!!!
backflip !!!!
knife knife knife knife knife- 👀
Crosshair calling for Cody to help 🙃
KNIFE KNIFE KNIFE KNIFE KNIFE-
Crosshair putting the puck in Cody's hand - bro at first I thought mans was too injured to move the way he was like 'throw it for me I can do it from laying down in this spiral staircase' and he makes the shot and stands up 2 seconds later and is back to committing war crimes ?? Crosshair you dramatic bitch 💀
"nice throw" "nice shot" 🥰🥰🥰🥰
notice how the tk troopers got captured so they send clones to get them out.... 🙃
Mina Bonteri 💔
"peace was never an option" devastating
the clone music when Cody reasons with Tawni 😫🤧
Crosshair following orders but also saving Cody from having to kill Tawni
the Crosshair music 🥲
"so much for peace" 💔
"put her body in the square" but I can imagine how gentle he would have been with her body... do you think he left his helmet off so the people could see his face or did he cover his face for that
Ok I want to go full english teacher for a moment I'll do it in a few eps watch this space 👀
Crossy and his lil toothpick 💕 (he just murdered someone)
the clones did the dirty work now more tk troopers arrive 😡
Cody's whole speech 💔😭 "we make our own choices and we have to live with them too" knowing he's thinking about everything he's done and thinking he killed Obi-Wan... what if I screamed into the abyss ???
Crosshair not being able to sleep 😫
Rampart doesn't even know their names 😡
OKAY do we think "gone awol" means Cody has actually left or is he awol the same way Wilco is??
COME ON CROSSHAIR JUST LEAVE THE EMPIRE ALREADY 😫
hehe thank you for coming to my 2am tbb rewatch (again hehe) 💕 sorry it's late again if you saw any spelling miatakes no you didn't 🤟
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ofpineapplesanddawns · 7 months
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Non-angsty prompt coming up!!
Ineffable Husbands reacting to Trick or Treaters in honor of Halloween! (I feel like maybe trick or treating is bigger in America than England, but just pretend that they get trick or treaters!)
🎃
(I hope you feel better and things get easier! 💙)
That sounds cute!
This is Halloween in the South Downs.
On with the fic!
--
Crowley looked away from the television, where a cheesy vampire movie was playing, when they heard the sound of knocking at the front door. A grin came to them and they extended their fangs in excitement.
Halloween was one of Crowley's favorite times of the year, a night of tricks and pranks, of treats and frights, and a night where a demon could let their hair down in public without judgement! Also, Aziraphale made these really tasty pumpkin scones since the mid-2000s every year and Crowley really liked those.
As they jumped off the couch and made their way to the door, more of their appearance changed. Shoulder-length hair became longer, darker, thicker, almost snake-like in a sense, while scales of black and red peppered their skin like freckles.
Their eyes became fully yellow, the pupils long, thin slits, and their nails became long, sharp claws as they grabbed for something sitting on the side table at the door.
Crowley threw open the door and looked at the children standing there, all dressed up as things Crowley either knew or had no clue because it was something kids liked looking at online. Either way, there was a group, and they were all wanting something.
"Trick or treat!" They shouted, holding out their bags and pails for candies.
"Trick or treat, eh?" Crowley smirked, claws drumming on the large, plastic dish that was black and covered in little images of spiders in oranges and purples. "Which will it be?"
The kids looked a bit confused, before a little girl in a blue dog costume spoke up with glee. "A trick! A trick!"
"Oh? A trick? Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Cried a chorus of excited children.
"Weellll... I suppose one little trick..." They chuckled before opening their mouth wide, fire shooting out from it over their heads for just a moment. Crowley let out a soft cough, then licked their lips.
The kids looked at him in awe, then cheered, though Crowley swore he heard a snap among the shouts of 'do it again'.
"Ah, I said one little trick. That's all you get. Now, do you want some candy or not? Cause we've got full bars!" Crowley said holding out the bowl to the group, who happily snatched up a few bars, then scurried off, thanking 'Ms or Mr Fell-Crowley' as they ran down the dirt path, happily talking about how cool that was and how the Fell-Crowley's always have the best treats.
"Really dear, I know you love entertaining the children, but fire? Nearly burnt my wind chimes!"
Crowley snickered and turned to see Aziraphale, standing at the entrance to the kitchen, his face having a few smears of flour on it.
"The kids love when I do that kinda stuff!" Crowley said as they sat down the bowl, shutting the door with a flick of their wrist. They licked their thumb and used it to quickly wipe off Aziraphale's face when they approached. "How are the baked treats coming along?"
"Almost done, the retirement home is going to love them!" Aziraphale did a wiggle.
"Did you make those one things that Mavis was goin' on about? You did them for a book club a few months ago, right? She was ravin' about them at the knittin' club this week, said you promised."
"I made them, don't worry." There was a knock at the door. Aziraphale chuckled and gently gave Crowley a push towards it. "Go on, I'll finish up here."
"Alright, but when we head out, you need to look a bit more... spooky." Crowley said, heading for the door.
Aziraphale's exposed skin split in places, revealing dozens of eyes, that all rolled at once. "Does this work?"
"Perfect! Should make you hand out the candy if you're gonna do that!" Crowley cackled as they picked up the bowl once more, ready for the next batch of trick or treaters.
--
I'd like to think that Crowley and Aziraphale made friends with a bunch of the old people in the South Down area, just as Crowley would be friends with the kids.
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bettsfic · 6 months
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How do you know when it’s time to move up from post it note, to index card, etc…? What if we can’t objectively dictate we improved or you are the kind of person who needs a lot of space from a work to even like it a little? This isn’t me trying to be extra I truly mean these questions.
And could you use the same technique of lifting small weights by writing a novel that isn’t as complex as I’d prefer
Responding to latest ask
but that's the challenge. learning how to love small, imperfect things. it's not about writing. it's about revising.
here's another analogy:
visualize yourself in a factory. this factory has a number of machines, and each one helps take a raw material and turn it into a finished product. you have to run all the machines. you know in theory how to create the product; it's a product you use so frequently that you're intimately familiar with it. and you want to make a big, intricate, beautiful version of this product, just like the kind you buy. the problem is that when you walk inside the factory, all the lights are off. you don't know how big the space is or how many machines there are.
you stumble around and find the first light switch. you approach the first machine. you have the raw material in your hand and you put it into the machine and turn the machine on. you want this thing to be enormous, so you shove a whole lot of the raw material into it. it takes forever, and the machine doesn't do a great job. like the first batch of pancakes, you have to throw it out. so you try it again and maybe this time the machine more or less does its job.
before you can find the next machine, you have to find the light switch. it takes a while, and you get tired quickly from carrying this huge amount of not-quite-raw material around, but you do and you put the material from the first machine into the second. the second machine mangles it. you have to start over. but that's not a huge deal, because you've already found the light switch. you return to the first machine, and this time you know not to use so much raw material because you don't know how the second machine is going to work. the third thing comes out even better, and when you return to the second machine--much more easily!--it does an okay job. okay enough to look around for the light switch over the third machine.
but you're so eager to make the thing that it never occurs to you to stumble around for an excessively long time finding *all* the switches. that seems like a waste of time when you're making so much progress with this machine right here, and anyway, knowing all that work you have ahead of you might freak you out, and so it's best for all that to stay in the dark until you get to it. and that's fine. god knows that's what i did.
there's one machine that just won't work. you need to fix it but you don't know how. so you leave the factory. maybe in your frustration, you burn it down. you find a new one. in this factory, you know from the previous factory to find the first three light switches before you begin, and make sure that weirdo machine from before is working fine. you also know to use a smaller amount of raw material so you can get through it faster and waste less in the long run.
do you see what i'm saying? when writers tell me they're disappointed in themselves for not finishing a novel-length project when they haven't even taken something shorter and simpler through the revision process, i just imagine them in a dark factory in front of the first machine, shoving in tons of raw material, not knowing how many machines there are or what they do or how to fix them when they break. you swear you'll take it through the whole factory on the first try by feel alone. some people think they can skip right to the final machine.
the light switches are important, because once they're on, they're on forever. that's what it feels like when you're ready to write a novel. you can see the full process lit in front of you. and even with all the lights on, it won't go perfectly, but you've worked with broken machine #4 before and you know how to fix it, or maybe you call in a repairman (editor) to take a look at it and give you some advice.
i've been writing for ten years, i have 1.5 graduate degrees in writing, i teach writing, i've been published and i've earned more accolades than i ever thought i would. and i still don't have all my lights on. i'm still taking raw material through the machines i'm familiar with, and i have enough lights on that starting all the way at machine #1 with new raw material, knowing how many machines there are and how long it takes, has become more daunting than it used to be.
i've gotten to the point where i'm happy with the product that comes out of my lit-up machines. i'm even happy giving it to others. but i'm missing that final machine that will turn it into a product that can be sold. a lot of writers think that last machine in the dark is overrated, and i'm inclined to agree. you don't need it, you know? it's more fun and satisfying taking new raw material through the process than it is to light up that last machine and put in an agonizing amount of work, when you don't even know if the product will sell. but here i am, getting closer and closer to finding the last light switch.
perfectionists know they're in a factory, but they don't know how big it is. they don't know what's ahead of them, and instead of turning on the lights and playing around with the next machine, finding out what works and what doesn't, throwing away raw material because they believe it's precious, they move into a new factory hoping that this one only has one really good machine, an intuitive one that they already know how to use, so they can turn on the light, shove in all the raw material, and the product will come out perfectly.
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skullamity · 12 days
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I wanna take a minute to be excited about this for a second! So, I'm still making new updates for our comics, but at the same time I am also remastering/redrawing/doing minor re-writes on the early chapters on a rotating weekly schedule. Part of this is by necessity--I'm reformatting for vertical scroll and when my computer before last bricked, it took the PSDs for the entire first book with it. They were some of the only things I could not retrieve, which makes cutting things up for vertical scroll impossible for the first chunk of pages. I only have access to the CMYK print-ready exports from our first print book, so I have given myself permission to just...redo stuff. As little as possible.
Aaaas you can see, I have already broken that rule. For a lot of my early pages, I was working with faber-castell brush pens on cardstock, so if something didn't look quite right after inking it? I had to either redo it entirely OR just accept what I did have as 'good enough' and move on. I rarely did that first things, and as a result, a lot of the faces in these early chapters were...not great, and absolutely unappealing to both me and to people starting at the beginning of our archive. Don't get me wrong, I do love seeing how art evolves over time! But it's not serving me very well right now, and I have the chance to pretty it up now and more than one excuse to follow through.
So, because I broke that rule for this chapter, I had to make a NEW rule where I do not mess with poses, placement or framing (unless it would make the page get done faster, and I have actually removed some panels in later pages in this chapter as a result!), and I have followed that one pretty closely. I'm actually really happy with how this came out, and wanted to shot it off a bit on tumblr where people might actually see it. I do post this stuff up on patreon, but I have like 8 patrons right now and I want more people to see this since I've been working so hard on this batch.
Anyhow, this is actually from the second chapter that I remastered. I've already updated the complete remastered first chapter on our archive, and posted it reformatted for vertical scrolling on webtoon if you prefer to slowly read the remastered chapters there (one update a month vs one full page update a week in the main archive, with 14 years of comics in the archive if you like to binge).
The End is a queer sci-fi adventure comic made by two trans people (me and my lovely wife @femonologue) that follows a group of nerds that unwillingly get embroiled in an interstellar war after a couple of lost bird-like aliens accidentally crash a sci-fi and comics convention.
It also follows an ex-Mountie and a petty-vice-obsessed alien spy as they blunder their way across the stars trying to locate and rescue these poor abductees before anything more horrible happens to them!
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demons2003 · 1 year
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Mother of Two (Eddie x Steve x Reader) Part 1
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Description: Your crazy ex-husband is after you and your babies. You move countries to protect your twins (6) from him. You end up living next door to the hottest couple you've ever seen. What happens when feelings become mixed with everything you are going through?
Warning: Mention of Abuse
Ao3
"Mumma, is this our new house?" Jackie asks me as we pull up to our new home. I turn around in my seat and smile softly at her, "It is baby girl. Are you two ready to have a look inside?" Jackie and Cass furiously nod their heads and jump out of the car. "Wow now! Wait for me!" I yell as I quickly jump out after them, earning cheeky little laughs from both of them. "Hurry up Mummy!" Cas yells back at me. I laugh and run after them. Instead of stopping at our door, they decide that the house next door looks more interesting. "Cas Jordon L/n and Jackie Hope L/n!" I yell at them in my best mum's voice. They both freeze at the mention of their whole names and walk back over to me, the biggest grins still on their face. "But Mumma, we wanna go see our new neighbours. We could make friends," Jackie begs me. I smile warmly at them and lean down to their level. "How about this, you both help me get everything in the house, including what I put in the trailer, and we can make cookies to say hello," I ask them both. They both look at each other, seeming to have a very in-depth conversation about it. They break out into smiles and nod their little heads, running back over to the car to grab their stuff first. I laugh and unlock the car so we can move in and out with ease.
"Come on Mummy, you have to help us too," Cas wines as he walks past. I laugh as I notice Jackie giving me a very similar look and say, "Of course, I'll be helping you. You're both strong but you can't carry everything inside." I move over to the trailer and unlock it as well, looking around to figure out which boxes my little ones would be able to carry without hurting themselves. "What's next Mummy?" Cas asks, pocking his head into the trailer. I laugh at him and tell him, "Any box I put outside you and Jackie can take inside, if it's still in here please don't try to move it, I don't want you getting hurt. Ok?" Cas nods at me and runs off to most likely tell his sister the same information.What am I going to do with these little rascals?I quickly grab as many boxes that are light enough for the twins and start to carry the heavier boxes inside and to the room that is written on the box.
//
Although the twins didn't know it, I ended up bringing in most of the boxes. But I was happy that they were pleased that they could help me get the house ready. "Okay little ones, who wants to make some cookies for the neighbours?" I ask them both while starting to look for where I put the food and baking stuff. "We are!" They both yelled at me simultaneously, running over to a random kitchen box each and finding exactly what we were looking for. "Did you two plan that?" I ask them as I move over to them both. They laugh at me and shake their heads. "Of course not Mumma, we are just really lucky," Jackie exclaims, moving her box which is full of food to the counter. I look through the box Cas has and grab what we need to make a batch of cookies. We grab all the stuff we need and I help the little ones make the cookies.
"Can we go over to next door now Mummy?" Cas asks me, giving me his best puppy dog eyes while I put the cookies into the oven. "Please Mumma," Jackie asks, giving me the same look. I laugh a little at the two of them and ruffle their hair up a little. "Not yet babies. When the cookies are ready and cooled we can. How about you start getting your rooms ready for tonight?" I tell them, starting to make my way upstairs so I could get my room ready. They both sigh but nod their heads. "Is aunty Robin coming over today?" Jackie asks when we get to a bedroom. I shake my head and say, "Not today sweety, tomorrow she's coming. Wanted to give me some space." Jackie nods and looks into the bedroom. "So who's room is one?" She asks. I move over to the other rooms and say, "These two on the right are the same size. You both could share a room or you can pick one each. I'll leave it up to you." They both look at each other, seeming to have another silent conversation and run down the stairs. I laugh at them and go into the master bedroom.Hopefully, this will be a promising new start.
I start to pull all of my stuff into my room, listening out in case one of the twins needs my help but they don't seem to call. When I've gotten most of my stuff in my room I notice that the twins have been way too quiet since I last saw them. "Jackie? Cas? You need any help?" I call out only to not receive a reply.Maybe they're just too involved in their unpacking. Probably talking really quietly with each other downstairs. I move over to the first bedroom to find only boxes in there.Ok, that's a little weird. I move to the next room and find the same thing. "Jackie!? Cas!?" I yell again, panic filling my voice. I start to run down the stairs to find the front door wide open. "No, no, no, no," I whisper and run straight out the door. "Jackie!! Cas!!" I yell again, the panic building up so much more.
I look around only to find them over at our next door neighbour's house. I let out a breath and make my way over to them. "Hey Mumma! We met the next-door people!" Jackie excitedly tells me. I smile at her and wrap them both in my arms. "Never do that again," I tell them, burying my face in both of their hair. "Mummy, let us go," Cas wines, pulling away from me. I pull back and both look at the door again. I look up to find two very sexy men leaning against the door frame. One looked like he came straight from a metal concert while the other was in a suburban outfit. I smile at them both and stand back up. "I'm so sorry about these two," I apologize to them, putting my hands on both of the twin's heads. The one with long curly hair grins at me and shakes his head. "It's all good. We're used to having unexpected kids around here." I smile at him as Jackie yells up, "Mumma, you gotta introduce yourself. You can't talk to strangers." I laugh at her and nod my head, saying, "You are so right Jackie." I look back up at the two men and put my hand out, "Hi I'm Y/n. We just moved in next door." The curly head boy smiles and shakes my hand. "I'm Eddie and this is Stevie," The metalhead, introduced. Steve rolls his eyes and shakes my head as well. "It's Steve. My husband here thinks it's funny to have others call me that." I smile at the two and nod my head. "That's kind of cute," I tell them, ruffling up the twins hair once more. "Why Mum," Cas wines, pushing his hair back down. "That's for running off," I tell him, moving his hair down as well.
The boys in front of me laugh and Steve says, "These two seem like a handful. Your husband home to help you with them?" I freeze a little and try to keep the smile on my face. Jackie and Cas look up at me worried but I just shake my head. "He's not in the picture. These two are all mine," I whisper while I pinch one cheek on each twin. They both laugh and pull away from me. I look back at the two men in front of me to find them looking questioningly at each other. "Mumma! The cookies!" Jackie yells, looking back at our house. I look over as well and notice smoke coming out of the kitchen window. "Shit!" I exclaim and quickly run through the front door.
I look for the fire extinguisher which was in the pantry and open the oven to let the smoke come out. I use the fire extinguisher on the small fire and look at the mess I've made again. "Are they ready?" Cas jokes when the other 4 walk into the kitchen. I laugh at him and say, "Yeah buddy, don't think they're edible anymore though." I look back at the mess and sigh.Take out for dinner now. Not cooking anything in the oven tonight. In the corner of my eye, I notice Jackie turn to Steve and Eddie and tell them, "We're sorry we lied. We can't give you cookies anymore." I turn to the group and find both other boys softly smiling down at the twins. Steve bends down to them and softly asks, "That's ok, how about sometime you come to ours and we can all make cookies?" Jackie and Cas look back at me and give me puppy dog eyes. "Can we please?" They both ask at the same time. I smile at them and nod my head.
They both cheer and look back at Steve to find him already smiling at them. "Could we tomorrow?" Jackie asks, clearly excited to get to know these two men. Eddie looks over to me and says, "I feel like that's up to your mum, not us." I look at my kids and ask, "But Aunty Robin is coming over, don't you want to see her? And she's bringing her special friend to meet you both." Steve and Eddie look at me shocked while Cas says, "Yeah, we can see them quickly and then go to Steve and Eddie's. We won't be that far Mummy." I smile at them and say, "Well, if you be good for the rest of the night then sure. If that's ok with you two?" Steve and Eddie nod to me but still seem very shocked by my previous sentence. "You ok?" Jackie asks, pocking Steve on the cheek. Steve shakes his head and looks back at the twins. "Yeah, yeah. Aunty Robin's last name wouldn't happen to be Buckley would it?" He asks, looking back up at me. I look confused and say, "Yeah. Why?" Eddie laughs while Steve explains, "She's my best friend. Or more my Platonic Soulmate." I smile at the boys and say, "Small world." Steve nods and Eddie helps him off the ground. "Well, we should probably head off. See you tomorrow maybe kids. See yah Sweetheart," Eddie says, winking at the end. I blush while Steve lightly smacks his husband on the back of the head. He waves at the kids and me and they both leave my house for the night.
//
"Mumma! Mumma! Mummy! Mummy!" I hear Jackie and Cas yell before I feel them both jumping on my bed. I groan and open my eyes. "What?" I ask, sleep still trying to pull me back in. "There was a knock at the door!" Jackie yells at me. I nod and slowly get out of bed, the twins hot on my heels. I open the door to find Robin, Steve, Eddie and another girl standing in front of me. At the sight of Eddie and Steve, I blush a little, not expecting to see them in my PJ's. They looked just as handsome as they did the day prior.Stop it. They're married. You aren't breaking a marriage for a one time thing. "Aunty Robin!" The twins yell before pushing me out of the way and running into Robin's waiting arms. "Hey, my favourite twins!" Robin yells at them. I laugh and open the door wider. "Come on in. I'm gonna get dressed and then make us breakfast." Robin smirks up at me and says, "Not like I haven't seen you naked before." I laugh in surprise as everyone else gives us confused looks. "Why has Aunt Robin seen you naked Mummy?" Cas asks me. "College roommates. Someone didn't know boundaries." I say, looking straight at Robin while she stands. She walks over to me and whispers, "Oh yeah, that's what it was." I shake my head and walk back to my room. "Hurry up! I want all the gossip!" I hear Robin yell before I close my door.
I change as quickly as I can and move to the kitchen so I can make some breakfast. As I walk in I find everyone sitting at the counter waiting for me. "And tomorrow we start big person school," Jackie explains to the group of adults. They all look at them in amazement and Robin says, "Wow! It feels like yesterday you were tiny!" I laugh and say, "Yeah, time flies with these two." Everyone laughs while the twins look confused at us all. "Pancakes?" I ask them to distract them. They both nod and run behind me to grab the stuff. I go to turn around but Robin grabs my hand and gently moves me over. "You doing ok?" She whispers, the other three in their own conversation. I nod and answer with, "Yeah. Glad to finally get out of that house." She nods and motions over to the kids. "You should probably deal with that."
I look at her questioningly and turn to find both twins covered in flour. "What did you two do?" I laugh as I move over to them. Cas shakes his head, making flour go everywhere while Jackie looks up a little scared. "We're sorry," She whispers to me. I shake my head and lean down so I'm level with them. "It's ok, you aren't in trouble. How about you two go upstairs to clean and I'll make some pancakes?" I ask them. They both nod and quickly run up the stairs. I stand back up to find all the adults looking at me. Steve, Eddie and Nancy look amused while Robin looks worried. I shake my head at her and start to make the pancake batter. The girl that came with the four stands up and moves in front of me. "We weren't properly introduced. I'm Nancy, Robin's girlfriend." Nancy introduces. I smile at her and shake her hand. "It's so good to finally meet you. Robin's been talking about you for years." I exclaim. Robin glares a little and whispers, "Stupid husband wouldn't let you fly here," crossing her arms over her chest. I softly glare at her and give a warning, "Robin." Everyone looks confused but Robin raises her hands. "Sorry. Sorry," She says back.
I continue to make pancakes while the other three start to talk again. "So Y/n, what made you move here?" Eddie asks, leaning in close to me. I look up at him and say, "New start. Plus get to be closer to Robin." He nods and asks, "So, what do you do for a living." I smile at him and say, "I'm a therapist. What do you do?" He smirks at me and says, "I'm a mechanic. I work down in the shop closest to here." I nod and tell him, "Yes we saw it when we came in. I was thinking about putting my car in. Haven't had it checked in a while." He smiles and says, "I'm more than happy to have a look under the hood." Steve hears him and turns to us, giving Eddie an elbow to the arm. "Ow," Eddie whispers but Steve ignores him. "The twins were saying that they're starting school tomorrow. I'm guessing it's the local primary school?" Steve asks me. I stir the pancake batter and nod my head. I look over to Steve as he says, "I work there. There's a good chance I'll be their teacher." At this, the twins both come running back to the room. "Really!? That's so cool!" They both yell. I laugh at them both and pour some batter into the pan I'd gotten out. "See? You'll have someone at school now," I tell them both, turning back to see their reactions.
"Hey Mumma?" Jackie softly asks, pulling on my pants legs. I look down at her questioningly and flip the pancakes. "Yes sweetheart?" She looks back at everyone else to see them talking among themselves and turns back to me. "Daddy won't find us right?" I freeze a little and look over to the adults again to find only Robin looking at us. I bend down to Jackie and place both hands on her face. "No baby. And if he does I'll protect you. I will always protect you." I whisper to her. She smiles a little and nods her head, going back over to everyone else. I quickly finish all the pancakes and set up three plates for me and the twins. "Okay troublemakers. Time to eat." They both jump up from their seats and run over to the dining room table. I grab two of the plates and put one in front of each twin. "Thank you," They both say at the same time before digging into their food. I go back to the kitchen and eat my food while listening to my guests.
"So Robin, apparently you have another Platonic Soulmate?" I question, smirking at her. Her eyes widen and she smiles guiltily at me. "Well, Steve's my male soulmate and you're my female soulmate. Please don't make me choose," She begs a little, leaning over the counter with her hands in prayer. I laugh and shake my head. "Never. Just thought that would be something you'd tell me," I say, a big smile on my face. She laughs and wraps an arm around Nancy's shoulder. "I did tell you about my real soulmate," She tells me. We laugh and Steve asks, "What is the deal with you and Robin? How do you know each other?" "We met in college. We were roommates and found we liked each other. When the twins were born she just became Aunty Robin," I explain to everyone. Robin laughs bitterly and I give her a glare. "Robin, please don't," I ask her. Everyone looks confused at us as Nancy asks, "What are you laughing about?" Robin stops and looks at me to give the go-ahead. I sigh and explain, "My ex-husband and Robin didn't get along. He kind of moved us so far that it was difficult for Robin to visit." Everyone nods but before more questions can be asked the kids run back into the room.
"We're done!" They both yell, holding up their empty plates. I smile at them and take their plates. "I've very proud. Now, what do you want?" I ask, knowing they only got my attention so that they could get something. They look at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation while I ask, "I can't hear you when you do that cuties. Does this have to do with something we talked about yesterday?" Remembering the cookie conversation from yesterday and looking over at Steve and Eddie. They both smirk at me and nod while Jackie finally asks, "Can we please go to Steve and Eddie's so we can make cookies with them?" I laugh and nod my head. "Of course, but I need you back here before lunch. After we need to go get some stuff for school tomorrow." I tell them. They both cheer and look back at Steve and Eddie. All four of them get up and make their way next door. I look back at Robin and Nancy and motion to the lounge room. "Let's move in there." They both nod and we walk in.
We spend the next couple of hours catching up and learning all about each other. It's then that Robin starts to ask hard-hitting questions. "So, what finally made you leave him?" Robin asks. I look over to Nancy and she gives me a sympathetic look. "I overheard Robin talking to you at one point. I already know." I nod and sigh. "A couple of days before I called you that night, Jack had beaten me so bad I was sent to the hospital. That wasn't new but when I came back I found out that he'd taken his anger out on Jackie while I was gone. She was terrified that she was gonna get yelled at or slapped again. That was enough for me," I explain, tears falling down my eyes as I remember the look on her face the night I finally came house. Robin moves over to me and wraps me in her arms. "I should've left sooner. The twins always asked if Daddy would hit them and I promised he wouldn't. I was wrong and it only hurt more," I whisper, falling further into her arms. Nancy moves over to my other side and says, "Shhh, no. You did what you thought was best. You didn't know he was going to hit Jackie. You were trapped in something you didn't know how to get out of. You're all safe now though. We'll make sure of it." I nod and say, "But what if he finds us?" I look up at Robin to find her already looking down at me. "Then we'll be standing right next to you. The boys will also be a big help. Everyone is terrified of Eddie because of how he looks." She says. I laugh a little and say, "When we finally left the house, he threatened he would kill me when he sees me next." Robin tenses a bit while Nancy whispers, "He's coming nowhere near you or the kids."
Before we can say anything else on the topic, the door bursts open and two little figures speed into the house. Steve and Eddie walk slowly behind them and look over to find me crying. I wipe my face and get up from Robin's arms while I smile at my two babies. "How was cookie making?" I ask them. Jackie and Cas come running into my arms and Cas says, "So good. We made different shapes!" I laugh as Jackie explains, "They also let us lick the spoon." I stare in fake shock at them and look up at Steve and Eddie. "You let them lick the spoon. Oh no, you've spoiled lunch." I say dramatically. Eddie laughs while Steve looks a little panicked. Cas and Jackie giggle in my lap and look over to the boys as well. "Come on troublemakers. Let's make you some lunch," I say as I push the twins off me and drag them over to the kitchen. "Come help us Aunty Robin!" Cas yells, quickly getting out of my grip and running over to Robin. She laughs and stands as well. "I'm coming!" She exclaims. I laugh at the two and turn to find Steve and Eddie looking over at Nancy questioningly. She shakes her hand and looks over to me to find me already standing. "Come on you three. We'll need all the help we can get," I tell them, walking further into the kitchen. We spend the rest of the day making lunch and going shopping for the twins. It was one of the happiest days that I've had in a while.
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lumine-no-hikari · 4 months
Text
Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #46
I spent all day today making moussaka! And I told you that I'd take pictures and write to you about it, and so here it is! Today is the day!! So I'm gonna get right to it!!
I started off by rinsing the eggplants and peeling the onions. I always put the papery outer layer and the first fleshy layer into the broth bag, for later use! My husband sliced the eggplants and cut the onions into coarse chunks. I can technically do it myself, but since he's not dyspraxic, he's a lot better at it than I am:
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If it looks like a lot of eggplant, that's because it is a lot of eggplant, hahaha! But don't worry; they get a lot smaller once they're baked because the water evaporates out of them.
You have to arrange them on a cookie sheet like this, and then put them in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for a total of 30 minutes; you flip the slices over halfway through.
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This part takes a while because my oven can fit only two cookie sheets at once, and then after they've been baked, I like to use the griddle to make the eggplant slices golden brown and crispy on the outside, like this:
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Then, you get a bowl full of eggplant slices that are crispy on the outside, and deliciously gooey on the inside:
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In between roasting batches of eggplant, I did the other steps. One of those steps is to use my handy-dandy veggie chopper to turn the onions and a few cloves of garlic into puree for the meat sauce!
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I also zested and juiced the lemon; that's for the meat sauce, too!
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Once the eggplant is all done, the next step is to cook the onions a little bit - but just a little bit. Then you'll set them to the side in favor of cooking up the ground lamb. Cooking the ground lamb will leave a lot of delicious rendered fat. So you'll scoop out the cooked lamb, and then finish cooking the onions in the fat; as the water from the onions evaporates, the resulting vacuum will cause the onions to soak the lamb fat right up!
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After that, you start putting the sauce together. We will use the cans of diced and crushed tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons of the tomato sauce. We'll stir that up with the onions and the lemon zest and juice. Then we'll add a cup of red wine:
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I gotta tell ya, wine in general is GROSS!! But it's really nice when it's used in cooking. A little bit of heat makes the nasty, bitter alcohol flavor dissipate quite nicely, and you're left with a vague sweetness and a weird (but not bad!) grape-ish flavor.
After you let it simmer so it can thicken a bit as the water evaporates, you add the seasonings:
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This is parsley, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, and ground cloves! I didn't have thyme yet when I took this picture, but I fetched some later to use.
Anyway, the next step is to add the ground lamb to the sauce! The result is a very thick meat sauce! In this picture, you'll see the sauce and all the seasonings I used in it:
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Here, we have our very thick sauce, seasoned with oregano, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. Yum, yum, yum!!
With the sauce and the eggplant slices ready, we can clear up some space by beginning to assemble the moussaka. You line a baking dish with some parchment paper, and then you put down a layer of eggplant slices:
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You follow it up with a layer of meat sauce:
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...And then you just keep alternating layers until you run out of eggplant slices and meat sauce. Easy peasy. I stuck it in the fridge once the layers were assembled. Then I began to work on the bechamel.
For that, it's a basic thing. You start with a roux and then you add a kind of cheese to it. I don't have easy access to kefalotyri, and I didn't feel like using parmesan or romano as a substitute, so I used that feta and that halloumi I bought yesterday.
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Most feta cheese in my country uses cow's milk or goat's milk. The brand I like to get uses sheep's milk. And the halloumi made by this same brand uses a combination of sheep, goat, and cow milk. Both of them are VERY GOOD!! And it took all my willpower not to just snack on the cheese as I was trying to grate it, but I managed:
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Once that was all set, I set it aside and then separated a couple of egg yolks away from some egg whites. I'll use the egg whites to try to make French-style tiramisu in the near future; it'll be good!! We need the yolks for the bechamel:
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To begin a bechamel, you gotta add 120 grams of sifted flour to one stick of melted butter, really really slowly. The "slow" part is important, otherwise it gets really weird:
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When it looks like the above image, that's when we add 3 and 3/4ths of a cup of milk. But again, this has to be done VERY slowly, or else instead of a velvety-smooth awesome sauce, you end up something lumpy and terrible. I made a LOT of lumpy and terrible sauces before I got the hang of it, hahaha!
Here's how it looks after one cup of milk is incorporated. You gotta drizzle it in slowly, a little bit at a time:
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Here it is with 2 cups of milk added:
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And here's how it looks after all of the milk is added. This is the part where we add in the egg yolks. We have to make sure that it's not too hot so that the egg yolks don't cook into hardened yellow masses upon contact with the sauce.
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Then you add in the cheese. And yes, ALL of that cheese is going into the pot!! Because I am a cheese goblin!! It has been written!! It is known!! Bahahaha! 🤣
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From there, you add in nutmeg and white pepper, a little bit at a time, until you can notice their flavors when you taste it. Here is the finished sauce! Isn't it beautiful? It's very, very thick, velvety, and delicious!
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From there, we just dump it on our partially-assembled moussaka, it's fine! And the result looks like this:
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(yes, we do get to eat whatever sauce is leftover in the pot!! it's delicious!! and if you were here, I'd share it with you, too!! and I'd give you the whisk - everyone should get to lick delicious things off a whisk at least once in their life!)
Anyway! So we take this and stick it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the top is all brown and toasty-looking! Here's how it turned out:
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I've been on my feet making this and trying to keep my workspace clean since I woke up this morning, and goodness me, I'm very tired, and this rib injury makes my body hurt a lot, haha! Oh well. I managed to snag this picture of the sunset out of my window while waiting for this to bake. Here, maybe you'll like it:
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...And that's the end of today's letter! Because I am thoroughly exhausted, hahaha! I can't wait to share this with my friends tomorrow!
...I really wish you could be here to try it. I know all the very practical and realistic reasons you can't, of course. But maybe somehow my wishes and all these delicious flavors will reach you anyway. Or not. Probably not, haha. But I'll hope for it nonetheless. Maybe something good will happen - if not for you, then maybe for someone else.
Please stay safe out there, okay? Please remember that there is moussaka and people in this universe who would make it for you. Please remember that you are loved and cared for. Please don't do anything that would cause you to be erased from your world. Lots of people need the light of your existence to keep on shining in the way that it does.
I'll write again tomorrow, okay?
Your friend, Lumine
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zoeykallus · 2 years
Note
Hi there!! I love your bad batch writings! I'm currently in a bad self image rut--could you maybe write something about the batchers with a plus size love interest? It'd be nice to read :') no pressure tho!! Thank you in advance 💗
Absolutely! Thanks for reading my stuff and reaching out! I've never done this before but I'll do my best!
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The Bad Batch x PlusSize Reader HC's
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Hunter:
He sees you looking doubtfully at yourself in the mirror and says, "What's not to love?"
He wraps his arms around you and kisses your cheek. He loves you, why you can't see yourself the way he sees you he doesn't understand, but he tries, he wants to be considerate and understand you.
"Cyare, just wear something you feel comfortable in, you look great no matter what you wear, but I want you to be relaxed".
You have these moments of self-doubt often, and Hunter tries to tell you each time that he thinks you look beautiful. If you're not in the mood to go out, he'll stay home with you without a fuss. He's patient, he won't be shaken off that easily, don't worry. He will caress you, spoil you, cuddle with you, he wants you to feel better.
He will always be patient.
Hunter likes to spoil you in every way.
He can smile at you in such a way that you forget the whole world and only the two of you exist and he loves to do that, because that is one of the moments when you completely let go and be yourself and open up to him.
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He adores you! You are his whole world. He understands what you feel on the days you don't like yourself because he knows that about himself, but he doesn't see why you of all people should feel that way.
"Mesh'la" he says softly "look at you, you're beautiful".
"You really think so?"
He nods and he's completely serious. Of course he really means it! He loves your smile, your laugh, your eyes, the way you look at him, the way your lips move when you talk to him, the little gestures you make when you talk to him, he pays attention to every movement and he is mesmerized by you. He loves to stroke your fingers and kiss your ear. He knows that he gives you goose bumps and he loves that.
Next to him you can be yourself, he loves everything about you, feels incredibly comfortable in your presence, you are the first person to bring him out of his shell and make him feel alive. He is a considerate, quiet fellow, he will never push you to do anything and will always be ready to take care of you, should you doubt yourself again.
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The lively fellow is crazy about you.
"I'm too fat"
"What nonsense!" he rumbles and laughs "I'd rather have something more to touch"
He demonstratively reaches out and pulls you towards him.
"Stop doubting yourself my beautiful".
He kisses you deeply and every look he gives you is so warm and full of admiration that you already doubt having doubted yourself.
"You are beautiful and anyone who says otherwise is an idiot".
He loves it when you snuggle up to him, he loves to see your naked skin, you certainly don't need to hide from him, he is blown away when you expose your body to him, he loves to gently trace every curve with his big strong hands. He admires you and that he lets you feel every day anew, you could not have a better partner.
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He sees you doubting yourself and looks at you uncomprehendingly.
"I don't understand, you're gorgeous, how can you not see that?"
You're on the verge of tears and Tech automatically feels responsible.
"I'm so sorry, did I say something wrong?"
Tech loves to spoil you on days like this, if you let him, so let him. He serves you from back to front, he takes care of everything you need and he is also very generous and caring in love matters, and believe me, the man knows a lot of things how to make a woman happy.
Let Tech do his thing and you will have forgotten any negative thought much faster than it ever appeared. He feels deep affection and he tries his hardest to make you happy. There is nothing better for him than to see how much you enjoy his love.
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Now, things with him are a little more... more complicated.
When you stand in front of the mirror again and doubt yourself, he rolls his eyes, you can't expect too much from him, he's an emotionally crippled man and can't put himself in your shoes very well.
But when he sees that tears are flowing, he feels a pain in his chest. He desires you, he showed you clearly last night, so how could you think that you are not beautiful? He does not understand.
He sits down and demands that you lie down with him, put your head in his lap. He strokes your head and says, "I'm attracted to you because of who you are. Unique. Sensitive, beautiful."
Your heart beats faster, words you never expected from him.
"If you tell anyone I said that, I'll shoot you".
You suppress a laugh and say, "Okay. Thanks Crosshair"
"Shut Up, Mesh'la," he growls softly.
I hope this at least somwhere near to what you wanted, nerver done this tpoic before
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echoing--stars · 6 months
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WORM!! What if - hear me out - Link and Rowan: fall carnival date thing with like a corn maze and pumpkins and little maple cookies :0
If you see me on tumblr, Zee, no you don't
This was such a cute prompt! I hope I did it justice!
(If you read this and would like to request a short snippet, see this post!)
Rowan trailed behind Link as he led the way through the corn maze. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been in there, but it definitely felt like they were lost. He didn’t mind though. They were both having fun trying to avoid the actors dressed in costume trying to scare the maze goers. Link turned around as he waited for Rowan to catch up. “I think we’re almost to the end.” “Oh yeah? How do you know?” Link reached out and grabbed Rowan’s hand, yanking him down the path. “Because—” he pulled them to the left. “It’s just around—” and now to the right. “Here!” This time, Link was actually correct. As they turned the last corner, the exit was in sight. Link picked up speed, pulling Rowan behind him. Before they could make it out, however, someone with a hockey mask and a fake chainsaw jumped in front of them. Rowan’s heart leapt and he took a step back, but Link nearly screeched as he jumped back, his back hitting Rowan’s chest. Rowan couldn’t help but laugh as he wrapped his arms around Link and pulled him close. The actor seemed to be laughing as well, and he waved as he stalked back into the corn maze. After a few seconds Link pushed away from Rowan and turned to face him. “You didn’t even jump!” “I was further away from them, Link. And besides, I had you to protect me. What did I have to be afraid of?” Link rolled his eyes and turned around again. Rowan followed him as he walked out of the maze and back towards the concessions area. Rowan sped up until he was beside Link and grabbed his hand. “You okay?” Link glanced over. “Of course! I’m happy as long as I’m with you.” Rowan blushed at the words, and it only deepened as Link reached up and kissed his cheek. He paused there for a moment, and whispered into Rowan’s ear. “You’re cute when you blush.” Rowan didn’t think he could get any redder, but the heat in his cheeks proved him otherwise. “Shut up.” Link only laughed and pulled him towards the nearest concession stand. “Come on, I want to try the maple cookies.” Rowan had to admit that he’d wanted to try them as well. They were the thing to get at the festival, and the line to get them was always long the whole night. There had to be something special about them, right? By the time they got to the front of the line, Link looked as tired as Rowan felt. It had been a long evening of pumpkin picking, a hay ride, and the corn maze, and they’d both been up early. Neither of them had to work in the morning, so they could sleep in, but Rowan was ready to go home after this. They picked a container of six maple sandwich cookies and a cup of hot cider to share, and soon they were headed back to the car. Link was walking close enough to Rowan that their elbows were bumping into each other, and if Rowan didn’t have his hands full with their purchases, he wouldn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around Link or grab his hand. At least they got to the car quickly enough. Rowan unlocked it and dropped into the driver’s seat. Link took the other side, careful to set the cup of cider in the cup holder before taking the bag of their purchases and the box of cookies from Rowan. He opened the box as Rowan started the car, and the spicy sweet smell of the cookies filled the space. Link handed one to Rowan before taking one for himself. Rowan bit into the cookie, chewing slowly. The cookie was crunchy and the spices were nice, but it was a little too sweet when combined with the icing in the center. And the icing definitely squished out the sides too much for his taste. But he supposed that they were pretty good for something that had to be made in such large batches in a short amount of time. He looked over at Link, who was still chewing with a thoughtful look on his face. Rowan put the car in drive and pulled out. “What did you think?” Link hummed. “I think you could do better.”
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crosshairct4 · 1 year
Text
Just a simple Bad Batch fanfiction.
This is how I imagine Crosshair will react when Omega tells him about Tech.
Title: It's Okay To Cry
Word count: 854
It was dark and it was cold. His fingers felt numb, as did his heart, which beat listlessly inside of his emaciated chest. He felt a warm hand on his cheek, and then heard a familiar voice:
“Crosshair… Crosshair, wake up… I need you.”
He groaned. How long had he been in this terrible place? It was difficult to say, but he had a ready answer in his head: too long.
The voice persisted.
“Crosshair… please.”
His eyes flickered. A familiar face swam into view, creased with pain and grief and hopelessness. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. His throat felt dry.
“Crosshair, you're awake.”
He sat up. He was in that kriffing cell again. Omega stood over him. He saw tear tracks on her face and knew she'd been crying. “So they caught you. I warned you to stay away… why… why didn't you listen?” he asked. His disappointment was immeasurable. Why couldn't his brothers and sister just follow orders? Why was it so difficult for them?
Omega touched his shoulder. “Because we’re family. We don't leave our own behind.”
His eyes got a little misty. He looked quickly away, afraid she would see how moved he was by her words. He had to maintain a stern front lest she glimpse the now fractured soul within him.
“We have to get out of here,” she said, grabbing his hand and tugging on it.
“I'm too weak,” he protested. The very thought of attempting an escape seemed to sap him of what little strength he had left. He didn't think he could make it. Worse, he didn't think he'd be able to protect Omega. “How long have you been here?” he asked.
“That doesn't matter,” she answered, taking a seat next to him. “What matters is that we’re together now. I can save you.”
Crosshair passed a hand over his eyes. Even after all he'd done, she was still willing to save him. He didn't understand it. Glancing over at her, he smiled a little, weary and doubtful though he was. He no longer felt alone, no longer felt as though the weight of the world balanced heavily on his shoulders. He decided then and there that he would help Omega escape Mount Tantiss, damn the risks. She didn't deserve to be trapped in this terrible, forsaken place.
“You're right, you know. We must get out of here,” he said.
“But how?” she asked.
Crosshair rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He had a lot of planning to do. He closed his eyes and began to bounce his knee, wracking his brain for ideas. He had a duty to protect Omega at all costs. He would lay down his life for her, if need be. “We wait for the opportune moment,” he told her calmly. He knew it would come. A little dose of patience was all that was needed.
Omega plopped down next to him with an audible huff which ended in a wince. She had cuts and bruises all over her face and she was limping. He wondered about her injuries, but only briefly; his mind was soon filled with their future escape attempt and he could think of nothing else but leaving this place far behind.
Omega tentatively rested her head against his arm. He didn't know how to respond to that and so he simply settled a hand on her knee and gave it a little squeeze.
“I will get you out of here,” he vowed softly.
“I know,” she murmured, sounding exhausted. “I know…”
“If Tech were here,” he muttered more to himself than to Omega, “he would know what to do.”
Omega dropped her gaze and her lip wobbled, something that wasn't missed by Crosshair. His heart gave a painful lurch. He turned to her and, kneeling down, took her shoulders between his hands. He saw pain in her expression. Something had happened.
“Crosshair, Tech… Tech’s gone,” Omega whispered, lifting her head and meeting his gaze. Her eyes were full of pain.
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“He…. Plan 99.”
All at once, Crosshair was hit with a multitude of emotions. He knew a pain so fierce and powerful, he had to sit down. He didn't want to believe it. Tech… the brother he loved most. The brother who understood him.
Tears stung his eyes and he quickly dashed a hand across his face before Omega could see. It was no use. She saw anyway. She sat next to him and took his hand, administering a gentle, comforting squeeze.
“It's okay to cry,” she told him in a voice trembling with grief.
Crosshair put his head in his hands and wept. He didn't hold back. Regret tormented him. Regret that he had chosen the Empire over his brothers. Had he been there when it happened… perhaps he could have saved Tech.
“He sacrificed himself for us,” Omega said softly. “We can't let that be in vain.”
Crosshair turned to her and nodded. No, they couldn't. They would escape Mount Tantiss. He would make sure of it.
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