#… ssssssssort of

[theforumcat]

Hello! How are you? Would you mind sharing the recipe for the beef stroganoff? My dad and I made pizza and he talked about your recipes. I went to a 50th birthday party that had a potluck which had macaroni and cheese. Yours was better. In my next ask, I will show you a picture of Pushkin that the petsitter took!

Sure!

Except I am checking this three hours too late to avoid an extra step of confoundment. I was at my mother’s house and could have grabbed the actual recipe to tell you to disregard, but instead I shall have to provide the alternate (not sure if older or if simplified) version of the recipe from a different edition because it’s the one available online. So here’s the wrong version of the recipe I was gonna tell you was basically all wrong anyway.

Okay so to start: double everything except the mushrooms. Quadruple those. And just use one enormous onion (in order of preference: Spanish, red, white. Do NOT use sweet, yuck) and don’t worry about getting your mince on; as long as it’s in a reasonably fine dice you’re goodAlso, dice the beef rather than making little strips. Strips get too tough. Also-also, use a fattier cut. Unless you have access to venison, then use venison and double the butter. It doesn’t specify mushroom type. I use little brown cremini, unless button mushrooms are on good sale, and then I use those. Once I did it with beech mushrooms and left them whole and that was good but too much work. Shiitake aren’t very good for this. Lobster mushroom powder is a weird ingredient but offers POWERFUL depth of flavour, especially if you’re not using meat. Porcini powder is easier to find and also pretty good as an additive, particularly if you aren’t doing meat and have weaker mushrooms. Morels can be, in moderated mix with others, outstanding. Mince them and be sure to use the liquid from hydrating them in the broth bit if you do. Speaking of broth, don’t use a can of beef broth, that’s gross. Use better than bouillon (or cube bouillon, but I like the goop much better) and do it 1.5x strength. If you did morels, just use the morel liquid as the water base, it’s fine. For sure don’t use ketchup wtf even the edition of the same cookbook we use agrees that’s nasty. Just get a little can of tomato paste and stick between half to the whole thing in until it tastes savoury and rich, but doesn’t turn like, red-red. Use like an entire head of garlic, and crush it. Not sure what this “1 small clove” nonsense is. Use MSG instead of salt, it’s better. If you can’t use MSG, use a salt smoked over a hard, non-fruit wood. Especially if you don’t have meat in. Throw like a couple shakes of cayenne in real early- it isn’t a dish that should be spicy by any means, but it helps to develop the flavour. The directions are basically right, at least as far as order of steps go. Switch the order of meat and mushrooms&onions. Just throw them in on top of the meat once it’s nicely browned. Fewer dishes. Let it simmer however long. The recipe is minimum cook time, but it can sit on the stove - as far as I can tell - forever as long as you keep it regularly hydrated. Flour step way at the end. If you’re feeling up for it, roux is always the superior option, but roux is fussy as hell. I make my roux with bacon fat and bake it golden and then freeze it.

Only mix sour cream into the portion you’re actually about to eat; it freezes incredibly well before sour cream and incredibly mediocrely after.

Also, it will be better after sitting in the fridge for a day. Like, a LOT better. I like it with egg noodles, I think they’re the best. It’s also pretty okay on whipped potatoes, but I like noodles.

Some people put peas in it and they are wrong.

If you want it vegetarian, then just triple the mushrooms but be aware it won’t be as good. In this case, use portobellos. If you do vegan, use Miyoko’s Creamery butter and forager plain yoghurt; anything else gives it too much weird cloying sweetness. Definitely swap the salt for MSG if you go sans-meat, and you may need to as much as triple it. consider roasting the mushrooms before you add them to the pot.

[doomsdaydicecascader]

I don't know if you know this, but the deadname you gave to Vriska in BDTH happens to also be the name of a novel that may or may not include forced transition as a plot point?

i didn't know that, ssssssssort of. i knew of the novel, and its topics including graphic sexual abuse dissuaded me from looking too much closer. i wrote a whole patreon essay you can read for free about it but here's the part about that:

and so we come to vriska. let's take a look at the name given - mygale. first off, the red herrings: there's a couple of brands that use this name, in particular for race cars, which is cool. i think. i don't know anything about racing. there's also a novel about sexual abuse, which isn't strictly out of line with the way vriska is written in bdth, but i have not read it and don't want to commit to reading something i'm pretty sure i would not enjoy and would not meaningfully get something out of just to confirm this. so that's a red herring too.

[diamondnokouzai]

im doing another writing project that is ssssssssort of similar to the listicle (ie pretending to be normal internet things) but this project appeals more to my personal favorite tropes (cannibalism)

[necroarchy]

3, 4 & 15

Questions for Muns of Canon Muses - accepting @warwaged

3. What is something that was never addressed at all in the canon material that you have independently developed for your muse?

   For the most part I’m more of an “expand on canon” kind of rper than a “make new stuff” rper ( ignore the baby ) because making stuff is hard. Considering my tendency to draw upon the SMALLEST shred of canon --- be it a single line in a single quest from Vanilla to a mere word from an in-game book --- to justify my many and various Bad Hot Takes, it’s difficult to say that anything I’ve ever developed for Arthas is truly independent of canon in any way.

4. Have you made any outright changes to the canon material in order to write your muse the way you wanted (entire scenes you chose to omit, chapters you say never existed, things you assume were never said, etc.)?

     Ssssssssort of.  The largest outright change I made to the material is Zoen’s existence, followed closely by Calia being the younger sibling. ( I guess the “he comes back and takes the Frozen Throne away from Bolvar” thing might be the very biggest, but counting the blog original sin seems excessive. ) 

 Most of my changes have to do with tweaking motivation, as well as reworking and fleshing out his relationships with folks. I write him as definitively not straight, seen most clearly in how blatantly in love he was with Varian, but I don’t change any of the actual material canon gives us in a very actionable way. 

      His relationship with Jaina is a place where I significantly change motivation, but mostly leave the action untouched. I try to portray and write them as less... straight.... than they’re written in canon. For instance: in canon, Arthas’ main reason for studying at Dalaran for a year or so is for the chance to see Jaina more than it is to actually study. I flip the importance of those two goals by giving Arthas a full interest in folklore and history only vaguely hinted at in canon, and increasing his desire to be prepared to be the Very Best King Ever. Getting to see an old friend for the first time in years is a considerable plus, but it’s no longer the goal the way that G.olden has it be.

     The direction the writers try to go for Arthas and Jaina is fascinating to me, narratively speaking. And I’m a sucker for the idea that they’re soulmates who love each other always and could have stayed together forever had the Scourge not torn them in different directions. But G.olden’s actual writing of their relationship is often clunky in places. She has the bad tendency of writing with the end goal ahead of the journey, resulting in an inorganic growth from friendship to romance. It makes Arthas’ initial interest in Jaina more weird than cute, and his continued attraction to her kind of unsettling in places. ( Which is not inherently bad --- living!Arthas had a lot of unsettling moments that worked well, but without some sweetness to balance them out, it serves to make him a creepier character than he was supposed to be at those particular moments in the story. ) As a result, their tragic ending loses a lot of the potential gravitas, because the actual relationship itself isn’t much to mourn. I try to fix that, both for the sake of the story I’m telling here and also to break more people’s hearts with Arthaina content than would otherwise be broken. Suffer with me, fools!

     Additionally, I tend to tone down or restructure some of living!Arthas’ resentments and rivalries that either don’t make sense to me for his story, or are just... boring. Kael’thas, for instance, I expound upon here and here. But basically --- no reason for resentment there on Arthas’ part, and when he brings up the fake love triangle stuff when he’s a death knight, that’s just to be an asshole.

15. What plots/interactions leave you feeling protective of your muse?

     Oh man. Not a lot. This guy sucks so much.

     This is less plots and more a rant at the meta, but I’m probably most protective of his legitimacy as a threat. It’s been a trend ever since the end of WotLK to turn him into the butt of the joke, both in fandom and in B.lizzard creations. So many of the HotS trailers have him getting his ass kicked. So many people in WoW call him an ignorant child, a wasteful Lich King, and now I’m hearing that he was just a pawn for the Jailor. The Hearthstone comics for Knights of the Frozen Throne claim that Jaina ascended as the Lich Queen, defeating him and leaving him to rot in the snow. Even her Frost Lich quote is to dunk on him for misusing the Scourge.

     None of these are really a problem to me. It’s funny seeing him get smacked around in HotS. The people who spit on his memory in WoW are wholly justified. And his actual lines in Hearthstone are really great and pretty in-character while still being very humorous. The video promotions they did with him absolutely delight me.

     But there’s nothing to counterbalance it all. He’s very consistently being turned into a toothless laughingstock in a way that the other Big Bads of Warcraft aren’t, and we ( I say we as though I’m not the only one complaining about this lmao ) aren’t getting any new material to remind us that he was incredibly dangerous. Not just because he had godlike power, or an empire of the dead, or a great big bloody sword --- he was dangerous because Arthas was a brilliant general and a masterclass fighter, a clever manipulator, and keenly aware of what it takes to turn a good man bad. It wasn’t a fluke that he almost destroyed the world, it was a fluke that he didn’t. 

     And I just, you know! Want more recognition of that! Sometimes!

[amicicidalgambler]

you know what fuck it kitty did it so i have an excuse and im sick so i need something mindless to do

1: Do you have a crush at the moment? not really nah.

2: Have you ever been deeply in love? just with nadaya :3c

3: Longest relationship you’ve ever been in? id be willing to say its nad

4: Have you ever changed for someone? yyyyyyyes? shes willing to fake things she doesnt feel and play up certain parts of her personality for a relationship

5: How is your relationship with your ex? theyre all dead jim. except eridan and kanaya and she hasnt talked to kan and her relationship with eridan is Awkward

6: Have you ever been cheated on? as far as she knows no, but for the npc relationships its possible?

7: Have you ever cheated? nah

8: Would you date someone who’s well known for cheating? yeah, she doesnt really care

9: What’s the most important part of a relationship? having fun but like. said in a way that sounds like she has no fucking idea what another answer would be

10: Do you like to be in serious relationships or just flings? flings? she likes short barely committed relationships.

11: When you are dating someone do you believe in going on “breaks”? shed be okay with it. more than okay with it even. so okay with it that actually she doesnt care you can leave for a while and shell barely notice.

12: How many people have you ever hooked up with? i guess the drone thing kinda counts but none

13: What’s one thing you regret saying/doing in a previous relationship? she feels like she was a tad harsh with eridan but otherwise i cant think of anything

16: Do you believe in “love at first sight”? yes? she feels like if you meet someone and youre meant to keep talking to them youll Know

17: Do you believe it’s possible to fall in love on the internet? yeah dude

18: What do you consider a deal breaker? either not being interesting enough or outright hurting her

19: How do you know it’s time to end a relationship? vris gives up as soon as she starts feeling too bored with them, but thats the only way shes done it so otherwise she has no fuckening clue 

20: Are you currently in a relationship? ya

21: Do you think people who have dated can stay friends? when theyre not dead yes

22: Do you think people should date their friends? sure

23: How many relationships have you had? 3 since this blog started, 2 from canon, and ive fleshed out 2 of the npc relationships so that would be 7? ye

24: Do you think love can last forever? for other people yes. for her not so much.

25: Do you believe love can conquer all things? no.

27: If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about dating what would it be? the first thing that came to mind was “May8e don’t.”

28: Do you think long distance relationships can work? its kind of hard for trolls with instant transportation to do the whole ldr thing for real.

29: What do you notice first about another person? how their brain feels to her powers

30: Are you straight, bi, gay or pansexual? bi/pan and grey-aro

31: Would it bother you if your partner suffered from any mental illness? ehhhhhhh. depending on what it is it could work but dont expect her to be that helpful.

33: Do you want to get married one day? shes not really familiar with marriage but the idea of actually committing like that usually freaks her out.

34: What do you think about getting your partner’s name tattooed? n ah she doesnt even like regular tattoos

35: Could you be in a relationship without sex? she prefers it that way

36: Are you still a virgin? no but only because drones

37: What’s more important: Looks or personality? personality?

38: Do you enjoy love films? there has to be something else violent going on in the plot also but sometimes

39: Have you ever given anyone/received roses? probably has received them, probably hasnt given them

40: Have you ever had a valentine? ppprprprprprprprobably not

41: What’s your imagination of a “perfect date”? a murder date. really though shes not super picky as long as its fun and not too crowded

43: What’s more important: Your partner or your friends? mmm. she feels like your partner is supposed to be a little more important than your friends but in practice its p even for her.

44: Would you consider yourself “romantic”? half of the time yes. the other half she feels like shes Not Meant for relationships.

45: Could you imagine to date one of your current friends? yes but im not saying which one aha

48: What’s your favorite love song? meant to be yours from the heathers musical, my love wont wait by two gallants, and true love by thoushaltnot are all the ones that show up on her trntbl more than once. but im also going to add the squeaky wheel by the dear hunter

49: Have you ever broken someone’s heart? im pretty sure most of them were too busy bleeding out to be heartbroken

50: If you’re single, why do you think you are? shes single in pale because she doesnt really want a moirail? she doesnt see much reason to since she has nadaya and doesnt see her being as comfortable as someone else. then in pitch she has kind of weird needs and its hard to meet them.

51: Would you rather date someone who’s rich but a douchebag or someone who’s poor but a nice guy? like 90% of the people shes dated have been rich douchebags. also she is a rich douchebags. thats just kind of who she usually gets along with.

52: Are you good at giving other people advices regarding dating/ relationships? a broke clock is right twice a day

53: Are you jealous of couples when you’re single? ssssssssort of. she kind of flips between being repulsed by seeing other couples and being jealous

54: How important is it to make a relationship official (p.e. on facebook)? having other people know shes together with someone is important to her but there doesnt need to be any spectacle to it yknow

55: Would you consider yourself “clingy”, “overly attached” or “jealous”? vriska can get really fucking jealous in the wrong circumstances. like “i want to kill your other mates” jealous. shes not super clingy though she can only talk to her mate once every couple of weeks and be fine. it can be better for her that way sometimes tbh like with mak rn.

56: Have you ever “destroyed” a relationship? yes

58: Are you the “dominant” or the “submissive” part in a relationship? shes like the non-sexual equivalent of a power bottom Or Something. she wants control of whats happening but is more submissive Or Something.

59: Have you ever forgotten important dates like your partner’s birthday or your anniversary? she never forgets but it doesnt always last long enough for that kind of thing to come up lmao

60: What’s your opinion on open relationships? she doesnt have anything against them but theyre very much not for her. shes way way to jealous to share a quad with someone and doesnt feel any need to take more than one mate in a quad, and isnt big on non-quad romance

64: Do you think Valentine’s Day is overrated? yes she does

65: Would you consider yourself a “cuddler”? SHE REALLY REALLY IS BUT WONT ADMIT TO IT