#OUR TURMERIC

[365-spicery]

Flavorful Best Spices in India and How to Use Them

Indian food is famous for its tasty flavors, mainly because of the many spices it uses. These best Indian spices give Indian dishes their unique taste and make them really delicious. From the warm taste of cumin to the spicy kick of red chilli, Indian spices make food more interesting.

[starscreamingg]

WHEN YOU PUT SPICES ON FOOD????

[modernmutiny]

Sometimes I make very........questionable decisions

[moonstruckme]

Doctor!remus being in the very early stages of having a cold but not noticing! You pick up on it before he does he’s just like “I did not see this coming.”

Thank you for requesting! Sorry I held onto it forever and then when I did finally write only this little baby blurb came out (but it's our baby anon and I will love it just as much as its siblings)

doctor!Remus x fem!reader ♡ 393 words

You only started counting a little bit ago, but Remus has sniffled five times in as many minutes.

He’s completely engrossed in his book, and so you feel at liberty to study him. He looks a bit tired, though that’s to be expected. He’s been overwhelmed by cases of the flu for a couple of weeks now, and though Remus handles the excess of appointments in a calm, methodical fashion, it would wear on anyone. There are grayish half moons under both of his eyes. His lids droop as if even the book he’s been obsessed with for the last couple of days isn’t enough to keep him alert. But the planes of his face are smooth and relaxed, that seemingly ever-present puckering of his brows softened. He’s munching absently on chocolate, breaking little pieces off the bar and then licking his fingers clean before touching the pages again. The tip of his nose, just the underside, is tinged pink. You wonder if he’s even noticed how often he’s been rubbing it. 

Slowly, almost sneakily, your boyfriend’s eyes slide to you. “What?” 

���I thought nothing could distract you from your reading.” 

“You can. What, do I have chocolate on my face?”

“No.” You smile at him, sitting up on your knees to press a hand to his cheek. Remus returns your smile, bemused but content as he leans into the touch. When your hand moves up to his forehead, though, his eyes narrow.

“Are you planning to clue me in to what you’re doing?” 

You hum, stroking your thumb over his hairline before dropping your hand. He doesn’t feel warm to you. “I think you’re coming down with something,” you tell him. 

Remus’ eyebrows rise. “Really? Don’t you think I would know?” 

“I think you’re bullheaded.” You grin at him, worse when his own eyes spark with amusement. “And also that your throat sounds a little sore.” 

It’s true, and you see Remus realize it for himself. The little bob of his adam’s apple as he tests how congested he is. 

“Shit,” he sighs. 

You kiss him ruefully on the cheek, standing. “I’ll make you some of that turmeric ginger tea, okay?” 

Your boyfriend’s nose wrinkles. “I hate that stuff. It’s terrible.” 

“You always make me drink it when I’m sick!”

“I know,” he grumbles, slouching back over his book. “I’m the worst.” 

[russo-woso]

Hot shots | Mary Earps x Russo!reader

Warning vomiting, think that’s it

“Mary, you’re not actually gonna make us do it are you?” You asked your fiancé, Mary, as you sat down on her bed with your sister and Maya.

“Of course I am, babe. It’s good for us.” Mary explained and you shook your head at her.

“I can’t believe this. I hate you. I really do.” You said, lying through your teeth.

How could you ever hate Mary? How could anyone hate Mary?

“That’s a lie!” Mary exclaimed, as she set up her phone.

“I know. I could never hate you.” You told her, resting a hand on her back once she’d sat down next to you.

She threw her arm over your shoulder and pressed a kiss to your lips.

“Stop it.” Alessia complained, pushing you off Mary. “You two can’t go one minute without your lips touching! It’s disgusting.”

“Less, let me kiss my girl.” Mary told her, reconnecting her lips with yours.

“Your girl is also my sister and I don’t like it when you eat her face off. As much as I hate her sometimes, I would still quite like it if she had a face.”

Instead of obeying to Alessia, you and Mary looked at her before reconnecting your lips.

“My god, you two are like teenagers! You can’t go a minutes without your lips on each others.” Alessia exclaimed, diving in the middle of you both to disconnect your lips.

“Fine, fine, let’s just start the video.” You said, much to Mary’s dismay, who wanted another kiss. “You’ve got all night to kiss me.” You whispered in her ear and a smile appeared on her face.

Mary leaned forward to start the video and you nearly fell off the bed, sending Maya into a fit of laughter.

As Mary sat back on the bed, Maya still laughing, she wrapped her arms around all three of you and began talking to her phone.

“Right. Hello, everyone. We’ve got a challenge for me, Maya, Alessia, and my gorgeous fiance, Y/N, today.” Mary began, introducing you all.

“You just had to get that in, didn’t you?” You asked her, rolling your eyes.

“Of course I did, everyone needs to know that you’re mine. Anyway, It’s a weird one today. Hot shots, like the hot shots we are.” Mary continued, and started to open the packaging, handing you each one bottle.

“What’s in them?” Alessia questioned, curiously looking at the bottle.

“Why don’t you do a presentation?” Mary suggested.

“Have you kept them in the fridge?” Alessia asked, laughing as she shook her bottle.

“She has. They’ve been taking up our whole mini fridge.” You said, shaking your head at Mary.

“Orange, lemon, ginger, turmeric, and cayenne.” Alessia called out, naming the ingredients in it.

After a conversation about how to say turmeric, it was time to try them.

“Right, rumour on the street has it, it’s got to be down in one.” Mary told us

“Mary, that’s too big to do it in one. Look, it’s 100mls.” You pointed out the obvious, turning your bottle to show her.

“I can smell that from here.” Maya said, smelling the strong scent from Mary’s bottle.

“You can’t say that because Alessia eats with her nose cause she’s a weirdo. She’s done it since she was little. I mean, who eats with their nose?” You said, purposefully trying to wind your sister up.

“Shut up, Y/N, it’s not my fault.” Alessia whined, nudging her shoulder, roughly, with hers.

“Right girls, to good health. Down the hatch.”

You all clinked bottles with one another before preparing to drink it.

“I’m not doing it all in one.” Alessia stated, you nodding in agreement.

“No, we’ve got to go for it. You both got to do at least half.” Mary compromised and you and Alessia nodded, agreeing to do at least half.

“You just need to keep swallowing.” Maya suggested and you took a deep breath, preparing for the vile taste to take over your mouth.

“3, 2, 1, go.” Mary counted down and one she finished, you all started drinking it.

You took one sip, before sprinting off to the bathroom, spitting it out.

You heard Maya and Alessia laughing as you rinsed your mouth out with water.

Mary quickly followed you, making sure you were okay.

Once you’d washed your mouth, you made your way back out and into the room.

“That was fucking vile.” You exclaimed and sat on the bed. “How did you finish yours? I’d be sick if I had anymore.” You asked Maya and your fiance as you noticed their empty bottles.

Alessia on the other hand, had a half full bottle in her hand, clearly only having a sip or two missing from it.

“Do you want the rest of mine?” Alessia offered Mary and Maya, pulling a face in disgust.

“Come on, baby, can you not just have another sip?” Mary asked you, and you shook your head straight away.

“I’m gonna be sick if I have anymore. That was the worst thing I’ve ever drank.” You stated and Mary laughed before resting a hand on your lower back, rubbing it in circles.

“Come on, Less, you’ve got to finish it.” Mary encouraged Alessia, whose jaw had fallen to the floor.

“So I have to finish mine, but as soon as Y/N says she can’t finish hers it’s okay?” Alessia asked, and Mary nodded.

“Of course, I’m not having a sick girlfriend.” Mary said and you nuzzled your head on her shoulder, smirking cheekily at Alessia.

“This is so unfair.”

“You alright there, Maya?” You asked the young girl who was searching frantically for a drink.

“Maya, tell the camera what you think.” Mary suggested and Maya sat down on the bed.

“It went up my nose when I started laughing. Because your…” Maya made a gulping sound which made you giggle. “…was really loud.”

“My gulp?” Mary fell back in laughter, pulling you down with her. “I quite liked it. I didn’t find it spicy.”

“I can feel it in my throat.” You told them and Alessia hummed in agreement.

“I can too. Like just there.” Alessia agreed, pointing to her throat.

“That wasn’t bad.” Maya stated as you clapped your hands in front of Alessia’s face, startling her because she was completely zoned out.

Alessia punched your arm, and you whimpered in pain, gathering Mary’s attention.

“Alessia, don’t punch her.” Mary lectured less as you run your arm in pain.

“She started it.” Alessia fired back, sending you glares. If looks could kill, you’d be on the floor dead.

“I thought that was quite easy. Challenge complete, no? I think you two failed because you haven’t finished yours. Clearly russos aren’t good with hot shots. It’s a good thing you’ll be an Earps soon.” Mary changed the subject otherwise you and Alessia would have kept arguing.

“I can’t wait to be an Earps.” You whispered, mainly to Mary as she looked down at you smiling before pressing your lips on hers.

As much as you loved kissing Mary, it being one of your favourite things to do, this time was different.

All you could taste was the drink on Mary’s lips and tongue.

“I’m gonna throw up.” You managed to get out as you ran to the bathroom once more, throwing your head in the toilet.

Mary came and rubbed your back, comforting you.

“Fuck. I’m never having one of them again.” You told Mary as you leant your back against the wall.

“You alright, sis?” Alessia asked, genuinely concerned, a whole juxtaposition to how she normally is.

“Yeah, I’m alright. I’m traumatised of kissing Mary again now.” You said, lying a bit just to see Mary’s reaction.

“What? You don’t want to kiss me again? Nope. I’m not having that.” Mary panicked, immediately grabbing her toothbrush and toothpaste to wash her mouth.

“Baby, I’m joking. Calm down.” You rested a hand on Mary’s cheek, rubbing it.

“I really want to kiss you.” Mary announced and you sent her a sympathetic smile.

“Brush your teeth and then you can.”

“Oh my god. You’ve just kissed her and now you want to kiss her again. I swear to god, you’re gonna have no face by the time you get married. Do you know what? I’m gonna go call Luca. At least he’ll talk to me without someone kissing him, unlike you. I’m his favourite sister as well so I know he’ll pick up.” Alessia said, grabbing her phone and began to walk out.

“Less?” You called out and she turned to face you. “Sorry to tell you but Luca’s told me I’m his favourite.”

“Go away, Y/N.” Alessia snapped, slamming the door behind her.

Mary had erratically brushed her teeth, immediately bringing you in for a passionate kiss as soon as she had finished.

Her hands roamed your body and landed on the hem of your shirt playing with it before sliding up and over your head, your lips parting for a second before connecting again.

Mary picked you up, your legs wrapping round her hips as she attacked your neck, light moans leaving your lips.

She began walking into the bedroom but your body tensed as you looked at it.

Mary felt your body tense up and stopped kissing your neck to look up at you.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Mary asked, her eyes following your gaze as hers widened.

Maya was laid on the bed, watching tv with a smile on her face, knowing exactly what she was doing.

“Maya, you fucking cockblock!”

[warriorbookworm]

All right. I'm snapping.

To everyone who's saying shit like this, read the post below.

ONE DAY. JUST FOR ONCE. THINK BEYOND YOURSELF.

TO ALL THOSE CRYING ABOUT HINDUPHOBIA RIGHT NOW, ABOUT HOW NO ONE SPEAKS UP FOR YOU, THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WERE WHEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WANTED TO HAVE A PATENT ON TURMERIC. THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WERE WHEN SOMETHING LIKE YOGA WAS FETISHIZED COMMERCIALIZED AND SOLD TO FOREIGNERS BY OUR OWN PEOPLE. THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WERE WHEN ISRAEL INSULTED HINDUS BY CALLING YOU "idolaters" and "cow piss drinkers"

Thik hai.

Woh to Chhodo.

Where were you ten years ago?

Did you even talk about this before 2014, or like. Did something happen after that? Like. Are you getting what I'm saying here?

Thik hai.

Woh BHI chhodo.

The hindus who are truly oppressed today are the ones who aren't from a dominant caste. Are you really speaking up for the oppressed castes, working to end casteism in society? Or do you close your eyes to that?

Thik hai.

woh jara side mein rakhte hai.

Ask yourself, do you really care about hindus, or do you just want to drag others down and drag attention away from this issue? Do you really feel that hindus are oppressed, or do you just want attention? Oh you poor baby.

Arre bhai, sawaal jara kathin tha kya?

Thik hai.

Woh bhi chhodo.

DO YOU NOT HAVE AN OUNCE OF HUMANITY IN YOU? IMAGINE IF your loved one died, but you had to film them to make the world even think about you as humans. Imagine that the world is putting on a show to make everyone forget about you. And if someone told you that you had a chance to fight back, wouldn't you?

I'm sure y'all understand, since you are also "victims of a genocide" according to you, right? RIGHT??

Think before you post. "Why am I doing this?

[luckshmi]

Retrograde Planets in your Birth Chart

In Vedic astrology, retrograde planets in a natal chart carry deep significance and unique implications. A planet is deemed retrograde when it appears to move backward in the sky from Earth's perspective. This apparent reversal can alter the planet's energy, leading it to express itself differently than it would when moving direct. Retrograde planets often highlight areas in our lives where we have unresolved issues from past lives or where we need to focus more intently in this life. Understanding the benefits and challenges of retrograde planets can offer profound insights into your life's journey.

Mercury

Having Mercury retrograde in your birth chart means you process information and communicate in a unique way. You possess deep insights, particularly when it comes to introspection and understanding complex ideas. This can lead to innovative solutions and profound personal insights. However, communication can sometimes be tricky. You might find that others misunderstand you or that you have to work harder to express your thoughts clearly. Issues with technology or travel plans may also arise more frequently. To manage this, practice mindfulness and patience in your communication. Double-check important messages and take your time to articulate your thoughts. You can also calm your mind with Brahmi oil massages, an Ayurvedic practice that enhances clarity and cognitive function.

Venus

With Venus retrograde in your birth chart, you have a deep understanding of what you truly value in relationships and personal finances. This can lead to a stronger sense of self-worth and more meaningful connections. Your approach to beauty and aesthetics is unique and deeply personal. However, you might experience challenges in love and financial stability, feeling strain in relationships or difficulties with self-esteem. Focusing on self-love and healing past relationship wounds can be beneficial. Use Ayurvedic rose oil for self-massage to open your heart chakra and promote self-love, helping you attract healthier relationships and financial stability.

Mars

Mars retrograde in your natal chart endows you with inner strength and resilience. You can be strategic and thoughtful about how you use your energy and pursue your goals, making you a powerful force when you decide to act. However, there might be a sense of frustration or impatience, as it can feel like your efforts are often delayed or blocked. Channeling your energy into long-term projects and practicing patience can help. Regular physical activity, like yoga or Ayurveda-recommended exercises, can manage frustration and keep your energy balanced. Incorporating Ashwagandha supplements into your routine can also reduce stress and boost vitality.

Jupiter

Having Jupiter retrograde in your birth chart gives you a profound capacity for inner growth and spiritual wisdom. You’re likely to develop a strong set of beliefs and philosophies that guide you throughout life, making you wise beyond your years. However, external growth might feel slow, and opportunities for expansion could be limited, requiring you to work harder for your achievements. Focus on your inner journey and trust that external success will follow. Including turmeric in your diet promotes overall health and well-being, supporting both physical and spiritual growth.

Saturn

Saturn retrograde in your natal chart means you have a deep understanding of responsibility and discipline. This can help you build strong foundations in your life and deal with karma and past life issues effectively. However, you might feel increased pressure to revisit old fears and insecurities, and responsibilities could feel more burdensome. Embrace the opportunity to strengthen your foundations. Practice grounding techniques, like walking barefoot on grass, and use Ayurvedic grounding oils like sandalwood to help you stay balanced and focused.

Retrograde planets in your natal chart bring both challenges and unique strengths. Embrace the lessons they offer, and use these insights to grow and transform. By incorporating Ayurvedic practices, you can balance these energies and navigate their influences with greater ease. Remember, each retrograde planet offers an opportunity for profound personal growth and a deeper understanding of your life’s journey.

[skylarkspinner]

fiber art adventures in egypt

I recently got back from a trip to Egypt & finally got around to organizing some pictures to share. One of the things I was most excited about was seeing what I could find on fiber arts and textiles.

Dropping everything under a read more, 'cause this will be a long post haha

first visit: the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC)

At the time of visiting, they had a special textiles exhibit. It covered Pharonic Egypt all the way up to modern times, although I only had time to check out the dynastic & a bit of the Coptic portion of the exhibit (which was what I was really hoping to see anyways)

Was super excited to see this diorama in person. I knew about it but had never seen good pictures of it. From the little I've seen of ancient Egyptian spinning, spinning with two spindles seems to be the norm rather than a master technique? It also shows up in tomb art, which the exhibit also shared:

They also used a different fiber preparation (splicing to create a rove of fiber, no traditional drafting to my understanding) so that probably made a difference? Regardless I really want to see if I can replicate the technique, especially because their spindles look so similar to modern spindles??

I took so many pictures of spindles, guys, and I fully intend to either have a few replicas made or to learn to make some myself. Also, although they were unlabeled... I'm pretty sure those are beaters for weaving? That was a bit of a trend with this trip, so much stuff was unlabeled :( I would've killed to at least get some date estimates for some of the stuff they had on display. I was nerding out in here though, and my family took a few pictures of how excited I was getting. A bit embarrassing, but eh haha

The exhibit also had a section on natural dyes used with a fun visual;

There was several diagrams specifically describing each dye source, but in the interest of not overloading on pictures I'll just list them out. For blues; woad, Yellows; turmeric, safflower, saffron, or yellow ochre; reds; madder, henna, pomegranate, and kermes. I originally thought kermes was another way to say cochineal, but it only seems to be distantly related.

next visit: Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center

A small art center dedicated to hand-weaving wool and cotton tapestries. All of their work was museum quality & awe inspiring!!

Was even invited to their back rooms to watch a few of their weavers working; no I don't have room to put a room-sized loom anywhere but heck do I want one now

Our guide that took us through talked a bit about the natural dyes they use (all of their dyes are dyed in house with what they grow in their dye garden!!!) and got excited to hear I was also interested in natural dyes! He seemed a bit disappointed I'd never worked with indigo and. while indigo scares me, I'll take it as a sign that maybe I should try some time this year haha.

final visit; the Egyptian Museum

we really had to rush through this one which was a huge shame because it's packed full of artifacts. Also, the lighting in there is atrocious, so apologies for the not great pictures ahead.

They had a fascinating display of textile tools, more than what the NMEC had;

(Hand for size reference) I want all of these spindles! So badly! But a few of them look so much like a few of the spindles I own already?? A few of them had a spiraling notch, that's so cool? But also, what's going on with the one with two whorls? I have no idea. I'm fascinated.

Look at these whorls!! Although again, I'm a bit confused; the lack of labeling strikes again. Unsure why some of these "whorls" have two holes, or what the metal object with the wooden handle is. The display implies sewing needles, and some of them do look like it, but others.... really don't look like sewing needles. I'm absolutely enchanted by this little whorl though. I think it has birds on it?

More objects that I'm baffled by- the signage doesn't really indicate what some of this stuff is, if it's even known. Also confused by the object wrapped in white string in the right pic; it looks like a distaff but to the best of my knowledge the (ancient at least) Egyptians didn't use distaffs. It probably popped up in later times and was put in this display since it was still relevant, but I'm still not sure.

I have so many more pictures & thoughts but I'll save those for more specific future projects. I've been doing research outside this trip on ancient Egyptian spinning techniques and desperately want to go deeper into that, this trip just solidified how excited it makes me. If you made it all the way through this, many thanks for reading!

Bonus; look at this ancient linen 🥺

[ms-demeanor]

You seem like a good sort of person to ask; how does one go about building up a good spice rack? Not only just having the spices, but knowing what they are and how to use them, when and in what quantities, and developing a wider spice palette in general? I grew up in white suburbia and my mother has no idea how to use anything other than salt and ground black pepper, and I want to start making my foods more flavorful. I am tired of utterly flavorless dry roast pork! But I have no idea where to begin lol.

I'd say to start by trying a lot of foods that use a lot of different spice profiles and seeing what you like. If you like Thai food, look into Thai spices and try cooking a few recipes. If you like Indian food, try Indian recipes. If you don't know if you like a particular kind of food, go out and try it and see if you do.

I think the best way to build up your spice rack is to do so slowly over time as you familiarize yourself with different flavors. Don't go out and buy a ton of stuff, go out and buy cumin and make a rice recipe that calls for cumin and see if you like it, then next time maybe add another spice like cayenne pepper to the recipe and see if you like it.

Spices can be really expensive, but they can also be really cheap if you're looking in the right places. Try to avoid the shiny organic spice jars, and see if there are packets of spices in the various "ethnic" food sections of your grocery store (in California it's pretty common to have a Mexican food section and an Asian food section in the store and you'll often find stuff like a packet of cumin for 70 cents that's got the same amount of spice as the organic jar that costs five bucks in the spice aisle).

Once you've got some basics down, start branching out and seeing if you've got any good markets nearby that have more unusual spices. Large Bastard and I get most of our bulk spices from a Middle Eastern market around the corner from our house or at an Indian market a few miles away because it's WAY cheaper to get allspice or turmeric or garam masala from those stores than it would be from the grocery store.

And if you're starting at the basic-basics, like how to season a simple pork roast, check recipe blogs. Find different bloggers and test their recipes until you find someone you trust, then follow their recipes. One good place to start is with Chef John and Food Wishes - he has a wide variety of cuisines that use a lot of different spices and has recipes that range from very simple to very complex.

Large Bastard really likes Food Wishes and trying recipes from Chef John - he cooks less than I do and has less of a sense of what to add to a pot to get something to taste the way he wants it to, but he's gotten very good at taking Food Wishes recipes and tweaking them or adjusting them and figuring out how to mix and match flavors.

Just cooking - finding a recipe that looks interesting and following it - is a really good way to get better at this kind of thing.

That's actually one of the reasons that I think meal kit boxes like blue apron can be worth it for people who want to learn how to cook - they give you recipes you wouldn't have thought to look for and provide small amounts of the required ingredients so you can sample them and figure out if you like them. My dad and sister got blue apron for like two years and it has significantly improved their cooking skills and ability to mix and match flavors.

It just takes time and money and trial and error. Easy, right? (It isn't, but there's also no way to make it faster other than doing more experiments. Thankfully there are ways to make it cheaper, and yeah looking at local specialty markets is a good way to save on spices)

[youngchronicpain]

so um what special meal or project are you making this week? what are we all spending our spoons on??

this week I'm going to try to make a ginger bug and a turmeric bug because I want to make homemade soda and fermentation is very interesting to me!!

I'm also going to get more plants into the garden. I have so many seedlings started. cucumbers, peas, beans, peppers, tomatoes, radishes, cabbages, broccoli, dill, cilantro, basil, snapdragons, zinnias, etc. the list goes on! all from seed. I am very proud of myself. I just hope the chickens don't eat everything.

[reality-detective]

A natural antibiotic is made with only four ingredients that have incredible benefits for our bodies!

Ingredients used: 👇

Half a cup of honey

1 tsp of ground turmeric

1/2 tsp of ginger

1 tsp of vanilla

This doesn't make much in this recipe, use organic non-gmo ingredients so you can to get the maximum benefits 🤔

[napakmahal]

Anon because I feel like I’m about to say smth cringe lol but how about a fic with a (possibly Psych major) reader that’s got a holistic view of the world with Tadashi? Would be interesting to see what that information brings concerning Baymax’s plan of care and how a relationship would form with Tadashi like dat ya dig

Idk mostly inspired by Natalia Lafourcade’s song María La Curandera (it’s in Spanish, you’ll have to search up the translation if you’re curious!) also growing up in an immigrant household with care alternatives to things maybe a doctor would not take seriously/ not being able to connect with a patient due to beliefs and or language barriers.

Can I just you’re actually so real for this. This is NOT cringe pookie okay. First of all, love my psych classes but also second of all my family is so holistic. We’re from the Philippines and the hospital is reserved special for if you’re dying. (Btw that’s bad, go to the doctors please)

You don’t fight with your boyfriend…like ever. You don’t like fighting and he thinks fighting i childish. But that’s not to say you two agree on everything. Exhibit A:

“At least with my remedies I know I won’t be overdosing on cough syrup.”

“Baby, with all due respect I’m not using herbs to get rid of a respiratory infection.”

Another thing, you love Baymax. You really do. You were there to help build him, he knows you personally but he has nothing to do with your health. And that irritated Tadashi to no end. Flu season had come around and it seemed like everyone was getting sick. Including you. The basic fever, cough, headaches, and disgusting amounts of phlegm hacking out of your throat. Yet, you denied any help from your boyfriend’s healthcare robot.

It made him upset because you could get better so much faster if you let him use his extensive medical knowledge on you, and yet you still said no. But nothing about your ideologies had created such tension until recently. When he caught you doing something he deemed unfathomable.

Almost a week into you being sick, he’d seen you chopping onions late into the night after making his lemon tea.

“What are you doing?” Tadashi looked over at you after coughing up a chunk of bloody phlegm from his own throat.

You sniffed, clearly congested. “Cutting onions.”

“For what?”

“My socks.”

“I’m sorry?”

Surely he must have misheard you. You and him had been together for years and he knew all about your home remedies. There was a stained food processor in your house from when he had joint pain in his wrist and you had him eat turmeric paste. When Hiro had unknowingly given him stomach flu you went out and bought efficascent oil and rubbed it on his stomach. He’s seen you gargle salt water, chew on peppermint, put baking soda on bee stings, eat raw garlic, and drink cranberry juice for your menstrual problems but that one took the cake.

“Do you want some?” You’d asked it so innocently but your tone could have changed if you’d seen the look of utter disbelief on his face.

The both of you had been sick for a week in an endless cycle of eating strawberries, and oranges, taking magnesium, and eating spoonfuls of grainy raw honey. All of that to him seemed fine. Even he understood to a certain extent you couldn’t just take medicine all the time. But when he offered to buy cough syrup, ibuprofen for throat pain, Tylenol for cough headaches, and other flu medications you shut it down. He was free to take all of those things to make himself feel better and he swore it did.

But you were in so much pain and it seemed like whatever you were doing wasn’t helping. Just that morning, Tadashi rubbed your back while you had a 10-minute coughing fit that was so bad there were streaks of blood in your spit. You’d cried when a pounding headache hadn’t left and he felt so helpless knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

Tadashi stuttered. “W-Why are we cutting onions for our socks?”

“You put them in your socks and then you sleep with them on, my mom swears by it. But if you have like sensory problems that’s okay, you don’t have to.”

“Baby don’t you think- maybe you should just take something for it?”

You scoffed because you already knew where this was going. “You’re not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny. It’s just you’re so sick.” His voice dripped with concern.

Just as he’d said it you dug your face into your elbow and started coughing. The loud, raspy, crunchy kind of cough. Almost like the universe was on his side. Then came the cough headaches. The one thing you had allowed Baymax to scan you for and nothing else. A build-up of pressure from consistent coughing and sneezing in your head could cause pounding headaches.

The second he saw the grimace on your face, Tadashi jumped up from his study table and ran over to you. Pulling you in for a hug and gently pushing his fingers through your head. But that was also the time he decided he couldn’t take this anymore. His girl was in pain and crying over a sickness he could use his brain and his bot to figure out how to cure.

“I can’t take this anymore.” He confessed still holding you. “Please, will you let me give you a Tylenol?”

“T, no.”

“Why not? It’s so obvious you’re hurting. I know you don’t like taking medicine. I get that, but you just aren’t getting any better.”

You gently lifted your head off Tadashi’s chest and looked up at him. “So are you and you’ve been taking medicine.”

“But I feel like I’m getting better.”

“Hunny, you threw up an hour ago.” You deadpanned.

He racked his brain for a positive way to spin the horrible retching experience. “O-okay but that’s-um, that’s the body’s way of making itself feel better.”

You two were going in circles. But Tadashi was not backing down. He was adamant that you get better if it was the last thing he did and you knew it. Last year Hiro got sick with a particularly horrible kidney infection. So bad that when he’d tried to walk to the restroom he collapsed on the floor physically unable to move. After that none of your friends ever really saw Tadashi for almost two weeks. Right after school, he’d sprint home just to take care of him. That was his thing. Your boyfriend lived to take care of people.

Some people in the world don’t care about anything you’ve ever done and something you will do. Like doctors. Doctors don’t need to know how good or bad of a person your friends think you are in order to take care of you. Finding people like that is rare. Tadashi is one of those people.

And you, one of the people he loved and cared for most in the entire world wouldn’t let his extensive knowledge on healthcare help you feel better. And no matter how many times you reassured him, he couldn’t help but feel like you being sick was his fault.

“How about this,” He suggested, moving his hand from your head to your face. “I will do your onion-sock thing if you let me give you cough syrup. Just one spoonful and then we’ll drop it. Sound fair?”

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as you slowly nodded your head. Out of relief, you were going to let him do something about how you felt, Tadashi leaned down and kissed you right then and there. It was extremely counterproductive and he couldn’t have cared less.

That night, you let your boyfriend spoon artificial cherry-flavored Robitussin into your mouth. And he let you put loosely chopped pieces of white onion in his socks while he slept. For the record, neither of your immune systems ever really recovered in that one night. And yet-somehow, you woke up feeling the best you had in over a week.

[modernmutiny]

Sometimes I make very........questionable decisions

[thefirelookout]

Dead silence

This post is an attempt to share or let out some of my complex feelings about the situation in Bangladesh.

We went to our city's protest yesterday. It was a silent, peaceful protest. The Bangladeshi student community here in Kingston stood in a human chain with placards. "Save Bangladesh student", yes grammatically wrong, yes, it assumes that young revolutionaries need saving, so on and so forth. The protest started and ended quietly. My non-Bangladeshi friends were a bit confused, since they're used to chanty protests for Palestine, or union picket lines with cars passing by, honking in support. There was more noise even for the Iranian protests, Zan Zendegi Azadi. The silence of a graveyard in this one, though.

Who cares about little old Bangladesh? I sometimes wonder. We're not in the eye of the middle eastern storm like Syria, Lebanon or Palestine are. We're not strategically important, we don't even have many natural resources like Sudan or Congo do. The Prime Minister visited China recently to ask for an aid or a loan, and came back pretty much empty handed. China isn't very interested in us. India has gotten what it needed to get, and can milk more out of us, but they can do the same with Nepal or Bhutan too. We're never in the headlines, the US or the West in general isn't interested in us at all. And Pakistan denies that the 1971 genocide ever happened.

Which is why, the world isn't missing our voices due to the internet blackout.

The voices were all over my Facebook newsfeed. Aunties and apus on Facebook live selling sarees, jewelry, crafts, elderly boomers sharing gardening tips, quick fixes or herbal remedies that they swear by, people sharing posts about cricket or which cricketer's wife wore what, food bloggers calling every possible dish juicy (be it a burger or the meat in biriyani), celebrity drama, political drama to the extent of what was allowed back home. That sort of thing.

Now, again, there's the silence of a graveyard over here. And I feel like screaming till I snap my vocal cords. Can you all please come back? Please? The silence is unbearable! Please! I won't judge you if you sell your wares! Please! I won't judge if you think turmeric water can act as a miracle detox! Please, please I won't say a word if your post about your stupid cricket match! Just something, please say something! I haven't seen a single one of you online. Please don't die, please stay safe. When the internet comes back, please, post about your vacations and your pets. Not the dead, please, don't post about the bodies. I can take a bit of silence but not more bodies please!

Speaking of bodies. There was an armoured vehicle, painted navy blue in the colours of the police (fuck them). And there was a body on top of it. Dead, obviously, very dead, because it flopped down with the slightest nudge, and was left on the streets. Before that happened, the vehicle drove about as if parading its spoils of war, with the body on top. Sending a message. This will happen to you if you raise your voice.

That image has been haunting me for two nights now. So yeah, I'm not man enough to get some incisive political analysis out. I have no either or predictions for what happens if the regime falls or doesn't fall. My body feels numb, I've been binge eating because I still have food in the house and I won't be gunned down if I go out to get groceries now. My non-Bangladeshi friends, bless their first world hearts, have never had to live under fascism. Bless their hearts, have never had to stifle their voices to the extent that we've had to. Bless their beautiful hearts, could hardly pronounce Bangladesh. But they still showed up to that docile little protest because they care about my spouse and I. I can't even begin to thank them.

My insides are tearing up. I'm sitting with a poker face typing all this word vomit, but my insides are nothing but a scream. No clever realpolitik comes out of a heart that's screaming, because our mouths are sewn shut.

[allsadnshit]

Made lemon poppyseed pancakes with blueberry compote and breakfast sausages on the side + now I am brewing a hot fresh lemon turmeric tea with ginger, cayenne and black pepper

Wrote down this pancake recipe cause we have been obsessed with it in our house + honestly there's so many pancake recipes online I've used the last few years that totally failed and I feel like I've really perfected these! I <3 recipe writing and I am nervous and a little intimidated to be working on my next cookbook issue but I think that's good

[pawborough]

May 2024 Check In

Hello, all! 

Thank you for keeping up with our development! Let's jump right in on what we've been working on! 

We have received over 400 applications for Alpha testing. We are currently on track for a June start date, and we’ll divulge the gritty details of where we're at in development at the end of this update. 

However, we had mentioned a fauna present going to chosen volunteers in exchange for the requested labor. 

We wanted to give everyone a peak! Introducing… 

Nephrune 

Design and illustration by Hydde

Researchers are not certain if this legendary creature truly exists or if it is a fable-born myth, but folklore says the Nephrune slumbers underground among the earthen bounties. As the only natural creature made entirely of crystalline inorganics, legend has it that this mighty beast is the mother of all magics in Mewmoia. Its awakening would spell disaster.

It is worth mentioning once again that Alpha volunteering will not be the only way to obtain a Nephrune. We plan to have this fauna setup as an exclusive incentive for bug hunting and reporting (a bug bounty) in the future. We do not intend to permanently retire the beast, however it will be rare. 

New Icons 

Turmeric, Ink Jar, Lotus, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, and Oregano illustrated by Tybaxel

New Accessories 

We have continued accessory illustration! Last month, we previewed the fourth set of our catalog: 

The Woolen set! 

Illustration by Remmie

Alongside, we have continued working on backer accessories!

It has been our goal to develop several points of synergy in the aesthetics of our accessories. This includes backer accessories. As it turns out, several backer accessories worked together well enough to commit to one more set.

The Regal set! 

Illustration by Hydde

The Regal Crown and the Pheonix Mantle were both concepted and sponsored by SolsticeStar and Ralsha respectively. We've added to their concepts to create a versatile outfit! 

We also have further renders of the Kickstarter item:

Necromantic Cloak

Illustration by Hydde

Dynamic Accessorizing 

We wanted to take a moment to briefly talk about the dynamic layering we’ve implemented in accessories! 

We’ve implemented a system which allows the back of accessories to layer behind  accessories they're on top of. 

What this means: Socks will layer over the back hem of boots while remaining under the boot, items with back capes like the Necromantic Cloak can have poofy pants under them without clipping, wigs can be worn under hats or hoods without clipping the back brim, and the list goes on! 

It's a small QoL addition, but it makes layered outfits much easier to construct! 

Sol Site Theme

Daily Duties 

Next, take a look at our designs for play of the Territory Grounds section! 

NOTE: These are early concept mockups, and still need significant tweaking before final approval!

Performing a cat’s daily duty in your Territory is a consistent way for your camp to get item resources. 

Cats can participate in a number of different daily activities in order to gain different items. Hunting will gain items like the Common Mouse, while fishing will gain items like the Red Snapper. 

How well your cat does at a duty will depend on their statistics! In addition to playing the Guild, a cat which frequently does activities will raise their statistics. 

However, we wanted to make this process customizable and streamlined. 

Which is why we designed territory parties! You can create and save a party of cats with a certain territory activity, then send all the party cats on their daily duties at once. 

This way, if you really need meat items, you can choose to send all your cats hunting without painstakingly clicking several times. You can curate a consistent daily gain pool while at any time choosing to deviate from it! 

Parties are also versatile. Even if a cat has already been sent on a different duty, you may still send the party without that cat. 

This system will need testing to find any kinks or pain points, but our goal is to reduce the amount of clicking while still requiring some resource management strategy from the user! 

Map of Mewmoia

Above is the political map which presents Borough boundaries, however we also present a climate map, which outlines the conditions of each location: 

Map illustration by Hydde

Lore is finally something we can take some time to focus on. 

Refreshing and lengthening the writing found on our original prototype website is now being done. We have mockups for a better, interactive lore page! 

However, we must stress that this page does not take precedent over the game itself, so while we can communicate that its on our radar, we can't promise it before delivering on MVP mechanics. 

Speaking of lore… 

The Metropolis Logo

Illustration edits by Tybaxel The moon has now been better placed to represent the eyeshine, and a World Spire has been made front and center. This tower is sculpted to resemble a cat’s pupil, thus better fitting in with the other simplistic yet intentional visuals. 

The Metropolis will have its visuals updated on our demo website during our next improvement push!

Development Update

So where are we on development? 

Well, recently we wrapped up Alpha combat development. This includes movement, conditions, tile generation, NPC behaviors, item use, and combat abilities. 

Introducing Errands 

Take a peak at Errands, which is the Alpha version of the multiplayer Missions. 

Errands are smaller, short-term jobs that only one cat may go on. They take 1-3 minutes (VS. Missions taking 10-20 minutes) and will similarly have different objectives to accomplish.

Going on an errand will still gain you experience, items, currency, and help you raise the rank of your Team, but they are tailored towards casual play. While missions will be available for longer play-sessions, errands are for when you want to do something smaller!

Here you can see the method of browsing errands. Current errands can be refreshed via clearing all of them, re-checking the next day, or a premium instant refresh. Errands can also be clipped and saved for later if you don't want to start them immediately, but see one you're intrigued by! 

Dev Progress Check

Going forward, the big things we are currently working on, in order: 

Daily Duties 

Forums

Item Integration

Player to player trade; markets and currency

Dashboard Functionality 

Cooking / Crafting Functionality 

After which, all further features will be additional buffs to the loop and QoL features. Things such as a player and Team notebook to post and feature journal entries, aesthetic buffs to the scene builder (color tints on items, shadow tints, etc.), mobile QoL, the achievement badge system, a tagging system, and integrating multiplayer combat functionality. 

These additions are all things we hope to prioritize adding over the lifespan of our beta! 

Wahoo! Lots of good things! Everyone on the team is buzzing with excitement over how close we're getting to something fully playable. Thank you for being along for the ride!

To Summarize: We showed the Nephrune, new accessory sets and accessory dynamics, the Sol site theme, Territory Ground play, the Site Map, a new Metropolis logo, Errand setup, and the check-in for where we are in mechanic development. 

What to expect next month: Alpha functionality, further asset renderings, potential recolors, potential Moontail update!