#so i resorted to food that required no preparation as i often do

[goldensunset]

if you can regularly remember and motivate yourself to feed yourself healthy and filling meals you have a privilege that you may not quite comprehend

[nnnneeev]

(all) obey me characters with gn!mc who gets immersed in doing something that they forgot to eat their meal

Lucifer

"...good grief”

will constantly remind you to eat your meals. have you forgotten that you’re human?

gives you a stern lecture about the bad effects of skipping meals. i hope you learned your lesson now

if you still forget, he might just have to use his last resort..

that’s right, he’ll prepare you your meal himself. no you cannot reject it. he needs to witness you eating it with his own two eyes

Mammon

"what do you mean you forgot?”

a bit clueless but then he remembered that constantly skipping meals are bad for humans

what if you passed out from hunger??!

gives you cup noodles. well, it’s better than nothing!

you’re not allowed to complain. that’s all he's got right now. promises to treat you something better next time

Levi

"Well I haven’t eaten anything since morning.”

he knows the feeling. he’d also get immersed in gaming that he constantly loose track of the time

even though there’s snacks lying around his room..

maybe you can both share these rainbow pizza together?

cheers to the team ‘woops i forgot to eat again’

Satan

“Eating proper meals are vital for a human to survive.”

invites you to a cafe. you need to wind down for a bit and eat something

better late than eat nothing at all

suggests you to try the pomodoro method

makes you something to drink as well. it’s not much but aside from eating, you also need to stay hydrated

Asmo

"WHAT?! Oh no, hon. We’re going to hell’s kitchen RIGHT NOW!”

seriously? how could you forget? you’re not on a diet, are you?

nuh-uh. you’re not going to skip your meal. not on his watch

oh you often lose track of the time? how about he spoon feeds you instead? <3

skipping meals is bad for your skin, darling. make sure you don’t forget now, okay?

Beel

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

boy will make it his sworn duty to always remind you to eat

worries about you. he can’t even imagine what would it feel like to skip meals

will pick you up in your room every dinner time

he knows what you’re doing right now is important, but eating to replenish your strength is also important, y’know?

Belphie

“..is that so?”

will order something if you like. cooking is too bothersome

lets you do your own thing

but if you’re still constantly forgetting it, he’s gonna pull his youngest brother card on you

tries to catch your attention/clings on you like a koala. will not let you go until you come down to the dining hall with him

Diavolo

“Aren’t humans supposed to eat at least three times a day?”

ohhh so humans tend to forget something important like this, i see i see

Will ask barbatos to prepare you something. eat up!

proposes to do your works together. in that way, missing your meals would be impossible

reviews what the stuff you’re working on is all about (despite his tight schedule). maybe he can do something to lessen your workload

Barbatos

"Oh dear, that’s no good. You should take care of yourself more often.”

will cook for you, that’s a given

the food he made is nutritionally balanced; calculated to perfection to make up with the energy you lost

pairs it with tea. it will help you relax

keeps a mental note to himself about this habit of yours

Luke

"You should at least eat something, you know?!”

scolds you for not taking care of yourself

will deliver you cookies to snack on after you ate your meal

‘Solomon said that eating sugar gives you energy... so i prepared this for you!’

will also leave some cute motivational notes together with the sweets

Simeon

"You forgot...? I see. I’ll bring you something so stay put, okay?”

makes you his signature BLT sandwich

sandwiches are great snack when working on something that requires a lot of focus

he’s made sure to add extra servings of your favorite sides

leaves it on your table and will check on you from time to time 

Solomon

"Stay right there. I’ll whip something up for you real quick.” “Solomon, you really don’t have to...” “No, I insist. I promise you’re gonna like this.”

it’s a great opportunity for him to try this new and improved recipe of his

sorry it’s too late to stop him now. you’ll just have to prepare for the worst..

got too enthusiastic in cooking that he already blew the kitchen up three times

just.. ignore those explosions and focus on what you’re doing

Thirteen

"I have some leftovers here. Not sure if you’ll like it, but it’s still better than whatever that damned sorcerer has to offer”

your name’s not on the list so she’s not that worried that you’ll die from hunger

but you’re still human. aren’t you supposed to eat something at least?

there’s a shop that just opened recently. wanna go check it out? yea just forget whatever you were doing earlier. let’s have fun instead!

her treat since she’s the one who invited you to go with her

Raphael

"We have plenty of leftovers from last night. Solomon made it so I’m sure it tastes amazing.”

no? well, how about an apple?

will keep an eye on you from a distance

you were too focused that you didn’t even notice someone leaving snacks on your desk (or maybe it’s just because he’s too stealthy)

sometimes it’s a cupcake, oftentimes it’s an unidentified matter

Mephisto

“Are humans really this careless? Just what will Lord Diavolo say I let a human like you collapse from hunger?

mc think of what will happen to diavolo’s reputation if a human got sick because they’re not eating well

you’re not doing this on purpose, are you? ..no? are humans really like this?

brace yourself because you’re about to get the fanciest, most expensive-looking full-course meal you’ll ever get

prepared by his personal chef ofc. consider yourself lucky

[oxygenbefore1775]

hii! can i please get some warrior hcs about their cooking skills? thx in advance!

(also im in love with your hcs i mean why else would i ask you for some)

tysm for the ask, Im really flattered to read this - so, without further ado

AoT Warriors and their cooking skills

Annie

Annie can't be bothered to cook and consequently neglect her training

doesn't resort to less time-consuming options like instant noodles or fastfood - she hasn't fallen this low yet (also she needs nutrients to keep her body in-shape)

prefers to cook meals with minimum amount of steps and the ones that don't need supervision

overnight oats is her go-to meal, Annie has a year's supply of this stuff - adds an ungodly amount of protein powder while preparing it

when her partner comes over for a date, only then Annie prepares a perfect salad i.e. all vegetables in the salad are perfectly cut into pieces of identical size and shape

Bertholdt

cooking is not his cup of tea — treats cooking not as a hobby or a leisure activity but as a required skill to keep himself alive

cooks whenever he feels hungry so his portions are rather big and recipes he picks out are uninventive

but if Bertholdt is in a fancy mood, he might treat himself to an intricate meal that he would spend hours on

on the other hand, Bertholdt enjoys baking — every now and then he would bring baked goods to the office for other Warriors to enjoy

gets very anxious whether or not his sponge cakes or muffins are delicious enough so his cure-all is the loads of baking powder and sugar that he adds on top of the recipe

Colt

a perfect cook as long as he has a recipe to follow - the abscence of the recipe sends him into a panic mode

Colt is very thorough when it comes to ingridients and equipment, would go grocery shopping solely to buy the needed ingridients

but every now and then he would forget some minor thing and that would put a halt to the entire process: "Oh no, we've run out of parsley! Now I can't finish cooking the meal. Falco, could you please buy some parsley in the meantime? But be quick - it all depends on you whether or not we will be dining tonight"

bless him, Colt is simply unaware that recipes can be adjusted

Pieck

Pieck, on the other hand, doesn't let minor details of the recipe bother her - does the bare minimum required of her; for example if Pieck is making a pizza, she'd just cover a piece of dough with ketchup and some dried out cheese, bake it in an oven and call it a day

often forgets to add salt and pepper

is very resourceful but this resourcefulness can be extreme sometimes - one time when cooking she needed some lemon juice but didn't have any lemons, so Pieck diluted some citric acid in water and used this instead

doesn't like washing the dishes so opts for reusing pots and pans to the point when it gets gross and calls for cross-contamination

Porco

Porco doesn't cook - he performs

wants people to watch him cook and would use the flashiest cooking techniques (like setting the contents of a pan on fire with alcohol) even if they are not required and even if he is not skilled enough to use them

would get distracted often and leave pan/pot unattended

is a type of person who would increase the temperature in an oven so that the dish would cook faster

taking last two points into consideration, expect him to serve burnt food

Reiner

if Reiner cooks only for himself, he won't push his boundaries then - anything he has laying around in the apartment would do as nourishment

gets annoyed whenever he has to cook for somebody else because he will need to make an actual effort at cooking (but he will be damned if he doesn't feed those people)

watches over the pan/pot to prevent any food from being overcooked and taste-tests the food at each-stage

olive oil - even if it's not in the recipe Reiner would add olive oil - desserts are the only exception for him

Zeke

considers himself a good enough cook to buy himself an apron and a chef's hat

doesn't season his food at all - he can't be bothered to take into account the seasoning preferences of all people so Zeke just serves them a plain dish with seasonings on the side

sometimes delegates tasks to other Warriors - if Zeke is lucky enough, he can "prepare" a dish without lifting a finger because the others would do all the cooking in Zeke's stead

due to his cat-tongue Zeke can't taste-test his food while cooking so finds out the actual taste of the meal only through the feedback of the other people - until then the successfulness of Zeke's meal is pretty much a gamble

[awkwarddystopianwarlord]

Twenty-Five, Still Alive, Trying to Thrive

Being in my twenties is weird. I’m halfway through, at a quarter of a century now, and I’ve simultaneously grown so much spiritually whilst also deteriorating exponentially mentally and physically the last few years. People often talk about how wild and fun and self-discovering their twenties were and the pandemic absolutely fucked those important years up. Though it wasn’t just the world mildly ending that was responsible. My individual self got pretty fed up with me too. 

If I just reflect on the years where I’ve lived on my own in my quaint little murder building, I can see how much has changed. I’ve always felt like a child, a predominantly independent and responsible child, but a child nonetheless. Now though, I feel more and more like a toddler, crying and whining and useless. I used to cook proper meals for work. I would prep them for the week and spend about three hours in my galley kitchen making lunches and dinners. I used a cookbook and everything. When I worked two jobs during the weekdays, I did all my prep on Sunday. I cleaned my house and shopped for groceries and prepared my meals and did my laundry. I also had a little spa evening too where I would pamper myself after completing my chores and put on face masks and do my nails and smooth my feet with fancy foot scrubs. Then I eventually started working only four days a week and Monday became my prep day whilst Sunday became my rest day. After doing that for a while, it was hard to contemplate how I used to have only one day to do all my adult stuff. Once I was able to sleep in on Sundays, I gradually went from sleeping nine to ten hours all the way to seventeen when I was truly exhausted. In the winter, I wouldn’t see any sunlight on those days. I also used to bike to and from work except on the days I had dance classes. I don’t have the energy to do that anymore. 

I don’t have the energy to do a lot anymore. Even my Sunday spa nights don’t happen. As time went on, I started realizing that there was a lot more wrong with my body than I thought. I used to gaslight myself into thinking I was just being lazy or over dramatic or weak. I grew less and less able to do that though when the knee braces and the pain meds became a daily thing even though none worked for long. Once I got a nurse practitioner, I was really able to find out just how fucked my body and brain was. I wasn’t lazy looking back, I was burnt out. Now I only work three days a week, that’s predominantly to get disability, but still. I did have this work week in the past, with only six and a half hour shifts rather than eight and a half. It was after I quit one of my jobs, the one that started this blog. I just didn’t fill in the two empty slots with another second job and instead took a bit of a break with a more relaxed work schedule. Once my precious mall side opened up after COVID slightly waned, I was back to four days at eight and a half hours, with Monday free to do all my chores that required offices unopened on weekends. My suffering grew more rapidly after this, leading to my current state. 

My chores are a lot more spread out now, not because I need something to occupy my free days, but because I simply cannot do much in one day anymore. Sunday is my loafing day and only my laundry is done. Monday is a doctor's day every two weeks or so but I also water my plants that day, check my mail, and sometimes vacuum my house. Tuesday is grocery shopping plus food prep day, though I also clean the house if I didn’t the day before. Even with this layout, I still get bushed so quickly. I only really get frozen meals now for my work lunches when that used to be a last resort. I make simple dinners that require little effort. And I still skip certain chores like checking my mail and cleaning the house because I don’t have the energy. 

Yet, at the same time, I feel more like myself than ever. I do my eight dance classes a week, even though I often feel like I’m going to die, because dancing is what I want to do. It’s something I now know I’m good at and I can go somewhere in life with. I don’t feel as strong as I used to but I feel more qualified if that makes sense. 

I discovered my gender identity and it feels right and true and I’m comfortable. My boobs are also smaller and that has taken both a literal and figurative weight off my shoulders. I’ve expanded my wardrobe and how I express myself through clothing and makeup. My hair is green which, as unnatural of a color that is, it looks correct for me and it’s cut in a way that suits me and grows out well. 

I know where I stand in life a lot better now, my values are much clearer. I don’t put up with people’s shit nearly as much anymore. I deserve better and I have more bravery and fed-up-ness to act on that. I’ve awakened to people’s true colors and ignored faults and I can distance myself to protect my sanity. 

As time has gone on, I feel more and more like a fully realized person, in spirit. Like I’m discovering superpowers and watching them evolve and grow and strengthen. Or like I’ve built me from a shabby fixer upper that showed some hints of character into a lovely forever home that’s all character. 

I just don’t know what to do with all of this discovery though. I don’t know what kind of future I really have, I mean the world is undeniably going to hell in a dilapidated little handbasket. All the things are uncertain, those milestones you’re supposed to hit throughout adulthood. Marriage isn’t happening. Children isn’t happening. Buying a home is pretty much impossible. Going to university isn’t happening. Making an income from a passion rather than a shit job is unlikely. So what does the latter half of my sacred twenties look like? I already feel like I’m in limbo since the COVID-y COVID years all blended together and I can’t remember how old I am or how much time has passed after moving out. Those years went to waste to a degree. But the ones to come next look so grim and confusing. I know the most of who I am now and I feel the most comfortable with myself than I ever have to date. But my body and brain are in the worst condition to date and only seem to be getting worse. I’m like a ninety-seven year old one year old. I have the wisdom of ages living in a useless vessel. Hell, I’m writing this at one in the morning on a Friday because my body is aching so much for whatever reason and I can’t sleep. 

I really have to hope that thirty, flirty, and thriving becomes a reality in my life. Maybe that will balance out all the crap that came before. I’ve got five years to find out. In the meantime though I’m going to hold onto all the doses of serotonin that I receive. The Saturday’s with my friends, the adventures we have planned, the occasional shopping purchases, the gaming nights, the after doctor hangouts, all of it. It will be my fuel to sustain me until I can actually get my life started.

[ptechcanada]

Learn the Ins and Outs of Homebrewing to Make Better Beer

It's true that life in the country has its advantages. Your social group likely resides in a more compact community that features abundant vegetation and open areas. However, you might not have many places to go to enjoy a cold one. It's possible that the neighborhood watering place only stocks Bud Light and Coors Light as their domestic beer options.

Is there anything to do for a beer aficionado? You will need a wide range of liquids and food choices to quench your thirst. To that end, home brewing is a viable option. If your local liquor store has a limited assortment, you may have to resort to making your own drinks.

There are four aspects of beer brewing that are universal, regardless of the style of beer being made. Yeast, water, malt, and hops are the foundation of any beer recipe. The final beer types are always a direct product of the brewing process. Some beers, known as "cold brews," are brewed at temperatures below freezing for their entire brewing process. Warm beers are the complete antithesis of ice-cold ones. These beers are best served at room temperature.

Home brewing can seem like a lot to take on when you're just starting out. Fortunately, this issue is easily fixed by investing in a beer brewing kit. The kit ought to have everything necessary, such as the ingredients and the instructions. However, before purchasing, it's important to verify exactly what components of the kit are included and what is not. If the necessary equipment is not already on hand, it will need to be purchased separately.

When making beer at home, it is crucial that all of the brewing tools be sterilized first. Freshly brewed coffee or tea is useless if it has been tainted. Beer goes bad quite rapidly when it's exposed to air.

While it can appear simple to brew your own, there are really several processes required. For your first few batches of beer, it's best to follow the directions to the letter. Once you've mastered the process, you may experiment with other ingredients to brew your own unique beer that's just what you need to relax after a long day at the office.

If at first, you do not succeed in making beer at home, do not give up! Making mistakes and gaining insight from them is integral to the process. You may be delighted with the outcome of certain batches, but not others. If the brew you made wasn't to your liking, try something else. This tasty drink has a wide range of possible preparations. Stick to the rules and do your best to have fun.

In the United States, the word "beer" refers to a single general concept. U.S. brews often have a subtle flavor and are easy to drink. This is because the average American has zero interest in debating the finer points of beer's aroma, flavor, and other sensory characteristics. Beer, which has developed over the centuries into a highly esteemed and respected cultural art form, deserves more respect than it has received in recent years, and this is unfortunate. The relationship between beer and the media appears to be weak.

Businesses of all stripes, from restaurants and bars to breweries and shops, have been on the hunt for favorable blog posts about their products and services since the beginning of blogging. Even more so in a highly competitive and much-enjoyed industry like beer, reviews are vital to the success or failure of a brewery. My most recent hobby is (metaphorical) globetrotting by trying new beers from all around the world. The breweries behind these beverages want beer drinkers to understand what makes their products unique. So, if you want to get your name out there, professional blogging can help you do that.

In those cases, I can be of assistance. My plan is to build up enough interest in my blog among beer enthusiasts that well-known breweries will contact me about reviewing their wares. This is a great plan because it provides people like me with little professional writing experience with an opportunity to do so. This is a dream come true for someone like me who has a genuine interest in the hospitality, culinary, and brewing sectors.

Rating and reviewing beers is a pleasurable pastime that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of their level of oenophilia. Beers from all over the world were sampled at the two-hour class I took at Total Wine & More in Brea, California. Throughout the night, we sampled a wide variety of beers, including Belgians, Ales, Strong Ales, Stouts, Dark Ales, India Pale Ales, Red Ales, and even a surprise 'Sour Beer' at the end. The $15 fee was well spent on this course. They promised to give me food and water, and I would get to try 14 different kinds of beer. To ensure that everyone could get home safely, servings were kept small. The class was always upbeat and enthusiastic thanks to the teacher's upbeat demeanor. The focus of the presentation was on the beer itself, from its history to its various flavor profiles.

Judging beers in a contest is not a casual activity. All over the world, people gather for beer festivals and competitions, and the participants take the events seriously. Professional and amateur brewers alike compete annually for awards and recognition. There are four factors that go into the overall rating of a beer. The four senses involved are sight, smell, taste, and touch. Beers can be described in many ways, not just those listed here.

Color, clarity, and size of the head are the three most important aspects of outward appearance. Color names like "pale straw," "gold," "amber," "red," "honey," "caramel," "brown," "root beer," and "black" are all possibilities. Beer can range in clarity from cloudy to hazy to transparent. Head retention is measured by how much foam remains on top of the beer after being poured (Fun Fact: Wheat beers tend to have longer head retention than most beers).

Beer's aroma is one of the most enjoyable parts of the drinking experience. Beer's odors originate from the malts, hops, and yeast used in the brewing process. There are many different aromas that can be imparted into a beer by using different malts. The Hops are responsible for the beer's aroma, which can be described as floral, herbal, grassy, earthy, spicy, or any combination of these. In terms of aroma, yeast can contribute fresh, estery, fruity, or sour/tart notes. The overall scent can be bold and comforting, heady and alluring, barely perceptible, or nonexistent.

To save time, I'll just say that the above descriptions of the characteristics of smells can be applied to taste since the malts, hops, and yeast can render similar results to the tongue as to the nose. Most people would agree that this is the best style of beer to drink. Although contrary to common belief, the nose is linked to the mouth when it comes to the senses, as the taste would be severely limited without the ability to smell. When you have a cold or a stuffy nose, for example, it's more challenging to taste food.

For newcomers, the concept of "mouth feel" can be a bit more challenging to grasp. What's being discussed here is not just the beer's flavor, but also its mouthfeel. Describe the beer's texture and flavor, such as whether it's crisp, creamy, viscous, prickly, tingly, warming, or even hot. Complicating factors include the beer's overall harmony, body, and persistence on the palate.

Overall Impression: The judges' final thoughts on the beer's flavor and aroma.

In many competitions, judges use the same standard scoring sheet to rate the beers. There's a program for that called "Beer Judge Certification." This form, which resembles a sign-up sheet, includes sections for rating the beer and providing information about the brewer.

Follow the link to get the best brew pub & engineered system in the market.

[painted-crow]

Okay this is wildly off topic but I saw that you cook japanese food. Can you recommend some dishes to try or ways to get myself to like it? I want to like Japanese food so bad but I haven't liked anything I've tried aside from super basic stuff like sushi, teriyaki, and gyoza. I've even tried making curry and omurice at home and everyone except me loved it.

Japanese cooking resources

Ah, I have been called upon! Lemme dig some stuff out of my Bird nest for you :D

Disclaimer: I'm not Japanese or an expert on this. I'm just a cooking nerd who thinks Japan has the best food and experimented a whole bunch with Internet recipes and stuff from the Asian market.

Recipes

I learned a lot of what I know from these two foodie blogs:

Just One Cookbook

No Recipes

(the latter site does, in fact, contain recipes, but the blogger would encourage you to build the confidence to cook without them)

Since you're having trouble finding dishes you like, I suggest starting with udon: thick, chewy noodles often served in dashi broth, perhaps with fried toppings. You can prepare udon a bunch of different ways, that's just a classic one--but no matter how you make it, udon is a pretty easy sell. Tonkatsu is another dish that's hard to dislike, and makes a good topping for your udon if you want to make both at once!

Fun travel memoir

There is a fantastic book called Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo.

It's a foodie travel memoir and it's exactly what it sounds like: this guy went to Tokyo for a month with his wife and daughter and they ate a bunch of food, his daughter made friends with half of the entire population of Tokyo, and he wrote about it. He's a really entertaining writer, and it has great descriptions of all kinds of Japanese food, so from there it's easy to go look up recipes.

Shopping

You'll want to go to an actual Asian market if you can find one locally. Use Google, they're often tucked into odd buildings.

Different Asian markets cater to different cultures' cuisines, so there might be one market with a full assortment of Indian MTR spice blends but no kombu or katsuobushi in sight. They usually have a variety though. If you can find an H Mart, you're golden (H Mart is Korean, but will have the stuff you need for Japanese food). Be willing to explore a bit! Last resort, go ahead and use Amazon, but trust me--the Asian markets are cheaper, and I much prefer supporting them to feeding Amazon.

Just One Cookbook also has a list of Japanese pantry essentials, which is really good, but it's also really completionist (I don't even have all of those premade sauces) and stretches the definition of "pantry" a bit, so it seems more intimidating than it should.

Here's my version.

Pantry essentials:

Good soy sauce. Just get something that says "traditionally brewed" and you're fine. If you spot dark soy sauce: it's smokier and less salty, very different, it can't replace normal soy sauce but you might grab it too.

Short grain "sushi" rice. Try not to overpay for it. If you're in an Asian market you're fine. If you're in the fancy organic section of Hy-Vee, you're gonna get ripped off.

Mirin. A seasoned cooking wine. Unfortunately, bad mirin is easy to find and is loaded with corn syrup. Try to find some that isn't; remember, ingredients are listed on the bottle proportionally. It's very worth paying $10 for a good bottle of mirin. I don't *think* you have to be 21 to buy it? Drinking it would probably be unappealing. Mirin is very important, and it's a versatile cooking ingredient; once you know what it does you might find yourself putting it in everything.

Sake. You do have to be of legal drinking age to buy this. Which kind you get for cooking isn't a super big deal, and you can get by with just mirin most of the time.

Kombu and katsuobushi. The former is a kind of seaweed/kelp (it may look dusty with white powder; that's natural MSG and it's a good thing). The latter is shaved dried smoked skipjack tuna and looks a bit like pencil shavings; you might see them labeled "bonito flakes." They're common ingredients for dashi (basic Japanese cooking stock), but you'll see katsuobushi used as a topping on lots of savory dishes. If you can't find these, try looking for dashi powder or tea bag type dealies.

Toasted sesame oil. Not hard to find.

Rice vinegar. Same.

Panko bread crumbs. These are special, lofty, crispy breadcrumbs. They're different because of SCIENCE and are what happens when you electrocute bread dough. I'm not joking.

Cornstarch/potato starch. I slightly prefer potato starch (good texture), but they're not that different.

Nori. These are those pressed algae sheets you use to wrap sushi, but they're used for other stuff too, like onigiri, or shredded as a topping.

Noodles. Obviously, if you want to make udon, you need to buy some. You can easily find dried udon, but if you spot frozen or even fresh udon noodle packs, grab them.

If you can find an Asian market that stocks all this, you should be able to get the whole list for around $50. Asian markets tend not to be expensive, which is yet another good reason to learn to cook Japanese food. (Other reasons: healthy, tasty, easy to cook in a small kitchen...)

Of course, you also don't need to get the whole list at once! It's not cheating to just get what you need for a particular dish.

Fun stuff you can find at Asian markets

With the basics out of the way, here are additional tasty things you might want to look for:

Furikake. Not strictly necessary, but I like it. It's a topping/seasoning blend you can mix into your rice, and it comes in lots of flavors, some fishier than others. Start with a nori or vegetable flavor if you're uncertain. Tamago flavor = egg.

Ramune. If you've never had marble soda before, don't deny yourself the adventure of trying to figure out how to get the bottle open. Lots of flavors.

Good instant ramen. Nongshim's Shin Ramyun is what I usually get, and even Walmart sells it. You'll never buy Maruchan again.

Candy. So, I don't know who's in charge of Japanese fruit flavored candy, but it actually tastes like fruit, which is wild.

Yuzu and/or sudachi juice. If you can find these, grab 'em. They're citrus juices. Yuzu is a bit like lemon but less strongly sour and more... clean? Crisp? while sudachi is a bit like lime but more green and complex. I'm describing these poorly. You might also be able to find candy or drinks with these flavors.

Sugary drinks with nata de coco in them. Nata de coco is a firm jelly-like dessert type... thing. It's made from coconuts and it's got a unique jelly/crunchy texture and is odd but good. You might be able to find nata de coco on its own, but I'll warn you: the kind you get packed in jars will be Very Sugary.

Tapioca pearls. If you like bubble tea, here's the place to get your boba.

Umeboshi plums. These sour/salty pickled plums are a tasty ramen topping.

Ice cream. Those square melon popsicles are delicious, but get them home quickly, their texture is very temperature sensitive! And if you spot individually wrapped ice cream cones, grab one.

Euro cakes. These look kinda like round Twinkies, but Twinkies only dream of being this tasty. I like the pandan flavor best. Don't be put off by the green color.

Soft tofu. So good 🥰 and weirdly hard to find in supermarkets. It's got a texture like custard, and apart from its fairly neutral, fresh flavor, will easily pick up any flavors you put on it. An excellent addition to udon soup; add it last, the tofu is fragile (and doesn't actually require cooking). Silken tofu sometimes comes in shelf stable packages. My experience with those has been fine, but the general consensus is that the tofu you get from the fridge section is better.

Frozen pork buns. They might be labeled "siopao" or "bao" (Chinese names) or "nikuman" (Japanese name). Lil bread buns with bbq pork or other fillings. You steam them in the microwave and they're delicious.

I'd recommend having fun getting a few of the things off this list, rather than being a completionist about the first one, if you find yourself choosing between the two. That said, make sure you get the stuff you need for the thing you want to make!

Okay, now I want a pork bun. I wonder if my brother's eaten them all yet...

[combat-wombatus]

Anti-Asian Racism (Pt. 2)

so if you haven’t read my (long) post about historical anti-asian racism, you can find it here. i tried my best to put things in chronological order, so you might want to read that before you read this one!

i got really tired writing that one bc it was super long and i only covered up to like...the 1920s?? and so here’s a second part bc i couldn’t fit it all into one post oopsies

WARNING: this contains some graphic descriptions of violence. i don’t want to accidentally trigger anyone, so please read at your own discretion. however, i do feel that it is important to be educated on the parts of history that schools often overlook, so if you can handle this, please read it.

the watsonville riots—january 1930

as US nationals, filipinos had the legal right to work in the US, and employers exploited these workers relentlessly as they assumed the filipinos were unfamiliar with their rights. they were paid the lowest wages among all ethnic laborers. the immigration acts of 1917 and 1924 allowed filipinos to answer the growing demand for labor in the US, and many young filipino men migrated to the US. due to gender bias in immigration & hiring, filipino men courted women outside of their own ethnic community, contributing to mounting racial tensions. white men decried the takeover of jobs and women by filipinos and resorted to vigilantism to deal with the “third Asiatic invasion”, and filipino laborers in public risked being attacked by white men who felt threatened by them. eventually, on january 19, this culminated in 500 white men gathering outside of a filipino dance club—owned by a filipino man—with clubs and weapons intending to take the white women who lived there out and burn the place down. they were turned away by security guards and the armed owners, but returned later to beat dozens of filipino farmworkers. they dragged filipinos from their homes and beat them, threw them off the pajaro river bridge, attacked them at ranches—and at a labor camp, twenty-two filipinos were dragged out and almost beaten to death. the mob fired shots into filipino homes, killing 22-year-old fermin tobera: no one was ever charged for his murder. in stockton, a filipino club was blown up—the blast was blamed on the filipinos themselves.

many filipinos fled the country. filipino immigration plummeted. anti-filipino violence continued in california in the months after the violence ended.

japanese internment camps—1942–1945

established during ww2 by FDR through executive order 9066. shortly after the bombing of pearl harbor, FDR signed the executive order, supposedly to prevent espionage. military zones were created in california, washington, and oregon—states with a large population of japanese americans—and the executive order commanded the relocation of americans of japanese ancestry. it affected the lives of around 117,000 people—the majority of whom were american citizens. canada soon followed, relocating 21,000 of its japanese residents from its west coast. mexico did the same, and eventually 2,264 more people of japanese descent were removed from peru, brazil, and argentina to the camps in the united states.

even before the camps, discrimination ran rampant. just hours after pearl harbor, the FBI rounded up 1,291 japanese community & religious leaders, arresting them without evidence and freezing their assets. a month later, they were transferred to facilities in montana, new mexico, and north dakota, many of them unable to inform their families. most remained incarcerated for the duration of the war. the FBI searched the private homes of thousands of japanese residents, seizing “contraband” (looting).

1/3 of hawaii’s population was of japanese descent. some politicians called for their mass incarceration. 1,500 people were removed from hawaii and sent to camps on the US mainland. japanese-owned fishing boats were impounded.

lieutenant general john dewitt prepared a report filled with proven lies—such as examples of “sabotage” (cattle knocking down power lines)—and suggested the creation of military zones and japanese internment camps. his original plan included italians and germans (because we were at war with them too!) but the idea of rounding-up americans of EUROPEAN descent was not as popular.

california’s state attorney general and governor declared that all japanese should be removed at congressional hearings in february 1942. general francis biddle pleaded with the president that mass evacuation of citizens was not required, pushing for smaller, more targeted security measures. FDR didn’t listen, and signed the order anyways.

around 15,000 japanese americans willingly moved out of prohibited areas. inland states were not keen for new japanese residents, and they were met with racist resistance. ten state governors voiced opposition, fearing the japanese would “never leave”, and demanded they be incarcerated if the states were forced to accept them. eventually, a civilian organization called the “war relocation authority” was set up to administer the plan, but milton eisenhower (from the department of agriculture) resigned his leadership in protest over what he characterized as incarcerating innocent civilians. 

no one really cared back then, but we appreciate the sentiment. however, this led to a stricter, military-led incentive to incarcerate the japanese civilians, so you didn’t really win, mr. eisenhower.

army-directed evacuations followed, and people had six days notice to dispose of their belongings other than what they could carry. anyone who was at least 1/16th japanese was interned, including 17,000 children under 10, as well as several thousand elderly and handicapped. 

these camps were located in remote areas, the buildings not meant for human habitation—they were reconfigured horse stalls or cow sheds. food shortages and poor sanitation conditions were common. each center was its own town, with schools, post offices, work facilities, and farms—all surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers.

in new mexico, internees were delivered by trains and marched two miles, at night, to reach the camp. anyone who tried to escape was promptly shot and killed, no matter their age.

when riots broke out over the insufficient rations and overcrowding, the police tear-gassed crowds and even killed a japanese-american citizen. three people were shot and killed for “going too close to the perimeter”.

in 1942, fred korematsu was arrested for refusing to relocate to an internment camp. his case made it all the way to the supreme court, where he argued that the executive order violated the fifth amendment. the supreme court ruled against him.

the camps were finally closed in 1945, after mitsuye endo fought her way to the supreme court once again. the government initially offered to free her, but endo refused—she wanted her case to address all of the internment camps. she was successful; the court eventually ruled that the the war relocation authority “has no authority to subject citizens who are concededly loyal to its leave procedure.”

the my lai massacre—march 16, 1968

during the vietnam war, US army soldiers entered a vietnamese hamlet on a search-and-destroy mission. they didn’t encounter any enemy troops; they did, however, proceed to set huts on fire, gang-rape the women, and murder around 500 unarmed civilians—including approximately 50 children under the age of four. army leadership had conspired to sweep this massacre under the carpet—the my lai massacre triggered a cover-up by the army that served to keep the atrocities committed a secret from the american public for 20 months during an election year.

american soldiers stabbed, clubbed, and carved “C [for Charlie] Company” into the chests of their victims (alive); herded them into ditches and blew them to bits with grenades. they cut off victims’ heads and slashed their throats.

this was more than spontaneous barbarism; for years, the army had dehumanized the vietnamese people as “gooks” and depicted women and children as potentially lethal combatants.

army officers who heard eyewitness reports of a massacre were quick to discount them. they issued a press release that informed news coverage—with lies. they claimed that their troops had killed 128 viet cong forces, even though they had been met with no resistance and suffered only one self-inflicted wound.

after word of the massacre reached the general public, more than a dozen military servicemen were eventually charged with crimes, but lieutenant william calley (the leader of the charlie company who was the main perpetrator in the massacre) was the only one who was ever convicted. pres. richard nixon reduced calley’s sentence to a light punishment—three years of house arrest.

three years of house arrest, and for only one person. for slaughtering 500 unarmed civilians. you do the math.

deportations

in 1975, more than 1.2 million refugees from southeast asia fled war and were resettled in the US—the largest resettlement for a refugee group in US history. in 1996, the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act (IIRIRA) expanded the definition of what types of crimes could result in detention & deportation—this broader definition could be applied retroactively, resulting in more than 16,000 southeast asian americans receiving orders of removal—78% of which were based on old criminal records.

islamophobia (article 2 preview) (article 3)

after the 9/11 attacks, islamophobia was especially prevalent in the western world, although it was also prevalent in other places without large muslim populations. from a small percentage of violence, an “efficient system of government prosecution and media coverage brings muslim-american terrorism suspects to national attention, creating the impression that muslim-american terrorism is more prevalent than it really is”, even though since 9/11, the muslim-american community helped security and law enforcement officials prevent nearly two of every five al qaeda terrorist plots threatening the united states. globally, many muslims report feeling not respected by those in the west, including over half of those who live in the US. in late 2009, the largest party in the swiss parliament put to referendum a ban on minaret (a tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques) construction, and nearly 60% of swiss voters and 22 out of 26 voting districts voted in favor of the ban—even though most swiss say that religious freedom is important for swiss identity. a network of misinformation experts actively promotes islamophobia in america. muslims are more likely than americans of any other major religious groups to have personally experienced racial or religious discrimination in the past year—48%, compared to 31% of mormons, 25% of atheist/agnostics, 21% of jews, 20% of catholics, and 18% of protestants. 1/3 (36%) of americans say that they have an unfavorable opinion about islam (gallup polls).

in the aftermath of 9/11, the US government has increasingly implemented special programs with hopes of “curbing and countering terrorism” and “enemy combatants.” these policies—such as the USA Patriot Act and the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System—have been targeted towards and disproportionately affects arabs, south asians, and muslims in america.

of course, the most lethal terrorist groups active in america are white supremacist groups, but people tend to overlook that because it’s always easier to blame something you have zero understanding of.

the non-profit advocacy organization South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) cataloged 207 incidents of hate violence and xenophobic political rhetoric directed towards south asian, muslim, middle eastern, hindu, sikh, and arab communities between nov. 15, 2015, and nov. 16, 2016. approximately 95% of those instances were animated by anti-muslim sentiment. also, “approximately 1 in 5 of the documented xenophobic statements came from president-elect donald trump.”

that’s who america hired to run our country in 2016. this was way before his misdeeds in office, yet it took us so long—and such a hard fight—to oust him. did it really take that long for everyone to catch on?

police brutality—(christian hall) (angelo quinto) (tommy le)

“CHRISTIAN HALL was a 19-year-old chinese american teen who experienced a mental health emergency on december 30, 2020. pennsylvania state police were called and requested to help de-escalate the crisis. rather than providing aid or assistance, the troopers shot and killed christian. his hands were up in the air as he stood on the SR-33 southbound overpass to I-80, posing no threat to the armed officers.”

they shot him seven times, with his arms up in the air.

“I miss my son so much. I love him so much but if his death is the catalyst for change, then so be it. Let his name be remembered. His name is Christian Hall.” —Fe Hall, Christian’s mother.

a video, shot by his mother, shows ANGELO QUINTO, a 30-year-old Filipino immigrant, unresponsive on the floor after officers subdued him with a knee to the back of his neck. the video shows him bleeding form the mouth after police knelt on his neck when he was experiencing a mental health crisis in his family home. he died three days later in the hospital without waking up. the antioch police had no body camera footage, nor has the department named the officers involved.

“I was just hoping they could de-escalate the situation,” his sister said in an interview. she called 911 when her brother had been experiencing mental health problems and paranoia. she says that she remains conflicted about calling the police that night: “I don’t know if I will not feel bad. If it was the right thing to do they would not have killed my brother.”

“TOMMY LE, a 20-year-old Vietnamese-American student, died hours before he was scheduled to attend his high-school graduation in June 2017. He was shot multiple times by sheriff’s Deputy Cesar Molina after responding to reports of a man armed with a knife. Deputies discovered after the shooting that he was carrying an ink pen, not a knife.

The office reported that Le had lunged at the sheriff’s deputies with a knife and had been threatening residents, shouting he was “the creator.” An autopsy showed that two of the three bullets that struck Le were in his back, and a witness said that Le was shouting he was “Tommy the renter.”

despite the challenges our communities face, AAPI communities receive less than one percent of philanthropic funding.

covid-19

i’ll try to keep this brief. there have been so many instances of violence perpetrated against the asian community during covid-19—not to mention the casual snipes at our culture, the microaggressions we face every day, the verbal and sexual harassment we encounter, sometimes even on the way to the grocery store for a supply run.

VICHA RATANAPAKDEE: a thai-american, he became known as “grandpa” throughout his neighborhood, where he’d made it a ritual to go on morning walks each day. it was during one of those walks on january 28, 2021, when the 84-year-old was forcibly knocked onto the ground. he was transported to the hospital, where he died two days later.

“He never wake up again. He [was] bleeding on his brain,” his daughter said in an interview. “I called him, ‘Dad, wake up.’ I want him to stay alive and wake up and come and see me again, but he never wake up.”

between march and december last year, the organization Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate recorded nearly 3,000 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide. the new york city police department also reported a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes last year.

i think senator tammy duckworth put it very aptly.

“Most people, I don’t think, think of Asians as being the subject of racist attacks, but we have been. And we’re the one community that’s often always seen as the ‘other’. I—to this day—still get asked, ‘So where are you from really?’“

i don’t think i’ve ever related so much to something a senator said.

actor and activist daniel dae kim talked about an encounter he had with a pollster who said asian americans are “statistically insignificant” in polling models in a congressional hearing:

“Statistically insignificant. Now all of you listening to me here, by virtue of your own elections, are more familiar with the intricacies of polling than I am, so undoubtedly, you already know what this means—statistically insignificant literally means that we don’t matter.”

do we matter? are we really “statistically insignificant”? blips in the machine, to be used and then thrown away once we become too “fussy” or demanding?

testimonies from victims showcase the array of xenophobic and racist insults they’ve encountered. i’ll put an (x) next to the ones i’ve personally heard.

“Go back to Wuhan and take the virus with you.” (x)

“You are the reason for the coronavirus.” (x)

“Damn, another Asian riding with me. Hope you don’t have covid.”

*fake coughing* “Chinese b—” *more fake coughing* (x)

now for some really “creative” ones that i’ve personally encountered:

“Cock up my dad’s botton, Chinease cunt”

“You don’t got the kung-flu, do ya?”

“Ever ate a dog?”

Along the same vein, “ever had any bats? Heard they’re delicious.”

“Wouldn’t want ya to pet my dog. Ya might steal it and cook it for dinner!” *hyena laugh*

a little personal anecdote

i debated whether or not to wear a mask to school in early march. my aunt lives in china, and she’s a first-responder (trained paramedic & contact tracer) and we knew how bad the virus was going to be in late february when we facetimed her, quarantined in her apartment. her toddler was staying with her husband at her parents’ house because she was afraid of infecting them. she didn’t see them in person for four months, working 14-hour shifts in the back of an ambulance decked out in a hazmat suit.

my mom cried when she facetimed us the second week of her grueling shift. i couldn’t stop thinking about her when i went to school that day. my mom sent me another picture during art class, and i just couldn’t control myself. i started crying during class.

i asked my mom whether or not i should wear a mask to school, and she said that if i did, i would be singling myself out. i wouldn’t be protecting myself—far from it. if i wore a mask to school, people would think that i had the virus, not that i was trying to protect myself from it.

gossip spreads like wildfire, and the next day, everyone knew i had relatives in china. most of my friends were sympathetic, but they were wholly removed from the situation. it was early march, and they never believed that the coronavirus would spread here. they were firmly rooted in their opinion that it was an easy situation, grossly mishandled by the chinese government, and that we’d do much better if it ever washed up on our shores.

i do hate the chinese government, and back then, i didn’t think too much of their antagonism. yes, the situation was mishandled. it was like a repeat of the SARS outbreak in 2003—first a cover-up by the local government, then a cover-up by the national government, and finally, a realization that no, in fact, they could not handle it in secret. yes, the media had to get involved. no, dead bodies were not piling up in the hallways while they waited for doctors to triage care. yes, we have capacity! look at these documentary mini-videos, forcing doctors and patients to leave a wing of the hospital empty and operate below maximum capacity so they could shoot propaganda videos for the lunar new year, boasting about how well they’re handling it!

i won’t argue that in the beginning, this was mishandled. i will argue, however, against the idea that asian countries are incompetent. that western approaches are oh-so-much-better.

in wuhan, they built a makeshift hospital spanning three soccer fields in the span of a week, with properly-functioning utilities, hospital beds, decontamination, and security. people rallied together and donated everything from money and supplies to food and ventilators, from all across the country. doctors and medical staff shaved their heads so they could better wear masks and volunteered to go to wuhan, where the situation was much more dire than in other areas. thousands of medical students from shanghai were transported to wuhan to fill the personnel shortages.

china reopened in june.

what did we do?

we didn’t ask the asian countries for experience. china, japan, and korea had handled the 2003 SARS outbreak and knew what kinds of things needed to be done. from the beginning, they wore masks. they halted travel, they did routine testing, performed contact tracing, set up programs for bringing food to the immunocompromised, elderly, and disabled, and worked as a cohesive community.

on the other hand, we resorted to childish infighting, political games, shunning masks and blaming it on asians, when we could’ve learned from them instead. we didn’t do contact-tracing. our testing systems were sorely inadequate. borders were closed with china, yes, but the majority of the cases in the US arrived from italy and other european countries who had already been infected. banning travel between the US and china was nothing more than a political gimmick.

states fought each other for basic medical supplies. there was no national unity. we were fractured in two, and COVID became more fuel for the fire dividing the two parties, when it could’ve been something that unified us.

and instead of blaming china, we would’ve been better off recognizing our own failures.

you can say that the virus caught china by surprise.

it shouldn’t have done the same to us.

we knew it was coming. but we still botched it.

blaming the virus on asian communities is a sign of immaturity and a lack of accountability. own up to your failures.

anyways, my mom was right. whenever we wore a mask in public, people really did think that we were “dirty, foreign chinese.” we stocked up on groceries so we wouldn’t have to go out, because every time my mom did, people would look at her weirdly. they didn’t wear masks.

one time, she was accosted by a blonde woman when we were at a supermarket. i’d gone with her that time because it was right after practice, and i was in the car anyways. the lady came up to us (without a mask: this was in may) and said, “excuse me, you don’t have the virus, do you?” with a pointed look at my mom (who was masked up).

my mom, being the polite person she is, simply responded “no, i don’t.”

the woman didn’t let us go after that. she pushed even more. “well, you see, i was just making sure...with this chinese virus going around, it’s scary, you know?”

i wanted to ask her why she wasn’t wearing a mask if it was “so scary”, but i couldn’t get a word in before she asked another question.

“by the way, y’all aren’t chinese, right?”

yes i am. yes we are. why does it fucking matter. we’re wearing masks, you’re not, get the hell out of my face.

honestly, i don’t know how my mom does it. she has the patience of a saint. she said “mhm”, grabbed a gallon of milk, and walked to the self-checkout area. the lady looked at me and raised her eyebrow, and i said “so what if we are?”

she looked like she’d been slapped in the face. i turned and followed my mom, but she said “now hold on young lady!” i ignored her and kept walking.

i don’t owe her anything. why do people think it’s okay to talk to others like that? we’re human beings too. we’re allowed our basic dignity. basic respect. we’re not something for you to joke at, to laugh at, to fetishize or bully into submission. i don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to realize that. i don’t understand why it’s so hard for people to treat others like human beings.

to people like that lady in kroger:

why do you feel the need to do it? is your opinion of yourself really that high to think that you’re superior to others who are different from you? are you really that conceited to think that you’re the perfect image of a perfect human, and anyone not like you is unworthy, considered lesser? or is your opinion of yourself really that low, to think that whatever you say, it doesn’t really matter anyways? why do you find derogatory jokes and demeaning comments funny? why do you think it’s okay to harass a stranger just going about their day? is your life really that boring, and you have nothing else to do with your time? why? would it be okay if i came up to you and asked if you ate rotten shark meat, then laughed it off and said “oh, i thought you were from iceland”? is that okay? can i ask if you eat cockroaches? how would you respond if i asked “where are you from?”? you would say america, right? and if i asked again? europe? where in europe? oh, you don’t know? are you illegal? was your mother a prostitute? are you a communist? why are your eyes so big? do you speak europeanese? crut iveroij aeish poient. oh, those aren’t words? well i think they sound like european words. what’s your name? je-re-mi-ah? like jeeryyy-miiiaaaccchh? oh, that’s not right? sorry, my tongue just won’t bend that way. your names are so weird! why would your parents name you that? oh, it means something? well, i don’t know the language, so don’t expect me to say it right. have you ever eaten haggis? oh, that’s scottish? oh, you’re not scottish? sorry, you all look the same to me. scots and italians are just so similar, you know? what’s your name? your last name is anderson? i know an anderson! she lived in texas. are you related to her? oh, you don’t know her? sorry, i thought you were all related. yeah, like i said before, you all just look so much alike, you know? are you lazy? oh, nothing, i just heard from my dad that all french people are lazy. oh, you’re not french? well, you still look lazy. are you good at english? oh, nothing, i just assumed that all white people were english. i know you like to assume that we’re good at math. oh, you got an A in english? isn’t that normal? i can’t help it, you’re just smarter. you probably don’t even study. oh, you do? well, you’re smart anyways, so it doesn’t matter. you’re so good at math for an american! oh no, nothing, i just assumed that all americans were bad at math. *starts playing with her hair* oh, that’s making you uncomfortable? but your hair’s so silky, and it’s so smooth. what kind of hair products do you use? i want to learn how to make my hair look exotic like that. oh, you’re not exotic? but you’re foreign. of course you’re exotic. you know, *leans in and whispers* men like you this way, yeah? they just looveeee exotic ladies. *winks*

can you see how this is demeaning? can you see how this diminishes our culture, our hard work, our accomplishments?

racism isn’t funny. it’s not cool, it’s not a joke, and it’s hurtful. it makes us question our capabilities, forces us to have unrealistic expectations of ourselves, makes us feel unworthy and “other”. just stop? stop making hurtful comments. stop stepping on other people to feel better about yourselves.

[thenamesblurrito]

OK, how all the digestion stuff work with the mechs?

okay SO

A mech’s diet consists of two different resources: energy and upkeep. Energy resources are fuels, mostly energon, but also oil, ethanol, etc. These make up an average of 75% of a mech’s diet, keeping internal fuel tanks full and energy levels optimal. Usually these come as liquid drinks, but gaseous inhalants and solids like energon crystals also work. Upkeep resources are the physical materials used by self repair systems. This would be metals, plastics, minerals, rubber, etc. Without these, the self repair systems would have nothing to repair the everyday wear and tear of a frame, and the body would eventually break down without internal maintenance. Not a lot is required to do this upkeep, so solid foods aren’t a huge part of their diet. 

Many energon drinks have silt mixes in them, fine metal grains, plastic granules, and other tiny additives that mix easily into liquid. It’s an easy way to consume upkeep materials without going through the effort of preparing food, and if it weren’t for the pleasure of texture and taste of solid foods, extensive silt mixes would be more than enough to meet dietary needs. Busy workers with no time to cook resort to energon and additives, and empurata victims live exclusively off of them, as they have no mouth and fuel themselves intravenously.

The average mech has only two “meals” a day, more if they do hard labor or are recovering from injury. Children nearing their upgrade to the next maturity level will also need more fuel. Breakfast is only necessary if they recharged on a berth without a passive energy field. Lunch is usually just energon. Dinner is what we’d call a proper meal, with both energy and upkeep resources. Solids will be processed and assimilated in their recharge later. Since the average mech doesn’t deal with a huge amount of degradation or wear on their frame, they don’t need to eat a lot of physical materials, and will in fact feel sick if they do so. Mecha like racers, laborers, Enforcers, boxers, junkers, etc. deal with a lot more stress, wear, and breakdown of their frames, which necessitates more upkeep resources in the form of solid foods.

Snacks are very common throughout the day, especially light, inconsequential things that are mostly for flavor but contain very little substance, and small things that will get used up or burned off very quickly. Foam candies and energon crackers have basically no impact on a mech’s daily diet. Despite only having two dedicated refueling meals, the average person supplements this with a good handful of munchies whenever the mood strikes them.

Different types of fuel are sorted internally after consumption. Energon is processed into the “engine” containing the spark chamber, T-cog, and fuel pumps, and filtered into fuel lines to radiate energy to all parts of the frame. Coolants are filtered into coolant lines, oil and lubricants are filtered into joints and moving parts. Physical materials are broken down into granules and then sorted internally by immediate use, going into the tiny forges of the self repair systems. Most of this will be reforged into raw materials that will then be assimilated into the frame. Some energon and some raw materials will be added to the pool of innermost around the spark, a slurry of high-charged energon and sentio metallico. For everyday upkeep, innermost is unnecessary to draw upon, but for injuries and upgrade to the next maturity stage, the self repair systems crack open the pool and add innermost to their resources.

After everything is sorted, assimilated, and otherwise used up, there’s not a lot of waste product left over. Energon, the perfect fuel, leaves basically nothing behind but a pinch of crystal sand. Other fuels burnt for energy often produce fumes of some sort, expelled through vents as they’re used, not unlike humans exhaling carbon dioxide. Not even Cybertron is safe from vehicle fumes I’m afraid. Slag and dross and other unusable liquids and solids are dehydrated, crushed down into tiny grains, and compacted into the gaps between external plating, where just moving around will break the mass into dust and waft away. Part of personal hygiene is picking at seams and joints to clean out the buildup.

As self repair replaces what has been worn away, the frame sheds the thin top layer old or deteriorating pieces, revealing a fresh layer beneath. For example, dull cracked paint will flake off to reveal new glossy paint underneath. Other parts like fingerpads are regularly ground down, so the sheathes over each joint of each digit will peel right off, almost like degloving skin except natural and painless (I don’t recommend googling degloving, it’s incredibly squicky and gory). This will happen regularly as a mech lives and works and eats, a continual cycle of accruing wear on their frame and growing a fresh layer with the maintenance of their self repair systems. Injuries and loss of body parts cannot be fixed with self repair, however, and require medical intervention to fix.

While shedding of waste material and worn away layers is unobtrusive but constant, it isn’t any more unhygienic than a human shedding skin and hair, and is largely ignored. It becomes a health issue when healthy, undamaged layers start peeling, when damaged layers are stuck and refuse to peel, when peeling layers reveal further damage instead of healthy new layers, or when waste buildup accrues enough material to impede movement or damage joints. For ungainly kibble and hard to reach areas, a tool or a helping hand is needed. Social grooming between family and close friends is a common pastime, although it requires a lot of trust. Sticking things into seams and gaps is unpleasant, and risks triggering a paralyzing mental state called entrapment protocols. Brushing off flaking armor is perfectly acceptable between friends, but genuine grooming is usually only done between people who know each other well enough to avoid discomfort.

Showers and washracks aren’t only for cleaning off whatever detritus has accumulated from the outside world, it also gets into all the gaps and flushes out the waste material and helps strip off stubborn or hard to reach shedding spots that a mech can’t pick at by themselves. Buffing, waxing, polishing, etc. usually come right after a large section of plating has shed. It gets rid of the very last bits of shed and spruces up the newly exposed layer. Half vanity, half health, kinda like a pedicure.

...... this is much more than I thought I would write

[rpmemesbyarat]

RP Meme from "Chapter Four: Cat Magic" in the Bastet breedbook from "Werewolf: The Apocalypse"

Once, I knew a three-faced girl. She wore a different face for each time of the day — morning, evening and night — and hid them all from everyone else when she wasn’t wearing them.

Cats are innately magical beings with an affinity for mysteries.

Sometimes, curiosity does worse than kill the cat!

These puzzles often involve symbols and twisted logic

Understanding such enigmas, and figuring out how to apply them in practical ways, takes time.

Other insights can include snatches of eavesdropped conversation that, when you string them all together, make a certain kind of sense.

In three words, this isn’t possible.

Let common sense be your guide.

With luck, she’ll be able to tell whether or not that water is safe to drink.

The old Norse goddess of fertility and love traveled in a chariot drawn by cats.

Go kill that vampire for me, sweetheart

Any cat is at his most terrifying when cornered.

Anyone within reach had better be at peace with their gods!

Crude, but effective!

This manifests as “bad feelings” whenever something nasty’s waiting nearby

Conspiracies, natural disasters, ambushes and festering rivalries can all be sensed ahead of time, though the outcome of combat cannot.

Undoing what you have summoned requires another, harder effort.

This may take hours.

Many animals and spirits instinctively respect a human, even if that respect verges into hostility.

Most of those who do know it charge hefty favors for the teaching

Changes can include physical prowess, attractiveness, racial features, gender and age.

A skillful data retriever can undo the damage, but it’ll take days or weeks to fix.

Note that this kind of tampering immediately sets off alarms on guarded systems; a would-be saboteur would be wise to amscray ontopray!

Cropland will remain infertile for a year, water will be poisoned for the same time.

Spoiled food is rotten forever, and those who eat it anyway will grow ill.

For this, they’re admired in public and envied in secret

Affected targets literally burst or fly apart.

Such travel only occurs at night.

Traveling out of material reality is always tricky; those lost on such trips are often lost forever

The water’s surface must be calm; raging waves will reveal nothing.

This tempest springs up out of nowhere and lasts for five minutes or less, then calms and disperses.

Some folks, of course, have no pity in their hearts.

Nature’s balance must be maintained.

Once in motion, the disease runs its course in the new location.

Every survivor in the original community mysteriously recovers.

A botch may provoke a frenzy.

Obviously, this is a last resort, but a very effective one.

Among the old folk, the jaguars were respected for their insight.

Only strong magic can rebuild the ashes of the heart or grow another one in its place.

Against unarmored humans, however, it’s devastating.

Even so, the ability to read anything set in front of you is a subtle yet powerful gift.

This irritates the spirits, and they can often tell who’s to blame.

Once freed, the soul wings forth, searching for a host.

Indistinguishable from the real thing without examination

While this form can be limiting, it’s very unobtrusive.

The more sadistic of these games involve bystanders whipped into a frenzy by this nasty secret, then set loose.

The shower is more a drizzle than a thunderstorm, but it can cool a hot day, water crops or dampen an empty creek bed in minutes.

Although the epicenter of the quake is fairly small, the tremors can be felt for miles.

Insight and enigma. Perception and misdirection.

This tends to fix most problems for good.

The first trick a good king learns is how to impress his subjects.

The second trick in a ruler’s arsenal is the ability to make his subjects obey whether they want to or not.

They can say whatever they like, but their reactions betray their cowardice!

There is a time for everything, even for stealth.

A ruler must be prepared to provide for his subjects.

Nothing diffuses a fight faster than making the aggressor walk away in near-suicidal depression.

Although the magic can’t physically harm someone, it can drive him nearly crazy as phantom pains or pleasures wash over him without noticeable cause.

These reasons can range anywhere from a lack of progress to bad politics.

Passing them on to a youngster is a sign of the utmost trust and pride.

Aside from making time to talk and having the freedom to do so, this rite doesn’t require special preparations.

These are the most sacred rites of all; anyone caught spying on them will be hunted down.

In time, storms gather or disperse, rain comes, winds rise, blizzards begin, tempests rage or calm

Animals may stampede, riots may flare and brave men may decide that now is a good time to leave

Some grudges can only be settled by force.

All attendees and their allies agree to abide by the decision.

His punishment depends on the host.

If they catch him, they’ll beat him to a pulp, but leave him alive to remember his shame.

[fasterthanmydemons]

So would classify any of the Maximoff’s with an Eating Disorder?

{out of breath} I would say no, with regard to diagnosable disorders like anorexia, bulimia, restrictive eating, pica disorder, etc. However, both twins do have mental health conditions that affect their eating habits as a result of trauma. They both have habits and behaviors associated with their eating that can be traced either to the stress of living on the streets as tweens and teenagers or trauma inflicted on them by Hydra. I’ll break it down into behaviors each twin displays and why. I will say that this also applies to them just after Ultron, most likely as they are adjusting to life at the Avengers Compound or even if they are sent to stay with Clint on his family’s farm for a while. For Wanda, at least, these habits are unlearned or lessened in severity by the time of Civil War, and definitely by the time of Infinity War. Below the cut because LONG.

{ WANDA }

Hesitation / Refusal to Eat - Wanda will sometimes watch-and-wait or outright refuse to eat when offered food. This is because she assumes there is some unseen punishment, trap, or negative consequence to accepting the food that she hasn’t seen yet. It’s the result of having been grabbed, yelled at, or otherwise traumatically interrupted while eating during her time at the Hydra facility. She will often wait and watch others eat for a while until she feels safe enough to take food for herself. Pushing her to eat or making her feel like she’s doing something wrong by not eating will only make her more nervous and will ensure that she doesn’t eat anything. The only one who can really nudge her to eat and get results is Pietro.

Bargaining - Sometimes if she is really hungry and wants to eat right away, she will try to elicit a response from those offering her the food as far as the consequences of accepting that food. So she’ll ask, “What does it cost?” This has nothing to do with money. Sometimes for experimental purposes or honestly just to be assholes, Hydra scientists would give or take away food to get Wanda to do or not do something. They might tell her that if she goes without food, they won’t hurt Pietro. Or, if she eats like a good girl, she won’t be beaten. Things like that stayed with Wanda, and even after she was free of Hydra, she assumed that food came with a price.

Sharing With Pietro - Wanda will often hide a portion of her own food in her clothing so she can give it to Pietro later on. This is because Hydra rationed food to their test subjects and really didn’t seem to care that Pietro required more calories and protein than others. He would get the same portions of food Wanda did, or sometimes less if he was being disciplined for something, and would often feel weak, shaky, or develop headaches due to his blood sugar bottoming out. This left Wanda with a distinct fear of her brother not having enough to eat. Since she couldn’t rely on their captors to give him enough, Wanda would try to save some of her own food for him. She used to do this when they were children as well, worried that their parents didn’t have enough money to feed Pietro the way he needed. After Ultron, she continued with this behavior, even though food was readily available for the both of them.

Paranoia - Wanda can't relax while she eats. She assumes that something bad will happen, that there's some hidden catch to her eating that she doesn't see, and that someone will come and interrupt her. This is somewhat due to how she was treated with Hydra, but also due to dinner as a ten year old being interrupted by the bomb that killed her parents. Because of this, she will often lift her eyes and look around a lot while she eats to try to be prepared if it looks like something is about to go down.

Noise & Sudden Movement Sensitivity While Eating - Related to her paranoia, if there is a sudden loud noise or movement while Wanda is eating, she will not only likely jump and startle easily, but she may stop eating altogether due to an upset stomach. This can unfortunately happen from something as innocuous as someone suddenly deciding to leave the table, getting up and loudly pushing back their chair. This reaction may be less severe if Pietro is nearby, just because Wanda is generally calmer with him around.

Indigestion - Because of the constant stress and the state of catlike readiness in which Wanda usually exists when she eats, she often ends up with indigestion, nausea, and stomach pain after she eats. She can sometimes alleviate this with certain herbal teas that can either help settle her stomach or calm her nerves.

{ PIETRO }

Food Aggression - Pietro sometimes reacts violently if he's eating and someone gets too close, especially if he thinks they're going to try to take some of his food. Never try to eat things off of Pietro's plate, basically. This does not apply to Wanda, however. She can sit as close as she wants and can take off his plate anytime. He might pull his late away from someone if they get too close, or might verbally tell someone to back off if he thinks they’re coming to take some of his food.

Hoarding - Pietro lives in a constant state of fear of not having enough to eat. He is always afraid of not enough food being there for his next meal. If he has food now but isn't hungry, he'll take it with him or hide it somewhere for later. These human squirrel behaviors started when he was living on the streets as a preteen and continued during the experiments. In the Avengers compound, Pietro's room is full of secret stashes of saved foods for “emergency,” he would say.

Secretive Eating - From the time he was a young boy, Pietro felt a little ashamed if his eating habits. Others in his family didn't eat as much or as often as he did and that made him feel like he was piggish, gluttonous, indulgent, or selfish. So sometimes if he's really hungry and feels he really needs to eat a lot, he'll hide in a bedroom, a bathroom, a closet, anywhere he won't be judged or yelled at for eating. This is usually followed by intense guilt and shame, however.

Sharing With Wanda - While eating together, Pietro will often push food over to Wanda or will push food from his plate and onto her plate, most of the time without asking. This is rooted in part of Pietro’s identity as his sister’s protector, and he feels it’s his responsibility to make sure that Wanda always has enough to eat. He knows that she won’t always speak up when she’s hungry, so he takes it upon himself to give her food. It really doesn’t matter to him how hungry he is as long as she has enough.

Taking Pride in Hunger - Related to sharing food with Wanda and taking care of her in general, Pietro learned from a very early age to take pride in the feeling of hunger. It hurt, and often times he would have other side effects from not eating enough, but to him, feeling hungry meant that he was giving enough food to his sister. There was really never enough food for both of them, especially when he has to find or steal it himself, and so he would always make sure she had enough before he did, no matter how hungry he felt. Because of that, he learned to take pride in the pain and to equate hunger with being a good brother to Wanda. He never ever wanted to take food away from her.

Eating Spoiled, Expired, Stale, or Dirty Food - Pietro… really has no problems eating food that’s past its prime, or even considered garbage. In his mind, food is scarce and the twins really haven’t had the luxury of being picky. He would always give Wanda the best food of what he stole or found, but would then often resort to eating food that was expired, dropped on the floor or ground, dirty, or otherwise not ideal. Food is food, and it shouldn’t be wasted. The way he saw things, it was better to risk being sick but not starve rather than to hold out for better food, be too hungry, and maybe be too weak to take proper care of Wanda.

{ BOTH TWINS TOGETHER }

Eating Side By Side - The twins will often sit close together when they're eating at the same time. I mean legs touching, shoulders touching, side by side level of close. It’s more comforting for them to sit close together, which will help alleviate digestive issues associated with being nervous while eating, but it also means an extra set of eyes and ears to watch for threats. Also, when they used to live on the streets, it would often be cold in their alley or alcove where they made their little nest, if you will. So sitting close together was not only comforting, it also meant keeping warm.

Holding Hands - Very often when the twins eat together, they will hold hands. It’s just a comforting thing they do, but it also has roots in them living on the streets as well. By the time Pietro returned to Wanda after finding or stealing whatever they needed to survive, it would often be dark. Holding hands let them know the other was nearby even in pitch darkness. It was also a very quiet way of comforting each other so that others wouldn’t find out where they we reliving. So they would hold hands with one hand and grab the food or eating utensils with the other. That’s their normal.

Alright, that’s all I can think of for now. Does anyone else have any thoughts or comments about this? I would love to read it! =)

[averagesmw]

Merula Snyde x MC- Back off, Parkin!

Game: Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery

____________________

Y/N L/N was a busy person, that was no secret. Whether it was being a student, investigating the cursed vaults, or even helping their friends in some wacky adventure, they always had something to do

Ironically, it wasn't often that Y/N got to chose what they wanted to do, so when they entered their house's Quidditch team, it was a welcome change to the formula

Somehow, they had managed to squeeze this new activity into the schedule. Nobody seemed to mind

Nobody but one person: Y/N's first enemy  and the self-proclaimed greatest witch in Hogwarts

Merula Snyde started as an antagonist to Y/N, but as years went by, their dynamic went beyond that. They made a great team and actually had fun together and actively searched for each other's company

Some would even say that they had grown a bit too close

But then again, they were just rumors

Merula wandered out of the potions class, looking at a paper with the topics that were most likely to be in the next exam

It sounded tedious, but she was already planning on a way to make it fun. That plan required the assistance of a certain someone

Walking up the stairs, determined to find that person in the Great Hall considering it was the time most students used to eat something

When she got there, she was greeted by a crowd. An annoyed sigh left her lips as she entered

Like a hawk looking for its prey, Snyde looked at every face to see if it was the one she was looking for, but she was already halfway through the hall and no luck so far

When her main plan was failing, she resorted to the plan she liked the least, talking to other students for help

"Oi, Khanna!"

Her distinct yelling caught the attention of a certain bookworm. Rowan turned around to see Merula motioning them to come to her and reluctantly, they did

"What do you need, Merula?"

"Where is L/N? It's lunchtime"

Rowan adjusted their glasses before answering

"Oh, they're tutoring Skye Parkin"

This caught the witch by surprise, Y/N was not known for tutoring others outside of class

"Tutoring?"

"It's an agreement that they have"

Merula didn't quite know what to say to that. This sudden revelation threw her own plan out the window

Her previous hint of a smile haded at the same time, now replaced by a disconcerted look

Rowan then spotted the sheet of paper in her hand, their questions forcing Merula out of her trance

"Are those potion class notes? Do you want me to help you with that?"

Her purple eyes looked at the aspiring professor, not knowing what they were talking about until she remembered the object in her hand

She looked at it before giving a delayed answer

"...no, but... I appreciate it"

Without saying anything else, she abandoned the conversation. She didn't even feel like calling them names

Merula could use a hand with those topics, but Rowan Khanna was not who she wanted to help her

Not Rowan, not Penny, and surely not Barnaby. It might be selfish, but it was what she wanted

So Merula chose to hang out at the library by herself, it wouldn't be so bad, right?

The silence, the same material, again and again, the friends studying together...it was exhausting, even more, if done on your own

Going over her notes and trying her best not to fall asleep ironically, made the young witch fall asleep on one of the desks after the third hour

Needless to say, Madam Pince didn't take this kindly

After hours of studying and being kicked out of the library, Merula decided to call it a day and head back to her common room

Along the way, she walked down a hall that gave her a view of the training grounds. Nothing she hadn't seen a million times before

Except that this time, it featured Y/N L/N themselves flying on a broom

Seeing this familiar face hovering around immediately restored the energy she had lost in the library

She was about to run to them and call their name when suddenly, another broom emerged, this one under the control of the Quidditch rising star, Skye Parkin

Both of them were practicing under the supervision of Madam Hooch, laughing and making jokes while getting to try some maneuvers for Y/N to try in the next friendly

This sudden interruption stopped Merula in her tracks, yet her eyes didn't look away

Watching them fly around reminded Merula of the times she challenged her "rival" to a race and those times that she almost won

It was fun, but it felt like a million years had passed since then

Y/N was clearly busy and for better or for worse, having fun. Merula wanted to see Y/N and get their help, but now that she saw them having a good time..she wasn't so sure of her plan

Maybe... tomorrow?

Yes, perhaps the next day would prove better for her

...

It didn't prove better

Professor Snape divided the class into groups for the day so he could better focus on their potion-making to prepare them for their O.W.L.s

Merula's group was scheduled right after Y/N's

Of course it did

Fortunately, it didn't take as long. Merula was proficient in potions, so it wasn't much of a challenge

"Your potion is adequate, you can leave now, Snyde"

Snape told the girl, noticing her being somewhat absent. Under normal circumstances, he might ask what is wrong, but he had no time for it

Merula nodded and left the classroom without saying much. Once she did, she was met with a small crowd of students in the hall

Among them were Barnaby and Rowan. Merula thought she could ask again for Y/N's whereabouts but when the student saw her, they shook their head with a worried expression

A heavy sigh came from her accompanied by burrowed brows. This was getting exasperating

However, her stomach grumbled, there was another issue that required her attention

And this one, she could deal with much faster

The Great Hall was where the young lady decided to go next to satisfy her hunger. Fortunately, there weren't as many students

This proved to be both a good thing and a bad thing since the absence of many students only highlighted a certain girl with blue and black hair

At first, Merula didn't notice her until she got her food and when she did she nearly dropped it

In front of her was the sole responsible for her lack of quality time with Y/N. Sky Parkin was eating a sandwich without a care in the world

The greatest witch in Hogwarts felt the anger building up inside her the longer she looked at this girl

Considering that Skye isn't often in the Great Hall, it felt almost like a message to see her there, even if she wasn't even aware of Merula's presence

Without thinking it twice, she approached Miss Parkin, almost stomping her way to her

"Hey, Parkin!" A yell caught her attention

Skye, while still munching on her giant sandwich now looked at Merula with a questioning look

"Hmm?" Was all she could say, she was eating after all

But as soon as she got her attention, the anger in Merula was replaced by the sudden realization that she didn't even know what she was going to say

"I... What are you doing here?"

"Umm... eating?" She answered motioning at her food

It wasn't the best way to approach it, but Merula chose to continue. She had her attention now anyway

"I mean what are you doing outside of practice. I thought you and L/N practiced every day"

"We don't. Y/N is a busy person, but I also take breaks from time to time, you know?"

She dared say that Y/N was busy? She was taking them all to herself!

One of her eyes twitched in repressed anger, earning Skye's curiosity

She knew that Merula was a bit strange, but there eas something else happening there

"You alright? Or maybe you're looking for Y/N?"

This gained her attention immediately, she even put her hands on the table when looking at Skye

"Do you know where they are?"

"I thought they'd be hanging out with you"

Merula stepped away in defeat when she heard that, at least yesterday she knew where Y/N was, now not even Skye knew

"We can't since they spend all day with you"

Skye might not be the greatest when it comes to charms, but she was not stupid and was able to deduce what was going on with her as soon as she let out that careless line

With a mischievous smirk, the rising star of Quidditch decided to defeat Merula at her own game

"Well, they are handsome"

This odd dialogue made the witch look back at her

"What did you say?"

"And smart, they are a good tutor"

Hearing this coming from the person that took Y/N away from her only helped to piss Merula even further

"Shut up"

"And kind, so open to help, they're quite a catch"

Of course, Merula's name had been dropped by Y/N a couple of times when they practiced with Skye, so she had an idea of what their relationship was

But Merula being, well, her, wouldn't even entertain the idea just like that, so she had to be tricked

And tricked she was

When she heard all these compliments coming from Skye, she practically grabbed her by her shirt and looked her in the eye

"Back off, Parkin! Y/N is mine, alright!?"

She stopped when she realized what she had said, a hint of pink taking over her cheeks while Skye just looked at her, incredibly amused by this

The Great Hall wasn't as populated, so not many people noticed the scene, but that's when the young witch realized that she had just fallen into a trap to confess her own affection

So she let go of Skye but gave her the coldest of glares

"I hate you so much, Parkin"

She stormed out of the place without another word said, leaving behind a very satisfied Skye Parkin

She wouldn't understand what Y/N saw in her, but she felt glad that the feeling was mutual...in Merula's strange way

A couple of steps out of the Great Hall and the young slytherin's ears picked up on a familiar voice, Y/N's

She turned sharply to the left and sure enough, she found a tired curse breaker talking to a student just a couple of steps away

When they spotted the girl, Y/N smiled and waved at her. Normally, this would be enough to melt her heart even if she didn't want to admit it

But this time, it only made her stomp her way towards Y/N and grab them without even looking at them, she just dragged them away from their conversation like a grounded child

"H-Hey, what's wrong?"

Y/N asked as they were being dragged away. Looking, back they say Merula just walk mindlessly and silently

"Merula? Are you alright?"

Again, no answer

That's when Y/N decided to use their own strength and free themselves from her grip with little to no effort

"Merula! What's gotten into you?"

This snap made her look back at the student with a much softer gaze this time. It looked as if she was just dragging them away with no clear intension

"Huh? Oh, hey Y/N"

"Care to explain why did you drag me for like twenty seconds without saying anything?"

Y/N crossed their arms. They weren't angry, but they needed an answer

Upon realizing what she had just done, Merula found her cheeks turning pink again

"I ummm...I heard that you'll have another friendly tomorrow, just wanted to wish you luck"

This lie, while well-formulated, was hardly any real motive for an action like that

"Thanks...but that's now why you're here, is it?"

The slytherin sighed, knowing well that her lie wouldn't get past them

"I hate that you're so perceptive..." She mumbled to herself

Then, she found the courage to look at them, at least for a couple of seconds

"Look, I'm glad you found something to make you happy and relatively safe but...no, forget it"

She was struggling to keep herself together, no wonder her words made such contrast

"It's... ridiculous" she finally admitted

That's when she was startled by a hand on her shoulder, making Y/N get her attention

"There's no such thing as ridiculous in Hogwarts, Merula"

She gave him an unamused look, making the curse breaker chuckle at their own joke

"But seriously, I won't laugh"

Their soft gaze combined with the intrigue and care got the best of the girl, who let out one final sigh

"Fine..."

Purple eyes met e/c when she continued to talk, a more calm look to her as well. There was no turning back now

"Don't you think you're spending a bit too much time with Skye? I know she's your teammate, but still..."

The way she lost her strength at the end of that sentence helped Y/N get a much clearer picture. Of course, Merula's words were important, but it was her body language the one that truly spoke

"Look, Skye is awesome and talented when it comes to Quidditch"

That wasn't the best way to answer, she found her eyebrows furrowing at this

"...But she isn't who I'd take to  a cursed vault, or a death-defying adventure"

Merula was surprised by a sneaky hand getting a hold of hers and quickly intertwining their fingers with hers

"And of course, she isn't who I chose to take on a date, isn't she?"

The slytherin was shocked by the calm way Y/N said it to her. There was no hint of doubt, lying, or even jealousy to them

They were clearly confident in every word they said

"You have nothing to worry about, Merula, nobody's going to take me away from you"

A quick kiss on the forehead followed that statement. This was enough to send her over the edge

Merula was receiving too much affection and didn't know how to respond. There wasn't any manual to it!

"What do you say tomorrow we do whatever you want? I think I owe it to you"

Y/N asked with that gentle smile of theirs and that tender gaze

Merula could hardly believe it. She had spent the last two days searching for Y/N and when they found her instead, they came off as incredibly kind and loving

It...it made it worth it

And honestly, it was something that she couldn't wait to see more of

"Yes, I think you owe it to me"

[localaakash]

Is Hotel Management is a good career option?

Hotel management is a branch of the service sector that generates more job opportunities and revenue than any other. Hotel managers are educated in business, human resources, and customer service. Hotel management is not as simple as you may believe; it is a challenging career in which you will encounter interesting individuals and intriguing opportunities. Both men and women can enrol in the hotel management program.

A bachelor’s degree in hotel management prepares students for management roles in the hotel business as well as related fields such as retail, banking, and insurance. A postgraduate degree in hotel management can lead to a variety of job opportunities. In semester 3, students can choose between human resources management and sales and marketing, as part of the postgraduate program’s built-in specialism.

Anyone considering a career in hotel management should keep the following factors in mind.

Confidential communication skill

One of the most important factors for organizational success is communication. To engage with new people and have an interest in meeting them, it is necessary to have a healthy and confidential relationship. This is a field that necessitates this consideration.

Patience

When dealing with people in the hotel management field, the most important thing to remember is to be patient. It will come in handy when you are confronted with unreasonable demands and impossible expectations. In such cases, the best thing to do is to pay close attention to the customer and have a calm, confident demeanour. People who do not behave in this manner may find difficulties in this industry.

Dealing with an uncomfortable situation

As a hotel manager, you’re likely to be in an area with a variety of individuals and their awkward situations. You’ll need skills to deal with these situations and people effectively.

Having a pleasant and presentable demeanour

As a hotel manager, your outward behaviour, such as the way you speak, stand, and present yourself, is quite important. You must be approachable. Before enrolling in this field, think about the following points.

We feel that the above-mentioned considerations are taken into account by anyone serious about entering this field of study. This means that anyone who meets the eligibility requirements can enrol in this field of study.

Let’s have a look at some of the prerequisites for hotel management.

What are the prerequisites for a career as a hotel manager?

It is common knowledge that any course has prerequisites that must be met before enrolling in the course. The following are some prerequisites for obtaining a hotel management degree.

The minimum requirement for the Hotel Management program is a 10+2 diploma. Students can also choose between a certificate, diploma, and degree programs.

For the final selection of students for the hotel management course, a group discussion and an aptitude test are held.

A certificate course might last anywhere from six months to a year, while a degree program lasts three years.

An entrance test is performed every year in April to select students for government institutions and institutes.

Hotel Management courses

Students fascinated by Hotel Management have lots of options when it involves courses. Hotel Management courses are available at the undergraduate yet postgraduate level. Plus, not only there are degree courses but also various diploma and certificate courses additionally.

Before choosing a hotel management course, students should make sure that they meet the eligibility criteria for that individual course. Not only this, but students should even have an understanding of what the course curriculum will include and why they’re taking over that individual course.

Certification Hotel management course After Grade 10

Certificate in HouseKeeping

Certificate in Hotel and Catering management

Certificate in Front Office Operation

Diploma Hotel management course After Grade 10

Diploma in Hotel Management

Diploma in Hotel Management and Catering Technology

Diploma in Food and Beverage Service

Diploma in Front Office Operations

Undergraduate degree Hotel management course After Grade 12

BA in Hotel Management

Bachelor of Hotel Management

Bachelor In Motel Management and Catering Technology

BBA in Hotel Management

BSc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration

Postgraduate Hotel management course

Masters in Tourism and Hotel management

Masters in Hotel Management

MBA in Hotel Management

MBA in Hospitality

Difference between Hotel Management and Hospitality

Don’t get the terms “hotel industry” and “hospitality industry” mixed up. While many people believe the two terms refer to the same thing, there are some distinctions between the two.

Hotel management is solely concerned with hotels, and job opportunities are limited to those in the hotel industry, including managerial positions in rooms, housekeeping, and operations. Hospitality management, on the other hand, is a broad term that encompasses a variety of industries such as restaurants, bars, cafes, travel and tourism, events, casinos, and so on.

What you should know is that it is the hotel manager’s responsibility to guarantee that the hotel is always warm and friendly, making us feel at home, and offering services that exceed the expectations of the guests. Hospitality is the term used to describe the interaction between the host and the guests.

Why Hotel Management is a Good Career Option?

Hotel management is one of the most dynamic, fast-growing, and demanding professions in the twenty-first century. You need to comprehend the explanations before deciding on a career in hotel management. For travel-obsessed graduates who want to start their careers in India and abroad, Hotel Management offers exciting options. Students are drawn to this field because of its numerous advantages.

More diverse and wacky work prospects emerge with each new technological innovation or guest experience. There are even impending economic changes, but the hotel sector has always demonstrated a high level of resilience in its operations. It’s even managed to stay afloat while other industries couldn’t keep up. Numerous top-tier universities offer you aim degrees in hotel management.

If you’re thinking about pursuing a career in hotel management, consider the following reasons to do so.

Fast-growing industry field

According to the business world, the hotel and the tourist industry is growing at a pace of 7.5 per cent, and according to a forecast by KPMG, this pace will climb to 16.1 per cent by 2022, with the hotel industry earning around rupees two thousand seven hundred and ninety-six thousand corrodes. So dismissing this industry as a viable choice is out of the question.

A wide range of Job Opportunities

The first thing that comes to mind is where can I get a job once I finish my degree, therefore we looked at all of the career opportunities and divided them into five groups.

Typically, you’ll find work at a huge hotel chain, such as the Taj group of hotels, Hilton Marriott over constantly, and so on.

You could work in a chain restaurant, a quick food restaurant, or a resort or a club.

The merchant navy and cruise ships are two places where hospitality graduates from hotel management often find work.

Railways, the military forces, tourism boards, banks, and other government institutions are all places where you can work.

Flight kitchen’s and Hospitals

Another aspect of hotel management is that it is a key employer. They, directly and indirectly, employ 48 million people in India, accounting for 8.27 per cent of the entire workforce. So, what are the reasons why we shouldn’t undertake hotel management or why you should choose hotel management as a career?

A Sufficient wage

Historically, salaries in the hotel, travel and tourist industries have been lower than in other businesses. Nonetheless, there are a plethora of reassuring jobs in these fields that can be financially rewarding. If your hotel company provides excellent guest service, the top-performing employee gets rewarded handsomely. They will provide you with competitive starting packages, frequent wage increases, bonuses, and other incentives in exchange for providing excellent service.

Life long career and work abroad

Another benefit of this field is that you can jump between segments, so the career for hotel management graduates is frequently recruited by other industries as well. Because the skill that you are learning is all about customer service and interaction, industries that will gladly hire you to include aviation, tourism, retail, banking, insurance, and many others

Hotel managers who work for chain hotels have the opportunity to attend work-related seminars or work in different chains around the world. Hotel managers who want to relocate to another country may be given the option to do so while keeping their current job.

Apart from the perks listed above, hotel managers have the option to work in five-star hotels. As a hotel manager, the more experience you have, the more prospects for promotion into higher management roles you will have. Take business or management courses to get the most out of these prospects.

Job Satisfaction

As a hotelman, your job is about people and you, therefore, must be a nation person. You aim to make sure that each guest’s stay is as pleasant as possible while the very best standards of customer service are met. briefly, it is your job to form people happy. Knowing that this has been successfully achieved through regeneration and good reviews will bring you an excellent sense of job satisfaction and can spur you on to realize even better results.

A new day brings a new challenge

There are no two days alike in the hotel industry. Every day, you’ll meet new people and face new difficulties, so the chances of a hospitality career becoming monotonous are slim to none.

Training programs

Few renowned hotel chains like the Taj, Oberoi offer their training program which offers the proper confluence of classroom studies and job training experience. After completion of the program, students are appointed at the junior management level. this can be a substantial boosting factor and advances your career by five to seven years.

Hotel Management in India

According to a report by rating agency ICRA, the Indian hotel industry will likely see just a marginal revenue growth of roughly 7% in 2012–13, due to the uncertain economy affecting demand. According to the report, the hotel industry hit new lows in the second quarter of 2012–13, with declining RevPARs and rising electricity prices reducing operating margins, which, combined with rising fixed costs (interest and depreciation), resulted in numerous players incurring net losses.

Hotel management courses provide students with a variety of opportunities in the hotel business. Hotel management students can find excellent prospects in both the public and private sectors, thanks to the growing demand in the business. Hotel management courses are available at the undergraduate, graduate, and diploma levels in India. Tourism Studies and Travel and Tourism Management are two of the most popular specialities. In the discipline of hotel management, interested people might pursue an undergraduate, postgraduate, or diploma program.

Hotel Management career with Nowadays Technology

We can’t consider job advancement without being tech-savvy in today’s knowledge economy. Technology has guaranteed that the hotel and tourism industries are never short of fresh and innovative job opportunities. A computer user, U/X designer, Cybersecurity specialist, designer, or social media manager are all possibilities.

The traditional job possibilities of the past have been supplemented by a slew of new ones. Furthermore, many technological occupations pay exceptionally well. So, if you’re a tech-savvy hotel management graduate, you’ll be able to look into a variety of technical positions that could help your hospitality career take off. From engineering to food and beverage; from housekeeping to front-of-house management; from pilots to cruise directors, and the list goes on. The numerous job possibilities available in hospitality and tourism make it one of the most rewarding professions.

As a result, hotel management remains a good job choice for college students, as graduates can choose from a variety of job routes within the industry. Furthermore, technology and innovation are only going to make things better for individuals interested in working in the hotel sector. As a result, hotel management is an excellent career choice. There is a lot of hostility around hotel management jobs, which has gotten worse as a result of the COVID outbreak. However, rest confident that the hotel and leisure business will continue to be one of the fastest-growing businesses, providing employees with endless prospects.

Source: https://aakaksharmahdev.medium.com/is-hotel-management-is-a-good-career-option-fa042673f842

[gravelgirty]

Hi could you talk more about caves what you said on that post is really interesting

Sure thing!

First of all, it was an amazing cave I worked in. You never forget that. I'll pick one of my favorite topics,

the FALLOUT SHELTER AGGRAVATION TAX.

Clears throat.

Limestone caves are literally stone libraries in the geologic record of the world. Twice a year the airflow would change and then you'd smell smoke from decrepit old torches dating as far back as 1812. People made saltpeter in these caves, they were natural mines for things that went boom, and one of those 'requirements' meant airflow so you wouldn't suddenly and embarrassingly, drop dead of too much Underground. This is why the coal miners were eternally bemused and asking us questions like airflow. Sometimes you gotta canary. Sometimes you are the canary. This often led to predictable questions that was these old gents trying to be polite, but what they really wanted to know was,

'why the hell are you being paid $10 a trip plus tips to walk us 1.1 miles underground up to 3 times a day and no one has a mortgage gun aimed at your head?'

To which I would say, 'it wasn't quite that bad. If no one shows up at all we get paid $10.' ...Dear Saint Barbara, Chango, and the Gods of Deep Mystery, the things we tell ourselves. $10 a day. Crap. Thank goodness I had Granny's House, dad was paying the property tax, the water was on a well, and garbage was less that $20 a month. A shame we can't afford a TV, but hey, we can stay busy digging up that quarter-acre garden that will keep us fed plus the road kill Deer in the fall.

But the conditions that created saltpeter (I'll go into depth on that later if people are interested) also convinced some weird-ass people in Washington DC that caves were the perfect place to do a DR STRANGELOVE and people could go hide out in the caves, free of...well, nothing, really, because radiation = straight lines +caves, air, irradiated air and water, and everything goes down into the caves...

Look. It made people feel safe, ok? And it wasn't the worst decision the Pentagon ever made, considering they were telling the scientists working with HOT RADIOACTIVE MATTER to stay safe by sticking the stuff on a long pole so they wouldn't have to touch it.

Everybody knows about the bomb shelter President Kennedy was prepared to run to with his family in case of Cold War. It was in the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs (I prefer to think of it as the HIDDEN FIGURES birthplace). FYI everybody who lived here knew where it was. There are only so many power stations one measly little resort that cries that it can't afford to pay for its own water bill can keep.

[insert sniffle boohoo sobbing of the pro-confederates who run that place and while I can't be there for you, try to imagine the joy I am stockpiling for the day when we have another traitorous uprising and this time, the resort doesn't get a GO PASS GO by dangerous romantics and is finally burned to the ground.]

Anyway, the important people like the President, his family, his Secret Service, his staff, cook, maid-in-waiting, bootblack and et al got to go bunker down in the luxurious bomb shelter at the resort, which probably wouldn't be very resort-y after a certain point of Castro going, 'fuck you, you whippersnapper Irish Dog' or Khrushchev throwing a little more than his shoe around. I'm not convinced it was that great of a place to hide, really. I mean...they have lightning rods on the trees over there, and believe it or not, cavers in that country have been hit by lightning while underground. Because. Lightning. If it can bake entire acres of potatoes in the field, two subterranean surveyors with metal measuring tape haven't got a prayer.

I want you to know that I can't at this point go into detail (space restrictions) on the importance of all these caves to Union Sympathizers, slaves on the Underground Railroad, and the Far-Righter MAGAS called Confederates. Trust me when I say, if you didn't know where these caves were, you had absolutely no right to know.

In Appalachia, limestone caves were listed on properties and handed down because of their value. Thomas Jefferson made a point of making sure there were lots of caves to provide nitre for the Gunpowder Committee. I don't know if landowners had to pay taxes for having saltpeter caves (probably), but when the Cold War came around, they definitely and cheerfully sold the access rights to the government because...it was the government. I am not in the least bit joking when I tell you there are people over there who are still pissed off over George Washington's Whiskey Rebellion.

If you really want to get into the psyche of Appalachians, go read up every scene Terry Pratchett ever wrote about Lancre in his Discworld books. Just give them more libraries and a LOT of coffee stations.

Oh, dear. I forgot all about the owling and the Prohibition.

Owling = the practice of moving your herds of cattle from one ridge to the next to avoid a higher payment when the taxman came a-calling.

Prohibition = The Second Oldest Profession.

These days, many of the Fallout Shelter caves are being used for...modern needs. Meth labs, if you're a sensationalist, but if you aren't, bear in mind that hiding out stolen cattle and horses still requires big places out in the middle of nowhere. But when Mr. Gov't Man came around and offered cash for the access rights to grand-daddy's old saltpetre cave? Goodness gracious, we know we aren't supposed to take people's money from them because that's a sin, but...taxes...you know how it is... (most of the mountain folk had no real quarrel with Kennedy despite his heathen dog Catholicism because it wasn't his fault he was brought up Catholic, but when it came to the government...well, it was the principle of the thing).

In short order papers were drawn, and shelters were built and good god, they were ugly. Clapboard shantytowns, I swear. They were stockpiles whacked together with off-brand plank and tenpenny nails for where the selected few could bunker up in the cozy, damp, dripping, chilly, dusty, sneezy, probably-warm-from-stray-radiation environs. I have no idea who the Pentagon hated enough that they would send them to these caves. They had a bottleneck opening for easy defense, yes, but there was no defense against puking yourself to death or accidentally taking off your own skin with your uniform at the end of your shift.

YOU THINK I"M KIDDING?? YOU THINK IT IS A COINCIDENCE THAT CLASSIC DR WHO SHOWS DALEK HISTORY IN AN OLD STONE QUARRY? WELCOME ABOARD!

A fallout shelter's stockpile generally consisted of

*High-quality medical equipment, even though some of that stuff had a shelf life of three minutes.

*Radio Equipment. Which was probably a real belly laugh to the folks running the NARO satellite dishes up in Green Bank, because families in the most rural portion of WV (Pocahontas County) spent their evenings parsing Latin and teaching the young lads and lasses the wonders of shortwave and how to rig up your own crystals in case you needed to jackleg your own.

*Food. God. Awful. Food. It was designed to keep you alive, but you can't say anything more charitable about it. Honestly, I'm surprised nobody tried to corner a government contract on dehydrated water.

*Water. Potable water for drinking, but, I should say, I couldn't find any means with which you could make a potable distillery. Or, how much of this potable water was going to be used to rehydrate the ghastly awfulness of the dehydrated food, or the canned goods that included stuff the military couldn't wait to forget. Go ask your grandparents how much canned horse Circa WWII they ate while they served, m'kay?

*Candy. High energy, easily digestible candy. Flavor optional, at the discretion of the same government that made the WWII Chocolate Bar.

*The containers themselves. Yep, they counted. They were heavy metal barrels and tough buckets or small drums, plus the amazingly dense metal and plastic containers for medical kits, candy, and misc. I'm not sure if they had a requirement other than impervious, waterproof, and on sale. In fact, the smaller drums/buckets were supposed to be lined with the plastic used to wrap the other goods, and convert into a toilet.

Cold War comes and goes. I'm sure what happened next is shocking:

1) medical supplies goes missing in the dead of night.

2) Electronics follows. That probably makes the electricians feel good, because...what good would they have done in the wet, dust-filled atmosphere of the caves?

3) Candy. Candy, did you say? I don't remember seeing any candy..?

4) The gradual disappearance of the food rations is mysteriously in proportion to camping trips multitasking with double-dog-dares. Who needs a frat pledge if Freckles here has never been introduced to the joys of Dehydrated Ketchup?

5) If you think the backyard blacksmiths are making forges with tire rims, do you think metal containers stand a chance?

This leaves the barrels of water, but who would want to drink that stuff? It's been sitting around for how long? Ew. And the boards for those shelters...cripes.

This inadvertently makes up a tiny little side bonus for the hard-working tour guide. Because these shelters are usually ridiculously close to the entrance of the tour caves. You have to take your tour group in stages, see, and once they finish gasping and wheezing their way through the first 300 steps, you have to take their minds off how miserable they are and pause at the shelter with your flashlight, and describe this little chapter of history. By this time the bats are hanging off the boards (your chance to remind them of the exorbitant federal fines for hurting these little mosquito-hunters), the occasional lost salamander, and the beginnings of the Dreaded Cave Cricket (ten minutes with these little monsters and you'll never think pink is an effete color ever again).

And the mold. There are patches of mold the guides have been watching for YEARS. Some of them have even bothered to look them up, because...tourists. They love to stump the guides and use it as an excuse for not tipping you because you haven't taken a Master's in The Encompassing Topic of Karst Everything and are clearly a dumbass, hah-hah I'll spend my money in the overpriced gift shop, peasant.

But no, folks. If you ask them one more damn time if they're sure all the candy and drugs are gone...we're too tired to take your bleeping bleep bleep tip anyway.

[murphypaw]

so okay some PotH Clans basics, definitely not all the traits and customs but just some ones I wanted to talk about! if you wanna ask anything you can send an ask you don't have to reblog this infodump 😂

CreekClan

Uses mud and smashed berries for ceremonial purposes.

Some cats will just paint themselves for an extra bit of luck.

They use shells, stones, and mud more for their religious practices than herbs.

They do fish, but rely more on voles and frogs for food. Fish are more of a treat.

Superstitious cats believe that they have webbed toes.

They believe that prey are cats who were evil in their cat life and therefore atoning in this life by feeding the Clans.

They are very superstitious about overeating, believing it is the bad souls infecting you in life. so they never hunt more than can feed the Clan, leftover food is unacceptable.

CreekClan cats believe black and chocolate tabbies were particularly good cats in their last life.

They believe in spirits and souls, spirits being more akin to ghosts and monsters while souls are the essence of a cat that is reincarnated. a cat who isn't reincarnated becomes a spirit. [GladeClan shares this belief, but they learned it from CreekClan during Oakbelly's time. it's considered laughable by HillClan, RavineClan, and ThicketClan, while MarshClan thinks they no longer exist].

CreekClan cats are often gifted storytellers and very social, it's odd to meet a CreekClan cat who you can't joke around with. ThicketClan has a very tense relationship with them in comparison to other Clans.

GladeClan

Pacifists, believes killing a cat even in self defense rots away at your soul.

Scavengers, hunting is not wrong but is more of a last resort.

Extremely religious and superstitious, they have intensive atonement rituals and more medicine cats than most Clans.

They nearly were wiped out during a war and were rebuilt with mostly loners by a warrior named Oakbelly.

Oakbelly and her medicine cat, Fawnfur, made the rules about pacifism and scavenging.

Fawnfur also began a tradition of burying cats near important plants to fertilize them.

There is a large oak tree at the head of the camp that is said to be Oakbelly's spirit, as she gave up her reincarnation cycle in order to continue watching over her clanmates.

Cats will pray by the oak tree, eat and bury their bones, even just tell her spirit about their day. she is still included as part of the Clan. No cat will name a kit Oakkit because Oakbelly is still considered to be with them.

Medicine cats are always consulted by leaders and often cats will go to a medicine cat before their leader with issues they are having.

GladeClan cats use herb bundles as part of rituals and have a morning and evening prayer session, though it's not uncommon to see them gathering for prayers between patrols.

HillClan

Second most religious Clan.

Has two "shifts" of warriors, day and night, depending on pelt color. They have less tree coverage so their darker colored cats hunt/patrol at night to avoid them overheating.

Two set meal times, called Morning Meal and Evening Meal. Morning Meal is before dawn and Evening Meal is before dusk. This allows cats to social more with the other shift.

Cats on border patrols are allowed to catch and eat one meal while on patrol, cats on hunting patrols are allowed to eat one meal between patrols.

Deputies are considered leader apprentices and are treated no different than other warriors. they aren't necessarily "head warrior" like most other Clans they are just a warrior with exemption from certain duties due to their training.

They rarely use special suffixes, it's uncommon to see a lot of cats who don't have -pelt, -fur, -stripe, or -spots as a suffix. typically no more than five in the Clan as they believe you have to be truly exceptional to earn those names.

They have less medicine cats than most Clans, with the exception of RavineClan, due to it being considered a sacred role. They believe the other Clans have devalued the role by adding more medicine cats to their ranks.

HillClan cats are superstitious about in-Clan matin, so they have lifemates (romantic partners for life) and if they want kits they seek loners or rogues to be sires. most other Clans simply require the leader's approval for in-Clan mating but HillClan nearly forbids it.

they enforce the elders' role more strictly than other Clans, having a history of serious outbreaks of kit madness (mothers becoming so stressed they eat their kittens) every time a leader is lax on this rule. the mothers are never blamed, the leader is blamed for not enforcing the law that elders raise and prepare kits for their apprenticeship.

they believe Sunbelly (the sun god) watches over day warriors and day warriors will often pray to him for good fortune. alternatively Moonclaw (the moon goddess) is believed to watch over the night shift warriors. cats will pray to the opposite deity at the end of their shift to give the opposite shift good fortune.

MarshClan

Legitimate battle cats, they train even as warriors with each other to keep their fighting skills sharp.

Cats will duel to settle disputes, though killing is not permitted.

they don't use the -claw or -fang suffix, believing every cat should excel in combat, so other skills are always more noteworthy.

they take their dead to the edge of their territory, near the mountains, for the buzzards and other scavengers to eat. they return to collect the bones and add them to the wall/piles surrounding the camp.

they don't believe in waste, they crack open prey bones in order to eat the marrow and use the prey bones to line their borders and important places (like their training areas).

they fight for sport in the training areas, mediated by the medicine cats. they bless the matches and even let kits come to watch. cats volunteer and medicine cats choose combatants.

cats with no scars are considered shameful after they've earned their warrior names because it means they've only had "easy" fights. they've never been truly challenged and it's considered cowardly to not seek an opponent of equal skill.

MarshClan cats use mud for camouflage rather than ceremony.

most rituals are done with bones and fur and feathers (skin or scales in the case of frogs and lizards). medicine cats stockpile bits of prey for such things and many cats will use prey bits to outline their nests for good luck.

cats have to recite a battle prayer and win a fight against their mentor and one peer in order to earn their warrior name. typically they get a lasting scar from this.

RavineClan

Honestly the least religious Clan, it's common for them to be atheists or agnostics. they typically only have a medicine cat and apprentice.

They try to keep to themselves and are the most welcoming to outsiders. many exiled cats (Clan or rogue) will seek refuge among them.

They typically have very dark fur and dull-colored eyes, finding Clans like CreekClan (who have the widest variety of colors) to be impractical.

Rather than having a warriors den and such, cats dig dens to live with their families around a clearing that is considered the "camp."

When the warriors go for patrols, their kits are in the care of an elder (typically the kit's grandparent).

Typically cats will hunt for their family and any elders who do not have a family to hunt for them.

During the day the elders bring the kits to the actual camp clearing to teach them history and give them space to play.

They are very strict on family members training apprentices and very harsh on nepotism. Leaders aren't allowed to choose family members for deputy.

They don't really practice the silent vigil, instead having the new named warrior(s) simply patrol the border over night without the silence requirement. they then hunt at dawn and bring the prey to their leader as proof that they are capable.

They are very secretive about their lax rules, thinking the other more zealous Clans would run them out of the forest. Apprentices aren't allowed to go to Gatherings because of this.

ThicketClan

These cats have little to no sense of humor and don't value social skills, many have eternally hoarse voices from lack of use.

They're very large physically compared to other Clans. Despite this, they're scarily quiet and slow moving.

ThicketClan cats are excessively paranoid and mistrust just about everycat they meet, especially those outside their Clan. they are raised to fear and expect the worst of others.

They train for at least an hour every morning regardless of rank in fighting skills, unlike MarshClan it's not for pride and custom it is simply for fear and preparation.

They believe that SkyClan doesn't watch over them as the other Clans due to the dense overgrowth in their territory, so they work extra hard to pray and sacrifice animals and perform rituals so that SkyClan will not forget them or show them less favor the other Clans.

Discipline and self-control are major virtues in the Clan.

They will travel in groups all the way to the city ruins to mate and will not leave each other alone with the rogue toms. typically a few Clan toms are on the trip to keep a count and watch out for any kind of aggression.

They do not allow outsiders to join their Clan, for any reason.

They move camps every spring, during autumn cats begin preparing the new camp and they begin tearing down the old camp towards the end of winter.

Rather than exiling cats, they execute them. There are no exceptions to this rule.

[secret-of-success-book]

Chapter 1 of 24: Why bad things happen to good people?

People often ask “Why these bad things happen to me? Please don't tell me it’s your karma or fate”.

It may not be easy to find convincing answers for such questions. But let us see how a man changed the circumstances around him and still inspiring millions of people to change their own circumstance. He literally brought an empire down to its knees.

The man’s name was Mohan. He was a dull student in school. He used to be very shy and avoided all company. He used to be haunted by the fear of thieves, ghosts, and snakes. He did not dare to venture out of doors at night. It was almost impossible for him to sleep in the dark, as he would imagine ghosts coming from one direction, thieves from another and snakes from a third.

Later he studied Law, but fared no better in his legal career. He did not know how to apply legal principles to particular situations. His book-learning left him without any clue about how to help a client. No one would dare to give him a case. His colleagues began to refer to him jokingly as "brief-less barrister."

Having nothing else to do, he used to attend court every day to gain experience. But he had trouble following the cases and often dozed off in the middle of them. His first and only case was a routine, small claim. Following is a description of what happened in his own words.

“This was my debut in the Small Causes Court. I appeared for the defendant and had thus to cross-examine the plaintiff's witnesses. I stood up, but my heart sank into my boots. My head was reeling and I felt as though the whole court was doing likewise. I could think of no question to ask. The judge must have laughed, and the lawyers no doubt enjoyed the spectacle. But I was past seeing anything.

I sat down and told the agent that I could not conduct the case, that he had better engage Patel and have the fee back from me. Mr. Patel was duly engaged for Rs. 51. To him, of course, the case was child's play.

I hastened from the Court, not knowing whether my client won or lost her case, but I was ashamed of myself, and decided not to take up any more cases until I had courage enough to conduct them.                      _ Mohan

After few such attempts to succeed in life, he was exasperated. It was at that point that his life took one of those mysterious turns that some observers like to ascribe it to "fate" or "chance."

Through his brother, a local firm offered to help him out with a year's contract with its office in South Africa. It was a minor clerical position, well below the salary and prestige his education deserved. And it also meant separation from his wife, who had just borne them a second son. At that time it did not seem like much of an opportunity. But he jumped at the offer. It was, at least, a job, a chance to gain some experience and maybe an opportunity to send some money to his brother.

After a lengthy sea voyage, he landed in a town named Durban and was received by his client. Providence had lured him to what he was later to describe as 'that God - forsaken Continent where I found God'.

Although the British and Dutch were altogether a small minority of the total population in South Africa, they treated both native Africans and Indians as less than human. Indians had been originally brought in eighteenth century at the request of the European settlers to help build their plantation economy. They had been lured as indentured labourers on a five-year contract with the right to stay on as free residents on their own.

In their path had followed merchants and other professionals. They were all looked down upon by the Europeans as outcastes and were contemptuously called ‘coolies’ or ‘samis’, irrespective of their occupation or status in society.

After about a week's stay in Durban his client arranged for Mohan to leave for Pretoria, where his presence would be required for the lawsuit. Europeans in South Africa always travelled in first class whereas Indians were expected to travel in third class. But Mohan‘s law firm had reserved a first-class seat for him.

When the train reached Pietermaritzburg at about nine in the night, a white passenger boarding the train objected to the presence in the compartment of a 'coloured' man. The following was what happened.

https://youtu.be/7rapHpFnBZE

Not only in Mohan’s life, but in our own lives too there can be occasions when we become utterly clueless and helpless.  We may want to achieve something greater, such as becoming an entrepreneur, scientist, artist or leader. Or else, we may face many challenges such as failure in examinations, failure in finding a job or in business ventures, conflicts in family or failures in relationships. Many people, unable to stand the failures, stress and anxiety, go to the extremes of committing suicide, murdering people or resort to other short cuts or wrong means to find solutions.

No matter whether rich or poor - we have one asset that is equally distributed among all – ‘Time’. Every one of us has precisely only twenty four hours in a day.

But, some people achieve wealth, power, fame and so on, with very little effort; others with great difficulty; still others fail altogether to reach their goals and ideals. Why is this so? Why should some people realize their ambitions easily, others with difficulty, and still others not at all? This e-book intends to answer such questions and help you succeed in life.

We cannot satisfy our stomach by mere reading a menu card about delicious foods. We must eat to satisfy hunger physically. Similarly this e-book won’t be of much use if you just read it for entertainment and put it aside. It will be more useful if you make it a practical guide in daily life. You need to comprehend the principles of life. Then you must apply them in everyday living so that you can make your life a beautiful piece of art.

This e-book can be described as a combination of the ‘Science of Life’ and the ‘Art of Living’, a manual for life, so to speak. Individual topics may seem incomprehensible in the initial reading. But you may understand the entire e-book in perspective, eventually.

Our mind-set is a product of parents, teachers, society, media etc. They shape our beliefs and influence how we understand and either accept or reject new information. Some concepts of this e-book may sound unbelievable or old fashioned. But don’t reject anything too early. Be more patient with unfamiliar words. Allow new concepts to sink in mind and expand you into new ways of thinking. They have survived the tests of time, and remain amazingly ever new, practical and universal.

The secret for a rich and meaning life has been indirectly mentioned several times throughout these chapters. If it is directly named, it may deprive you of the benefit and joy when you find it on your own. Hence it has not been directly named but merely uncovered and left in sight for those who are ‘ready and prepared’ may find it.

Would you like to find the secret?

Please wait for next chapter.

[mithrilwren]

Strange Bedfellows

For @essek-week. The prompt for Day 2 was ‘loneliness’, which I did not so much fill, as approach from a downward slant and hope I landed somewhere in the right vicinity. Because yeah, this is not what I thought I’d write, but it’s certainly... what I wrote.

[Also on Ao3!]

“Please take good care of him! Make sure he eats enough! We’ll be back soon!”

“But I-”

The door closes. Essek stares down at the strange creature in his palms. The creature blinks back, then bites him at the juncture between thumb and forefinger hard enough to draw blood. Who can say who yelps louder: Essek, as he instinctively shakes his hand to rid itself of the unexpected pain, or the creature, as it falls from his grasp to the hard stone floor, then skitters around the corner into the next room.

That’s the last he sees of Jester’s weasel for two days.

---

His name’s Sprinkle, and he loves me so very much but Caduceus thinks he needs a break from adventuring for a little while. Please take good care of him!

“Sprinkle,” Essek hisses, down on all fours beside one of the many towering bookcases in his study. There’s nothing to be found in the darkness beneath, save a single ceramic dish that his own robe knocked so carelessly aside as he entered the room. He scoops the spilled contents - dried bits of liver, the best he could do without resorting to laying raw meat on the floor of his house - into his palm, then drops them back into the dish, one by one. Fifteen little clinks: exactly the same number of pieces as he’d added the evening before.

He’s both grateful and perturbed that there’s nobody there to witness his current state. There are documents piling up on his desk, reports he’s yet to sign, and here he is, without another soul in the world to help him sort out this mess. No one to call for aid, because the only ones he feels safe enough to share in his failure are the ones he’s presently accountable to.

He had expected some sort of test from the Nein, on their return to Rosohna. Some way of measuring his loyalty to them. He’d been prepared for a fight, for supplication, for promises of gifts or favours, for his own head on a pike. He hadn’t been prepared to be handed the means of his own destruction, in the form of a beloved pet that seems determined to let itself starve to death rather than accept any of Essek’s offerings.

Treachery and treason, she can apparently forgive. But the loss of her weasel? He suspects that’s a betrayal from which their friendship would never recover.

The creature, he knows, is somewhere within this room - his location spell can narrow his search radius that far - but the thing is so small, and his study so vast, and so full of hiding spaces, that he’s been forced to go on like this for a half hour, left spooled at last in a heap of robes at the center of the room, staring helplessly at the undecorated wall.

On the first day, he’d been sure Sprinkle was merely nervous of the new environment, but that food would draw the creature out. Most animals are capable of reason, presumably, and if Essek offered sustenance, and made no aggressive actions, surely this one would emerge eventually?

Surely?

Add it to the list of things that Essek has been woefully wrong about in this life.

He stares up at the lines of bookcases, filled with tomes meant more for show than for pleasure. They’re a perfect accompaniment to the rest of the house: full of unused rooms and corridors leading to nothing of value, save the architectural aesthetic to match the rest of the wealthy neighbourhood. It’s no wonder that a tiny weasel could evade him so thoroughly in a house with so much empty space, particularly when he scarcely leaves his office or laboratory for more than the length of time required to fetch food from the larder - and he’s been known to forget to do even that.

If there’s anything this experience has taught him - besides humility - it’s that Essek barely knows his own home.

He’s about to admit defeat for yet another day, go off and meditate restlessly while pondering a puzzle with no solution, when he hears the faintest scritching of nails against wood. Essek locks in place, swiveling his head so slowly that not even his jaw can disturb the air.

Peering out from beneath a glass cabinet of atlases, he spies a subtle glint: two beady eyes of black, fixed on the bowl in his lap.

Neither moves as they wait in their stalemate. Essek controls the food, which gives him some power, but Sprinkle is the more dextrous by far. Even if he could manage to get out his components in time, would a hold spell contain such a small creature, or would it slip from his grasp, never to be found again?

With little more than a word and a flick of his fingers, the bowl levitates into the air and floats to a space halfway between himself and the cabinet. The beady eyes disappear, vanished again into the darkness as the dish of liver comes to rest on the floor. Essek folds his hands in his lap, trying his best not to worry the already agitated skin around his nail beds, and waits.

At last, the eyes appear again, and then a nose emerges as well, tiny nostrils twitching in the air as a long body slinks into Essek’s view. He’s never seen an animal quite like this before. A svelte coat, left ragged and burned in places, but sleek around the face and eyes. A brilliant red colour with tufts of white at the paws, and a keen and mistrustful stare to match the trepidation in its slow creep forward.

He cannot hide, trapped as he by Sprinkle’s presence, but he feels compelled to give the creature its privacy all the same, and turns his head away as the creature finally reaches the dish and begins to eat.

It’s distracted. He could take out his components now. Perhaps even a gravitation spell, if it would not injure Sprinkle too greatly…

He flicks his eyes back, and finds Sprinkle’s eyes on him, cheeks are full to the brim with food, but ever vigilant of the threat in the room. He can see now the way the body crouching over the bowl trembles fitfully, miniscule shivers of terror running up and down its spine.

His hand, which had wandered to his wrist, curls into a fist and drops into his lap.

“I won’t hurt you,” he says, almost startled at the sound of his own voice, as soft as it is. He doesn’t often speak aloud when at home. There’s rarely anyone to talk to. “Please… eat.”

The weasel sniffs the air a single time, then takes the last of dried bits into its mouth, flees beneath the furniture once more, out of Essek’s reach.

Essek wonders, as he wanders off to meditate with his heart only mildly relieved, if he made the right choice. He could have taken the creature by force, trapped it in a cage, and the anxiety of the past two days would be at an end.

But some instinct compels him to wait. To be more delicate, if he can. Trust is hard to build, easy to shatter. He will not offer a gift in one hand while the other holds a chain, and return Jester’s pet more broken than before.

He’s caused her more than enough harm for one lifetime.

---

Essek sees neither hide nor tail of Sprinkle for the next few days, but the dishes he sets out are left empty by morning, and he calls that a success. Still, the worry won’t leave him be, lingering in the back of his mind through dull meetings and over political discussions, wondering at the fate of his reclusive houseguest. He can’t help but dread that the creature will be injured somehow in his absence, or worse, escape into the street and be trampled by a passing orcish footfall or the wheels of a cart.

It’s enough to send him racing home by the end of the fifth night, a locate spell already primed on his fingers when he’s less than a block away, and only able to breathe properly when he feels the gentle ping at the back of his mind, leading him home.

The reports have piled high enough now that he cannot simply continue to ignore them, so he drops the spell and heads reluctantly to his office, mentally preparing himself for a night of carrying the leaden weight of his own procrastination fixed around his neck.

After less than an hour, his head is pounding. When his vision begins to blur as well, Essek lets his head drop into his hands, willing the swimming letters to quiet. The workload feels impossibly heavy tonight, and he knows that’s his own fault for letting it get away from him, he knows, but-

Sniff.

Slowly, Essek’s head turns towards the slightly ajar door to his office. There, framed in the pale strip of light emanating from the hallway, sits a crimson weasel.

Essek almost believes it's a hallucination, for the first few moments. The weasel waits perfectly still in the doorway, unblinking and unmoving, like a taxidermied specimen on display, and he holds himself just as quietly. This is the longest he’s ever gotten to observe Sprinkle, and he tries to catalogue what he can, while he can.

Still harried looking, but the coat is a little sleeker than it was the last time he saw it. Bare patches of fur have begun to fill in, and the weasel’s previously gaunt torso now rounds a little near the hips, as though its belly is full for the first time in months. No shudders run down its spine.

It looks, in a phrase, not much worse for wear for its sojourn from the world.

Why then, he wonders, is it here?

“Are you hungry again?” he asks, heedless now to the ridiculousness of talking aloud to an animal that can’t understand him. His fascination is too great for embarrassment to pierce. The weasel doesn’t respond, obviously, but it takes a little step into the room, nudging curiously at the rug by the door. He falls silent again, waiting to see what Sprinkle’s next move will be.

At last, the weasel slips fully into the room, ignoring Essek now in favour of finding a dark spot beneath a chair and curling up into a ball. It’s about as physically far removed as it can get from Essek, while still being within the confines of the same four walls. But still, the creature chose to enter. Chose to share the same space, when it had a whole house at its disposal to hide. When it clearly still mistrusts him, but not enough to stay away.

“Are you lonely, little one?” he murmurs to no one.

They pass the rest of the night away in silence, but for once, it’s a companionable sort.

---

“Did he give you any trouble?”

“Not much,” Essek says, as Yasha eyes him dubiously, “but I think it would be better if Jester retrieved him. He doesn’t quite trust me yet, I’m afraid.”

“I would be surprised if he did,” Caleb says, as Jester rushes off to his office to collect her pet. “He doesn’t let any of us near him. I don’t think he’d let Jester either, if she wasn’t so… persistent.”

“Still,” says Essek, “we did make some progress over the week. Perhaps with a little time, and patience, there might be hope for a creature like that.”

Caleb’s lips turn up at the edges.

“You might be right.”