This is your check-in post for today. The poll will be open from midnight Universal or Zulu Time (8pm Eastern Time) on Sunday, October 12, to midnight on Monday, October 13 (8pm Eastern Time).
Watching. Another Farscape, while bleaching A this morning. ( Read more... )
Playing. The Tukoni: Forest Keepers demo. Once again a very soothing delight: potter gently about making other forest creatures happy, in a setting of gorgeous art. Exactly what our frazzled nerves needed.
Quite a bit of Fluxx.
Cooking. A butternut squash and quince stew with pipián, courtesy of the Wahaca cookbook.
Eating. A picnic of misc takeaway from Hammersmith station complex on Saturday afternoon! Ben's Cookies! Strawberries! Pizza Express this evening because No!
Exploring. The Autumn London Pen Show, where I spent only the planned amount of money on the planned thing and was delighted with the outcome. :) Little bit of a poke around Hammersmith followed by the Westfield centre thereafter.
Growing. Spinach! So much spinach! I am starting to harvest it. I am very pleased by this. And of course SAFFRON of which there has been LOTS (i.e. I might have enough home-grown saffron to make one or possibly two recipes, which is vastly more than I've ever had before and Extremely Exciting).
Observing. The bat! Possibly even two of them this evening, definitely not gone to sleep yet.
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sonia introduced me to Windborne, the acapella group from Massachusetts. Their version of "The Grey Funnel line" makes my head go sproing in a pleasant fashion.
The scene is in a chapter titled "A Bad Miracle". It's not the ONLY Bad Miracle occurring, but it's defninitely on-theme
Speaking of themes, a recurring tragic line in the drafts is "...You're not supposed to be here."
His initial reaction is primarily confusion- Mimihagi (also fucking bewildered) is Not Supposed To Be Outside.
Later, he still isn't sure- The Purpose is still achieved*, but he wasn't planning on being alive after it. What. What is he supposed to do now?
Shunsui: Be happy?
Rukia: Your Job?
Ichigo: NGL, this is some extremely optimistic existential despair considering we're still in the middle of an active war zone.
*Sorta... Things go extremely sideways extremely fast after the Shinigami call in reinforcements from... Not Quite Reverse London.
An Additional problem for Ukitake is the person who prevented him from Dying For His Cause is still around, and a friendly ally that by all rights, he should get along with great... so why does seeing them make him Angry?
The realizations trickle in... slowly.
It's not easy to recognize you were suicidal under the best of circumstances. It's even harder when Therapy isn't really a thing in your world, and your suicidal tendencies were praised and lauded as honorable.
Sometimes you don't even realize you were suicidal until you're having a terse argument with your lieutenant about why you're so shifty around That Guy Who Saved You, and you finally snap and say "-WELL MAYBE I WANTED TO DIE!"
The only person more shocked than Rukia is Ukitake himself.
The genuine shock on his face is the only thing that keeps her from punching him then and there.
It does not stop her from going spare on him so loudly it can be heard halfway across the Seireitei. How DARE you? After everything we've done to keep you alive? Did you think we were keeping you alive like we were fattening up a lamb? How could you fucking THINK that of me?? We were keeping you alive because you're our friend and we love you? How could you think that I was that kind of monster-? ... Kaien. Oh god that's why you didn't step in with Kaien.
I made yeto’s pumpkin/goat cheese/salmon soup and it’s changing my life a little bit, like holy SHIT this yeti knows what he’s doing
heyyyyy it’s october again which means it’s time for
✨Yeto’s Superb Soup✨
I had posted a recipe in the comments last year, but I decided to make a better version
Ingredients:
one 2lb kabocha (you can use an equal-sized pie pumpkin, but in my opinion kabocha has a much butterier texture and nuttier flavor. Also the yeti uses kabocha in the game so it gets points for accuracy)
1-3 carrots (last year the store had the fattest carrot I had ever seen. This year I needed 3 carrots to match that volume. Listen to your heart)
2-3 celery stalks (equal to the amount of carrot)
½ white onion
6 garlic cloves
(optional) 2 habanero peppers
mirin/cooking wine
1 box of fish stock (if you want it vegetarian, use kelp dashi stock)
1 box of vegetable stock
4oz goat cheese. I’ve tried making this with cream cheese and feta, but the flavor really doesn’t land right without the goat cheese.
1 cup? (<- it was eyeballed) heavy cream
.7lb filet of salmon
??tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp butter
a few pinches of flour
thyme, paprika, nutmeg, red pepper flakes salt & pepper
(optional) gronions to garnish
Step 1) Preheat oven to 400°F/204°C. Slice and deseed kabocha
Step 2) coat the pumpkin in a thin layer of olive oil. Season with thyme (I like dried thyme but fresh is better!), ground nutmeg, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper.
Bake for 30-50 minutes until it’s soft enough to scoop off the rind with a spoon. Thinner kabocha might only take 30 minutes, and thicker kabocha (like below) or a cake pumpkin may take 40+ minutes.
note: if your kabocha/pumpkin is especially thick, your soup may end up tasting sweeter. If you want it more umami, use less of your chosen gourd or maybe add a splash of soy sauce to the broth? Haven’t tried that but it’d probably work
Step 3) Prep all your other veggies while you’re waiting for the pumpkin to bake. Dice the onion and set it aside. Chop the celery & carrots into Chunks and mince the garlique
Step 4) Wait until the timer for the pumpkin has 20 minutes or less left. Heat up your pot/dutch oven on high/med-high heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter, and add the onions. After about 6 minutes, add the garlic. After another few minutes, sprinkle flour and stir, and keep frying until it browns.
Step 5) Add the rest of the butter, the rest of the veggies, and stir. Deglaze the pan with a splash of mirin/cooking wine.
If you timed it right, the pumpkin should be about done. Using a spoon, scoop the rind off the pumpkin. While you do that, periodically check on the veggies, adding another sprinkle of flour and a some of the fish stock as it gets dry. It’ll create a sort of paste and the onions will be pretty browned at this point.
Step 6) Chop the pumpkin & add it to the pot. Add the rest of the stock. If you’re using habanero, slice it and add it now. Add any other seasonings (it may need more salt) to taste. Once the soup boils, turn the heat to low and cover.
Personally, I prefer soups with Chunks in them + I think it’s more authentic to what the yeti made, but if you REALLY feel compelled to blend your soup, do it now.
Step 7) While the soup is heating up, get out a frying pan and add a tablespoon or two of some olive oil/butter on med-high heat. Add the salmon filet to the pan (scale side down) and just let it sit there. Don’t touch it. When it turns opaque halfway up, flip it until it’s fully cooked.
Once it’s cooked, remove it from the pan, remove the skin, and shred it into bite size pieces. If your salmon was really thick like mine was, and some parts of it are still pink, then toss the pink parts back in the pan to let them cook a little longer.
Add the salmon to the soup.
Step 8) Once the soup has been simmering for a few minutes and you’re too impatient to keep waiting, remove it from heat, add the goat cheese & heavy cream, garnish with gronions or whatever herb of choice, and enjoy!
In the game, this soup restores eight hearts, and it truly does feel that replenishing. This soup could cure any disease.
Last year I made the mistake of waiting too long to order the planner I wanted before it went out of stock, so here's a reminder to start thinking about what you want to buy for 2026!
I got a paper letter from the Registry of Motor Vehicles yesterday, telling me it was time to renew my state ID card, and a billing email from Panix this morning.
I took care of both of those online. Both were straightforward, although the state required me to check more boxes--which makes sense, because Panix doesn't care where I live, am registered to vote, or also have email with other providers. Interestingly, the RMV noted that I'm already registered as an organ donor--but that, unlike voter registration, doesn't depend on them having my current address.
"I think my best Halloween story is The Haunted Mask... It’s the only Goosebumps book inspired by something in real life. When my son, Matt, was real little, it was Halloween time and he was trying on a green, rubber Frankenstein mask in the living room. I’m watching him from the doorway and he pulled the mask down over his face and he couldn’t get it off. I’m watching him — he’s tugging and tugging. I thought, 'What a great idea for a story!' I should have helped him, right? I started making notes." -- R.L. Stine
Today's lunch: seabass fillets which I cooked thusly (think this is a bit better with plaice, though): served with miniature potatoes boiled and tossed in butter and dried dill, steamed asparagus with a sauce of melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest (I now have a zester that actually zests), and cauliflower florets roasted in pumpkin seed oil with cumin seeds.
Oglaf! -- Comics. Often dirty. (oglaf_comic_feed) wrote2025-10-1212:00 am
Just like last week, when the last handful of fash finally left, one person from our side said "say it loud, say it clear" and all of us yelled "refugees are welcome here!
The sentiment we've been holding back all afternoon, to be sufficiently boring that fash livestreams don't get viewers is all distilled in to three or four repetitions of this.
I was picking up our stuff and yelling and thinking Ah, yes, the benediction. It is Sunday, after all.
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 33 secrets from Secret Submission Post #979. Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ]. Current Secret Submissions Post:here. Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
Title: The Ultimate Final Fantasy XIV Online Cookbook: The Essential Culinarian Guide to Hydaelyn Author: Victoria Rosenthal ISBN: 978-1-64722-511-7
One of the things I love about Final Fantasy XIV is that it abounds in stories. There's not only the Main Scenario Quest, but tons of side quests to explore. I love that each job in the game has its own storyline, and that is true of the "Crafters" as well. For this cookbook, they took this emphasis on story and ran with it. The first few pages of the book set up the premise for it: Gourmand Gyohan, a "soon-to-be famous Namazu Culinarian", is traveling around Hydaelyn in companionship with Mogria, a moogle who's "a master of meandering". They are visiting the sites where the Warrior of Light (that's the name for the player character) did fantastic deeds.
Like just about every cookbook, this one is grouped by course/meal type, but it also includes a primer on the lands that the Warrior of Light has visited, plus an ingredients guide for the lesser-known items. Care was taken with the book to make the recipes as faithful to the in-game versions; this means that some ingredients might sound exotic to our ears. For example, Birch Syrup is used in the game, and thus is called for in some of the recipes, but the Ingredients Guide does say it can be replaced with Maple Syrup. Some of the ingredients will be familiar to those of Eastern cultures but may be unfamiliar to those from the West, and the English book takes the time to define these ingredients.
Each recipe is photographed and starts with "flavor text", explaining a bit about how Gyohan and Mogria discovered the recipe. The remaining layout of each recipe is as you'd expect: a list of ingredients and the steps to make it, along with prep time and a rating of the recipe's difficulty. Recipes rate from Easy (example: Nutrient-Rich Porridge) to Extreme (example: The Minstrel's Ballad: Almond Cream Croissants). Folks who have played FFXIV will appreciate this nod to the harder trials in the game, which are known as Extremes and often are unlocked by talking to a Minstrel.
I found this cookbook a delight to read, especially since I'm a die-hard player of the game. I do think those that haven't played the game might enjoy it as well. I have only tried one recipe so far, which was the Exquisite Beef Stew. This is rated Easy, but since I am not the family cook, Sautéing the floured meat was a little difficult for me. The recipe calls for a generous amount of garlic. We thought it'd be too much, so used half the amount called for the first time we made it. TRUST THE RECIPE - it came out fine the first time, but the second time we used all the garlic and it was tastier. I definitely need practice making this, but I really enjoyed it and plan to make it again in the future.
I've got pages marked in the book to try at a later date, maybe once I move out again and am in my own place. A second cookbook is coming out soon, covering other regions the Warrior of Light has visited, and I've already placed my pre-order for it. Even if I don't make anything from the book, I'm sure it will be fun to page through.
Y'all may remember siderea's prescient, detailed, actionable coverage of the Covid pandemic as it developed. Check out her pestilence tag for historical and recent posts.
Ohhhhh, this is why the US military is sinking Venezuelan "drug boats."
No preparation advice (yet). I suppose preparing for war looks a lot like preparing for a pandemic. Stock up on essentials, and build community connections.
Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound - and all without ever leaving the table - it's SUPER CAKES!
Superman looks like he just flew right out of the comic-book; he's so artfully shaded! (And take note, icing purists; he's also completely fondant-free!)
"Did somebody say 3D? Make that 4D, because I QUADRUPLE DOMINATE you, Ironman! I am A) the leader of an alien robot race, B) rocking a body transformed from a friggin' semi-truck, and C) made of 100% edible deliciousness that is D) sculpted into a free-standing 3D-cake man-machine!!
"Plus, look at my cute lil' wipers!"
Don't worry; Optimus Prime is only joking. Superheroes don't really fight amongst themselves! In fact, they're far more likely to work together for the common good/deliciousness:
Yes, superheroes are united in their quest to protect and serve mankind. And also to look fabulous in a retro cookie-pop bouquet while doing so. Love those graphics!
I think my favorite thing about this cake - aside from the insanely detailed Incredible family with their tiny little Incredible phone - is that this was for a 30-year-old man's birthday. Way to stay young at heart, my friend!
That's all for now! Have a SUPER day, everyone!
*****
P.S. Here's a sweet gift for the superhero in your life - or to remind yourself that you're one:
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