#cheap freezer meals | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ms-demeanor · 6 months

Note

my thing is I'm capable of any of this stuff up to at least level 3 and can do them for special occasions and if I've rested enough no problem, but I can't do it OFTEN because it just uses up too many spoons. any thoughts on this? besides practice, I already cook as often as I can (which is not very)

Mise en place your life as much as possible. I've talked about this before but this is what I do to make things easier on myself. My baking station with all the ingredients out and clearly labeled instead of at the bottom of the pantry where I have to dig for them makes it much, much, much easier to bake. My knife strip on the wall and the dozen cutting boards in a rack on the wall and the frying pan that lives on the stove instead of under the counter all make it much easier for me to cook.

Like, a lot of what I've been going through and doing in terms of home improvement/home decor is attempting to configure the house in such a way that large bastard and i can easily do the things we want to/need to do. We need batteries all the time, so the batteries live in an organized box where we can see it instead of in the back of the cabinet. We also need to *discard* batteries all the time, so the battery discard tub is right next to that box otherwise we'll start accumulating used batteries on surfaces.

The instruments that live on my kitchen counter are the ones that get used most often so that I don't need to go looking for them and so that I know at a glance if they're clean (if so they're in the canister on the counter) or need to be washed. The appliances that I use the most either live on the counter or get put places where it's convenient - I don't have enough bowls and plates that I need to use the top three shelves of my cabinet for bowls and plates like my parents did, but I do use my rice cooker twice a week so my rice cooker lives in the same cabinet as my dishes (as does my tofu press, my waffle maker, and the easiest-to-use 16oz food storage containers).

And you know what sometimes i just can't do it. Sometimes my back isn't working or my hip isn't working or i got glutened recently and I can't do much of anything.

I've got a variety of low spoon foods that I always have ingredients for (one recent addition to this list is tofu; i went from eating no tofu to eating tofu twice a week because two days a week i can't really use one of my arms to make dinner so i just prep the tofu at lunchtime and when i get home from the plasma center all i have to do is season and pan fry it and make a pot of rice. And I also make a shitload of extra rice because rice with eggs and sweet-spicy sauce is now one of my easiest and best go-to lunches) and whenever I make a pot of soup (something that I do pretty much every weekend when it's cool enough) I will make enough for lunch that week plus usually some extra to go in the freezer as backup "I don't feel like cooking" meals.

So, yeah I guess what I'm saying is get a good list of low-spoon foods that you like and can keep the ingredients handy for (ground beef goes bad in a week, tofu lasts like a month, i love tofu, it's so easy and so cheap to keep a bunch of tofu handy), and throw out the idea of what a kitchen is "supposed" to be like and figure out if there are ways to make your kitchen more adaptive for you.

Get anti-fatigue mats for your home kitchen. Get a tall stool that you can sit at while cooking at the stove instead of standing. Reorganize your cabinets for maximum efficiency for your needs. (large bastard and I have been doing this both with organized visible storage like wall racks as well as putting his stuff up high because bending over isn't easy for him but it is easy for me).

And also, like, consider if it's worth it, or how it can be worth it. How do you want to be a better cook? Do you want to be better at making meals for large groups or do you want to be more comfortable cooking for yourself or do you want a wider repertoire of recipes - all of those things will take a different path and some will be harder than others if you're wrangling disabilities that make it difficult to cook. I'm probably never going to be great at cooking for large groups because it doesn't really suit my lifestyle and it hurts! It hurts a lot and after hosting thanksgiving last year i needed to use my cane for a week because of how much it hurt my back! But I can work on stuff that makes it easier for me to cook, like having my baking station or keeping my rice cooker in an easy-to-reach cabinet.

156 notes · View notes

bellyasks · 26 days

Text

I Can't Just Let All This Go To Waste stuffing prompts bc i loveeee an excuse

A new bakery recently opened up in town, and your character goes to check it out. Excited to try the interesting things they have, they wind up buying way too much. Now they're saddled with a ton of baked goods that are bound to start going bad before long. It would be a shame to waste any of it, especially considering it wasn't exactly cheap, so they'd better get moving.

Your character was planning on hosting a party with a bunch of friends and prepared plenty of food to go around. One by one, though, their friends message them to let them know they won't be able to make it. Now, your character sits all alone at home, surrounded by a ton of very perishable snacks that won't be much good later. On top of that, they didn't leave any fridge space to put them away since they weren't meant to last the night. Feeling glum and deflated, your character has little to do now but spend the evening eating all that food.

Your character buys a big tub of ice cream only to discover that they don't have any freezer space to put it away. With nobody around to share it with, they have no choice but to try and eat the whole thing themself before it melts.

Fresh fruit is a perfect summer snack, except for the fact that it goes bad so fast. Following a visit to the farm market during which they let their stomach do the thinking, your character comes home with way too much fruit. They have some as a snack right away, and, unable to resist how sweet and ripe it is, immediately go back to their new stash for a little more. It's hard to stop eating, but since it's gonna be moldy in a few days, why not go wild right now?

Your character orders a pizza or two to split with a couple companions, but their plans fall through when everybody has some last-minute obligation calling them away. Everyone except your character, that is, who is now alone with nothing but a lot of hot, fresh pizza. They know they should just have a couple slices and put it away, but pizza is never as good the next day. How much of it will they eat before their belly finally stops them?

Trying to watch their spending, your character buys a bunch of marked down food in the hopes that it will last the week. The dates are sooner than they realized, though, and they only have a day or two to eat everything. They ask around, but nobody seems to be in need of their nearly-expired offerings, so they accept their fate and start planning an enormous meal.

Your character makes a big pot of soup with the intention of freezing half of it for another time. They neglected to check their freezer beforehand, though, and find that there's absolutely no room. Knowing they'll never finish all the soup if they only eat reasonable portions, your character's meals for the week consist of very large, very filling servings.

Your character bakes a big dessert for a potluck at work, but apparently nobody really liked it, because when it's time to pack up, almost the entire thing is still there. Knowing it'll only sit around getting gross if they leave it in the break room, your character brings their rejected treat back home and decides to take care of it themself.

#prompts #stuffing #stuffed belly #belly kink #tummy kink #belly #my post

64 notes · View notes

theunaestheticstudyblr · 2 years

Text

Broke college student tip:

Learn to love cooking. Like get into it. Enjoy it. Get excited to cook. Why? When you learn to cook and enjoy it you'll save money. Lots of money. And you'll be eating better, healthier food too.

For example. I'm eating seafood and veggie pasta right now with a white wine cream sauce. In a restaurant, this would be a fancy meal, costing $20 or so for a small portion. Literally cost me like $5 or so in ingredients to make. And like 20 minutes to cook. And I made enough for lunch AND dinner. When you know how to cook you can make cheap foods taste amazing.

Here's some advice how to make this easier:

Buy frozen things. Frozen veggies, frozen fruits, frozen meats, etc. Frozen lasts longer and saves you money and stress.

Have basic herbs and spices on hand. Salt, pepper (red, black, and white), thyme, rosemary, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, bay leaf (chopped is best), cinnamon, paprika, cumin, and sage are my most commonly used ones!

Common recipe ingredients to keep on hand: pasta, rice, lemon/lime juice, garlic, onion, white wine, frozen veggies, potatoes, frozen meats, sugar, butter, pasta sauces, tomatoes, eggs, soda/pineapple juice/beer (great for marinades or cooking meat).

Frozen things when stored properly can be stored for a couple months and portioned out making quick meals easy!

Learn flavor profiles. Citrus, basil, rosemary, butter, salt, garlic, and onion are all fairly universal in their uses while things like cumin and turmeric have a stronger, earlier flavor and are great for stews, curries, pastas, soups, and sauces!

Learn to shop. If it's non-perishable and bogo, get it! Bogo (buy one get one) is basically half off and now you have two things for when you need it! Walmart brand pasta is like $0.98 a box. You can also get a bag of frozen extra small shrimp at Walmart for like $5 and there's about 50 in a bag. Shop non-perishable items by weight (price per ounce) and perishables by size.

Pasta sauce can be put in the freezer and if stored well can keep for like 3 months!

Sauté your veggies! They taste so good that way!!! A little butter, garlic, rosemary, and onion. Sprinkle with salt after and viola!

It's easy to fall into a food rut, so treat yourself every now and then with something different or challenge yourself by limiting yourself to 5 ingredients or something to make you exercise your skills.

Make your own barbecue sauce. It's so fun! All you need is molasses, ketchup, brown sugar, and whatever you want to customize it. I usually put honey and bourbon in mine.

Go on pinterest and find easy recipes! The great thing about a recipe is every single one you see is customizable and was made to the cooker's preference. You don't like mushrooms? Don't put them in and add something earthy and unami like turmeric or sumac in its place.

Tofu is easier than you think.

Rice is very filling and goes with most everything.

Keep fresh herbs fresh by putting them in water. You might even root and grow your own!

Frozen fruits are amazing for marinades or more "tropical" tasting recipes. Frozen citrus and pineapple are great for making a citrus chicken and rice! Just defrost in a bowl and then add the chicken to the bowl.

Tortillas are amazing and keep for a while in the fridge.

Print out recipes and keep them in a binder so you make notes and changes directly on the paper!

#study blog #student #studyblr #student life #study hard #productivity #school #studying #school advice #uni student #university student #uni life #uni #university #uniblr #university studyblr #cooking

2K notes · View notes

cydonian-mystery · 4 months

Text

[1/1/24] Our Refrigerator Went Out

I prided myself on my situation being stable enough in 2023 that I was able to not make any donation posts, but unfortunately things have gone beyond our control.

The day before my birthday, 6 December, our refrigerator quit working. We lost most of our food, and the entire time since we've been having to make due with ice coolers.

While there is a cheap source of ice near our home, obviously this situation can't be sustained for long. We're having to keep the bare essentials foodwise, and can't make large meals with the intent to store leftovers for other days. We just don't have the room.

This obviously limits what we're able to make; and the cost of making single meals every day and buying ice every 2-3 days has massively driven up costs when we were already financially struggling.

What We've Tried

I tried to get the church to help us with a new refrigerator. They got us a standup freezer, which has allowed us to save some long-term storables like meat and frozen food; and most imporantly, ice.

My mother attempted to charge a new refrigerator at Home Depot, which was on sale for $700. However, Home Depot gave us a broken refrigerator with the interior shelves smashed, rails broken, and the compressor didn't even work. We got most of the charge back, but are now $75 further in debt because of a "delivery fee".

We haven't been able to find any more refrigerators for that cost; all the other ones are either too cheap looking for us to trust buying them, or they run upwards of $1,000.

My Goal

I'm not so delusional that I expect to crowdfund that much money, especially after the holidays and everyone being short on money. But if we could raise enough to make some payments, we might be able to do something.

Either way, I'm never trusting the Home Depot again.

January Goal: $100

#mutual aid #donations #disabled crowdfund

130 notes · View notes

sassypotatoe1 · 8 months

Text

Survival guide for the adhd/depressed/autistic newly established office worker:

Brought to you by a depressed adhd autistic who took 10 months to adjust to office life after starting to work their first full time job.

Food:

We all have trouble with food, no denying it, so how do you manage it? Well there's a couple of ways depending on your individual needs.

If you're like me and you will end up just not eating if you don't have food immediately accessible, keep a snack drawer. Empty an entire drawer in your desk, buy a combination of healthy and less nutritious snack food that's shelf stable in bulk. I typically get a bunch of packets of like two types of potato chips/crisps, a bunch of single serving packets of salted peanuts, single serving packets of dried fruit flakes because the solid dried fruit are a sensory nightmare, and a bag of lollipops. By 10ish when I need my first snack I pop a lollipop, and if I didn't pack lunch I have access to fiber, protein, fat and carbs.

I also sniffed around for a couple of months to find the best deal on safe food takeout, ie a meal that's filling, relatively balanced, cheap and fits my texture and taste sensitivities. When it gets too expensive I find another one. Once a week I allow myself to get that if I didn't pack lunch so I don't end up spending all my money on takeout but still get to eat well enough.

If you're concerned about overeating or eating less nutritious food, get nutritious safe food options. They're typically a bit more expensive and a bit less shelf stable, I keep instant soup with freeze dried veggies in my drawer in the winter, and I have a tub of ensure to make shakes if I feel I'm missing out on some nutrients. Focus more on dried fruits, pretzels, nuts, instant food with veggies and nutrient loaded fruit juice. Get ensure if you can afford it. In a limited way it can act as a nutritious meal replacement, but I mean limited as in once or twice a week. Do not replace all your meals with a nutrition shake.

When you buy fresh produce, process it immediately before it goes into the fridge/freezer. Don't let that head of lettuce wilt and rot. Pull it apart, wash it off, put what you're not using immediately in a ziploc in the freezer if it freezes, and put the rest open in the produce section of your fridge. Not only will it already be ready to use when you use it, if it's not in a bag or container where the moisture is trapped it remains fresh for longer. That or if you can afford it buy pre-processed produce, divide it into serving portions, freeze what can be frozen.

Buy. Ready. Made. Meals. I know microwave dinners are the butt of the depression joke but they're literally life-saving, because when I was really struggling with my depression and ARFID microwave dinners were my only source of nutrition for a while and it literally kept me from actually dying. Do not be ashamed to meet your needs.

Stimming:

Keep some of your fidget toys or stimming items at your desk. I keep my tangle and fidget cube there so I don't pick my eyebrows to hell and back. It doesn't always work but it's better than nothing. Keep chewing gum in your car. Chewing tricks your brain into thinking you're eating, which tells your sympathetic nervous system that you're safe. It helps you focus better on driving and keeps you a bit calmer making your reaction times faster and less impulsive.

Reminders:

Keep a pad of sticky notes on your desk, preferably a neon color, and all the pens you own that you don't care about losing. Set a reminder on your phone calendar, your computer calendar, your email calendar, on a sticky note on your wall, and in your physical diary. No chance of forgetting something if you do that, because you can't miss all of them.

Take some time to figure out your grocery list. What do you typically need in a month? Make a printout of that grocery list and keep it on your fridge and your phone, along with a monthly or weekly calendar reminder to go grocery shopping. Before you head out check what you still have plenty of and preemptively check it off on your phone list so you don't accidentally buy too much of something.

Keep a "what's in my fridge" log on your fridge. It makes you more aware of what's in there, how long it's been in there, and whether you should throw it out or eat it or leave it. Keep a chart of how long foods hold in the fridge beside that log. The log lists what is in the fridge, when it went into the fridge, when the product seal was broken, and the expiry date of the product. No more moldy fridge food.

Miscellaneous:

Assign care tasks to another task that's already a regular habit. Keep your morning meds by the kettle, and make taking out a dose part of the process of making your morning coffee. Pick a task you do daily at work, usually in the morning, and assign wearing your glasses to that task. I need my glasses to proofread the print dummies because the font isn't very friendly, so I accidentally got into the habit of making putting on my glasses part of the proofreading process. Brushing teeth is part of makeup. Showering is part of getting dressed. It's easier to complete these tasks if I don't view them as seperate tasks, but rather as steps in a different task that comes more naturally to me.

I keep sticky notes and pens in my car, as well as in my purse when I use it, so I can make notes of things when I need to. Car care notes go on stickies when I notice the need, then I'm reminded of it every time I'm in the car. I typically don't even have to read the note, I see that there is one and usually remember what it was about. This helps me remember what I need to do to maintain my car, because I have gotten in an accident and forgotten about it and drove around with a warped front fender for a month. I currently have a sticky note to get my tire pressure checked when I go home from work tonight on my dash.

That's all I have but TL:DR allow yourself to meet your needs without shame, no matter how strange or childish they seem, and find loopholes to your behavior for the best outcome for your health, safety and productivity. Like I said in the intro it took me 10 months to figure out these, so don't be afraid to take the time to figure out what works for you. It'll be absolutely worth it.

#adhd things #living with adhd #Adhd #Autism #actually autistic #actually adhd #tw depression #depression #Depressed #self care #neurodivergent #Work #Job #Organization #life hacks

71 notes · View notes

shitpunsforshitnuns · 1 year

Text

OBSESSED with the fact that the infamous “gross American food” poll is fully just poor people food that people still make/buy either because it was passed through their family or because they’re still poor. Allow me to elaborate. Here’s the poll if you’ve managed to avoid the discourse:

American Chocolate tastes different because of two factors: the majority of our cacao comes from South America unlike Europe which generally imports from Africa (moving product farther costs more money). Also, American chocolate is only required to have 10% cacao as opposed to Europe’s 20% (using less cacao and supplementing with readily available sweeteners like corn syrup costs less money). In fact, the very first American Chocolate company (Baker Chocolate Company) was so aware of how much less wealthy the early US was than Europe’s established market for chocolate, that their bars came with a money back guarantee for anyone who was disappointed with the sweets. The current financial situation in the US is well known to the rest of the world- of course we still make and eat cheap chocolate, the bones of our country are exploitation. Also, the dairy content is lower in American chocolates which makes them more shelf stable. Shelf stable foods are important for communities living paycheck to paycheck who have money for a chocolate bar right now but won’t for their kid’s birthday in a week.

Bologna feels self explanatory to me. It’s made of literal scraps from the meat production industry that are then turned into a “sausage” and cured to give the product more longevity. I like fried bologna because it was cheaper for my dad’s parents when he was a kid. My dad likes bologna for the same reason.

Watergate Salad is made of shelf stable ingredients. Many desserts require eggs or dairy that can be expensive and expire quickly. Those desserts then get stale if they aren’t eaten immediately. Canned fruits, pistachio pudding mix, and cool whip (which is hydrogenated oil and very little dairy) will all keep for a while. You can buy them in bulk and put them in your cabinets or freezer until you want to use them and then the salad itself will keep in the fridge. See again the importance of shelf stable foods to impoverished communities.

Twinkies are cheap and go stale slowly. See again the importance of shelf stable foods in impoverished communities.

Grits, Boiled Peanuts, and Biscuits and Gravy are all southern comfort food staples. I was born and raised in north Georgia, it’s very important to me to note that almost all southern food was co-opted from freed slaves by poor rural white folk in the south. Plain grits can be deeply unappetizing but they are cheap and self stable. You can add butter and salt or even seasoned meat and veggies. Grits are rarely a whole meal all to themselves and when they are you add some cheese or salt at the very least. George Washington Carver (a black man many people outside of Georgia should acquaint themselves with at least a little better) turned peanuts into a massive cash crop in Georgia because they are nitrogen fixing! They replace the nitrogen other cash crops (like cotton and tobacco) take out of the soil. In order for your fields to stay viable, you have to plant something like this every once in a while, so most farmers had peanuts themselves or had a neighbor growing peanuts. Boiling them is a quick, easy way to get salt on the nuts themselves. The water soaks through the shells and seasons and softens the nuts. Water is free and peanuts will keep until the fats start to go south, no wonder they picked up popularity among rural folk and travelers alike. Biscuits and gravy are another scrap food. A good sausage gravy is made of leftover sausage and southern biscuits are a savory, buttery carb that is filling and gives you energy you need somewhere like a farm. The negative stereotypes of the south are pervasive and often rooted in racism. Find someone whose grandma has been making these foods her whole life before you form an opinion.

Meatloaf is seasoned more often than not. Like. Sorry you ate meatloaf that wasn’t salted. Anyway, meatloaf is another scrap food! Meat scraps are ground up and then formed into a loaf. Most people put tomato sauce or ketchup on it. Canned tomato products are, you guessed it, shelf stable, and can also be canned at home fairly safely.

The United States at large is not ignorant of the world around it. We are aware that other foods exist. Either we are choosing to eat these or our financial situations are backing us into corners. This is all without even touching upon the prevalence of food deserts in low-income, minority communities in the US. If you’re aware of all this and you really just want to critique the wealth disparity in the US, punch up. Go after the guys with money, not the food that the rest of us find joy in making out of the scraps. Also, making fun of the British is always punching up. Maybe if you had caused fewer wealth disparities that directly impacted the food eaten in other countries, we would be nicer about yours.

#I wrote all this on mobile #so i couldn't link sources #but google is free #american food #american food poll #biscuits and gravy #american chocolate #bologna #watergate salad #twinkies #grits #boiled peanuts #meatloaf #long post

164 notes · View notes

lizz-crimson · 4 months

Text

So No Head? (Shinnok's Head X Reader Part 3)

We back!

Summary: Shinnok spirals as he realizes he actually does things for you, even when you don't ask.

Tags/Warnings: Cursing, knife wound, Deliberate decapitation, Shinnok spiraling, Netflix, grocery shopping, Two Johnny Cages oh god, goofiness, Shinnok eats a lot, gender neutral pronouns (please let me know if there's any mistakes!)

Words: 2149

Part 1 Part 2

---

It was an odd thing. To see a once powerful Elder God scarf down so much food. Apparently, losing a chunk of his power had made Shinnok's apatite skyrocket. As he savored every bite of cheap, frozen eggrolls, you hoped he didn't mind they'd come from the main back of your freezer. He'd eaten you out of house and home, and it had only been a couple days since he regained his body.

As you finished up your own meal, you asked," You get enough to eat?"

Shinnok, with a mouth full of eggroll, nodded. You nodded in turn, sitting back in your chair with a sigh. Your fridge was empty, as were your cabinets. All except for a small container of cinnamon, which Shinnok practically hissed at once he tried some.

Besides the food, Shinnok had behaved okay. He slept on the couch, quite a bit more entertained now that he could scroll through Netflix himself. You two argued over what to watch now and again, but you both ultimately settled on animal documentaries each time. It was hard to find the fallen Elder God intimidating when he was so enthralled in lion pride dynamics.

"Y/n, what are you making for dinner?" Shinnok asked.

You huffed, sitting up. Shinnok's bottomless stomach was slowly killing you. And considering he ate a whole cake, it was probably doing the same to him.

"Water soup," you replied curtly. Shinnok raised a finger, about to ask, but you cut him off with your hand. "You've eaten everything. There is no more food."

"Lies. I know you must have something."

"I don't."

"Then what will I eat?"

"We. And nothing." You push yourself up and out of your chair and start doing the dishes, taking Shinnok's empty plate. Shinnok sputtered as if your lack of food was a malicious joke. You again raise your hand, splashing him with a bit of soapy water. "There is no more food. I'll buy more tomorrow."

Shinnok groaned. He used to be all powerful, feared, and worshiped. Now he had to conform to a mortal's schedule. "Fine, I will accompany you," he huffed. If he was made to wait for his meals, then he'd at least get to pick what he wanted.

"Yeah, that's a hard no," you said.

"What? Why?" Shinnok asked, his voice daring to grow angry when he looked like a hellish priest.

"No offense, Shinnok, but not even Wal-Mart would let you inside the building," you replied, now drying the dishes. "I'll go by myself. I'm sure I'll be back with something you'll like." He'd eaten everything else; no doubt he'd eat whatever she'd bring home.

Shinnok pushed himself up from his chair, his hands going behind his back. "Bah.." he grunted, then sat on the couch. You rolled your eyes and started putting the dishes away. He was a whiny sonofabitch. Still, you two tolerated each other.

Shinnok wasn't accustomed to all this, and even with his body back, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Damned Quan-Chi for taking his throne like that. He ought to just kill him himself. Even so, as he looked your way, he stared. You'd become so… normal to him. Even though you went against literally everything he originally stood for. He didn't mind waking up to the loud music you played while you took your morning shower. He didn't mind watching the apartment while you were at work. He didn't mind 'earning his keep' by doing chores. He'd become some kind of well-treated servant. Some butler. Some… what was that one anime called?

He quickly scrolled through the shows he'd watched on Netflix, and the anime he was thinking of came into view. Ah, yes, househusband; that was the word.

As the anime played automatically, Shinnok's brain seemed to let the word sink in. Particularly the husband bit. He glued his gaze to the TV, praying to himself that the warmth on his face was from embarrassment and nothing more. Maybe talking to you had damaged his brain, as he thought would happen originally.

Suddenly, your body landed beside his. "Is that 'The Way of The Househusband?' Move it; I wanna watch!" you said, nudging Shinnok aside with your hip. The fallen Elder God sputtered and nearly jumped to the opposite end of the couch.

"Don't just-!" He was cut off by a Coke being shoved into his hands.

"Found one for you," you said, your eyes on the TV.

Shinnok's nose curled. He snapped his head back to the TV, about to open the can, but paused.

"You didn't shake this, did you?" he asked.

"I might have."

The next morning, you were at the grocery store as promised, list in hand and mailbag on your shoulder. You'd started using it as a plain old purse after Shinnok got his body back. Since he was no longer a head, you figured it could be of better use that way.

Which is probably why you didn't notice the familiar weight in the bag.

"[Y/n], are we at the store yet?"

"Oh my god!" you yelped. You frantically open the bag and see Shinnok's re-decapitated head looking back at you. "I-what-are you serious?!"

"Shhh!" Shinnok shushed you. "Someone could hear!"

You were appalled. Quickly, you covered Shinnok up and dashed into the bathrooms. You're quick to lock a toilet stall behind you.

"What the fuck?" you ask, pulling Shinnok out of your bag. He looked just like he did before he got his body back.

"What?" Shinnok asked, not understanding your confusion.

"Where's your body?" you asked through gritted teeth, prying anybody else in the bathroom just thought you were high or something.

"Back at the apartment," he replied similarly.

"What the fuck do you mean 'back at the apartment'?" you laugh out of shock.

Meanwhile, a beheaded Shinnok lay limp on your couch, covered completely by a blanket. You just thought he'd been sleeping..

Shuttering at the thought, you placed Shinnok back in your bag.

"Let's just… Lets just get this over with…"

During your shopping, Shinnok bombarded you with many questions about all the different foodstuffs he spotted while peeking out of the mailbag. Luckily, it was early, so there weren't many people in the store yet. You tried to make the shopping trip go by as quickly as possible, and any time you spoke to Shinnok, you put your finger to your ear as if speaking via Bluetooth call.

You groaned as you looked at the prices of all the fresh produce. Prices had gone up lately, and you had no interest in paying five dollars for a head of lettuce. You pushed your cart on by.

"I thought vegetables were important for you humans?" Shinnok said, raising a brow.

"They are, but the price is awful, so we'll wait for a sale," you said. "I oughta just grow my own at this point."

"Why don't you?"

You sigh. "We don't live in the countryside, Shinnok. Don't you know how much space you need to make a garden?"

"Then move there?"

You caught the attention of a few staff members of the store when you straight-up belly laughed. You were quick to shut up and push your cart along. You lowered your head, whispering.

"Believe me, if I had the option to, I'd be deep in the Appalachian Mountains by now. I'd rather deal with cryptids than New York as a whole."

You spent the rest of the shopping trip explaining what cryptids were to Shinnok.

Later, you're carrying two mountains of groceries to your apartment door. When you finally unlock the door and push it open with your forehead, you were frozen in place as Shinnok's body hung limply off the couch. The blanket that had been concealing him had fallen to the floor. You close the door behind you quickly, making sure nobody sees. You fling your bag onto the couch, with Shinnok groaning in displeasure as he rolls out.

"I assume you can attach yourself back, right?" you asked, hands on your hips.

"Yes, yes.." Shinnok rolled his eyes. "Come. I'll need your aid."

You nodded and picked Shinnok's head up. "Now what?"

"Just hover my head over the stump of my body, and I'll reattach," he instructed.

Lowering yourself to your knees, you set Shinnok's body up a bit, then hover his head over the stump of his neck. At least he hadn't bled all over your floor..

A red glow appeared between Shinnok's two body parts and began to swirl around, engulfing both his head and his neck stump. You closed your eyes when the light blinded you. When it died down,… Well, when it died down, you were still holding Shinnok's face, attached to his body once more.

The two of you kind of just.. looked at each other for a bit. Shinnok, feeling a rather uncomfortable sensation in his chest, broke the silence when he couldn't take it anymore.

"You can let go now."

"Right, sorry!" You snatched your hands away. Shinnok stands along with you. Both of you kept your heads turned away, as you do. Luckily, your gaze fell to the mountains of groceries, and you used that to transition away from this awkward situation. "Come on, let's put these away," you said.

Shinnok grunted curtly and began helping you put all the food away.

Shinnok couldn't help but look back at you, sneaking glances. You had been good to him. Something he didn't deserve in the slightest. And as he put the spices in the order you told him to, arranged the frozen foods in the freezer, and helped you cut up pork for dinner,… he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't doing enough.

He hated that feeling. Why? Why did he want to do something for you, his jailer? Why had he still been teaching you dark magic? Why had he not returned to the Neatherrealm and overthrown Quan Chi? Why did he want to sit next to you on the couch? Why does his fucking chest hurt?

"OW!"

"Shinnok?" Your head snapped in his direction. He'd been cleaning the dishes. It was odd, as you hadn't even asked that time. The bit of blood on his palm and the kitchen knife on the floor alerted you, and you went over to him.

"I'm fine," Shinnok said. He was about to put his hand away, but your own hand took it before he could. He froze.

"Always do knives by themselves when doing dishes, okay?" you said, taking a mini-med kit from the counter and dressing his wound.

There it was—that sensation in his chest again. You bandaged his hand so skillfully. You'd done this before, clearly. Likely to yourself. Stupid mortal. Stupid mortal, with your gentle hands and good food. Wretched mortal for the kindness. Abhorrent mortal for the.. the.. well, everything!

"…Right," he replied.

That night, Shinnok lay on the couch. You'd long been asleep. You had work tomorrow, after all. Shinnok already agreed to vacuum the apartment while you were gone.

Damn it all. He wasn't helping himself by doing all these things for you. He felt like it wasn't enough, which he hated.

After another hour of spiraling down a tunnel of why, how, when, and curse words, he came to the decision that he would need to do something else for you. Something other than doing dishes or helping cook. He needed something big, something that would sate his desire to just do things for you.

You'd left your phone on the kitchen counter. Shinnok had a pretty good idea of how to use it. It turns out Netflix can teach an old god new tricks. Now… where was he?

Chats: Two Johnny's, One [Y/n]

[Y/N]: Johnny Cage.

Annoying Johnny: Yo, [Y/n]! Dude, you will not believe the hottie I have in my bed right now! Wanna pic?

[Y/N]: This is Shinnok. I have no interest in your hottie. I need something that requires your wealth.

Old Man Johnny: Woah, what? What the hell are you doing with [Y/N]'s phone?

[Y/n]: Why are there two of you?

Old Man Johnny: Long story now what the hell do you want?

Annoying Johnny: Chill out, old me! Clearly Shinnok saw my new movie on Netflix and wants in on the next one!

[Y/n]: No. That film was horrendous. I demand you both listen to my words!

Shinnok growled at the phone screen. Two Johnny Cages… What was his mother thinking?

He jolted when the phone began to buzz in his hand. He quickly tapped the green symbol and put the phone near his ear, like he'd seen in the movies.

Johnny Cage, the older one, spoke.

"What the hell are you planning?"

"Something for [Y/n]."

There was a pause on the other line.

"For [Y/n]?" Johnny asked.

"Yes. For them," Shinnok replied.

Johnny rubbed his temples.

"Okay. Hit me."

---

Shinnok: ew feelings *barf emoji*

Heyo, hoped you liked this part! I plan on one more part to this so stay tuned! Also this story is now on my AO3 account! The link is on my pinned post! This part will be added there soon!

These vine reference titles are getting outta head *bu-dum-tis*

#mortal kombat #shinnok #shinnok x reader #johnny cage #mk fanfic #mk x reader

53 notes · View notes

hollowsart · 2 months

Text

what kinds of food does Acedia and her boyfriends usually make or buy to eat? you can learn a lot about a person by what they've got in their fridge and pantry:

Acedia: boxes of pasta/noodles, jars of sauces, hotdogs, buns, bread, cans of chili and soup, lots of snacks. water (with flavor packets) and ginger ale are all she really drinks. most of these are relatively cheap. also blueberry bagels, rice, chicken, cheese, ham, and eggs. and milk. (she's often hungry, but knows how to make a few meals that sit heavy for awhile, good for the boosted metabolism she's got) probably eats the least healthy out of the group. on special occasions she'll have a bit of money saved up to get some better food. she likes to visit and eat out at the [Commodite Cafe], they have a lot of her favorite foods for a good price.

Beck: the basics, bread and milk (whatever is cheapest), but also plenty of coffee, any kind of bagel really (tends to favor cinnamon & raisin most), boxed or frozen meals (a tv dinner kind of guy.. not really by choice), occasionally he'll stock up on some ingredients to make him something special that he can have leftover for a couple of days that's more filling and healthier. he likes takeout, anything cheap and easy. he's a busy guy most of the time so he doesn't have the time to cook very often. but when he does, he's actually not too bad. has a few recipe books in a cabinet in the kitchen, his favorites have colored notes sticking out of the pages.

Otto: eats the healthiest out of the group and has all the basics when it comes to what fills his pantries. he makes the time to prepare his own meals. having the actuators helps a lot. he's not exactly a chef nor a baker, but he finds it quite pleasant and not too different from his usual work, making food for himself and all his pets. he's usually got a stocked fridge and freezer filled with stuff for him and his pets, too. he's got a few cabinets of snacks and treats. enjoys both coffee and tea, and enjoys a nice everything or cheesy bagel, depending on the time of day. ..he has a slight sweet tooth and does his best to refrain from eating too many chocolate/chip bagels, he's moved to occasionally getting a honey one instead.

#ghostie mumbles #just got some chicken cooking for some alfredo later and it made me think #mysterio #quentin beck #doc ock #doctor octopus #otto octavius #spidersona #I am tagging these just for my blog. sorry lol #//long post

13 notes · View notes

turtletaubwrites · 1 month

Note

Hi hi, for the true or false game - You prefer savory breakfasts over sweet breakfasts.

I was just discussing my breakfast habits given the recent extra neurospicy discoveries, and you're almost correct.

Except for the real answer is that I can only eat food in the morning if my brain classifies it as "breakfast food."

My fave is everything bagels with waaaayy too much cream cheese (an ungodly amount). But for the first meal of the day, I'll eat cereal, cheap freezer waffles, bacon, pastries, breakfast burritos, toast, fried eggs, etc.

But I will NOT eat anything that I don't think is "breakfasty" enough, to the point of not eating breakfast, because I'm a dumbass 🤦🏼‍♀️

The recent debate was that we were out of breakfast foods, and my partner (who is from Germany - which is only relevant because of his cultural habit of eating an entire days worth of food for breakfast 😅) offered to make me a soft boiled egg since he was making one for himself.

me: that's not breakfast.

partner: you have that for breakfast all the time.

me: only when you make it with breakfast potatoes and pancakes.

partner: you can't eat an egg by itself?

me: if it's for breakfast, it has to be a fried egg with toast, or a soft boiled egg with potatoes and pancakes.

partner: that's dumb.

me: i know 😭

partner: *made me pancakes so i'd eat the stupid egg*

Lol, the answer is true, except that if there are no savory breakfasts available, I will eat sweet breakfasts, or nothing at all until the end of time 😅😅😅

#shitty almost burnt eggos are my second fave behind savory bagels #like SOOOOO much syrup #it's honestly disgusting #but i'd rather eat that than a NON BREAKFAST FOOD 🤢#ask games #turtletaub responds #about lynna #neurospicy

9 notes · View notes

remembertoeat · 9 months

Text

Dinner Recipe: Spaghetti

TIME: ★★★★

PRICE: ★★★★

EASE: ★★★★

CLEANUP: ★★★✰

This might seem like such a basic recipe to some folks. And even more probably think spaghetti is a cheap, bland, bulk necessity meal just to get them through the week. But spaghetti can be really really tasty with just a little care, and it still only takes about 20 minutes to make!

Ingredients: 1. Pasta of choice (doesn't have to be spaghetti noodles. Can be linguini, bow ties, angel hair, penne, whatever's cheap!) 3. 1/2 diced onion (I typically use red onion) 4. 1 TB minced garlic (or 4-5 cloves. Follow your garlic heart tbh) 5. 1 lb ground meat (I prefer Italian sausage because it's pre-seasoned, or 1/2 Italian sausage-1/2 ground turkey. But you can use ground meat of choice! Just be sure to season it liberally with salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic powder, etc.) 6. 1 can of diced (or crushed) tomatoes 7. 1 can (or jar) of tomato sauce (plain, marinara, vodka sauce, whatever.) 8. (OPTIONAL) Fresh basil, goat cheese, parmesean cheese, and/or cherry tomatoes

- -Cook pasta according to directions on the packaging (if you cook enough pasta, you start to get a feel for it and don't need to measure/time it/etc. but following the directions can remove a lot of that anxiety) Work on the sauce while the pasta cooks. -Heat some oil in a (large, wide) pan. Once it's heated, add onion. Cook the onion for a minute or two, then add your garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds. -Add your ground meat. Break it up, mix it nicely with your onion and garlic in the pan. This is a great time to start seasoning if you don't like touching meat! Salt, pepper, garlic powder, italian seasoning to taste! -Once your meat is 90% cooked through, add your canned tomatoes and sauce. (You can add the tomatoes earlier, but I find the red coloring of the tomatoes makes it harder for me to tell when the meat is no longer pink.) -Heat it through and let it simmer for another 3-5ish minutes while stirring. -Serve your portion of pasta and put your sauce over it! Top with your optional ingredients! (Crumbled goat cheese on spaghetti is a GAME CHANGER!) It's pretty damn easy, and EXTREMELY damn tasty.

- Leftovers: I cannot express enough how well pasta sauce freezes. Cook it in bulk and portion it into some tupperware. Freeze it. When you wanna make spaghetti, just get a portion of the sauce out the night before, leave it in the fridge to thaw overnight, then heat it up in the microwave or over the stove when you're ready! Cook a fresh batch of pasta to go with it- boom. Easy as heck. Just remember to try to finish your freezer leftovers within about 3 months!

#easy dinner #20 minutes #spaghetti #recipe #food #pasta

40 notes · View notes

garbinge · 9 months

Text

Wanderlust

Angel Reyes Post Canon Fic (Mentions of OC Isabeth ‘Izzy’ Flores) From these August Prompts: Wanderlust Word Count: 3.1k Warnings: Mayans S5 Full Season/Finale Spoilers!!!!!!!!, mentions of death, blood, loss, angst, bad thoughts, stress, PTSD, just really sad but it does have some hope!

A/N: I… this is a lot and was honestly just flowed out onto the paper and just I have thoughts for more in this post-canon world but for now, this will be a little ode to Angel post series. Mayans Taglist: @drabbles-mc @justreblogginfics @narcolini @danzer8705 @keyweegirlie

It was hard to accept his dreams coming true when it took everything falling apart to get there. It was truthfully even hard to call this a dream when it was just a necessity for a normal and safe life. The peace the beach town of La Paz, Mexico had to offer wasn’t as rewarding as the fight to get here made it seem it would be. For Angel, most of that had to do with the fact that time passed differently now. There was nothing to look forward to anymore now that he was here. There were no visits from grandparents, no visits from uncles, no waking up next to the woman he loved. The goals he once had before were now achieved and alongside of them looking different, he hadn’t had the time or honest want to create new ones. The one thing that kept him going was his son, Maverick. The thought of showing him a world of endless opportunities and making life better solely for him was what let him get out of bed in the morning everyday. On their journey down, he opted to show him where the little boy’s grandparents once lived, where Maverick's mother had grown up, but Angel knew staying in those places would only ultimately leave him in the same cycle. The cycle Angel was on the path to break, because, well, it was his only option now.

Waking up might have been the hardest part of his day. It was ironic because falling asleep was the best. A moment of uninterrupted time where his thoughts weren’t consumed in his brain. He was shocked he didn’t have nightmares about everything, but his mind saved those for the daytime. When he was awake, he could vividly remember everything, every moment, every sound, every look, every feeling. It was why waking up was the hardest, because everything hit him like a pile of bricks the moment his eyes opened. He saw Felipe everyday. He heard EZ everyday. He searched for Luisa everyday.

Not literally, ofcourse. The image of his father being rolled out on a coroner’s gurney was embedded into his brain. The sound of EZ’s last breaths, his last wishes of telling Maverick about him and their mother. And finally, his hand reached for Luisa in his bed every morning as some search for comfort but he was left with emptiness. Once Maverick was up that’s when he was able to push everything aside and do simple everyday things for him. He was currently living off the money Luisa had left in the crib before settling into a job. Settling into employment meant finding someone or somewhere to leave Maverick and he just wasn’t ready for that step. Luckily in Mexico, he could make that money stretch. Their place was cheap, Maverick was still sleeping in a crib so the one bedroom house they stayed in was more than doable. Food was no more than $25 a week between the two of them and that was pending if Angel even had the drive to eat a full meal. Maverick was always taken care of, though. He had tons of his favorite food stored in the fridge and freezer and lots of toys. Angel had taken his Pops truck down, loading it up with the broken down crib, stroller, and height chair, a few bags of their clothes, and that was just about it.

It was early morning, Angel had been awake for a few minutes staring at the ceiling thinking about his brother. The ultimate choice he had to make in stabbing him. Logically he knew there was no out of that situation, but that didn’t stop the ‘what ifs’ from running through his head everyday. The biggest what if that weighed on Angel’s mind was what if he never joined the club. That was what brought them there. Sure, Felipe’s past life had brought violence to them, specifically their mother, but Angel continued it. Maybe if he never joined the club EZ would have gotten out of prison and done something with his life. Again, this was Angel told himself, but he struggled with that just like everything else. If he never joined the club, he never would have met Luisa or had Maverick, EZ probably would have stayed in jail for the full stint with no chance of getting out early. It made Angel think about who EZ was prior to losing their mother, what would have happened if everything was different. If he was a different person, his father was a different person, it ultimately brought him to one thought. Why him? Why was he the only one who got out. That’s usually when the cries of Maverick snapped him out of it as if the universe was giving him the answer.

As Maverick’s voice cooed right on schedule, Angel was quick to get out of bed and grab him from the crib. Angel chatted with the boy, asking him how he slept, what he was hungry for, what he was in the mood to wear. All of those things took up a good couple hours of the morning between bath time and feeding, for the both of them.

Now was the time to take on the beach town of La Paz, he and Maverick had been exploring the last few weeks, taking some time on the few different beaches, enjoying the street art and boardwalks, taking in the marinas, finding some local food spots to indulge in, and today was time to hit downtown.

La Paz was beautiful, the streets were filled with statues, artworks, and markets as you walked along the coast to get downtown where there was just more of everything. Angel had Maverick in his arms as they walked past a bookstore which made him stop and stare into the window.

“You know your Tío EZ loved to read.” Angel looked over at the boy in his arms. “Your grandpa, my dad, had bookshelves in his shop and would constantly be giving new ones to your Tío, I always told ‘em they smelt like meat and maybe there was somewhere better to keep 'em but they enjoyed it.” Angel nodded his head at the memory.

“Maybe we can find you some different books, huh?” Angel looked into the bookstore and noticed it was more of a newsstand with biographies, novels, and stories versus children’s books so he began his search for a library.

Biblioteca Pública para los Niños de La Paz, the words on the secluded building could be seen from a hundred feet away. The building was painted and bright and seemed to be exactly what he was looking for. Maverick was enamored by it, his eyes were glued to the building and his arms extended out to point to it.

Angel let out a laugh, “Alright, little man. Let's go check it out.”

As they entered the building it was a lot fancier than he imagined a library to be, there were different sections despite it being majorly a children's library. They had movies, DVDs, novels but when Angel looked to the left he was met with a huge children’s section. There was a big circular room that he assumed was for events, walls and walls of books, almost never ending and somewhere in the middle of that were couches and play sets. In the midst of all of this there was a big circulation desk that was covered in posters and kids toys and flyers where there was an empty desk chair. Angel assumed someone must’ve been on their break or roaming around the library so he walked past it and let Maverick roam around the play sets.

“Mav, come, look at these.” He called the little boy over to the half shelf of books. Angel sat squatted on the ground at Maverick’s eye level as he pulled books out, there were two that he held onto which Angel assumed they’d be checking out while the others were left on the floor in his path along the shelf. Angel was quick to grab the discarded books and put them back in their proper place as he moved behind his son, making sure that nothing was left out of place.

“Maybe we can find a book that daddy used to read all the time.” Angel started to look at the next shelf over for the book he remembered Marisol reading to him while Maverick plopped down right next to him as if he was waiting for the book.

“Buenas tardes, como los puedo ayudar? ” A woman’s voice caused Angel to startle and turn around immediately. He was such a tall individual that looking up to someone wasn’t usual for him.

“Lo siento,” he let out a chuckle and shook his head as he tried to think straight, “uh, estoy buscando un libro.” He explained in spanish what he was doing.

“Perdoname,” the woman laughed back, “no quise asustarte.” Her eyes were soft as she apologized. “Sabes el nombre del libro?”

Angel thought for a minute. “Uh, si, se–se llama,” Angel closed his eyes as he tried to remember the name, “olvidé el nombre, pero se trata del sol y…” He lost it, it’s like any bit of spanish left his brain when he tried to think of the word he was looking for. “Ah, que es,” he thought to himself now feeling fully embarrassed by his lack of fluency. “Come se dice, un reptilio?” He replaced the word he wanted with a similar synonym.

“A lizard?” The woman spoke her English as clear as day even with her accent.

Angel let out a sigh of relief. “Yea, the book is about a sun and lizard.”

“La Lagartija y el Sol.” She nodded, knowing exactly what book he was referring to.

“Yes!” His eyes lit up. “Sor– Perdoname, si, La Lagartija y el Sol.” He confirmed still stumbling over his words.

“It’s okay, I speak English.” The girl met Angel at eye level as she squatted down and reached across his face to search for the book.

“I’m trying to fit in, act like a local.” He let out a nervous chuckle that made her smile.

“We stick out like sore thumbs.” Her thick accent was littered with humor as she related to him.

“You’re not local?” Angel asked her out of curiosity.

“No, I’m from Mexico but not La Paz. I learned English in the States a few years ago.” She wasn’t willing to give up more specifics but Angel wasn’t one to pry either.

“Any advice on how not to stick out and seem like a local?” He laughed as he adjusted himself to stand up.

“No one cares here, everyone minds their business, it’s why I enjoy living here.” She stopped dragging her finger along the books as she found the one she was looking for and pulled it out by its spine. “La Lagartija y el Sol.”

“Thank you, I think he’s gonna like this one.” Angel pointed to his son who was sitting on the couch mindlessly going through the few books that he had grabbed himself.

“It is about perseverance and bravery, two traits you’ll need if you want to try and fit in as a local.” She teased. “The book is bilingual, also. Might help both of you.”

“Good to know, ironically, my mom used to read me the bilingual version and well, you’ve seen how well that worked out.” He was now standing with the book in his hand.

“Takes perseverance.” She smirked. “Let me know if you need any more help.” And with that, she was moving back behind the children’s circulation desk.

Angel stayed with Maverick in between the two shorter shelves where the playsets were, letting the boy enjoy the toys and time out of the house. They picked out a couple DVDs too in addition to the 3 books in his hands, just trying to think of ways to pass the time back at home. About an hour and a half had passed and Angel decided it was time to leave to grab some lunch and maybe head to the marina so he began to approach the childrens desk with Maverick in one arm and the things he planned to check out in the other.

The same woman came out from the back office and smiled as she situated back in her seat at the computer that was likely from the early 2000s.

“Do you have a card with us already?” She looked up at him before taking the movies and books off the part of the desk that was raised to be more of an appropriate height for those standing on the opposite side of it.

“No, I’d have to sign up for one if that’s not a big deal?” His tone had a little apprehension in it.

“Nope, just need to get some info from you.” She began clicking things on the computer and then asking him questions. “Need a name, address, and some form of ID.”

Angel froze for a minute, he wasn’t exactly sure what he felt comfortable giving up information wise. He was well aware that this was some random woman at the library and not the cartel or even a police officer but it just felt nerve wracking.

“Um, do I need to give all that information?” He stood awkwardly as he re-situated Maverick on his side.

The woman looked up at him and immediately understood. “I can make it work with just a name.” She agreed. “I just need you to promise you’re going to return those items in 3 weeks because if not it’s my paycheck the replacements come out of.” Her face was soft when she spoke.

“Promise. You can put the card under Angel Reyes.” He leaned over to see what she put into the system.

After a few minutes she took out a card and scanned it before placing it on the table in front of him. “If you have any trouble just ask for me and I’ll take care of it. I put the address in as my own.”

Angel was speechless for a minute before he spoke up. “Thanks, I didn’t mean to have to have you–” she cut him off before he finished speaking.

“It’s okay, I get it.” Her eyes moved to Maverick, who was beginning to fall asleep in Angel’s arms, and then back to Angel’s eyes before grabbing his things to check him out. After scanning all the items and placing them in a bag she moved to go grab something on the other side of the desk. “Also,” she twirled in the chair. “I pulled this for you. I think you and your son would enjoy it.”

La Frontera: El Viaje con Papá - A Journey with Papa.

Angel stared at the book for a minute with a smile on his face.

“You know, I always wanted to travel. I had dreams about it. Going all these different places. I went to some but like I wanted to see things my family saw, see things they didn’t, just have the world at my disposal, right?” He was staring down at the book, holding it in his hand, wiping his tumb across the cover. “But now I just don’t feel that way anymore.” He put the book down on the table and snapped himself out of his thoughts. “Sorry,” his head shook. “I didn’t mean to unload, I don’t get to talk to many people that aren’t above the age of 2.”

The woman smiled, “You know, sometimes that feeling of wanderlust is your gut telling you that you are not in the right place.” Her shoulders shrugged like what she said didn’t hold a heavy weight to Angel’s ears. There was a moment where he just took in those words before she spoke up again. “Maybe you’re just finally in the right place.”

She had gone back to doing something, not paying Angel any attention as he slowly put the book in the bag. Maybe it was true, he was in the right place, he had finally escaped all the violence, the stress, the uneasiness, and he could feel free. That still didn’t come without punishment. The thought of feeling free reminded him that his brother, father, and mother died being stuck. The images of his mother on the floor of the shop followed by his father on the gurney and his brother on the floor of the Mayan clubhouse rotted his brain. Repetitive words of the things they said throughout their lifetime haunting Angel. How could he be free when he felt so chained to their memory.

“Are you okay?” The woman’s voice snapped Angel out of his thoughts.

“Si, Yes, Gracias, seriously for all your help.” Angel started stepping away now.

“You are welcome, Angel.” She smiled and went back to her work before looking up when Angel stuttered after wishing her a good day but realizing he had no idea what her name was.

“Isabeth–Isa.”

Angel stood there frozen again and repeated her name. “Isa?” The woman’s head nodded and she looked at him confused.

“Is there something wrong with that?” She let out a nervous laugh.

“I’m sorry, that was sort of my mom’s name.” He closed his eyes with a smile.

“Sort of?” She twisted her head and met him with the same smile.

“Yea, sort of–it’s complicated.” He chuckled back.

“Well to make it more complicated, you can call me Izzy. That’s what my friends in the states used to call me, I kind of miss it.”

“How’d you know I was from the states?” He asked curiously, a look that didn’t last long as she gave him a knowing look and tried to hold in her laugh. “Fair enough, Izzy it is.” He nodded and with that he left the library with a feeling of content.

It was nice to finally have a conversation with someone that held some sort of mature value, despite the fact that it brought Angel some of his darkest thoughts, but he would have had those regardless, at least this time he was offered some solace. Maybe he was finally in the right place, maybe this is where Maverick needed to be, where he needed to be. Perhaps it was everyone he lost that guided him to this spot simply because it was the right place. Maybe wanderlust didn’t need to be about huge travel but just roaming around your own space, your mind even, finding one place of peace and calmness where all the bad things weren’t allowed to go. That was what Angel’s next adventure would hold, wanderlust of his mind, a place where all his demons and nightmares weren’t allowed, and just peace and tranquility could be found.

#Angel Reyes #Angel Reyes fic #Angel Reyes x OC #Angel Reyes Fanfic #Angel Reyes Fanfiction #Mayans MC #Mayans FX #Mayans MC Post Canon #Mayans MC Fanfic #Mayans MC Fanfiction

45 notes · View notes

heretohelpsstuff · 4 months

Text

The basics of soup!

How to make homade soup the easy way. Anything can go into a soup and it’ll taste good you just gotta know the basics.

Get a big pot the bigger the better. This is so you don’t accidentally overestimate the capacity of your pot and end up with soup everywhere when it boils.

Next put oil, onions, and garlic at the bottom of pot and let them cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic smells good.

If you are adding any type of meat you can cook it in the pot so the juices are in the broth and add “depth of flavor”. Once cooked remove the meat from the pot.

Next add the vegetables that take the longest to cook this is your carrots, celery, and potatoes. No leafy greens yet.

Next add your broth. Broth can be bought at the store but the cheaper alternative is to pre make it by boiling water, salt, and vegetable scraps until you get a nice brown color and delicious flavor. This I recommend doing the day before you make soup because it takes a bit.

If you want to add noodles add them once your soup boils then bring it to simmer for a bit.

Add your leaf greens. They cook quickly and turn to mush if you over do it so watch it. The best leafy green for soups (in my opinion ) is kale because it doesn’t go quite as soft as others.

If you want a creamy soup add some heavy cream. I have not tried this with other milk substitutes but it should work it just might not have the same level of creaminess.

Bam soups done.

Make sure you are seasoning to your liking and checking the flavor frequently. I like to adjust my seasonings after each steps for that extra “depth”.

I also like to store half my soup in freezer bags and freeze them to be reheated for later dates. Just make sure if you do this leave the noodles out and add them in when you are reheating the soup so they don’t become too soft.

Soup is such a good way to get a good healthy meal in and almost anything can be made into a soup so experiment. Also soup is one of the more cheap meals you can sub any of the vegetables for frozen vegetables and it makes many meals.

Don’t forget your piece of bread and butter for the full experience.

#self care #self care tips #mental health matters #here to help #soup #souplovers #good soup #soup recipe #basic cooking #cooking #home cooking #recipe

12 notes · View notes

robotrightsactivist · 23 days

Text

A sewage leak anywhere was an unwelcome thing, but the loss the gravity generators made the situation considerably more daunting. Sam had done it a few times before, but this one was pretty nasty. If he were just another maintenance bot, he would at least be able to turn off his smell. But unfortunately for Sam, he was designed to imitate human biological processes as closely as possible, and the maintenance firm he was employed by specialized in what the others refused. And he was a janitor, and janitors on this level of Brightstar Station were rarely able to authorize a maintenance bot to do the job for them. Too valuable, get a human to do it. Better yet, get an illegally employed non-human worker to do it for cheap. Which left Sam.

Thankfully they let him shower afterwards, which was nice even if he was in a full protective suit. The fact that it would recycle the air meant that it still let the air in, and that the suit was fifty years old meant the filters half-worked about half the time. Sam was just grateful that no one bothered him at work. Not that anyone would talk to him anyways, because even in the impossible scenario where he was human he was still awkward. Too nervous to say the wrong thing. To not know the right thing. It was easier to be quiet than to step into an interaction that would reveal how obviously non-human he was.

Sam had overheard through the conversations of off-stationers that other bioroids existed, elsewhere in the Sol System, but the way and how of their existence so wildly varied between total subjugation (Saturn, Uranus, most moons of Jupiter) and full citizenship (Venus, Mercury, some places on Earth) that leaving seemed too risky. Out here, in the Oort Cloud, all machines were product, which was good or bad depending on where you were and who you were with. And after what he had been through, an uneventful and repetitive existence was a luxury.

Once the common areas had thinned out and everyone else had left for home, Sam checked all the empty corridors that were more common towards main generators. Once he was sure there were no wandering groups of ill-intended human teenagers, dealers, and other folk he’d rather not bump into, he quickly made his way through the passages.

Eleven floors down and seven halls space-side, there was what appeared to be a stunted hallway. There, Sam looked over his shoulder, checked the cameras and when he was again sure no one knew he was there, he used the old janitor’s key to unlock the closet.

The long and narrow room was Sam’s home, a collection of discarded utilities and repurposed treasures delicately fitted into a living space where he had spent almost a decade. The welcome mat made of many pieces of fabric, he found that in the trash after an art fair, the antique wooden coat hanger holding all the outfits Sam could possibly wear, the metal shoe rack where all three of his shoes lived when he wasn’t working. His small collection of discarded carpets, lining the floor, each a different texture and feeling on his bare feet. The mattress in the far corner was discarded for being a few centimeters too short, that was an amazing find. Sam had no shortage of discarded blankets, but he especially loved the quilt he snatched from the mouth of the carbon recycler, and pillows were easy to refurbish if one knew how to do it. He had many books, some very new and others very old. Sam needed to eat eight hundred and sixty one calories every four days, so he was thrilled to find a battery operated freezer-chest, where inside he kept a rotating assortment of frozen meals he could heat up in the mini stove. The tablet with the slightly-fractured screen, where he could watch media on the public channel. He enjoyed watching old movies if he could find them. Sam avoided the news and anything that reminded him of the world outside his little home.

And of course, there were dioramas. Every corner and every unused space of the closet had a different diorama, of landscapes, of houses, of buildings, of gardens and trees and fantastical worlds. A city square in a magical town populated with different non-human creatures, that took almost nine months. A group of tentacled aliens on a camping trip, sharing stories while a unicorn watches from the trees, four months. The inside of a garden cottage where a friendly witch was teaching her apprentice how to cook eggs, six months. The temple of a crystalline goddess visited by a pilgrim of stone, he was still working on that. A treehouse where a family of mice lived happily, fourteen months. Those were his favorites, but there were many others, all beautiful and intricate and engrossing. Sam read books on painting, sculpting, and organic chemistry so he could make the right adhesives, the right paints, the right techniques, the exact materials to make his little pockets of reality. Sam loved them all.

Near his bed was a small wooden frame, and inside it was a photo of a ten-year-old boy with red hair beaming while holding a trophy. It was when Samuel won the junior station judo tournament, two months before the accident that killed him. To Sam, the memories were like the grainy clips of media civilians pirated from visiting ships, translated fictions conveyed through filters of understanding. When Sam awoke for the first time, he knew he wasn’t Samuel, but Sam did his best to play the part his parents wanted, because he wanted to be loved by them and make them happy. But after a year, and subsequent visits to the synthetic reproduction firm that had made him, Sam became his parents’ preferred object of scorn. Mother asked him questions designed to humiliate him, as if his pretending to be their son was something he plotted. “You’re hurting my feelings,” Sam would say to dissuade her. Eventually, Sam’s efforts to defend himself would be catalyst for Father to start hitting him. This continued for years, and even as Sam grew older and his body became taller and stronger and his voice changed, Father would continue to find reasons to hurt him. Sometimes Mother sat and watched it happen, that was agonizing. They spent almost half their wealth into seeking out a black market designer and commissioning them to recreate a dead human from neural scans, creating a bioroid engineered to love them as a human child would, why would they hurt him? When Sam was legally fifteen, he saw that Father was looking for him with a knife in his hands. Sam remembered what the warranty said about accidents, that if he was brought back in decent condition he could be harvested for parts. That night, Sam fled his parents’ pavilion, resisting every program and every cloudy memory telling him he loved his parents and they loved him. Samuel was loved by his parents, and he loved them. Sam wasn’t sure he did, not anymore, but when Sam recognized Samuel’s face in an old print magazine, he cut it out and found a frame to put it in. Around it, Sam placed little objects Samuel would like: action figures, interesting stones, the occasional old coin. Sam liked to believe that somehow, somewhere, Samuel appreciated this little shrine.

When he remembered it, Sam fished his latest find from the deepest pocket in his overalls, and set it before the frame.

“I found this today,” Sam said to his ghost. “Can you believe they’d throw out an action figure like this? Look, he can do a butterfly kick!” Sam tapped the foot of the action figure, and it sprung into a perfect butterfly kick and landed on two feet. Samuel often practiced those and hoped to get it right someday, when he was big and strong.

Sam remembered Samuel not wanting to die. He remembered being pinned under the column that would crush him to death as soon as his arms couldn’t hold it up anymore, how he held on even as his arms went numb. How he had so much to live for, how could it end right now?

So, Sam would live as best he possible for as long as he could. If things on the Brightstar got too rough, there was a little wallet where he had hoped he saved enough money to leave, maybe to one of places some rumored to be friendly to machine beings. But for now, this was good.

#original fiction #yeah I’m posting original snippets here now. it will happen again #longer form I’ll have to find some other format #androids #ocs #idk!!#robots

6 notes · View notes