#monthly preview

[doodledstars]

I want to design new costumes aside from my monthly smash art set for both fanart and original art, so this month here's a peak of Rosalina! :>

Planning on doing some more concept + illustration of these projects monthly~

If you like my work pls consider supporting me with a boba tea on my Ko-Fi! Thank you~ :>   

[cssns]

Hello everyone! Can you believe it? We are a month into the 2019 CSSNS!!!

We have been blessed with some INCREDIBLE fic already this summer and we have much more to come. This post will first highlight the fic and art that’s been posted so far, and then we’ll look forward to what is to come in the month of July! So without further ado everyone, heeeeeerrrrrrrrrre we goooooooooooo!!!!!

@welllpthisishappening opened us up this year with her short MC, All the Subliminal Things, a soulmate fake dating AU. Adorable and hysterical, as usual!! Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke. She also closed out the month yesterday with the posting of her MC All was Golden In the Sky. I’m telling you the truth, that I’m already thinking this one may dethrone Blue Line as my favorite of Laura’s work. Again with artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke. She will be updating AWGITS on Tuesdays and Fridays for the next three months. Make sure and let her know how much you love it, because I’m sure you will!

@darkcolinodonorgasm posted One Day, a LadyHawke AU that I am BESIDE myself waiting for more of! With artwork by @sherlockianwhovian. Towards the end of the month, she posted Hidden Paths Between the Moon and Sun, the sequel to her Hades and Persephone AU, Until the Stars Are All Alight. Loads of fluff so far and a very delayed honeymoon for our favorite couple. Again with artwork by @sherlockianwhovian. Be sure to give them both lots of love for their hard work and wonderful results!!

@allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 posted original art Killian Falls for Siren Emma and Paranormal Photographers/Reporters. They were both absolutely fantastic!! Be sure and let her know!

@donteattheappleshook posted her sequel to last years fic Just Human. She named it, very aptly, Just Human Vol2. It picked up right where last years fic left off and is LOADED with feels! Artwork 1 and 2 by @djlbg. Be sure and give them both lots of love!!!

@thislassishooked posted her vampire AU MC Wake Me Up Inside. We have three chapters posted so far and it is INCREDIBLE!!! Artwork by @tennant-the-tigger. Make sure and give them both all the love!!

@let-it-raines posted her MC Not Your (Soul)Mate. This is a very humorous take on the whole soulmate trope. Artwork by @captainsjedi. Make sure and give them plenty of flails!!!

@shireness-says posted her oneshot A Drowning Soul Will Clutch at Any Straw. A beautiful fic featuring mermaid Emma and pirate Killian, with a TLK to boot! Artwork by @hollyethecurious. Be sure to give them all kinds of love!!!!

That is all for the fics and art we’ve had dropped so far. Make sure when you read that you give the authors and artists lots of love!!! Now, what do we have to look forward to next month? Well, I’m so glad you asked!

@snowbellewells will open us up tomorrow with a MC continuation of last years Run To Me (In the Dead of Night) and she’ll post a ghost story OS on the 29th. Artwork by @branlovestowrite.

@thejollyroger-writer will be posting Love After Death on July 3, an afterlife hotel/soulmates AU in which Emma runs the afterlife hotel that ghost Killian makes his way to. She will close out the month with a second OS on the 31st called What Happens in Berkshire where a statue of Captain Hook comes to life when Emma gives him a kiss! Artwork by @captainsjedi. She will be giving us another OS in August as well.

On July 10, @gingerchangeling will be posting Luck of the Irish. A OS where Emma comes home with more than she bargained for after reading an ancient curse. Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke. 

@lizzyc807shipscaptainswan will be posting a guardian angel vampire OS on July 12. Killian is a vampire that turns into a guardian angel of sorts when investigative reporter Emma just keeps getting herself into trouble. Artwork by @courtorderedcake.

@jarienn972 will be posting A Simple Spell on July 15. In which novice witch Emma casts a spell to find her True Love. Artwork by @cocohook38.

On July 17, @profdanglaisstuff will be posting her fic, The Very Witching Time. Emma is a witch that has to defeat a new danger rising that threatens her and everything she loves. She’ll need the support and help of her friends and a dog named Killian if she is to succeed. Artwork by @gingerchangeling.

July 19 @searchingwardrobes will be posting An Education in Southern Gothic, a ghost/possession fic. Based on a legend at a school she used to teach at. She will be posting a second fic based on the Cupid and Psyche myth in August. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

@spartanguard will be posting a soulmate AU called Sick of Love on July 22. Will the barriers that CS put up to avoid touching their possible soulmate protect them? Or only hurt them more? Artwork by @sherlockianwhovian.

On July 24 @snidgetsafan will be posting a Hades, Persephone, and Orpheus OS called Whom the Gods Favor, Die Young. Artwork by @tennant-the-tigger.

Oh man! Do we have a lot to look forward to!!! I’m so excited for all these fics and art that’ll be dropping next month!!! Make sure and spread all the excitement and love for these incredibly talented people! I’ll be back at the end of July with another roundup and preview post for the rest of the event! See you then!

[cssns]

Hello everyone! We are BAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!

It is that time again! Time for the monthly roundup for July and to look ahead to what’s coming up in August! 

So y’all buckle up! We will start with those fics and art that dropped in July, then highlight the MC’s that updated in July. We will end the post with what we have to look forward to for the rest of the event! We had some INCREDIBLE fics and art drop in July and we have a lot more to look forward to in August! Make sure and let the authors and artists know how much you’re enjoying their hard work!!! So without further ado, HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.

@snowbellewells started us off this month with Face to Face in the Broad Daylight, a sequel to her CSSNS submission from last year, Run to Me (In the Dead of Night). Beautiful artwork by @branlovestowrite! Rated T with 4 chapters so far.

@thejollyroger-writer gave us Love After Death: The Afterlife Hotel. A one shot and a bit of a different take on the soulmate trope with absolutely perfect artwork by @captainsjedi.

Emma Swan has spent sixty years in the afterlife believing she was never going to meet her real soulmate, after believing in the wrong name tattooed on her wrist. But when she keeps seeing the same new guest of the Afterlife Hotel around, might she be able to learn how to love again? Rated T

@gingerchangeling presented us with Luck of the Irish with lovely artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke

Emma needs parent volunteer hours. So she offers to chaperon Henry's upcoming field trip to the museum. Its just a pack of prepubescent angst ridden children, an exhibit about dead people, and a rock used in blood sacrifices with a curse carved into it. What's the worst that could happen? Rated M with 1 chapter so far.

@jarienn972 gave us A Simple Spell with beautiful artwork by @cocohook38

This story is my entry into the 2019 Captain Swan Supernatural Summer event and is my first venture into AU territory. Storybrooke remains our setting but I've switched up some of the characters and familial relations to better suit this tale of prodigal witch Emma who returns to her birthplace to learn lots of secrets about herself and cast a spell that could change everything. Rated T with 3 chapters so far.

@profdanglaisstuff presented us with The Very Witching Time with incredible  artwork by @gingerchangeling and extra artwork by @mariakov81.

Emma Swan is a hereditary witch, last in a long line of wise women who for centuries have guarded the coast of Maine and the small village of Storybrooke with their homemade cures and their ancient magic. She holds the delicate balance between magic and mundane, but now that balance is threatened by a new foe, one capable of bringing an end to everything Emma is and everything she loves. To defeat it she will need all her power, help from her friends and neighbours, and the loyalty of a very unusual dog who answers to the name of Killian. Rated M with 3 of 4 chapters so far.

@searchingwardrobes gave us An Education in Southern Gothic with some seriously spooky artwork by @hollyethecurious

Fact: there’s a graveyard between the football field and the science building. Debatable: a ghost haunts the halls of Misthaven Hills High. Emma Swan is about to get an education. Killian Jones is about to get a whole lot more. Rated T COMPLETE

@spartanguard presented us with Sick of Love with lovely artwork by @sherlockianwhovian

If Emma’s not careful, she just might bump into her soulmate. Physically. And while she might like the idea of what comes with that—an almost psychic connection whenever they make skin contact—she’d rather not deal with the awful withdrawal sickness that can come when they inevitably leave her; she’s got a son, so she doesn’t have time for that. So she keeps herself covered and thinks she’ll be okay. Until she meets Killian, who does the same thing. Will their barriers protect them, or just hurt them more? Rated M with 2 of 3 chapters so far.

@snidgetsafan gave us Whom the Gods Love Die Young with beautiful artwork by @tennant-the-tigger

The bride bit into the shiny red apple as everyone cheered around her, the wedding ceremony ending with this ritual gesture. The clapping and hurrahs soon turned to screams of horror as Snow dropped the apple, choking and clutching her throat as she fell in her groom’s arms, a last I love you leaving her lips before she died, David’s screams the loudest of all.

David and Emma travel to the Underworld to claim back Snow after her untimely death. In order to do so, they're going to have to face the dark and mysterious God of the Underworld and complete his challenges.

Seems simple enough until you add magic, divine quarrels, and the worst thing of all: feelings. Rated G (for the moment) with one chapter so far

@snowbellewells gave us a second fic this month as well! A Story Told at Last with gorgeous artwork by @branlovestowrite

Historical Literature Professor Henry Mills has the chance of a lifetime before him. He might finally uncover the truth of a folktale that has intrigued him for years. But, when the whole story comes to light, will he be able to accept the story that needs to be told? Rated T with a prologue so far and two parts yet to come.

@thejollyroger-writer gifted us a second fic this month too! What Happened in Berkshire. Artwork coming soon by @captainsjedi.

When Emma’s boyfriend leaves her for the woman he’s been cheating with, she accepts an offer from her hospital to move to England. While she is out celebrating her thirtieth birthday with her friends before they head back to America, she drunkenly kisses the statue of Captain Hook in front of Eton College, and he comes to life. Together, he and Emma try to figure out what this curse means for them by searching for the witch that cursed him in the first place — are they really True Love, as he wants to believe they are, or did Emma’s magic go awry? Rated G with one chapter so far. Part 2 coming soon.

We also had original art drop from @eastwesthomeisbest called The Love of the Samodiva Pts1 and 2.

In Bulgarian folklore Samodiva is an ethereal female wood nymph. She is unearthly beautiful and eternally young. Her hair is blond and long, her waist is thin and petite, her eyes can bewitch and dazzle or even kill. Any man who lays eyes on her instantly falls in love. Samodivas’ attire consists of long white gowns and shirts and a rainbow-coloured or green belt. They have a white mantel, also called a shadow, in which their power lies. They like to ride deer, using twisted snakes for reins and often carry with them bows and arrows.

If a huntsman accidentally kills a samodiva’s deer, she will make him blind or give him a disease which will inevitably lead to his death.

The wood nymphs live in dark forests, in big old trees, caves or forgotten huts which are near water sources, wells or rivers.

Samodivas can be spotted from spring to autumn. In winter they live in the mythical village Zmeykovo, which is located at the edge of the world and is a home to many mythical creatures. When they are on earth they are active at night and disappear immediately when the sun comes out, because they fear it.

At twilight, the samodivas go to fresh water sources, strip naked, wash themselves and their clothes which they lay out to dry in the moonlight. They keep a watchful eye on their drying clothes, because if a man steals their mantle, where their power lies, they turn into normal women and have to obey the man. After washing themselves and their clothes, the samodivas gather around and start singing and dancing. It is known that the samodiva’s songs are the most beautiful and their dances are the most graceful. If a late traveller sees the samodivas’ dance, he is enticed to join them and dances with them from midnight to dawn. When the sun’s rays appear, the nymphs disappear in haste and leave the traveller to die from exhaustion. The samodivas love music and often kidnap shepherds, so that they can play kaval (shepherd’s pipe) for them while they dance.

Samodivas are not always harmful. Sometimes they appear like normal working women and help with the harvest. They would especially help women with children. If a man does something good for a samodiva, she becomes his patron or a sworn sister. Sometimes, a samodiva can fall in love with a human and bear him children, who grow up to be great heroes.

Samodivas are forest creatures and therefore knowledgeable about herbs and cures. However, they never share their secrets willingly. The only way to obtain their knowledge is to eavesdrop on one of their gatherings.

As you can see, we’ve had wonderful fics and art drop this month! And we also had several fics from June update, and also 2 fics from last years event!!!

@welllpthisishappening updated All Was Golden in the Sky many times! The story is complete and she updates regularly on Tuesday and Friday. We are about a third of the way through the entire fic. Ch 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke and chapter art 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9  by @distant-rose 

@let-it-raines had been updating Not Your (Soul)Mate chs 4 5 6 7 8 with artwork 1 2 3 by @captainsjedi.

@darkcolinodonorgasm updated One Day for us ch2 with gorgeous artwork by @sherlockianwhovian

Our two updated fics from last years event come to us courtesy of @kymbersmith-90 Divine Intervention ch7 with artwork by @hollyethecurious 

and 

@seriouslyhooked Lost Souls and Reveries ch19 with artwork by @shipsxahoy.

So that is all the fics and art that dropped or updated last month! And now, let’s look ahead to what we have to look forward to for the rest of the event!

Tomorrow @courtorderedcake will be dropping her first fic for the event Hallow with accompanying artwork. Her second fic, Roses will drop on Aug. 24 with artwork by @eastwesthomeisbest.

@searchingwardrobes will be dropping a Cupid and Psyche AU on Aug. 6, Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

@ilovemesomekillianjones will be dropping a soulmate AU on Aug. 8. Artwork by @spartanguard.

@pirateherokillian will be dropping a modern day gods AU on Aug. 15. Artwork by @tennant-the-tigger.

@thejollyroger-writer will be dropping a THIRD one shot for us on Aug. 18. Artwork by @captainsjedi.

@wyntereyez will be dropping a werewolf Killian fic on Aug. 20. Artwork by @gingerchangeling.

@kymbersmith-90 will be dropping her fic on Aug 22. Artwork by @resident-of-storybrooke.

@whimsicallyenchantedrose will be dropping a Lord of the Rings inspired AU on Aug. 27. Artwork by @clockadile.

@lizzyc807shipscaptainswan will be dropping a vampire guardian angel fic on Aug. 29. Artwork by @courtorderedcake.

@teamhook will be closing out the event with her fic dropping on Sept. 2 Artwork by @hollyethecurious.

Ohhhh my WORD!!! Do we have some good stuff coming up!!!! I can’t wait for all this!!!! And of course, our other WIP’s will continue to update as well! Make sure that you let the authors and artists know how much you are enjoying their work! Sometimes it’s exactly that that keeps them motivated and posting! I’ll see you back here in a little over a month for the event roundup with links to everything that’s been posted since we started in June! Until then y’all!

[spooniechef]

March Sneak Preview

I’ve made a point to actually plan out my meals for the month in more than an abstract way. Part of that is down to you guys, because it’s encouraged me to try recipes I’d been pondering but having executive dysfunction about, so thank you. I thought I’d give a quick overview of what recipes I’m going to be trying this month, and talk a bit about ways of cutting costs for recipes in general.

First, March content - these are the recipes I’m trying this month, or just plain keeping in the rotation because variety is a good thing.

Curry (specifically lamb dopiaza and aloo gobi, my absolute favourites)

Beef stew (I recently bought a slow cooker; more on that later)

Roast pork shoulder (not only how to initially roast it, but three or four ways to use the leftovers that’ll make one roast last the best part of a week)

Chicken broccoli pasta bake (with notes about how gluten-free and lactose-free substitutions will affect things)

Treats (specifically three-ingredient peanut butter cookies, home-made shelf-stable instant hot chocolate, and for those with a dehydrator, cinnamon caramel apple chips)

Given that a few people following this blog have come up with some great variations on the recipes I’ve already posted, I really look forward to seeing what you do with these!

A couple of those recipes above are kind of tricky when it comes to their base ingredients. Mostly the stew and the curry. The meat’s expensive, yes, but oddly, the spices are worse. Herbs and spices are one of those things that can really make or break a dish but also start getting expensive when you buy them all at once. I noticed this a lot with the curry, honestly; it’s a great one to have in the personal recipe book for a spoonie because it’s literally just “throw everything into a pot for a couple of hours”, but the number of spices it needs can be really intimidating, price-wise. So I thought about it and came up with a couple of ways that the sticker shock can be at least minimised when it comes ot herbs.

Grow your own. I know how that sounds, I really do. I will say this, though - it’s not as hard as some people seem to think. I live in a north-facing apartment that really does not get a lot of light and last year was an absolute bonanza of fresh herbs to use in cooking. Plus combine that with a dehydrator and you’ll be more likely to give away cooking herbs than to have to go buy them from the supermarket. Hell, my Scarborough Fair Collection (literally parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme) has been surviving outdoors in a pretty horrific cold snap, as has some mint and my strawberry plants (though they’re obviously not bearing fruit right now). I was also growing marjoram, oregano, dill, cilantro, and basil, plus cayenne peppers, peas, and tomatoes - most of which I’ll have to replant this year. Even if all you’ve got is a windowsill, these plants are hardier than you’d think. Just requires doing the rounds with a watering can. If that’s a route you decide to take, get one of the little 1 litre watering cans; something small and easy to lift. If you’re short on space, priority for planting should be basil (lots of basil - pesto sauce is super easy to make), oregano, cilantro, dill, thyme, rosemary. ...You know what? I’ll just stick with “this gets its own post later”.

Buy in bulk ... a bit at a time. The good thing about dried herbs and spices is that they take a very long time to go 'bad’, and you don’t normally need a whole lot of each in a recipe, so you don’t run out quickly. Still, stuff like green cardamom pods tends towards the costly, and the cornucopia of spices you need for a good curry ... it adds up. So buy the spices a piece at a time - turmeric and cumin one big shopping day, garam masala and clove on another big shop, green cardamom pods on their on the next time, and so on. It takes some organisation, but it helps in two ways - spreads the cost, and gives you time to arrange some space for your sudden bounty of spices. Don’t buy in bulk the first time, just in case you don’t like the recipes you can use this stuff with, or if it’s too much spoon expenditure. But if you do find something you like, usually you’re using a teaspoon or less of these things, so you’ve got a lot of time to buy a bulk package of those items over the course of a lot of shopping trips, and just refill the original spice jar from that when it’s empty.

Honestly, that’s about it. There are ways to spread the cost and to do away with it entirely in some cases, but at the end of the day, stuff costs too much money and there’s not a whole lot we can do about it at this point. I’ll keep adding money-saving tips to these recipes, since I know it’s incredibly tricky to manage a budget when maybe you’re not up to working full time, or when more money than is reasonable needs to go on medication etc. I find it helps to remind myself that yeah, that pork roast was expensive but that’s five-six days’ worth of meals right there, so a lot less I need to buy; doesn’t make the pain of sticker shock go away, but it soothes the burn a little.