Ater Imber is a Canadian indie author who became interested in writing fan fiction in 2013 after being talked into giving the Deviant Art website a chance. Ater began posting to the delight of Supernatural fans and has since moved her ever-growing operation to her own website: https://aterimber.com/
Ater now not only writes Supernatural fan fiction, but has expanded the website to include articles about her other interests (including veganism, writing tips and nomadic/zero waste/sustainable living), and continues to write new fan and non-fanfiction short stories and articles regularly for an eager personal following.
Ater also currently has 6 books available for purchase, including 3 fanfiction novellas based on the hit T.V. series Supernatural.
Broken is Ater’s 6th book, and follows the adventures of James, Tommy and Emma as they navigate the hardships of abusive guardians, addiction and hallucinations, all while trying to keep from flunking out of school, published March, 2021. It is also the longest book Ater has written, to date.
The Haunted Corpse is Ater’s debut, non-collection novella. It’s a dark (ish) fantasy centering around Sammy, and the challenges she faces as she’s thrust into a whole new (magical) world while she searches for answers in the wake of her father’s ‘suicide’, published October, 2019.
First Try is Ater’s debut, non-fan fiction novella. It’s a collection of short stories Ater wrote during school after getting serious about becoming a writer, book-ended by the two first ‘long’ stories Ater ever wrote, published November, 2018.
Ater’s newest fan fiction novella, Holiday Treats, is about the holidays, forbidden love, and what can go wrong when the two collide (Wincest style), published in December, 2016.
Ater’s debut fan fiction novella, Don’t Get Caught, is a collection of short stories centered around a love theme, and all that entails (including a kidnapping Samifer fic and a Sabriel wedding) published in February, 2016.
Last, but certainly not least, Ater’s second book, Melting Hearts, Sunburns and Tanlines, is a collection of short stories with a main theme surrounding going on vacation, published in August, 2016.
If you’d like to check out these books, you can do so on her website, by going to the Books page, or, on Amazon.
To keep up with all things Ater, you can check out the following social media accounts, all @AterImber:
Instagram
Youtube
Tumblr
Goodreads
Facebook
Ater Imber lives in Toronto, Canada.
Vitamin C is one of the more popular nutrients people talk about. Maybe it’s because that’s the nutrient people focus on when they catch a cold – everyone knows when you’re sick/have a cold to drink orange juice to replenish your Vitamin C.
But what you might not know, is that oranges actually aren’t the best source.
Starting in the top left-hand corner, moving clockwise:
Raw Red Bell Pepper 190mg
Raw Green Bell Pepper 120mg
Cooked Broccoli 102mg
Raw Strawberries 98mg
Raw Grapfruit (1) 78mg
Raw Broccoli 78mg
Orange (1 medium) 70mg
Kiwi (1 med) 64mg
Green Peas 60mg
Cantaloupe (1 Whole) 58mg
Cooked Cabbage 56mg
Raw Cauliflower 52mg
Green Beans 18mg
Baked Potato (1 Med) 17mg
Raw Tomato (1 Med) 17mg
As you can see, there are plenty of fruits and vegetables with Vitamin C, so getting enough as a vegan definitely shouldn’t be a struggle.
And hey, maybe next time you get a cold, you could try juicing a bell pepper, instead?
Like this article? Check out the rest of the Nutrient Series!
This is Fic #9 of the Unlearning Series. There is only one more to go! Fic #10 will be coming out next month!
Started: 21.06.26
Finished: 22.01.14
Words: 3,930
C2C, Destiel, Crobby (Implied)
“This is your big secret?” He rolled his eyes again, “You could’ve hid this anywhere in Bobby’s house without him finding it, y’know. Why don’t you try to hide it on one of his thousand bookshe-” the hunter cut himself off as Crowley opened the box, revealing the shining engagement ring that was inside. Dean’s eyes flicked between the ring and the demon a few times, before he raised an eyebrow, “… What the hell is that?” He peered closer at it, eyebrows raising in surprise, “I-is that an engagement ring?”
“Yep.”
“And you’re showing me this…?”
Crowley let out an exasperated sigh, snapping the box closed, “I know Moose is the smart one, but honestly I didn’t think I’d have to spell it out for you.” At the still-confused look, he shook his head, slipping the box back into his jacket, “It’s for Bobby, genius.”
“Bobby?” Dean’s eyebrows shot up, lips twitching, “Y-you’re kidding, right?” At the serious look, the blonde snorted, licking his lips in a failed attempt to keep his laughter at bay, “Y-you are gonna ask…” his voice trailed off into a fit of laughter.
Crowley gave the hunter a tight smile, “Yeah, yeah, it’s hilarious.” He shot the blonde a death glare and stood up from the chair, “I knew I shouldn’t have told you.”
Dean shook his head, “I-I’m sorry,” his shoulders twitched as he tried to wipe at his eyes, “it’s just, the thought of you asking Bobby to…” the blonde cleared his throat, trying to get his laughter under control, “that’s just… I mean, that would-”, the smile slid off his face, and he turned now-worried eyes to the demon, “t-that would make us…”
“Relax,” Crowley waved a dismissive hand, unable to keep the cheeky smile off his face, “you won’t have to call me Daddy.”
Dean’s face scrunched at the mental image and shuddered, “Ugh.”
Crowley rolled his eyes, retaking his seat, turning expectant eyes to the hunter, “So…?”
“So…?”
Crowley huffed “How did the two of you once save the world?” He brought his eyes back to the blonde, and spoke slowly, “What do you think?”
Dean’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean? What do I think… about you wanting to marry Bobby?” At the nod, Dean sputtered for a moment, “I uh, I don’t know. It’s weird. I mean, do demons even- wait,” Dean raised an eyebrow, “Why are you asking?”
Crowley scrubbed a hand down his face, pursing his lips, “Because, I need to ask Bobby’s next-of-kin for permission.”
“But Bobby doesn’t have-” Dean cut himself off, eyes going wide as he finally realized what the demon was asking, “o-oh!” He tried to shift closer, but was still unable to move, and raised an eyebrow, “You need my permission before you can ask him?”
Crowley shrugged, “I’m unfortunately bound by tradition.”
The blonde smirked, “So, you won’t pop the question unless I say it’s okay?”
Crowley sighed, “Well, you and Moose, but I’ve already asked him.”
“What? When?”
Crowley waved a dismissive hand, “That’s not important. What’s important is getting your answer.”
“No way in Hell.”
Liking the fic? Check out the WHOLE story – along with the rest of the Unlearning Series here!
Vanilla gets a bad wrap as being a ‘boring’ flavour, but, without a solid foundation, you can’t build ice creams that are more complex. Also, sometimes you just want a ‘boring’ flavour, or maybe someone doesn’t like a weird combo of flavours – whatever your reasoning, vanilla is a great basic flavour to keep stocked in the freezer.
That said, this means the review of a plain-er flavour won’t be as long, because there’s not as much to talk about flavour-wise. But again, I don’t think that should influence someone’s decision to buy it!
Okay, that’s enough defending, let’s get down to the review.
I’m going to be honest, this ice cream didn’t actually taste like vanilla. It tasted like coconut, which is fine, since it’s a coconut-based ice cream. And it wasn’t an overpowering coconut flavour like some other things I’ve tried. It was actually a much more subtle flavour than I thought it’d be. I don’t know if they added vanilla, and that’s what muted the coconut, or if that’s just what plain coconut ice cream tastes like, but it was nice, even though it’s not the flavour that’s advertised on the label.
The ice cream was also very ‘light’ and refreshing, unlike some more complex flavours which feel ‘heavier’ when eating them. This ice cream was a perfect, light snack. It actually kind of reminded me of summer, in the same way that eating watermelon does.
It was also pretty soft. I don’t know if it’s because it was coconut based or not, but I actually loved how soft it was! I could take it right out of the freezer and eat it, unlike with (as an example) Ben and Jerry’s, where you have to leave it on the counter for 5-10 minutes just to get a spoon in it.
A downside to this, and so far all vegan ice cream, is unfortunately it still came in the small pint containers, like the Ben and Jerry’s ice creams. I don’t know why there’s no family sized vegan ice cream out there, but I wish someone would start making it! Sure, for one person, this size would last maybe a week (if you ate a little every day), but what should you do if you have a celebration, like a birthday? You could buy multiple pints, but the amount you’d need to feed everyone, coupled with the high price, makes it not worth the effort.
I’m going to try to restrain myself from launching into a whole rant about the sizing thing – if you’ve read any of my other reviews, you know how much the smaller size thing irks me.
That’s really everything I had to cover for this ice cream: nice, light, coconut-y flavour, and a small container. Not much else I can say about it, except tell you to buy it if you like mellow flavoured ice creams.
Going zero waste might seem like a massive undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be!
No one is saying you have to throw out all your non-zero waste items/products – in fact, it’s actually less ‘zero waste’ if you do! It’s much better to use what you have, and then when it comes time to replace things, swap out landfill-bound items for more sustainable ones.
Doing this will not only ensure you use up everything you have until it’s gone, which in term will be better for the environment, but it can also help lessen the amount of stress you feel to switch your lifestyle.
Listen, I get it: now that you know, you can’t un-know, and you want to get started on being the new you ASAP. That is fantastic news – the world needs as many eco-heroes as it can get! But instead of creating more unneeded waste, start slow, and build up your eco-friendly life one thing at a time.
To get you started, I’ve listed 2 zero waste recipes you can switch your store-bought items for the next time you finish them. Keep in mind, that while these DIY recipes are better for the environment, they may not work exactly the same as store-bought products. But, I don’t want you to fret, I’ve tested and used both, and they still get the job done!
1. Toothpaste
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
4 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil (Optional)
First up, is this zero waste toothpaste. This recipe is great, because it only has 3 ingredients (or 2), and comes together in less than 5 minutes! (Assuming you don’t have to run around your house or go to the store to order the ingredients) Just mix together all the ingredients in a jar, or storage container, and boom, you’re done. What could be easier than that?
Another great thing about this toothpaste is: you know exactly what’s in it! Not only that, but you’ll get the same benefits as traditional toothpaste, without all the unnecessary added ingredients or manmade chemicals!
Baking soda is actually the ingredient traditional toothpastes use to clean your teeth, and it’s also been used as a whitening agent. (You can use baking soda both as a whitening agent for laundry [which will be talked about below] and for teeth)
The coconut oil has antimicrobial properties, and it’s a natural alternative to other manmade chemical-laded antimicrobial products, which means it’s naturally healthier for you. Being a natural ingredient not only means it’s SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) and SLES (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) free, but it’s also been shown to inhibit the growth of bad mouth bacteria, like s. mutans (Streptococcus mutans is the official name). These s mutans are one of the major bacteria’s that cause plaque and tooth decay due to their acidity.
SLS and SLES are foaming agents that are often found in shampoos, soaps, etc. They are the reason for all the bubbles/suds you get when you lather, however, they have been shown to cause allergic reactions (which is something I found out the hard way when testing some Lush shampoo), and, when used in toothpastes, they can actually mess with your taste buds!
The peppermint essential oil may seem like it’s just there to give you a better flavour, which is right – it will give you that classic mint-y clean feel you’re used to, but peppermint essential oil has a lot of other great benefits as well! One of which, is giving your energy levels a boost. I’m not too sure on the exact science as to why it gives you an energy boost (I haven’t done too much research into essential oils yet), but I can definitely attest to it working!
Whether that’s a matter of placebo or not is yet to be determined, but in either case, it will definitely make this homemade toothpaste taste better (without, it will taste like baking soda + coconut oil, which is pretty salty and not in a good way), so if nothing else, you could still use it for that.
I’ve been using this homemade toothpaste since April 2021, and aside from the saltiness the first time using it (I didn’t add enough peppermint), I don’t really have any complaints. It works great! The only thing to note is that because the base is coconut oil, it may solidify, or liquefy depending on the temperature. This is completely normal, and you can still use it in either state.
However, if you need it more solid (or less solid), you can either pop the jar into the fridge, or run it under hot water, or, place it in front of a vent/near something hot for a few minutes. You may also need to re-stir the coconut oil and baking soda together if it liquefies.
*Important: Make sure if you’re using essential oil, you get one that says it’s safe to consume. Some of them say to not use orally!
2. Laundry Cubes/Toilet Cleaner
Ingredients:
Baking Soda
Vinegar
I know how this sounds, but baking soda + vinegar can be used to clean just about anything, and these cubes are perfect for a lot of those different uses!
I originally made these cubes after wanting to switch my man-made chemical-filled laundry detergent. I had discovered the world of soap nuts, but while I was on my quest to get my hands on some (apparently the native-to-Canada ones can’t be sold/bought because they’re protected), I still had to do laundry.
Since I had already learned vinegar + baking soda was strong enough to clean a toilet bowl, and bath tub, I figured it was strong enough to clean my not-that-dirty everyday clothing. I did a bit of research anyway, and discovered vinegar and baking soda were used often in conjunction with conventional laundry detergents to help up their oomph.
I learned baking soda was often used to make white clothes whiter, and vinegar was a natural way to eliminate odours, brighten and even soften clothing. This is because it contains acetic acid, which also makes it a disinfectant, antibacterial, and anti-a-lot-of-other things. (This is why vinegar can be used to clean so many household items)
After learning that, I figured what the hell, and decided to try doing a load. The load I did was of my reusable pads, and while I was a little skeptical when they went in, I was really impressed with how they came out! The mixture had gotten all of the blood stains (‘gross!’ I know, but that’s just what happens when you get blood in fabric) out, and had completely eliminated that used pad smell. In fact, when I pulled them out of the washer, they didn’t smell like anything. There was no ‘this is clean’ fake laundry detergent scent, but they also no longer had that ‘we’re dirty’ smell – they were neutral.
It may have also been my imagination, or the agitation from just being in the washing machine, but they also felt more ‘fluffy’ then when I had tossed them in. I don’t know if it was for sure the baking soda and vinegar, but the next load I tried I did regular clothes, and, (once they came out of the dryer) I discovered they were much softer than usual, and they weren’t static-y at all.
After test washing two loads (one pads, one clothes) with the mixture, I decided to go ahead and make a bigger batch to be used for later loads. I have an ice cube tray I had used when making shower bombs as x-mas gifts for friends and family a few years ago that I used, and I used the same formula to make the cubes.
First, I measured out the baking soda into a bowl, then, I very, very slowly (like, 1 tsp at a time slowly) added the vinegar, mixing after each spoonful, to make sure it was fully incorporated. Once thoroughly mixed, I filled the ice cube tray, and let the cubes dry out.
Once they were mostly dry, I turned the cubes out of the tray onto a wire rack (like one used to cool cookies), and let them sit for another 24 hours, just to make sure they were fully dried.
After that, I transferred them to a jar for storage. Then, whenever I needed to do laundry, I could just take a cube and toss it into the water as the washing machine filled up.
This recipe makes 12 cubes, however, you can make the cubes smaller in size, if you aren’t doing big loads of laundry. I have a double load washer, meaning I can fit twice as many clothes in 1 wash as a regular person, so a full cube is perfect for doing those big loads. But if you’re doing clothes for say, one or two people, a half-sized cube should work fine.
You could still use a full cube, since it’s not like it would over-wash your clothes, but if you want to get the most you can out of one batch, I’d recommend making half-sized ones, instead.
Of course, once you make a batch, you can always experiment to see how big of a cube you personally need.
Also, if you’re using it as a toilet bowl cleaner, it’s similar to the washing machine: drop it into the bowl, and then let it sit for a few minutes (I usually do about 5-10) before scrubbing it with the brush. Flush once done scrubbing, and it should be clean and ready to go!
Like this article? Check out more zero waste tips here!
“Dean!” Sam bolted upright, heart beat echoing in his ears.
He took in some panting breaths as he took in his surroundings. His brows creased as he saw he was back in Dean’s bedroom.
“Sammich?” Gabriel was standing in the doorway, looking unsure if he should come in.
The giant brought a hand up to the side of his head, “I don’t…” He closed his eyes, trying to will the what happened back to him, but it was no use, “W-what happened?”
Gabriel let out a heavy breath, leaning himself against the doorway, sadness in his eyes, “You blacked out.”
“What?” Sam shook his head, “No, I don’t-” He cut himself off as his eyes landed on the picture that was on the nightstand – it was him and Gabriel, the shorter man was leaned over the back of a chair, lips planted firmly on the giant’s cheek. How did I miss that before? The sinking feeling came back to him as he stared at it, “H-he’s dead, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Gabriel hesitantly took a few steps into the room, “I’m sorry.”
As far as fast food goes, Chipotle is a pretty healthy option. They have lots of recognizable, real food to choose from, including an awesome selection of vegetables, and they let you pick what goes in your meal!
They also have the option to filter based on diet (Vegetarian, Vegan, Soy, Gluten, etc) and, they make their ingredients very easy to find.
Chipotle Website Dietary Filters
Ingredients listed (with pictures) right on the website!
As if that wasn’t enough, when you click on an ingredient in the above list, it opens a little description about it, and a list that tells you which of their foods the ingredient is used in!
Honestly, this was one of not only the easiest, but also the fastest ‘researches’ I did into a company’s ingredients.
I 100% agree with what they say on their ingredient page: why can’t every company be this straight forward?
So, we know that they make it easy to find things for your vegan preferences, but how many things actually come up in that list?
A hell of a lot!
Starting in the upper left-hand corner, and moving clock-wise:
Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice
Cilantro-Lime White Rice
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Yellow Onion
Red Onion
Tomato
Romaine Lettuce
Bell Peppers
Avocado
Tomatillo
Red Chili
Jalapeno Pepper
Serrano Pepper
Poblano Pepper
Chipotle Chili
Sweet Corn
Burrito
Burrito Bowl
Salad
Taco
Tortilla Chips
I wasn’t able to find pictures of the following, but the below foods are also vegan:
Fajita Vegetables
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Guacamole
Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa
Sofritas
Tomatillo Green-Chili Salsa
Tomatilla Red-Chili Salsa
*I would like to point out that these are ingredients listed, and vegan options available at Chipotle for Canada. If you live in a different country, I always recommend checking the ingredients for where you live, as companies often change the ingredients depending on which country they’re selling in.
Like this article? Check out the rest of the Vegan Fast Food series here!
SPNxMarvel, C2C, 1 of 3 semi-connected crossover fics coming out this year
“Yes!” Dean jumped up from the couch, dropping the sweaty controller on the table in triumph as the winner music played, 1st Place flashing on the screen, “Take that you little red-wearing bitch!”
He blinked his watery eyes, looking around for the first time in 19 courses. He grabbed his phone from the table, checking the time, 3am? I didn’t think I’d been playing that long… Now that his concentration was broken, the blonde realized how hungry he was.
He stretched his arms out over his head, back cracking loudly as he did so, ugh. Dean started toward the doorway, stifling a yawn, I’m gonna need fuel if I wanna beat Rainbow Road first try. He stretched his head to one side, then the other as he made his way down the hall, barely noticing the lights were flickering.
Dean made it to the kitchen, brows furrowing as he pulled open the fridge, seriously? He sighed in disappointment as he looked over his slim options, guess I know what I’m doing tomorrow. He closed the fridge before pulling open a cupboard, smiling as he grabbed a box of crackers.
The smile slid off his face as he shook the box. He flicked it open, sighing again as he spotted four crackers in the bottom. Dean closed the box, before replacing it on the shelf, small smirk on his face, since you were saving them…
He walked the few steps back over to the fridge, grabbing the last beer. He twisted the cap off, taking a swig as he stared at the lone apple sitting on the shelf. His stomach let out a loud grumble then, and he reluctantly snatched up the fruit, rabbit food is better than nothing, I guess.
Dean closed the appliance, before exiting the kitchen, making his way back to his man cave. He took a bite out of the apple just as he plopped himself down on his couch. Alright you little bitch, he took a swig from his beer before setting both down on the table next to his phone, picking up the controller again, let’s see what you’re made of.
The blonde pressed the button to advance to the next course, wiping his hands on his thighs in anticipation as the camera panned the length of the multi-coloured road. Here we go… Dean subconsciously leaned closer as the camera came down on the racers, thumb twitching over the gas button as he waited for the light to turn green.
The blonde jumped as the light changed, mashing his thumb into the gas button, letting out a dissatisfied groan as his go-kart stalled, “No, no, no! Come on!”
He watched in despair as the seven computer-generated racers flew passed him. He grit his teeth, mashing his thumb back on the button as his go-kart finally moved. His eyes were glued to the track before him, being less careful than he should’ve been for a road with an awaiting abyss. He drifted too hard going into the first corner, go-kart skidding right over the edge of the track.
He sucked his teeth in frustration as he was fished out, being placed back on the track. His go-kart stalled again as it broke through a power-up box, much to his dissatisfaction. He started back down the track, small smile splitting his face as he got the three speed boost. He used them all in succession, quickly making up the distance between him and the other racers.
His legs twitched as he went into another corner, right on the tail of the seventh racer. His brows furrowed in determination as he went flying ahead of them, before tossing a banana peel a few feet ahead, smile lighting up his face as the sixth racer spun out of control.
Dean went through another power up box, unable to keep his evil laugh at bay as he once again got the speed booster. He hit two in a row, swerving between the fifth and fourth racers, “Now we’re talking!”
The blonde flicked his eyes to the map of the course in the corner, eyes zeroing in on the plumber, who was in first place. Not for long, red. He set his sights on the dinosaur that was a few feet ahead of him as he broke through another power up box.
His heart began to hammer in his chest as he watched the box cycle through the possible options. He wiped a sweaty hand on his leg again as he came to another corner. He took the turn too wide, mashing the right arrow button as he skidded dangerously close to the edge of the track again, “No, no, no! Come on, you little mushroom-head!”
In the next instant, the air around him changed, and he found himself speeding down a bridge. Whoa! He slammed on the breaks as his brain realized he was no longer sitting on his couch.
Dean blinked in surprise as he saw he was now sitting in a go-kart, dangerously close to falling off the edge of a bridge. He carefully peered over the side, boulder settling into his stomach as he saw an endless ocean, too far below for him to even attempt measuring.
Holding his breath, he carefully climbed out of the go-kart, backing up a few steps as it pitched over the side of the bridge. He swallowed hard as he was able to count ten seconds before hearing the splash, guess that rules out jumping.
Shaking his head, he turned around, taking a moment to orient himself. The bridge he was standing on had slow-flickering lights running through it, and looked like it was made out of crystal. There was what appeared to be a giant, metal mountain at the farthest end, and an observatory on the side he was closest to.
Where the hell am I? He instinctively reached to his pocket for his phone, groaning with annoyance as he remembered it was sitting on the coffee table. He scrubbed a hand down his face as he weighed his options, so, not only am I God-knows-where, but I also don’t have my phone? That’s… awesome.
He let out a sigh before starting in the direction of the observatory, there’s a better chance someone’s in there than in the metal mountain… right?
—
Dean huffed as he reached the doorway to the observatory, leaning against it as he caught his breath, it didn’t look that far away. He straightened back up after a moment, taking in the surroundings of the room. It was covered in gold gear-shaped objects, with an elevated platform in the middle, holding some sort of podium.
Dean made his way over to the podium cautiously, noting the half-moon shaped mural behind it. He made his way up the steps of the platform, eyes widening as he neared the painting, those stars look so real… He placed a hand on the wall, retracting it as he felt it was glass. This is a window?
He let out a low whistle as he continued staring, “I don’t think I’m in Kansas, anymore.”
After my last venture of an egg replacement that was closer to a pancake than a scramble, my hopes of finding another good vegan egg replacement were slim. Don’t get me wrong, I love the VeganEgg, it’s amazing! But with it’s usual $12.99 price tag, I was on the hunt for something that was just as good, with a lower price. (If it existed)
Enter: Just Egg. I saw post after post on Instagram of how amazing this substitute was, and knew I’d have to get my hands on it to see if it really lived up to it’s hype. Unfortunately, at that time, it was only available in the US. So like any other pessimist, I resigned myself to only getting VeganEgg for ‘special occasions’ and temporarily halted my search for another egg scramble replacement, and focused my energy/time on the more urgent upcoming projects.
Then, in early 2021, the news dropped: Just Egg was coming to Canada!
I was re-bombarded with glowing Instagram posts, and decided to add it to my shopping list – for the end of the year.
See, when it gets down to around November, I’ve (usually) got all my other projects for the year (books, website posts, etc.) done, so I have the free time I need to come up with the next year’s posts, project ideas, etc. including, trying products for the upcoming product reviews.
While other people are busy buying Christmas gifts, I swoop in to snag the otherwise-sold-out new foods. It’s a win-win!
That makes me a little later to the game than others, but I don’t mind. If it’s still a good product, everyone will still be talking about it months after it’s launch, right?
Right!
And that was just the case with Just Egg.
I tried Just Egg for the first time in the last week of November/early December, 2021. (21.11.29 was the first day I tried it, if you want to be more specific)
Very first impression? This bottle seems kinda small.
I don’t know why, but for some reason, the pictures I saw on social media and in online store selections, I thought the bottle would be bigger – closer to a skinny juice carton. It’s actually about as tall as my hand (roughly 6in from the tip of my middle finger to the base of my wrist), and not very wide. It says it’s 340g, but I wasn’t about to scale it.
After getting over the (mild) shock of how small the bottle was, I checked the bottle (as us vegans do), to scope out the ingredients and the instructions. The instructions were hard to find, as they weren’t clearly marked, and were on the bottom of the label, disguising themselves as being part of the copyright information.
Back of the bottle
Where the cooking instructions are
The ingredients also didn’t list black salt, which made me curious to see if it would taste ‘egg-y’ if I didn’t add any myself.
After that, I broke out my frying pan and got cooking up the very first test batch. I did as directed and shook, then poured out ‘my desired amount’ into an oiled pan and waited.
What the Just Egg looked like right after pouring into the pan
It didn’t take very long for the mixture to start solidifying. Using a spatula, I did the usual gentle mix and break to get those classic scrambled egg chunks. I also separated the mixture – part I was going to leave plain, to see what it’s flavour was on it’s own, and the other part I was going to add black salt, ground pepper and regular table salt to.
Separated scrambles – plain on the left, black-salted/peppered on the right
The plain scramble tasted pretty good, though it didn’t taste like an egg. It mostly just tasted like oil, since I didn’t add any other flavour. Think plain fried tofu. The spiced mixture tasted a lot more like eggs.
Both mixtures had a nice soft-ish texture that I vaguely remember ‘normal’ scrambled eggs having (it’s been 6 years, give me a break), and held their shape pretty well. The chunks were soft enough I could cut the bigger pieces with my fork, but were also firm enough they didn’t fall apart when you tried to stab them.
The only thing I didn’t like about this product, was that it was surprisingly hard to find. I don’t know if it was just sold out of a bunch of places, or if it’s only available in certain stores, but I checked the usual ‘normal’ grocery stores to find vegan goods (Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Metro) and none of them had it. I ended up getting it from Wal-Mart.
It was also only $5.59, which was much cheaper than I was expecting!
Overall, I think this is a great vegan scrambled egg substitute, and if I manage to find it at one of my usual grocery stores – especially for that price – I’m definitely looking forward to adding it to my semi-regular grocery list.
As I said in the last PHSH Tutorial, I’ll be keeping with the rain effect theme for this one as well, and show you how to make a wet road reflection/puddle.
There are actually 3 different ways I’ve discovered to to do this, but this one is the one that works best with the Rain Effect I showed you last time.
See how much more realistic the rain effect looks when you pair it with this wet road reflection?
Let’s show you how to do it!
Step 1
For this effect, you’ll want to start with a picture you’ve already applied the Rain Effect to, or are planning to add the rain effect to.
If you are using a picture you’ve already done the rain effect on, the first step is to hide the rain layer. To do this, go to the Layers Panel, and you should see a little box in front of the layer thumbnail that has an eye on it. Click it, and you should notice the layer will be ‘hidden’, as well as, the eye disappeared.
Once you hide the rain layer, you’ll want to duplicate the image you’re using. To do this, hold down ALT and click and drag the Layer either up or down. Once you have 2 image Layers, you’ll want to work with the one on top.
Step 2
Next, (making sure the top image Layer is selected), you’ll want to go over to your Lasso tool, and select Polygon Lasso Tool from the drop-down menu that appears.
Now, you’ll want to use this tool to outline the road (or ground), being sure to not include the trees. To do this, you’ll want to start by clicking slightly outside your work document, and then you’ll notice you are dragging a line.
Drag this line along the road in your picture. If you have a not-straight line, you can click at any point to ‘fix’ part of the line to the picture. Do this until you have selected the whole road, and brought your line back to the beginning point of your selection.
I realize that might sound a little confusing, so I’ve shown you using a red line how I did this on my picture.
Once you bring the line back to your starting point, the line you made should start flashing and be dotted, as if you used the Selection Tool to select it instead. (But you can’t use the Selection Tool, because that tool only allows you to select things in either a square/rectangle or circular shape)
Step 3
Now, you’ll want to go down to the Layer Mask button, which is located at the bottom of the Layers Panel, to apply a Layer Mask to the layer.
You’ll know the Layer Mask has been applied when a black and white thumbnail shows up next to the thumbnail of the image. Then, you’ll need to click on the Link picture that is between the two thumbnails. This will, (not surprisingly) un-link the Layer Mask.
Step 4
Once you’ve done that, make sure you click on the image thumbnail (the thumbnail that’s closest to the eye), and then you’ll want to Flip Vertically. To do this, you can click on one of the Transform squares that are around the image, then right-click and select Flip Vertically from the drop-down menu.
After doing this, you should see the image is upside down, and is showing only in the road selection you made.
If not, or if the image is too high (as was in my case) you’ll want to just lower the image, until the edges of the road line up with that of the non-flipped image. Or, until you feel it’s low enough.
Step 5
At this point, with the Layer Mask being aligned, the picture should look like a mirror perfect mirror image. Now, if you needed to add a mirror reflection to an image, you’d be done by this point.
However, we’re making a puddle, so we’ll need to use our Eraser tool. Go up to the top panel and change the Brush Size to about a Medium size, and set the Hardness pretty low. You’ll also want to change the Opacity to about 96%.
Now that we have our Eraser set, it’s time to form the puddle shapes. To do this, you’ll want to just start erasing any part of the flipped picture you don’t want to keep.
Do this for the entire flipped image, until you’re happy with the way your reflection is looking. You can erase as much, or as little of the image as you’d like – it all depends on what you want the final image to look like.
Step 6
Once you’re happy with what you have left, go up to Filter – Blur – Motion Blur, and make the Angle 0, and the Distance something small, like 6. The Distance will entirely depend on your image, but try to keep it on the smaller side.
You want to add just enough Motion Blur for the image to look slightly blurry, since we are creating this reflection for a lighter rainfall.
If, for example, you were adding this to a heavier thunderstorm picture, you could make the Distance greater, as that would make the reflection look more blurry.
Step 7
Once you’re happy with the amount of blur your reflection has, you can go ahead and unhide your Rain layer, to see how the image looks with all the effects together.
This looks pretty good, but see how un-hiding the Rain made the picture lighter? You could keep the image lighter if you wanted, but, to me, it doesn’t look as realistic, because it’s often cloudy/dark when raining.
To fix this, you can go up to the Adjustments Panel, which sits on top of the Layers Panel, and then click on the Brightness/Contrast icon, which is the icon that looks like a sun/moon.
In the Panel that pops up, you can now lower the Brightness and/or Contrast of the image, until you’re happy with the final product.
And that’s it!
You now have a great, more-realistic rain picture!
As always, don’t forget to Save both a PHSH file so you can come back in and Edit things later, as well as a JPEG/PNG file for showing off on social media.
You’ll have 2 months to practice this Wet Road technique, before we pivot to almost the exact opposite side of the effects spectrum: Glitter!
Like this tutorial? Check out the rest of the series here!
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Crap, the blonde swivelled around in the chair, trying not to look as guilty as he felt as Cas came down the stairs, “Cas! H-hey,” He stood, in a failed attempt to block the wall, “What, uh, what’re you doing up?”
“Still adjusting, I guess,” Cas reached the bottom of the stairs, tired eyes flicking up to the wall, “You’re hunting?” He walked a few steps closer, wrapping the blonde up in his arms, “We just got you back!”
Dean let out a nervous chuckle, “I-I know. I just…” he let his voice trail off as he tried to think of a good lie, backing out of the hug.
“Is it important?”
Dean blinked in surprise, “What?”
“What you’re hunting,” the angel took a step closer to the wall, tilting his head to one side as he studied it, “Is it-” his sentence cut off into a sigh as he got a closer look, “Crowley?” He turned, raising an eyebrow, “You’re still hunting Crowley? After you almost died?”
“Cas-”
The angel took in a huffing breath, “You’ve been back all of two weeks, and you’re already planning on jumping back into the fire?”
Dean held his hands out in mock surrender, “I can explain!” At the raised eyebrow, Dean sputtered, running a hand through his hair, “H-he’s… he’s up to something! I don’t know what yet, but he is. I know he is.” At the scoff, he pointed to the wall, “Look! I saw him at Sam’s wedding. He snuck out right before the ceremony to make some shady deal. And when I followed him-”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Cas pinched the bridge of his nose, “That was the reason you left as they started down the aisle?”
Liking the story? See how it ends (and the rest of the series) here!
Back of the bottle
Where the cooking instructions are
What the Just Egg looked like right after pouring into the pan
Separated scrambles – plain on the left, black-salted/peppered on the right
