#Food Additives Segment

[apollos-boyfriend]

cannot tell if someone sent in two responses but if not shoutout to the two individual people being very passionate about c!sam and ppe

[marketinsight1234]

Food Antimicrobial Additives Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast 2023 – 2030

Food Antimicrobial Additives Market Size Was Valued at USD 2.87 Billion in 2022, and is Projected to Reach USD 5.63 Billion by 2030, Growing at a CAGR of 8.9 % From 2023-2030.

Food Antimicrobial Additives are the type of food preservatives that inhibit the growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and fungus in food products.

The rapid market growth is attributed to the continuous increase in demand for packaged as well as processed foods due to changing lifestyle trends, concern regarding synthetic chemical additives, foods preserved without artificial additives and an increase in awareness about health benefits among consumers worldwide. Antimicrobial food additives play an important role in the prevention and inhibition of microbial growth in food products.

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The latest research on the Food Antimicrobial Additives market provides a comprehensive overview of the market for the years 2023 to 2030. It gives a comprehensive picture of the global Food Antimicrobial Additives industry, considering all significant industry trends, market dynamics, competitive landscape, and market analysis tools such as Porter's five forces analysis, Industry Value chain analysis, and PESTEL analysis of the Food Antimicrobial Additives market. Moreover, the report includes significant chapters such as Patent Analysis, Regulatory Framework, Technology Roadmap, BCG Matrix, Heat Map Analysis, Price Trend Analysis, and Investment Analysis which help to understand the market direction and movement in the current and upcoming years. The report is designed to help readers find information and make decisions that will help them grow their businesses. The study is written with a specific goal in mind: to give business insights and consultancy to help customers make smart business decisions and achieve long-term success in their particular market areas.

Leading players involved in the Food Antimicrobial Additives Market include:

Albemarle Corporation(United States), Chemours (United States), Dow (United States), Milliken & Company (United States), Nalco Water (United States), Eastman (United States), Huntsman International LLC (United States), Chemtura Corporation (United States), Southern Specialties (United States), Performance Materials Group (United States), 3M (United States), Ashland (United States) 

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Segmentation of Food Antimicrobial Additives Market:

By Type

Benzoates

Sorbates

Propionates

Lactates

Nitrites

Acetates

By Application

Bakery

Beverages

Dairy

Meat and Meat Products

By Regions: -

North America (US, Canada, Mexico)

Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Rest of Eastern Europe)

Western Europe (Germany, UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Spain, Rest of Western Europe)

Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Rest of APAC)

Middle East & Africa (Turkey, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Israel, South Africa)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of SA)

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(1) A complete section of the Food Antimicrobial Additives market report is dedicated for market dynamics, which include influence factors, market drivers, challenges, opportunities, and trends.

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(3) Players can use the competitive analysis provided in the report to build new strategies or fine-tune their existing ones to rise above market challenges and increase their share of the Food Antimicrobial Additives market.

(4) The report also discusses competitive situation and trends and sheds light on company expansions and merger and acquisition taking place in the Food Antimicrobial Additives market. Moreover, it brings to light the market concentration rate and market shares of top three and five players.

(5) Readers are provided with findings and conclusion of the research study provided in the Food Antimicrobial Additives Market report.

Our study encompasses major growth determinants and drivers, along with extensive segmentation areas. Through in-depth analysis of supply and sales channels, including upstream and downstream fundamentals, we present a complete market ecosystem.

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[bogleech]

In your general appreciation of nature, I am curious about your take on this - do you believe nature has reached "peak complexity"?

There was a time without flying animals. There was a time without land animals. There was a time without vertebrates, without segmented exoskeletons, without fur, without feathers, without complex social structures, without eyes. There was a time without plants, or any kind of photosythesis. There was a time without multicellular life.

But at this point, do you feel nature on planet Earth has evolved all "milestones" there are (and from now on, all additional complexity will have come from civilization, one way or another)?

I mean in terms of potential, assuming for a moment "nature" of some kind still exist during the next billion years or so.

Yes or No would be enough (lol), but of course spec evo ideas would be even cooler!

Nah I think there's absolutely infinite things nature could evolve some day that we can't even imagine. You really never know. Like it's 100% biochemically possible for something to "breathe fire;" there just has to be a sequence of mutations and the right competition to gradually make it happen, possibly starting with something that sprays boiling hot compounds like a bombardier beetle. I could also imagine a whole class of animals evolving like the modular people from All Tomorrows, because we already have Siphonophores. It's just a matter of something evolving to be a colony that can also come apart and keep functioning. I'm also obviously obsessed with the concept of a creature that weaponizes its own little symbiotic bugs, since I've used that a million times. Like maybe millions of years from now, a descendant of sloths will have upgraded from being full of moths to being full of tiny wasps? And then what if that's so effective they actually start diversifying like crazy and there's a whole era dominated by mammaloid wasp nest beasts ranging from grazers merely cleaned and guarded by their insects to predators who hunt with their assistance. Plant/animal physical symbiosis is also another thing that's not really taken off outside a few insects. Why shouldn't a plant some day decide it likes growing on some kind of animal's body? It's not a plant, but lichens grow on a species of weevil. It's so rare there aren't even photos, but I swear I saw video of one on BBC when I was a kid:

What if a moss adapts just to the shell of some big reptile and eventually the reptile starts to derive sustenance from it too?? Over time what if this evolves into basically real life Bulbasaurs, where the animal part can be sustained off sunlight? It'd just have to slow its animal metablism way, waaay down to meet the plant halfway. Maybe it hibernates for years and years at a time or spends decades developing like a cicada and then it emerges in pure mating mode, using up all the food it conserved as its flower finally blooms. I know most of my examples are now elaborations on something that's kind of almost already begun happening somewhere but you get the idea. Furthermore you never know if all life as we know it will die out one day while there's still a couple billion years left of the planet's physical existence. Then a whole new line of life could evolve that we can't conceive of at all, from the ground up. Like crystalline mineral trees that start talking to each other with laser light. Or maybe only bacteria are left but for some reason bacteria develop what they need to start sticking together and building a new kind of multicellular organism. What the heck would an equivalent to "animals" look like if the ancestor was a bacterium????? Holy fuck I'm mad I won't see it. Fuming and seething actually. This is the worst thing ever. Why am I doomed to die on regular animal planet with google bots and disney remakes. I wanna see salmonella animal planet. It's not fair.

[tixdixl]

Wishmaster's Concert - Event

Grab your battle jackets, your ear protection, and your tickets! It's time to ROCK!

Event details below the cut.

Welcome to Bald Mountain Arena, the largest performance arena in all of Twisted Wonderland! Located in the tallest mountain along the range of the Shaftlands rests this monumental landmark. Rumored to be the host of spectacular all-night events, Bald Mountain Arena is said to put on some of the most notable alternative rock and metal festivals in history! But they only do so every once in a blue moon.

Tonight, Bald Mountain Arena's Metal Festival is set to occur, hosting some of the most famous metal bands in all of Twisted Wonderland! Once the sun sets, the first band will take the stage. And with enough sets to last until dawn, the highlighted band, Wishmaster, along side UnderDark, Pixie Metal, Fighting Dragons, and Her Draconic Majesty, will make even the bones of the undead rise and shake!

Where do Yuu (you) fit in?

Thanks to Cater's eye on social media, Yuu and the crew managed to snag some tickets just in time! Everyone is planning to meet up at the Dark Mirror with plenty of time to find good spots in the crowd. They might even get a chance to grab a bite to eat - much to Grim's delight - should everyone arrive on time!

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Event Banners by @ramshacklerumble

Additional Event Background

This event was heavily inspired by a combination of Chernabog's segment in Fantasia (1940), as well as the song "FantasMic" by Nightwish. The song, if you are unfamiliar, is a metal homage to Disney and many of it's iconic works. Referencing of course Fantasia, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, the Black Cauldron, Pinocchio, and many others. (I highly recommend reading the lyrics, y'all. They are beautifully written.) If you need inspiration for this event, I definitely recommend taking a gander at those two inspirations.

The event consists of a lineup of various Disney inspired fake metal bands. The arena is a huge concert arena, with increased security, food trucks, and hydration stations. The crowd will absolutely form rowing lines, conga lines, and a fully realized mosh pit formed in the center below the stage. Glow sticks are permitted!

Cyril Zeman (created by @ramshacklerumble ) is the guest character for the event, and a Chernabog expy. He ia the face of the band Wishmaster, providing the masculine lead voice and lead guitar.

The Pop Music Club absolutely bought tickets for the concert. Even if this isn't Cater's vibe, he can't deny the virality that would come at taking photos for MagiCam. Lilia, of course, not only is eager to go, but he knows Cyril as an acquaintance. (It would be a crime for him NOT to show his support.) But more eager than any of the three to snag this once-in-a-life-time opportunity is Sebek. As described in his 100th Anniversary vignette, Sebek thrives in the concert scene, and will jump at any opportunity for a chance at "training". He knows that the audience here will bring their A game- so of course he has to rock even harder than the rest!

For additional lore on the bands, please check out this post!

Characters can engage in the audience, in whatever ways make sense. Fake bands are more than welcome to join the line up, and if you decide you want to create OCs to play in any of the fake bands, you are more than welcome to do so!

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Event Rules

- This event is open to everyone!

- Submissions must be kept PG-13 or lower.

- No Alt. Right Symbology Permitted. No exceptions.

- OC, Yuusonas and Canon characters are all welcome!

- Yuusonas ENCOURAGED to be SSRs!

- Feel free to make card art, character designs, illustrations, comics, create Band Logos, write fics, create edits, or even submit music if your heart desires! Want to do something else entirely? GO FOR IT! Create as much as you'd like- there are no submission limitations.

- If you use any of the event assets (e.g. Background art or Band Logos) as provided by one of the event collaborators you MUST credit the artist in your post! (See below for details)

- Use the tag #Wishmaster's Concert and @ or tag me in the posts too! I’d love to see what everyone comes up with!

- To make this event as accessible as possible, I am offering the option to either have a deadline or no deadline:

For those who need a deadline: May 31st.

For those who prefer no deadline: No deadline

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Dress Code - [Concert Wear]

Goth, punk, alt, and metal head fashion are recommended! But we understand concert wear takes many forms! If you need recommendations, here is some inspiration you might want to draw from!

With the help and courtesy of @ramshacklerumble @the-trinket-witch and @cyanide-latte , we are also permitting folks use the Logos that we created if artists would like to give their OCs band tees! Let's see who all your OCs came out to support!

Wishmaster Logo by @ramshacklerumble

UnderDark Logo by @tixdixl

Pixie Metal Logo by @the-trinket-witch

Fighting Dragons Logo by @the-trinket-witch

Her Draconic Majesty [HDM] Logo by @cyanide-latte

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Background

If you would like to make an SR card for the event, please feel free to use this background (courtesy of @ramshacklerumble ):

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EVENT INTRO FICLET by @tixdixl

EVENT INTRO FICLET by @cyanide-latte

EVENT FOOD DISCUSSION by @cyanide-latte

EVENT TWISTTUNE by @tixdixl

SSR CARDS:

Sebek Zigvolt (coming soon...)

Kingsley Tyr by @tixdixl

Copper Benoit by @cyanide-latte (coming soon...)

Gia Yugo by @ramshacklerumble

Allegra Mahalath by @revivemyreverie

Petunia Gardens by @thebluester2026

Akshara Mehra by @twistedtalestory

SR CARDS:

Lilia Vanrouge (coming soon...)

Kalim al Asim by @twstinginthewind

Oisín Anbás by @tixdixl (coming soon...)

Bobby Sherwood by @twstinginthewind || GROOVY

Alice 630 by @sinjaangels

Nkululeko Adrade by @thehollowwriter

Eugenio Hernandez by @the-trinket-witch

R CARDS:

Cater Diamond by @ramshacklerumble

Sorrel Madrigal by @ramshacklerumble

FAN FICS:

Sebek's Vignette by @tixdixl

Oisín's Vignette by @tixdixl

COMICS:

Shellfish Salad comic by @ramshacklerumble

Shellfish Salad comic by @ramshacklerumble

ART AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Yuubeni by @bunniehunn

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Tag list: @twstinginthewind @sunsmilu @elenauaurs @theleechyskrunkly @thehollowwriter

@twistedwonderlandshenanigans @twst-the-night-away @cyn-write @twstchaos @oseathepebble

@starry-night-rose @tinyvirgodoodle

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: Daphnia

It's all right to be itty-bitty and this week's Wet Beast Wednesday topic knows that well. Daphnia are a group of tiny crustaceans found all over the world who play a vital role in controlling algae populations in their habitats while also being a vital food source for larger animals. These creatures are great at survival in rough conditions, allowing them to survive drought, heat, salinity, and other conditions that would kill other freshwater species. This means that Daphnia are used as a model organism for ecological studies.

(Image: a Daphnia viewed by a microscope. It is a round, flat crustacean that looks a bit like a shrimp inside of a transparent pea. The head is distinguished from the body by a small notch. Two pairs of antennae extend from the head and have small branches extending from them. They eyes are large and black. At the rear end of the body is a spike. The digestive tract is visible presumably due to A clutch of round, dark eggs is being brooded inside of the body. End ID)

Daphnia is a genus of crustacean in the class Branchipoda. They are one of a large and loosely-related group of animals commonly called water fleas due to moving in sudden bursts. There are over 200 known species of Daphnia and it is suspected that up to 80% of the genus remains undescribed or poorly understood. Daphnia are small, the majority being around a millimeter long. The species Daphnia magna is considered large for reaching 5 mm. Like other arthropods, Daphnia have multiple body segments, though theirs are hard to spot due to being fused. Unlike most crustaceans, who are flexible where their body segments meet, the bodies of Daphnia are mostly fused into a single, inflexible structure. The head contains the mouth, eyes, and two pairs of antennae and is stuck looking down toward the body. The thorax and abdomen are enclosed in a large, round carapace that protects the body. This carapace is typically transparent. While legs remain, they are small and mostly used to circulate water within the carapace as they do not extend out of it. There is a spike at the end of the carapace. Some species grow additional spikes around the body as protection from predators. Some of these species will only grow the spikes in response to chemical signals released by predators, allowing them to use that energy for growth instead if they don't need to worry about getting eaten.

(Image: Daphnia magna with a clutch of eggs inside of it. End ID)

Daphnia are filter-feeders who consume algae, bacteria, protists, and organic detritus. Their legs are used to create a current that pulls water into the carapace. The second and third pair of legs have fan-like structures on them that filter out particles too large to eat. The rest is carried to the mouth, where particles are covered in mucus to form a bolus that is swallowed. After being carried through the digestive tract, feces are voided out the anus. Some species release feces into the water, while others contain the feces in boluses that are kept internally and discarded all at once during molting. Since the legs aren't useful for locomotion, Daphnia had adapted another method. The second pair of antennae have become enlarged and are used as paddles to force the animal through the water. This is the cause of the characteristic water flea movement.

(gif: a video of a Daphnia. The legs can be seen moving back and fourth within the body and the antennae are flicking back and fourth. End ID)

Daphnia are primarily freshwater animals, though some have adapted to live in hypersaline lakes. While many species are found in permanent water features like lakes, ponds, and rivers, a large number of species have adapted to live in vernal pools. These are temporary water features that fill during spring but are dry the rest of the year. Daphnia cannot survive on land and will die if dried out. To survive this kind of stasis, they have adapted an interesting form of reproduction. Daphnia tractice a form of reproduction called cyclical parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis is reproduction without mating, which produces a clone of the mother. Daphnia spend most of their lives using parthenogenesis to reproduce asexually. They will produce a brood of eggs for every molt, which are stored in a brood pouch within the carapace. The eggs will hatch and gorw into larvae within the brood pouch. After the next molt, while the mother's body is still soft, the larvae will be released into the water. This ensures that the young Daphnia are more mature than the larvae of other plankton that are not brooded. After 5 instar stages, each of which ends with a molt, the larva will be mature and ready to start producing her own eggs. Only female Daphnia exist during this time. Changing conditions that signal hard times ahead, such as increasing water salinity, decreasing oxygen, overcrowding, and increasing temperatures, signal the Daphnia to switch reproductive strategies. The females will start producing eggs which will develop into male Daphnia. They will then switch to sexual reproduction, with the males fertilizing haploid eggs. These eggs will be stored in structures called ephippia and released after molting. Unlike eggs stored in the brood pouch, eggs stored in ephippia will reach a certain level of larval development before entering a state of cryptobiosis. Cyptobiosis is a state where almost all metabolic activity stops and the organism can essentially exist in stasis for a long (but not indefinite) time. Ephippia can survive drought, freezing, and other rough conditions. Once conditions improve, the ephippia will continue developing into the next generation. Not all ephippia will hatch each season. Some will stay in stasis through good seasons. This ensures that a bad season can't wipe out the whole population. Ephippia can be carried by wind and animals to be spread to distant and isolated bodies of water.

(image: a Daphnia giving birth. The larvae look like smaller and greenish versions of the adult and are stored within the body. One is emerging from the mother, exiting through an opening in the carapace. End ID)

Daphnia are found on every continent and islands around the world. Some species, like Daphnia pulex and Daphnia magna have spread all across the world while other species are more localized. Daphnia can be threatened by invasive species. In the Great Lakes region of North America, the invasive water fleas Bythotrephes longimanus and Cercopagis pengoi are damaging ecosystems by excessively preying on Daphnia, thus harming other planktivorous species. Daphnia provide an important service in their ecosystems by feedin on algae and detritus and acting as food for larger species. The loss of Daphnia can trigger a trophic cascade that affects the whole ecosystem. Daphnia can be used as an indicator species, meaning their health reflects the health of their ecosystem. If the local Daphnia population is suffering, the rest of the ecosystem will be in danger. Daphnia are also used as model lab organisms. Many species are transparent and small enough to be unharmed while under a microscope coverslip, allowing scientists to observe their organs and internal workings while the animals are alive. This makes them valuable when studying the effects of alcohol, nicotine, and adrenaline by directly observing the effects they have on the nervous system and heart.

(Gif: a Daphnia under a microscope with the legs moving and the heart beating. The heart is located at the back of the body just below the head and looks like a pulsing, transparent ball. End ID)

[b1asho]

We doin body types today.

Midterms are all next week oughhh

You know the drill, here's some info :

Prectikar are a bit hard to read because the fur-feather stuff smooths them out a bit, but they store fat and build muscle in similar places as mammals. It’s hard to tell the difference also between just fat or really muscular because a really bulky muscular kar would also look a lot like the high body fat image, the middle guy is more really toned/on the lighter side. Them being underweight is hard to see for us (they’re all big) but when compared to a larger individual the difference is obvious

Kixeli aren’t really built to store that much fat but they’re great at building muscle. Fat storage happens on the neck and legs, and can sort of smooth out other areas in their body. A shredded Kixeli is very easy to notice because their skin is so thin that the muscles show very easily. The back of the skull, chest area, and in the eye sockets is really where you’d be able to tell if they’re skinnier than average, since all of them tend to have (in our eyes) pretty spindly limbs and such.

In drecu, muscle and fat building works a bit differently between Dorest and Rox. Just some clarification about how they work in general, they have primarily exoskeleton support and some internal supports in their hip/torso/tail area. However, this outer armor ranges in thickness and flexibility, and has some gaps that are bridged underneath by skin derived from their chrysalis. They only really grow or shrink in size in areas where there is a gap or where the outer plates are springy/segmented enough to allow. So, Dorest only really store fat in their neck, ‘armpit’ area, and underside of tail. Rox have an additional area on their abdomen that can do this. Dorest have a lower muscle ‘limit’ on their arms than their legs since the plates on the legs are springier to allow more muscle space. Rox have a larger and more segmented structure all around that helps them build more muscle. In both, the presence of more muscle or fat under their exoskeleton and in their endoskeleton gives a fuller appearance to it, while the reverse makes them look sunken-in and allows any segments to fall close together, making it look smaller.At a certain point along that line, they’ll just slow down to a hibernation state since they can’t consume any more muscle from their own body without risking folding in on themselves.

Rossetians also work a lot like mammals in terms of fat and muscle. Unless they’re on steroids, it’s kind of impossible for them to get any sort of muscle building without also adding fat, so unlike the ripped kar example they don’t have as much definition even if they have equivalent muscle mass . As I’ve mentioned before, any Rossetian that’s as noticeably skinny as the example shown likely has some problems and should be checked up on, but they can look like that and mostly be fine.

Sundyne are a lot like Drecu, though their main fat storage location is on their abdomen like a cat almost. It helps protect them when in fights and keeps their limbs more streamlined. The male Sundyne beauty standard is thin and delicate but still lithe and curvy /not malnourished-looking and also not too muscular (close in terms of how unrealistic it is to the human standard of ‘very thin but somehow has massive boobs’ thing ) For females, large noticeable muscles while still having a robust but not too large body is the beauty standard (close to the human standard of ‘I’m ripped and you can see every muscle because I haven’t drank water in 2 days)

<- this whole post was actually kicked off by me thinking more about sundyne body types for when I'm drawing Maro, since she's a mix of the two: all muscle but very skinny for a female. She's staying in that zone thanks to a combination of her own insane body image standards telling her to be as athletic as possible, unaddressed gender stuff making her hate looking feminine, and limited access to cerest food or therapists in her area. Surely these problems have had no effect on her younger sibling who looks to her for everything about their self-perception!!

[ilidaeandquill]

All Is Fair in Death and War - Character Analysis/Notes

Narinder - Anger

For the sake of my sanity, we’re going to pretend this gif primarily focuses on Narinder.

Quick fun fact: On my Goat/Extra Hard save file, Narinder got the Jerk trait (which I refuse to correct for obvious reason). I'm going to make any and all interactions with him as a jerk canon in AIFiDaW.

So anyway here's him bullying Goatfrey for their crush on Shamura before he steals their money (I know my cult is ugly I'm redecorating it).

(Keep reading for character breakdown) First Chapter: All Is Fair in Death and War - Chapter 1 - IlidaeAndQuill - Cult of the Lamb (Video Game) [Archive of Our Own] (THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 1,000 HITS FLMGKDSNG - If you read it, I hope you enjoy!!)

Primary Motivation: Narinder has two opposing character motivations: to reclaim a semblance of divinity without the Red Crown, and to assure the safety of his traveling disciples Baal and Aym. These two motivations directly contrast each other, and with the additional plotline created from rescuing the Bishops, he struggles to decide which one to prioritize. Lots of internal conflict with this one.

Character Traits: Prudish af. Concise with his 'work' (killing, he's literally just killing people) but sees no reason to assist others without probable payment. The sting of his betrayal, both from the Lamb and his siblings, runs too deep.

Theme Songs (Lyrical): "Death" - Matthew K Heafy, Sean Long & Mike Malyan, "you should see me in a crown" - Billie Eilish, "Gladiator" - Jann Theme Songs (Instrumental): "Sins of Hyrule" - ROZEN, "Aurora in Faerieland" - James Newton Howard Additional Narilamb song from his p.o.v. because the devs did it and I want to too: "LET THE WORLD BURN" - Chris Grey

Voice Claim: Cobra Bubbles - Lilo and Stitch Dialogue Pattern: He speaks formally when he's focused but gets sloppy with his dialogue as he loses himself to anger/irritation.

Outfit Inspiration: Regal and stealthy - a true assassin's garb. Most of his clothes are stolen, as he refuses to wear the cultist uniform given by Castor. He does prefer heavy robes but sticks to lighter garments for crusades/daily activity.

Narinder is a strong supporting character (and if we want to get technical, he's Castor's love interest, but I hate assigning that title to characters - I don't want a character's romantic plotline to determine their importance in a story) and the primary representation of the Anger stage of grief. This is seen through his personality traits/reactions to story events, but also through his pyromancy. His fire, representing his anger, literally burns him alive every time he uses it. He must learn/develop a way to safely use it, or risk losing himself to his rage.

Additionally: his anger is represented through the fact that he is angry at the world/fate. With my own grief, I often get angry, thinking it "wasn't fair" that my dog, of all creatures, got heart disease and died young. I portray this same anger through Narinder. His imprisonment wasn't fair. His loss of godhood wasn't fair. And, the unconscious, yet most important thing, is what happened to Baal and Aym was not fair.

"Ratau turned to watch the sparing brothers again. His fingers curled around his hands, nails digging far into his flesh. “Yes, but… This is inhumane. My lord, they know how to fight! We both see that! Be fair with them, please.”

“If the world was fair, none of us would be here.” The One Who Waits flicked his hand, and Ratau disappeared to his mortal realm." - That whole segment comes from his anger - it's not fucking fair what happened to the three of them. And oooohhhh writing that anger for him is soooooo satisfying.

Random Trivia/Facts: - Despite his regal tastes, Narinder's favorite food is plain baked salmon (with some spices ofc I'm not a monster). - Narinder was the first character I was able to give a distinct motivation. His internal conflict between reclaiming godhood and setting his disciples free was way too intriguing; I had to develop that first. - That said, the only way for him to add to the theme/move towards acceptance is if he goes against his initial desire of reclaiming divinity to help the ones he cares for. This is to say that I, the author, am trying to balance his development like a fucking tightrope walker. - KLEPTOMANIAC (If only for petty reasons). - He might be a pyromaniac too idk. - In "Yngya's Repose," Narinder fell in love with the Lamb shortly before their destined duel over the crown. In AIFiDaW, Narinder is still (somewhat) in love with the Lamb, he is just too angry to let himself feel anything other than the hurt of betrayal. - To add to that: In the scene where Narinder falls for the Lamb (Year 3: Autumn) - he specifically falls in love with Castor because they were kind to Baal and Aym. There were a few other factors outside that, but seeing Castor treat his disciples as their own was the final push he needed to fully fall in love. - And then he had to fight them to the death isn't that fun? :) - Narinder's parenting teaching style with Baal and Aym is largely inspired by Moro and San (Princess Mononoke) and Maleficent and Aurora (Maleficent).

Thank you for reading! Narinder is a super complex character; my only hope is that I give him the writing he deserves. He is, of course, featured in "All Is Fair in Death and War," but his primary appearance is in the short prequel to that: "Yngya's Repose." I hope to make a podfic of that story soon so people who don't have the time/ability to sit down and read it can still enjoy the story :)

Theme

The Goat/Goatfrey - Narinder - The Lamb/Lambert - The Curse

Leshy - Heket - Kallamar - Shamura

Jalala - Rinor - Fena - Aym & Baal - The Mystic Seller

[piningforstan]

Talking in Your Sleep

Part One | Part Two

Summary: You start to suspect that there’s more to Stan than what he tells you, at least while he’s awake. Asleep is a different story.

Pairings: Stanley Pines x GN! Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Not really any? Let me know if I missed one

A/N: All Most of my oneshots are inspired by songs I guess😂 I’m thinking there might be 2 or 3 parts to this one

Stan lied.

To everyone.

Perhaps it was delusional to think that it didn’t apply to you. You, your reasoning was, were special. At the end of the day he crawled into bed next to you and pressed his cold toes to your calf, laughing as you squirmed away. You made grocery lists together and raided the aisles for food and supplies. It was you that he whispered his fears and hopes to.

So you thought nothing when he lied to the tourists, lied to the banks, lied to the man who “dropped” his wallet (Stan had pickpocketed it and you forced him to return it). You thought nothing when the lies bled into your daily life, domestic bliss disrupted with the occasional white lie. You told yourself: everyone does it.

It didn’t mean anything.

Right?

The room in the Shack that you stumbled upon on accident one day while looking for warmer blankets. “My brother’s room,” he told you. The brother, that you knew, was dead. You let it be, didn’t ask questions. But if it was his brother’s, why did all of the books say his name? Stanford Pines. Scrawled in margins and on the wall like a hasty addition. You didn’t have time to inspect it too closely, but the handwriting looked too neat to be Stan’s — tidy and cramped, unlike the sprawling letters you had seen him print on your paychecks.

STNLYMBLE his license plate read. It wasn’t his brother’s car, he affectionately retold stories of his time in the vehicle before. Maybe it was a tribute of some kind?

A million instances that accumulated in your mind like clutter in an attic, each one a box that you labeled and tucked away for later.

The first snow had just coated itself over Gravity Falls when the sleep talking started. You were roused awake by Stan twitching and muttering, the alarm clock blinking the time at you from the nightstand.

Too early. You rolled over, trying to grasp at the last remnants of your dream. It wasn’t much longer before he was muttering again, louder this time, hands clutching at the sheets and his face scrunching in unmistakable pain.

“Portal…help…” whatever disturbed his dreams made no sense to you here in the real world. You listened quietly. “I promise, Ma…I promise.”

Segments of promises and reassurances, bits of stories that you hadn’t heard before and couldn’t parse out yourself. It didn’t concern you at first, chalking it up to stress — about the Shack during the cold winter months, or maybe whatever work he did in the basement.

And then they became more specific. Unsettling.

“I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. An accident.” Sweat glistened on his forehead and wet the dark curls at his temples. The weirdest part is when he would whimper: “I’m sorry, Ford. I’m sorry. The portal…”

The portal, the portal, the portal — the one reoccurring connection to all of the sleep talking.

The dreams were worse during the holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. It was sometime after the beginning of the new year and you were nestled into one another on the couch when you asked him, “What’s the portal?”

Stan kept his gaze on the TV but his body stiffened beneath you. “What?”

“The portal.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?”

You don’t know why, but you sensed that you’ve crossed a line, somehow, said something wrong. In an effort to lighten the mood, you injected a hint of humor in your voice, “You’ve been sleep talking lately and you keep mentioning a portal. Is it a bad dream or something?”

“Or something,” Stan coolly replied.

A beat passed between you, tension palpable. The TV flickered off. Stan untangled himself from you without a word and started up the stairs. You stumbled after him.

“Stan, what is going on?”

“Nothing,” he said, whirling on you, one hand braced on the rail. “I’m tired is all.”

You steeled yourself for an argument, aware of it approaching like a storm on the horizon. “For weeks — months — you’ve been having these awful dreams and talking about someone named Ford. And a portal.”

Sometimes you wake up in tears. Sometimes the pain in your voice is enough to make me nauseous. Sometimes you cry for forgiveness.

“S’probably nothin’.”

“Nothing? Stanford, I know something is wrong.”

You had both made it to the landing now, an old fashioned draw. Shadows thrown across his face, Stan possessed an unpredictable air, sharp and glinting like the blade of a knife in the dark. It slipped away just as quickly as the image had impressed upon you. Did you imagine it?

His features arranged into a semblance of shame, sheepish in nature. “I jus’ don’t wanna talk about it, alright? I’m sorry you had to deal with that. You ain’t gotta worry about me, doll.”

You wanted to press the matter. Wanted to know why he was being elusive and why his explanation rubbed you the wrong way.

But you didn’t.

A month or two passed. Spring lingered in the woods, melting snow and glimpses of greenery. You hadn’t mentioned the portal or the dreams again. Stan would go some nights without sleeping at all. You knew this only because you would wake up at night and roll over, expecting his warmth and finding the bed cold and empty.

“What are you doing in the basement?” You asked one day when you were feeling particularly brave. Stan was your kind-of boyfriend, after all, and you asserted to yourself that you had the right to know where he spent most of his time.

Stan, shoveling food in his mouth, shrugged and replied in a muffled tone, “Science stuff.”

He was off doing science stuff when you poked around the entirety of the Shack, searching for this alleged basement. How could there be no doors? You patrolled the perimeter of the building and spotted a cellar but it refused to budge. It unsettled you that couldn’t find an entry to the basement and hadn’t thought to even look before now.

“You wouldn’t want to see it, it’s boring,” he would tell you and you would believe him, his large hands roaming over your skin. “I can think of much more fun things to do up ‘ere.”

It worried at the back of your mind constantly, this idea that you were just another victim in Stan’s lies. Were you being dramatic?

The answer came to you in the dark of the night, moonlight spilling over the floor in silvery bars. Stan woke you as he staggered out of bed, muttering and bumping into the dresser that now hosted a mixture of your clothing. You sat up.

“Stan, honey? Where are you going?”

He never ceased his muttering to answer, persisting down the stairs in his sluggish manner. You grabbed a robe and threw it over yourself, following after him. After several more attempts to get his attention, you came to the conclusion that his sleep talking had now progressed into sleep walking. You knew you should’ve woken him but you curiously trailed behind, through the living room, the kitchen, and into the gift shop.

A blue glow from the vending machine washed over Stan as he ambled towards it, thick fingers pushing the buttons. Was he just hungry, sleepily venturing for a midnight snack? You wouldn’t put it past him. You reached out a hand, ready to rouse him from his trance, when a strange whirring emitted from the vending machine.

Shock rooted you in place as the machine didn’t release any food but rather swung open miraculously on its hinges, disclosing a corridor instead. Stan never even hesitated as he just continued on, broad shoulders and bedhead disappearing around the corner.

Rendered motionless for several moments, you finally decided to go after him. Where was he going? He could hurt himself.

You shuffled into the corridor. An uneasy feeling descended upon you like the legs of a spider, brushing against every inch of your skin. The chill cutting through your robe told you that you were being led further under ground, finally emptying into an enormous room.

And it wasn’t even the size of the room that surprised you, but rather the gigantic metal contraption crouched to one side. From what you could tell it wasn’t working. A huge, darkened eye stared at you from the middle of the rafters.

A window?

A portal.

Stan had ceased his dreamlike ambling to stand before this machine, gazing up at it like it might offer him some kind of absolution.

Your voice, small and afraid: “Stan?”

The trance broke, a taut rubber-band snapped in the way that his shoulders rounded and he glanced around in confusion. You could only imagine the look on your face as he turned to you.

Your name left his mouth, panicked. “What are you doing here?”

“Stan, what is that? Where are we?” Hysteria gripped you. “What’s going on?”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Stan replied.

“Did you…did you make this? What is this?”

Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let’s go upstairs. I can explain all this. A’right?”

“No, Stan, I’m tired of all of the lies and the sneaking around. I’m staying here. And you’re going to tell me what’s going on.”

A defeated expression crossed his face. He went over to a panel of controls and leaned against it, hip and elbow. “Ya know I would never hurt ya on purpose, doll. I-I care about you.”

You wanted to soften. But you held yourself strong, heart fracturing. “Stan?”

“I guess I don’t know where to start.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, then slowly began to unravel the story that you had pieced together over the time. Except, this time, details were changed— the truth, you realized, not the altered version he had given you.

Everything you thought you knew about this man, this man that you loved, disappeared and took on a new form. The childhood in New Jersey accompanied by a twin brother. His years as a drifter a result of his father kicking him out, not a pursuit of freedom and independence. Even the Mystery Shack, his name, wasn’t his.

Stanley Pines, he said.

Stanley. Not Stanford.

And his brother wasn’t dead but lost in time, and he was trying valiantly to find him again.

“All of this, all of the lies…are for him. It’s my fault that he’s gone and I need to fix my mistake.” Stan’s voice had taken on a strained edge, on the verge of tears. “I’ve made so many but this one…this one I’m close to fixing.”

“You come down here to work on a…portal,” you said, not sure what else to say.

“It’s the only way.” Stan took a step towards you, then thought better of it. “I-I didn’t wanna lie. But I had no idea how much you would mean to me. It was one lie an’ then another and I couldn’t take any of ‘em back. Not without you lookin’ at me like how you are now.”

“I trusted you,” you breathed.

“I’m still me.” He flinched. “Well, kinda. Besides the name and everything. That hasn’t changed. The way I feel about you hasn’t changed.”

“What do you mean? Everything has changed,” you snapped, “Everything I know about you is a lie! I don’t even know what to think right now.” You shook your head as if to dislodge the torrent of thoughts. “You led me to believe that you were someone else. That your brother — who is actually you? — died. I grieved him with you, Stan. And you just lied to me again and again like it was nothing. How do I know I can trust you?”

“I’m tellin’ you, I didn’t want —”

“To lie? But lying is what you do best. It’s all clear to me now. I-I can’t do this. I need air.”

Your feet carried you without permission, away from the strange basement and the portal and Stan. Stanley. Not Stanford. You heard his heavy footsteps as he chased after you, one hand on your shoulder and spinning you to face him.

“Don’t go. Please. I can make this right.”

“No, you can’t.” You fought back tears as you looked at him, so heartbreakingly handsome and wounded and earnest. “I can’t be with someone who I don’t even know. Everything about us has been built on lies.”

He didn’t try and stop you as you stepped out of his grip and back into the gift shop, nor did he follow you. You shoved out onto the porch and into the greying, mushy snow, gathered in piles in the corners of the forest. You didn’t know where you were going, but you couldn’t be here.

[tomwaterbabies]

disneyland happenings

featuring varian and hugo. since thats what our costumes were

^(us trying to be very spooky) (there is a lot below btw lol)

someone asking if i (dressed as hugo) was from atlantis. surprisingly this only happened once

we went to kingdom hearts mickey first bc that was gonna be a popular one the rest of the night. the idea of varian in kingdom hearts is definitely really funny. i do not go here im just being honest

OH. new addition to the costume. i had olivia with me as a shoulder friend

met bruno from encanto who commented on her. we talked about our rodent friends he was very nice. he said he brought "all 200" of his rats with him and wanted to help feed them and knows mickey is a big mouse so maybe we could ask him. i said we could just steal some food. varian got mad

went over to see sid from toy story because he seemed like a mean little bitch. he was a mean little bitch. i may have said that his creations could use a little work but thats no reason for him to say "your mouse needs a little work" and "i hope you kept the receipt".... cunt

laughing about how mother gothel was no longer part of the characters to meet. "they killed her forever this time" etc etc

watching the parade and varian almost jumping out of his skin when mother gothel was in the parade. her ghost

we went to this thing called villain's grove which was a bunch of light and effects n stuff through their little forest area. it was mostly a cool immersive experience so most of the footage is on the Lights And Effects Themselves but here's a few of us that look cool lol. gay tunnel (maybe not) (that segment was themed after frollo)

met hans from frozen. we absolutely had no clue he was going to be there it was pretty funny. you may guess that my friend @kristoffs-lullaby (varian cosplayer) is a frozen enjoyer. so we hopped in line to see him

hans asked if varian's alchemy balls were some sort of magic or enchantment and you'll Never guess what varian responded with

though explaining its alchemy and science and all that didnt really make him feel better. he even asked if its something that would be in danger of bringing in an "eternal winter". varian did not like that :)

saw dr. doofenshmirtz (?) i didnt watch that show. he was pretty fun to meet though. i know some people dont like his creepy ass design, but i do, its fun and weird to me. he wanted to collaborate with me and varian since we're scientists. really funny to have him say "i'll have my people call your people". a possible strange message that rapunzel will get later /j

also encountered hades. though our friend @iammisswow was with us and so i had him focus on her since shes a big hercules fan. the visual was hugo getting this scary man's attention to be put on someone else by calling her out. it worked obviously. "oh SHE is a HUGE fan of hercules"

madam mim from sword in the stone didnt really have as big of a crowd so we actually talked with her a pretty good amount. shes SO fun. lots of discussion about magic vs science and how she thinks knowledge is stupid. you can imagine how we of all people felt when she said "KNOWLEDGE is not power, MAGIC is power". she also liked olivia (she thought she was a familiar)

meeting judge doom from roger rabbit was kind of scary LOL. very intimidating man. but his area had vats of chemicals and all that so you can imagine we had fun with that. WE can be trusted. obviously.

nervously just nodding our heads as judge doom tells us to come to him if we have any information regarding where "that rabbit is" (we are not doing that)

and also we saw ernesto de la cruz from coco. we were actually able to catch him right as he started performing which is rad but i dont actually have any interactions to tell u about here it was bad ass though

and, unbeknownst to Hugo (as in i also didnt know about this), varian had a surprise for him. he had a whole... horribly genuine and flustery spiel to say about messing around in his lab and all that and made something for hugo. which was a necklace with a piece of colored glass-like material (teal) in the shape of a heart. hugo handled that whole situation really well (lie)

ANYWAYS ! that's it. i've mentioned before but Disneyland Trips will be retired really soon since I'm not too fond of a lot of their wack shit right now, but wanted to share some of the last bit of enjoyable times to be had there before that happens

[amxrany]

!! CHAPTER 7 / DIASOMNIA ARC SPOILERS !!

I think I'm gonna have fun reading Jamil's segment so you all should read it too (Jamil's Dream):

Meet in a Dream is out here working overtime because we are now in Jamil's Dream. But something's wrong, Kalim, who is their newest addition seems to be fine (he even gushes to Silver how cool dream hopping is) but Vil is out here dying 💀. Like legit he was incredibly unstable that they had no choice but to split into 2 teams while he recovers. Silver and Ortho stay to help Vil while the rest go and find Jamil.

The other group is currently in Camel Bazaar (reference to the scalding sands event). They were planning to look for Jamil but it's really hot so they decided to rest for a bit and get some coconut juice. (Extra part: Sebek wanted to look for Jamil but Grim kept looking at the food so he just gave up and started eating as well) Kalim is the one who gets it for the gang, and when the shopkeeper tells Kalim to pay, he just says put it in the Asim bill. But the shopkeeper doesn't recognize the Asims and thought they were thieves and started calling for the police. But luckily Silver, Ortho and Vil come in just in time for Silver to pay the guy to avoid getting into trouble.

Kalim's confused as to why the shopkeeper doesn't recognize him because he's known since he was a kid, but we find out why by just seeing the images of Kalim's "estate"

This is where we get the Jamil reveal. It turns out in this dream, Jamil's the son of the sultan (this also makes Najma a sultana, which is absolutely slay) and the Vipers bought the Asim's properties due to financial problems

(ngl him in that outfit is making me feel fuzzy inside)

But anyways we see Jamil in a parade similar to that of Kalim in Book 4, thus we have another rhythmic portion

(so this actually says that Jamil does like Kalim's parades, if it was him in the place of Kalim. Kalim also acknowledges that Jamil's having a good time here)

We then see the statue of Jafar, in which everyone recognizes because it's in NRC, except Jafar looks like he's playing golf here lmao. Jamil sees Kalim and tells him to change because he isn't wearing the right uniform

Then Kalim talks to Jamil like always, but Jamil tells him to be more respectful in speaking. But he isn't really mad because Kalim's always like that. The rest instroduce themselves as the NRC Film Club, who are planning to film a video using the estate's facilities. Jamil's salty as always and it seems to be going normal as he tells Kalim to prepare things for the guests and while Kalim tries to, he still messes up.

Jamil thinks as to why his family kept Kalim despite being an idiot. Then Grim is thinking why is Jamil still bitter in his own dream. That's when see the magic carpet again (YAY), this causes Kalim to accidentally slip up and tell Jamil how they got it; it causes Jamil to leave for a moment.

But Kalim doesn't stop, he continues to tell Jamil of their memories together but Jamil keeps denying it. Kalim brings up about how 2 years before going to NRC, Jamil protected him from harm. Then, he spilled the events of Book 4 (as requested from the others). BUT THEN FAKE!KALIM APPEARS AND PROTECTS JAMIL. He's a lot more mature than real life Kalim, this causes the darkness to take Jamil and we're forced to fight Fake!Kalim.

Without thinking, Kalim just straight up jumps in with Jamil and the gang has no choice but to follow him. Similar to Vil's dream, we land back to the events of Book 4 but for some reason Azul is also controlled here like 😭😭😭????

(jamil being azul's no.1 hater fr)

Jamil makes Azul spill all the school's secrets (hey lemme in on it too /j) and is planning to use this information to defeat the other dorm head. He even drags Leona and says he doesn't deserve to be dorm head cuz he's lazy 😭

And after defeating the dorm heads, he's gonna go after the headmage and take over the school (we love a man who dreams big and jamil for headmage fr)

BUT KALIM SUDDENLY COMES IN AND DECKS JAMIL IN THE FACE 😭. HE CALLS HIM AN IDIOT BUT JAMIL IS NOT BUYING IT SO THEY START DUKING IT OUT

(THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTINGGGG)

But yeah Kalim yells at Jamil for being pathetic for just getting what he wants by manipulating everyone, then Jamil butts in by telling him that someone stupid doesn't have a say. They continue to duke it out and in the background Sebek wants to stop them but Silver said "nah let them fight it out" because the best way to say things is by punching ❤️

IT SURPRISINGLY WORKS AND IT WAKES JAMIL UP 😭and Kalim gets really happy and jumps around. But the darkness comes back and tries to swallow Jamil so he pushes Kalim away, but Kalim wouldn't let go so they start fighting again 💀. But in the end, Jamil gets swallowed and meets his overblot self and learns to accept it thus starting the fight between the two

Jamil says he's the genie of the lamp, tired of living in a cramped space and would now dedicate himself to fulfilling his wishes. He returns to the place with Jafar's statue with the Fake!Kalim, who asks what he can do for him. But Jamil tells the Fake to fuck himself 😭 because he finds it weird that Kalim's like that and wishes for the dream to just end

The gang find Jamil and Kalim tries to tackle him but Jamil dodges it, saying that he's easy to read. Kalim asks Jamil to join them, and he accepts. However, Vil has to stay behind because he doesn't feel well and Kalim stays behind as well because of the injuries he got from Jamil (he does summons ice from Kalim's wounds tho). The others will go on ahead and wake the others. Jamil asks where they're going but Ortho says it's a secret, probably because the moment Jamil finds out they're going to Octavinelle he is going to find his way out of there.

But that is all for this chapter, hoo boy that was a lot but I'm glad that I managed to cover it. I'm really excited to see the Octavinelle segment knowing that it's Jamil we have, the biggest Octa hater but I do know it's gonna be funny

So yeah ima knock myself out now bye bye

Previous: Kalim's Dream

[hermesserpent-stuff]

Potential script idea for billy batson s radio show segment

The whizz radio intro tones-

Billy Batson then starts speaking through a slightly crackly radio as Fawcett is a city someone lost to time, given its connection to the Rock of Eternity.

---

Welcome to WHIZZ Radio: where we give the latest news, truths, and view in Fawcett City. Brought to you by your host, me, billy Batson.

Starting off with community news, make sure to visit the shrine of Atlas sometime this week with an offering. Cap mentioned that there might be a need for endurance next week, and we should all probably listen. Additional reminder, the festival of Zeus will be happening this Saturday. Stay away from odd looking geese, metal poles and don't fulfill any selfcrearting proficies in a fit of hubris.

Onto traffic!

Main Street and Fifth Avenue are both still under construction from Dr. Sivannas attack and the demon portal last Thursday and Friday. Ms. Marvel and Cap. both played a role in clearing the debris, but there are still major cracks and fissures to Hades. Expect delays.

Now the weather.

Today's forecast includes thick over cast clouds; a good time for summoning souls. Be sure to greet both the living in the dead while going about your day and don't for get that umbrella! There is a slight chance of curses with intermittent showers.

Alright! Time to quickly cover the Capes and Crooks news bulletin. Dr. Sivanna is still missing after his recent bout with Cap. Since he interrupted one of Mercury's races down at the track, no one is quite sure when the Roman god took him. If you happen to see him, please be sure to give Cap a ring to come pick him up.

Keep your eyes peeled for Mr. Mind. The worm escaped prison… again. Holy moly. You'd think they'd make better prisons for him. What is this, the fourth time in two weeks?

*Noise indistinct*

I know, I just figured that out listeners would likely have the same comment. I don't see why I shouldn't point it out of its true

*Indistinct noise again*

Alright! Fine. Moving on from that.

Today's radio broadcast is brought to you by Saturn's candy. Nothing so sweet as a stick of magic you can eat! Try their Caramel cookie candy bars, now with cooked in bloodline curse protect. If your looking for a spot of luck, try their cinnamon apply candy sticks. Saturn's candy. A proud sponsor of WHIZZ Radio!

*Little jingle*

Welcome back to the program. Time for our sister citys segment.

This reporter has just been told by his producers to issue an apology to Black Adam for statements said during this segment of yesterday's broadcast.

*An aside*

Do I have too?

*Indistinct noise*

Fine.

I am. Sorry. For calling you a craized up old fart with too much free time.

There.

Moving on!

Kahndaq currently is continuing negotiations with both the Justice League and the UN to gain a seat at the UN table. Or be allowed in the UN room. While Fawcett recognizes Kahndaq as sovereign, the rest of the world stills sees the country as illegitimate.

Aside from tense meetings, and Black Adam being a kook who keeps coming to mess with Cap due to having a grudge unbecoming of a literal king and ancient man child, Kahndaq is doing fine. The economy is flourishing, despite limited imports and exports due to sanctions. The letters sent by Fawcetts finest and kindest citizens were well received and we should hear back soon if Mercury has anything to do with it.

It's time once again for Billy's opinion of the day.

This week!

Cans and their many used.

Not only do cans offer one of the best ways to have long term storable food, but they also make awesome weapons! We got to see this on Friday when Marvel Jr. and Captain Marvel went toe to toe with demons using a barrage of cans. And the food was still good to eat after the fight!! I love it when things are multi purposed. Now if only they could close the rifts down to Hades…

*Chimes*

Oh! Mercury just dropped a fresh bit of mail! Thank you Mercury! Watch out for old men wandering around. It seems like the Greek and Roman gods are looking to bless and curse some folks today.

Do good, and good will follow.

And keep an eye on the sky for lightning!

This has been Billy Batson, signing off!

[thebusytypewriter]

💛Meet Felicity Flair, Home's sweetest neighbor! 💛🍰

FINALLY ready to share my darling Welcome Home OC! I have sketches ready to finish up soon, but I couldn't wait any longer to introduce her as Art Fight comes up!

I need to stress that I didn't make the art of her, but it was commissioned from the lovely @springbon-t-art! So go show her some love! 🫶

The remainder of her profile is being put under the cut :D

Felicity Flair became the main chef/baker in Home after moving in and reopening the Diner that once belonged to her “granny”, Franny. Despite her softspoken manner, she had a strong country accent that sometimes warranted humorous usage of subtitles. She often spoke of her worldwide travels before settling into Home, everything from Paris to Rio to the North Pole, though the details are uncertain or conflicting.

Similar to Howdy’s Place, Felicity’s Diner used an unconventional monetary system: stories. According to the uncovered vinyl record “Tell Me More”, while she got the customer’s food, Felicity would ask them to tell her a story—real or fictional—and that would be their payment.

Often seen behind the counter at her diner, Felicity rarely took part in Home’s events early-on. After a dozen episodes followed by her special (“Olive You, Neighbor”), she started to attend more, seen at Julie’s side, though she was still usually in her diner uniform for them.

As one of the most “ladylike” neighbors, she had a plethora of knowledge on etiquette and manners (“Pinkies Out!”).

Scripts and plans imply that she was meant to be a potential love interest for either Wally or Howdy, but it was allegedly never decided which; there is equal evidence for both. However, it is clear that she acted as a best friend / older sister figure for Julie.

Felicity was the final addition to the Welcome Home cast, circa early 1973. As she does not appear in early promotional material, documentation has shown that she was added to go along with new nutritional education nationwide. Many of her segments involved eating right, but she did also encourage having a sweet treat every so often.

Like neighbors such as Wally and Julie, Felicity is believed to be a puppet operated by one handler, though some cooking segments permitted a human actor to wear felt gloves for close-ups.

[dec4podcast]

In this our second Elvis and the Press episode, we’re joined once again by our leading contributor, Gary Wells (soulrideblog.com), to take a deep dive into the coverage of Elvis’ New Year’s Eve performance in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the end of 1976. This was the second consecutive New Year’s Eve Elvis had worked, with touring now continuing throughout winter by financial necessity. Elvis’ Pittsburgh show, concluding a very well-received, high energy tour over just five nights, proved to be a remarkable moment in time, and was widely considered one of the best performances of his later career.

Gary takes us through some of the show’s highlights, and we consider in detail a thoughtfully compiled review in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by music columnist, Mike Kalina, who observed that Elvis ‘had perhaps the most captive audience since Johnny Cash played Folsom Prison, and rarely did he lose his iron grip on the crowd during his 90 minutes on stage’.

The Pittsburgh Civic Arena (later Mellon Arena). It was demolished in in either 2010 or 2011-2012, depending on the source.

We also go on to look at Mike Kalina’s eventful and very successful career as a food writer and cooking personality, and his sad passing in the midst of a professional scandal to which there appears to be much more than meets the eye.

On stage in Pittsburgh, New Year's Eve. On his show in Birmingham, Alabama, two nights earlier, The Birmingham News wrote that ‘Elvis was in good voice, good shape, good health and good spirits. He had lost weight and gained confidence’.

This episode's dedicated webpage has additional background, including the audience recording of the show in full, as well as research notes and links to our sources, with some suggestions for further reference;

And in our post-credits segment right at the end, Gary recalls his most recent visit to Memphis, and what can only be described as an 'interesting' stay at Days Inn, Elvis Presley Boulevard.

The iconic Days Inn swimming pool in happier times. To find out more about Gary's latest visit to Memphis and Graceland, including some great images and a hypnotic video of the walk from the Graceland Gates to the Meditation Garden, check out Walking in Memphis 2024 at soulrideblog.com.

We hope you enjoy our latest episode. Find us on SoundCloud, YouTube, and wherever your get your podcasts.

Concert schedules, stats and press reviews thanks to Francesc Lopez and elvisconcerts.com.

[bestanimal]

Round 2 - Arthropoda - Copepoda

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Copepoda is a class of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater biome, including the arctic. Some are planktonic, some live in sediment (benthic), some live underground in sinkholes or caves, some are parasitic, and some even live in wet terrestrial places such as bogs and the water-filled cups of bromeliads. They are small, usually 1 to 2 mm long, with a teardrop-shaped body and two pairs of antennae. Some polar copepods can reach up to 1 cm long. Most copepods have a single compound eye, usually bright red and in the centre of their transparent head. Subterranean species may be eyeless, and a couple genera have two eyes. Free-living copepods have a head fused with the first one or two thoracic segments, with the remainder of the thorax being comprised of three to five limbed segments. The first pair of appendages are maxillipeds, limbs used for feeding. The second pair beat like oars, aiding in swimming. They have a narrow abdomen with five leg-less segments, with tail-like rami at the tip. Meanwhile, the anatomy of parasitic copepods are so widely diverse that I simply do not have space to talk about it here. Copepods have incredibly fast reflexes, due to well-developed myelin sheaths, allowing them to escape predators at high speeds, often porpoising out of the water. Like ostracods, many species also use bioluminescence as a defense mechanism, using it to distract predators (see gif below).

When they are ready to mate, some copepod females leave a trail of pheromones for males to follow. When mating, the male will grip the female with his antennae and produce an adhesive spermatophore, then transfer it to the female’s genital opening. After fertilization, the eggs will sometimes be laid directly into the water column, or, in some species, the female will carry them in a sac until they hatch. In some pond-dwelling species, the eggs can remain dormant in the case of the pond drying up, waiting to hatch until more favorable conditions are present. The larvae hatch with a head and a tail but no true thorax or abdomen. In fact, the larvae look so different from their adult forms that many of them were once thought to be different species! They will moult 5-6 times before becoming a copepodid larva which resembles the adult, sans some limbs and segments. After 5 more moults they will reach adulthood.

The oldest known fossils of copepods are from the Late Carboniferous, but due to their small size and fragility, they are rare in the fossil record. However, these fossilized copepods seemed to belong to an extant (still living) family, meaning that copepods may have already reached the forms they are in now by the Carboniferous.

Propaganda under the cut:

Copepods are dominant members of zooplankton and are food for many species of fish. Some scientists say they form the largest animal biomass on earth, matched only by Antarctic Krill.

The surface layers of the ocean are the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses: about 2 billion tons of carbon a year, the equivalent of a third of human carbon emissions. Copepods contribute to a large part of this, feeding near the surface at night, and then carrying these gasses to deeper water with them. Their moulted exoskeletons, feces, and respiration all transfer carbon to the deep sea.

Live copepods are a popular addition to saltwater fish tanks, both as a food source for hard-to-feed fish, and as a clean-up crew.

Copepods are sometimes added to water-storage containers to control mosquitos, as some species will eat mosquito larvae. Copepods have been used successfully in Vietnam to control mosquitoes carrying dengue fever, and trials to employ this method are also underway in Thailand and the southern United States.

Sheldon J. Plankton, of “Spongebob Squarepants” fame, is a copepod!

[tristepinguino]

Mario Kart World Detail Observations

I'm normal.

There has been more than one instance in which the game's Courses have been shown on the World map. I've only recently learned to count, but it looks like there's 29 of them. An odd number, in more ways than one. But it didn't escape notice that there was no sight or word of Rainbow Road. ...Until the "Direct".

Even so, 30 isn't divisible by 4.

Crown City appears in both the Mushroom Cup and the Shell Cup.

The accompanying thumbnails are different, so they may be different Courses through the same area. The route to Crown City will be different, at least. That said, Crown City may not be the only Course to appear in more than one Cup.

The segment of the Direct hinting at Rainbow Road shows a shot of an object rising into the sky. The position of the camera in this shot seems to be in the opening of the bay south of Peach Stadium, facing south. The rising object in question appears to be a trophy.

In the Support Features segment of the Direct, we get a view of a rather paltry vehicle selection menu. It consists of a single page of 11 vehicles and 1 ? space. Could this be the starting selection? And if so, could the preceding menu be the starting character selection? It seems to consist of 4 pages of 12 characters (at most) and we are only shown the first page. But where are Daisy and Rosalina? Obviously, they could very well be on a subsequent page, but the character order shown here is odd.

This also confirms that vehicles (at the very least) are unlocked by collecting coins again. It's worth mentioning that World features a 20 coin maximum and new coin-focused items.

One thing that has not been very demonstrated is the addition of cosmetic unlockables that have been spotted in gameplay. On the vehicle selection screen, the "+" button can be pressed to, presumably, change this cosmetic. Going forward, I will be referring to these as "decals".

The purpose these serve is unclear, but may simply be a matter of customization. They often appear wherever your character or player information is indicated. Many of the decals seem to be based on the game's diegetic sponsors.

The option to select a decal was not available to those who played a demo of the game. As such, examples of decals other than the default in use are few. In addition, some vehicles do not seem to feature space(s) for a decal (including the Biddybuggy and that blue snowmobile-like vehicle).

When an outfit is obtained via Dash Food for the first time, an accompanying pop-up is displayed. Something similar appears when the player is transformed into a character for the first time via Kamek.

There is a prevailing idea that characters who appear as audience members or course hazards are also likely to become available as playable characters. That said, who might we potentially see join the ranks?

And why stop at Cow? Why not Zebra, Giraffe, Elephant, Ostrich, Camel, Bison, Moose, Armadillo, Dinosaur, etc.?

Miscellaneous

Other little things, some of which I don't have images of, and some of which I have no commentary for:

Binoculars appear, resembling their appearance in Odyssey

The way DK strikes the ? Block item resembles his upward punch in Bananza

Looks like most Yoshi's locations have signage displaying the Dash Food they offer

Tires change visually when driving off-road, increasing in size

The way characters throw Spiny Shells is really funny; Blue Shells are thrown with intent to kill

An item's remaining uses/time is now represented by a "fluid" in your item slot

Landing on another driver grants you a bounce from which you can perform tricks

Getting rear-ended seems to grand you a boost?

Explosions create waves in bodies of water that can tricked off of

The star score/ranking for Cups returns

One aspect of the game I am very excited for is the music, but I wonder how it will work. Courses likely each have their own dedicated music tracks (like in the previous entry), but what about everywhere else? And there's a lot of everywhere else. This might account for the assortment of music heard so far.

I decided against speaking on the Courses others have spotted that have yet to be officially presented (in part 'cuz this post is long enough already). Additional info may be found in image descriptions.

If you have any evidence you'd like to share, please feel free!

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: chitons

For last week's Wet Beast Wednesday I talked about a weird invertebrate whose name starts with "c" so this week I'm gonna branch out from that and talk about a weird invertebrate whose name starts with a "c". Chitons are marine mollusks of the class Polyplacophora that bear a resemblance to limpets, but have a segmented shell that allows for more flexibility. They are named after a form of clothing worm by the ancient Greeks.

(image id: a chiton. It is an oval animal with a flat shell composed if 8 overlapping green and white plates. Surrounding the shell is brown, soft tissue)

Chitons are similar in appearance and ecology to limpets, though they are not closely related. The shell of a chiton is made of 8 plates called valves. Valves are the name of any mollusk shell that is divided into multiple pieces. Most mollusk shells are made of one continuous piece and the only ones that have valves are the chitons, bivalves, and a few weird snails. The valves of a chiton overlap slightly, allowing for flexibility while still giving protection. Chitons can curl up into balls and flex backwards to move over concave surfaces that limpets wouldn't be able to. The valves are imbedded in and held together by a thick, muscular ring called the girdle that encircles the body. In most species, only the sides of the valves are covered by the girdle, leaving the rest exposed to the water. A few species cover more or all of the valves with the girdle. When a chiton dies and the girdle decays, the valves will separate. Individual valves sometimes wash up on beaches and are called butterfly shells due to their v-shaped appearance. The shell is used for defense. Chitons can curl up in a ball when not attached to a rock. If one is attached to a rock, it can suction on, presenting predators with no good way to attack its soft underbelly. Some species have spikes, bristles, or other ornaments on their valves and girdles that can provide additional protection.

(image: a chiton curled up into a ball. Its plates are pale pink and its girdle is white and brown)

Underneath the shell, the chiton's body is soft. It consists largely of a muscular foot that is used for movement. To either side of the foot is the mantle cavity, which consists of channels filled with gills that water is pulled through. There is no distinct head, but a mouth is present on the front end. Inside the mouth is the radula, a tongue-like appendage that is covered in teeth. The teeth are special because they are coated in magnetite, a very hard magnetic mineral that has iron as one of its main ingredients. While the metal is used to reinforce the teeth and keep them from wearing out (in fact, the chiton Chaetopleura apiculata has the hardest teeth of any known animal), it may also be used for magnetoreception. This is when an animal can sense magnetic fields. It is possible that the magnetic teeth of chitons can sense the Earth's magnetic field and help with navigation and migration. Most chitons are herbivores or omnivores that feed on algae, bryozonans, diatoms, and other tiny rock-dwellers by scraping at rocks with their radulae. Some are carnivores that target barnacles and can even eat small crustaceans and fish. They often hunt by holding the front ends of their girdles up in the water. Should an animal mistake it for shelter, the chiton will clamp down on them. Food is forced through the esophagus by a current of mucus moved by cilia.

(image: the underside of a chiton. it is oval and orange all over. Two groves filled with brown gill filaments go down each side of the body, encircling a central foot. The mouth is visible as a small hole on one end)

When it comes to senses, chitons have a few options. Like their gastropod cousins, chitons have a chemosensory organ called the subradular organ used for smell and their feet and girdles are full of sensory nerves. They also have special organs called aesthetes. These consist of light-sensing cells that are just below the surface of the shell. The aesthetes are not true eyes, only being able to distinguish light from dark, though they can tell the difference between a shadow and the effects of clouds moving over the sun. Some species use collections of aesthetes to form simple eyes called shell eyes. Unlike the aesthetes, the shell eyes can form images, though Chitons do not have nerve structures needed to form a high resolution image. Shell eyes are distinct from those of any other animal in their structure. Most animals have eye lenses made of protein-based structures, but chiton lenses are crystalline, made of aragonite, the same material that makes up the shell of most mollusks. Each shell eye is compound. The shell eyes are almost certainly used for predator detection. Fossil chitons have been found dating back to the Cambrian period. but shell eyes have only been found in fossils from less than 10 million years old. This likely makes chitons the most recent animal group to have evolved true eyes. Chiton eyes have also been found to work both in water and air, which is tricky due to the way light travels differently through both mediums.

(image: a close-up of a chiton's shell showing the eyes. The shell is yellow and lumpy with the eyes visible as darker, almost black lumps)

The majority of chitons live in intertidal or sub-tidal areas, making them a shallow water group. A few species have been found living in much deeper water, up to 2,000 meters down. Chitons have been known to have homing behavior as they will consistently return to a safe spot after feeding. How they do this is unknown. Sensing the magnetic field of the Planet may play a role, though it is also possible that they lay down chemical trails to find their way home. Chitons are broadcast spawners, with both males and females releasing gametes into the water. Larvae can swim for a while before moving to the substrate.

(image: microscope images of a chiton larva at 4 different developmental stages. It begins as a round blob ringed with hair-like cilia. As the animal develops the cilia recede and the animal elongates, with a distinct foot becoming visible. source)

I will close by bringing up an animal I only learned about recently but has rapidly become one of my favorite weird beasts. This is Cryptochiton stelleri. Its common name is the gumboot chiton, but some people call it the wandering meatloaf, which is objectively the best name ever. It is the largest chiton, growing up to 36 cm (14 in) and 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Its girdle completely covers its shell, which does make it look more like a meatloaf. They can live up to 40 years and are the first known animals to have the mineral santabarbarite in their bodies. They live throughout the north pacific and have been used as a food source by many different cultures. There may be a lot of bad stuff in the world, but if things get too bad, just remember that we live on the same planet as an animal called the wandering meatloaf that can live for 40 years and has a tongue covered in magnetic teeth.

(image: a wandering meatloaf. It is an ovoid animal with red-orange tissue covering the body. Its shell is not visible, but the ridges where each plate overlaps can be seen through the girdle)