#Moisture Analyzer Balance

[labotronicsscientific]

Moisture Analyzer Balance

Moisture Analyzer Balance is a rapid moisture testing instrument with digital display. The instrument is used to weigh a range of substances up to 50 g and measure their moisture content. A halogen lamp heats up the chamber to 180 °C / 356 °F. The moisture analyzer dries the substance to be weighed within the heating chamber and determines the moisture content from the difference in weight.

[flexitest1234]

Measuring water content through moisture analyzers in food & beverages.

Moisture analyzers, also known as moisture balances or moisture meters, are essential instruments in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry. They are used to measure the moisture content of various products, such as food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and cosmetics. Controlling and maintaining the correct moisture level is crucial for ensuring product quality, safety, and shelf life. Here's how moisture analyzers work in the FMCG industry:

Principle of Operation:

Moisture analyzers operate on the principle of thermogravimetric analysis. The basic concept involves measuring the weight change of a sample as it undergoes a drying process. As moisture is evaporated from the sample, its weight decreases, and this weight loss is used to determine the moisture content.

Drying Method:

Most moisture analyzers use either the infrared (IR) or halogen heating method for drying the sample. These methods are efficient and provide accurate results.

Infrared (IR) Moisture Analyzers: IR moisture analyzers use a halogen lamp to emit infrared radiation. The infrared rays penetrate the sample and heat it uniformly. Sensors detect the weight change as moisture evaporates, and the moisture analyzer calculates the moisture content based on the rate of weight loss.

Halogen Moisture Analyzers: Halogen moisture analyzers utilize a halogen heating element to apply heat to the sample. The halogen lamp's intense heat rapidly evaporates the moisture from the sample, allowing for quick and precise measurements.

Sample Preparation:

To begin the moisture analysis, a representative sample is carefully weighed and placed in the moisture analyzer's sample pan or container. The sample size and preparation are critical to obtaining accurate results, so proper handling and attention to detail are essential.

Measurement and Data Display:

Once the sample is placed in the analyzer, the drying process begins. The instrument continuously measures the sample's weight as it dries and calculates the moisture content in real-time. Some analyzers also provide additional data, such as drying curves and graphical representations of the moisture loss.

Calibration and Validation:

To ensure accurate measurements, moisture analyzers should be regularly calibrated and validated using standard reference materials. Calibration corrects any deviations or drift in the instrument's readings, and validation ensures that the analyzer meets the required accuracy and performance standards.

Reporting and Documentation:

Modern moisture analyzers often come equipped with user-friendly interfaces and software for data analysis and reporting. The results can be exported and stored for quality control purposes, traceability, and compliance with industry regulations.

In the FMCG industry, moisture analyzers play a vital role in quality control and production processes. They help manufacturers ensure their products meet the desired specifications, remain safe for consumption, and have an extended shelf life. Proper moisture analysis can also prevent issues like spoilage, microbial growth, and product degradation, thereby reducing waste and improving overall efficiency.

Moisture analyzers play a crucial role in the food and beverage industry, where controlling moisture levels is essential for product quality, safety, and shelf life. Here are some specific uses of moisture analyzers in this industry:

Quality Control in Raw Materials:

Food and beverage manufacturers use moisture analyzers to test the moisture content of incoming raw materials. This ensures that the ingredients meet the desired specifications and help maintain consistent product quality.

Product Formulation:

Moisture analyzers are used during the product development phase to determine the ideal moisture content for specific food and beverage formulations. This helps achieve the desired texture, taste, and overall product characteristics.

Process Control:

During the production process, moisture analyzers are employed to monitor the moisture content of products at different stages. It allows manufacturers to make real-time adjustments and ensure the product's moisture level remains within the required range.

Quality Assurance of Finished Products:

Before packaging and distribution, food and beverage products undergo moisture analysis to ensure they meet the specified moisture content standards. This prevents issues such as spoilage, microbial growth, and texture changes that could affect product quality and safety.

Shelf Life Assessment:

Moisture analyzers are utilized to determine the shelf life of food and beverage products. By monitoring moisture content over time, manufacturers can assess how the product's quality may change during storage and distribution.

Compliance with Regulatory Standards:

The food and beverage industry is subject to strict regulations regarding product quality and safety. Moisture analyzers help manufacturers comply with these standards and ensure their products are safe for consumption.

Troubleshooting and Problem Solving:

If issues arise with a product's texture, appearance, or shelf life, moisture analysis can be used to identify potential problems. By pinpointing moisture-related discrepancies, manufacturers can address the root cause and improve their processes.

Ingredient Drying Optimization:

In some cases, ingredients need to be dried before use in food and beverage production. Moisture analyzers help optimize the drying process, ensuring that ingredients reach the desired moisture content for further processing.

Verification of Packaging Integrity:

Moisture analyzers can also be used to test the moisture barrier properties of packaging materials. This ensures that the packaging adequately protects the product from Moisture and other external factors. Moisture analyzers are invaluable tools for quality control, process optimization, and compliance in the food and beverage industry. By accurately measuring moisture content, manufacturers can produce safe, high-quality products with extended shelf life, minimizing waste and enhancing customer satisfaction. 

Moisture analysis in food and beverages is primarily carried out using moisture analyzers or moisture meters, as mentioned earlier. These instruments use various methods to determine the moisture content of samples.  Common techniques used for moisture analysis in the food and beverage industry are -

The Loss on Drying method is one of the most widely used techniques for moisture analysis in the food and beverage industry. It involves measuring the weight loss of a sample as it undergoes a drying process. A precise amount of the sample is accurately weighed using a balance, the sample is placed in a moisture analyzer, and a drying cycle is initiated. The sample is subjected to controlled heating, either through infrared (IR) or halogen methods, to remove the moisture content, After the drying cycle is complete, the sample is re-weighed. The difference in weight before and after drying represents the moisture content of the sample. In some cases, microwave drying is employed for moisture analysis, especially for larger samples or when traditional methods are not suitable. Microwave moisture analyzers use microwave energy to heat the sample and evaporate the moisture. The moisture content is calculated based on the weight loss. It's important to note that the choice of moisture analysis method depends on factors such as the sample type, required accuracy, moisture content range, and the available equipment. Regardless of the method used, accurate moisture analysis is critical for ensuring product quality, safety, and compliance with industry regulations in the food and beverage sector.

The water content in food and beverages has a significant impact on various aspects, including product quality, safety, texture, taste, shelf life, and nutritional value. Water content affects the texture and mouthfeel of food and beverages. In many cases, the desired texture is achieved by carefully controlling the moisture content. For example, in baked goods, the appropriate water content contributes to a soft and moist texture, while in crispy snacks, low water content is essential to maintain crunchiness. Water availability in food is directly related to the potential for microbial growth. Bacteria, mold, and yeast need water to grow and reproduce. Controlling water content is crucial in preventing food spoilage and foodborne illnesses. Foods with high water content, such as fruits and vegetables, are particularly susceptible to spoilage if not stored properly. The water content of food and beverages can significantly impact their shelf life. High water content may lead to microbial growth and enzymatic reactions that accelerate spoilage. Reducing water activity through drying or other preservation methods can extend the product's shelf life. Water is an essential component of most food and beverages, contributing to their overall nutritional value. It is necessary for the dissolution and absorption of nutrients during digestion. Foods with high water content, like fruits and vegetables, can also provide hydration and are often rich in vitamins and minerals. In food processing, the water content can affect the stability and integrity of products. Too much water can lead to phase separation or the growth of ice crystals during freezing, affecting the product's overall quality. For instance, controlling water content is vital in the production of ice cream to achieve the desired smooth and creamy texture. Water content influences the weight and volume of food and beverages. High water content can lead to increased weight and volume, impacting transportation costs and packaging requirements. In baking and cooking, the water content plays a critical role in achieving the desired outcomes. It affects the dough consistency, gluten development, and leavening process, among other factors. For example, the water content in bread dough influences the final loaf's size, crumb structure, and crust formation. Food and beverage manufacturers must carefully control water content when formulating recipes. Precise moisture levels are essential to achieve consistent product quality across batches. 

Overall, water content is a fundamental factor that influences the sensory attributes, safety, and shelf life of food and beverages. Manufacturers and consumers alike must be aware of the role of water in these products to ensure optimal quality, safety, and satisfaction.

[yourstardarling]

Aura of the air signs

In astrology, Air signs have a unique ability to influence the atmosphere around them. They are the unseen force that set the tone for interactions, shaping the environment through communication, ideas and their social energy. Like the air itself, they move seamlessly through spaces allowing themselves to be felt. They create impactful conversations and make light connections that are remembered long after they’re gone.

What this means is that the placement of air signs in your chart (and the planetary influences tied to them) defines the social energy you bring into an environment. It tells the story of how people perceive you and the vibe you exude in social settings. This unintentionally makes them natural centers of attention since their presence stirs the air around them. Whether that be through conversation, laughter, or even their energy. It’s as though the air signs pass through the atmosphere, leaving it forever changed.

Gemini’s air is one filled with chatter and laughter. It is a whirlwind of excitement and curiosity, like a warm summer breeze. They are the ones that will tell you fun facts about a random topic which intrigues them. Conversations are their stronghold, displaying that they can keep up with anyone from different backgrounds. This often can be very surface level, but Geminis have an ability to pull out deep conversations out of people. One reason is that they are very open to communication which leaves others to feel at ease to open up to them. However, the main factor is that Geminis know how to ask the right questions and stir a conversation. They don’t shy away from their curiosity which makes others intrigued to communicate. There is a quickness to their enigmatic air, often leaving as quickly as they came. Behind them they leave inspiration, knowledge, and unforgettable conversations. I always say Geminis remind me of the phrase “Gone with the wind”. They breeze through life, often leaving others to question if their breeze was a figment of their imagination.

Libras air is graceful and alluring, carrying a sense of balance that smooths out even the most chaotic environments. It is like a crisp cool autumn breeze, refreshing and filled with moisture. There’s something about their aura that draws people in, making you feel safe and at ease in their presence. Like you can’t help, but like them and get reeled into their charming character. Their air is a mix of sweet perfumes and delicate body oils that linger, creating an irresistible atmosphere. “Love is in the air” is their life motto and they carry that with them wherever they go. Whether intentionally or not, Libras air feels like a soft seduction. They keep eye contact in conversations, know how to balance intellectual stimulation and make cheeky comments. At first glance it may feel like they are flirting, but later realize it is just a natural part of their charm. Libras know how to make others like them and the right things to say to gain admiration. This why sometimes their kindness may come across as being fake. However, don’t let that fool you, they are very passionate individuals that love to debate. Even when disagreements arise they seem to have an air of elegance, leaving those involved feeling both challenged and intrigued.

Aquarius air is one brimming with disruption and chaos. It’s like a storm of winds that shake up everything in its path. This air stirs the minds and hearts of those around them, pushing boundaries and forcing change. Lightening is a significant symbol for Aquas because of the shock factor they leave behind. People are polarized by their unconventional conversations and ideas. They can seem like the less inviting among the air signs, but once you break the ice you can’t help being pulled into the storm. The storm energy of Aquarius comes from their over-analyzation of what is going on around them. So many neurons are being fired at once which can lead to overstimulation for themselves and people they talk to. They are very bright though and don’t like their intelligence to be downplayed. When in their vicinity, you feel this rush of electricity to talk about and do anything. They bring to you a foreign perspective. If you want to feel renewed and need new ideas, Aquarius is the one you go to.

Planetary Influence

The heavenly bodies have a direct impact on how air moves in a chart. For air specifically, there is a need for clarity. If there are too many planets, it can be hard for the air to push through. Their is a since of lightness and weightlessness that air signs need in order to properly function. Too many placements leads to overstimulation and a tendency to be reclusive in their minds. They don’t loose their social factor, but it makes them big over thinkers. Air moves the best when the energy is free.

Sun: The suns influence in air signs actually brings about its own set of challenges. Out of the 3, only Gemini has a good relationship to the Sun. It is in Fall in libra and in detriment in Aquarius. What this tells me is that the Sun finds it hard to shine and express itself in an environment that is so focused on other people. How can you shine for yourself when you’re always worried about the social needs of others. The light of the air signs can feel like clouds blocking the sun. They are not shining for just themselves, but for the social group around them as well.

Moon: The moon in air signs brings a nurturing factor towards conversations and communication. They know how to make people feel safe to open up to them about their throughts and opinions. A keen ability to analyze their close one’s emotions. The downside though is a detachment from their feelings. They often try to process their inner world from an intellectual landscape rather than feeling them through. This can make them be unreadable to other people.

Mercury: This is the best friend of the air signs. Mercury does really well in all 3 signs. It allows them to be able to do what they do best, communication. Mercury in the air signs make their mental capacity very sharp and ready to navigate any topics of discussion. These are very smart individuals that have a reservoir of information.

Venus: In the realm of love, the air signs can be extremely flirtatious and misleading. They will reel you in with their words and stimulation, but you will feel caught off guard by their detachment. It feels like love is a game to them. They may find it hard to build lasting connections because of their need to be free. It’s like they are up in the air which makes it hard to feel like you can grasp them.

Mars: The planet of war in the air signs causes unnecessary challenges surrounding interactions and communication. Here the air becomes hot like the desert, making it hard to breathe. The slightest misunderstanding can lead to conflict for these individuals. It is important for you to watch what you say and know when to defend yourself when necessary. The strength of mars makes them good debaters, but people can often say things to rage bait you.

Jupiter: This planet brings a strong presence within the air signs. Their ideas deeply shape their beliefs and faith. Wisdom can be found through their interactions with other people. However, information overload can become a problem for air Jupiters. Faith can also be a struggle for air Jupiter’s as they operate based on factual data instead of just pure belief: they need things to make sense.

Saturn: Now yall already know, Saturn is gonna bring a sense of heaviness in the air. It can feel like they have a responsibility towards the social and intellectual aspect of there environments. The weight of this can be heavy on them making them uncomfortable and anxious about forming relationships. However, they learn how to place boundaries and be very selective about who is in their presence. Saturn does pretty well in the air signs since it is in Domicile in Aquarius and Exalted in Libra. I think it’s because Saturn is focused on maintaining order and in the air it knows how to maintain social order. It becomes unbiased because it isn’t so easily attached. This allows it to be able to make good judgement.

___

Whether through the ideas they inspire, the emotions they evoke, or the stories they leave behind, the air signs remain a lingering presence in their environment. They are seamlessly both attached and free from societal influences at the same time. Catch them if you can and learn from the short, but worthwhile interactions.

-yourStardarling

[urdreamgirlangel]

Angel’s Spring Reset: A Full & Complete Guide

ib: [busy, yet pretty]

Mindset Refresh ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

Reflect & journal what’s been weighing you down n what you want to leave behind. 𐙚🧸ྀི

₊˚⊹ ᰔ Weighing me down: overthinking past conversations and ones to come, feeling like I have to prove my worth to people who don't even prioritize me, doubting myself when i know deep down what i want, the pressure to always be productive even when i need rest.

₊˚⊹ ᰔ What I'm leaving behind: guilt of prioritizing myself above others, self-doubt, fear of change, people who don't reciprocate my energy.

I am making space for the new opportunities and getting rid of anything in my life that doesn't align with me.

Set new intentions 𐙚🧸ྀི

⋅˚₊‧ 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅ The theme is MORE. This season will be filled with more opportunities, more friends, more love, more happiness, more light, more relief, more peacefulness, more experiences.

Detox & restart! 𐙚🧸ྀི

୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ clear away any & everything that feels heavy or stagnant. Physically, emotionally, mentally by asking myself:

۶ৎ what does my body need right now?

⊹ ࣪ ˖ a balanced diet

⊹ ࣪ ˖ vitamins

⊹ ࣪ ˖ more movement

⊹ ࣪ ˖ more hydration + electrolytes

⊹ ࣪ ˖ more fresh air

۶ৎ what can i do to make myself feel more refreshed?

⊹ ࣪ ˖ stretching in the morning to loosen tension

⊹ ࣪ ˖ taking walks

��� ࣪ ˖ prioritizing rest

⊹ ࣪ ˖ sunlight exposure

⊹ ࣪ ˖ breath work

⊹ ࣪ ˖ self-massages (gua sha, a body roller)

۶ৎ what habits should i get rid of?

⊹ ࣪ ˖ all the things I mentioned in the first step.

۶ৎ how can i be gentler with myself?

⊹ ࣪ ˖ reassure myself instead of criticizing

⊹ ࣪ ˖ let myself rest without guilt

⊹ ࣪ ˖celebrate small wins

⊹ ࣪ ˖ let go of people who don't show up for me

⊹ ࣪ ˖ give myself space and time to feel and heal without judgement

⊹ ࣪ ˖ talk to myself like someone i love

۶ৎ the detox plan?

1 thing im removing from my life

The habit of second guessing myself. I have strong instincts, but sometimes I overthink or doubt my choices. I’m going to let go of the need to overanalyze and trust that my decisions are enough in the moment.

1 thing i'm adding to my life

More intentional rest - truly allowing myself to relax without guilt (sleeping in, watching something comforting, or just existing without feeling like I should be doing something.)

1 way i'll take care of myself this week

Setting a boundary with my energy - if someone or something is draining my energy, I’ll choose not to engage (ignoring a message, postponing something that doesn’t feel right, or simply saying “no,” protect my peace.)

This detox isn't about perfection, but rather making space for what i really want.

Mindfulness 𐙚🧸ྀི

‹𝟹 ground yourself in the moment by:

꩜ .ᐟ noticing your surroundings. focus on your senses, what do you see, hear, feel, smell and taste? this can happen when you're doing nothing or even an activity like eating or getting dressed

꩜ .ᐟ start and end your day with journaling and reflection

꩜ .ᐟ watch your thoughts without judgment

꩜ .ᐟ let yourself be (silence, daydreaming..) you don't have to always be doing something

Beauty Refresh ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

Asses your skin’s needs 𐙚🧸ྀི

୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ whether it’s wearing sunscreen, exfoliating more, or even more hydration. remember your base routine should look like this: cleanser + moisturizer + sunscreen. ensure you have something to exfoliate with like gloves, a brush (dry/silicone) or an african net sponge (all three not needed, just pick one) + body scrub for body. face scrub or clay mask + face brush (you can use your cleanser with the face brush). Focus on cleansing and then hydrate and moisturize. Don’t forget your SPF.

Adjust your hair routine 𐙚🧸ྀི

୭ ˚. ᵎᵎ analyze what your hair looks like & ask yourself if that’s what you want it to be. If it isn’t, assess its needs (whether it’s trims, more moisture, oiling, tucking your ends) and update your products, hairstyles and techniques for the season.

Wardrobe transition 𐙚🧸ྀི

༄.° bright colors give off a lighter and fresher vibe, kinda like a happier energy.

Wellness check-in 𐙚🧸ྀི

٠࣪⭑book any overdue appointments

Environmental reset ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

Spring Cleaning! 𐙚🧸ྀི

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ having a clean room/house/space feels so refreshing and relieving to me. Like a fresh new start. That being said, I love cleantok. If you need some motivation, I recommend going on TikTok and searching that up. I’m gonna make a checklist so stay tuned for that!

Rearrange your space 𐙚🧸ྀི

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ redecorate to match who you are. Flowers, fairy lights, open windows, candles, soft music, clean space.

Lifestyle n goals ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

Check in on goals 𐙚🧸ྀི

★ what are they n how far have we gotten?

Revamp your routine 𐙚🧸ྀི

★ add seasonal habits like morning walk or meal prepping n trying new recipes

Season-inspired hobbies 𐙚🧸ྀི

★ try something new try new like:

ּ ֶָ֢.๑ˎˊ˗ seasonal teas (herbs and flowers that are in season right now)

ּ ֶָ֢.๑ˎˊ˗ become a plant mom and start up gardening even if it’s one flower in a small pot by your window

ּ ֶָ֢.๑ˎˊ˗ pottery/air clay flower arranging tennis /volleyball cake decorating crocheting knitting birdwatching painting stones

ּ ֶָ֢.๑ˎˊ˗ flower-pressing coloring decorating candles writing letters hiking reading but you’re on a picnic (solo/with friends/significant other)

What are my April goals? ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

ಇ. write a post every week. I have had posts in my WiP for a long time

ಇ. Listen to more podcast episodes

ಇ. Digital detox - less time in my phone n more in books/thinking/simply being

ಇ. Keep my space clean and organized

ಇ. ACE my interview (if it’s this month)

ಇ. Better use n scheduling of my time

ಇ. Wonyoung type of posture

ಇ. Pick up a new hobby

ಇ. Take more time for myself during each day. No phone. No people. Just me.

What’s one change you’re making for spring?

Posts to look forward to this month <3

- It girl affirmations

- Spring Cleaning Checklist

- Angel’s Guide to Enhancing Your Appearance on a Budget

- 2000s girly teen movies

[headcanonsetcc]

Making out after patrol~

♡Tim Drake x Reader

♡Light yet steamy

The leather of the backseat wheezed beneath you and Tim, protesting that you should both get out of the car already. But you didn't listen, instead only deepening the kiss. Your tongue danced with his, and you both were glad you didn't have garlic earlier that day. The rain fell in patterns on the window, the soft hum of the radio adding to the atmosphere, the car just slightly chilly though you both didn't notice. One of his arms held him up while the other squeezed your hip, his fingertips daring to go beyond the hem of your shirt and graze your skin. 

“The mask,” you panted, your hand tugging his hair. “Take it off.” 

Tim panted above you, his Red Robin costume still on, his mask having not budged. He licked his lips, savouring the taste of you. If he took off the eye mask it meant you could see him, really see him. It meant you could see the awkward boy behind, the crime frightening Red Robin, and the boy who was so in love with you he didn't know what to do. 

“I want to see your pretty eyes.” You whispered, a smile gracing your now pink lips. You slid your hand up his chest to his mask, slowly peeling it off. “Better."

Tim felt exposed now, more than before. The mask had given him a shield, a protective layer he got too used to. He didn't protest, though, loving the way you looked into his eyes. He nodded slowly, as if reassuring himself, and brought you into another kiss, a soft, slow kiss that had you both feeling tinglingly. His fingertips ran up your inner wrist, making you shiver as he interlocked his calloused hand with yours. He wished he had moisturized beforehand, that he used that lemon lotion you loved on him, and that his hands didn't smell like rubber from his gloves. 

He pushed you further into the backseat of the Batmobile, now balancing well enough on his knees, he took his other hand and grabbed your thigh, pulling you closer, his lower body snuggling with yours. Your heat was driving him mad, the sensation of your lips against his, of your hand squeezing his, was all too much, but also the perfect amount. Subconsciously, his hips pressed into yours, building a rhythm as he listened to your soft sounds. His heart raced, his cheeks flushed and eyes filled with desire he wasn't sure he could control, or maybe he just didn't want to, and his tongue retreated from your mouth.

Instead, he moved his lips down your jaw, the soft pressure making you hum. He sucked on your neck, hoping to calm himself down before he did anything else, but it didn't calm him down, like at all. He let out a soft growl in your neck, one that made you shiver and squeeze your legs around his hips. Definitely wasn't helping him.

“Can we?” He gasped into your neck, and you could definitely feel something poking you. “I mean, if you're ready. We can take it slow-or fast-whatever you want.”

You smiled at his hurried words, and gently took his face he hid and kissed his lips, stopping him from overthinking. He melted into your hold, his limbs weak and a whimper escaping him as you shifted beneath him. 

It was a silent agreement as you both undressed, the car shaking and filled with the melody that you both made. You both panted, him collapsing on top of you, panting kisses on your torso and everywhere he could reach. 

“You okay?” His voice was strained, one hand in yours as he squeezed. He glanced up at you, climbing up you slightly to scan your face. “Did it hurt, was I too rough?” 

“I'm better than okay.” You smiled, leaning into his touch almost desperately. “And you were perfect, love.”

Tim scanned your face, reading you, analyzing if you were only saying it to make him feel better or if you were being honest. You took two shaky hands and cupped his face, your thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. 

“I'm okay.” You said as your eyes never left his, your tone firm. “Are you okay?” 

“Only if you are. Are you sure?” Tim asked again, his blue eyes making you loose track of you were about to say. He was still in you, so when he shifted and you made a sound, he stopped. “Oh, gosh. Did it hurt now?”

You leaned your forehead against his, your eyes that had fluttered closed now opening to met his. Your soft laugh made him blush, a small pout on his lips as he held onto you. He mumbled something under his breath and smiled, pulling you closer as he buried his face into your nape. You both laid there, wrapped around each other, and whispering sweet nothing's into each other's ears. The rain was lighter now against the windows, a steam from inside.

Oh, Batman was gonna kill him for sure.

[neuroprincess]

Under The Skin - Rebecca Welton/Reader

Rebecca Welton/Female Reader

Summary: It's secret, away from everyone's eyes and just between them, a simple gesture that symbolically changes Y/N and Rebecca's lives.

Classification: Fluff

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, tattoos

Word count: +1000

Unrevised

Maybe it's the alcohol coursing through the veins or the gentle smile that is directed at her, but it seems so right that Y/N doesn't care about the pain and even less about tomorrow. The needle begins a little uncertainly on the skin until the woman learns to handle it with real dexterity and without trembling, both of them a little nervous. The first scratch is outlined and marked forever, halfway there. With care, Rebecca traces the half circle in the same way she saw the boys do and feels proud to see it taking shape on the forearm, small and simple, but cute and full of meaning.  

"I'm almost there, darling." she whispers and hums in anticipation, looking a little petty at how excited and proud she is.  

"It's crazy, isn't it?!" the younger stares at her, a moment of sobriety hitting for a second and the weight of the act weighing in the balance "Are we really doing this?"  

In response, Rebecca leans in and brings their lips together in a gentle kiss, taking time to leave them, there's nothing so sweet and addictive as her girlfriend. She could stay like this forever, feeling and loving her in every way, from the soft words to the burning touches.  

"God, better stop or we're not going to finish this any time soon." she laughs, reluctantly separating, and brings eyes together to analyze the next step, just one to complete "And..." turns the pen back on, drawing the last curve, this time a bit of blood comes out of the line "Done!" 

"How did it look?"  

"Beautiful, just like you, sugar." a kiss is placed on the girl's forehead and elegant hands stroke her hair "My good girl, you did great."  

Y/N sighs and smiles happily, the sparkle in the blonde's eye making the slight burning and eventual post-drinking pain worthwhile. She'd never imagined herself doing anything like that and is sure the other one hadn't either, nevertheless after two years here they are hiding in the dark at Jamie's party with the tattoo equipment borrowed, in fact temporarily stolen, exchanging secret wedding vows, marking their rings eternally under skin and exposed to the world.  

"Your turn, sweetheart."  

They change the needles and following instructions from the internet the moisturizer is applied to the arm, Y/N's fingers spreading the cream along strong and delineated muscles, memorizing again every part she knows by heart, the sensitive points she caresses in cuddles on the sofa and squeezes when they're almost reaching an apex. The couple stare at each other for a millisecond in a silent request for permission, to be sure that it's really wanted.  

"Go ahead." Welton encourages, trying to sound confident "I can handle the pain."  

"You will not regret it?" the question is fraught with concern, fear that her partner will regret the folly of a somewhat youthful nature.  

"Never, darling! Loving you is the most certain thing I have in my life." they smile complicitly and Y/N nods, continuing with the mission "We need to go to the pharmacy for ointments, which reminds me that we're also out of cotton and saline solution."  

"You're really drunk."  

"Drunk with love for you..."  

It's not exactly pain, maybe discomfort or something, but totally bearable... if it weren't for Rebecca's hidden fear of needles. She tries to disguise it by looking away, convincing herself that it's only to be surprised. Quickly and with calculated movements, a small initial in a fine line forms on the place, she still can't turn around, half paralyzed in disbelief, having her own moment of sobriety caused by shock.  

"You don't have to hide, it's okay to be afraid." the younger whispers, trying to confront her in some way, the worst part is over and the woman insists on keeping up her brave mask "Sweetheart..."  

"Is it over?"  

"Yes, it's over." she smiles and stretches up to place a kiss on the flushed cheeks "My good girl."

"Hey, that's my phrase!"  

"That doesn't mean you're not a good girl, and totally mine."  

Finally gathering courage, Rebecca looks down and almost chokes as she realizes that something really is there, engraved on her forever. The initial of Y/N's name on her and hers on Y/N. Eternally marked in a symbolic gesture, the union of their souls with homemade tattoos, sounded almost silly when the idea came up on the bar counter, but is the promise of their love for each other.  

"So we..."  

"We're married. My goodness, we're married!"   

"It's symbolic, but..." the blonde rambles, settling on the floor so that they're face to face "Soon I'm going to put a ring on your finger, give you my surname."  

"Try to imagine, Mrs. & Mrs. Welton."  

"I like the sound of that, I can't wait for this moment." 

"Me too, I'm really looking forward to it." Y/N whispers and closes the space between them with a passionate kiss, full of emotions that come through in every touch, barely able to contain the enthusiasm. She has married the person she most admires and as much as it was just between them, it's priceless, kind of magical "I love you! So much that I almost cry just thinking that we're wives now." manages to say when the air is needed. 

"I love you more! More than anything, I don't think there are enough words to describe how deeply and passionately. And I stole a champagne to celebrate."   

A bottle is taken from the handbag, chilled to the point of sweat. It's impossible not to be touched by the businesswoman's cheeky smile, who has had a lot of fun searching for the necessary items around the mansion, committing innocent little crimes for the sake of love and getting her first tattoo. All this with and for her girlfriend, engaged for half an hour and now wife.  

"We've probably got about 15 minutes before someone comes looking for us, what do you think?" Rebecca nods suggestively towards the immaculate king-size bed.  

"Oh, you want to go straight to the nuptials? Tempting."  

"No more tempting than the things I'm thinking of doing with you when we get back home, lovely wife."  

And that's another promise. 

taglist: @inlovewithmiddleagewomen @unexpected-character @spenc-is-bi @imaginesmultifandoms @dvrkhcld @lovelyy-moonlight @peggy082023 @willowshadenox @storiesofsvu

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[mizzstromalarkey]

Mizzstro’s Memory

-Balan Wonderworld Oneshot-

-

“Run that by me one more time.”

Mizzstro’s words are tense. His short fur stands on end, a glistening platinum white under the stage lights of the otherwise dark theatre.

Balan exhales and gathers himself.

“As Wonderworld’s maestro, it is my role to conduct the memories of inhabitants so that they may rekindle balance within their hearts—“

“Right. Less poise, Balan. I don’t know who you’re trying to impress here.”

“—erm…but…without a proper stage, I’ve yet been able to draw your memories forth…”

Balan then gestures to the stage Mizzstro is lounging back on.

“…That is, until now. I have an idea. A work-around, if you will. Provided you would let me try.” Balan’s wide grin then softens. “I will not force you to do this, Mizzstro, but… you should consider my help.”

The jester beast hunches over his lap with a long sigh. He brushes his claws through the messy bangs of parted fur around his mask. He doesn’t look at Balan.

“You know how I feel about someone digging around in there.”

The maestro’s brow furrows.

“I’m only conducting your memories—guiding you through so I can help determine what ails your heart. I can see them, I suppose, but you will be the star of your own show.”

“Psh, you think I don’t know why I’m like this? I’m the conductor of psycho-analyzing myself, Bal.”

Colorful gem drops appear around him. Mizzstro simply pushes them aside with his tail. The annoying things always get in the way. Balan stiffens at the sight.

“I know you’re hurting, Mizzstro. I can—“

“You can what? Watch from the background as I relive all the shitty things that’ve happened to me?” Mizzstro’s claws dig into the floorboards. “If my issues were as simple as…as getting over a fear of dolphins, or just having goddamn art block then don’t you think I would have told you by now?”

Balan huffs like the beast struck a chord. “You would have never told me regardless because you fear being vulnerable with others.”

“Well, look who’s breaking out their Masters in Psychology. Should I pay that $75 cash or card?”

“Do you use this witty persona to deflect all the negativity surrounding you?”

Mizzstro chokes on his words. In one swift movement he tears into a frustrated shout, flicks his tail with a charge, then teleports across the stage. The green flash blinks through the theatre’s shifting main room. For a moment, rows and rows of empty seats stare back at Mizzstro. He searches the darkness for their lingering image.

With an uneasy sigh, Mizzstro strolls to the edge of the stage then slumps down against the wall.

“…don’t forget to add my recklessly charming personality to the analysis as well, doc.”

Mizzstro chuckles. Balan doesn’t react, much to the jester’s awkward disappointment.

He looks so small, Balan realizes, crouched against the wall with his knees now tucked tightly against him. He grips himself so hard his claws dig into the fur of his upper arms. His tail curls around his ankles, the sharp star tip still poised to strike.

Balan approaches anyway, though gingerly, floating over to little beast. Mizzstro flicks his tail at Balan’s presence but doesn’t stop him from planting down on the floor beside him.

“Putting on the jester hat, hell, the whole mask…and being everyone’s favorite little shithead…sometimes that’s easier. I can control that.”

Mizzstro hurries to wipe the moisture building in his eyes.

“You’re asking me to process things I’m still trying to understand. I’m not even human anymore, Balan.”

Mizzstro’s words hang between them.

“So, I’d rather put back on the costume cause that’s the only way I can get through this shit, even if it hurts just as bad.”

Balan tenses but finds himself nodding slowly.

“I’m glad you trusted me enough to share this, Mizzstro.”

He squirms at Balan’s words but can’t hide a small grin curling.

“Yeah, well… don’t get used to it. Just give me my heart piece therapy badge and I’ll be on my way.”

Balan searches the jester beast’s face. Mizzstro finally turns to look at him, even if just slightly.

“What?”

“Your heart is still imbalanced and missing, I fear. Do you trust me enough to let me help you?”

Balan reaches out for a moment to comfort him before pausing. Mizzstro flinches at the approach—Balan recoiling. Mizzstro shifts and stares back to the ground, his otherwise lively lilac and green eyes glazed over. His tail taps at the ground.

“It’s not…it’s not that I don’t. I just don’t have much of a choice.”

“Without your heart rebalanced, Mizzstro, you may never leave Wonderworld—“

The beast tenses, “—you think I don’t know that, Bal?”

“Please, allow me to help you…” The maestro’s voice strains with desperation, a rare falter of his grace. “I owe it to you to try.”

Mizzstro wipes his eyes again. He can’t cry in front of Balan, not like this.

“If you knew what you were looking for in my head, then you wouldn’t be asking to go digging. You won’t… you won’t see me the same after. I’m not the same.”

Balan floats to the ground.

“I…regret…that Wonderworld has taken your humanity from you.”

Mizzstro stares off, muttering, “Yeah, well, it wouldn’t be the first…”

Balan sinks. Negativity radiates from the false maestro, even as just a glimpse behind the mask.

“The pain you’re in is too much for you to handle alone. If you truly want to leave, let me help you in the best way I know how. I won’t give up trying,” Balan slowly offers his hand out to Mizzstro, “and I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”

Mizzstro’s ears droop. He looks up at Balan’s hand, then to the maestro himself.

“Even if you vandalize the theatre and terrorize Wonderworld,” Balan chuckles. He gives an awkward shrug.

A small smile creeps across the jester’s mask, but its warmth is real. Uncurling himself, he exhales a long, loud sigh, and grabs hold of Balan’s offered hand.

“You’re frustratingly good at this shit, you know that?” Mizzstro chuckles. “Alright. Show me whatever therapy parlor trick you wanna try now.”

[nakiahsuniverse]

🌙 How Your Moon Sign Affects Your Skincare Routine ✨

Your Moon sign = your emotional core, daily rhythms, and the way you nurture yourself.

So if your skincare routine hasn’t been hitting lately... maybe it’s not you—it’s your chart. Let’s match your Moon sign to a skincare style that actually feels like you 💆🏽‍♀️💗

♈ Aries Moon – The Skincare Sprinter Fast, fiery, and sometimes forgetful. You need something simple, effective, and on-the-go. 🔥 Your vibe: gel cleansers, tea tree oil, SPF sticks, anything that works fast.

♉ Taurus Moon – The Self-Care Sensualist You live for cozy luxury and soft textures. Routine = relaxation. 🌹 Your vibe: rosewater mist, creamy cleansers, face oils, jade rollers. Indulge, babe.

♊ Gemini Moon – The Curious Switch-Up You love trying new products... but forget to stay consistent. Keep it playful, but stick to the essentials. 🧪 Your vibe: exfoliating toners, brightening serums, skincare sets, multi-masking.

♋ Cancer Moon – The Skin-Emotion Connection Your skin reacts to your feelings. Sensitive, soft, and intuitive. Gentle care is everything. 💧 Your vibe: calming masks, hyaluronic acid, fragrance-free moisturizers, oat-based cleansers.

♌ Leo Moon – The Glow Queen You want your skin to shine. You love luxe and drama. Confidence = radiance. ✨ Your vibe: vitamin C serums, gold-infused products, shimmer oils, bougie packaging.

♍ Virgo Moon – The Ingredient Snob (in the best way) Clean, detailed, and perfectionist. You analyze your skincare like a science project. 🔬 Your vibe: niacinamide, antioxidant serums, minimalist routines with effective results.

♎ Libra Moon – The Aesthetic Skincare Girlie You want balance, beauty, and vibes. Your routine should be pretty and peaceful. 🌸 Your vibe: hydrating toners, under-eye masks, matching skincare sets, rose quartz tools.

♏ Scorpio Moon – The Skin Transformer You’re not afraid to go deep—emotionally or exfoliationally. You crave intense results. 🖤 Your vibe: charcoal masks, glycolic acid, retinol, peels, mystery potions.

♐ Sagittarius Moon – The Skincare Adventurer You hate being tied to a 10-step routine. Keep it travel-friendly and fun. 🎒 Your vibe: tinted SPF, multi-use balms, minis, skincare sticks, aloe-based products.

♑ Capricorn Moon – The No-Nonsense Classic You invest in what works. You're all about structure and results. 📈 Your vibe: retinol, peptides, dermatologist-approved creams, eye serums that actually do something.

♒ Aquarius Moon – The Skincare Futurist Trendy, experimental, and a little out-there. You’re the one trying LED masks before anyone else. 💡 Your vibe: serum cocktails, jelly cleansers, tech tools, skincare that looks like it came from space.

♓ Pisces Moon – The Dreamy Ritualist Skincare = fantasy. You want soft textures and intuitive rituals. Your routine is a whole mood. 🧴 Your vibe: overnight masks, creamy cleansers, dreamy scents, anything that makes you feel like a mermaid.

✨ Your skincare should feel like a love letter to yourself ✨ Let your Moon sign (or your whole chart tbh) guide your self-care magic.

Follow @nakiahsuniverse for more cosmic beauty, astrology inspo, and dreamy glow-up vibes 💖🌌

[lullabytaeyong]

Lonesome - R!Yeonjun 🌧️

Summary: Yeonjun struggles with his negative emotions that needs to be balanced with his outside image and work life.

Tags: Light Angst, Crying, Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2.5k

Yeonjun didn’t feel right. He hadn’t felt right for the last two weeks if he was honest with himself. His mood was off, dulled down and declining. He felt lethargic and silently overwhelmed. There was a growing awareness of his own presence and how his emotions affected the people around him. It made each morning a little harder to face than the last. All he wanted was to hide away.

At night, when he laid down to rest or play on his phone, he felt scared. He wasn’t sure why, he just did. Maybe it was the tiring hours of work and schedules. Maybe it was because he was hiding something (his problems) from the people around him, who he knew loved him. It was likely that they could tell something was up. Either way, Yeonjun felt stuck inside his head, too frightened that he would be rejected if he reached out for support.

Yeonjun felt weak minded for wanting to hide instead of fight through what he was feeling. It was embarrassing, since he was always looking for the next goal to accomplish, the next dance to master or photo shoot to ace. Choi Yeonjun “was perfect at everything.” How dare he struggle when everything comes so easily to him. Except, nothing came that easily to him. Doing what he did didn’t come easily to anyone. People seemed to forget that sometimes. But still, it’s how they saw him, and he couldn’t break from the mold of their expectations. He was trapped.

A small voice in his heart wanted to shout at the cameras. To yell, “Stop looking at me! I’m not perfect and never will be! Go away!!” He felt so alone and so analyzed all the time, which he beat himself up for because he knew logically that it wasn’t true. The rest of the boys felt the same way he did at one point or another. Yet, that didn’t bring Yeonjun any comfort. It made him want to pull away further, to keep his issues from weighing them down.

So, he shut himself in his room that night, skipping his much needed shower and skincare. He groaned and knelt down to dig through a pile of clothes on his floor for something to sleep in. Clean underwear at the very least. Everything there was dirty. Fine, he would just ditch the idea of pajama pants and sleep in the underwear he wore all day. He couldn’t be bothered to find it gross because he sweat a lot that day, he didn’t care. No one slept in his bed but him anyway.

Yeonjun scowled and chewed his lips as he puttered around his room, lowering the speed of his fan, kicking an old towel away from his door so he didn’t trip and finally flopped into bed. He tried to breathe in the comforting homey smell of his pillow, but found his chest tight enough to be noticeable. He couldn’t get the faces of their back up dancers out of his head, the way they watched him mess up three times in a row. The eye roll Soobin did that he wasn’t supposed to see. He got in the way of their progress. Kai was encouraging as ever, but it only made him feel more ashamed.

There was a pit in his stomach that kept getting bigger. Yeonjun failed to fight it off on his own and caved, letting it swallow him whole. On coming tears burned behind his closed eyes and slowly leaked out, as he stifled his sniffling. The weird emotions were amplified by his tears and pushed him further into a scary feeling of vulnerability. He was all alone on a sinking ship.

Yeonjun rubbed his face on his pillow to dry it, but it was no use. The tears weren’t stopping, and now, his tummy felt funny. Yeonjun laid there on his side, helpless and small as he sank into a different type of mindset. He bit down on the insides of his cheeks to stop a building sob, but ended up sputtering one out anyway. That really broke the flood gates.

Beomgyu was finishing up moisturizing his face and inspecting a small blemish next to his nose when he heard it. He listened carefully to figure out if whoever was crying so audibly was alone or not, and removed his plush headband when the crying got louder. He immediately realized it was coming from the eldest’s room. The other three were still up and messing around in the kitchen. Yeonjun never cried like that. It made Beomgyu nervous.

“Hyung..” He said, knocking lightly on the door. The only response he got was a sob that sounded vaguely muffled. He spoke again and decided that he needed to go in with or without permission, because something was very wrong.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Beomgyu asked carefully, his head poking into the room from the hall. He spotted Yeonjun on his bed in a disheveled state and approached.

Usually, Yeonjun (or anyone for that matter) would have responded by that point, but all he did was curl up on himself and kick the wall that was flush against one side of his bed. Anxiety and frustration was pouring from his body and Beomgyu could almost feel it. He was caught off guard by the noises Yeonjun made, his whining, sobbing and sniffling. It was so unlike him.

“Hyung, are you okay? Well, clearly not, but you know what I mean…” Beomgyu tried getting through to him again.

Yeonjun couldn’t find his words and tried to reconnect his brain to his mouth but failed. He felt so small with Beomgyu now in the room, sounding calm, grounded and grown up, compared to his frantic, childish crying. His lip trembled as he tried, once again, to compose himself. He expected Beomgyu to laugh at him. How ridiculous did it look to see a grown man blubbering and crying the way he was? Yeonjun wasn’t a toddler, he had emotional regulation skills, but they were out of reach.

Beomgyu sensed his disorientation and took a seat quietly next to him on the bed. He couldn’t figure out how to help Yeonjun unless he spoke up, but he also knew he wasn’t going to leave him alone in such a state of distress. When he got settled, Yeonjun surprised him by flipping over from one side to the other in order to wrap his arms around his thigh, clinging to it like a koala bear. He sobbed against Beomgyu’s leg, as the younger gently combed through his hair with his fingers, accepting that he would let Yeonjun do whatever he needed in order to feel better, within reason.

“It’s okay. You’ll be okay.” Beomgyu murmured. By then, Yeonjun’s noise caught the attention of everyone else and they had gathered at the door, looking in with concerned faces that silently asked Beomgyu to tell them what was wrong. He shrugged minutely and shook his head. He didn’t know the answer.

“Im-hmmm! N-Nnot can’t- M’not em-enoughh-hh!” Yeonjun babbled all together, tears still falling and sobs interrupting himself.

“What was that?” Beomgyu asked delicately, tilting his head to hear better.

“I dunno!!” Yeonjun cried. Beomgyu took to rubbing his back, as Soobin entered the room.

“Hyung, I know this is kind of personal but…are you small right now?” Soobin said softly. At that moment, everything started to make a little more sense to Yeonjun’s brain. He was small.

Yeonjun felt scared, vulnerable and confused. It was a combined response to the stress of his life making him regress while feeling so mentally exhausted. His body didn’t feel right, neither did his clothes. Everything was too big and complex for him to process fully. He needed to be taken care of. Given a chance to recharge without his responsibilities dwelling on him.

Soobin watched Yeonjun nod against Beomgyu’s leg and made a quick plan to get him relaxed and well rested. Yeonjun didn’t share much about his regression with his friends. They knew after he told them randomly after a fan meet, because he started to get noticeably spaced out and easily confused. Other than a handful of times, he kept it all private. On occasion he’d lay with Kai or Soobin in the living room to watch a movie with a teether in his mouth, or get caught spilling juice. Yeonjun was wary with how much of himself he let them see.

Soobin took Beomgyu’s place and helped Yeonjun sit up to get some air in his lungs. He sent the youngest’s off to get him something to drink, and told Beomgyu where Yeonjun’s little supplies were. Yeonjun tried to refuse their help, stubbornly pulling away from Soobin’s gentle hands and whining grumpily. He didn’t force him to do anything, except stay where he was. Yeonjun had a tendency to run away and hide before anyone could see him so vulnerable. Soobin worried he might hurt himself or something if he did.

“I know, Junnie. We just want to help you.”

“No!” Yeonjun yelled, angry at their kindness for about three seconds before devolving into tears again.

Kai and Taehyun returned with a bottle of water, the cap already unscrewed, a snack and box of tissues. Then they left to give him privacy. Beomgyu stayed behind, due to Yeonjun’s panicked mumbling when he went to leave.

“Drink some water, please.” Soobin told him after pouring the water into one of the sippy cups Yeonjun hoarded in a shoe box. Yeonjun refused.

“You need to, I promise it will help.” Beomgyu said. That worked for some reason. Yeonjun took the white cup and put the green spout in his mouth. He laid against Soobin's side, suddenly tired as he sipped.

"That's better, hm? We need to keep you hydrated." Soobin murmured. Yeonjun sniffled and hmphed.

"Here's you doggy, arf arf!" Beomgyu pulled a white puppy stuffie with brown spots out of the box and held it out for him to take.

Yeonjun's lit up and he snatched the dog from Beomgyu's hand. The soft fur, although dingy from years of love, felt familiar and soothing in his hands.

"Do you want to eat?" Soobin asked a minute later.

Yeonjun looked down at his lap without giving a response. His feelings of failure and inadequacy still lingered. He didn't feel like he earned it. So, he shook his head and curled up a little in on himself. Beomgyu shared a concerned look with Soobin and frowned.

"You really should, these are so yummy. I think it's the last pack left." Beomgyu tried to convince him. Nothing.

"Why not?" Soobin asked. Yeonjun glanced his way and mumbled out a response.

"Cause m'not hungry."

"Okay, how about you try a couple bites in a few minutes." Soobin compromised. Yeonjun nodded compliantly and took another sip.

Now that he had something in his mouth, he was able to even out his breathing and calm down. Soobin stayed right by his side, like a sturdy gaurd, always ready to fight off anything that may try to get to Yeonjun. Beomgyu looked through more of his things and found a soft cow plush that Yeonjun got himself as a birthday present.

"Does your puppy want a friend?" He asked playfully, "Moo, Moooo!!" Beomgyu's cow impression sounded more like a strange wolf, as he moved the toys head to make it look like it was howling.

"Moo Moo." Yeonjun pouted, making a lazy grabby hand. He sighed delightfully when Moo Moo was reunited with his Puppy. They were friends.

"You named it Moo Moo?" Soobin asked, smiling softly.

"Mhm. Cow." Yeonjun practically whispered. If there was one thing he like most when he was little, it was animals.

Yeonjun would scroll through hundreds of pictures of all sorts of animals on different dedicated blogs when he was small. He loved to name them as he went, eventually building up quite the repertoire. Sometimes his little self popped into his head when doing mundane tasks, like riding too and from hybe, and got giddy to see advertisements for zoo's. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to contain himself if he ever went to one. Little Yeonjun would be running wild.

"That's right. What's this one?" Soobin asked, taking an adult sized pacifier out of the box.

"A kitty." Yeonjun murmured, eyeing the pink design on the white plastic.

"You're so smart, baby. Good boy."

Yeonjun looked sharply up at Soobin with wide, red tinted eyes and felt the first brick of his worries being lifted from his shoulders. Then it struck him that if that warranted a "good boy" maybe nothing else he did that day really mattered. No one called him a good boy for talking like an adult in all the grown up interactions he had that day. But, he tried so, so hard all day long. Before he knew it he was crying again.

"W-Wait, don't cry! It's okay, Junnie." Soobin said, as Beomgyu tried to coax the paci into Yeonjun's mouth. He took it between his teeth but didn't suck on it.

"Shhh Shhhhh." Beomgyu hushed, crawling up the bed to get a little bit closer to Yeonjun.

"Can you tell us what's wrong, please?"

Yeonjun blubbered and quieted down, sucking on his paci, which evened out his breathing. Soobin stroked his hair patiently until he was finally able to get some comprehensible words out. He started by murmuring about how unhappy he was in his head, then about the dance practice that left him insecure and ashamed. Of course, it went more like, "a-and dancers angryyy at me!"

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry you've been having a hard time. I don't blame you for getting so overwhelmed." Soobin said thoughtfully, as Yeonjun sniffled and rubbed his face against his arm.

"Thank you for telling us. I know that was hard. But, there's no need to worry anymore because we'll take care of you all night long." Beomgyu said quietly. "You can let all those thoughts go away for awhile."

Yeonjun nodded. Getting the things that had been causing him stress out of his brain made him feel a lot better. Now, he was exhausted. He didn't want to move a muscle, but Soobin insisted on getting his teeth clean first. So, the tallest carried Yeonjun to the bathroom and sat him on the closed toilet lid to help him brush his teeth. He went slowly, letting the eldest bask in the comfort of being doted on and taken care of so closely.

"That'll do it, spit the toothpaste out." Soobin instructed. Yeonjun spat into the sink, getting the minty foam all over his chin.

"Oh dear, messy little guy." Soobin smiled, wiping his face clean for him. The playful pet name made Yeonjun's cheeks go pink.

Yeonjun was carried back to his room and laid back in bed with Beomgyu by his side. He wanted him to stay, and since he was smaller than Soobin, it would be a better fit. They checked for monsters under the bed and read a story that made it harder for Yeonjun to keep his eyes open. He held onto his sippy cup and let Beomgyu's voice lull him to sleep. Soobin made sure to get him tucked in with a goodnight kiss before leaving the two alone. Beomgyu silently admired Yeonjun beside him and hoped he knew how much they cared about him. He hoped he could feel it with every hug they gave him, or tissue to dry his eyes with. To them, he was precious.

[bsenvs3000w25]

Unit 9: Can Trees make their own Rain?

Hi everyone,

Welcome to my Week 9 blog post! 

This week, I want to share one of my favorite nature facts trees can actually create their own rain!

Introduction Forests offer much more than just habitats for wildlife and a source of oxygen; they play a crucial role in generating rainfall. This may come as a surprise, but studies indicate that forests can effectively produce their own rain through a phenomenon known as the Biotic Pump Theory.

Forests significantly influence local weather systems, playing a vital role in maintaining ecological balance and supporting diverse ecosystems. This highlights the importance of conserving our forests, not only for the wildlife that depends on them but also for the overall climate and water cycle they sustain. Protecting these natural habitats is essential for preserving both biodiversity and human life.

The Biotic Pump Theory suggests that trees can make and sustain rainful through atmospheric circulation. As trees release water vapor, they reduce atmospheric pressure over the forest. This creates a suction effect, pulling in moisture-rich air from surrounding areas. This continuous cycle helps sustain regular rainfall within the forest.

The Amazon Rainforest, one of Earth's most studied ecosystems, is a prime example of this phenomenon. Researchers have observed that rainfall begins in the Amazon two to three months before oceanic winds bring in moist air. But where does this early moisture come from? The answer lies in the trees themselves. Trees extract water from the soil through transpiration and release it into the air as water vapour. This vapour rises, cools, condenses into clouds, and eventually falls as rain.

Clouds over Amazon Rainforest

A quote that particularly resonated with me was: "In regards to mental health, experiences of awe can reduce stress and improve mood” (Green & Keltner, 2017, in Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 21). Although I’ve never had the chance to visit the Amazon Rainforest, I’ve always been captivated by its stunning beauty. A moment that truly left me in awe was my first visit to Banff, Alberta, where I experienced many breathtaking views.

NASA Data Satellite data has provided clear evidence that the moisture accumulating over the Amazon is primarily due to transpiration rather than ocean evaporation. Scientists analyzed water vapour using NASA's Aura satellite and found it contained high deuterium levels. Since ocean evaporation leaves deuterium behind, the presence of this isotope in the atmosphere of the rainforest indicates that the moisture originated from the trees, not the sea.

NASA Aura Satellite

Final Thoughts

If the Biotic Pump Theory is proven to be true, it will be essential to understand its role in regulating climate and rainfall. However, deforestation threatens this phenomenon. When vast areas of forest are cleared, the natural process of moisture transport is disrupted, leading to decreased rainfall and an increased risk of desertification. Regions that rely on the biotic pump for water could face agricultural collapse, water shortages, and the loss of vital ecosystems. These changes not only endanger local communities but also contribute to global climate instability. Therefore, it is essential to conserve these forests for future generations.

Regions that depend on The Biotic Pump: -American Southwest -African Sahel -Congo Rainforest -South Asia -Indonesian Archipelago

This week, our textbook emphasized the power of awe and how nature can inspire us to take action (Beck et al., 2018, Chapter 21). Were you in awe to learn that forests can create their own rain? Does this information make you feel compelled to take action?

Thanks for reading! Biona🌳🌧 References:

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Chapter 21: The bright future of interpretation. In Interpreting cultural and natural heritage (pp. 457–467). Sagamore-Venture Publishing.

Biotic Pump Greening Group. Biotic Pump. https://www.thebioticpump.com/ 

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2025, March 7). Amazon Rainforest. https://www.britannica.com/place/Amazon-Rainforest 

Latour, M. (2019). Biotic Pump Model. SIProtectors. https://www.siprotectors.org/biopic-pump-model

The Biotic Pump. Climate Action Tai Tokerau. (2020, March 28). https://northlandclimatechange.org/the-biotic-pump/ 

[xoxomoonlightxoxo]

P&C | Ch. 11: Tell Me To Stop

➪ Playlist (Spotify) l Series Masterlist

The hunt has been going on for what feels like hours and yet no one has found the final item yet. Sohee was eliminated by Tae who quite literally spawned out of nowhere and ripped her tag from the back. Jimin was eliminated by Jiah, as the two of them were caught mingling by the lake house. Leaning in for a kiss, he was dumbfounded by Jiah’s quick snatch of his tag, letting out a loud gasp. 

“I’m sorry baby, but I want that jacuzzi,” she exclaims, giving Jimin’s pouty lips a quick peck before running in the opposite direction. With that, four players remained in the game. Jungkook, Tae, Jiah, and I. 

Paranoid by every little sound, I analyzed my surroundings like a hawk. While I might not possess the stamina needed for these types of activities, I am very competitive, so it kind of balances out. I am determined to win this for the girls, so I secure the tag in my shorts and run to the nearest hideout spot. Rummaging through the bags of what appeared to be gardening tools I come to a sudden halt, hiding behind a bush, as I watch Jungkook slowly run past. Eyeing the tag sticking out of his jean pocket, I shake off the nervous jitters before quietly running behind him. 

“What the …” he lets out a growl, grabbing the back of my knees as I jump on his back. Losing his balance, we both tumble on the ground, his hand holding the back of my head to protect it from the impact. Getting his grip off of me I roll over on top, pinning his hands on either side of his face which is now grinning back at my concentrated look. 

“Didn’t take you for a top,” he chuckles, gaze lowered on my lips as I roll my eyes. A soft groan escapes his mouth with each move I make, our bodies fitting perfectly with one another. I can’t help but giggle at his vulnerable state, but focus my attention back on the tag that is now buried under his body. I lean closer to extend my reach as Jungkook follows my lips with no desire to fight back. He is making this too easy, but before I can finally grab the tag a loud horn sound blasts through the speakers. 

“Tae has acquired the last item. Boys team win!” I hear Jimin’s voice announce the news, as I let go of Jungkook’s hands leaning my head back. Not realizing that I was still sitting on his lap I quickly got up and brushed the grass off of my knees. 

“Don’t be sad Peaches, you can visit anytime,” he whispers into my ear, picking pieces of grass out of my hair before caressing the side of my face with the back of his hand. Rolling my eyes I fold my arms looking back at him with a pout as we make our way back to the main hall. Everyone looks completely drained, bodies sprawled on the couch like a display at the museum. 

“I’m gonna take a quick shower,” I let Jiah know, before carrying some of my bags to our room. Walking up the stairs I can feel my muscles ache, so a hot bath is much needed. Laying out some fresh pyjamas on the bed I grab my toiletries and lock the bathroom door. Blasting some Dua Lipa, I try to relax.

--

Wiping the foggy mirror I gasp at the reflection staring back at me. Mascara running down my face I look like an understudy in The Grudge. Shaking my head, I open the tap and begin doing my nightly skincare routine. 

After moisturizing my body I change into a new pair of underwear before reaching for my bra which to my unfortunate surprise was nowhere to be found. 

“Shit,” I whisper, before wrapping myself in a robe and exiting the bathroom. Rummaging through my suitcase I let out a soft sigh realising that my undergarments were packed in another bag. Slowly opening the front door I peek through, checking that no one is there. Running to the next room I scan the surroundings for my bag which again was not there. Shoot. 

Holding my breath, I ran past the main staircase leading down to the living room before heading straight to the next house. Praying that no one saw me as I stumbled into the first room, I once again scan the surroundings, this time spotting my bag. 

“Finally,” I exclaim, gently closing the door behind me before tiptoeing towards the closet where the bag was lying. Checking the pockets to confirm that it indeed belonged to me, my body freezes as I hear the doorknob turn. Peeking through my hands, I can see Jungkook letting out a long sigh as he places his phone on the nightstand and begins undressing. 

“YAH!” I yell, as his head turns towards the closet before pulling the white shirt over, his toned abs on full display now. Walking closer, he grins letting out a soft chuckle, gaze lowered on my exposed legs. 

“What are you doing here?” I snap at him, trying to cover up with my bag. 

“You seem to always blame me for being in my room,” he chuckles, leaning on the doorframe before taking another step closer. Letting out a soft gasp I try to back away before meeting the wall, our lips inches away. I can feel my breathing halt, as Jungkook raises my chin with his thumb and index finger, enjoying my flustered state. 

“You pulled quite a stunt back there,” he whispers into my ear, pecking it softly as I grab his forearm. That is until both of my arms are pinned back by one of his hands, as the other grabs my waist, bringing our bodies closer together. I let out a soft gasp before looking up at his hooded eyes. 

“Tell me to stop,” he whispers in a voice raspier than usual. As much as I regret this, my body has lost all contact with my brain. I can feel my knees buckle from the nerves as my body dips down before being caught back up by Jungkook’s firm hold which places me on one of the shelves. Without any suggestions, my legs naturally spread creating a perfect space for his body which he gladly occupies. 

Falling into the tension between us, Jungkook buries his face into the exposed slit of my chest under the robe, leaving soft kisses. Running my hands through his dishevelled hair, soft moans fill the closet echo. 

“Jungkook,” I whisper as our breaths sync. Looking up, his eyes sparkle under the dim lights as my chest heaves up before he leans into a kiss. It was deep, sensual, even needy. Our lips melted into one another, the concept feeling anything but foreign. I can feel his hand caressing my exposed thigh before going up the robe, that is until our bodies halt upon hearing the doorknob turn again. 

“Fuck,” Jungkook exclaims under his breath, pulling my body down on the ground as I fix my robe. Pecking my lips one last time, he closes the closet door, making his way towards the edge of the bed before seeing Jimin’s head peak in. 

“Jungkookie, have you already showered?” he asks softly, checking out Jungkook's exposed torso. 

“No, not yet, I was about to,” Jungkook replies, grabbing a towel out of his bag. 

“Oh okay, we just can’t find Mira. Have you seen her?” Jimin explains, nervously biting his lip. I can’t help but let out a gasp thinking about how Jiah must have been looking for me this whole time. Stumbling over my bag I catch myself on one of the shelves, covering my mouth as I whimper in pain. Turning their heads towards the closet upon hearing the noise, Jungkook quickly throws the towel over his shoulder before making his way to the bathroom. 

“No, I haven’t, maybe she went outside? Let me just quickly rinse myself and I’ll help y'all look for her” he suggests, signalling Jimin to leave, which he does with a very confused face. Locking the door Jungkook walks back to the closet where I’ve now made myself comfortable. 

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, lowering my gaze as I lean my body on the doorframe. He lets out a soft chuckle before pulling me in by the waist. Leaving soft kisses on my neck and collarbone, he simply can’t get enough of my scent. 

“Jungkook, I better go,” I say, bringing his face up to mine. His gaze lowered to my lips as he brushes them with his thumb before sending me off with one last kiss.

“Bye Peaches” he whispers into my ear. 

Locking the door behind me, I fall to my knees realizing what just happened. 

“Mira, what the actual fuck?” I whisper to myself, burying my face in my palms. Did I enjoy kissing Jungkook? Yes. Do I regret stepping over the boundaries? We shall see. 

--

Finally making my way down to the living room I'm greeted by four pairs of shocked eyes as Jungkook is busy igniting the wood for the fireplace. 

“Miraya did you fall down the toilet or something?” Tae exclaims with raised eyebrows, coming in closer for a tight hug. Before I can even reply, the air from my lungs is quite literally knocked out of me as his grip on my body tightens. From the corner of my eyes, I can see Jungkook become restless before finally deciding to unglue Tae from me. That is until Jiah and Sohee run in for an even tighter group hug. At this point, I'm about a minute away from passing out, but I can't help but feel warm inside from their worries and care. 

Preparing the dining table everyone finds something to do. Tae and Sohee cut up some fruits while Jimin helps Jiah with the turkey, pouring fresh gravy on top and finishing it off with some parsley. Making my way to the kitchen pantry I search for another teapot which was placed on the top shelf, right beside the toaster. Standing on my tippy-toes I balance myself on the countertop before extending my arm as far as humanly possible, letting out a soft whimper. 

“Let me get that for you,” I hear a familiar voice behind me before a tattooed arm reaches over my head. Turning around I'm inches away from Jungkook's silver chains hanging just below his defined collarbone. Lowering his gaze on me, I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. Trying to inch away from his hold with a soft smile, a soft thank you escapes underneath my breath. However, my attempt at an escape is short-lived as I’m suddenly pulled back into the carved-out space between Jungkook and the wall. 

“Stay for a moment longer,” he whispers, caressing my cheek with the back of his hand. There are just inches in between us as the tension pierces through like a blade. From the way our breaths shorten, it’s clear that both parties want the other to give in badly. Looking up at his darkened orbs, I can feel his grip on my waist tighten, pulling me closer into his heated embrace. Hands gliding down from his soft hair, I lean in closer, leaving soft kisses on his exposed neck which was burning. 

“Miraya …” a soft moan escapes Jungkook’s parted lips, lifting me higher, my legs now wrapped around his toned torso. Tightening his grip on my thigh, he uses his free hand to take the pink cardigan off of me. With each button, his lips inch closer to the exposed skin, until I’m left in nothing but a black bra. Playing with his lip rings, Jungkook takes a  moment to appreciate the view in the dim light, before finally placing needy kisses on my collarbone. Interrupted by the lacy material he tries to pull it down with his teeth, careful to expose only the top of my breasts. 

“Jungkook …” I whisper into his ear, before feeling his soft lips on my chest. 

“You’re so soft,” he moans, sucking on my hot flesh, leaving shameless marks all over my breast before raising his gaze, eyes meeting mine. 

“I want you to give in,”

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[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New Jersey Pine Barrens Ablaze

Wildland fires have long been integral to New Jersey’s Pinelands, or Pine Barrens. These highly flammable coastal forests host pitch pines and other trees that thrive with occasional burns.

Yet with hundreds of thousands of people living within these coastal forests, burns can shift rapidly from rejuvenating ecosystems to destroying infrastructure and threatening human life, particularly during droughts. A fire that began in a wildlife management area near Waretown on April 22, 2025, offered a stark reminder of this delicate balance. Within two days, the fire had grown into one of the largest fires New Jersey has seen in decades.

The OLI-2 (Operational Land Imager-2) on Landsat 9 captured images of the Jones Road fire on April 23. In the natural-color scene (top), thick smoke obscures the fire’s mark on the land below. The burned area is evident in the false-color image (above) showing shortwave infrared, near infrared, and visible light (OLI bands 6-5-3). This band combination makes it easier to identify unburned vegetated areas (green) and the recently burned landscape (brown). A sand mine is visible in the upper left of the images. A broader view of the natural-color image is below.

An ongoing drought made the Pine Barrens particularly susceptible to fire in spring 2025. An April analysis of shallow groundwater and soil moisture using NASA observations from the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) and GRACE-FO (GRACE Follow On) satellites showed anomalously dry conditions, according to data posted by the National Drought Mitigation Center. At the time of the fire, the U.S. Drought Monitor had classified drought in the region as “severe.”

According to news reports, the fast-moving fire led to evacuations of large numbers of people from Lacey and Ocean townships, threatened many homes, and sent smoke wafting toward New York City. At times, officials closed both the Garden State Parkway and Route 532. As of April 24, more than 15,000 acres had burned, and the fire was 50 percent contained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. As of that date, all evacuation orders had been lifted and the Garden State Parkway had been reopened, the fire service noted.

NASA’s satellite data is part of a global system of observations that are used to track fire behavior and analyze emerging trends. Among the real-time wildfire monitoring tools that NASA makes available are FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) and the Worldview browser.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Adam Voiland.

[overheard-at-star-command]

'Daddy's Little Princess'

I want to play Dr. Animus for a moment and analyze Mira Nova’s daddy issues. And take a closer look at her dad himself.

(I meant to write this essay for Father’s Day, btw)

In most cases, interpretations of stories are not about what is literally in the text but what is drawn on from the cultural and social experience of the society that created the text. Thus, it’s a stretch to suggest that the writers and creators of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command deliberately wrote Mira’s relationship with her father to be deep or complex. On the other hand, you would be forgiven for thinking that King Nova is just a stock “mean dad” character for a kids’ show.

But, believe it or not, King Nova has a character arc: it’s about a father who goes from being hostile towards his adult daughter to supporting her.

As an adult who has struggled with her own daddy issues, and as someone who has dabbled in the social sciences, psychology, and mythology, I see a much deeper story in the series about the stress of parent and adult child relationships and how the two parties negotiate a new balance between them.

To be up front, I’ve been listening to lectures and podcasts by Jordan Peterson recently, and I will pull interpretive material from his sources. (I understand that Peterson is a controversial figure. If you don’t like him, then go read something else.)

During my first semester of college, a very long time ago, I took an introduction to family studies course. One topic that the got discussed briefly in class was that of family transitions: that is, the question of how families deal with changes such as birth, marriage, divorce, and death. Family transitions bring about changes in how the individual members perform their roles in the family system or relate to one another. The lack of clarity or communication about what these new roles look like creates stress between family members as they try to figure it out on their own. One of the most difficult types of transitions is when an adult child moves out of the household, which my professor referred to (appropriately for this discussion about a kids’ sci-fi show) as ‘launching’. 

Launching creates friction in the parent-child relationship because the parent(s) and child need to redefine the terms of their relationship but will have differing opinions on how to do so. The adult child how has autonomy over their own life. They now set their own boundaries and create their own identity without input from the parent. The adult child either does not fulfil their parent’s expectations for them or outright reject them. The parent wants to support the child but has to let go of providing for most or all of their needs. Social and political differences or even just personal disagreements can cause distance in the relationship and even outright resentment. If not resolved, conflict can lead to one party cutting off the relationship with the other. According to the notes I have saved, my professor remarked that it is the parents who suffer more during launching rather than the adult children.

Father and Daughter

Let me address the elephant in the room: Mira Nova is never mentioned as having a mother. Considering that Mira is a Disney ‘princess’ this is hardly a surprise, since many Disney protagonists, and fairy-tale characters in general, have one or both biological parents missing. Absence or separation from parents requires the hero or heroine of a given story to act as an adult and take responsibility for their own survival. A child missing one or both parents must learn the rules of life by themselves because the parent is not there to teach them. In many cases, absence or separation from parents/parent figures initiates the Hero’s Journey. The archetypal adventure story is a symbolic journey into adulthood itself. Luke Skywalker’s arc in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is about how he gets off his aunt and uncle’s moisture farm where he spent his childhood and dedicates his adulthood to becoming a Jedi.

Assume, for the sake of argument, that Mira did have a mother, but she is absent because of some unnamed circumstances. She may even be dead. Mira and her father are emotionally close because each is the only nuclear family member the other has, and that closeness gives their disagreements higher stakes and greater potential for damage. If Mira’s hypothetical mother was lost or even killed in some tragedy, it would give King Nova a stronger desire to control and protect his daughter.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention “The Lightyear Factor”, which presents an alternate universe where Mira has lost EVERYTHING including her father. The alternate-universe Mira blames Buzz Lightyear for the crimes committed by his evil doppelganger, including the ones that hit closest to home:

Mira: This is for what you did to Tangea, for what you did to my father! I never got the chance to tell him that I loved him. Buzz: See? For all your rebellious fights with your father, you still cared deeply and you should’ve told him.

As Buzz assumes, the same is true for the Mira in the first universe. Deep down Mira still cares about her father, and even the risk of losing him pains her, as hinted at in ‘The Planet Destroyer’.

Flashbacks: ‘Star-Crossed’ and ‘First Missions’

King Nova is a single father and the monarch of a planet with an insular culture suspicious of outside forces. His go-to parenting strategy is lecturing and discipline. He uses Tangea’s genteel society as a box within to contain and protect his daughter. Without a mother figure in her life, Mira has nothing to mitigate or balance out her father’s absolute control over her. To paraphrase Jordan Peterson, then, instead of being the ideal Wise King and encouraging father, King Nova is the Tyrant over both his planet and his daughter’s life.

The flashbacks in “Star Crossed” tell us that as a teenager, Mira snuck out of the royal palace to explore the outside world, thus starting the journey to adulthood in absence of a mother’s guidance and in defiance of a tyrannical father. It was during these excursions that she met and fell in love with Romac, a Grounder. Mira dating a grounder was the manifestation of King Nova’s worst fears: she had gone into the dangerous outside world and betrayed his expectations for her. Her forced separation from Romac traumatized her, and it is not unfounded to conclude that this incident became a source of hostile feelings towards her father.

An archetype that Jordan Peterson refers to in his lectures is that of the monster parent that devours their own child: think of Kronos in the Greek theogony. The monster parent eats their offspring because they are jealous of the child, either for their potential to surpass them or for having other friends and guardians besides the parent. King Nova ‘swallowed’ his daughter in order to protect her from the dangers of the outside world, those ‘dangers’ being independence, romance, and mingling with ‘common grounders’. In this sense, he is on par with fairy tale parents who attempt and fail to protect their children from the chaos of adulthood, notably the father of Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel’s ‘Mother’ Gothel.

It's ironic: no solid walls can hold Tangeans, and yet the king of that species expects his own daughter to stay inside the palace.

A few years later, as we learn in “First Missions”, the Galactic Alliance approached King Nova about bringing the planet Tangea into their organization. He was not in favor of accepting the offer. He only changed his mind because the Evil Emperor Zurg literally invaded his house, forcing him to see the political necessity. In the process of that home invasion and rescue, Buzz Lightyear came into Mira Nova’s life as an alternative parental figure and a mentor. So Tangea gained membership in the Galactic Alliance, but its king lost his daughter in the bargain.

‘The Planet Destroyer’ (episode 7)

The first time we meet King Nova in the release order of the series is ‘The Planet Destroyer’. This is what happens in his first scene with Mira:

Mira: That laser webbing will prevent even a speck of cosmic dust from entering Tangea’s atmosphere. King: This is all much ado about nothing. Tangea can take care of its own. We certainly don’t need monkeys in space suits to protect us. Mira: 'Monkeys in space suits?' King: Mira, you know how much I disapprove of you being part of that space club. Mira: It is not a club, father. It’s Star Command. King: Mmm, yes. Whatever you call it. I don’t like it. It’s beneath us. Mira: Why, because we’re royal? King: Because we’re Tangean. This diversion is keeping you from the proper development of your powers. Besides, if you consort with monkeys. You’re bound to start acting like one.

They have had this conversation before.

Mira returns to her crew feeling absolutely LIVID. “He’s the most vain, egotistical, conceited man to ever walk Tangea!” she mutters.

I think King Nova feels like he is losing control of his life, and he is: his planet’s political status has changed and his daughter has left home. In response, he doubles down on his controlling speech and attitude towards his daughter. He invalidates Mira and her life away from home.

It is my personal headcanon that the lowest point in Mira’s relationship with her father was when she decided to join Star Command. They may have had terrible arguments. She might have left for the training Academy without saying goodbye. He might have not called her or answered her calls while she was at the Academy and perhaps not even after she graduated (or if he did, it was to ask when she was coming back to Tangea). This could be the first time they’ve seen each other and even talked since she left home.

After Mira graduated, she became partners with Buzz Lightyear along with Booster and XR, and Team Lightyear became her new family. Mira has likely talked to her father about her teammates, so I think the king takes Mira finding an alternative family as a betrayal of their relationship. Therefore, he has no qualms about calling them ‘monkeys’ and ‘inferior’ to specifically insult them.

Zurg’s ‘planet destroyer’ device makes Tangea disappear. But Mira, strangely, is not upset about it. I would argue that this bit of exposition could have been written better. However, when Team Lightyear goes to search for Zurg’s weapon, Mira asserts that Tangea isn’t really destroyed because she still has a mental connection to her planet and her father. She doesn’t know how this connection is possible—and then she admits that if she understood her supernatural powers more then she would have a better idea of how and why the connection worked. What Mira really acknowledges is that her father is partly right about needing to develop her powers.

Mira’s intuition leads Team Lightyear to the alternate dimension where Zurg transported the planets he ‘destroyed’. King Nova appears and Mira is grateful to see him alive. But how to reverse the effects of Zurg’s weapon?

King: With my enormous mental powers, I might be able to penetrate the trans-dimensional hull of this so-called ‘planet-destroyer’” Mira: Mm-hm, okay. And what will you do when Zurg’s killer robots attack? King: Oh. Well, I…hadn’t really thought of that.

Now it is her dad’s turn to realize that he does not know everything he needs to save the day. The king has expertise that Mira does not have, and Mira has the combat skills that the king lacks. With Buzz Lightyear’s encouragement, father and daughter compromise in order to carry out the next part of the mission. They succeed, and Mira gets a few tutorials on more ways to use her ghosting powers besides breaking and entering. King Nova does acknowledge that his daughter being a space ranger does have its benefits—but he is not about to give her his stamp of approval.

‘Mira’s Wedding’ (episode 16)

This brings us to episode 16, “Mira’s Wedding.” King Nova admits to Mira when she comes home to Tangea that her betrothal to Fop Doppler was not his idea, but he is one hundred percent in support of the match. At a later moment, King Nova very rudely informs Buzz, Booster, and XR—her other family—that they are not invited: “You. No go. Wedding.” For the king, the forced marriage of is daughter is an opportunity to bring her back into the protective sphere of the Tangean royal court and their father-daughter relationship at home. This is his chance to ‘swallow’ her again after she escaped.

According to Jordan Peterson, the role of the ideal parent is to encourage their child to be strong and independent. The child that is not allowed to leave home because of overly-attached parents can become ‘a crippled monster’. If you want a monstrosity, look at Mira’s so-called wedding dress (*scream*). Thankfully, the whole engagement and wedding is revealed as a plot to destroy the king, and it is duly foiled. Mira is allowed to return to Star Command. The hostility level between Mira and her father returns to its level of grudging respect.

‘SuperNova’ (episode 23)

Now we get to ‘SuperNova.’ Mira discovers ghosting through energy sources amplifies her Tangean powers and gives her more extraordinary abilities. After the first time she does this, she calls her father to brag about it. King Nova, however, sees Mira’s ‘achievement’ for what it really is.

King: Forget this feeling, Mira. Let it wear off. And never think of it again. Mira: *laughing* You’ve got to be kidding! This is so great! King: Listen to me, child: Tangeans absorb the energy we ghost through. It’s invigorating at first, but— Mira: But what? I feel awesome! King: Of course. Until you can’t stop. Mira: Aw, c’mon! I can handle it!

King: Listen to me, daughter: no good can come from this power ghosting. It can destroy you. It WILL destroy you. Mira: You just can’t stand to see me succeed!

Someone watching ‘SuperNova’ for the first time might think that the king is reprimanding his daughter for no reason, as usual. But this time the king is in the right.

The problem with Mira’s relationship with her father is that she cannot tell the difference between her father (or anyone else) criticizing her wrongly and genuinely helping her because the discord between them has lasted for so long Mira accuses him of being jealous of her independence—right assumption, wrong time. After this conversation, Mira doubles down. She becomes addicted to power ghosting through restricted energy sources in order to keep up her ‘high’ and her amplified powers.

As for the king, his parenting style has come back to bite him. It’s a twisted parallel to the proverbial boy who cried wolf.

Mira’s bad behavior gets her a serious reprimand from Commander Nebula. “You sound like my—father!” she says just as her father himself enters the Star Command hangar.

In The Adventure Begins, it was the Commander who recommended Mira to be Buzz’s partner. My personal headcanon is that Mira saw Commander Nebula as another alternative parent figure: the ‘cool dad’, if you like. Commander Nebula chewing her out for her energy addiction and being in cahoots with her real father against her is a huge betrayal.

What’s more, if King Nova is so attached to Tangea, then seeing him away from his homeworld and at Star Command means that this issue is serious. This is him starting to cross over to her side of their divide, even if he himself does not see it as such. He tells her, “If I don’t do everything Tangean-ly possible to stop you from this, I’ll never forgive myself.”

Mira, of course, won’t listen to either her father or her commanding officer. Instead, she decides that she needs to use her enhanced powers to destroy Emperor Zurg once and for all. Buzz, Booster, and XR agree to go with her, but she sneaks out alone for Planet Z: partly to protect them, yes, but running away is a usual way for her to rebel.

The Evil Emperor Zurg had been keeping track on the wayward princess, and when she arrives to destroy him, he has a trap waiting for her. When Mira exhausts her powers fighting him, he puts her in a dungeon cell adjacent to a waiting energy core, a core that fuels a weapon that will destroy Star Command. The rest of Team Lightyear arrives to join Mira, but Zurg springs a cage on them as well.

Enter King Nova. He walks up to the bars of Mira’s prison cell.

King: Don’t do it, child! Don’t give in to your cravings! Mira: What gives you the right to tell me what to do? King: Because I know how it feels! I, too, once ghosted through energy. I felt its power. And it took me to the brink of destruction.

Then, in what is perhaps one of the rawest lines in the whole series, Mira tells him, “Well, I’m not you!”

With that, she ghosts out of her cell and into Zurg’s waiting power core. But then, to Zurg’s dismay, she ghosts right back out of it.

The Evil Emperor is confused. Isn’t Mira so hopelessly addicted to power that she can’t live without it?

Mira’s next line is the moral message of the episode:

“But there are other kinds of strength, like being able to say enough is enough, or helping someone who’s too stubborn to realize she needs help.”

And she looks at her father and her friends as she says this.

Running through the whole scene again, Mira’s statement about learning her lesson seems to contradict the ‘I’m not you’ line. But let me break down the scene from before that moment. When her friends come to save her and get captured, Mira recognizes that their capture is a consequence of her poor choices. 

She tells her father “I’m not you” moments after his big confession, which means she is still processing it when she walks away. I believe that while getting a final charge from Zurg’s power core, Mira comes to terms with what has just happened: her father has confessed that he is not perfect.

Up until this point, Mira’s image of her father was that of a stern tyrant who embodied his own ideas of Tangean perfection. King Nova has now left his homeworld in defiance of his ego and come to Planet Z (Hell) to save his daughter from Zurg (more or less the Devil, horns and all). He has revealed to her that he had the same weakness that she struggles with currently. He wants to help her overcome it not just out of duty but out of compassion. The king’s actions destroy the false image that his daughter had of him. It can be seen as a symbolic death, in Mira’s mind, of the person she thought her father was.

Mira Nova then undergoes her own symbolic death. She comes out of Zurg’s power core no longer glowing like she did when she was supercharged, meaning that she only absorbed enough energy to get out and fight to save her friends. She leaves her spacesuit inside the energy core, rigged to self-destruct in order to destroy the core, and she is armed with a big blaster. Leaving her spacesuit behind to detonate is her way of shedding her ordeal with her addiction; destroying the core itself is ending her physical dependency on it and similar power sources. Both father and daughter have killed their egos.

In the final scene of the episode, Mira apologizes to her friends for her recent behavior. She even informs Commander Nebula that she is willing to resign from Star Command. She holds herself accountable for her recent actions. In contrast to the start of the episode. Mira admits that she isn’t perfect, either as a person or a space ranger. Buzz intervenes and informs Commander Nebula that in spite of her weakness Mira is still good enough to be a space ranger: her actions after leaving Zurg’s dungeon cell prove as much.

And then, at the very end of the episode, King Nova finally tells Mira that she can stay at Star Command. Because of these events, he is finally willing to let her choose her own path for her adult life. Mira has demonstrated to her father that she can do what is morally right for herself.

The entire incident is the turning point for Mira’s relationship with her father. That is why I believe ‘SuperNova’ is one of the best episodes of the series. In spite of how hard it is to watch Mira mess up, she recognizes her mistakes and makes amends, and in the process, she makes up with her dad. The episode’s emotional payoff is sincere.

‘The Starthought’ (episode 48)

King Nova enters the scene in “The Starthought” on a completely different footing. He offers Star Command a high-tech spaceship to add to its fleet—on the condition that Mira pilots it. He is willing to support Mira as a space ranger now, but she has to do it in a way that displays Tangean superiority—his way.  

At first, Mira is not down to be the Starthought pilot. “Can’t you accept I am not a princess here? I’m a ranger, like everyone else.” In spite of now allowing Mira to stay at Star Command, the king and his daughter have still not figured out the boundaries of their relationship. As her father, he wants to still provide support for her, but in an environment where she is an independently functioning adult this is inappropriate. Mira keeps her work life and her home/royal life separate. She does not want special royal treatment as a space ranger, but she’s happy to live and work as an equal to her colleagues. It looks like she tried to tell her father about this but he failed to understand.

What pushes Mira to take the bait, however, is a snide remark from rival ranger Rocket Crocket. Mira might not be as arrogant as the average Tangean, yet she still has an ego problem. The need to prove herself is normal and healthy, but she is willing to do stupid or risky things to one-up her critics. Mira does pull off some heroics with the Starthought. However, her showing off results in the Starthought being captured by Zurg.

By far, my second favorite scene with Mira and her father is at Cosmo’s diner after the capture of the Starthought. King Nova isn’t angry with Mira for losing the Starthought. “The important thing is that you’re all right,” he tells her.

Mira: I was showing off, and that was wrong.  King: Wrong runs in the family.

It’s a very interesting admission. King Nova is admitting that as her father, trying to prop Mira up with the Starthought was a poor decision. He was showing her off just as much as she was using the Starthought to show herself off. He does not excuse himself for this or for any other mistakes he has made in the past.

Team Lightyear goes to Planet Z, and thanks to some clever shenanigans from Mira the Starthought is destroyed before Zurg can use it for evil. Buzz makes the following statement to the evil Emperor, but he may as well have also said it to the king:

“It’s not the spacecraft of Star Command that wins battles, it’s the space rangers—and we’ve got the best.”

And as he makes that statement, Buzz is holding Mira’s shoulder, showing her off for who she is.

Speaking of Buzz Lightyear, one thing I’ve noticed about Buzz in these episodes is that he acts as a mediator between Mira and her father. It was Buzz who encouraged Mira to seek her independence and her identity in “First Missions’. He encourages Mira and the king to compromise with each other, as in “The Planet Destroyer”, and in that episode and in “Mira’s Wedding” he prods the king to acknowledge that it was Star Command’s intervention that saved the day. In “SuperNova”, Buzz uses persuasion to try and talk Mira out of her addiction before the King resorts to calling Commander Nebula. Buzz later affirms her capability as a space ranger to save her from expulsion. In “The Starthought,” finally, Buzz, Booster, and XR sneakily followed Mira to Cosmo’s with the king (they may have brought him there), but they offer silent moral support while the king and his daughter talk it out. Buzz ensures that King Nova plays the appropriate part of the supportive parent that Mira needs. Buzz can be seen as an alternative dad figure—but I think he brings a whole new level of meaning to the phrase ‘mom friend’.  

The final scene at Cosmo’s is an apt finale for King Nova’s arc.

King: I guess I just need to get used to the fact that you don’t need your father’s anymore. Mira: Well, actually…I do. The bill? I left my unibucks in my other spacesuit. Thanks, Daddy. King: *laughs* Of course you did. My treat.

Father and daughter are still connected, even though their roles in relation to one another are now those of hands-off parent and independent adult child. The king has also accepted Buzz, Booster, and XR as Mira’s new family away from home.

Mira’s arc in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is the story of a young woman stepping into her new life as an adult. I conclude, then, that King Nova’s arc is the story of a father who at first refuses to allow his adult child to grow up, but then learns the hard way to let his daughter decide her own future.

I apologize for this being such a long essay but there was a lot I wanted to say. If you are more informed on the subjects of mythology, anthropology, psychology, and family studies or you’re just a fan like me, feel free to add constructive comments or corrections.

My personal takeaway: if Mira Nova can figure out her daddy issues, then mine aren't hopeless either.

Video Sources

(Wish I had more, I put this together on somewhat short notice)

Dr. Joshua Coleman On Family Estrangement

Dr. Jordan Peterson

Pinocchio and Leaving Your Parents

Mother's vs. Father's Roles

Tyrannical Fathers

Saving the Father Figure

Conversation with Jonathan Pageau about AI and Fairy Tales

[tarzantips]

Top 10 Tips for Preventing Premature Aging

Many people are concerned about premature aging as they want to look and feel as young as possible. While aging is a natural process, there are a number of habits and lifestyle decisions that can speed up the process.

We will look at the top 10 strategies to help you avoid aging too soon and analyze how to reverse premature aging. These are easy-to-implement suggestions that will help you live a longer, healthier life.

Tips for Preventing Premature Aging

1. Stay Hydrated

Staying properly hydrated is essential for preserving the elasticity of the skin and general health. To keep your body properly hydrated throughout the day, make sure to drink a lot of water. Limit the amount of liquids that dehydrate you, such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

2. Protect Your Skin from the Sun

Premature aging is primarily caused by sun exposure. Even on overcast days, always use sunscreen with at least SPF 30. Additionally, to protect your skin from damaging UV rays, put on protective clothing and sunglasses.

3. Eat a Balanced Diet

Your body's premature ageing process is greatly influenced by your diet. Eat a diet high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that is well-balanced. Consume whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and other nutrients to provide your body the nourishment it needs.

4. Get Adequate Sleep

Rejuvenation of the body and cell repair depends on getting enough sleep. Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night to support the best possible mental and physical well-being. Establish a regular sleep schedule to help your body's internal clock function properly for premature wrinkles.

5. Manage Stress

Because chronic stress releases stress hormones that change how the body works, it can speed up the premature aging skin process. To control your stress levels, try stress-reduction methods like yoga, deep breathing, or meditation. Frequent exercise is another powerful stress-reduction strategy.

Read: How to Use Aloe Vera for ACNE Scars?

6. Exercise Regularly

Engaging in physical activity not only helps you maintain physical fitness but also improves your general health and circulation. Aim for 150 minutes or more a week of moderate-intensity exercise, preferably a combination of aerobic, strength, and flexibility training.

7. Limit Sugar and Processed Foods

Consuming a lot of sugar and processed foods can cause oxidative stress and inflammation, which accelerates the premature aging disease. To help your body's natural aging process, choose a diet low in processed foods and sugary snacks.

8. Quit Smoking

Smoking is one of the main causes of visible signs of premature aging, such as wrinkles and sagging skin. Giving up smoking has a major positive impact on the longevity and general health of your skin.

9. Stay Socially Connected

Strong social ties have been linked to improved mental and emotional health. Get supportive friends and family around you to lessen feelings of isolation and loneliness, which can slow down causes of premature aging.

10. Prioritize Skincare

Create a regular skincare routine to maintain the health and youth of your skin. Wash, apply moisturizer, and use products containing antioxidants and retinoid.

Knowing your skin type is the first step towards developing a skincare regimen that works for you. Regardless of your skin type oily, dry, combination, or sensitive, pick products that target your particular issues.

The skin around your eyes is delicate; take care of it. To address issues like puffiness, dark circles, and fine lines around the eyes, use an eye cream or serum that contains peptides or hyaluronic acid.

To develop a customized skincare treatment based on your skin type and concerns, speak with a dermatologist about premature aging disease in adults.

(more)

[sneeakers-dubai-uae]

The Impact of Sneakers on Sports Performance: From Basketball to Running

Sneakers, often referred to as athletic shoes or trainers, play a pivotal role in enhancing sports performance across various disciplines. Whether it's basketball, running, soccer, or any other sport, the right pair of sneakers can make a significant difference in an athlete's performance. In this blog, we will delve into the science behind the impact of sneakers on sports performance, with a particular focus on basketball and running. We will explore the key features that make sneakers performance-enhancing, the importance of proper fit and design, and how advancements in technology are shaping the future of sports footwear.

Section 1: The Science of Sports Footwear

To understand how sneakers influence sports performance, we must first look at the science behind their design. Modern sports footwear is meticulously engineered to optimize athletic ability. Key factors include cushioning, stability, flexibility, and traction. Each of these elements is tailored to the specific demands of the sport, ensuring athletes can perform at their best.

1.1 Cushioning and Impact Absorption In high-impact sports like basketball, sneakers with adequate cushioning are crucial for absorbing the shock and reducing the strain on the joints. Proper cushioning helps prevent injuries like ankle sprains and stress fractures, enabling players to move with confidence and agility on the court.

1.2 Stability and Support For sports that involve rapid changes in direction and lateral movements, such as basketball, sneakers with excellent stability and support are essential. They help maintain balance, reduce the risk of rolling or twisting ankles, and improve overall performance by providing a solid base to push off from.

Section 2: The Impact of Sneakers on Basketball Performance

2.1 Ankle Support and Injury Prevention Basketball players often face the risk of ankle injuries due to sudden stops, starts, and jumps. High-top sneakers with good ankle support have been a traditional choice, offering stability and protection to players. However, low-top models with advanced materials are gaining popularity as they provide adequate support without compromising on mobility.

2.2 Traction for Quick Moves Traction is a critical aspect of basketball sneakers, as it affects an athlete's ability to make quick cuts and change directions. Outsoles with multi-directional patterns and specialized rubber compounds ensure optimal grip on the court, enhancing agility and responsiveness.

Section 3: The Impact of Sneakers on Running Performance

3.1 Cushioning and Energy Return In running, sneakers must strike a balance between providing enough cushioning to protect against impact-related injuries while returning energy to propel the runner forward. Midsole technologies like air cushions, foam compounds, and carbon plates contribute to increased energy return, making sneakers more responsive and efficient.

3.2 Breathability and Weight Lightweight and breathable sneakers are favored by runners as they reduce fatigue and discomfort during long-distance races. Advanced mesh materials and seamless construction improve ventilation, preventing overheating and moisture accumulation.

Section 4: The Future of Sports Footwear

4.1 Data-Driven Design Advancements in technology have enabled sports shoe manufacturers to incorporate data-driven insights into their designs. Motion-capture systems and pressure sensors help analyze athletes' movements and pressure points, leading to personalized footwear that maximizes performance and minimizes injury risk.

4.2 Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing As environmental awareness grows, the sports footwear industry is embracing sustainable materials and manufacturing processes. Recycled plastics, bio-based materials, and eco-friendly production methods are becoming increasingly prevalent, aligning with athletes' desire for responsible and ethical choices.

The impact of sneakers on sports performance cannot be overstated. From providing essential support and cushioning to optimizing traction and energy return, the right pair of sneakers can significantly enhance an athlete's abilities. Whether on the basketball court or the running track, athletes can maximize their potential by choosing performance-oriented footwear. As technology continues to evolve and sustainability takes center stage, the future of sports footwear promises even more exciting innovations for athletes worldwide. So, the next time you lace up your sneakers, remember that your performance is not only a reflection of your training but also a testament to the power of cutting-edge sports footwear.

[videoandgraphics]

Moisture Balance

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