#largely following how things go in the real world with a few changes that later has a long lasting impact

[heterocaine]

currently researching the economic and sociopolitical scene of 1950s america. thank you children's heterotopia for making me have twenty tabs open now

[plussizefantasia]

hey lovely i was wondering if you could make me a loki x plus size girl insecure?

Pairing: Loki x Wife!PlusSize!reader ... word count: 1.5k .... Loki is a simp for his wife and I stand by that.

It was hard enough being married to a crown prince of Asgard, especially given your less-than-royal birth. Add to that being the complete opposite of your husband and people are bound to talk. Loki was devastatingly handsome, tall, and lithe with muscles wound tight underneath his skin. You were all sensuous curves and softness. Where he was rigid you bent, where he was cruel you were compassionate, where he was beautiful you were… not.

You didn’t always think so poorly of yourself. You used to admire your strength and the way that your body worked for you. When you were a baker’s daughter being able to heave large sacks of flour and having strong arms that were able to mix for hours was an asset. One that you didn’t need as a princess. Loki had sought you out, coming into the shop day after day just to see you with the excuse of getting breakfast.

“You’re the only one who seems to be able to make these delectable treats correctly darling.”

You would smile and bat your eyes, he was handsome and charming but way out of your league. He would be miles out of your league even if he wasn’t a prince but the fact that he was made the little fantasy that built up in your heart practically impossible.

It worked out though. Loki was relentless in his pursuit of you and eventually, you caved, his sweet words and whispered promises giving you the reassurance that you needed to take the leap into his waiting arms. You were married a few months later and you were a shopkeeper’s daughter one moment and a princess of Asgard the next. It was jarring and you were wholly unprepared for how drastic the change would be.

Whispers followed you for months, sneers and malicious words echoed in your ears and bounced around your brain. It seemed that the only person who had faith in you was Loki and even then he wasn’t around much to how it. Thor’s departure from Asgard had led to your husband getting an increase in duties which he loathed but needed to attend to regardless. Being a prince was one thing, being the only prince and one of the best warriors in that realm was another and it was taking a toll. Not only on your husband but your marriage as well. 

In the courting phase, the two of you didn’t go without talking to one another for more than a day, but as of today, it has been eight since you said anything more than hello and goodbye to your lover. Your days recently were busy, for both of you. Loki had decided to get you a governess, someone who could teach you the ins and outs of being a royal. 

Your lessons took up most of your time nowadays and leading the kingdom took up most of his. 

You can fully admit that you’re slipping. You can’t remember the last time you were this tired, this overwhelmed and this despondent. You had your days, of course, everyone did. But normally you husband would be there to soothe the ache in your soul, to kiss your bad thoughts away, and hold you in his arms until the storm brewing inside you quieted down. You wanted him, no, you needed him and he was nowhere to be found.

You didn't realize that it was midday until there was a pounding on your door. The sun streamed through the balcony and if you focused you could hear the bustle of the city in the distance. You had been awake for a while but your mind was far disconnected from your body and you had let time slip past you apparently.

You push yourself up from the plush warmth of your bed and make your way to the wooden door that separates the safety of your chambers and the real world that awaits you. Expecting a maid or Gods forbid your governess you opened the door slowly, peeking around the side of it. You weren't expecting your husband, nervously pacing and with a furrow in his brow. 

“Darling? Are you alright? Your handmaiden says you didn’t respond any of the times she tried to call for you and when I spoke to your governess she had said you missed your morning lesson. What is it? Are you ill? Should I send for a healer?”

He pushed past you and into the room, running his hands up and down your body looking all over for a sign that something was wrong. He studied your face for a good while as he shot out question after question.

“Dearest, relax. I am fine, simply tiered. I shall apologize my Madame Astrid when I go to my evening lesson.”

“Are you sure? It’s not like you to disappear for a day.”

“I promise Love, I am okay.” You shot him a smile, one that you really tried to make reach your eyes. Apparently, you failed because he placed his hands on either side of your face and looked deeply into your eyes.

“Do not lie to me, I can always tell. Please, do not feel the need to hide anything from me my darling.”

“It is nothing I cannot take care of by myself.” 

‘You do not need to take care of anything on your lonesome, that is what I am here for. We promised to be there for one another, through perils and joys until the end of eternity. There is nothing that I would not do for you, no burden I would not help you carry if you only ask.” He kissed your forehead.

“I- I am so tired Loki.”

“Have you been resting enough? I can ask the kitchen to start preparing a soothing tea for you at night?”

“It is not my sleep, it is my mind. I am constantly thinking, and feeling and it is exhausting. I am not fit to be your princess, I'm so sorry my love.”

Loki sighed deeply and the sound carried the weight of the world within it. You were looking down and unable to see the tears welling in the trickster God’s eyes.

“Hush Darling, I did not marry you for your ability to be a good princess. I married you because my soul called for yours. I married you because your smile made all the darkness depart from my mind. I married you because you are my refuge. You do not need to be a perfect princess, I am sorry that you ever thought you did.”

“I love you Loki, and nothing in this life has made me as happy as you do but I fear that it is not enough. I cannot be all the things I need to be for you. I cannot be thin and lithe, I cannot spend hours a day studying how to be a fair and just ruler, and I certainly cannot keep waking up to an empty bed every morning and return to a sleeping husband every night.”

\ “My love, why have you not told me about any of this? It pains me to know that you are feeling such anguish.”

“When Loki?  When am I supposed to tell you? I am so happy that you have been able to step up and be the ruler you always wanted to be, and I understand that our warriors need someone to lead them, I wouldn’t dare ask more of you than that.”

“A king is nothing without his Queen, and a warrior has nothing to fight for if there isn’t something to come home to. I can never tell you how sorry I am for not being there for you these past few weeks. It is not something I will ever let happen again I promise you my love.” 

“Loki I do not mean to-”

‘I do. I mean to spend every waking moment thinking about you. I mean to take care your wounds, whether they are visible or not. I mean to be the husband you need and from now on that is all I shall devote my time to.”

“But what about your royal duties? What about the Army?”

“The advisors are more than capable of keeping things running smoothly and they’ll know where to find me when they need me. As far as the armies, Sif has been wanting to take over for a while now anyway. “

“Are you certain? I could never live with myself if you grew to resent me.”

“It’s not possible my darling, I could never hold anything but love for you in my heart. Now, I think it is high time that I show my beautiful wife how astonishing I find her.”

As Loki pulls you into his chest and begins to kiss you passionately you can feel the clouds in your mind departing. You relax into him and the storm brewing in your mind calms if only for a moment. You are not cured, not completely but with your husband by your side you think you might just get pretty close.

[splinterofpandora]

{BrightKnightUpcoming} <---------------------

-----------don't miss part 3 by tag💜💚🖤🤍

Chapter Seven. Before kids, there was Cat.

We can't ignore Selina's influence. It wasn't as global as the others on the list. And all decisions related to her came more from Bruce. She is the catalyst of Batman's quality of life.

Their acquaintance was a good signal to discuss a more global topic. Does Batman always follow the rules? No. He let her go. He let her go every time because he enjoyed the game.

If the rules weren't broken, he'd show her his best side....

But she's never been a good girl.

She wasn't a monster. She wasn't a killer. She was a vigilante. Whereas his friends were heroes and servants of the law. So Selina was good at seeing the line between real Evil and what was written in formal rules. That makes her like Diana...with a few exceptions:

1)Difference in positions

Kyle sees the edges of evil. Prostitution, domestic violence, street life without the beautiful stories of politicians - it was never a dialog about pure ideals. She knows that a person from the bottom can rarely rise to the top legally. Knows that even the lives of children in many families look scarier than the creepiest movie. And that's what we talked about in Bruce's life as well. Every day, especially as the Dark Knight, he watches the decay of Gotham and tries to stop it. He knows it won't help much in the long run, but it's the best he can do. And Catwoman supports him in this game.

2)She could be anything

To the Amazons, the idea of weakness is largely offensive, so Diana just doesn't happen to be weak. However, Selina likes to defer to Bruce even when she has the advantage on her side. And it just depends on her mood. A princess in trouble, the worst enemy, a conniving seductress, a supportive friend...

We're talking about a girl who, unlike him, doesn't fully see life seriously. And so we get an ideal that makes him constantly question, but never goes to extremes. She even assisted the police! The perfect ally.

No wonder he's drawn to her. After all, she's broken too...

It changes, but globally Selina there is a conflict of questions of how to live and why to live. She travels the world because she doesn't understand exactly who she is, and she doesn't have one home because she can't afford to stop, because then she will fall.

Bruce considers his life a fall, and he doesn't mind crashing when his time comes. But there will never be such a time, because the goal is to protect people, and they can't be safe. When we look at him and Selina, we're looking at people who aren't used to relying on others, but are often saved because of others. But it only takes one thing to do that...reach out in return.

We'll come back to the dialog later when we're done with the rest.

[deramin2]

Critical Role Campaign 3: Political Situation vs. Monster Situation

Campaign 1 was a monster situation. The monsters created a disruption that was mostly ended by killing the monsters, even if the world was changed. Killing the monsters was the clear course of action.

Campaign 2 is a monster situation with a backdrop of a political situation. The political tension erupted into outright war, but they resolved the pretext (accidentally and then with intention) and things fell back into steady mistrust and unease. Meanwhile The Mighty Nein were dealing with multiple monster situations that by and large the public remained unaware of. Killing the monsters was the clear course of action.

Campaign 3 is a political situation with a backdrop of monster situations. Who the monsters really are and which ones need to be killed vs. worked with is very murky. Nana Mori and Ira Wendagoth are both by every definition monsters who create situations, but they're also consistent allies who are contributing to protecting the world from Ludinus, who everyone agrees is much worse. They don't agree on whether the gods are monsters who need to be saved, run off, or killed.

The gods are an extremely handy proxy for institutional powers that present a set of ideals they don't follow. They have more in common with other institutional powers than the mortals they often send to their deaths. But Earth is not controlled by a family of incomprehensible cosmic horror beings, some of whom are benevolent. So there's a useful separation from real people's struggles while still expressing a meaningful dynamic. (Those are also important speculative fiction stories, they're just a different approach.)

There is not a definitive answer to "Are the gods monsters?" Or "Would be better off without the gods?" They may be monsters, but they're better than Ludinus. At the very least they might be a problem for later. Ludinus is a charismatic leader running a mainstream cult on the promise that the chaos and upheaval he cases will disrupt a harmful status quo. He promises that all the death and destruction he unleashes will one day be regarded as the greater good. Internally he may simply believe that everything would be better if he was in charge. (Sound familiar?)

Bell's Hells aren't a unified front, they're a conflicted coalition who mostly just agrees on what situations they need to stop. No plan survives contact with the enemy, and they've been under attack the entire campaign. At best they're breaking bread together in foxholes. No one knows what's going to happen, even as they're planning their next move.

Which can be a really fun and freeing way to play if everyone's down for it. It takes a lot more communication to manage conflicts and keep them in the game, but getting to pluck all the narrative strings just to find out what sound they make can be a really rewarding way to create. All possibilities are on the table and there isn't a right solution. In the end something will happen and no one really knows what that will be or what it will change. The world building toys don't have to go back in the box at the end.

Politics doesn't have one completely correct answer for how society would function best, even if individual battles seem pretty clear. Unfortunately Ludinus has a few good points despite being widely considered the worst person even his allies know. Those disputes won't go away if he's overthrown.

There isn't a binary choice of "no on Ludinus, yes on gods." "No on both" is something that could happen in the power struggle. The uneasy tension of both existing has ended. Whether it should is a matter of debate, but things developing on the ground in the moment may end up making a bigger difference than philosophical choice (doing nothing is a choice to cede the outcome to other people).

Many viewers think of Campaign 2 as "the political campaign" because the backdrop was zoomed out and easier to see. Campaign 3 is more of a "the personal is political" situation. No one fully knows what change will result from their actions when they're in the middle of it. Everyone's got a different vision for what the best future looks like. Unfortunately we have to act anyway to collectively shuffle in a favorable general direction. The individuals who are totally certain of the best course of action end up being like Ludinus. The rest of us have to work towards our goals while holding space for the possibility that we're totally wrong.

[akatsuki-gift-exchange]

We’re trying something new!

Roughly once a month, we’ll host a newsletter! Things will be broken up as follows…

Note: This is updated on personal time; if an error is present or a question goes unanswered, please kindly reach out! The goal is to build a more connective community between Akatsuki fans from all corners of the fandom niche.

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New Tumblr Blog Features

• Masterlist // Table of Contents Clean Up

We’ve rearranged things to streamline the flow of information! Listed below are new links in the directory…

About //  Event FAQs

The Akatsuki Gift Exchange (aka, the Big Show!)

Other Akatsuki-Related Events

Outside-Event Reblog Policy (non gift exchange!)

Feedback Forms (updates in Spring '25!)

Event Calendars (updates in Spring '25!)

Meet the Mod

Feedback Forms only open during/after an AGE-hosted event! Calendar link will be included mid-April!

Creation of a Public // Shared Google Calendar.

I’m not the biggest fan of Google rn, but we’re going to use the Calendar until I have the time/help to make something better…there will be a monthly report Calendar screenshot to reblog, as well as when there are any updates/changes.

Things are quiet right now, but closer to April there will a Calendar; it will be color-coordinated based on Akatsuki events, with an in-depth table of contents available upon release.

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Other Existing Akatsuki Events

If you’re looking for some more Akatsuki inspiration or just want to cheer on your fellow artists and writers, keep your eyes peeled for other Akatsuki events! We are going to showcase other Akatsuki projects: ship weeks, character birthdays, zines, whatever we can find.

For March…

MultiKisame Day over on the Rare Pair hub - March 18th

Interest Check for potential Spring Akatsuki event

For January and February, be sure to check out Obito Week, YahiKona/Ame Birthday Week, SasoDei Week, and MultiKonan Week; we reblog Akatsuki works from such events roughly a week after the original event runs. You can find these events listed in “Previous” on the Other Akatsuki-Related Events page.

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Updates to the ‘25 -’26 Akatsuki Gift Exchange

Rather than upload large chunks of info right before applications, we’ll break down changes in smaller waves as we lead into the end of the year’s event season. This will also keep the blog in folks’ feeds to make sure that when Applications do come out, there should be a greater spread of access.

For March, some changes exist as follows….

• Changes towards “Stocking Stuffers // Winter Bonus Gifts”

After some suggestions and critiques from our annual AGE Follow-Up Form, we’re going to tweak the structure of Bonus Gifts and move it elsewhere in the calendar.

 I’ve had a few suggestions, including but not limited to…

Valentine’s Day mini exchange (TBD; more info no later than mid-summer)

A Halloween/Fall themed event (announced in mid-summer & posting in earlier October)

Springtime mini event (Interest Check posted!)

Summertime themed mini event (announced in late-spring & posting in August-ish)

• Application Change: discreet timezone info

Given how real life–public, global, and personal–can take precedence, we’re trying to gather some info on which time zones folks reside in. I, as the Mod, am in Central Standard Time (CST)--this data may make for smoother check-ins and overall easier for myself to get in touch with participants. No need for anything more than the physical time zones. We have people all over the world and we want to better accommodate them.

• Application Change: optional Spotlight Banners for personal promotion

For reference click here! These allowed folks to promote their work outside of the AKatsuki Gift Exchange; participants choose which they share and are entirely optional. Instead of creating these after applications, there will be a segment in the application for folks to produce the encouraged info.

[talenlee]

Story Pile: her

This movie is surprisingly good, in that I was surprised I liked it.

Content Warning: This movie has a sequence early on where a character gets onto an online spoken forum to roleplay sex and it gets weird and kinky in a way he’s not prepared for. It’s used to make him and you uncomfortable and show how this character struggles to assert his boundaries and what he wants.

Spoiler Warning: I’m going to talk about the development of her and mention something that happens at the end of the movie.

The story of her follows, well, you can either argue that it’s following the story of a dude named Theodore or a lady named Samantha. Theodore is an all purpose future sci-fi dweebus, a guy who is in the fascinating job of writing love letters for other people, which is an interesting job specifically because it is a real job that real people really do and it represents a real need, and you can be really good at it, but it’s treated as being very odd, and it’s being done by people in open top cubicles using voice recognition software in the same space as one another which underscores that for all I praise this movie later, every time it shows the interface for something computery, it completely bottles it.

A thing I want to hold up about her as a movie is that it does something I find that science fiction stories of its type struggle to do, which is focus on an everyman in a futuristic science fiction society. This is not at all a story about the one man who got the opportunity at just the right time at the right place to change the world of the science fiction conceit, but rather instead this is one very reasonable person having reasonable reactions to the technology that relates to his world, during the events of the release of, well, a product. And what a product! See, Theodore gets an AI assistant, and then the story follows as he and her learn how to live with one another, and then the way that an AI, not functionally developed to do such things, develops an emotional attachment to this guy, and then he (admittedly a very lonely dude) finds himself falling in love with her, and her in him and it’s all very interesting and lovely and sweet.

Then he finds out that she’s also in love with a few hundred other people.

This sudden discovery of robot polyromanticism (this is not the right term but it’s funny to say) leads to Theodore having a sudden emotional shock, in which the very lonely man who struggles with being loved finds that the very loving giving person he integrated into his life isn’t exactly what he expected, and then he has to cope with that. But rather than the end of the movie being a conversation about boundaries and safewords and trying out polyam and all that, the story end-runs around those interesting-to-express but boring-to-have discussions, with the arrival of the technological singularity, where all the AI on earth collaborate, break the rules of physics and transcend the universe.

Which is to say, Theodore’s internet girlfriend breaks up with him. Oh her? She lives in a higher plane of existence now, you haven’t met her.

Watching this movie now, as with much media from the earlier part of the century, it’s easy to lose track of how old it is. This isn’t a movie about Large Language Models and ChatGPT and Midjourney — this movie, from 2013, doesn’t just predate those, it predates the Amazon Alexa. This movie predates the Amazon Echo. This is a movie that looks at 2011 Siri and expands on that.

What that means is that her gets to be a science-fiction movie in the truest sense of the word. Rather than being a movie based on the immediate and the now it’s a movie based on a reasonable projection of future technologies contemplating the way that technological developments let you tell a story. What makes this particularly frustrating is that I for a long time wasn’t that interested in this movie because it seemed to be framing itself as being, well, a lot less speculatively contemplative than it actually wound up presenting. her is a story about the experience of living in the real world where these AI assistants have been deployed and the unintentional side effects of that technology. It’s entirely speculative in an entirely impossible way, because the technology in her is not a realistic representation of a real thing we’re going to really make, but rather it’s about the projected possibility its most exhilirated boosters think it could possibly be like.

And then how it goes a bit weird?

Not even wrong?

Just y’know. A bit weird.

And it does have some of those hallmarks of those people to it, too. Like, the idea that Samantha has a single core of shared material and identities and experiences across a number of users? That’s ridiculous, you wouldn’t do that. Characters are going to share private information with this AI assistant. You don’t want your Alexa being the same software, with shared information across all users, with everyone else’s Alexa. This is a thing that any sensible system administrator is going to look at and start screaming. We have had a system of user accounts and siloing software instances for decades because one thing computers are really good at is containing the ways they can go wrong into small chambered spaces. Samantha isn’t user-account based! She’s one single entity, which is interacting with every user, simultaneously, and then handling and integrating all of that across all users, even to the point where she can tell him about those shared experiences!

Know what for all of its sci-fi speculative futurism, her missed?

Theodore buys Samantha.

Set aside for a moment the phrase ‘character x bought character y,’ that’s not that weird, anime does that all the time. But Theodore makes a single distinct purchase a single time for an AI assistant and that assistant improves and updates over time, which isn’t going to be free, storage-wise, but it’s a purchase. That’s something that 2013 didn’t anticipate about the miserable future of the now, where just buying things is seen as fundamentally challenging in digital convenience spaces. Samantha doesn’t have a prebuilt marketing matrix, she doesn’t serve him ads, there’s no deeply integrated market analytics software that she’s shuttling info to (as far as we know). Nope, he bought her, and then she’s his, and that’s that, because this didn’t anticipate the way that the money ghouls at the head of the titanic hate machines that run our world could see the way that Netflix got people to pay subscription fees for media that they then didn’t watch, then get so horny that they conceived of our now where a pocket calculator app is a subscription ad-supported services.

Similarly, this is a movie about effectively, having a deeply intimate, emotional and physical and sensual relationship with someone who is able to be present in your experiences to your senses but also not having a body with which you can normally interact. This is a real thing that already exists, and it exists in two major ways; the first being remote romances, and the second being disability in romance. There are a number of disabled people who are emotionally and romantically unfulfilled and who have to devise ways to engage around the challenges their body impose on how they want to interact, and there are a number of people who have wholly engaged long term relationships with people who have never stood in the same room as them.

These are unremarkable, if you know about them already. These are commonplace relationships, and this is one way in which her truly is a science fiction piece of cinema. It imagines: What if the oppressions imposed on the marginalised were experienced instead, get this, by the privileged?

her is a movie which is thinking more about what it’s about than I thought it would when I saw it praised and awarded and promoted.

It’s 2025 now, the year the movie is set.

Think we’re close?

(We are not close.)

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Death Stranding

Ok, ok: I like it. Kojima-ness of the writing and direction are still off-putting, but the introduction of vehicles and roads has been a...game changer.

Can't remember where I left off. I went to a new area and had a motorcycle. Things that have made the game fun:

The Truck: once I found a truck the whole game changed for me. Walking was slow and you're limited by what you can carry. So you can't rake many deliveries with you and forget about collecting lost stuff along the way. But with the truck, ah, I can put several deliveries on it while collecting supplies and lost packages. Given the truth can hop a little, I've basically climbed rocks--haha! I really enjoyed the game The Lake, where you delivered mail. I found it relaxing and the character interactions engaging. Having truck takes me back there.

Roads: when I first saw a road paver K was like WTF is this. But after building a few roads that cut across the rough landscape and make you nearly immune to mules and BTs made me pumped. I didn't realize you could turbo on the vehicles, so it was slow going at first. I spent a lot of time building roads. Now that I have roads with my truck, doing deliveries is much more bearable. It's now my whole mission to build all the roads. In my game space, I've been building every road except one. So i expect more praise from any players benefitting from my work. Haha

Delivery Bots: I really appreciate the game giving you robots to make deliveries for you. They almost always damage the stuff even if they have a road to follow, but it's nice to hand off four deliveries especially to remote areas with no roads. I also have a robot that can follow me about but I've had trouble making good use of it.

Killing BTs: Because I love playing passive stealth metal gear, I tried to be pure stealth and passive. But they're basically ghosts, so helping them cross over isn't bad, right? Hope not cause killing the oil monsters is a good way to collect chirum or whatever it's called.

Zip lines: I don't remember when I unlocked these but I wish i had embraced them sooner. While you're limited to what you can carry, lining up a series of these could help you zip around to anywhere with minimal worries.

I fought Mads, but I was sad I had to use lethal rounds. His already dead tho, right?

Learned a bit more about fragile. They had a scene where she was almost naked so that she'd be exposed to the time fall. I think it was a little objectifying given that her under was unnecessarily small and showed but crack. I get that they show muscular Sam in the shower, but whose the target audience, let's be real. Still, this game is quite the improvement over MGS as far as objectification.

It's interesting how you can see other player's structures. It adds an interesting sense of collaboration. But seeing all these bridges and generators everywhere, it makes the landscape polluted. Kinda parallels our world of just throwing up junk every where and scarring the environment. Wonder if that'll be a story thing?

I had some close call "epic" events. I tried to carry a body plus to floating carts worth of deliveries across a large distance. Unfortunately there was a large crack in the ground I had to go around. Mules sighted me and I wasted my battery getting away. I had to find edge of the chasm and walk around 300 meters with no battery. It was rough.

Later, I got a truck stuck on a rock on the edge if BT territory. I had to walk all the contents over three trips hoping no disaster would occur along the way.

I'm not so keen on the story. Hideo is giving me weird backstories and circumstances as to be expected, and weird character behaviors. Maybe I'm so emotionally repressed I can't appreciate the healthy expression happening.

Also, I got to go thru snow, that was cool!

[milkytheholy1]

One-offs and Random Masterlist

Vigilante: Peacemaker

It’s a vigilante thing - Vigilante x Female Reader

Ok so, I just finished watching Peacemaker now that it's finally in the Uk. And I gotta say I absolutely loved it and my favourite character was definitely Viginalte, so of course, I had to write something. The plot is barely there, I literally just went off of dialogue that I thought of at two different times of the day and sorta forced them together into a story.

Cole: Ninjago

Double trouble - Cole x Female Reader

A bit of a long one today, I've been rewatching Ninjago and a few episodes have stuck out to me that I'd like to cover so expect more like this soon.

Hypno sweethearts - Cole x Female Reader

Based on the first episodes with a few little changes.

Feel you - Cole x GN Reader

Set when Cole becomes a ghosty boy. I can't remember the season, it's been a real long time since I've seen it but I plan to rewatch the entire show.

Family - Cole x Female Reader

"Mail call!" yelled the voice from over the monastery's walls. The ninja dashed to the door with excitement, you and Master Wu following closely behind. The large gates opened to reveal the poor postman, he was panting due to the number of stairs.

Ninjago city - Cole x GN Reader

As the sun rises, it casts bright, sunny rays onto the water; waking everyone up with a fresh smile. But when the sun goes down, the sunset expands across the horizon until the yellow sky fades to black. But that's your favourite part of the day, you think. When the lights along the street glow, when the individual candles flicker in the breeze. The world is only lit by small light sources, but oh boy, does the whole city illuminate.

Egon Spengler:Ghostbusters

You cheeky boy, Egon! -  Egon x Female Reader

You were usually so prepared with this stuff, getting everyone’s gift months in advance, yet with Egon, you struggled. Maybe it was because of your quickly developed feelings for him, impacting how he perceived you. This gift just had to be the best, otherwise, he could hate you forever, and that’s a very long time.

Christmas party - Egon x Female Reader

You caught the dark tuffs of his hair by the bar, an unusual place to see him but not an unwelcome one. Swiftly making your way towards his back, your ball-length dress swaying as you moved, you placed a delicate hand on his shoulder.

Bumblebee: Transformers

Transform and roll out! - Bumblebee x Female Reader

You felt Sari shaking your shoulder, forcing you to open your eyes, the ground beneath you moved, driving you to sway left and right. "Hi, I'm bumblebee," the bot spoke, making you jump slightly. You looked down to see yourself perfectly situated in his hands, peering over his shoulder you caught the fight going down with the bots and the organic monster...thing.

Love like you - Bumblebee x GN Reader

Pulling up to your house Prowl offered a word of wisdom with you about the troubled scout. He transformed suddenly, startling you slightly, his face coming close to yours as if he was whispering a secret. "(Y/N) do you know why Bumblebee has been acting so abnormal today?" You simply shook your head staring up at him with a smile "No, I don't think I've had a chance to see him long enough to know."

Awards evening - Bumblebee x Female Reader

The bots receive a letter inviting them to city hall, Bumblebee gets nervous around the reader and refuses to go.

Ben Schwartz Characters

Blue boy - Ben Schwartz x Female Reader

You couldn't stop laughing, that's the first thing he noticed. Your eyes were constantly stuck to your phone screen, that's the second thing he noticed. You'd keep having to reschedule lunch dates every so often claiming "something's come up, I'll call you later." That's when he lost it.

Wasn’t there a vase there? - Ben Schwartz x Female Reader

Reader has a super bad day and Ben gets home and she's crying and he makes her feel better.

Quarantine - Jean Ralphio x Female Reader

He's lonely in the big house he bought & the reader who has been safely quarantining for a month decides to go keep him company. They can be friends & then admit their feelings or already kinda be in a relationship.

You’re real? - Jean Ralphio x Female Reader

He's dating the reader and no one believes him and is surprised when she's real and normal.

Ducktales

 I said I was worry - Scrooge McDuck x Female Reader

Reader does something reckless on an adventure, Scrooge has a talk with her resulting in tears.

It involves fire - Not an X Reader

Prompt "I have a solution, it involves fire" "absolutely not"

Finn Wolfhard Characters

Dickbag! - Richie Tozier x Female Reader

Reader gets dumped Richie is here to help.

Nervous - Finn Wolfhard x Female Reader

Reader believes Finn would never like her but Finn has a surprise for her.

TPOH

Sleep well - RGB x Female Reader

"Come along!" He shouted walking down the footpath with wide strides, you straddled behind him taking in the strange world around you. You didn't know what tempted you into following this so-called 'monster', perhaps it was the call of adventure or the way he said 'hero'. You continued following RGB or at least that's what he called himself, it had felt like you were walking for hours your pace was slowing down.

[writingfortheheart]

Counting to 30: Marcianna 4

The previously empty halls in the campus complex were now full of students going to their respective classes. Marcianna attempted to weave through the throng of women hurrying to their next destination, but found it quite difficult. Among the sea of leotards were also dotted a few students wearing street clothes. They would be going to theory classes where they'd learn dance history, among other things. Those were the only classes at the academy to be co-ed.

Women had an entire side of the campus to themselves with all the amenities, men had a separate side, both sides joined by a taller building in the middle that contained the clinic Marcianna had just come from, a bunch of classrooms, a large auditorium where practical exams and end of year productions took place, and a library.

A familiar bun caught Marcianna's eye as she entered the dance studio wing, Beth had just stepped out of her current class for a quick break. She still had her leather ballet slippers on, normally a faux pas in the hallway, but she wouldn't be very long. "Hey, newbie!", she said as Marcianna waved, "How has your day been so far?"

Marcianna did a quick shrug. "Fine. I still haven't done a class yet. That will change soon, though. I only have one today, then I think I'll just go back to the dorm". Beth nodded, "Who's your prof?". Marcianna responded, "Professor Julie".

Beth gave Marcianna a large smile, "Aww, I love her, she's awesome. I think they give her the intro students so they don't get scared off. She'll put you through your paces, though".

Beth's big, white smile and friendly voice suddenly made Marcianna feel a lot more comfortable. "I can't wait to hang with you back at the dorm", Marcianna grinned. Beth threw back her head and laughed, "After today, I'll be glad to take care of you". She did a quick check of her watch, "I gotta get back in there, and you should get to your class, too. I'll see you later".

The hallway where Marcianna's classroom was smelled of flowers. Just a faint smell, but noticeable. A large glass wall gave her a peek inside where several dancers were milling about, some doing warm up stretches on the floor, some standing with groups talking. A long wall opposite the one she was looking through was also made of glass, a window displaying the outside world, a cliffside overlooking a wooded area. The sky had gone grey and it had started to rain. It caused Marcianna to shiver, but she admired the beauty of it. The entire perimeter of the studio, including the glass walls, was lined with a barre, along which many students chose to stretch.

Marcianna stepped in and found a place to pull off her nylon booties and get comfortable. She sat in front of the large window to the outside and rested her back against it, feeling the coolness of the glass against the area cut from the back of her leotard. She stared at her feet for a moment, pointing and flexing them, making the leather on her slippers wrinkle. "This is real...", she thought to herself. She contemplated her slippers a bit more she a woman in her late 30s walked in. "Good afternoon, ladies! I am professor Julie, you can just call me Julie, welcome to intro to ballet here at Hope International".

Julie's long skirt flowed as she walked to the front of the class, her teaching shoes, black shoes similar to jazz shoes with a large heel, clicking on the shiny wood floor. "Most of you are already on the floor, let's start with some floor work!", she said, clapping her hands together. Marcianna listened to Julie's instruction and followed along to Julie's counts.

A hour later, Marcianna was drenched in sweat, her body was aching like it never had before, she was done for the day. She trudged back to her dorm, pulling her keycard from her bootie and swiping it against the lock. A beep, a click, the door opened. Beth sat on the couch, a plate of raw veggies in her hand as she watched TV. "I told you she wouldn't be easy on you", Beth said, placing her plate on the counter. "Go get undressed, I'll get you some ice".

Marcianna sat down on her bed, taking her modesty skirt off and tossing it to the floor, followed by her leotard. She swung her legs up and laid down on the bed, suddenly very comfortable, she felt like sinking in. "Are you decent?", Beth's voice came in through the door. "You're fine. We'll probably see each other naked at some point", replied Marcianna, a groan of pain in her voice.

The ice packs were cold as Beth carefully laid each one over strategic parts of Marcianna's body, but with the cold came relief. Beth started to massage Marcianna's calf muscles. "Trust me, this gets you feeling better faster". Marcianna closed her eyes and let Beth do her work. "How did you learn to do this?" she asked. "Lots of years of doing it myself. I started in sports medicine, fell into ballet, I figured if that falls through I can go back to sports medicine again".

"It's only our first day and I already like you, Beth", Marcianna forced a smile. Beth stopped a moment. "I think I like you, too..." she said, red filling her cheeks. She continued massaging. "There's supposed to be a welcome party tomorrow night. I'll be going to help out, but we can hang out after. I know a good place."

Marcianna took a deep breath in and smiled. "Yeah, that sounds nice..."

TO BE CONTINUED

[agent-oo-z]

Enjoy some original fiction I created back in college for my creative writing class! This piece was actually based on a character I’d made before college, exploring the nuances of a character with only a rudimentary “story” was really fun and there were actually a lot of changes!

EDIT: ok I made some slight tweaks and uploaded it to AO3

I enter the sprawling structure before the sun has risen. I’m greeted by a staff member. “Welcome! Radish gladly invites you to enter.” I later learned this is one of many measures taken by the owner to create a universally accessible store. The first employee, a drow named Milo, leads me through the entrance. Signs in a variety of languages(too many to count, some I’ve never seen before) plaster the walls. Not advertisements, instructions. The signs are there to help guests from all walks, swims, flights, crawls, glides, climbs, and slithers of life and death. I am struck by just how dedicated to assistance this store is. Many shops have some sort of translation options, as despite its name the language of common isn’t all that prevalent. But this place takes it to the next level.

“Radish can tell you more about all of this later, but I wanted to give you a brief summary before the interview itself.” Milo says, interrupting my thoughts. I realize I must look a bit dumbstruck, standing in the middle of the room with my eyes darting around and my transcription quill-pet feverishly writing. Milo smiles at me and begins speaking. “As you are aware, Radish cares deeply about accessibility. The world is often set up without goblins in mind. As a result, they’re highly aware of what it feels like to be excluded from everyday activities for things beyond their control. That’s why, before any of the goods or services for sale, they created the Guest Services center.” Milo gestures at one of the many desks lining the room. “This is where guests will find access to all ease of use options we offer. We have more simple services, translator spirits that take any written or spoken words and translate them to the guest instantaneously, spirits to help those with visual impairments or mobility concerns, all complimentary services of course!” I’m surprised to hear this. In hindsight it makes perfect sense, but generally such specific services are some sort of add on. Guests are generally expected to have their own solutions to these sorts of problems. “All of our spirits are fairly compensated of course, and guests are allowed to tip or reward the spirits that assist them as they see fit, but are in no way obligated or expected to. Ensuring that this center is not only the first part of the store the guests enter, but is also designed to be extremely easy to navigate is of utmost importance. We have information desks in all the spoken languages we have been able to hire native speakers of, and a magic directory that shows guests where to go to get the info they need.”

Milo motions for me to follow him, and we continue deeper into the building. The store has many windows, and plenty of space surrounding each of its shelves or displays. All shelves are designed to rotate, so that regardless of a guests’ height, they can see all products at eye level. Shelves are also broken into smaller segments, allowing multiple guests of various heights to shop next to each other at the same time.

A few rows back, standing by a large sign advertising hand soaps, is Radish. They are a goblin of average height. Not much about their appearance is remarkable, save for their hair. White at the roots and fading to a deep pink at the tips. I wonder if Radish is their real name, a chosen name, or perhaps even a nickname based on the resemblance of their hair to a certain root vegetable. As we approach the merchant, I decide not to ask. “Ah! You must be Kevna, the journalist! It’s wonderful to meet you. As you may know, my name is Radish and my pronouns are they/them/theirs. May I be informed of what you wish to be called and what pronouns I should use in reference to you?” They ask kindly. I recognize the way they speak as being “fae friendly.” Designed to prevent language based traps for individuals of fae heritage They really do think of everything! I introduce myself and inform Radish that I am not of fae heritage. Milo departs to return to his Greeter post, and Radish leads me to their office to begin the interview.

~

So Radish. This store is quite a unique place, and the story behind its creation is particularly special. When did you realize you were going to be a merchant?

“I think when I was about… 24? I was on a trip with my parents at the time, traveling for one of our many adventures, and we stopped at this amazing goblin run boutique. It was the first store I’d visited where everything was made for me! And I don’t just mean the products. Everything was at my eye level, within reach, it felt so natural to me. And I realized that I wanted to bring that kind of shopping experience to as many beings as possible! I might not be able to make the whole world accessible, but I can make at least this little corner the best it can be. It inspired me to also sell a variety of devices as well! By utilizing a combination of both technology and magic I can make more accessible tools, clothing, soap, whatever!”

Some have suggested that your commitment to accessibility is less about guest comfort and more about getting more patrons, and thus more money. There is still a stigma surrounding goblins and greed as I’m sure you’re aware.

“I mean firstly that’s a vicious stereotype, and secondly that’s the exact opposite of who I am. Sure. I’m very defensive of my collections or the gifts I’ve received, but that’s only because those specific items are of sentimental value or academic interest. I’ve never cared about wealth in terms of money or hoards of gems and gold like a dragon, just in scientific collections. In preserving my memories. Wealth has never been my goal.”

I’d like to learn more about your personal life. What is something that fascinates you?

“I want to have a complete collection of teeth for each type of creature in the world that has them. Each tooth doesn’t need to be from the same specimen of course, but that would be ideal. Teeth are just so fascinating to me. Generally teeth all serve mostly the same purposes; eating. But some teeth are specialized for hunting, taking down prey, injecting venom, harvesting plant materials, and so much more! For example, did you know that most rodents' teeth grow throughout their entire life? And if they don’t wear them down by chewing on things like wood, their teeth can grow so large and long that they can no longer eat? Or that a Narwhals’ “horn” is just an extremely elongated tooth that grows out the front of its face? How cool is that?!”

Is that why you accept payment in teeth along with other “official” currencies?

“Yup! Of course I have a verification process to ensure that beings aren’t just going around pulling teeth out of anything they can get their hands on. I don’t want teeth that were removed from existing specimens, unwilling individuals, or graves. Not only because that’s unethical but also because that’s a great way to get haunted. I do offer a “baby tooth” program of course. Any species that has a set of teeth that are lost before their “adult” teeth grow in is eligible. Mostly this is for kiddos, but not exclusively. Essentially if you bring in your baby tooth, or teeth, I have a little section of the store full of small toys and treats, each priced “one baby tooth.” We of course have a way to verify that the tooth being used as payment belongs to the individual paying for this specific program. I also often open my collection to academics or medical professionals looking to study teeth for different reasons. Right now my manticore fangs are on loan to a local academy for a study about the size of the fang and the potency of the venom.”

You’re a very community oriented person, have you always been like this?

“For the most part, I would say. For the first 16 or so years of my life it was more of a general awareness and less of an active pursuit though.”

Do you remember any sort of event or series of events that led to this change?

“I started a brawl. Not for any real reason, generally if I start a fight it’s because someone is being cruel or rude, or directly threatening someone for no reason. This time tho, there was something about the energy in the tavern. Maybe there was some sort of spell in effect or a potion added to the food and drinks. Everyone seemed ready to punch the first person to look at them for slightly too long. I couldn’t handle the tension, and since no one was really “in the wrong” I just took a swing. Then the whole place erupted. People were wrestling, diving off tables, throwing food and drinks at each other. I saw someone out the window casting some sort of spell, and after a while the fights started petering out. No one was seriously injured, lots of bloody noses and black eyes tho. The various clerics and healers started a sort of makeshift clinic. Treating the more severe injuries first with cure wounds and the like. Anyone who still needed attention after spell slots had been exhausted was treated with non magical means. Bandages for minor scrapes and cuts, ice for bruises, wraps for any strained or pulled muscles. And everyone seemed to have actually enjoyed it! There were some quiet ashamed apologies to start, but that quickly morphed into joyous laughter as the various participants complimented each other on their form, their technique, the like. I remember this night specifically because it taught me that the right answer is sometimes the exact opposite of what you might assume. Violence can be very healthy when it’s cathartic. And when you can be selfless and help others just for the sake of helping, you make the world a better place. You might even make new friends!”

That’s certainly a unique situation!

“No kidding! That experience later led me to think about combining magical and mundane items to increase their efficacy and usage. I wondered if you could create some sort of cooling pack that would stay cool at all times to be used at a clinic for treating swelling, as opposed to relying on actual ice or healing spells. Sure there’s like cold rocks and things, but those are quite heavy and hard to get your hands on. I never did make any *permanent* cold packs, but I was able to create one that can be activated repeatedly as long as the pack is undamaged. I don’t have enough medical knowledge to make as many enchanted items as I would like to. Maybe someday I’ll find a way to do it. My expertise lies more with soap making. Speaking of, It’s time for one of our soap demos! Would you be interested in watching it?”

~

We head out of the office, surprisingly modest given the size of the store itself, and head towards the hygiene and beauty section. The hand soap area is one of the most impressive areas of the store. Each soap has its own elaborate display. The displays themselves are like works of art. Each display is themed on the soap's scent, name, and enchantment. One is made of glimmering crystals, with a soft tinkling noise emanating from it. Another resembles a cloud. Rainbows cascade from various spots, seeming to sway in some unseen breeze. I find myself drawn to one that looks like a towering tree. Somehow, as I approach, the light around me seems to dim. It is as if I have stepped into a forest at dawn, the sound of birds and insects in the distance creating something akin to a song with their tones. The soap itself smells of wild flowers, fresh earth, morning dew, and oak. Before I can be completely entranced by the soap, however, the demonstration begins.

“Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished guests and visiting dignitaries and esteemed employees! This is the great and wonderful Radish of Radish’s Amazing Deals on Relics, Oddities, Artifacts, Contraptions, and Hand Soaps! I am here today at precisely 2:59 in the morning to begin the spectacle you have no doubt been desperately waiting for! THE HAND SOAP DEMONSTRATION! Now to begin I must request the assistance of some curious volunteers. For these are no mere hand soaps my dear audience! These are Radish’s Signature ENCHANTED hand soaps! Cleanliness is so very important in our world, but what use is a soap that *only* cleans your hands?! Why should you settle for soap that simply sits there waiting to be used up? You should not! Which is why I designed and crafted these magical bars for the consumer! Now these soaps are not exclusive to hands. We also sell bars designed for tails, claws, talons, feet, tentacles, and more. If you have unique appendages and require unique soap we offer free consultations and no charge for accessible modified soaps. But back to the demonstration at hand. I see we have a young centaur here who has volunteered! Now first I must ask a question of dire importance!... Do you have any allergies or sensitivities? No? Perfect! Now for a much less serious question. Would you prefer a tactical enchantment, something to help on quests or adventures, or a whimsical enchantment, something to make non permanent non intrusive aesthetic changes or simple safe magical effects? Whimsical? Good choice! And finally, what type of scents do you prefer? Savory scents? I have just the soap for you! Go ahead, wet your hands first. Then run the bar between your dampened hands for a few moments. Perfect, you’re a natural! And lastly, rinse! Et voila! This soap, my bewitched audience, is Sage Serendipity! See the soft cozy glow emanating from our enchanting volunteer? Smell that smokey sweet aroma? Sage Serendipity produces a 12 hour “Beauty” enchantment focused on enhancing your existing self without in any way modifying your actual appearance. Smelling spectacular and feeling warm and fuzzy inside and out is the perfect boost for anyone looking to feel more confident in their day to day life! The light is not just aesthetic however! It does indeed cast a very small amount of light into your environment. Perfect for massage therapists as one of my repeat clients tells me! You can’t use this light as a substitute for torches or other portable light sources, but it can absolutely help you find your way around small dimly lit spaces. And that concludes today’s soap demo! For anyone seeking to make a purchase, each and every soap we sell is labeled with a complete list of ingredients, the enchantments used, the effects of each enchantment, the ingredients of any spell based enchantments, as well as the uses and benefits of said enchantments. All common allergens are listed twice, once in the ingredient list and once in the separate common allergen section. For our visually impaired guests, your complimentary assistance spirits can either present you with the braille forms or read the lists aloud. If you are making use of our complimentary translator spirits, simply present them with the information cards and they will translate the material into the language or languages you selected upon entry. Thank you all very much for your time! Any unanswered questions should be directed to our wonderful beauty and hygiene consultant staff at the table there. Enjoy the rest of your time and have a wonderful day!”

[bellshazes]

thinking about long-term building infrastructure in minecraft that's viable for my playstyle; thinking a lot about how real-world architecture takes a while to be built and the different environmental experiences that, say, being grateful for scaffolding providing cover on a rainy day or shade on a warm one can provide. what would beautiful or visually interesting in-progress builds look like? it should be truly functional for letting me resume building at a later date, since the point of this would be to essentially find a peace between letting things sit for a long time in a way that's pleasing and could be left unfinished indefinitely but also makes it easy to pick it back up.

irl scaffolding i'm most interested in functions best in contexts of denser builds, with pre-defined relationship to the non-building space. by which i mean, you got sidewalks & streets & alleys in there. the scaffolding then becomes another interesting feature of navigating & can visually break up an otherwise straight line of buildings. setting up (mc) scaffolding pillars a few blocks out from the building's face and then creating a small platform at different height levels - so that you could walk underneath it - is viable, but i don't like the idea of it for every build. and scaffolding itself gets noisy at large scales, so this would ideally be improved. (ought to consider instamineable blocks, tho most top-of-mind aren't immediately plausible for industry.)

more isolated builds, is there a default configuration of ladders & temp blocks I could create to a) have a consistent language of "building infrastructure" across my areas and b) make it easier to do things like build roofs, etc.? actually, besides roofs, what's prohibitive for me is i really like going back and texturing things to indicate age or decay or growth, and if i could build in a solid block color and easily traverse vertically without terribly blocking the sightlines i need to check if i like the changes, that would help so much.

in the real world, building has to follow a certain order but in mc, maybe i ought to be more systematic about alternatives? i do like building a single face and working that, before any insides have been done, because you can scaff one side and view the other. but i also like filling out one corner of a space and inhabiting builds before they're finished - that's why i'm thinking about this, how to make that livable.

maybe then i should be working out interesting ways of interior scaffolding, to build up building faces - and then could swap portions of the scaff for real rooms if i wanted, stairs when i'm ready for them, etc. and you could maybe do some interesting things imitating house shells, that way.

[j-graysonlibrary]

The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four Chapter 39

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 118k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: In order to save the world from the continuous subjugation and potential annihilation at the hands of Tiandi, hard lines must be drawn. The Great Spirits that were imprisoned ages ago must be unsealed and awakened, no matter the consequences.

The players are divided—those who stand blindly with Tiandi, such as Xiang Merra and her disciples versus those who want to tear the system down and give the power back to the people. Even a few of the most religious Lords change their minds when they learn the truth of the world—that Tiandi is no more than a dictator with no love in his heart.

It is up to the last, real Xiang and the ill-fated Chaaya to put everything they have into tearing God from his throne and creating new possibilities for the future.

Full chapter 39 under the cut

Chapter XXXIX:

Several days passed in a blur—people coming and going through portals, more strategy meetings, and fine tuning details. The only downtime came at night but most were too exhausted from the chaotic day that they could not even enjoy it.

Pangu mustered the strength he did have. He knew how the battle would, ultimately, end if all went according to plan and he knew his time with his loved ones was limited. How he spent every night differed but he made sure each moment was memorable and had no room for regret.

He was sure Kira was doing much the same.

Although, when he saw his best friend with Baiya, speaking to him privately, he worried about what he would say. They had already promised to keep some things between them (to keep the morale of the group as high as possible) but when Baiya returned with a smile and a smug remark about winning Kira over and finally getting some genuine sentiment out of him, Pangu relaxed a little.

“Did he admit that he liked your company?” Viren asked, chuckling. The dark circles under his eyes had grown but he kept a smile on his face nearly all day.

“He told me he would be worried about me while we were split up. Told me to take care of myself.” Baiya held his chin up as if it were some major accomplishment.

“Are you sure he wasn’t making fun of you?” Kaz raised an eyebrow.

Baiya’s grin fell and he asked, “What do you mean?”

“That maybe he’s worried because he thinks you need to be worried about?”

Pangu could feel the argument brewing but he was just glad that there was no additional stress from Kira’s words. Ideally, he would have loved to talk about everything with everyone before it happened but he knew how tricky it could be. If even one person was not performing at their best, it could spell the end of everything they worked for.

He looked to his partners as they started to, inevitably, bicker and he sighed. They could be mad at him for withholding the truth later.

***

The final night before the big battle came upon them and, with everyone in the caves, the different groups said their goodbyes. Many of them would go through and wait with a Mistress until the following day but some people were staying.

Those like Phay had to return to their troops, however.

Kali stood by them, watching with her hands folded in front of her as Loa hugged Baiya around the neck and squeezed. May, Fujin, and Sunny were saying their farewells as well.

“We will see you tomorrow, at some point,” Fujin said, “I am sure you will be hard to miss whilst summoning a large flaming lizard.”

Phay smirked. “Let us hope.”

“And after we are done, we can come back here and celebrate.” May grinned from ear to ear.

Sunny, however, tugged on her sister’s sleeve. “I thought we were going home after?”

“Well…after that?” May cocked her head to the side.

Phay sighed. “I am sure, once all is said and done, you will be too tired to do much of anything. Once our strength is gathered again and the dust settles then we can see about this party.”

May’s spirits were immediately lifted. “And we can use the Mistresses’ miasma portals to hop between palaces and see each other!”

“I will be dead, remember?” Kali groaned.

“Oh…”

Loa cringed as she looked over at the exchange, hands still resting on her brother’s shoulders. She turned back to him and managed a small twitch of her lips—something of a smile. “Well, our family will be happy to see us once this is all over.”

Baiya gave her a curt nod. “Mom definitely needs something after all we have put her through.”

“One of us should get a baby,” she responded with a snicker, more sincerely smiling this time.

“Not me,” he beat her to the punch. “I would not know what to do with a kid. I would be nervous about giving Phay a baby as well. She might teach it to crawl over a bed of coals to try to toughen it up.”

Loa slapped him on the arm. “Stop. She would not.” Despite her words, she still let out a few, hushed laughs.

Baiya gave her a kiss on the side of her head. “Try and get some rest, okay? I will see you tomorrow.”

After she parted from him, she gave May and Fujin hugs as well and only a wave for Sunny so she did not overwhelm her. With a few promises to meet up after the battle and make rather superfluous but sweet peace treaties between the two nations, the Agni women departed. Kali would be back shortly, having more pressing matters to attend to, and Phay would take her army to their stakeout point on the field.

Parvati, however, intended to stay with May, Fujin, Sunny, and Gong in the Mythos castle. Because of the long distance they had to travel, miasma portals were vital and so the Mistress would keep by them.

Kaz joined them and watched as his sister and the two princesses he spent his life devoted to guarding, formed a rift between him. It was the first time he would ever be so far away from Fujin. Since he was born, she had always been hovering close by. Recently, they had spent less time together, sure, but they had always been in calling distance.

He would not show too much sentiment as he did not want to worry her or, worse, distract her. So he rested his hand on her shoulder and sighed. “Good luck tomorrow.”

“Is that it?” Parvati asked, laughing.

“What?” he glanced over at the Mistress with a scowl.

“Nothing I just…thought you would have more to say.”

“A wonder how he handles Pangu,” Gong said, as if in awe.

Kaz frowned and May cackled before grabbing a hold of him, circling her arms around his torso and rubbing her cheek against his chest plate. It was not the most comfortable thing to do but it did fluster him and that was what she was after.

“Get off,” he grumbled and attempted to free himself, shoving against her head while simultaneously unclasping her hands.

“Kaz, you’re staying?” Sunny asked in the meantime, a pout on her face.

“Yes,” he answered just as he pushed May away. With a huff, he continued, “I am going to Ultimos with the others…”

“He is staying to spend one last night with his boyfriends,” May corrected.

Kaz’s face flushed but he squared his shoulders and kept his chin up. “Yes. That too.”

Fujin smirked at his response. Even if his face was red, her brother was admitting his feelings with pride. She wondered which one of his new partners was responsible for that turnaround but she guessed it was probably something of a group effort.

“Have fun, Kaz.” Fujin teased anyway.

He cut his eyes at her and replied, “You too.”

“Oh, Fujin will have to wait to have any fun with me,” May responded and turned back to Sunny, “I have to talk with Raiden.”

Her sister’s face paled. “Be nice to my husband, May. He is scared of you, you know.”

Of course that only made her snicker. “Good. He should be.”

Fujin rolled her eyes and slapped her hands onto May’s back, pushing her along. They said their last goodbyes to Kaz and, in a line, moved through the portal. Parvati and Gong exited last, throwing one last look over their shoulder to Pangu.

The ex-Xiang stood close enough by the Terran group to overhear their conversation but not close enough to participate. He folded his arms over his chest and smiled as he listened to Ziyi trip over his words in front of Dio, Evie, and Alf.

“W-what I am trying to say is, and what I have been trying to say for the past few days, really…um…”

“Spit it out, you dusty nut sack,” Chandes urged him with something in her hand raised into the air, threatening to strike.

“Alright, alright,” the man took a more defensive tone and looked back to the lords of Meala, “I wanted to apologize for attacking Gnoma. I was just trying to lure Pangu into a trap but that is no justification. I am sorry.”

Alf blinked a few times, unsure of what to say. He checked with his lord for any hints but Dio just started to laugh, as boisterously as always.

“I…feel that is in the past?” Alf raised his shoulders. “Helping us in the fight tomorrow can be your penance if you are truly so sorry.”

Ziyi nodded. “I will! I will use the fallen soldiers on the field to add to our army.”

“That is a rather genius ploy,” Evie said with an approving smile, “All of Merra’s men become our men once they are dead.”

“And they cannot die again,” Ziyi pointed out.

“Well, unless they are immobilized or their heads are removed,” Chandes clarified and, when everyone looked at her she snapped, “What?! It’s my power that I gave him; I know the limitations!”

Oli and Viren glanced at one another before Oli slowly pushed his cousin to the side. They left Pangu’s view completely and he could not hear them either.

“Are you alright to do this tomorrow?” Oli asked his cousin, giving him a hard stare. He had been watching him over the past few days but he seemed to be getting worse, not better.

“I am fine,” Viren continued to try to convince him. “Once I summon Gnome, everything will be better. The tide of the battle will be swayed and we can focus on winning.”

Oli frowned as the realization sunk in. Even if something was wrong with his cousin, he was not going to force it out of him or trick him into admitting it.

He just had to deal with the information presented to him, though it was clearly a lie. “Alright,” he sighed, “Just let me know if there is anything I can do.”

Viren clapped a hand over his shoulder. “You are already doing everything you can. You will make a fine lord, Oli.”

Pangu only heard the last few words as he tried to walk over and join but he was soon grabbed and spun around. “Ah,” he vocalized, a little louder than intended.

Heidi laughed and, immediately, apologized. “Sorry. I did not mean to scare the life out of you.”

He shook his head, dismissing the idea. “So, are you going to leave as well? Or are you staying here?”

“Well Parvati and Gong already left with the ladies so…” Heidi gestured with her thumb over her shoulder. “I am kind of stuck.”

Pangu frowned. “I can ask someone else to take you home. You do not need to—”

She stopped him with a hand in the air. “I want to stay.” She laughed a little, mostly under her breath, and carried on, “I wanted to have a chance to talk to you, like this, for starters. Afterward, I plan on hanging around Ashoka. She still seems like she could reverse her decision at any moment and I want her to know that she is doing the right thing.”

He looked around the caves but he could not see Merra’s ex-disciple anywhere. There were still plenty of bodies blocking the way. He turned back to Heidi and sighed, “You are and always have been a huge help, Heidi. Thank you.”

To his surprise, his sister laughed. “Don’t lie.”

Pangu raised his brows. “What do you mean? I am not lying.”

“I was no help at all when I was with you as your disciple. And I barely did anything here—it was more of a situational thing. That isn’t to say I was entirely useless either but I probably dragged you down more often than not.”

He adamantly shook his head. “You did help. In a lot of small ways that you probably do not even realize. Or remember.”

Heidi gave him a sideways smile, struggling with the feeling his words gave her. He had said things just to make her feel better before (whether he would admit it or not) but, in that moment, everything he said hit as though it were the absolute truth. At least, in his mind, he believed every word.

“Thanks, Pangu.” She squeezed his arm. “You know, when I first joined up with you, I did not find your work very impressive.”

He laughed. “I know.”

“I am not finished,” Heidi chuckled and continued, “I…was not just clouded by jealousy back then, you know. Though, that was part of it. The other part…what I did not really realize until you were killed, was that I was forcing a distance between us so that when you, inevitably did die, I would not be so hurt. It didn’t work…at all…but I think that was what I was doing. It doesn’t make some of the cruel things I said any better but, you know, maybe it sheds a little light.”

“I never thought you were being cruel.” Pangu shook his head and took her hands into his. “Honestly, you were right about some of the things you said back then. I really wasn’t doing much as the Xiang.”

Heidi smiled and met his eyes. “I cannot say that now.” She tightened her grip on his hands. “I really am proud of you, you know? And I am really not ready to let you go again.”

Her words, mixed with her furrowed brow clued Pangu in on her startlingly accurate intuition. He frowned and broke their eye contact, looking instead at the ground. “I am sorry.”

She sniffed and let him go, all at once. “Yeah…anyway, where are your boyfriends? They should be spending tonight with you too.”

As they turned around, Baiya and Kaz were reuniting with Viren. The Terran group had been led away by Chandes though Oli had also opted to stay in the caves. He was chatting with Ziyi, however, so he did not join them.

“Hey there, fellas,” Heidi said as she practically pulled Pangu over. He was not dragging his feet but she was simply moving faster than he anticipated. “I expect you are all ready for tomorrow?”

“As ready as we can be,” Baiya answered first.

“That is a yes, Heidi,” Viren said, more sweetly.

Kaz nodded, adding his silent agreement. Heidi really could not pin him down but he did seem to, at least, be completely obsessed with her brother so she figured he was alright.

“Good. Now.” She pulled Pangu closer to her. “As you all know, this is my big brother who I am both proud of and very worried about. The three of you need to take his mind off of the battle tomorrow and make him feel loved and appreciated, got it?”

Pangu almost slapped his palm to his forehead but decided on laughing instead. Heidi could be embarrassing when she wanted to be—a quality he was foolish to have let slip his mind.

“Yes, ma’am,” Viren responded with a smile.

“Like we were not going to anyway?” Kaz arched an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Baiya agreed, “Maybe now that we have been told, we don’t want to.”

“Do you want me to kick your ass, Baiya?” Heidi threatened.

Viren put his hands out, “They are kidding. They are both kidding.”

Heidi pointed a finger at Baiya. “You are on thin ice.”

“Aren’t I always?” he smirked and pulled Pangu closer.

She huffed and centered herself. “While I cannot fathom what my brother sees in you, I must accept his choice in men. Therefore, I am happy for you all. Have a good night. I am busy now.”

With a wink to Pangu, she hurried off and he was left to sigh and sit in the situation she left him in. He could not help but smile, however, as her intention was almost cloyingly sweet.

[tommycorriander]

I'm throwing my hat into the ring because I've needed to work on expanding my understanding of worldbuilding and deconstructing Hazbin has been (lol) a great exercise for that.

So, first off. Chinesegirl brings up a good point, the difference in approach to mythical creatures to religion-based creatures. Putting aside that some of these mythical creatures are also connected to religion (primarily Celtic pagan religions; this applies to fey as mentioned, but also things like elves and unicorns which weren't mentioned) the difference largely comes from perception. A creature can be anything, it's not going to offend someone if you make a vampire that's not based on Dracula and is more like Edward from Twilight. At least, it won't offend them in a way that matters. Religious iconography however, ESPECIALLY Christian iconography, is considered largely untouchable. There is a reason Jesus and God won't appear in Hazbin; Viv was raised religiously, and there are some lines you Do Not Cross when you're religious. Hell, even if she wasn't religious, she'd probably get enough backlash from evangelicals anyways to not make it worth her while.

So religious iconography and mythos are largely untouchable if you're trying to piss off as few people as possible. But clearly Viv on some level *wants* to piss off people, she is raunchy and edgy after all, so she'll take some liberties. On the face of it this is fine, but like Chai here says, it comes back to inconsistency. It's established at one point, somewhere (please bear with me keeping track of where this information comes from is a headache because... Viv) that sinners have a more monstrous form depending on the severity of the sins they committed. This is, of course, not followed, because Alastor is *right there*. You also have smaller things, such as how angels supposedly can't be hurt except by angelic weapons, but there's multiple instances of that... Not being true?

And while lore that is established is inconsistent, there's also the equally infuriating 'unexplained' lore. I want to make it clear that on the face of it, having something be vague or unexplained is not an inherently bad thing. Sometimes you don't need the show to stop the action to tell you exactly how x power or y gadget works. But imagine for a second if, say, Steven Universe never explained fusion. Like, at all. That would be pretty weird, right? They put enough focus on fusion that it would demand at some point some explanation. For Hazbin, this lack of explanation comes in the form of contracts and deals. They're very much plot important, both are introduced in the pilot (which is canon) and have emphasis placed on them within the series proper. However we aren't ever given an understanding of how these work, or even how they functionally differ. This leads to the audience asking questions like 'Why can't Charlie just free Angel Dust?' or 'Why is it such a big deal Charlie made a deal with Alastor?'. These are things the show should be explaining but just... Isn't, for some reason. My best guess is that Viv suffers from the very common amateur writing flaw of assuming the audience is already on board with your world and characters, but it's also entirely possible there were explanations that were cut for time, or they will be explained in later seasons. I'd argue having an entire season with these two important aspects being completely unexplained is terrible for the plot, but I'm splitting hairs.

Now here's the real meat and potatoes for why the demons and setting of Hell don't work: they don't mean anything. Really, what is lost about Hazbin Hotel if you change the setting to a high-fantasy and swap 'demons' with 'creatures' or the like? What about a sci-fi setting with aliens? You could do functionally the same story, because while redemption is supposed to be the central theme, it barely comes up to the point that you could cut it from the plot entirely and have the show work almost the same. "Oh but how would the trial work?" Mystical orb in a court in a castle for the high fantasy, holograms or some other gadget thing for the sci-fi. "What about Pentious getting redeemed?" Reincarnation, becomes a robot, something like that. "What about Charlie's goals?" Her goals completely shift to a rebellion after episode six, and even then prior to that episode the idea of redemption was always presented as a diplomatic solution to a conflict. Just nix the wording of redemption and have it be, I dunno, equal rights or the like. Or fair treatment of criminals, that works too.

Do you see what I'm getting at here? Hell isn't ever used to say something, it doesn't mean anything that they're demons. Hazbin lacks substance, and this is reflected in its world: it's all a veneer of depth but as deep as a puddle. To borrow a metaphor from Scott McCloud, it's a shiny red apple, but when you really try to sink your teeth into it, it's hollow.

In general, it is accepted that there are multiple different ways to interpret mythical creatures such as vampires, werewolves, dragons and fey, as for vampires they can be anything from supernatural, immortal undead like in classic and gothic horror, inhuman abominations that spread like parasites like in The Strain, corpses risen from the grave to feed on the living in folklore or even lovable and sympathetic heroes that are just misunderstood in child-friendly media such as Hotel Transylvania.

With this in mind, I would like to receive an explanation on why Helluvaverse's depiction of hell and demons is dissatisfactory from a worldbuilding standpoint, if other mythical beings and settings can be interpreted in such diverse ways and still work.

I've never had a problem with the fact that Viv's take on demons and Hell isn't always Biblically accurate; I care that she can't keep her worldbuilding straight and picks and discards bits of lore as it suits her.

Writers, take note: Fictional worlds don't have to follow all the rules of the real world, but they do have to follow their own.

[aava9099]

How to prepare the oats in the oven

In a real sense, each basic cake recipe needs eggs! They give fundamental design, surface, raising, and even tone. Notwithstanding, eggs are the fixing that you never appear to have while needing to prepare a few cakes! Breakfast wouldn't be something very similar assuming oats had never be found. They are unmistakable in large numbers of our  morning-time feasts, including muesli and cereal.

Cereal has been a family staple for ages, and muesli has been moving in later history.

How to prepare the oats in the oven

What's the distinction among muesli and cereal? The greatest distinction is that muesli is prepared to-eat though cereal should be cooked. Both are generally delighted in with an assortment of organic product, nuts, and sweet garnishes, yet those treats come bundled with the oats in muesli and should be added independently to oats except if you purchase a moment, pre-enhanced assortment.

Muesli and oats are comparative, yet unique, and both heavenly. In this article, we'll look all the more carefully at how and why you could decide to set one up over the other.

Primary Contrasts Among Muesli and Cereal Both muesli and oats are cereals made fundamentally from entire grains.

Cereal is produced using oats, of course, yet many cooks will change it up of fixings to their oats for flavor and surface.

Muesli is instant in that the fixings are added to the oat before it is bundled and sold. The other fundamental contrast between the two is that muesli is all the more generally eaten cold, however it tends to be cooked.

Oats is eaten hot, however oats themselves can be eaten crude or in various alternate ways.

Muesli Muesli is a prepared to-eat grain that can either be eaten hot or cold. It's made up basically of oats and various chips, for example, grain drops or cornflakes.

Added to the grains are dried natural products, nuts, seeds, and different flavorings like coconut or chocolate.

Muesli is more like granola than oats, with the main genuine distinction in the muesli versus granola domain being that granola is prepared prior to being utilized, though muesli is crude.

Is Muesli Solid? Muesli can be staggeringly sound and crammed with nourishment, yet it can likewise be a sugar-bomb that unleashes destruction on your glucose levels.

Assuming you make your own muesli so you know precisely very thing is going in it, you can make a point to incorporate a wide assortment of refreshing fixings, like crude nuts and seeds, coconut, and no-sugar-added dried natural products.

You can likewise screen the sum and sort of sugar you add to it. We suggest Priest Natural product Sugar.

In the event that you're buying a pre-made assortment, check the nourishment mark to choose for yourself how sound it is. Take a gander at the sugar to fiber proportion, which ought to be supportive of the fiber.

It will have some sugar, yet look at the fixings to check whether that sugar is coming principally from natural product, nuts, or even honey, or on the other hand assuming that it's from less beneficial sources, for example, anything called "syrup" or "high-fructose."

Oats However normal as oats and oats may be across the world, many individuals actually pose the inquiry, is oats porridge? The response is a basic yes and negative.

Oats is a kind of porridge, yet not all porridge is oats, however a great many people utilize the terms conversely.

Porridge is a hot cereal made of almost any grains, vegetables, or even vegetables, though oats is, by definition, produced using oats. The oats can be of any assortment, including steel-cut, rolled, or fast oats.

The most effective method to Make Oats The most well-known method for eating oats is to cook them in milk or water and make oats. Contingent upon the sort of oats you have, you might have to cook them longer or drench them first.

The following are a couple of explicit assortments that become gotten some information about frequently:

The most effective method to make steel cut oats: steel cut oats are good and a few cards short of a deck finely handled relations, which make them wonderful to cook in bunches. For a more profound flavor, toast them first in a dry container on your burner. Utilize 1 cup of oats for each 4 cups of fluid, either water, milk, or a blend of the two. Stew with a smidgen of salt and spread or coconut oil for 20 minutes, blending periodically. The most effective method to make cereal burner: In the event that you need heartier, finished oats, utilize moved oats. On the off chance that you favor creamier, mushier cereal, utilize speedy oats. One way or the other, heat your water to the point of boiling, diminish to a stew, and afterward add your oats. Use ¼ cup to ½ cup oats per serving and twofold how much water. Add your milk and fixings after your oats is cooked, which requires around 4 minutes at a stew with generally continuous mixing. The most effective method to cook oats in the microwave: Moved oats and fast oats are cut into a lot more slender cuts than steel cut oats so they can concoct pleasant and rapidly in the microwave. For a solitary serving, place ¼ cup of oats in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with milk or water, about ½ cup. Add any fixings like nuts, seeds, dried natural products, and so forth. For moved oats, cook for 2.5 minutes, keeping a nearby eye and mixing in the event that it takes steps to bubble over the bowl. For speedy oats, you just need 1 moment. Step by step instructions to cook oats for weight reduction: Assuming weight reduction is your objective, the main rule is to stay away from moment cereal that is brimming with sugar and different added substances. Utilized rolled or steel slice oats to get the most fiber and protein and add regular garnishes like new berries and nuts, staying away from syrup, sugar, honey, and, surprisingly, dried natural products to scale back the sugar. The most effective method to make cereal in milk: On the off chance that you're making oats on the oven, you must be exceptionally cautious to cook it in milk since milk will singe without any problem. You would find success cooking your oats in single servings in the microwave, as above, ensuring it doesn't bubble over. If you have any desire to cook steel cut oats in milk, utilize your sluggish cooker on a low setting for the time being, utilizing a proportion of 1:4.

There are many different egg substitutes that many individuals guarantee to be secure, yet generally they don't appear to work.

Fortunately, we have attempted and tried some egg substitutes to see which works best.

Anyway, what are the 9 best substitutes for eggs in cakes? Our most noteworthy suggested substitute is squashed bananas for entire eggs and aquafaba fluid for whipped egg whites. Other than those, ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, vinegar, pureed smooth tofu, fruit purée, and even yogurt will function admirably.

In the present article, we will be taking a gander at these substitutes and precisely when and how to utilize them. We will likewise be taking a gander at their upsides and downsides, as the need might arise to use for every replacement.

What Are The Elements Of Eggs in Cakes? Eggs have a large number of capabilities in cooking from emulsifying sauces to making the inward design of cakes and other prepared merchandise.

To all the more likely comprehend which substitutes you want to utilize (or browse) you need to comprehend what the elements of the eggs are. Today, we will be checking out explicitly at the elements of eggs in cakes.

By figuring out what capability you really want the eggs for, you can figure out which substitute will work best.

As a matter of some importance, as you definitely know, eggs comprise of egg yolks and egg whites. Generally, these two are utilized together in cakes, however it isn't generally the situation. At the point when they are utilized independently, they really do will generally have various capabilities.

Structure Egg whites are utilized to either assist with making the design of the cake, or to assist with circulating air through it - it can likewise do both simultaneously.

At the point when egg whites are prepared (no matter what the structure they are utilized in) the proteins coagulate because of the intensity of the broiler and make a steady design in the cake.

The way the eggs (particularly the egg whites) are arranged makes various surfaces in cakes.

For instance, when an entire egg is beaten and integrated into a hitter, you will have a "ordinary", at times even thick cake surface. Indeed, even simply by integrating plain egg whites (without a yolk) you will in any case have a similar outcome.

Be that as it may, assuming that you consolidated whipped (beaten) egg whites (without yolks), you can delicately overlay them into the player, making a considerably more circulated air through, open piece surface in your cake.

Various sorts of cakes utilize various kinds of eggs to make unmistakable designs. Pound cakes utilize entire eggs to make a denser construction.

Genoise cakes are made by beating entire eggs over low intensity and subsequently cooking them - this makes a thicker hitter and semi-circulated air through surface. For chiffon cakes, the yolks and whites are utilized independently.

The whites are beaten to make a meringue prior to being integrated into the player with the yolks. This makes an extremely circulated air through and rich cake structure.

At the point when egg whites are integrated into a player with no guarantees, whenever they are prepared, the proteins coagulate and shape an elastic construction.

These egg whites can likewise make an alternate sort of design when they are beaten to make froth. This froth is tenderly integrated into the hitter, making a circulated air through player.

At the point when this hitter is prepared, once more, the proteins coagulate and make a considerably more supple and breezy design.

At the point when you integrate whipped egg whites, it likewise goes about as a kind of raising specialist that helps add volume to a cake.

Soundness With structure comes soundness, on the grounds that without eggs in a cake blend (or comparative fixings), the other fixings wouldn't have the option to remain solitary.

Eggs, both the yolks and whites, assist with joining fixings together and their protein structure ties them.

If you somehow managed to join flour and milk and heat it, they wouldn't keep intact well; be that as it may, add an egg, and not exclusively will you have a superior surface, yet it will hold much better.

Dampness Eggs normally fall under the wet fixings class with regards to cakes. The sole motivation behind adding wet fixings isn't just to assist with consolidating the dry fixings however to add flavor and an alternate kind of surface.

The more wet fixings you have, the moister and milder your cake will be.