#but he has a great attention to detail and so he landed on this job

[photogirl894]

Hi! If your requests are still open can I request something with echo with a female or GN reader and with the angst prompt: “Don’t ever do that again.”

Maybe reader does something dangerous and Echo has to swoop in and save the day? Thanks! Love your writing 😊

Thank you so much, my friend!! I hope this is to your liking 😊

"Something Crazy"

15. "Don't ever do that again."

Pairing: Echo x fem reader

***

It was just another job for Cid with the Bad Batch and it was like the many others you'd done. You were given limited intel and there always seemed to be some important detail Cid would leave out, particularly pertaining to unsavory characters you'd have to fight or various creatures you might encounter, usually of the large variety. Which was incredibly annoying.

You guys were dropping supplies for one of Cid's contacts, but it turned out the drop zone was swarming with Gundarks...which once again, she had failed to mention.

"Are you kidding me? Gundarks?" Echo questioned aloud in annoyance.

"Great...it's always something," Hunter grumbled. Then he turned to Tech and told him, "Land the ship, Tech, and let's help get rid of those things."

Tech nodded and proceeded to take the ship down towards the drop zone for a landing.

Then you thought of an idea. It was probably crazy and there was always the chance it wouldn't work, but it was worth a shot.

You grabbed a flare from your pack and then activated the ramp to the ship, lowering it even while you were still in the air.

"What are you doing?" Echo asked you.

You answered, casually shrugging, "Something crazy and probably stupid, but then, what else is new?"

Without waiting for a response from him, you jumped out of the ship, hearing Echo cry out your name urgently, and hit the ground just a couple feet below, landing in a tuck and roll. Once you got to your feet, you activated the flare to get at least one of the Gundarks' attention and lead them away from the drop zone. Maybe if one saw it, the rest would follow it.

Well...it worked a little too well...because every single one of them looked at you the moment you lit up the flare and were suddenly scrambling towards you.

"Dank ferrik!" you exclaimed as you turned and started running as fast as you could.

Up in the Marauder as they circled back around, Wrecker cried out, "They're all chasing her!"

They Clones all watched you running from the Gundarks and then panicked when they saw the closest one to you jump you from behind and pin you to the ground just as the others were about to reach you.

"No!" Echo, who was still standing by the open door, cried out with worry. Gundarks were nasty creatures and he was afraid they were about to hurt you or kill you. He was not about to let that happen. Then he quickly activated the cord outside the ship and started lowering it, grabbing the end and hooking it to his belt. "Get me over there!" he called to Tech before jump off the ramp.

As Tech carefully flew the ship over in your direction, Echo dangled in the air by the line and withdrew his blaster, shooting at the Gundarks that were starting to overpower you as you did your best to fight them off. The shots either hit them or hit near them and caused a few of them to scatter, giving you an opening to get away.

You saw Echo coming and you shoved a couple of the Gundarks after you, taking a couple scratches from their claws and forced yourself to your feet.

"Jump to me!" Echo cried, holding out his arm.

With a sprint, you jumped up to him as he flew over you, his scomp arm coming about your waist and holding you close as you took hold of the line. In seconds, the ship flew upwards and away from the snarling creatures below.

You exhaled with relief as the line starting moving back up towards the ramp of the ship. "Thanks, Echo. That was close," you told your savior.

"Yeah, way too close for my liking," he replied. "Don't ever do that again."

You laughed sheepishly. "Hey, I told you it was something crazy and stupid."

"It was definitely more stupid than crazy...but that's why you fit with us so well," he said with a grin. "Now let's take care of the rest of those Gundarks so we can finish this mission."

Photogirl894's Angst prompts

Photogirl894's 1,300 Followers celebration fics

#star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #bad batch echo #bad batch prompts #echo x reader #photogirl894 1300 followers

[moonstruckme]

Also would love more of the art student x stem student peter writing,, again totally just self indulgent here but I adore their dynamic I could go on forever, like study dates but she’s working and Peter hangs around revising notes in her studio and they both just accompany each other AGHHH I could think about them for ages

-🍁🤭

Thanks lovely!

tasm!Peter Parker x artist!reader ♡ 727 words

Your hand comes into view, taking Peter’s attention from his notes for the first time in hours as you slide a paper plate stacked with pizza slices towards him. 

“They were out of stir fry,” you say, “but they let me take extra pizza since they felt bad.” 

Peter blinks, realizing his eyes are dry and achy. “When did you get this?”

“Just now,” you say, though it sounds like a question. Your brows twitch towards each other, somewhere between bemused and concerned. “Pete, I’ve been gone for like a half hour. You didn’t notice?”

Peter blinks again, hard. He gives his head a little shake. “No, I, uh…I guess I was too distracted. Thanks for the pizza.” 

“Course.” You kiss the top of his head as you round the table, sitting down across from him with a couple slices of your own. Peter watches as you zone back into your work, a pensive frown coming to your face. You’re in the beginning stages of a new project, and the last few hours have been a frustrating cycle of erasing, sketching, and erasing again. Peter doesn’t get how you can even see through all the faded, half-removed lines on your page. 

“How’s it going?” he asks, tentative.

Your frown worsens. “Not bad,” you say, in a tone that says not great, either. “I’ve landed on an idea, but it just…it doesn’t feel perfect. I don’t want to start and then have to change my mind again.” 

“Didn’t you say that’s how it usually goes?” he prompts. 

“Yeah,” you sigh, and you sound so upset about it that Peter has to—just has to—reach across the table and take your hand. You offer him a small smile and return the squeeze he gives your fingers.

“Want a break?” he asks you, and you raise your eyebrows.

“I just took my break,” you remind him. 

It’s difficult to love someone and see them treat themselves how you treat yourself. Peter would count a run to the dining hall as a break, too, but he doesn’t like it when you do it. Still, that doesn’t give him a lot of ground for argument.

“Then can I see?” he tries, hoping talking it through will make you feel better.

You chew your lip for a second before nodding, going to slide your paper towards him. 

“Nope, hold on.” Peter stands up on his seat, stepping one gangly leg and then the other over the table before lowering himself into the chair beside you. He wraps his arm around your shoulder, hugging you so that your face is squished against his bicep. “Better,” he says. “Go on.” 

You laugh at his over-the-top affection, but don’t move away, going into the details of your original idea versus what you’ve come up with on paper. The abstract always falls short of the concrete, Peter knows that, and yet he feels your disappointment in your inability to fulfill the full scope of your vision acutely. You grow more animated as you talk, eventually bringing the paper closer and sketching while he watches. Peter suggests his own solutions as you work. They’re useless of course, but he knows that having a sounding board helps you think, so he’ll keep the conversation going any way he can. To your credit, you don’t tell him all the ways he’s wrong. You only hmm and huh and then do your idea anyway. 

After a while, you come up with something you’re happier with. It’s still not perfect, but Peter reminds you again of your own tenets; that it never will be, and your only job is to do the best you can with what you have. You’re smiling by now, so it’s a win in his book. 

“You gonna talk me through your biochem notes now?” you ask him cheerily. 

“Aw, sweetheart.” He kisses the side of your head. “You’re a gem for offering, but we both know you’ll get a headache.” 

“I’ll eat my pizza while you talk,” you propose, picking up a now cold slice of your dinner. “C’mon, it’s only fair.” 

Peter grins at you, your face lined with tiredness and hand stained with silver pencil lead but eyes alight with that fizzy energy you get from creation. “Okay,” he concedes. “But when we go home, we’re watching the most mindless show we can find on TV.”

#tasm peter parker #tasm!peter parker #tasm!peter parker x reader #tasm!peter parker x artist!reader #tasm!peter parker x fem!reader #tasm!peter parker x you #tasm!peter parker x y/n #tasm!peter parker x self insert #tasm!peter parker fanfiction #tasm!peter parker fanfic #tasm!peter parker fluff #tasm!peter parker fic #tasm!peter parker drabble #tasm!peter parker scenario #tasm!peter parker imagine #tasm!peter parker oneshot #tasm!peter oneshot #tasm!peter x reader #tasm!peter x you #tasm!peter imagine #tasm!spiderman x reader #the amazing spiderman

[shannankle]

My Top Shows 2023

Doing this at the last minute but here goes--the top 10 shows I watched in 2023!

*Note: I rate my shows on a letter scale cause I don't like narrowing it down to a specific number. (S-standout As-Strong Bs-Fine Cs-There's some problems Ds-ooof)

1. Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

This one instantly became an all time favorite. It covers themes about grief and loss in a deeply empathetic and humanizing way along side the supernatural elements. I don't know if it's because I've experienced loss myself or because it's a universal experience, but I love shows like this that help you understand what it means to grieve and heal in a familiar yet new light. It reminded me a lot of Natsume Yuujinchou (another favorite) in that respect.

Aside from the larger themes, you have a distinct directing style, quirky sense of humor, well-rounded cast of characters, and excellent acting (the lead actor was also in Your Name Engraved Herein and he's just as standout here). In addition to all that, the show gives us a main trio of characters whose strengths are deliberately not their wits. This is used for humor but also to make more meaningful points about connection, empathy, and different ways of thinking (yes, I headcanon the main trio as neurodivergent).

Rating: S+

2. The Eighth Sense

This show! Another piece that is deeply rooted in exploring trauma and loss. This time within the framework of a romance. I'm usually pretty hesitant with stories that bring disability into romance, especially mental illness. There's a tendency to lean into the idea that love cures all and other not so great tropes. The Eighth Sense does a great job balancing that line, giving us romantic beats without wading into them uncritically. In the end, healing and love are things we choose not something guaranteed, but there's still an immense hope in that. I'm an giant sucker for shows that tackle both queer and crip experiences with nuance and grace, and the Eighth Sense hit that mark for me (so much so it even had me writing a little meta). On top of that it has beautiful cinematography and visual choices.

Rating: S

3. Moonlight Chicken

A beautiful show all around! P'Aof constantly knocks it out of the park with every show he directs, but I felt particularly strong about Moonlight Chicken. I adore the way it centers on themes of home and community. It even inspired some meta and a bit of personal reflection for me on what it means to choose home as someone who is queer and disabled. The show gives us the messiness that comes with navigating new and old relationships and somehow also the simplicity of it all. And of course, the show includes a Deaf character and handles his story with nuance and clear care.

Rating: S

4. Shadow

Singto, Fluke, and Fiat in a queer horror show--sign me up! It wasn't as scary as I expected, more psychological (which is good because I am so picky about what types of horror are too much for me vs what I enjoy). I loved the way the show played with time and reality and drew upon various religious practices to create a unique atmosphere. I also adored the attention to small details that make the piece ripe for analysis. I will probably be eyeing clocks and tech in many shows to come. It's also a show that is bringing up themes about queerness, mental illness, domestic violence, and historical trauma. I'm continually drawn to pieces that are queer and crip, so I suppose it's no surprise that this one drew me in too.

I know this show was divisive, about as many people thought it stuck the landing as didn't. I happen to land in the former category. I adore media that makes me stop and think, and given the amount of meta the show had/has me writing, I'd say it well and truly tickled my brain. The show didn't always go where I most wanted or expected but I think that challenged me even more to really think about what the show might be trying to do (my thoughts on that here, spoilers though).

Rating: S

5. Our Dining Table

Japan does a lot of things well, but I'm particularly fond of their slice-of-life. Our Dining Table fits right in there with food and found family at the center. It's warm and cute, but has a depth beyond it's soft exterior, delving into loss, loneliness, and what it means to be fully seen by those around us. All of this tied up in a queer bow. It was easily the show I was most excited to watch each week when it was airing.

Rating: S

6. Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Another one I fell in love with this year! While it has plenty of tropes, cutting through the core of all of this is the growing friendship between the main trio, especially between Li Lian Hua and Fang Duo Bing. Their relationship and personal growth as characters was really beautiful to watch, on top of it just being a fun show with a great balance of humor and drama. Plus Fang Duo Bing's mom 😍

Rating: S

7. One Room Angel

Another solid entry out of Japan. As much as I love Japan's bright slice-of-life offerings like Our Dining Table, they also excel at stories that don't shy away from heavy or complex emotional themes. And I'm noticing as I tackle this post that I really resonate with heavy themes. One Room Angel has it's lighter moments and own quirky humor. But it also tackles depression and suicide as it explores the journey of finding enough connection and meaning in life to keep moving forward.

Rating: S

8. I Feel You Linger in the Air

I Feel You Linger in the Air was such a beautiful show! I'm so happy we got a historical thai bl this year and that it was so so lovely. I really liked last year's To Sir With Love but it does have it's Lakorn/soap style that is a bit more of an obstacle for me. IFYLITA certainly has it's drama, but it feels more tightly drawn. Throw in a little time travel and beautiful love scenes and it was a delight to watch.

Rating: S

9. My Beautiful Man S2, Eternal

When I watched the first season of My Beautiful Man I liked it but wasn't exactly sold. I read a bit of meta from the community which changed my tune a bit. But it wasn't until watching season 2 and Eternal that something really clicked. I immediately went back and watched season 1 after finishing the film and oh boy did I fall in love. Not only do S2 and Eternal give us great character growth and forward motion to Hira and Kiyoi's relationship, and they feel like a natural expansion of the first season in the best way possible. What can I say, I love the whole series!

Rating: A+

10. Kiseki: Dear to Me

Kiseki: Dear to Me feels like an outlier to me. It's hard for me to put my finger on just what made it click for me, but I was so into it when it was airing. I recognize that plot wise this show is a bit of a mess, but at the same time it hit something just right in my brain. Perhaps it was the emotional intimacy the actors portrayed? They did a fantastic job drawing me in. Apart from that I couldn't take my eyes off of Ai Di's impeccable fashion choices, and the many many cameos were quite fun.

Rating: A+ YMMV

A few close contenders:

My School President (S) *split airing 22' and 23'

Tokyo in April Is... (A+)

Laws of Attraction (A)

Bed Friend (A)

The End of the World with You (A)

Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend (A)

If it's with You (A)

Our Dating Sim (A)

Love Tractor (A)

The Warp Effect (A) *split airing 22' and 23'

The New Employee (A) *split airing 22' and 23'

La Pluie (A-)

Midnight Museum (A-)

#i completely flaked on doing one for 22 #but this year I made it just in time #80% of these are queer pieces #my top shows #my top shows 23 #my posts #bl series #oh no! here comes trouble #the eighth sense #moonlight chicken #shadow the series #our dining table #mysterious lotus casebook #one room angel #i feel you linger in the air #my beautiful man #utsukushii kare #my beautiful man 2 #my beautiful man eternal #kiseki dear to me

[misguidedasgardian]

The Lifeaters (II.5)

V. The Dueling Club

MASTERLIST

Chapter Summary: You find a… “allowed” way to… use magic on people you don’t like 

Pairings: Draco Malfoy x Fem!Reader (platonic)

Warnings: Cursing, magical objects, Mugglephobia, people getting petrified, classism, taking joy on the prospect of muggleborns being petrified/killed, you know what this is about

Wordcount: 2,3 k 

Notes: I will keep going with this fic, because I know it will take off, and I know in the future this is going to be AMAZING

You could feel it in class, or in your free periods…

The fear

The uncertainty

You couldn’t when you were in the common room, or surrounded by your friends, because they acted like nothing is happening, in fact, they took pride on it 

Everyone was teasing Draco, about him being the heir of Slytherin, and he only smirked proudly, you wanted to feel the same, you wanted to feel the same thing they were feeling but, something stopped you from doing so, your belly felt heavy.

So as you were hanging around the common room, you looked up at Draco, and all your friends gathered there

“Who do you think is the heir of Slytherin?”, you asked, and to your surprise, he looked back at you and squinted, like really looking into you

“I don’t know”, he confessed, which did surprised you, Matthew chuckled, taking your attention far from your friend

“I don’t know, but that is someone worth befriending”, he said, imitating what Draco said about Potter on the first year, “a great job he is pulling”

You didn't think petrifying innocent people is a “Great job”, but you didn’t dare to say anything 

But a little boy, a first year, had been petrified, he was lucky he wasn’t dead, but he was a muggle born, so the threat was actually becoming a reality.. and it was scary

An “heir”, and by the looks of it, a Slytherin heir, had come back to the school and decided to purge it from muggle born students. 

The next class of defense against the dark arts came around, and to your delight, this wasn’t going to be a normal class like the rest, actually Lockheart made you walk all the way to a big hall on the first floor, where he gathered the rest of the students of second year

There was a large, long platform in the middle, drawings of the cycles of the moon beautifully painted atop a blue fabric. as you all second years students were standing around it, Professor Lockheart showed his face, walking along it

“Can you all hear me?”, he asked as we were his raging fanclub, “Excellent! In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this dueling club, to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves, as I myself has done in countless occasions, for full details... see my published works”, you rolled your eyes at him, and Draco snickered

“Maybe we can finally learn something useful”, you mocked to him, and he laughed 

“Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape”, you all looked, entertained how your teacher climbed to the platform, with his common serious face, “He has sportingly agreed to help with a short demonstration, now, I don’t want any of you youngsters to worry, you’ll still have your potions master when I’m through with him. Never fear”, you snickered, not thinking for a second that clown could best the had of your house 

They both got in font of the other, moving their wands in a traditional, dueling manner, then they turned around and gave short paces, to then turn to each other again several steps away

“1…2…3!”, counted Lockheart, but Snape was quicker, throwing him a quick expelliarmus charm to disarm him. You laughed when the blonde teacher flew back several feet and landed on his butt. He came out of his stupor and raised himself from the ground trying to demonstrate the little dignity he had left, just chuckling

“An excellent idea to show them that professor Snape… but if you don’t mind me saying, it was pretty obvious what you were about to do, if I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy”, you looked at your teacher expectantly for what he was about to answer

“Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells professor”, he tried then

“An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape! Let’s have a volunteer pair, Potter, Weasley, how about you?”

“Weasley’s wand causes devastation with the simplest spells, he is going to send Potter to the hospital wing in a match box, may I suggest someone from my own house, Malfoy, perhaps?”, you could see the excitement behind your friend’s eyes, especially when Snape commanded him to get up in the platform, he did without hesitation

“Good luck!”, you said quickly

“Like I will need it”, he mocked back, standing on the platform, on the other side, Potter did the same.

They walked until they were face to face, you exchanged excited looks with Pansy who was smiling widely 

“Wands at the ready!”, demanded Lockheart

“Scared Potter?”, you heard your friend ask

“You wish”, he responded rather quickly. They walked away from each other, just like Snape and Lockheart had done

“In the count of three”, the professor chanted, “cast your charms to disarm your opponent, ONLY TO DISARM!”, he warned, “we don’t want any accidents here. One! Two!...”, but Draco didn’t wait on three, he cast the first spell

“Everte Statum!”, Potter flied backwards and fell on his face, which was hilarious, all of Sytherin laughed at him, even some Ravenclaws, but he stood up quickly

“Rictusempra!”, Potter cursed, and it was time for Draco to fly through the air and fall on his behind, the room filled with gasps and a few snickers. Snape grabbed him roughly and rigid him to stand 

“I said disarm only!”, whined Lockheart

“Serpensortia!”, called Draco, clearly not hearing him, a snake was created from thin air and wheezing in front of Potter.

There was an uncomfortable silence, Potter seemed really, really surprised, and in the room you could hear even a pin drop. 

“Don’t move Potter, I’ll get rid of her for you”, mocked Snape, walking in front of Draco, redying his wand. Draco seemed only too pleased with himself, as he saw how people looked at him amazed and some even frightened, conjuring snakes would indicate he was.. 

“Allow me professor Snape, Alarte Ascendare!”, Lockheart interrupted your thoughts, but the snake was only pushed into the air, and landed right back where she was, ready to attack, now, even angrier .

And Potter… he looked at the snake and started walking towards it, and to your surprise, he started chanting in parseltongue, talking to the snake.

nobody could move as Potter made the snake stop as it was directing itself towards another student. 

The entire room was quiet, they were all in shock, you did too, so much, you missed Matthew right by your side, whispering in parseltongue as well. 

“Vipera Evanesca”, interrupted Professor Snape, getting rid of the snake 

Draco looked at me surprised, but they were all looking at Potter

He ran out of the room, and Lokcheart took a while to come out of his stupor, clearing his throat

“Pair up”, he said, Snapped has also vanished, “let’s practice some more”

You were really looking forward to the dueling club, but not as it was directed by Lockheart, at the end, after pairing up with Daphne, you learned nothing, except by a tickling charm Daph hit you with because she didn’t want to hurt you, you instead hit her with the dancing legs spell you learned last year and was the final exam for charms.

it was all good fun until Milicent and Granger actually came to physical blows, forgetting about their wands, you and daphne wanted to help your friend, so you punched on the both of them, and the Parvati twins stepped in to help Granger and you all ended up throwing spells at one another. You actually landed one that made her hair grow quickly, it catched her eyebrows, it was really funny, but Snape returned only to grab you by your robes and un-chant Patil. 

You were actually kind of proud of it. 

The very next week was even more eventful. 

A huge Blizzard had hit Hogwarts with all its might, Herbology classes were canceled because of it, and you were so relieved, last class you had touched a plant and it had died on you, even Professor Sprout seemed concerned about it

You did not like Herbology at all

You didn’t know where the other common rooms were, but you were somehow lucky, yours was underground and under the Black Lake, so the temperature was somewhat even, even though you wished you had sunlight sometimes to read or study, your common room was beautiful. And now with all those attacks, you were… encouraged… to stay in your common rooms and not go about alone 

“Have you heard what they are all saying?”, asked Matthew, entering the room really crossed, you looked up from the book you were reading on taking care of plants for dummies

“What?”, had asked Draco, who you were leaning against. Matthew frowned at the both of you but shook his head angrily

“They are saying Potter is the heir of slytherin”, he growled, “I heard some Hufflepuffs talking”

“That half-blood? it’s ridiculous”, mocked Draco.

“Maybe he is”, you threw in, gaining shocked looks from all of them

“Don’t be silly”, wanted Draco

“He can speak in parseltongue”, you reasoned

“How do you know what that is?”, asked Matthew, frowning

“Because…”, you didn’t really have a good explanation, “don’t we all?”, you tried to salvage yourself, “you all know what a parseltongue is, don’t you?”, and they got quiet

“Harry Potter is not the heir to Slytherin”, Matthew growled 

“Are you?”, you asked him, he smirked, but didn't say anything, you looked back at Draco, and he didn't say anything either, only smiling slyly.

“Of course not”, he said then, more quietly, Theo at his side chuckled darkly, pretending to keep reading his tome on potions mastery for beginners, you hoped he still wouldn’t understand a thing, after the stunt he pulled last year, you had refused to partner up with him again, even though he even asked you a couple of times, you preferred to partner up with Draco so Snape wouldn’t criticize you as much, and you ALWAYS got a perfect grade, sharing the podium with Granger.

But Theodore Nott was still really cute, to your own frustration, Daphne, Pansy, even Milicent and Tracy would almost swoon when he asked them something directly, you found it annoying. He even had followers amongst first years, so… you wanted to keep away from him, refusing to be a member of his fan club.

You looked at Matthew from the corner of your eye, and he was still looking back at you, he even winked at you, like the fact he was the heir to Slytherin should make you swoon instead of feeling terrified

Was he really the heir to Slytherin?

You felt something besides the fear… you felt relief, because if that was truly Slytherin’s monster, and the one who opened the chamber was really a Slytherin heir, you had to admit, you felt relieved.

You would not get attacked, or any of your friends

Furthermore, you didn’t believe any of your friends could actually command a monster to do something like this, most of them were only twelve! Who could do that? it had to be one of the oldest pupils of your house, maybe Flint had a more accepted idea of who that might be 

But he was also pure blood, one of the sacred 28 even…

Maybe he was the heir…

As you looked around at your class, you realized you didn’t have anyone else to share your deductions with, Draco seemed so different from before the summer

The very next day you found yourself taking notes in the History of Magic class, the class itself was boring, Professor Beams, even though he was a ghost, which you thought was pretty cool, couldn’t write on the board or make presentations, so he just limited himself to dictate from memory all he could on a particular subject. And most of your friends would snooze off, Pansy was the only one you could rely on when it came to good notes and paying attention in class, and Draco also seemed determined since he told you Lucius was very disappointed in his performance at school, even thought he had almost perfect scores, he was always second in class…

Maybe that is why Lucius was so crossed

The first one was Granger…

When class was finally over and you had awakened all of your dormant friends, you go out of the classroom and you stopped in your tracks as Potter was standing against the wall, on the floor in front of him, was an annoying hufflepuff boy, whose name you couldn’t remember right now, petrified with a shocked look on his face

And there floating above him, was nearly headless nick, Gryffindor’s ghost, with a wide-eyed horrified expression on his face, completely unmovable

He had been petrified too

How did they manage that? he was a ghost!

Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist, was screaming at the top of his lungs

“ANOTHER ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK!”, Professor Mcgonaggal was already on the scene, and it was general mayhem

You took a second to thank the Bloody Baron for keeping Peeves away from all of you Slytherins, you really disliked him, and he seemed to be the only thing that could somewhat “control” Peeves. 

You were quickly removed from the scene, even though Draco was smiling almost brightly

He might not be heir of Slytherin, but Potter was going to get in sirius trouble

“This is even better”, he said, “he is not getting expelled… he is getting sent to Azkaban!”, he laughed, and he and Matt high-fived each other. As you were walking away, all you could hear above all the murmurs and scared whispers of the students… was Peeves singing. 

“Oh Potter, you rotter, oh what have you done? You are killing off students, you think it's good fun”

#misguidedlifeaters #harry potter #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter and the philosopher's stone #harry potter and the chamber of secrets #hp fanfic #draco malfoy #theodore nott #blaise zabini #gregory goyle #vincent crabbe #pansy parkinson #daphne greengrass #mattheo riddle #matthew gaunt

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale reviews: Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Alright so I FINALLY saw the movie and after an ordeal with the AMC

I can finally give my thoughts on this movie.

So in order to properly rank this. I will put the following Categories.

Animation

Plot

Characters

Music

Fanservice

Lesson

And I will give my final score at the bottom. I will try not to get too spoiler heavy but spoilers below

And for those that dont want ANY spoilers. I will say it is a great kids movie go watch it

______________________________________________________________

Animation:

This movie is Absolutely Gorgeous. Every mushroom, every brick has been lovingly crafted. I LOVE the attention to details, I love how hard each hit feels in this movie. The Choreography in this and flow is incredible. Illumination's eye for visual slapstick is still on a league of its own and it fits very well with the movie.

The character expressions all flowed great and you felt sucked in by the expression. It was like watching a Mario game. Brooklyn, The Mushroom kingdom, The Dark Lands, The Ice Kingdom, The Kong kingdom and Rainbow road ALL felt distinct and flowed. I am IN LOVE with this movies asthetic. The action was perfectly paced, I would even say it matched and surpassed the flowing animation of Puss in boots Last wish.

10/10

____________________________________________________________

Plot

So its pretty straight forward, Bowser tries to take over the kingdom, and he needs to be stopped. Mario and Luigi end up sucked into the mushroom kingdom trying to make a name for themselves as plumbers and get separated.

Mario ends up meeting Toad, Peach and Donkey Kong and the crew end up fighting Bowser and Saving Luigi. It starts as a trip to get reinforcements to fight the koopa army, turns into a race on rainbow road, then turns into a fight at a wedding and then finally a showdown in Brooklyn.

Mario and Luigi save the day and end up finding a connecting route to the the Mushroom kingdom and Brooklyn.

Now there is a LOT that happens in between these plot points and I will say it does feel a bit fast at times. But It is entertaining, Mario and Peach bond. And the scale and excitement never decreases. It is solid.

7.5/10

I wish more time could be spent in some places but thats mainly a pacing thing. and its the only real gripe I have.

___________________________________________________________

Characters

I think I will break this up into multiple sections.

Mario: I will say it, the previews took all the worst bits of Chris Pratt's VA work. Because he actually did a bang up job, I didnt hear Chris Pratt, I heard Brooklyn Mario (And the Accents are explained to be part of the commercial which has Charles cameo AMAZINGLY done)

I liked Mario's character, he was a guy that wanted to prove himself and doesnt know when to quit. Mario also doesnt like mushrooms, it was funny. He can get down on himself, but push comes to shove he is Mario and will do anything for those he loves. He has some cute bonding moments with Peach and they have a good chemistry, which I can say could be romantic or not, both are fine ways of interpretation. His goal and lengths he is willing to go to save his brother are great and I love it. Mario is great in the movie.

Peach: I will admit, I was worried on how they handled peach here. I knew they were going to make her a girl boss. And I do think that she is not as Feminine or Charming as what one would expect from Peach... BUT she has the good heart and cares for her subjects. Which Peach will be self sacrificing to help her people, but also will do what she can to mess with Bowser. As shown in her fight at the wedding. She and Mario got a good dynamic and I enjoy the roll. Though I do like that she isnt invincible, she can be outmatched and there are things even she thinks are too risky.

Luigi: I feel robbed. Not because Luigi's performance was bad, FAR FROM IT. I wanted MORE Luigi. Luigi was captured for most of the movie and had the funniest bits. He also had his big hero moment and really helped drive home one of the big lessons. I am glad that he is supportive of brother and he thinks he is the coolest guy. The characterization of Luigi was PERFECT. But as mentioned before, I wanted more of him

Toad: He was a delight. I think he has great comedic moments and I love how he just claims Mario as his BFF. He gets really funny jokes and the bits are usually out of left field. My favorite has to be how he distracted the guards, I wont dare spoil it, but it involves a Frying pan.

Donkey Kong: I thought I would hate DK. I still am not sold on the voice... THAT BEING SAID. Donkey Kong being the show off big shot that cant see past his own ego and just wants his dad to be proud of him was not what I expected but enjoyed. He also has some good moments. One moment you think he is gonna bond with Mario over Dad issues but then left turn, he goes "Well your dad's right, you suck"

It just sort of works for them, they have this frenemies vibe that I love.

Bowser:

Bowser steals the movie. He is the funniest character. He is the best character. HE WROTE A LOVE BALLAD FOR PEACH called "Peaches". He is goofy yet Intimidating. Jack Black's voice for him was perfect and the Character acting was on point. Jack Black NAILED BOWSER. He is DEFACTO Bowser. I cant say enough of how amazing his bowser was. It was just so perfect.

The others: From Mario's extended family, The Koopas, Kamek, kranky, the Luma, The Penguins. I LOVED all the side characters. I cant name one I didnt enjoy. Shout out to the Blond Kong in a sports Blazer who casually caused a kart crash of a By-stander

Now Aside from Bowser I cant say the characters are deep, but they were not meant to be. They were what they needed to be. I enjoyed all the characters on screen and never felt myself loathing not seeing a certain character for longer.

solid 8/10 (Jack black and bowser are 10/10 tho)

______________________________________________________________ Music

So I wanted to give this a 10/10, but I cant.

I found some of the random 80's rock songs a bit out of place. It is Illumination.

But outside of those songs, when they are doing the mario music and themes they ARE GLORIOUS. Bowser's fury theme and the Remixed Star theme were my personal favorites

All of the mario music is beautifully crafted. You know papa nintendo made sure they did it justice.

Overall, 8/10

The 80's songs werent the worst pick but they werent needed. Should have just stuck with the mario stuff.

But... it is illumination.

______________________________________________________________

Fanservice

ALL OF THE REFERENCES,

FOREMAN SPIKE

Pauline

CHARLES Martinet AS MARIO'S FATHER AND GIUSEPPE

PUNCH OUT PIZZARIA

the musical references,

The princess is in another castle joke.

The sound effects.

The entire movie is CRAMMED FULL of references and jokes that I am sure I didnt get all of them.

This movie was CRAFTED from Fanservice.

Is the Sonic 2 movie is a love letter to the fans,

The Super Mario Bros Movie is a full on Love Biography to them.

I am so full of the fanservice I was squealing

10/10

___________________________________________________________

Lesson

I wasnt expecting the Super mario bros Movie to have a lesson, and to my surprise it had 2 lessons.

Never give up. Mario shows throughout the entire movie his grit and determination no matter how much people look down on him or underestimate him. He got back up and kept fighting.

The power of Brotherly love. Luigi had faith in his brother who was always there for him. And he knew that things will be alright as long as they were together. And Luigi took it to heart, learning that what his brother said was true. Brotherly love made them invincible (well actually it was the power star, but it was because of that love they were able to get it.)

I am not gonna put it at the level of Puss in Boots the last wish. But its some good lessons

7/10

_____________________________________________________________

Overall, this movie, if you arent a Super Mario super fan, Is a solid 8/10

It has good characters, funny/hilarious slapstick and moments, fun action, and great for kids with a good lesson.

If you are a mario super fan (Like me)

Solid 9.5/10

I would watch it again no questions. I do wish it had more Mareach and Yoshi

#super mario movie #super mario bros #mario #super mario bros movie #gale reviews #LETS A GO

[on-till-morning]

The Final 15 Min: You’re a dark horse Mr Fell

Or: Azirawhy?

I’ve spent the better part of this weekend in bed with my cat, drinking cocoa, rewatching scenes from GO and reading and writing thousands of words of s2 meta, so first of all, thank you again Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaimon and this incredible fandom - you’re all geniuses and as a result I am literally living the dream. Secondly, after writing and rewriting my own extremely long meta a dozen times I’ve decided instead to link to the other metas that have essentially already said everything I wanted to say and condense my comments beneath them. I’ve also added my theories for season 3 based on my analysis of s2. However, despite my best intentions and having just using the word ‘condensed’ this turned out to be pretty long anyway, so you can find all this and more under the jump below.

My favorite possible explanations for the ending:

1) Aziraphale is lying to protect Crowley

I first found this theory here and here

And then it’s brilliantly explained with great attention to detail here. This piece includes SO many details that I had missed from the convo, referencing back to scenes from s1 as well as 2. Hats off and round of applause to this author. Just, wow.

I love this theory so much and a part of me wants it desperately to be canon - it explains away all of Azirphale’s foot-in-mouth shortcomings and cringey to downright horrifying wtf moments from the final scene, but after watching the final scenes 26495362893 times I’m landing more on the side that:

2) Az is being expertly manipulated by Metatron, and these shortcomings are all of his character flaws coming up and out in one horrible regurgitatation.

Extremely detailed and thorough multi piece meta going into exactly how Metatron is manipulating him and why it works here.

Briefer but also clear and thorough single post essay here.

3) Or some combination of the two.

Again, having watched this countless times I just do not buy that every single think Az says in the final scene is part of a master plan to deliberately break up with Crowley, but I do think

He’s as scared as he’s relieved/excited

And I don’t know if he’s actually relieved/excited but he’s definitely confused, surprised and increasingly panicked when Crowley insults him, turns down the offer and leaves, which is part of why I don’t think it’s entirely option #1

He is trying to stop the love confession or at least delay it for another time when Metatron is not standing right outside the door (hold that thought!)

And finally there are some lines that just don’t make sense, even from the angel who we’ve heard spout all kinds of nonsense about how “I am good and you are, unfortunately, evil.” Yes, I might buy that he might still think heaven is ultimately good and “the side of light” that’s just been run very poorly by “bad angels” who aren’t as good as Aziraphale at knowing what god really wants in the situation (as he tells himself in the Job episode). But “I’ll run it and you can be my second in command.”???? A blank stare at “if heaven ends life on earth it’ll be just as dead as if he’ll ended it”??? However, this brings me too…

The character arc we didn’t see

I love this post about expectations as a fandom and what we’re actually shown versus what we as ravenous shippers want and expect to see and couldn’t agree more.

What were we actually shown about Aziraphale and where he’s at with his repression and denial? Right in episode 1 Jim says “You know what it’s like when you don’t know anything at all and yet you’re totally certain that everything would be better if you were near one particular person?” and Aziraphale panics, jumps upright and begins backing away frantically while saying “NO. I have no idea what that feels like. What makes you say that?”

We haven’t seen Aziraphale have his come to Jesus moment yet (pun intended) in season 2. While we get to see Crowley hit over the head with the ‘holy shit this is romantic love’ anvil, Aziraphale has a different realization coming and we’ve already been told what it will be.

It’s not “they look at each other and realize they were made for each other.”

It’s “they realize they had misunderstood each other.”

I think in many ways Aziraphale is already unconsciously acting like they are a couple, possibly more so than Crowley, but we don’t see him acknowledge his feelings out loud. We see his evolution through the 3 mini episodes to go from everything is black and white to life and Crowley and even himself are made up of shades of gray, but apparently that wasn’t enough to finally seal the deal for his ultimate “realize they had misunderstood each other” moment, otherwise the season wouldn’t have ended the way it did. Despite how far he’s come he hasn’t fully yet come to terms with his deeply rooted belief that demons=bad or mostly bad and angels=good or at least better than demons. I think that those beliefs showed their face in the worst possible way during that final argument, and that’s part of why Crowley was such a hard no to the whole situation. It’s not just a no to going back to heaven as an angel, it’s also ‘I can’t believe you still think that way about me.’

I don’t, however, think Metatron knew things would go that deep. I don’t think he knows either of them very well at all, but he knows Crowley would never go back to being an angel and he felt confident enough to manipulate Aziraphale (once on his own) into proposing just that and then he pushed them together before Aziraphale could process anything and stood back and let the explosion happen.

There are a couple very well written posts already out there about how the problem is not so much miscommunication as it is fundamentally not agreeing, how deep down Aziraphale doesn’t like that Crowley is a demon and still thinks of him as the angel he was, and how Crowley twisted the knife in Aziraphale’s insecurities that I think all add up to spell out this story really well. To this I’ll add, I think they both condescend and in ways look down on each other. While still being very much in love. I want to keep this short so I’ll try to stick to one example: in the Job episode Crowley said “you’re an angel, you can’t be tempted” while obviously tempting him (“you’re an angel, I don’t think you can do the wrong thing”) which is gentle but also mocking, because Crowley is literally tempting him in that moment. Then there’s times when he’s less gentle (“how could someone so clever be so stupid?”). From Aziraphale we have endless examples of his “holier than thou” attitude. Yes I think some of it is part of their coded-spy-talk but when you say and behave a certain way for years let alone eons even if some part of you knows you’re joking it becomes real.

To sum up - in season 2 we got our realization that they were made for each other from Crowley for sure and maybe from Aziraphale - I mean, those were a LOT of heart eyes in the bookshop before Metatron arrived and the whole grabbing his arm thing when B talks about finding something better than choosing sides. But the realizing they’ve misunderstood each other is what we’ve been set up for in season 3 and I think the misunderstanding is on both sides.

Final thoughts:

The coffee or death metaphor as literal - YES. Both in the first time we see it where Michael is threatening death and Metatron arrives to offer coffee, and secondly when Aziraphale asks “where would I get my coffee” (I.e. not die) and Metatron answers by not answering and saying instead (summarized) “we know you’ve partnered with Crowley, come to heaven and he can be an angel again and you can work together - that’s where you’ll get your “coffee” (as opposed to the (false) other option which is death).

I don’t feel like enough’s been said about the final scene with Metatron in the elevator. His whole body sighs as if in relief and he gives Aziraphale A Look.

This whole body sigh sigh says to me “thank fuck I finally got this gd angel in the gd elevator” and the final look over at him seems to have a taste of “what trouble is this idiot going to cause me next?”

Oh Metatron, you have no idea 😈. Because Aziraphale is definitely planning something, from the second he heard the phrase “second coming.” We already know he would stop Armageddon alone if he has too.

Because it’s all about protecting for Aziraphale. Did anyone else think it was odd that Aziraphale, who was soooo keen and literally bouncing up and down with joy at having The Mystery of Jim/Gabriel to solve, suddenly switched to dropping the mystery entirely and it never comes up again? Then on one of my many rewatches I realized Aziraphale was 100% in detective mode until Shax casually mentions that Crowley is risking destruction for him, which is the first Aziraphale has heard of Crowley being in trouble. Michael Sheen gives us the eyebrow raise of infamy and seems pretty cool, calm and collected about it but Aziraphale then lies to Crowley about anything strange happening and goes on to then frantically plan the greatest shopkeepers and trade association monthly meeting of all time and never questions Gabriel about who else he was at the bar with and never mentions The New Clue again. He drops solving the mystery entirely and throws himself into the ball. Because he wants to dance with Crowley?!?!! 😍🥹🥰 Maybe. But if Nina and Maggie get together then heavens suspicions are allayed, and Aziraphale has just learned that Crowey’s entire existence is in danger. He can’t protect him from hell but he can try to get Maggie and Nina together and protect him from heaven. That doesn’t happen but what happens instead? THE Voice of god herself, the top of the bureaucracy, shows up and offers Aziraphale the very protection for Crowley that he just tried to Jane Austin into existence?! Regardless of whether he fully believed Metatron, partially believed, or is 100% playing him for a sucker, he believes going along with Metatron will protect Crowley as well as “make a difference.” Which one is the main goal and which the happy side effect? Is there a difference? Does Aziraphale have any conscious awareness over what he’s doing? I have no explanation for the bitter “I forgive you” and have not yet read a theory that resonates.

#I cannot write a short post about these two #but why would I want to? #when the subject matter is so rich #thanks again #neil gaimon #good omens fandom #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens 2 spoilers #good omens meta #good omens theories #good omens season 3 #good omens s3 predictions #Metatron is the worst #ineffable fandom #ineffable husbands #arizacrow #aziraphale #Crowley

[bussyslayer333]

yesssssssss!!! His assistant, that everyone (except for Jake) underestimates and therefore talks shit in front of, thinking that she's too dumb to understand and repeat what she's heard. Jokes on them; she is extremely intelligent and loyal. All the misogynists think she's not paying attention and just wasting time on her phone - the acrylics of her french manicure flying over the screen, the clacking noise filling the waiting area, while she blows giant obnoxious bubbles with her gum - when she's actually taking highly detailed notes on her phone to send to him before his meeting with these assholes. Jake always outmaneuvers them in meetings (thanks to her notes), but they never figure out how because no one expects the secretary.

When she first started, Jake also underestimated her but quickly realized that she was smart and could be an asset (turned ally, turned friend, turned more as the years go on) to him. As it turns out, she is highly trained with several years of experience in his field, but due to circumstances (what exactly? idk TBD) beyond her control was only able to find a lowly administrative position. Secretary and personal assistant to the CEO. They came to an agreement: for three years (enough time to fully cement his position as CEO), she'll act as his secretary/personal assistant and continue to spy/feed him info like they've been doing. In return, he'll bump her salary/benefits to what she would be making if she had been hired at her actual experience level and work with her to ensure that she'll be able to land any job she wants after the three years are up. Their plan works perfectly.

Over the course of their agreement, they get very close and add friends-slash-boss-and-employee with benefits to the arrangement. It works well due to their lack of free time (his job is demanding, and as his assistant, so is hers) and their shared kinks in the bedroom. He's on the dominant side (making her kneel under his desk once everyone else has gone home). She wants to please him (making sure he knows that she's not wearing panties during important meetings, then bending over and flashing him while picking up papers she "accidentally" dropped while leaving his office). Of course, they don't just have sex at the office. When she stops at his penthouse, they always usually hook up. She's usually wearing something casual and comfy, looking so damn sweet, and he can't help himself. He lets them get through whatever she came for (running through his schedule, finalizing travel plans, giving him his dry cleaning, etc.), and then he's pulling her toward his bedroom.

His favorite, though, is when he's sitting in his comfy chair, legs propped up on the matching ottoman. He'll sign whatever papers she puts in front of him and then slowly pulls her onto his lap. The sex they have in that chair is the softest, most intimate sex he's ever had. All slow movements and gentle caresses. It starts with them just making out for a long time, hands all over each other, unable to get enough of the other person. She rides him slowly; the only time he gives up control, lets her take what she needs from him. After he makes sure she's cum so many times she can't think straight, he allows himself to finish. They stay there, tangled together - exchanging soft kisses, trying to express how they feel for the other without words - until one of them has to move.

They never go beyond hooking up, and she takes that to mean that he will never care about her in the same way she cares for him. (He's been kind and affectionate outside the bedroom in their three years together, but in the way that a close friend would be - not a lover.) So as their agreement is coming to an end, she is preparing herself to move on and restart her career. And he is mourning the fact that he's losing not only a brilliant employee and great friend but the only woman he's ever truly cared for. In the end, they work it out, confess their feelings, and he promotes her to a position where he won't be her superior ("I didn't wait for three years to tell you that I loved you, only for us to not be able to be together because you still work for me."). And then they lived happily ever after.

babe this is the most incredible thing i’ve ever read and now i’m like 😦 bc i’ve just been writing her as a loveable airhead BUTTT this storyline you’ve created is so 😫😫😫

can totally imagine her riding jake and he’s all like “Look at you, my smart girl taking what she needs.” and when she gets all floppy from how good it feels he’s holding her up and coaxing her through it all !!!!

and he’s so attentive!! like maybe she was up all night working on something for him and she comes in the next day to see her fave coffee and a pastry with a little post it note stuck on her desk that everyone is whispering about:

thanks for everything gorgeous

- J xo

basically he’s a meanie to everyone but he loves his smart girl 🫶

AND WHEN SHES ALL HIGH UP THEYRE LIKE SUCH A POWER COUPLE (he defo lets her take the lead the night she gets her big job and he’d never tell anyone but he came so hard that night)

ty for these incredible thoughts babe!! i hope my ceo!jake still lives up to expectations 😭😭

#ceo!jake x assistant!reader #i have new faves every week i swear #hehe #also everyone feel free to send me ur ideas !! whether it’s a long one or a lil baby blurb #i always love reading ideas or feedback 🫶

[brujitaadinbo]

hi; Thank you for following my content and continuing to reblog, you really inspire me to continue doing this. Well, I have followed the content of the good @flilisskywalker and I got hooked on a very good text that he shared days ago… you really have to check it out and reblog… and I'm sharing the link again… thank you Fliliss for uploading this gem…

And the truth is that it makes a lot of sense and if we land on the chapter in Plazir 15, which is a whole chapter with a lot of symbolic load, about a planet that metaphorically refers to love and pleasure… which is a whole chapter very loaded with signs. and now I call this whole set of tracks "bokadin winks"

And they have left each wink there so explicitly, but at the same time they have known how to hide it, because "what is essential is invisible to the eyes" they have been careful to leave us those details and if it is assumed that there is nothing between them, what is the sense???? I recommend that you read the text regardless of whether you send Din and Bo or not… Well, I didn't stay with that… Since everything has a symbology, I remembered that at the end of the adventure where they manage to catch the separatist who was causing all the disorder, the Duchess gives the keys to Plazir to Bo and Din, what caught my attention is how she mentions that Din It comes from Concordia and I kept thinking, why the key and not another type of gift or trophy? And well, if you want to use "logic" and be more objective, it makes sense to give him the keys because you make a great reference… I started to investigate the symbolism of this article and ohh surprise… it makes more sense, if you want to leave it there another little wink… if it is such that Plazir is a metaphor for the unconscious and subconscious of Din and Bo and as they mention it,

in her own conversations….she had never been in a place like that (pleasure-love) and he had never heard of that place and you find this in the text mentioned above… The symbolism of the keys or the key has a very precise meaning with knowledge, freedom and the power to obtain said knowledge, opening "doors" or "locks" symbolically.

You have the power to open doors, obtain knowledge and do whatever you want with it, it depends on your own judgment. But if you relate it to something even more emotional… Have you heard this, "The key that opens your heart"? Wooo…do you get my point?

So by obtaining this gift, this key, you also become a protector of this knowledge, of this knowing… seeing it more emotional or spiritual… you protect this feeling "I have the key to your heart, to your soul"

So… it is a very opportune wink that these two were given a key to a certain planet that is an allegory to the deepest emotions like love… the best of all is what the Duchess tells them "You are welcome to return to this paradise" they are practically not throwing away anything… so??? Who do we believe that this romance cannot happen? Coincidentally, Grogu knows this world thanks to Din and Bo and becomes a knight of this order, technically since he meets Bo katan, he has been that small bridge so that Din and Bo do not separate, Bo does not react aggressively with the child when He tells her that she is not Mandalorian, he looks for her to rescue Grogu, the boy looks for her to rescue his father… very interesting. And if Grogu is doing his job as a little cupid without knowing it, working to be the knight of the Bokadin order, he is achieving it because he technically ended up saving and protecting them in this season finale, with an iconic scene that further reinforces this new clan between they. Fliliss shared a theory about the frogs from season 2 and the meeting between Din and Bo Katan and both the frogs and the key share something similar, they are elements used in Roman mythology, the keys They are related to an ancient belief of this culture, it refers to a deity that is in charge of duality, freedom, decision and time… then why do you give this type of objects with so much symbolic load to a couple of Mandalorians???

Do you want them to start taking charge of their own bilateral feelings???

Because technically, after confronting Bo Katan's fleet, the qualities begin to be mentioned, her in front of everyone, mentioning that Din is more Mandalorian than many present there and then him at the moment of the oath, giving him comfort and mentioning his qualities.... Too suspicious and too interesting, don't you think?

#the mandalorian #star wars #this is the way #dinbo #bo katan x din #bokadin #din djarin #din x bo #clandetres #bo katan kryze

[venkysburogu]

Passing Through an Online Jungle

There was a lot delusions in my mind in choosing the open elective for 7th semester of my bachelor’s degree. Multiple options were presented before me and I had zero knowledge on any of those. Even to choose any of the course, there should be a preliminary knowledge on that domain, right? which I was lacking heavily. So then comes the other studentical ways of choosing open electives like, seniors review on the course, course handling faculty’s approachability and last but not the least: grade scoring capability of ourselves in that course. So, by performing design of experiments using these parameters I finally got landed in a page called Digital Marketing for Engineers. From the title itself this course seemed very unique and to be more precise, Contradictory. I was like how in the world would digital marketing be meant for engineers and that too for my specialization of production engineering. Here I would like to thank my course handling faculty Mr. Vigneswaran C for completely change my perspective on not only digital marketing but the basic definition of marketing itself. In a world where marketing in seen as a phishing and scam activity, he made me understand what an ethical marketing looks like. And a personal note, I never thought that my professor would be so approachable and empathetical towards me in my previous three years of engineering phase.

Let’s start of with the basic definition of marketing that it is not a unethical phishing activity instead it is understanding the customers need and satisfying their needs by adding value to them as well as to our product or service. And this marketing took a great leap when it got exposed to various digital tools. Digital marketing overtook the conventional way of marketing:

Print

Broadcast

Direct mail

Tele marketing

Digital marketing for proving to be a way of making people aware and hold their attention towards the product or services in a faster and accurate way. It had numerous advantages like having a very wider reach, reaching the people in a very controlled and targeted way so that we can convert them into our potential customers easily, it also had to use very less manual work force and proved to be highly cost-efficient, real-time customer interaction and user analytics was made possible through digital marketing. Seriously, this course completely changed my perception on how I see a firm’s portfolio in many aspects. I got to realize that every minute feature and detail of a website is linked to human’s behavioral and cognitive aspects.

In between the classes we had many crazy sounding questions by our professor like: “why have you woken up today.” Although it might seem that there can be multiple answers to this question, it always ends up to be an improper answer. Then, discussion on my microniches made me understand that even focusing on microniches can be a potential lead for starting a business out of it. My professor have always iterated the fact that always “Try to be producers, and not only consumers”, this mindset  makes a continuous engaging factor to the students in this course of Digital Marketing for Engineers.

Now lets have a dive in various strategies that used in the domain of digital marketing considering a situation where you are trying to sell your product which is - Japanese comics, Manga.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Online, search engines like Google are the big deal. When people are looking for something – let's say, a comic book - they type it into Google's search bar. Now, Google's job is to show them the best possible book shop based on what they typed. That's where your colorful signs (SEO) come in handy. With SEO, you're making your website and content super-friendly to Google. You're using specific words and phrases (keywords) that people might use to find books and comics like yours. You're also making sure your website loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and has cool stuff that keeps people hanging around.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is like setting up a virtual billboard to grab people's attention. You want to make sure that when someone types in a search like "cool manga for sale" or "rare Japanese comics," they see your bill board right at the top of the results.

This can be achieved by two main tactics:

Paid Search Ads: These are like the big banners you see at the top of the convention hall. You bid on certain keywords related to manga, like "rare manga" or "Japanese comics for sale." If someone types in those keywords, website pops up right at the top, and you pay a little bit each time someone clicks on your website to check out your manga collection.

Organic Search: This is like setting up a shop that's super attractive and has a reputation for having the best manga around. You optimize your website by using those keywords naturally in your content, creating great descriptions of your comics, and maybe even getting other manga fans to talk about your shop.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is like using your favorite social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok, to show off your manga collection, talk about your favorite characters, and recommend awesome series to your friends and followers. For example, you could post pictures of your manga collection, make short videos where you talk about your top 5 manga picks, and even share funny memes related to manga. As you keep doing this, more people who also love manga will start following you and engaging with your posts. Over time, you might become known as a go-to person for manga recommendations.

So, in conclusion digital marketing has made its entrance in reaching out to customers literally from any domain. Usage of different kinds of plugins make our website more and more interactive as well as act as an added advantage to know and understand our customers. Digital marketing is evolving day by day with ethical and advanced usage of world wide web.

#DMFE #MARKETING #digital marketing #manga #anime

[bookofbonbon]

alright my two working braincells are currently working over time after that new chapter. so, so far we know that reader came to kings landing with her uncle at 8 years old soon after getting her scar, previously living in the north where her father and sibling still reside. other nobles in kings landing (such as alicent) seem to know about the accident but are not aware the victim (or at least one of them) has survived, this meaning its details aren't clear, as if the family of lord royce wanted to keep it under wraps. this checks out with reader describing it as a dark family secret and something theyre ashamed of. there's been no mention of her mother so far. has something happened to her that night? abandoning a little child simply because of a scar and her status of 'damaged goods' seems cruel. maybe her father had also lost his wife during the attack and since every time he looked at reader he was reminded of his possible negligence (him gifting the assaulter the blade alongside other things?) that resulted in reader's mother's death and her mutilation thus deciding to send her away? and maybe the allegations that we see alicent speak of concern lord royce's involvement in his wife's death. i must admit i have no idea who 'him', the assaulter that reader mentions could possibly be 🤔 there's also the matter of another event taking place when reader and aemond are respectively 18 and 19 that pushed them even closer to each other, a confrontation with her attacker/family perhaps? 👀 im not expecting any answers, am just loudly theorising haha can't wait for the next one!!

Ooo I didn't think anyone would be paying such close attention to the readers backstory. It’ll definitely keep me on my toes knowing that someone is hahah

Without giving too much away, yes, most nobles are aware something happened within the Reckless family but, indeed the details aren't clear as there have always been a lot of rumours about the incident that are in direct contrast of what was said to have happened.

The assaulter like her mother hasn't been mentioned at all at this stage but, they both will be soon.

And yes! Something did happen around their respective ages of 18 and 19 that pushed them closer together. I've already got the skeleton for that particular chapter laid out so, it'll likely be posted after the current chapter I'm working on.

Tysm for loudly theorising! ♡ I greatly appreciate it and it's really fun to read. If I didn't force myself to exercise some modicum of control, I honestly would've happily given everything away to you about the details of the Reckless family's backstory 😂

Also, your two working brain cells are doing a great job so, please give them some credit and love because you're on the nose about something but, I won't say what 🫢

Thank you again, love ♡

#answering this was a mission #i love spoilers #so naturally i want to give spoilers away about my own work #aemond targaryen #through the ages: series #inbox 💌 #anonymous #tta: series

[littlespace-imagines]

Broken Dreams pt.2

warning Pt.1

Pairing: Cg!Jason the Toymaker × little reader

Contains: very dark, abusive themes, forced Littlespace, kidnapping, toxic cg/| dynamic, unhealthy relationships, humiliation as punishment, time confusion

*This is very different from my regular stories on this account, please exercise caution*

**Ageregression and Littlespace will never be sexualized on this blog**

Ring

Ring

Ring

I moaned and dismissed my phone alarm, I laid in bed contemplating if getting up would even be worth it before I rolled out of bed and trudged to my bathroom. I turned on the shower letting it heat up while I brushed my teeth and took my meds, I looked in the mirror and studied my face I couldn't help but notice the dark bags under my eyes. I slept like shit last night I kept having nightmares but for some reason I couldn't recall the details. I tugged off my pjs and hopped in the shower and immediately got my hair wet, enjoying the feeling of the warm water coating my scalp. I quickly washed my hair and body before turning the water off and getting out of the shower and grabbing a towel.

I quickly brushed and blow dried my hair before going to find a nice outfit,

"What seems,like, professional?" I asked myself as I looked through my closet,

I decided on a deep purple blouse with black flared dress pants and a cute blazer, after getting dressed I applied my make up very lightly deciding to go for a very natural and subtle look, I also decided to wear my hair down. I grabbed a cute pair of black chunky ankle boots out of my closet and tugged them on. I finally walked into my kitchen and my eyes landed on the weird package from the night before, I decided I'd open it later, it did have my name and my address on it but right now I needed to focus on getting this job.

I grabbed a monster energy drink out of the fridge and a muffin before I picked up my keys and made my way to the car, I found the email from Dr.Loomis and copied the address into Google maps. I drove to the interview with anxiety bubbling in my stomach.

I arrived to the facility and parked before walking inside, at the desk was a woman who's face lit up when she saw me,

"Hi there! How can I help you?" She asked and I recognized her voice as the receptionist from yesterday,

"Hi! I have an interview today with Dr.Loomis." I said and she nodded,

"Alrighty, you can follow me." She stands and walks around the desk before leading me back to a side office, she knocks and opens the door before ushering me in.

"You must be (Yourname)!" Dr.Loomis greeted me excitedly and I smiled at him,

"Yes, hi, it's nice to meet you." You say as you take your seat infront of his desk. Dr.Loomis takes some paper in a Manila folder and looks over it.

"So you're a great fit, but I do have to ask about what happened at your previous job?" He asks and you take a deep breath,

"Um, well, one of the patients at the time had grown obsessed with me, he broke out of the facility and stalked me before going on a murderous rampage and killing multiple of my family and friends they had seen me interact with while they were stalking me." You explain and he nodded

"Im terribly sorry that happened to you, and it also has came to my attention that the patient wasn't properly restrained, correct?" He asked and you looked down at the floor,

"Yes, I had tried multiple times to get him more restricted but my superior nurse didn't think it was necessary because he had been in the facility for close to five years with no incident." You ran a hand through your hair nervously,

"Are you sure you will still be able to perform your job after this traumatic event?" He looks sympathetically at you,

"Yes, absolutely, I love my job and I'm great at it." I said and he nodded

"Okay, so how about you start on Monday, I will definitely have you working with someone before we assign you any patients to look over." He says

"That sounds perfect, thank you!" You say, you can feel a huge smile on your face as you reach forward and shake his hand. You walk out of his office and back out to your car, waving at the receptionist on the way out.

You decide to stop by your favorite fast food restaurant and get yourself something as a celebratory treat before heading home, you had not only found a new job but you had found a job in your field. After the incident many places rejected your application worried about the implications but finally someone was willing to give you a chance to get your life back.

You walked into your apartment and sat your food down on the table before you saw that fucking brown box again. You sighed and grabbed some scissors deciding to finally open it.

Inside was a cute pink plush bunny, it had very long ears and button eyes. You definitely didn't order this, could it have been one of your friends? You wracked your brain for answers deciding that it didn't matter, it was just a plush bunny. You gave the toy a soft hug before sitting in down on the table next to the box, you re-checked the box for a card or something but there was nothing.

You shrugged and once again made your way to the couch for food and forensic files.

#littlespace fanfiction #x little!reader #xlittle!reader #little!reader #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x little!reader #creepypasta x y/n #jason the toymaker x reader #jason the toymaker #Jason the Toymaker creepypasta #jeff the killer x little!reader #jeff the killer x you #Jason the Toymaker x little!reader #eyeless jack x you #slendy x reader #slenderman x reader #jeff the killer x reader

[iimexpensiive]

✧ @dxwnxdusk ✧ — A low growl emits from underneath one of the fallen statues. The entire area is a mess, papers scattered along with some bodies that have begun to rot. No doubt bodyguards for the target, bullets and swords alike spread around with splatters of blood everywhere. Given the entire ceiling had come down its a surprise that even a segment of the room is intact. A broken arm, that and his entire body being pinned while trying to not further aggravate the sword through his leg. Pushing against the statue became second place to using enough strength to keep it from fully crushing him. Still given that the target has finally returned and is now gloating, he might just kill himself first before this bastard has the glory. And that train of thought is immediately dismissed when they look to the side. Beyond his field of vision but not his hearing. Seriously? Did he follow him here? Bah. Not like he'll openly admit he's glad if that's the case. Not many can get the drop on him but it has to be something big. Given the size of this brute of a man. He'll say it's fair

"Whew, looks like you all made quite the mess here huh?"

His voice rang out across the devastated and destroyed area, drawing the attention towards his sudden appearance. It wasn't that he didn't trust Dusk to be able to handle his own — it wasn't every day that the Great Sage had someone who was on equal footing to his own power. Even most deities paled in comparison to the might that was the Monkey King. Plus, his beloved shadow had earned his reputation he currently held, there was no doubting what he was capable of.

Still, he had a feeling he might need some assistance when he took a job — having followed closely but not enough to be detected. Even by the six-eared simian. He knew ways around that enchanted hearing after all, ones that no one else would ever figure out.

Like always, his posture was relaxed and loose which was in stark contrast to the tension in the area. Course, anyone who knew what subtle hints and details to look for in his presence knew he was anything but relaxed. An aura of pure anger radiating off him at present even as he scratched his neck with the small medal rod he held in his hands — the act almost making it seem as if he was bored right now. Which only caused foes in question to THINK that they would have an easy time with him. The fools, they were hardly worth the effort...but that didn't mean he wasn't going to show them any mercy.

Which was proven right when the hulking form charged at the masked simian, barely stirring much of a reaction from him. The blow never landing as he held it back with little effort with his metal rod, slowly turning his head up towards their stunned expression. Seems he realized a little too late just how fucked he was right now — that caused an amused chuckle to spill from Wukong in the moment. It would never get old how many underestimated him only to find out the hard way in the end. He was not someone you wanted to trade blows with.

"I can't believe you had trouble with this one darling — "

" — try to hold on a little bit longer, I'll finish this up and we'll go home after to get you patched up."

Turning his attention to Dusk, speaking in such a cheerful manner in stark contrast to the whole scenario before him. Completely ignoring his opponent in the moment. This shouldn't take him too long to finish, the foe before him was pathetically weak — almost felt bad for what he was about to do. Almost. He had hurt his beloved after all SO any sympathy he might've felt was long dead. As would be the other soon enough.

Raising his unoccupied hand to his forehead and flicking, causing him to fly backwards with such speed and force. Crashing through one of the walls and destroying it upon impact. Humming as he casually strolled over to the crumbled over brute, hands crossed behind his back as he did. This definitely wouldn't take too long, than he'd take Dusk home and set to work patching him up.

"Be right with you darling."

#I Am The Monkey King | Sun Wukong {IC} #dxwnxdusk #ask #answered #'Cause After All This Time; I'm Still Into You | Ship {dxwnxdusk;Macaque/Dusk} #HOPE YOU LIKE TEM~ #I HAD WAY TOO MUCH FUN WRITING THIS ONE >w>;;; #LOOK; WUKONG IS A SCARY MOFO AFTER ALL AND ISN'T A TOP ASSASSIN/HITMAN FOR NOTHING #HE'S EXPENSIVE FOR A REASON AND HE PROVES IT ALWAYS #PLUS DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID IN THE MOVIE? MAN IS FRIGHTENING HOW EASY HE DESTROYS OTHERS. #AND HE ISN'T EVEN TRYING WHICH MAKES IT SCARIER XD #BUT YEAH; DON'T HURT HIS BELOVED OR ELSE~

[scrapyardboyfriends]

Cause I can’t help myself, I’m thinking about how this whole nonsensical Caleb story and whodunnit could have been done better. 

I think the biggest problem with this whole thing has been the pacing. 

Now you have to also imagine that we didn’t immediately suspect that every character coming in has some hidden objective because it’s the only thing these people know how to do and they think it’s so great every time (it’s not). 

But I just feel like if they had let Caleb settle into the village after the whole Cain/Kyle thing, have people let their guard down about that ulterior motive. Let him genuinely bond with Cain and Chas. Let him actually date Leyla. Instead of having him randomly sleep with her when she thought Callum was stalking her just so they could do the Nicky reveal, they could have had him drive by Leyla while she was buying the drugs from Callum in the first place. Give him some kind of savior complex, which would fit with what he did for Cain and Kyle. Maybe it’s always easier to fix other people’s problems than his own. have him check in on Leyla while she’s contemplating taking the drugs instead of stupid Jacob. Skipped the whole knifing fiasco that was dumb anyway. Used the situation to let Caleb form a real connection with Leyla with ultimately real feelings. Used that relationship to allow Caleb to reveal some details about his life. We could find out about his childhood a bit more (could do that with Cain and Chas too). We could find out about his wife and that he’s separated from her, that he has children he’s not exactly close with, which he does regret. 

Then we could have him be looking for work opportunities in the village so he can stick around for these new relationships he’s forming and because he’s a rich business guy, he of course naturally ends up trying to work with Kim. He doesn’t have to be so obvious about his revenge plan. We shouldn’t even have that much of an inkling yet. I would still have him be forced to get Moira to sell her farm for the land, but not necessarily because he fucked up. Maybe that was the plan all along or something. I’d have things start going wrong on the farm but we don’t have any idea it’s Caleb behind them yet. I’d have him still encourage her to sell and actually have the sale go through. Let this plot point finally change Moira’s status quo. Let her leave the farming life behind because all they seem to be able to do is have her have plot trouble very few months and then it never amounts to anything. And then Caleb, nice brother in law, could get her a job at the stud farm and he could try and use that as his justification later on that at least he did that for her. And they’re actually probably better off financially now that with the farming. 

On the Nicky side, they could have taken their time with the Gabby and Nicky relationship more. And I would have also brought Ally in sooner. Had them have been friends before that seemed like they might be heading towards a relationship but hadn’t gotten there yet. Have him be Nicky’s friend for a little bit and then the relationship does end up happening. But he’s still trying to make this relationship work with Gabby, which he could tell Ally was because of pressure from his dad, we just don’t know who his dad is yet. So then we could actually see some real relationship development with Ally and see the toll it’s taking on him, trying to make things work with Gabby. He and Caleb could eventually have some awkward interactions at Home Farm while Caleb is up there but not make it as obvious. Just have Caleb use him in Home Farm politics against Will, who he could still kind of hate. 

Then Nicky still ultimately can’t go through with the wedding, which could happen much later. The wedding not going ahead could still be bad for the plan but the chaos up at Home Farm does give Caleb the opportunity to move some of Kim’s money, which obviously makes her start paying a lot more attention and eventually she catches Caleb out and we get the big reveal, but not the Nicky part yet because he’s sort of run off. Maybe we saw Caleb on the phone to someone at some point yelling at them for messing with the plan. 

I would have Caleb’s info source not be Graham cause that’s boring. I’d use this as an opportunity to bring in more Tate’s to Home Farm to make things more interesting especially since Claire King can’t film as much anymore anyway. So maybe Caleb is working with a recast Joe Tate and Jean too and Kim is genuinely caught off guard and actually in financial trouble. 

So now when we get to the whodunnit, we have people who are genuinely upset with Caleb. Moira legitimately lost her business, which would piss off her and Cain. Kim and Will would genuinely be in trouble and upset. Leyla would have had a way more developed relationship with Caleb and feel way more betrayed. I would leave Mack out of it because that whole Charity one night stand detour was dumb and super plotty. And then you could still have it be Nicky that comes back and pushes him. Maybe he’s slunk back into the village again to meet with Caleb, he just didn’t realize all this was going down at the same time and so he’s just kind of a bystander to the whole pub debacle and you don’t think much of it. 

There could be legitimate evidence of a struggle and that Caleb was pushed and ultimately in a flashback episode we could see that everyone got close to that ridge or did talk with Caleb again but ultimately it ends up being Nicky and that is when we finally get the Nicky is Caleb’s son reveal and everything starts to really fall into place and it actually feels like a genuinely shocking reveal. But Caleb can’t hurt his son anymore than he already has, so he tells the police it was Will who pushed him and uses that as leverage to get himself and Joe and Jean and Nicky in at Home Farm properly. And all of this really shakes up the status quo at Home Farm and makes use of those 11 bedrooms and gives us a true new Tate dynasty. 

#emmerdale complaints corner #hire me

[makethatelevenrings]

For All the Light That I Shut Out - 4

Series Masterlist (also on ao3)

“Hi, it’s your big sister. I’m walking into work now.” To punctuate her statement, Lily swiped her badge to get past the Wayne Enterprises lobby gates and headed for the elevators. “I know you aren’t going to hear this for a bit because you’re heading to your first lecture. I’m just calling because I know you’re probably feeling in over your head right now and nervous. You’re smart, Nadia, and you deserve to be there.

“I know you just rolled your eyes, so let me remind you of a time where you saved my life. Remember that? You remembered everything from your first aid class and you saved me until you could get me to the clinic. You’re going to be an excellent doctor because you are brilliant, kind, and empathetic. I’m so, so proud of you and I want to hear everything about your first day when you get a chance. I love you.”

Lily ended the call and set her bag down beside her desk just in time for a familiar voice to disrupt her peace.

“Boyfriend?” Bruce Wayne asked. She nearly jumped out of her skin, a hand raising to clasp against her racing heart. “Sorry about that.”

“Mr. Wayne, I didn’t realize you were here!” she said as pleasantly as she could. “In fact, I didn’t think you would be coming in at all with the news detailing all the fun you had last night.”

A low chuckle met her ears but she refused to look at him. “Yeah, well, you know models. Always have to be the life of the party.”

“Hmmm, that’s not what I heard. Rumor has it you were seen at the center of the VIP area with…Carmela, Chrysanthemum, and Christina, was it?.”

Mr. Wayne flashed her a cocky grin and leaned against her desk. “You never answered my question.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize it was company policy to disclose relationship status. But if you must know, it was my sister. It’s her first day of medical school.”

Lily began to straighten out Lucius’ desk, stacking up the papers that were cluttered all over the surface. She made a mental note to copy the schematics he had strewn around so they didn’t get lost.

“Medical school, wow. That’s great.” It was the first genuine compliment she had heard from him and she allowed herself a quick peek in his direction. “Have you and your sister always been interested in science?”

Lily shrugged. “I guess. I just remember taking my first chemistry class and suddenly it all started to click, y’know? For once, I was good at something and I liked doing it. Math and science just came easily. It was the same for Nadia.”

She jotted down a note about a shipment of the prototype vaporizer being sent to Gotham and stuck it on Lucius’ desk.

“And why did you take this job? I mean, smart girl like you, you could get any job you wanted in the field.”

“Mr. Fox has been the only one to believe in me other than my sister,” she admitted. “He never doubted me and even encouraged me to get my masters. If it weren’t for him, I don’t know where I’d be.”

As if on cue, the door opened and Mr. Fox entered. He smiled at Mr. Wayne and shook his hand. “Nice to see you again, Bruce. What can I help you with today?”

“Oh, you know, I’m just getting the lay of the land and seeing what’s been done to my father’s company since being gone. I was interested in a certain prototype, actually…”

The two men headed further into the labs and Lily focused her attention on the papers on her desk. She realized with a jolt that she had never started the coffee that morning and moved to fill the pot.

But the shitty old coffee machine was gone. In its place stood a state of the art machine that she had only seen in commercials. Lily was almost scared to touch it in fear that she would break it. She didn’t even know how to work one of these.

After a bit of googling, she figured out how to make a carafe of coffee and successfully poured her and Lucius two cups before she reconsidered and made a third for Mr. Wayne. He offered her a grateful smile when he and Lucius returned.

“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Mr. Wayne said before departing, mug in hand. Lily chose to ignore the way his blue eyes had met hers and she felt a rush of familiarity in them. She had seen him plenty of times. Nothing was different. He was a smarmy playboy trust fund baby and she was just trying to stay employed.

“Lily, can you return this to sector five? Mr. Wayne wanted to look at it but we no longer need it.” He held out a small apparatus that Lily recognized as the working prototype of a medication delivery system. It was like an epi pen but it could be loaded up with any type of liquid medicine and administered in seconds.

“Of course, sir.” She carried her work deep into the basement, passing the numerous pieces of junk and gold that littered the tables. This was the land of misfit toys and Lily was starting to feel like she would never leave.

She paused at one table and frowned. She could have sworn the military grade body armor was supposed to be stored there. The only people down here were her and Lucius. Maybe he took it to show an investor…

Lily continued on towards sector five.

#lilyfic #bruce wayne x oc #bruce wayne fanfiction #batman x oc #batman fanfiction #bruce wayne #batman #dc fanfiction

[steveezekiel]

SERVICE THE KEY TO GREATNESS

24 NOW there was also a dispute among them, AS to WHICH OF THEM should be CONSIDERED the GREATEST. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, HE WHO IS GREATEST among you, LET HIM BE AS THE YOUNGER, and HE WHO GOVERNS AS HE WHO SERVES.'

Luke 22:24-26 (NKJV)

• Service is your access to Greatness.

- A believer who does nothing ended up being Nothing, and becomes Nothing.

a. Service makes you qualify for the appointment in God's Kingdom on earth.

b. Service determines your rewards.

c. Service distinguishes you (Malachi 3:17,18).

- Thus seek for the opportunity to serve.

a. Be willing to serve.

b. Make yourself available for Service.

c. Be determined to serve, because in it is your greatness.

- The truth is: "IF THEY OBEY AND SERVE HIM, They shall SPEND their DAYS in PROSPERITY, And their YEARS in PLEASURES" (Job 36:11 NKJV).

- You have a choice to make, either to serve Him and obey Him, or NOT.

- Distinction or being distinguished is the reward for service. You work your way through service to Greatness. In other words, Greatness is attained through the service:

25 “So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days" (Exodus 23:25,26 (NKJV).

- You are saved, born again, to serve in the vineyard of God (Ephesians 2:10). If I may ask, What are you doing to expand God's Kingdom on the Earth?

- It might not be enough to use your money, your being available in person is also needed by God. In other words, you make yourself available—give your time for the work as well.

- Use your gifts; talents or vocational giftedness, to serve in the expanding of His Kingdom on Earth. There is a great reward in service!

• Serve through your vocation—what you do for living.

(i) When serving through your work is being talked; you  would need to start your day, daily work, in the presence of God. It does mean you have to commit all you wanted to do for the day in God's hand.

(ii) In order to get the most out of your day, you put in the most or best into every hour and minute. You eliminate time wasting activities.

(iii) Seize every moment of your day. When you wasted the Time you have in the day, you have wasted the opportunity to be more productive.

(iv) Always give every task, the best of your effort.

(v) Pray in the Spirit and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you, how to achieve maximally through your potentials (1 Corinthians 14:2; Ephesians 6:18).

(vi) A good enough mentality produces poor standards and poor qualities, do not allow it.

(vii) If you made a mistake, take the full responsibility for it, do not pass the Buck—blame. Everyone has made one mistake or another Before, but the difference between those who strive for excellence and those who are satisfied with being average are:

a. They admitted it was their mistakes.

b. They corrected the mistakes immediately.

c. They learned from the mistakes, how to do it right.

d. They refused to repeat the mistakes.

(viii) Goal setting, which should be by by the leading of God, is important for your promotion and success.  MAKE checklist for everything and follow through.

(ix) Never stop learning. To stop learning is to stop growing. You should have a teachable spirit—heart to learn.

THE future of every individual requires or demands that they keep learning how to do things better, and more efficiently.

(x) Be thorough. Carry through to the completion, be careful about the detailedness, thoroughness of treatment—completion in all RESPECTS.

THE difference between something being good and something being great, is the attention to the details.

• How to bring God's presence into your work PLACE.

- Do all, whatever you are asked to do, as onto the Lord:

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, IN SINCERITY OF HEART, AS TO CHRIST; 6 NOT with EYE SERVICE, AS MEN-PLEASERS, but as bondservants of Christ, DOING the WILL OF GOD from the HEART, 7 WITH GOODWILL DOING SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, and NOT TO MEN, 8 KNOWING that whatever GOOD ANYONE DOES, HE WILL RECEIVE THE SAME FROM THE LORD, WHETHER he is a SLAVE or FREE" (Ephesians 6:5-8 NKJV).

- Respect and honour those who had authority over you (Titus 2:9,10; 1 Peter 2:18).

- Demand excellence out of yourself, from the self, in every duty or assignment you did.

- Develop the work ethics that are higher than that of those in the world—the unbelievers.

- Walk in Love and avoid strife at all cost:

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your OBLIGATION TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. If you love YOUR NEIGHBOR, YOU will FULFILL the REQUIREMENTS of GOD'S LAW. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 10 LOVE DOES NO WRONG to OTHERS, SO LOVE FULFILLS THE REQUIREMENTS OF GOD'S LAW" (Romans 13:8,10 NLT).

- Recognize  and honour the gifts and callings of others:

2 Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, LOVING ONE ANOTHER, and WORKING TOGETHER with ONE MIND and PURPOSE. 3 DON'T BE SELFISH; DON'T TRY TO IMPRESS OTHERS. BE HUMBLE, THINKING of OTHERS AS BETTER THAN YOURSELVES. 4 Don’t look out ONLY FOR YOUR OWN INTERESTS, but TAKE AN INTEREST IN OTHERS, TOO" (Philippians 2:2-4 NLT).

- Develop and cultivate a fervent spirit, both for God and your work.

- Practice diligence in whatever you do (2 Thessalonians 3:12).

- Live to give, be a blessing to others, through what you do (1 Timothy 6:17-19; Hebrews 13:16).

- Be mindful of who you represent, Jesus Christ; you are an extension of God's Kingdom in your work place (Matthew 5:14-16; 1 Peter 2:11,12).

• Believers are called to serve.

- Serve others people through your work—through whatever you are doing for living.

- Serve through your talents as well. Until you see your work as a way of service, a way through which you bless others; You may not be blessed in it as God wanted you to be.

- Also serve in the house of God. No one is permitted to be idle in the Kingdom (2 Corinthians 6:1; 1 Peter 4:10). What are you doing for God, to build His Kingdom on earth?

- You ask God to bless you with a baby, a marriage partner, a house, cars, and whatever; What have you done for Him? (1 Samuel 1:11).

- If God should bless you with whatever you are requesting, would you serve Him with those things?

- If you could not serve Him with your Time when you are still single and unmarried, how would you, when you are married?

- What you could not do now as a single person, or someone who is not all that Rich or comfortable, you surely cannot when God Blesses you the more.

• Serve Him through your work or vocation.

- Preach to others about Christ.

- Counsel and Encourage others in your working place, through the Word of God you know. God has put you there for that purpose:

"LET each of you LOOK OUT NOT ONLY FOR HIS OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS" (Philippians 2:4 NKJV).

- As you serve faithfully, your needs would be met in the place of service.

- As you interpreted the dreams of others, your dreams would also be interpreted (Genesis chapters 40 and 41).

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

- If you are being oppressed by the devil, with sicknesses, I declare your deliverance now in Jesus' name.

- You are healed and made whole in Jesus' name.

Peace!

#christianity #gospel #christian living #jesus #my writing #faith #prayer #devotion #the bible #christian blog

[j-graysonlibrary]

The Xiang Chronicles: Book One Chapter 18

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book One

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 83k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: Every few centuries a hero is born—one chosen by the God Tiandi to carry out his will in the mortal realm. The Xiang. Whether it is to quell a war instigated by the forces of shadow—of Shakti herself—or whether it is the miasma that poisons the world, the Xiang is born to bring the world back into balance.

Shu Pangu Min knows what his purpose is and he does his best to fulfill it even if he doesn’t fully understand all of the details. He must travel from city to city—lord to lord—to clear out the miasma. Along the way, he is to enlist the aid of four disciples. Each is to be of a different country and each must have high resonance and deep faith.

The holy men who raised him have great confidence in his future successes and they leave him to begin his journey on his own. But, can Pangu live up to the expectations of those around him? Can he really save the land like all other Xiang before him or will his unconventional methods doom them all?

Full chapter 18 under the cut

Chapter XVIII

The man who had been disrupting Pangu’s thoughts—even occasionally his dreams—since he met him looked at him now with a frown. It wasn’t a frown of disgust or contempt but more like he was upset to be caught. Pangu wasn’t sure what exactly he was feeling but he was certain he didn’t like it.

His entire chest ached and he wished that he was asleep, having a nightmare instead.

“I knew it was you,” Kira stated with confidence, surprising him enough to momentarily snap him out of his terrible state.

“How?” Raine asked, sounding as confused as Pangu felt.

“It was a feeling. But a strong one,” he explained.

Pangu shook his head. He focused his attention on Baiya, as much as he didn’t really want to look at him. “How is this possible? I thought you were in the military?”

“He lied, obviously,” Kira answered for him.

Baiya looked to the side, still unable to move since his ankles were gripped by the earth. “I did not want you to find out.”

“No, you just wanted to kill him,” Kira spat and pointed his knife at his neck. “Now, you’re going to tell us where your orders are coming from.”

The man grumbled and his eyes shifted downward. “I…” He looked up at Pangu, only keeping eye contact for a second. “Remember when I told you about the people I am in debt with?”

Pangu lips parted and his mouth fell open. Not only had Baiya mentioned it that night but the random bandit that they had released also spoke of being tied up in dept. Exactly how many people did this criminal have under his thumb? Had all of the bandits been swept up into some grand scheme?

He nodded his head slightly before answering, “Yes. I remember.”

Baiya sighed. “In order to pay him back, I became part of his group. I ended up having to leave the military as Choda started to promote me and give me more jobs…I never told my family and I have been carrying out his orders for the past four years. The latest of which was assassinating you.”

“Why kill the Xiang though?” Raine asked, unable to get past why anyone would want Pangu dead. “Unless your boss is the Chaaya.”

“I do not really know,” Baiya responded, “Choda seems to think that the Xiang is a fraud. That is all I have heard from him.”

“But you know he isn’t,” Raine pressed, “So why go along with him?”

The man stared at him, clearly irritated. “It is not as if I had a choice. He knows who I am and where my family lives.”

Pangu frowned but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. His entire chest continued to burn.

Kira, however, was more than happy to press the blade of his dagger further into his throat. “You are going to take us to this man—Choda—then.”

“And then what?” Baiya snapped, “You kill him?”

“Yeah, probably,” he answered with ease.

“You don’t understand how many people work for this man. The power he has…”

Kira took his knife away and shook his head. “I do not give a single shit about the number of men he has. I’ll strike down all of them.”

“Kira…” Pangu said with a soft voice but it didn’t calm him any.

“No. These people have been trying to kill you since we got here. It is unacceptable.” He frowned and then finally released Baiya from the ground while staring directly at him. “Anyone who even thinks of harming Pangu deserves to die.”

Baiya looked at him and sighed before crossing his arms. “I will take you to my boss but you will most likely not survive the encounter. It doesn’t matter for me—my life is forfeit anyway, it seems.”

“That is not set in stone yet,” Pangu responded, still keeping his voice low.

The man glanced to him but quickly looked away. It was as if he was truly upset but Pangu couldn’t tell if that was because he was caught or because he hadn’t wanted to actually do what he was doing. It was hard to be sure.

“Lead the way,” Raine told Baiya, seemingly taking Kira’s side in the situation by keeping his trident pointed at the man.

Baiya took one of the horses and Pangu rode with Kira again. They kept stride with the man as he took them closer to the Terran border. It was more north than where they had entered Agni but the terrain was fairly similar.

Dead or dying grass pushed through packed sand and the air was dry and hot. Even further north, there was little relief from the heat.

Pangu didn’t feel much of anything though. He kept his eyes on Baiya and replayed all of their interactions in his mind. Including the times he didn’t know it was him.

The fact that they had already technically met when they saw one another on the farm was baffling. Baiya hadn’t shown any indication that he was familiar with Pangu and it made him worry that he couldn’t trust anything the man said.

As much as he wanted to believe that all of the attacks were Baiya’s reluctant duty in order to protect his family, he really couldn’t be sure. But then, why was he so nice to Pangu that night on the front porch of his family’s house? Why not just kill him there?

It hurt his head to try to figure him out.

Baiya slowed down as they came upon a city of ruins. The destroyed sandstone structures stuck out of the ground and gave a sense of loss. Something had happened to the city a long time ago but history had long since forgotten it.

Only one building remained somewhat whole and standing. Baiya stopped his horse and dismounted. “He should be in there,” he said, cutting his eyes to Kira. “Care to follow me?”

“Gladly,” Kira responded and promptly jumped off of the horse. He only stopped to help Pangu down before going to Baiya’s side. “Lead the way.”

Raine caught up to Pangu and looked down at him, giving him a glance that was full of a mixture of emotions. He understood that the Xiang had spent the most time with Baiya on the farm and, therefore had grown attached to him but there was no doubting now that he wasn’t a great person. He just wasn’t sure how to verbalize that.

Inside the house, there was nothing. Before Kira could yell at Baiya for misleading them, the man walked to the far wall and pressed a brick backward which clicked into place.

Part of the floor gave way and revealed a staircase. Baiya looked to the others before silently heading down. Kira then looked to Raine and Pangu.

“Keep behind me.”

Pangu followed him while Raine kept his back guarded. The path down was lined with torches and it opened into a large, newer looking space. All of the stone was a dark grey and seemed almost like it had just been laid down there. A red carpet covered the center of the floor and a bright orange sun was printed in the middle.

Baiya glanced at them before ringing a bell on the side of the wall. A moment of silence passed before another door opened.

A tall man with a bald head and a dark beard walked forward with a scowl etched on his face. His dark robes made him look even more menacing than his grim expression.

“Baiya, who are these people?” the man’s deep voice boomed. “I was told you had been captured by the Xiang.”

“This would be the Xiang’s party, Master Choda,” he answered with a defeated sigh.

“Oh?” his frown started to twitch and shift into a smirk. “But why did you bring him to me? I have no need to kill him myself—I just need him dead.”

“Why?” Raine demanded.

“Why?” Choda repeated and then chuckled, “For what reason do I owe you an answer, boy?”

“Because, depending on your answer,” Raine responded and pulled out his trident, “You may not suffer too terribly before I tear you asunder.”

Kira’s brow rose at the man’s words and he had to remind himself that he couldn’t afford to be distracted by his passionate words. He could think about how attractive the moment was at a later time.

“You aim to kill me?” Choda laughed louder, “Baiya, tell me why you did not kill these fools when you had the chance?”

“I was unable,” Baiya answered. “I had already failed you so I figured I may as well follow their demands—bringing them to meet you.”

“So you betrayed me,” his boss said with a sigh, “I suppose it is a good thing I already sent some men to go and ravage your family’s farm.”

“…What?” Baiya’s jaw dropped. “You don’t mean…”

“Oh, I do. You were taking too long on this assignment so I thought I would give you a little reminder of who you’re dealing with.” Choda’s smile switched back into a deep frown. “And now I have to kill you as well. It is a shame really…you were a very promising assassin.”

Choda raised his arm and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the doors around the room opened and about ten men flooded in. Pangu shielded himself while his disciples and Baiya worked to take down the small troop.

Kira cut the attackers down, clearing out the immediate area around him before throwing one of his daggers to Choda. It stuck into the man’s throat, causing him to gasp and grab the hilt. Pangu watched as he pulled the dagger out of his neck and a subsequent geyser of blood sprayed forth from it.

It was difficult to see, even if the man was terrible. He looked to Raine who knocked out a few men with the butt of his trident before skewering another in the chest. He raised the man on his trident up and threw him into the person attacking Baiya, sending them both to the ground.

“We need to go,” Raine said instantly, “back to the farm.”

Baiya stood, staring blankly at the heap of bodies before them. “It is no use…” he said in a quiet voice.

“It isn’t too late,” Raine replied a little more aggressively, “If we rush, we might be able to save your family. Do you not at least want to try?!”

“…What could I do…?”

Kira frowned and walked to Baiya with every intention to slap him and snap him out of his funk but Pangu beat him to it. The sound of his hand smacking against the man’s face echoed through the room.

Baiya raised a hand to his face where his cheek stung. He was not only shocked that someone had hit him but that it had been the docile Xiang who’d done it. “Wha…?”

“Pull yourself together and ride with us!” Pangu yelled. “If you cannot bring yourself to move then we will go and save your family without you. I promised I would look after them and I meant it.”

He did not give Baiya a chance to respond before he ran back up the stairs and out of the ruins. Raine followed after him immediately and Kira looked to Baiya, almost feeling bad for him.

“You should know,” he said, feeling the man needed to hear this. Whether it would move him to action or not, he didn’t know. “When Pangu says he’ll do something…he means it.”

At that, Kira ran up the stairs and to the horses. He pulled himself up behind Pangu, leaving the last horse for Baiya in case he decided to drag himself back to the surface. It was probably too kind given the circumstances and he blamed the Xiang for making him soft.

“Let’s go,” Raine said before whipping the reins on his horse and taking off. Kira and Pangu were right behind him, pushing their horse to the limit.

That was why, when Baiya caught up to them, it was doubly surprising. Pangu hadn’t expected him to actually come after them, for one, and for two, he didn’t know that horse could gallop so fast.

The air blew by with such force that it felt like it could cut their faces. Pangu tried to mentally figure out how far they had to go and factored in any possible, necessary stops.

So long as the horses didn’t give out, they could make it to the farm before the next sundown. Pangu just worried how long ago that man had sent people to the farm. If it had just been when he’d gotten word that Baiya had been captured then he was sure they still had time.

If it was before…

He didn’t want to think about it. His focus sharpened as they grew closer, almost chasing the sun as it set. The warm glow of the sunset nearly hid the separate glow of flames in the distance.

Pangu’s brow bunched together as he realized that there was smoke bellowing up into the air. His heart sunk and his hand gripped tighter on the side of the saddle.

They were too late.

#the xiang chronicles #my novel #my writing