#what is word processor

[gideonisms]

hello gamers is slay the princess good/playable if you're horrifically bad at most video games/will it require me to download any programs that will fry my computer. It looks like the type of thing I'd enjoy but I'm allergic to games with the exception of choose your own adventure stuff that doesn't require too much walking around aimlessly

[auspicioustidings]

Well since I have a few more hours of GMT posting where only my handful of fellow UK/Euro/Scandinavians will have to be annoyed by my nonsense, what a great time to talk about my silly little OCs!

So I have two sets because I have two stories in mind and since I like a large cast of characters who all love a fmc I cannot possibly get through them all in one post, so let me start with my fmcs and their general plot outline.

Emily Hart - a nurse in a fantasy-ish country. In this world, people either have arc-marks and thus a certain kind of magic, or they do not and thus have no magic (technically down the line they have magic to do with the spirit world but not relevant here). Those without marks are called blue wrens, named after a flightless type of bird. The country Emily lives in they don't really use their arc-marks. Most people don't ever activate them to find out what type of magic they have, and magic in general is used to drive innovation and create machines (her country is very much steampunk vibes). As such, she doesn't fully understand the animosity those in other places have for blue wrens.

War breaks out on the continent when one country's leader goes full genocidal maniac due to the fact that genetically, a child who has a blue wren parent is more likely to be a blue wren themselves. The story follows Emily as she first works in a hospital in her own country meeting people who have been injured in the war, then moves to a field hospital in an allied country. She winds up accompanying a team as a medic, getting captured, having her captors let her go, coming across a blue wren resistance near a country border, ending up in a POW camp herself and eventually being rescued during a liberation. It's very much a traumas of war story along with a story about her struggling to come to terms with the violence she has to enact and also building complicated relationships with both allies and enemies.

Birdie - my precious cinnamon roll. Little fat omega who was trafficked by the horrid woman running the children's home she was in when she perfumed at 12 and sold to something called the Alpha Excellence Lab (leaving behind 2 childhood friends that she was sure would be her pack and surprise they eventually are in it). This place creates something called Regent Alphas which are more dominant and can bark other alphas. They use Birdie as part of their process without the alphas ever knowing she is a prisoner. She tries to escape when she's younger but is betrayed and so badly punished that she doesn't try it again.

Skip a decade later and a new set of 4 alphas come in for training. Most of them are mean to her as they assume she works at the lab and is being paid to purr for them when they are hurt or to seem incredibly distressed when they are put in an arena to hunt her down as a training exercise. The trainer and the doctor also do not know Birdie is a prisoner, they think she works there as well. They all start to suspect something is very wrong when Birdie goes into heat. This is a generic omegaverse story with a bundle of angst, lots of having to grovel once the truth comes to light and an eventual big blended pack made up of gangsters, cops, a military veteran, a doctor and a pop star (6 males alphas, a male beta and a female beta). Birdie never becomes a badass, she stays a soft, kind, cry baby throughout and her pack adores her for it and never makes her feel bad about who she is.

[sysig]

I invite you to imagine (Patreon)

[amethystina]

The Devil Judge Meta: The Bus Scene

Hello and welcome to the chaos.

So, ever since I first saw this drama, I've been OBSESSED with the bus scene for how beautifully it establishes a lot of core traits for both Yo Han and Ga On's personalities. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece. And so, since I've got nothing better to do (*cough, cough*) here's a rambling meta where I scream about it, simply because I can and want to.

Disclaimer: This is by no means a COMPLETE meta of this scene. I will only be focusing on the characters and not, say, the cinematography. And even then I won't include every single detail. I mostly want to gush about how wonderfully this scene takes on the challenge of showing two characters' different personalities through their actions and reactions alone. Don't come at me if I don't talk about everything that makes this scene cool. Also, obviously, these observations are just my opinions and I don't expect everyone to agree. I'm just having fun yelling about characters I like.

Second Disclaimer: I was left unsupervised with Photoshop while having a fever. I take no responsibility for the resulting screenshots.

More under the cut!

And brace yourselves — it's hella long.

Let's just jump right into the action! (mainly because the build-up isn't all that interesting)

The moment the situation becomes clear to Ga On — i.e. that the little girl is in terrible danger — this is his immediate reaction:

Good boy.

I mean, at this point, it's not even a particularly risky decision. The bus is still pretty far away so he should have enough time to grab the girl and run out of there. No biggie. And, clearly, the soldiers aren't going to be doing anything to help her, so it's understandable that Ga On takes it upon himself to do so. SOMEONE has to.

And this is a very good example of Ga On's problem-solving in action. His main priority is saving the victims and his method of choice — run over and grab the girl himself — may be simple, but also very straightforward and effective. It gives an immediate and tangible result. It's a bit impulsive, sure, since he's potentially putting himself in danger, but it also shows his selflessness and sincerity. He doesn't even HESITATE before he starts running since Ga On's problem-solving is very instinctual.

He's a man of action who doesn't waste time on second guesses, doubts, or plans. He sees a situation and intervenes with the method that occurs to him at the time.

So he's a quick thinker, definitely, but he also doesn't have much of a strategy outside of "save the girl." The scope of his solution is narrow, focusing more on rescuing the one in immediate danger rather than defusing the situation. That doesn't mean he's BAD at solving problems — he's actually very clever and reacts and adapts impressively fast — just that he's got a very specific goal in mind and the solution he chooses is usually decided by that goal.

In a tight spot, Ga On's main focus is pretty much always to rescue the victims (or innocents, if you prefer) rather than neutralising or stopping the threat. He is, first and foremost, a protector and saviour.

Which is very noble and heroic. We love that for him.

And Ga On's day would probably have gone a lot better if life hadn't decided to throw a Yo Han-shaped wrench into his reckless but well-meaning plans. Because, WOW, do their respective problem-solving tactics clash.

Case in point:

This shot (aside from being very pretty) is a SPECTACULAR glimpse into Yo Han's mindset and POV. The focus is on the bus — the threat — but we can also clearly tell that, should Ga On try to rise, he and the girl might end up getting shot. There are innocents in between Yo Han and his target — innocents who might get hurt should Yo Han proceed with his planned actions.

And Yo Han still fires.

Which is why I totally don't blame Ga On for making this face:

Like, Ga On later criticises Yo Han for being willing to risk the bus driver's life, but let's not forget that Yo Han was also willing to send a bullet flying over Ga On's head without hesitation. Just as Ga On was about to straighten, no less. That's risky as all hell.

And that brings us to Yo Han's problem-solving.

Unlike Ga On, Yo Han focuses on stopping the bus rather than protecting the victims — he even puts them in MORE danger by firing the gun with them in the crossfire. Which may seem even more reckless than Ga On's method at first glance, if it wasn't for this:

Yo Han is perfectly calm.

Despite the pressure of the situation, he handles it with a cold, almost detached, precision. A precision that probably comes from the fact that he's already assessed how the situation will unfold and how he has to act in order to change its course. As he points out later, the bus would have kept going forward if it hadn't been stopped and, even if Ga On and the girl had managed to run away, there's a potential for countless more victims — soldiers, bystanders, and other employees at the Supreme Court. In neutralising the threat, he saves more lives.

In a sense, this can also be seen as punishing the instigator, as opposed to Ga On's choice of protecting innocents. As Yo Han later admits, he's willing to sacrifice one life to save many — especially when that someone is a bad person.

While Yo Han's actions are undoubtedly ruthless, he also has a wider scope of the situation than Ga On, to the point where they don't even view it the same. To Ga On, the girl getting run over is the problem that needs to be solved. In contrast, to Yo Han, the problem that should be solved is the speeding bus, which, if not stopped, will result in the girl getting run over.

This is why, instead of allowing Ga On and the girl time to run away, Yo Han doesn't lower the gun.

He's there to solve a problem and the speeding bus is the problem, not Ga On or the girl's possible fate. And with such a different core grasp of the situation, it's no wonder their respective solutions clash.

They're trying to solve two completely different problems.

Complete Sidetrack: I've seen some people criticise the realism of this scene because Ga On doesn't try to take the girl and run despite having many chances to do so, but I would argue that the biggest flaw in the realism is the preschool teacher. You're telling me that woman WOULDN'T turn back and try to save that child herself? Has the writer of this show even MET a preschool teacher? That girl is her responsibility! She wouldn't just leave her!

And sure, the woman has other children to take care of, but they're safely across the road already. She can order them to stay put and then run back. I think the only logical reason why she wouldn't is if someone is physically restraining her.

… or if the creators simply wanted a cool scene (that I admit to loving) and didn't really care if they misrepresented this poor woman. Justice for the preschool teacher!

ANYWAY. I DIGRESS.

I LOVE Ga On's face when he realises what just happened and that Yo Han is far from finished.

Because Yo Han more or less holds Ga On and the little girl hostage. Which says quite a lot about his ruthlessness AND his confidence. Yo Han is clearly convinced that his method is the right one — that his aim is good enough to take the risk — and doesn't even give Ga On the option to protest. He literally holds Ga On at gunpoint and forces him to abandon his solution of grabbing the girl and running in favour of Yo Han's plan of stopping the bus. Basically, if Ga On wants to come out of this alive, he'll have to bend to Yo Han's will.

Foreshadowing much?

Like, short of trying to ROLL out of the line of fire, there's not much Ga On can do if he wants to avoid getting himself or the girl shot. He has NO idea when Yo Han might pull the trigger again or exactly where he is aiming.

And, well, as we see here, Ga On is clearly making the right choice by staying put. YIKES, Yo Han.

And this highlights another aspect of Yo Han, which is his arrogance.

We've established that stopping the bus will most likely result in saving more lives, but there was nothing wrong with Ga On's initial response to the situation. Ga On and the girl would have been completely fine if Yo Han hadn't shown up when he did — or had simply chosen to wait a couple of seconds longer before firing the first shot.

Except Yo Han is so certain of his own abilities that he completely ignores what everyone else might be trying to do to solve the situation, to the point where he doesn't even care if he RUINS those efforts. He's already convinced his plan is better. So he essentially steps in and wrenches control away from everyone else — including Ga On — and the consequences could have been catastrophic, especially since he doesn't communicate with the others involved.

And if that isn’t Yo Han in a nutshell, I don't know what is.

Yo Han has no faith in anyone's plans but his own and will pursue them with a single-mindedness that's both alarming and kind of impressive.

If you want something done, do it yourself, I guess?

In some ways, Yo Han even CREATED this situation, with Ga On and the girl remaining in the bus's path. He could easily have let them run off first, but didn’t because he's so convinced he's doing what's best.

Then again, I guess we wouldn't have this shot if he had:

I appreciate your dedication to being a protector, Ga On, but I don't think that's going to make much of a difference.

And this thing, where Yo Han's arrogance and actions are the direct cause for the complications they face, repeats a couple of times in the drama. Sometimes it's because he's stirred up so much shit that people get desperate and, a couple of times, it's because he's underestimated his opponents. And, sometimes, it even seems like it's just out of sheer curiosity, because he wants to see what will happen.

Like how he gets kidnapped and drugged by Sun Ah because he went off the meet her alone in a goddamn shipyard, or how he underestimated what Cha Kyung Hee would do if he pushed her into a corner, and how Sun Ah would never have tried to have Ga On beaten up in the slums if Yo Han hadn't paraded him around like his lovely little househusband, making it blatantly obvious how much he cares about him (which, I will admit, it another favourite scene of mine).

While Yo Han is definitely a good problem solver, he also CAUSES a lot of problems, both for himself and others. The part that I like about that, however — and what sets him apart from a lot of other characters in media — is that he's AWARE of the risks. He's not foolishly making reckless decisions that put him in danger (unlike someone else we know) but simply deems the risks to be worth the endgame. The risks Yo Han takes are calculated and, for better or worse, he's frighteningly good at maths.

But that only makes him seem more ruthless. Since no one else can see his calculations, it can be difficult to follow his logic, even more so since his values and morals are what they are (that's to say: OPTIONAL).

All of that said, while Yo Han is arrogant and very determined to be the one in control, he doesn't do it to show off or brag. He's used to being if not the smartest person in the room, then at least the most efficient one. He, too, is a man of action who will get things done smoothly and efficiently, no matter the cost.

And I do love this moment right here, just after the bus has only narrowly missed Ga On and the girl:

They could have made him look smug — or even pleased — but they didn't. He remains calm and focused because, again, it's not about the glory. Just like his revenge plan, it's all about the mission — the result. He does what he has to in order to reach his goal, simple as that.

While Yo Han definitely carries a lot of intense emotions (some that he should probably talk to a therapist about) he is also incredibly goal-oriented, to the point where he doesn't let his emotions sway his decisions very often. More often than not, if Yo Han does something, it's because he has a plan — a goal or something he wants to accomplish. And he will pursue that goal without hesitation.

But that also means he doesn't really care about who he has to step over in order to get there — including victims and innocents.

Meanwhile, Ga On:

Showing care and concern in a situation like this is pretty natural, I'd say, especially for someone as compassionate as Ga On. OF COURSE he would take the time to make sure the little girl is okay!

Ga On is such a good boy <3

And here's another difference between Yo Han and Ga On, since Yo Han makes no such effort. Which I wouldn't necessarily say means that Yo Han doesn't care, but rather that he doesn't bother to ask for verbal confirmation of something he can clearly see with his own eyes. They weren't hit by the bus so they should be fine. Nevermind possible shock or trauma — that’s definitely not Yo Han’s problem.

The difference IS pretty unsettling, anyway, and we get this shot (which I love):

It's not even particularly long, but the fact that they lock eyes after such a traumatic event and THAT is the face Yo Han makes is… yeah. Say what you will about Ga On and his habit of jumping to conclusions, but I can't really blame him for wondering if Yo Han is a psychopath.

And that's another beauty of this entire scene, since not only does it tell us, the viewers, about these characters, but it also serves as a moment for Ga On to realise what kind of man his new boss actually is. That's to say, someone who doesn't hesitate to shoot despite innocents being in the way, but also chastises the soldiers for not having the guts to do it themselves.

Also, I know I said I wouldn't focus on cinematography, but I just want to point out how beautiful these two shots are:

With Ga On and the girl — the victims, for all intents and purposes — framed by the soldier and Yo Han, which soon shifts into this:

With Yo Han moving to COMPLETELY cover them. It's not only gorgeous from a visual and storytelling perspective, but you can also have a field day analysing what that might mean from a character and symbolic perspective.

But that's another meta, I guess.

Back to the wide-eyed deer Ga On.

For someone as caring as Ga On, Yo Han's behaviour — and lack of compassion — is clearly quite upsetting. For which I honestly can't blame him. A lot of Yo Han's actions up until this point can be explained away as a superior trying to take action and protect his employees, but Yo Han chastising the soldiers for not firing sooner? Yeah, not so much. That is COLD, especially coming from a man who’s in a position of power over practically everyone else at the scene.

Because that's also something to remember: Yo Han doesn't just have power because he forcibly takes command, he also has a lot of authority due to his position.

A position he doesn't hesitate to abuse at points.

And, if we try to view this from Ga On's perspective, that shit is not only upsetting but downright TERRIFYING. Who wants to work for a cold and heartless dictator?

Anyway, back to Ga On being A Good Boy™.

His protective instincts are once again brought back into focus as he rushes to save the bus driver. Like with the girl, he doesn't hesitate, even if he is, once again, putting himself in danger. Saving people is instinctual to him and it doesn't matter who they are — Ga On values lives equally.

… well, until they hurt someone he cares about — then he's Down To Murder.

But that, too, is another meta entirely.

Anyway, Ga On's protectiveness is clearly one of the cornerstones of his character. Not only is he very heroic (though he'd certainly never use that word), but he's also a good caretaker and a very compassionate human being in general.

Meanwhile, Mr. Abyss over here:

Yo Han makes no effort to help Ga On, neither personally nor by sending soldiers to aid him. And while that only serves to make Yo Han seem even more cold and unconcerned, it also makes complete sense considering what we established earlier. Because sending the soldiers to help would only put them at risk as well, should the bus explode before everyone can make it clear. Again, Yo Han chooses the option that will cause less damage and put fewer people at risk (hilariously), even if that means he's willing to forsake the lives currently in danger.

It's simple arithmetic, just like with the driver.

And, well, since he DOESN'T move, we also get this glorious shot:

Everyone else ducks down or gets thrown off their feet, meanwhile, Yo Han just raises a hand to shield his face — as if a wholeass bus exploding is just a mild inconvenience to him.

10/10, Very Impressive. Very Extra.

HOWEVER, after this comes a brief but very fascinating moment, when the fire is roaming and Yo Han's gaze (presumably) lands on Ga On.

During a couple of seconds, Yo Han seems to zone out, just blankly staring. It's the most unfocused he's been during this entire scene and I don't think it's a coincidence that the moment involves fire and Ga On (i.e. Isaac 2.0 – Sugar Baby Edition).

This is a moment that probably won't stand out all that much during a first watch, but holds a lot more meaning once you know Yo Han's backstory. It's an interesting glimpse into something like humanity — and weakness — from Yo Han. And I'm pretty sure it's intentional that most people are too panicked and/or disoriented to notice. While Ga On learns a lot about Yo Han in this scene, this moment — this particular thread, with Yo Han's trauma — is still too early to pull on. It's not until later that Ga On begins to see Yo Han's humanity.

This moment is for US, the viewers, more so than the other characters.

Anyway, in true Yo Han fashion, he's soon back to his regularly scheduled shenanigans.

He still makes no effort to help Ga On or the bus driver, instead settling for a little tilt of his head that could be disapproval, could be approval, or just acceptance of how the last couple of minutes played out. They were, after all, minutes during which Yo Han made no attempt to wrestle control from Ga On, letting him attempt to save the bus driver without intervention. I wouldn't call it an outright test, but it's definitely a moment during which Yo Han waited and watched rather keenly.

Because, naturally, Yo Han is learning about Ga On, too, just like Ga On is learning about him. They're two very observant people and each action and reaction helps them start outlining the other's personality. Yo Han, in particular, has a good reason for cataloguing Ga On's behaviour and reactions, since it'll help him gauge if Ga On will be a hindrance or an asset to his revenge scheme.

And while I don't think that Yo Han is particularly impressed by what Ga On did — it was impulsive and reckless, and Yo Han clearly doesn't care much for heroics — it DID give results. And Yo Han is all about the results. If nothing else, he learned that Ga On is both stubborn and compassionate.

The latter isn't very useful to Yo Han, but the former certainly is. And I have no doubt that he's filing that information away for later.

And, hilariously, this is the point where Yo Han does ANOTHER very Yo Han thing:

Despite being the man with the highest authority at the scene — i.e. the one who should arguably step in, take command, and deal with the aftermath — Yo Han simply turns around and leaves. Once the threat has been handled, he sees no point in staying since his purpose was never to protect or help the people involved — it was to solve a problem.

And since the bus has now been stopped, the problem is solved.

The fact that he also made it explode is clearly not his problem.

He doesn't care about the fallout, even when he's the direct cause. This returns time and time again, where Yo Han is fully prepared to stir shit up, but rarely stays long enough to deal with the consequences. Most notably in the last episode, when he dumps the burn crisp of a judicial system in Ga On's lap and tells him to fix what he broke.

Which is HILARIOUS.

But, honestly, also very reasonable. Say what you will about Yo Han (and I do — very often) but he's a man who knows himself, his strengths, and his abilities incredibly well. And he holds no illusions about being a nurturing person. His strength lies in analysing situations, solving problems, and, for lack of a better term, Fuck Shit Up. He's the wrecking ball — the unstoppable force of nature — not one of the helpers who come after to build it all back up again, better and shinier.

That kind of job is definitely better suited for Ga On, who's kind, compassionate, and driven.

So while it is very irresponsible for the man in charge to just leave in a situation like this, it probably makes sense to Yo Han. Why waste time on something he has no interest in and, in some ways, isn't even particularly good at?

(also, it makes him look WAY cooler if he walks away with that fire burning in the background, I guess, which might also be a factor)

Unsurprisingly, it makes less sense to Ga On who, the moment he starts regaining his bearing, looks up and tries to find Yo Han.

And while I AM tempted to make a joke about always looking for your crush first after a dangerous situation, we all know it’s way too early for that here. No, Ga On looks up partly to see if anyone else has gotten hurt but, also, to look for guidance. It IS Yo Han's responsibility to handle this situation and Ga On is well within his right to expect that of his boss.

Except Yo Han isn't there.

Boss of the Year, this one.

And not only does that convey to Ga On that Yo Han is unpredictable, but also, to some extent, UNRELIABLE. Someone cold and uncaring — someone not to be trusted to uphold his end of the bargain. Someone who causes a lot of damage, but will leave it to others to mend the wounds.

And, clearly, Ga On is VERY disappointed.

In short, Yo Han doesn't really make a good first OR second impression on Ga On. Though I would argue that Yo Han couldn't care less about that, which probably only makes Ga On MORE frustrated, since he's clearly more of a traditionalist, who believes in being polite, accommodating, and taking responsibility. And while Yo Han has no trouble taking responsibility in certain regards — like admitting that he was willing to kill the bus driver if he had to — it's not in the considerate, altruistic way that Ga On no doubt would prefer to see in a superior.

Yo Han doesn't give a flying fuck about propriety and politeness, and when he's being a good boss or kind to strangers, it's usually performative.

Which, again, is why I don't blame Ga On for wondering just what kind of person Yo Han is. Even just in this one scene, Yo Han doesn't exactly come across as very sympathetic. Cool, efficient, and ruthless as fuck, sure, but definitely not the kind of guy you want to be working with. Which is only made all the more obvious when it's put next to Ga On's somewhat reckless but ultimately well-meaning and selfless acts of compassion.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that they're each other's opposites, but this scene goes a long way to show the differences in Ga On and Yo Han's personalities, mindsets, and values. And it doesn't necessarily take sides or try to tell you which is better, just that they're different. Both have pros and cons.

Ga On is kind, caring, and will do whatever it takes to protect innocents, but that also makes him reckless and unpredictable.

Yo Han is calm, efficient, and always has a carefully calculated plan, but that also makes him cold and ruthless.

All of this from one single scene.

They learn so much about each other — and we about them — in this one scene that you don't really need much more to understand just how violently these two opposing forces are going clash as the drama progresses. This scene is MARVELLOUS.

Even more so since they don't speak a WORD to each other.

They talk to side characters, but not each other and still, SOMEHOW, this one scene contains so much information — so much TENSION — that you can cut it with a knife. This, even more so than their first meeting, is where the foundation for their relationship is laid and they manage to do it entirely through actions and reactions.

These two will be the death of me, I swear.

In conclusion: FUCK YES I LOVE THIS DRAMA.

You can pry it from my cold, dead hands.

End of meta.

[stellerssong]

the experience of doing all your fic in the native mac os notes app runs something like this: you finish a fic. you copy-paste it into the rich text field on ao3. you watch your formatting disappear. you sit there for a second and you're like "well what if i just gave up fanfiction entirely and leaned really hard into my new interest in native regional flora instead." and then you legitimately spend a month considering that as a viable option instead of posting

[digitalfishwish]

Kit's Traybake Pancakes (chocolate chip var.)

Heyo! You may have seen my original pancake traybake (cinnamon apple var.) recipe! If you haven’t, come check it out here! If you have, check again, since I’ve made some crucial changes to the cook time/temp/optional prep after much experimentation!

Well, here’s:

Love eating pancakes but hate making them? This traybake pancake recipe may be for you! Making these gives me enough pancake squares for 6 days (5 if you eat two on the day you make them). They reheat well, can either be eaten with or without maple syrup, and are very customizable! I recommend adding something healthy like fruit or yogurt, and protein powder like I do in this recipe, making it a slightly healthier breakfast than just pure carbs.

Full recipe under the cut! (Reader beware, you're in for a... lot of asides and annotations lol)

Full disclosure, the base for this recipe was the mug pancake recipe from Emma’s Goodies, which you can watch here!

I made this mug pancake for years (except with tripled portions because I was using a very big mug) and it was super delicious! However, for just one mug pancake, it was a bit of a production and didn’t feel super worth it. Thusly, I have adapted the recipe to be made in a 13”x9” baking tray, which makes a whole lot of breakfast.

Base Ingredients:

12 tbsp. butter (I use salted, if you don’t have salted butter, add a very small amount of kosher salt to your recipe)

9 tbsp. (1/2 cup+ 1 tbsp) granulated sugar

12 fl.oz. milk (I use skim, use whatever kind you like)

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp. baking powder

Customizable Ingredients:

1 scoop protein powder (I use vanilla flavored whey)

1/4 cup of brown sugar

1 cup (around 5oz) nonfat strawberry Greek yogurt (pick a good quality brand/one you like)

1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips (for the batter)

Small handful of semisweet chocolate chips (to sprinkle on top)

1/2 cup of semisweet chocolate chips, 1 tbsp of butter, ~2 capfuls of milk (for chocolate drizzle)

Base Instructions:

Heat oven to 375°F, take out a 13”x9” nonstick baking pan and spray bottom and sides with cooking spray (yes theoretically I know you don’t need to spray a nonstick pan but better safe than sorry).

Put butter in a bowl and melt it in the microwave. I recommend microwaving for 1m20s.

Put butter in a stand mixer, preferably with the paddle attachment. While you heat the milk in the microwave* (40 seconds, stir milk once it’s done; I use a glass liquid measuring cup for the microwaving), add the granulated sugar to the mixer. Once the milk is heated, add it and use one of the lower settings on your mixer.

(If you have customizable wet ingredients, add them now!)

Add the flour and baking powder, mix again on low setting until it forms a batter (a small amount of lumps is okay from what I’ve heard, you don’t want to overmix).

*You can’t put cold milk into hot butter, it will form little clumps and be gross

Customizable Instructions:

Add the brown sugar (as above, preferably before the flour, with the other wet ingredients. Wait, why is sugar a wet ingredient? see † at the bottom).

Add one scoop of your preferred protein powder, then mix on low setting until it’s mixed in.

Similarly, mix in the strawberry yogurt*. Now, I know what you’re saying: this is a very specific thing to add to the pancakes, but hear me out**: it gives moisture to the recipe (in this version, there’s not as much, cuz there’s no added tea/maple syrup, and there’s an additional dry ingredient), and it adds a subtle fruity flavor (also it makes your living space smell amazing while it’s cooking)! I may experiment with adding actual fresh strawberry to the recipe in the future.

Finally, put the cup of choco chips in and mix gently! My mixer head tends to bump around a little bit during this step so you may want to use that generally ignorable lever that keeps the mixer head secure.

*Unlike the brown sugar, you may want to mix the yogurt in after you add the dry ingredients. If you do it before, it won’t incorporate smoothly and end up in a bunch of gross looking lumps. It doesn’t actually affect anything though and once you add the dry ingredients, everything is fine. It’s more about if you’re a wet before dry purist vs. someone squicked out by lumps.

** It’s also the only thing I had on hand lmao

Chocolate Sauce (for ‘drizzling’) Instructions:

Put 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave with a tablespoon of butter. Melt for 45 seconds on high (according to the packaging on my choco chip bag). Mix the resulting glorp carefully (it’s hot!) with a rubber spatula then microwave for another 15-20 seconds until most/all of the chips have melted.

Mix again. It will look like a gross dry paste (but trust the process). Once you add in a capful of milk and mix—immediately you will have a glossy beautiful mixture. Then add an additional capful of milk (you may need to add more) to make it thin enough to ‘drizzle’!

Baking Instructions:

Pour batter into greased baking tray and use a spatula and spread it evenly by hand, as this batter is thicker and a little stiffer than my apple version. Optional: Sprinkle the top with that handful of chocolate chips—then if you made the chocolate sauce, take the spatula from before, scoop a little bit of chocolate sauce onto the tip of the spatula, and carefully* flick it over the surface of the batter! Really channel your inner Jackson Pollock! Do as much of this as you want until you have your ideal amount of chocolate drizzle on top (and if you have any left afterward, eat it as a tasty little snack. live deliciously lol).

When the oven reaches temperature (if you preheated it at the beginning, it may have already been at temperature for a while) put the pan in and cook for 35 mins. Know your oven and if it tends to be hotter or colder**, adjust cook time as necessary.

When the timer goes off, test the center in several places with a toothpick. As long as it doesn’t come out goopy, you’re good! (crumbs on the toothpick is fine) I say test in several places because if you accidentally go through a chocolate chip, your toothpick will come out wet and chocolatey, but that doesn’t mean the pancakes aren’t done. If it's not done, cook in intervals of 5 minutes, testing when the timer goes off.

Take pan out and use a butter knife or a pie serving spatula and poke around the edges of the pan to free the pancake traybake from the edges. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Cut into squares. I tend to cut 12 pieces, but you could go smaller or larger depending on how much you intend to eat at once.

*By making this recipe you agree to not hold me liable for any chocolate mess that may result from the flicking process (lol).

** How do I know if my oven runs hot or cold, you may ask? If any recipe you make comes out raw and/or takes longer to cook than the instructions say, your oven is colder! If your food ends up burnt and/or takes less time to cook than the recipe instructions say, your oven is hotter!

Enjoy! I eat two squares at a time and it makes a good breakfast! For storing, put however much of it you can eat in 2-3 days in the fridge. Store the rest in the freezer.

I will note, this version of the recipe doesn't form the same kind of cool thick edges like the apple version.

For any customizing other than what I did, use whatever fruit, spices, syrups, and/or protein powders you want! Just be aware that more fruit in the batter means it may take longer to cook!

If you make them, either the same way I did here or differently, let me know how they came out!

†Yes, all sugars are considered wet ingredients. Yes, it is conceptually weird, but there is a reason: because they need to dissolve in liquid in order to be incorporated properly, you add them in with the wet ingredients. It's like Thompson from Gravity Falls, who's kinda in the friend group but only because he performs a specific social role (poor Thomson tho fr fr)

[bmpmp3]

i was watching a music video for a japanese song and it had built in youtube english captions so i went to turn those on but then i saw that there was like an option for "English" and then a second option for "English (Canada)" and i realized in a few seconds it was just a workaround to having two sets of english captions, one with colour changes in the lettering and one without for accessibility (the canada one was the non-fancy lettering) but for a moment i was living in a world where they were making dedicated canadian english translations for things..... measuring temperature in celsius and height in feet...... paying with loonies and toonies... going to the WASHROOM

[scionshtola]

i wish i had the longfic writers temperament

[silverstark]

Losing my mind. I had to re-upload my latest update to "Most Devoted" 3 or 4 times due to formatting issues. Then finally I gave up and just went through the rich text editor on Ao3 fixing the errors one by one. I'm looking up how to prevent this from happening and I'm getting solutions like "export/convert document 1-2 times and use HTML" like what?? Is this why Evernote is so expensive? Do I have to learn HTML so I can post fanfic now?

[ghostoffuturespast]

Word Search Tag

Getting these off my desk before they pile up again. Thank you so much for the tags! <3

Pulling from the manuscript So It Goes.

From the lovely @therealnightcity - Read their writing here

Neon - Ch. 5 No Save Point

The regalia of neon signs and billboards was blinding as the two emerged from the dark side street onto the thoroughfare. The avenue was a long row of crowded clubs and bars. People milled about and others wove their way down the street, the smell of nicotine and alcohol hung heavily in the air, along with the smell of several other illegal substances. The two mercs casually made their way down the street and arrived at Dicky Twisters. It was hard to miss. There was a giant flashing neon penis on the roof and it was very happy to see everyone.

Knife - Ch. 17 Control

V slept when the pain would let her and woke when the nightmares wouldn’t. Some of them were her own and others were Johnny’s, the nightmarish hounds of war stalking them both. Her head felt slow and dull in her waking hours, lost amidst the incoherent fog of her brain. She felt scattered. And she felt. Fangs and claws pierced into her, wanting her for all she had, for what little was left. V missed the razor sharp focus when the neuro stims held her mind at ransom, when the knife dug in and her fear evaporated. It kept her from wandering into the dark, the black of the void. Into the gentle all consuming maw of the abyss.

Choom - Ch. 12 No Glory In The West

V sighed. “Just when I was starting to enjoy the peace and quiet. Surprised you didn’t gatecrash.” Johnny stood up, the look through his aviators blank. “Not that kind of asshole. Besides, not big on funerals and always was shitty at goodbyes. He was your best choom and I think you needed to say it. Say farewell.” She felt a pang of something that wasn’t hers. Regret? “It was good you went… Maybe now you can finally pull your head out of your ass.” He finished. And there it went.

Hope - Ch. 18 Friday Night Fire Fights

River noticed the ceramic plating covering both her palms and extending up to the pads of her fingertips as she collected her things. He groaned involuntarily as he got out of the booth, his legs finally free from their prison. River walked outside into the parking lot, V following behind him, and shrugged the collar of his coat up against the cold. It was raining steadily now, and the precipitation had washed away the smell of ozone and smog, leaving cold crisp air in it's wake. River unlocked his truck and the two of them climbed in. He relished the memorized comfort of the driver’s seat and the leg room as he looked over at V from the corner of his eye. She was clutching her coffee in one hand and her helmet in another, almost curled in on herself. River turned the ignition over in the truck. “I really hope you’re not planning on driving off.” V sniffed, a look of warning in her eyes. River reached for the temperature control dial and cranked the heat up. “Actually, was just gonna say, you look a little cold.” V blinked at him before relaxing slightly. “Oh.” She looked away and sipped more of her coffee, attempting to warm herself up.

Relic - Ch. 20 Cold Cold Cold

“Fuck!” V screamed, doubling over as the relic malfunction hit full force. She collapsed to the floor as her vision flooded into a sea of pixels. “V?!” River yelled, startled. Beemer took advantage of the confusion and lashed out at River, kicking him hard in the shin and kneeing him in the groin. River growled in pain and dropped Beemer. Now free, Beemer made a dive for V and the gun she was still clutching. A hand seized her hair and snapped her head back, she snarled, scrabbling back upright onto her knees. V could barely see and getting her body to obey through the pain was fucking agony. She held fast though, refusing to let Beemer drag her any farther back. Her feet were underneath her. He had been kind enough to give her her balance back. She stretched her arm out as far as it would go as Beemer attempted to grapple the gun from her. Letting go, she blindly tossed the pistol away, it thunked against the floor as it landed an unknown distance away from her.

From the fantastic @fly-amanitaa - Read their work here

Hands Ch. 20 Cold Cold Cold (I don't even want to know how many times I use the word hands...)

River finally broke it off and V panted, breathless. She caught his eye. The usual warm brown was replaced with something molten, hungry, but he didn’t linger very long. River shifted forward, his hands sliding off of V to rest on the desk, either side of her hips. She shivered as his hands moved, and when they abandoned her. V leaned forward to lightly bury her face into the collar of his coat, letting his scent wash over her. If she angled her head to the left, she’d be level with his jaw. V imagined running her lips, her tongue along that jaw. Down his throat. Elsewhere. River’s attention went to the Tyger with the katana. “What does it look like we’re doing? You mind?” His voice was husky next to her ear. It made the flush that had crept over V’s face darker. “Me and the lady are a little busy here.” V glanced back at the Tygers over her shoulder, she was still hanging off River’s neck with one arm. The gold skirt of her dress bunched up around her hips, River standing in between her splayed legs. A notification in her optics told her the upload had finished. “Got it.” V whispered in River’s ear.

Beautiful Ch. 33 Wolf

Night had descended fully, darkness bending around the lights scattered around the trailer park while moths butted into them. The desert air hung cool and still while warmth emanated up from packed earth. River glanced around the haphazard alleys made by the trailers, listened to the calm that had settled in after a hectic afternoon. His eyes wandered over her, standing there, finding her in the moment. Finding the ways the sparse light cast shadows on her skin, how her clothes both accentuated and buried her body, how the scars told of pain and perseverance. Someone so imperfectly beautiful. Her eyes turned up to him, brown catching amber.

Agitated - Ch. 34 RAM RAID

Elizabeth sat huddled on the sofa, smoke wafting away from her. She rubbed her temples as she took another agitated drag, staring forlorn at the empty decorative bowl squatting on the coffee table. There was a snubbed filter already sitting in the ashtray in front of her. River started with something easy. Obvious. “Elizabeth, you never noticed anything out of the ordinary before with SSI? Any suspicious behavior?” She brought the cigarette up to her lips, eyes flicking away along with the ash she dusted off. “No… What else did you manage to find?”

Blurred - Ch. 37 The Denial Twist

The steady plink of water dripped over the hum of machinery in the ill-lit basement clinic. That faucet forever broken. Never to be fixed. The lone operating light blinded overhead, washing out the background and overexposing everything it touched. Blurred the photo. The memory of the moment. Sickening shades of yellow-green and violet darted across her skin underneath the black ink of her tattoos and the raised flesh of a thousand scars.

Drunk - Ch. 8 Tatted On My Face

Jackie was taking up the couch, gently snoring and sleeping off his pain meds. Misty had her socked feet curled up underneath her and looked perfectly cozy in her fluffy cardigan. V had changed out of her club clothes, bare foot in a baggy t-shirt and athletic shorts, and was currently stuffing as much biryani as she could get onto a spoon into her mouth. She was hungry and desperately needed the food to soak up the two gimlets, flute of champagne, and three shots of tequila she'd drunk earlier.

I love doing these but not tagging anyone today. Next round...

[lovecrafts-iranon]

I wanted to have my opinions about writing mean something. They only would if I were a good writer. The biggest controversial one being that the whole "characters talk to me and take over the plot haha if I start writing with a plan the characters never stick to it" thing is soooooo stupid and annoying. But that's meaningless coming from me.

[the--highlanders]

I think I'm cursed with fics keep getting longer disease someone send help

[workofthediesel]

i've received positive feedback so go ahead and check this shit out

i had to post it as a link because it has to be opened as a pdf because that's the only way i could get it to show the formatting correctly and the formatting is like 80% of the story. also i assure you that despite the name, this is 100% a comedic fictional short story

anyway i wrote this for one of my college creative writing classes and my professor was a little bit pissed with me about it after and personally i think that makes it better

[stellerssong]

oh my friends. it is as the prophecy foretold: going through and fixing all of the special character typesetting in a ~12k fic by hand sux

[ttaibhse]

writer women whats your preferred place to write

[ravenkings]

the fact that a lot of zoomers don’t use word processors that aren’t google docs anymore will be my villain origin story