#also i feel like it requires either way more or way less world-building than it has now and i don't want to add more but less might be wors

[sweaterkittensahoy]

Some financial advice that may be actually helpful

Based on one of y'all (sorry, I'm lazy, I'm not scrolling back) mentioning the terrible advice of "Make six figures."

Like, bitch. I'm TRYING.

But, let's say you live in a shocking world where you don't pull six figures out your bosses's ass every year. How can you make small financial changes that can lead to larger financial security?

These are all utterly subjective and based on things I've either actually done or just observed. I'm gonna try to skip over shit like, "shop for clothes second hand!" because shit like that can require a HUGE time commitment, and it's not even always worth it.

Anyway:

If your grocery store has a free rewards program (you put in your phone number or email address), get that set up. Yes, it will track what you purchase. But it also means when you get coupons in the mail, they're for things you actually buy. In our two-person household, we can save anywhere from 0-15 bucks a week depending on how coupons land.

If you can get a grocery card with fuel points (Fred Meyer and Safeway do it here in the PNW), you can save LOADS on gas. A dollar a gallon easily.

Also do any pet store reward programs that might be available. As the Bean does not require a great deal all the time, her rewards build up slowly, but every few months, we get enough points to get ten or twenty bucks off a purchase.

Do NOT buy in bulk if you're not gonna eat in bulk. Five pounds of rice is great if you eat rice regularly, but if you only have it every now and again, smaller portions of boxed rice are likely a better option. The same is true for any dried foods. Yeah, it's shelf stable, but it takes up more of the shelf. That could hold the stuff you actually eat steadily.

Frozen fruits/veggies are as healthy as fresh. And they'll stay ready to eat a lot longer. Consider that with how you eat and how much you eat a certain vegetable. It may be better worth your money to have three bags of frozen broccoli in your freezer than to keep buying fresh broccoli you forget to use in time.

If you're looking at a generic that says "Compare to BRAND NAME." It's the same formula. That's why they can say that. The reason it's cheaper is because the copyright or trademark costs money. Take that off, and boom. Cheaper cost for the same stuff.

If you have a car, know the way you drive it and how that can affect it. For example, if you do a lot of city driving, your transmission and (if applicable) stick shift are gonna wear down faster than you might expect. It's not always mileage. It's starting and stopping. However, if you drive long distances without stopping a lot (rural areas), your higher mileage car may not need any work on those things. Get your oil changed and your tires checked, and know what to look out for in terms of the kind of car you have and the driving you do. For example, we have less than 100k miles on our 15-year-old car, but we've mainly used it for city driving. We had to get the clutch re-built a few years ago, and last year we had to get the transmission goos updated because they'd run dry. These aren't surprising needs for a city-driven stick shift that's over ten years old.

There's a schedule to big shit going on sale in the US. Mattresses are a big thing around Memorial Day for some reason (Support the Fallen Troops by...fucking???). Electronics go big on sale before school starts and on Black Friday. Memorial Day is also big for cars, as is the 4th of July. If you hand make anything, certain colors of stuff go on sale before major holidays. Orange and black before Halloween. Red, green, and white before Christmas. Pastels before Easter. Etc.

Consider how much use a product will get before you decide you can or can't spend a little extra on it. Do 300-count sheets do the job? Yes. But speaking from recent experience, the 1500-count sheets feel so much nicer, which makes sleeping so much nicer, and I use them literally every single night, so the initial investment works out to basically the same even if I'd gotten cheaper sheets.

But also, stuff like sheets and comforters and stuff go on sale at various times! And your bed ain't gonna go through a growth spurt! Keep an eye out for those deals and scoop up the super soft stuff at a discount if you can!

And lastly on this main list, a very very important thing coming from a former poor kid: Fucking treat yourself. You know how much money you have. You know how much money you need. Maybe it's not hard to treat yourself because you're financially solvent, and in that case, this advice isn't for you. It's for those of us who have struggled to deviate at all from our list of NEEDS to give ourself even a very small WANT because WHAT IF I NEED FIVE BUCKS IN TWO DAYS. I get it. I do. To my bones. And I say fucking treat yourself, and if in two days, you suddenly need five bucks, do NOT feel bad that you got yourself a little something. You can't see into the future, and catastrophizing is so bad for you. Trust me. I know. Just. Remember, in all of this, give yourself a little focused care, okay?

All of that being said, a few more general points:

Dish soap is made to break up grease and oil, and it's commonly antibacterial. This makes it fucking perfect for cleaning your shower (covered in your greases and oils) and your bathroom in general (same reason). I don't recommend it for your toilet, but that's a personal preference based on zero research. The point is, most of your bathroom can be cleaned with dish soap. Get all your stuff off your counters. Make a thin layer with the dish soap. Let it sit for five to ten minutes. Scrub. Bonus: You can breathe the whole time.

Vinegar kills germs. Like, lab-tested kills germs. You can clean your kitchen with Vinegar and Borax (odor-reducer), and it costs a fraction of buying the kitchen-branded cleaners.

Borax is also great as an addition to laundry soap for odor-reducing reasons. So, even the cheap laundry soap is more effective with Borax.

"But Gayle, you can make your own laundry soap if you--" Yes, I know. And it's cool you know that. But it takes TIME to make laundry soap, and time is the only thing less reliable than money when it comes down to it.

Look up "No Buying" options in your area. This is usually a Facebook group or maybe a subreddit. The goal is that no one in the group wants to buy or sell anything. They just have stuff they want to get out of their house. It's not a 24/7 goldmine, but it's a once-a-day scroll through that could lead you to a pricey item for free!

If you have stuff that says "handwash," and you think, "Okay, I want to, but that's a whole new task." Nah. Just take a shower and bring it with! Hell, wear it in if you have to. I do this a LOT. Use the water and your soap (which, as it's likely a body wash or soap, will break down those skin oils and such) and give it a good washing while you stand there. Then, squeeze out the excess water and toss that thing over the shower rod. If you have a drying rack, use it. But if you don't, just leave it where it is and leave the fan going. It'll take care of itself. Just double check the label to know if hot water is a bad idea and if you need to lay flat or hang dry. If you need to lay flat, super squeeze the water out and lay it flat wherever you can.

And, lastly for this long post: If you need the expensive shit, buy the expensive shit. I have celiac and MCAS. My bread is five bucks a loaf. Peanut Butter fucks up my histamines. Almond fucks up my histamines. I need five dollar bread and fucking cashew butter to make a fucking sandwich. But the other option is getting sick from putting stuff in my body my body will fight against, and trust me, those urgent care visits stack up.

#financial advice #but like in a if it helps way #if none of this helps #it's not good advice for you #saving money #using coupons #self-care

[sapphire-mage]

So You Want to Get Into Classic Final Fantasy? (A Guide to Final Fantasy I-VI for Those Who Want To Check Them Out)

You may have seen recently that the HD Remixes of Final Fantasy 1-6 are coming to Switch and PS4 in Spring (or that they're already on Steam or mobile), and you might be thinking, "Should I try one of them?" Maybe you've played VII/VII Remake or XIV, and you're like, "Maybe I should give one of these a go!" Maybe you're thinking to start in numerical order? Maybe you already have one in mind?

Either way, I want to throw my 50 cents into this conversation as someone who has played every number but 11. This isn't going to be a critique. I like all six of them. To varying degrees? Yeah. But I'll be honest about pros and cons of each. Let's begin, shall we?

GENERAL TIPS AND INFO:

-Take note that ALL of these games are turn based combat JRPGS. They may have something different between each of them, but they are all turn based combat driven.

-FF1-FF3 have a turn based style where you can decide the actions of all of your characters, and their actions will be played out on a basis of their speed, kind of like Pokemon. FF4-FF6 allows characters and enemies to act freely while you decide their next move, which can be more dangerous, but take note, there is a 'Wait Mode' you can activate that will stop the flow of battle while you scroll through the magic or item menus.

-If by some chance, Final Fantasy isn't vibing with you: By all means quit. Maybe pick up one with a story that interests you more. Maybe turn based combat isn't your thing. Maybe you want a better leveling system. Maybe you would rather do more modern adaptations. It varies, but don't be afraid to step away. If it's not your thing, it is not your thing. That's okay.

-When it comes to any of these games: Wait until they are on sale. Square tends to put their games on sale pretty often, and pretty often, those sales are a steal. So keep that in mind!

OKAY! Let's begin!

Final Fantasy I

Despite being the first in the series, it's a difficult sell as 'your first Final Fantasy' or 'your first classic Final Fantasy'. But it isn't a bad choice, especially if you have a decent amount of JRPG experience anyway. The story exists, but more in a 'world building' way and not a 'character' way. It is also the shortest out of all six being discussed here.

What may be a pro or con for some is that the main four characters are self-inserts. You choose their battle job (a choice that is permanent, by the way), name them, and then use them for battle and adventure. But they barely speak a word of dialogue, if at all. This is bad for people who want characters to feed off of, but great for people who want to put their OCs as the characters (I'm those people at times).

General Tip: Feel free to use whatever character class selection you want, but for a general idea: Warrior is powerful but expensive to keep powerful, Thief is the fastest but slightly fragile compared to the other two fighters, Black Belt is almost has powerful as Warrior but significantly less expensive, White Mage has access to insane healing spells but very expensive, Black Mage has access to insane attacking spells but very expensive, and Red Mage has access to half the spells W and B Mage have but has the versatility to use a sword and both of their spell options.

Final Fantasy II

This is the Final Fantasy that I have to inform you is 'The Bad One'™ of the six. Personally, I love this game. Has a surprisingly deeper story than you'd expect, dealing with a rebellion trying to bring down a facist overlord (which is awesome). But it is probably the hardest of the six. Walk in the wrong direction and high level monsters will eviscerate you.

It also has a very unique leveling system. Where most games in the series require EXP and give you stats as you level, this game gives you stats as you USE those stats. Want your HP and Defense to go up? Take some damage, and you'll have a chance to level those stats. Want your Fire spell to grow stronger? Use the spell in battle, and the spell will grow stronger with your MP and magic power, possibly. Want to get better with swords? Keep using swords, baby!

Also, has the coolest villain of the first three games in the form of The Emperor. He looks like The Goblin King from Labyrinth and is such a bastard. Very entertaining.

General Tip: Keep characters focusing on a specific thing, but have everyone be a 'mage knight'. Give each character a weapon to focus, and a magic type to focus (white magic or black magic, don't cross types). If you want a very specific suggestion, consider making Firion and Guy handle weapons of your choice, but use white mage to heal. Have Maria use a bow, but utilize black magic and being your mage.

Final Fantasy III

It is my least favorite of these six, but it is a beloved game in the series for a reason. Most importantly, it is the game that inspired a lot of XIV. Hell, XIV fans may recognizes many songs (including the above one), enemies, and characters throughout.

The big thing I should mention is that this game has two versions on Steam: The Classic Remix (sprites, insert characters that you can name but have no character arcs) and The 3D Version (3D figures, actual main characters with names). The decision is yours and yours alone, Steam users.

Otherwise, this is the first game to allow a Job Sytem. As you progress, you unlock jobs that your characters can select and become, but you can't do it as freely as you may like. Also, when your character is that select job (let's say Black Mage, for instance), they can only be that job and nothing else until you change it. Once you do, the skills and abilities that character was able to use before may not be usable anymore unless you change them back. You'll see.

General Tips: Kind of figure out what kind of jobs you want each characters to handle, and stick with they general realm for each of them. Fighters be fighters, mages be mages. There may be times where you'll want to break that, but that's up to you to strategize.

Final Fantasy IV

We're finally reaching the 'epic stories' of Final Fantasy now, so I'll be talking a bit more about story. IV is the first real dramatic epic that Final Fantasy is known for being, and the characters and story prove that. Is it the best in the series? Arguably not, but it is very good. Dealing heavily with themes of redemption, revenge, and forgiveness.

From a gameplay stand point, it's probably the most challenging of the 4-6 era. There isn't that much freedom with your characters, as each of them have their designated skills, abilities, and talents set from the start of leveling to the end of leveling. And you can't change those things. So instead, you need to level your characters, figure out how to best beat the upcoming bosses, and use what you have.

And the music is fantastic in this game. Songs ranging from gorgeous melodies of feeling safe and home, to some stressful and tense songs as you come face to face with the enemy. You may recognize some from Endwalker, as Endwalker pulled a lot from this game.

General Tips: Learn everything that your characters can do, and utilize them to the best of your ability. Maybe your healer needs to focus on buffing or attacking, while another character heals with magic or items. Maybe you need to better research your enemies with what you have. Everything is creativity in this game with your limited options.

Final Fantasy V

I'm not gonna sugar coat it: This is my favorite in the series. But I'll try not to be biased. For starters, the story steps down from its epic roots to be more comedic. Somehow, this game managed to be a parody of FFIV and every Final Fantasy that would follow V, before any of them would be created. You'll have a lot of goofball good guys and bad guys, while also having a mean as hell main villain who has a strange, almost comedic origin story.

CW worth noting: There is a character who goes through some gender clash. Basically, you're introduced to them as one gender, when it is revealed later that they only disguised themselves as that gender because people of their born gender don't get respect in their occupation. Feelings on how this character was handled vary, but the character is beloved regardless and stays true to themselves to the end. I wouldn't say it was outright transphobic, but I wouldn't say it was handled with grace (one piece of dialogue makes me wince). And it may get some side glances from players now. But ultimately, the cast and fans accept and love this character regardless.

The music is very Pokemon Hoenn region: TRUMPETS EVERYWHERE! Somebody was having a trumpet party while this game was being made. Still, the music is great, especially the boss themes as you go further into the game. The track you're listening to is my personal favorite from this game.

But I haven't even spoke of the strongest aspect: The gameplay! It has a job system like Final Fantasy III, BUT you can carry over things you've learned from previous jobs! Got a Black Mage, but you want to utilize Time Magic? Good news, you can equip the Black Magic you've mastered while using Time Mage! Want to try out Monk, but you want to keep stealing items with your Thief? Have your Thief master 'Steal', and then equip it as a Monk. The strategy and creativity is unlimited!

General Tips: At the start of the game, you have access to a job known as 'Freelancer'. On the surface, this job is useless. But later on, you'll find that it automatically equips ALL passive abilities (ie HP +20%, Dual Wield, Equip Armor) without using up any of your slots! So take note: Freelancer is a secret endgame class! Strategize with that in mind! LEARN WHAT PASSIVE ABILITIES YOU CAN!

Also: Don't. Underestimate. Blue Mage. If you can figure things out, Blue Mage is insanely powerful. Then again, I speak as a devout Blue Mage fanatic.

Final Fantasy VI

As far as epic Final Fantasy games go, this is the biggest and baddest one from 1-6. Action, comedy, romance, horror, tragedy, joy! Everything and more in this theatrical adventure! By far, the strongest story of the six in my eyes and the eyes of many. Often argued to be one of the strongest stories of the entire series even beyond the classic six, and I agree! Lovable main characters all around, some kick ass female characters who take the forefront over most of the guys often times, and a psycho clown who serves as the central villain! I would argue, from a story stand point, this game is the quintessence of classic Final Fantasy.

Music is out of this world. Some of the best tracks you'll hear in the series, along with an opera song that will warm your heart and a final boss theme that will make you question what anyone saw in a certain One Winged Angel.

And then there's the gameplay. While I will admit that I find V's gameplay better, VI's gameplay is still quite good. Like IV, all characters come with skills and abilities that are unique to each character, which makes party formation important. But once you get past the first act, you gain the ability to teach magic to ANY CHARACTER IN THE GAME (except two late game secret characters, but you don't have to use those)! As long as they keep a certain item equipped, they were learn the spells those items have to offer over a span of battles. This turns all of your characters into battle mages, and creates for some interesting strategy.

THE ONLY DOWNSIDE is the final act. The final act removes every party member from your team but one, and with that one, you have to reunite EVERYONE. And those quests vary in difficulty and time, although almost all are optional. And that wouldn't be an issue save for the fact that the final dungeon will force your to create THREE TEAMS of FOUR PARTY MEMBERS (maximum, you can enter with one party member on each team if you want). As such, you might want to consider leveling and teaching spells to as many party members as you can. This hurts a lot of fans of this game, but it never bothered me.

General Tip: This is less of a general tip and more of a demand. When you get your airship for the first time, UNLOCK MOG! I don't care if you think or were told Mog is bad. If I can beat the final boss with him, you can make use of him! Look up how to unlock him and make sure you do it! Hell, it may make the final dungeon easier, cause you'll have him as a party member. You can always recruit him later, but during that early part of the game (before you lose every party member), Mog can learn a water dance ability that is surprisingly useful. But that's just me. Some people hate Mog, but I'm not some people.

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Alright, that's all six. Now, from a stand point of which of the six should be your first. Well... Ranking them from best to worst starting option...

Final Fantasy V or VI

Final Fantasy IV

Final Fantasy I

Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy II

This isn't ranking them in quality, but whether they are a good starting place. At the end of the day, I would recommend picking up V or VI if you've never played a classic Final Fantasy. If you've never played a Final Fantasy period, then maybe also consider VII, IX, or X. But that's up to you (and if I do a post on those).

As for whether you should pick V or VI...

IF YOU WANT CRAZY GOOD GAMEPLAY AND DON'T MIND THE STORY NOT BEING TOO SERIOUS, play Final Fantasy V.

IF YOU WANT CRAZY GOOD STORY WITH SOME PRETTY GOOD GAMEPLAY, play Final Fantasy VI.

Or play both. They're both really good.

If you've played one or both or want a reason to pick up one of these others:

Play Final Fantasy I so you can connect with the most classic of the series, as it won't take up too much time.

Play Final Fantasy II if you want a real JRPG challenge that rips you from your safe zone.

Play Final Fantasy III if you want to connect with a lot of the creation of XIV.

Play Final Fantasy IV because it's awesome.

Play Final Fantasy V because it's awesome.

Play Final Fantasy VI because it's awesome.

So yeah, that's everything. Again: You don't have to play any of these. Or all of these. You could play VI, and I promise, I won't be like, "Wow. You didn't play V? Cringe." If someone does, screw them. Play and try what you want to play and try. I'm just here to guide the way.

As for 7-15... Maybe I'll discuss them. But that's up to you for now.

#Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy V #Final Fantasy VI #Final Fantasy IV #Final Fantasy I #Final Fantasy II #Final Fantasy III #FFI #FFII #FFIII #FFIV #FFV #FFVI #FF1 #FF2 #FF3 #FF4 #FF5 #FF6 #Final Fantasy 1 #Final Fantasy 2 #Final Fantasy 3 #Final Fantasy 4 #Final Fantasy 5 #Final Fantasy 6

[bringthekaos]

"And as for the solution to this? I think it’s to have less armor, and have the metal be a more obvious part of him. " YES YES MAKE HIM NAKEY LMAOO

Ok but for Real, Machine Herald really suffers from "2011 league champ design" syndrome. Is important to note that at that point they didn't even had a proper narrative team or cohesive lore direction, and they were just starting to build the world of Runaterra and the aesthetics associated with each region

That being said, they do (very slowly) update old champions under new standards, this is called a VGU or VU, and the results have always been fantastic (look up vgus for Volibear, Yorick, Fiddlesticks, Warwick and even Cait), and I can't wait to know what they will do with Viktor... eventually. There are some Champs that are in far more need that him

Yessssss, Viktor being *technically* naked would be so hype. Like… the armor IS HIM and he is the armor. He could probably move shit around, slim things down when he requires stealth. But it would be awesome if he just… doesn’t feel the need to put clothes on. His build is perfect, the mechanized form that it is. Why bother hiding it under something purely for cosmetic reasons? (Which is actually a decent argument for why should anyone wear clothes, and I think that’s kinda hilarious. Viktor=accidental nudism spokesman).

Also ooooooo yes those VGU are pretty great! And I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason they’re not/haven’t given Viktor an update in the last 5 years… is because they’re saving it to make it match Arcane; either by giving him an Arcane skin, or straight up changing his main look (kinda don’t want that?? Like I want him to be updated, but… I have a fondness for his outdated look, and I think it should still be an option. Like call it a legacy skin or something, rather than wiping it out entirely).

But either way… I want him to be spooky. I want him to be terrifying. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if Arcane MH doesn’t trigger my inner monster fucker, I don’t want it 🤣

#arcane #arcane league of legends #league of legends #machine herald #machine herald Viktor #arcane Viktor #lol Viktor #asks #ace answers

[omegaversebookshelf]

BatFamily: Omegaverse Edition

I have been recently re-hit by my enduring, overwhelming love for these anxious, extremely competent, disaster humans. So I'm making this post to cope with the Feelings.

This is just going to be a breakdown of the gender designations I usually give each member of the family, and why, the short version, because there's a lot of them. (Does include some more peripheral members, the only requirement to be included here is to be part of the core cast really)

I might do more in-depth posts for them on an individual basis at some point in the future.

Also this post is p much ship-neutral, with some acknowledgements of canonical relationships.

In age order...

Talia: (Becuase she is actually the oldest rip) Talia is an omega. Her relationship with Ra's in the comics is in a large part defined by his despair that she would be the perfect heir "were she not a woman" (pause for eyeroll) (Ra's is an alpha, of course. He doesn't get a full section because fuck him) This is just that scaled up. She also took control of multiple criminal organizations partly by weaponizing her femininity (but mostly by killing people and we love that for her). This also adds some layers of complication to her relationship with Damian. And also the rest of the Bats and Birds but Damian is the one she cares about.

(Also like, on a more serious note, the absolute character assassination she has undergone during her run time is horrific in a way that is very much centered around her identity as a woman, and specifically a woman of color, and I cannot in good conscience ignore that. Fuck Grant Morrison. All my homies hate Grant Morrison)

Alfred: Alfred is an alpha. Yes, I know most fics have him as a beta but I firmly believe alpha fits more with both his backstory (military and theater) and character (very protective and willing to get lethal with it.) He's a very low-key alpha, who, as the Wayne family butler, most people assume to be a beta, but his is very much an alpha.

Bruce: I write Bruce as a beta. Brucie Wayne is the epitome of non-threatening himbo and being a neutral beta helps with being not taken seriously as a danger. It also adds a wider layer of disguise for Batman, since the general consensus is that Batman has to be an alpha. (Also lets me have the trinity be "one each"* and that makes me happy. They’ll get their own post together soon)

Beta Bruce also means he gets to be consistently flummoxed by his children’s situations. He is more comfortable with alpha things, since both Alfred and his parents are/were alphas so they’re more familiar to him.

Selina: An omega. (As you can tell, Bruce may or may not have a bit of a weakness for omega women who don't take anybody's shit XD) Selina is an archetypal femme fatal (though also so much more) couldn't have her be anything else. This also adds to her reputation in Crime Alley, both in the sense of building herself into a serious faction and in her reputation as a safe space for strays.

Barbara: An alpha. More independent than the rest of her generation, only a Bat on her own terms and has never worked for Batman, only with him. As Oracle, who most people never meet in person, she is fairly genderless, though very much fem-presenting, but that counts a bit less in an omegaverse context.

Dick: Dick Grayson is an omega, the tendency towards being flattened into "sexy golden retriever and support of the family" and ignoring of the very real complexity in his character and storylines? he couldn't be anything else. (No, I'm not salty, don't @ me) Robin is genderless/gender neutral, Nightwing is an omega. (Titans era Dick Grayson did not give a flying fuck, as appropriate for a run about teenagers figuring out who they are in the world.)

Cass: I usually write Cass as either a beta or an omega. Part of her character is how she is deceptively non-threatening at first glance while being able to absolutely wipe the floor with the majority of her opponents. I usually lean beta for her, because I think it adds to her bond with Bruce. She has very firm connections with Babs, because of her support and care, so giving her that kind of mirror to Bruce helps balance out that relationship. It also allows for the continuation of Beta Batman in the Future. (Because Cass absolutely should be the next Batman I have been saying this for a decade and I stand by it)

Jason: Jason is an alpha. There is just something about the particular flavor of non-toxic masculinity that comes with Jason’s character that I think lends itself to this very well. Also something something expectations of violence and choices.

Stephanie: Steph is an omega. When I was first figuring these out (back in like, 2016-ish) I went back and forth between beta and omega for her before ultimately coming down in favor of omega. On the shallow side, it allows for the three main batgirls to hit each gender option. On the character history side I think it fits her teen pregnancy storyline she had. And it just fits her particular story imo. She fought literally everyone to be a vigilante. Everyone in her life has told her no at some point.

Tim: Works well with any gender, I usually opt for beta!Tim just because I think it lends itself well to his general perception as Bruce’s mini-me (despite how far from the truth that is in some significant ways). Usually if I’m not writing him beta I’m writing him alpha.

Duke: Duke I lean towards alpha both because it helps balance the family out (the perils of being the newcomer) and also I have a fondness for “chill but also absolutely unhinged” characters as alphas. Also, in a similar way to Jason, his gender means people tend to assume/underestimate how much his intelligence is involved in what he does (intersectionality also hits hard here let’s be real). I just really like the idea of Jason and Duke sending like, crossword puzzles back and forth to each other as a weird form of bonding okay.

Damian: Imma be honest Damian is who I go back and forth on the most. Any option gives a good story for his character, they’re just all different ones. Baby Damian would consider being an omega something to be ashamed of, being an alpha proof of his superiority, and being a beta merely acceptable (and maybe a way to relate to his father). As he grows into the person he is now, it would be either accepting his own worth, or accepting the worth of others, and figuring out how his gender identity and the social roles that come with it play into who he is as a hero and as a person.

I adore Damian so much. When I first was getting into comics he and Dick were just wrapping up their stint as Batman and Robin and they hold a special place in my heart.

Genetically, all three options are possible for him, his mother is an omega, his father a beta, and at least three out of four grandparents are alphas.

#omegaverse #dc comics #Batfamily #Bruce Wayne #talia al ghul #selina kyle #dick grayson #barbara gordon #cassandra cain #jason todd #stephanie brown #tim drake #duke thomas #damian wayne #rain rambles

[beehindblueeyes]

Ghost lore

Most of this is taken from the movie and then further speculation. It borders on headcanon and actual canon. This one might also be a long one.

It all stems from Energy-

Ghosts require a LOT of energy when it comes to interacting with the living world. For example they can’t be throwing bottles all day and show up whenever they please. It takes time to build that up. Time or emotion. (Vance’s anger, Billy’s annoyance. All of their stress in the moment to get Finney out). The basement boys have less of a recharge time then id imagine to be normal… I believe this is because of the phone acting as a conduit. it’s one big spirit box! Literally. (In this sense also acting like a  ouija board punching a hole for easy communication)

Appearing-

Likewise - becoming a apparition is about the biggest energy consumer of them all. It is not easy and  guaranteed to be a short window of time. They can’t talk when they physically appear either as all focus is on being visible, talking would almost instantly drain you. (Thus why they only appear for two seconds In front of Gwen instead of yelling ‘over here’ or ‘this way’ or something)

In Griffins case, someone mentioned this in the comments of one of my posts. But there’s the idea that, since his throat is slit he can only speak if spoken to. Thus pointing to the phone or generally being more focused on appearing. Which- to that I think he does the trick the most out of the boys. While they prank call he appears in corners etc. this actually makes him one of the more powerful boys next to Billy and Vance! Even if he can’t speak well/horrible mental state.

Free roaming  apparitions-

The boys have full range of either of the Shaw properties. Dying in one basement, burried in the other. They are tied to both homes/the road out front. Stemming from trauma, I find they’d be unable to leave beyond this.

Memory-

This one is tricky. Bruce loses himself quickly, billy is pretty lost but Vance , Robin and griffin ultimately know who they are (or have a base idea…) as your name is “the first thing you loose” yet Vance is a victim much earlier than Robin and still knows his own.

It’s a futile effort. No matter what you are going to boil down to a feeling, a breath of a memory, a vague idea of a kid that you used to be. Even if you know your name- you won’t know your life past a few blurry details and it’s sad!

The boys are always there. They talk, they mess things in the house they find some way to talk and take their minds off things. Talk about the little things they do know. Probably referring to each other as such (like how Billy’s paper boy, I imagine the rest boil down to similar concepts.

This post is getting long, I’m going to save Gwens whole thing for a later date. Look out for it

#ghosts #the black phone #black phone #the black phone 2022 #griffin stagg #billy showalter #vance hopper #bruce yamada #robin arellano #finney blake #writing ref #writing reference #lore #the black phone headcanon #headcanon

[adventuringblind]

Hi! I really liked your magical realism AU! Would it be possible for you to explain it a bit more? Like- how do levels work? Does it mean that the higher the level the more powerful the element you have is? Who is the most powerful member of the grid in your AU? Also, if you had a level/ability, what would it be?

Also also, you're a really good writer, just wanted to say 💗. Thank you for exploring some heavier topics in your writing and allowing readers to be a bit more vulnerable too!

There is like... so much here honestly. World building is my absolute favorite part of writing AU's because not one is the same! Obviously there are other magical realism AU's similar but this one is mine and I spent literal days figuring this out

In all honesty - you hit my sweet spot with this question. Below is my long ass rant about this AU along with an info dump. Gonna start creating tags for it since it's picking up more traction!

So I spent more time than I want to admit playing around with certain concepts. The rating system was a big one for me because it allows for abilities to manifest in different ways.

I started out calling it a 'scary rating' because I thought it was funny and now I head cannon they use it for fun. Rating is so... boring.

The scale is a 1-10 system. ! is the least powerful where 10 is the most. the most common are 4-7 simply because of how these energies manifest themselves.

The EU's (energy users) are more or less feared. I've deemed this as part of human evolution. It's not some kind of lab experiment gone wrong, just humans adapting to things in the environment.

That being said - Energies are more or less sentient. It's something I plan to explore in later fics. This comes into play a lot in Mend Me because I wrote an entire scene of energies either meshing or not.

In that fic, the protagonist is a level 10 meaning her energy is really high. People feel it because it's strong. Lando is a three (I think) and should not be able to be in the room with her but is able to manage because their energies meld together well.

One of the big things I stumbled across while building is that kind of dynamic. I tried explaining to a few people and it wasn't making sense so I had to rework it a few times. Here is the condensed explanation:

Energies are a natural thing and the next step in human evolution

They have their own personalities and often work with their human counter part versus working for them

Because normal humans fear the unknown and crave control, they came up with the identifying bands

All EU's are required to wear one

It shows their ability category (more on that later), their rating, and acts a suppressor band

Because EU's aren't allowed to be out without them on, the normal humans never adapted to the presence of energies and can't stomach being around anything 4 or higher. 1-3 still messes with them but not as severely.

Due to energies not being allowed to interact with each other and work together as intended, other EU's have to make a point to spend time together without their suppressor bands on in order to gain that familiarity

If you take it a step further you can even use it for different relationships. Pierre and Esteban for example might not work together well because their energies simply clash.

The rating system depends on a lot of different factors really! A level 1 who manipulates water might be able to make a bubbles and that's it. Where a level 10 could make a tsunami and then go for a mile run. A level 8 might be able to make that tsunami, but doing anything after would just be painful.

Now onto the fun part: Powers! I want to note that there are the main branches of powers, the actual power type, and then the sub categories of how that power might manifest. Bare with me here as this isn't all flushed out yet!

Also for references: EU's make up a little less then half the human population. I don't have the time to calculate what it would be in terms of the entire population for these statistics so don't be upset with me please T_T

Healers make up 3% of the EU population. Know by their white arm bands w/ black stripe in the middle (or the reverse Oreo technically speaking).

Witchers (healing but same name twice was driving me insane)

Alchemists

Energy Readers

Mind make up 8% of the EU population. Know by their light blue arm bands.

Telekenetic

Mind Reader

Mind control

Precognition

Illusion

Fazing

Illusion

Psychometry

Empath

Shifters make up 12% of the EU population. They have a bronze arm band but the shifter type is outlined on it (paw print, body, shape).

Animal

Partial

Body Mod

Inanimate (this one was for giggles really)

Sound makes up 11% of the EU population. Their arm bands are gold with vertical gray stripes.

Vocal Flux

Music

Language

Mimicry

Body makes up 15% of the EU population. Known by orange arm bands.

Speed

Strength

flying

Size Alteration

Agility

Druids makes up 9% of the EU population. Known by a Green armband w/ brown stripe in the middle

Animal communication

sentient creation

Plant communication (Lorax style)

Fabricators

Sensory makes up 17% of the EU population and have purple arm bands.

Sight

Smell

Hearing

Taste

Touch

Reapers make up 3% of the EU population. Know by their black arm bands w/ a white stripe in the middle (The real Oreo cookie).

death touch

dream walking

judges

channeling

Primary Elementals make up 12% of the EU population. They have gray armbands w/ a colored strip in the middle indicating element.

Water

Earth

Fire

Air

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked

Secondary Elementals make up 10% of the EU population. Plain black arm bands because there are to many of them to pick a way to diversify!

Metal

Shadow

Weather

Electricity

Light

There's a ton of details about each of of these but that would require another post. For now, I'll finally answer the questions!

The most powerful in my own head is Carlos because I made him a shifter. A level 8 BEAR. Why? because I can. I like to experiment though so that's my own fantasy world. However, if you see a consistent stream of bear Carlos that's why.

If I personally had an ability I'd have to Say a Witcher (leave the name alone! Saying healer twice is weird to meeee!). The reason is wildly morbid...

Draw backs of being a Witcher (healer) is what I like to call a wound transfer. I - much to everyone's displeasure - have intrusive thoughts about hurting myself in incredibly morbid ways. Getting to heal one person and hurting myself in the process? Sounds like a win-win to me!

#Ren's.inbox #MagicalRealism #Ren's.thoughts #im sorry #not really #spent hours answering this T_T

[minnowtank]

see its like. even though there was technically less to do in botw than in totk i felt less tired of the world being full of much the same things to do. whereas in totk there are more currency systems and literally 75% of my play time has been grinding for rupees, zonaite, pristine weapons, armour upgrades and the like. i really like the royal guard set but grinding for it will take literally ages since it requires parts from bosses. also, the first upgrade requires red bokoblin horns which are extremely difficult to find without a guide since im at the point where mostly white monsters spawn. the grind to upgrade the champion's leathers is weirdly less awful, but it requires going to the light dragon and shooting it multiple times which takes literally ages. the fastest way to grind is to stand on and follow the dragon, which still takes over an hour because there is a 10 minute (real time) cooldown period in between each arrow shot to the dragon's body.

also not a huge fan of how ultrahand ends up being used in the world. there is no incentive to make really intricate zonai creations because theres never a point where you need to make anything beyond a simple flying machine for convenience's sake. the only real purpose of making complex mechs and the like is either just for fun or to post it online. it feels wasted. most shrines ive found so far have pre-made zonai creations so building is often not even involved. the only time i would say that zonai creations are used to their fullest potential is during proving grounds shrines, which is some of the best content in the game.

#totk #totk spoilers #🐟

[funkymbtifiction]

If there fe strives to be well-liked by others but do not know how due to poor Fe skills(I usually notice they want to make an atmosphere where they want to please people around them but either failing or not as good as the Fe doms and aux)

what Is the case for Fe inferior for the longest time I believed they do not hate human relations per se but do not wish for them to interfere with aspects of their lives or be over-involved? regardless of the enneagram

I also notice the first group tends to question whether they are extroverts or introverts more fore Ne doms whereas the matter knows for sure they are introverted.

The same case for Te tert and aux I noticed the first ones strive for efficiency albeit clumsily or most prominently in hobbies or less stressful situations the latter doesn't want the facts to rule them in a way.

Being strong Fe does not mean you are automatically good with people. It still requires practice and learning how to tune in to others and get a read on them. Young EFJs in particular can be super anxious about interactions and connecting to people, since they want to do it so desperately and get it right. Other Fe's can want to connect, yes, along with Fi types (FPs more than TJs in terms of wanting to people-please), and be awkward about it.

Fe inferior is not really knowing why Fe stuff matters and/or devaluing a need to pay attention to it (why do people care so much about getting along, being considerate, playing these social rules/games, appropriateness, sharing their feelings, etc? It's annoying and too loud and I just want to go out to the garage and build something or return to my book).

Usually, some extroverts think they are probably introverts because interaction tires them or they need some down time; most introverts know they are introverted; Ne-doms are ambiverts, since Ne is an extroverted function but the sensory world drains rather than energizes it -- they need animated intellectual discussion or coming up with ideas to be "recharged."

Good observation. ITJs are less bound and limited by the facts of a situation than ETJs. :)

#question #mbti

[puppyexpressions]

Tips for Getting Started in Dog Agility

If you’ve ever watched an agility competition, you know it’s basically a canine obstacle course. The dog must run through tunnels, leap over jumps, and weave through poles. But the dog isn’t working alone – this is a sport of exquisite teamwork. A successful run requires taking each obstacle in a certain order, and the dog relies on their handler to tell them what that is. That makes agility an exciting celebration of canine athleticism and the dog-human bond.

But is it right for you and your dog? Well, any purebred dog or mixed breed can participate. From Border Collies to Chihuahuas to Basset Hounds, all dogs compete in this sport. Or do you wonder if you’re athletic enough? Don’t be concerned; you don’t have to run as fast as your dog to be successful. Everyone is welcome. Read on and see how you can get started in this dynamic sport.

Agility Benefits for You and Your Dog

There are many benefits to participating in agility. For the dogs, there’s the exercise, the social aspect, and the feeling of having a job or a purpose. And working with their person (rather than just fetching a thrown ball) builds teamwork, trust, a deeper level of communication, and a stronger bond.

Dog agility benefits owners, too. Going to trials or even just classes gets people together with fellow dog people and is a great way to meet new friends. It’s also a fun way to get exercise. Plus, planning handling strategy and reading course maps work your brain like any other puzzles, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about all the studies that show how beneficial it is to spend time with dogs.

Is Agility Right for Your Dog?

Now you know how beneficial agility can be for your dog, but is your pet suited to the sport? Confident and happy-go-lucky dogs are going to have an easier time picking things up. But that doesn’t rule out other personalities. Even dogs with problem behavior can benefit because agility teaches them that there are rules in life and following those rules leads to great rewards.

With patient training, even anxious dogs can gain confidence and conquer their fears. After all, if they can run over a seesaw, the rest of the world seems less scary.

Agility training works great with a high-energy dog who tends to bite to get what she wants. Agility will teach her self-control and how to work for things she wants in a socially acceptable way. 

Even certain physical disabilities don’t have to keep your dog out of the ring. For example, deaf dogs are welcome to compete. And although jump height is normally based on the height of the dog (so a Papillon would be jumping a lower height than a Boxer), there’s a lower jump height available, called Preferred, for any handler who thinks that would be better for their dog. Many handlers with older dogs use that option.

And speaking of older dogs, as long as they are up to the challenge, they’re welcome in the ring, as well. Participating in agility will keep their bodies spry and their minds sharp. With any dog, be sure to ask your vet whether agility is a suitable activity. If you do start training, start slow and let the dog’s muscles build up.

A Sport for All Handlers

It might surprise you to know that agility participants range from seniors all the way down to kids. In fact, if a Junior competitor (handlers under 18 years of age) can control a dog, they can participate. You might think you have to keep up with your dog’s running speed, but that’s not the case. With careful planning of your movement through the course and distance training (teaching your dog to work away from your side), you can compete, regardless of your speed.

And disabilities don’t hold agility handlers back either. AKC gets all types of physical abilities from world-class athletes to, a woman in her eighties  competing. I’ve seen wheelchairs, oxygen tank backpacks, walkers/canes, and more.

Getting Started in Dog Agility

To get a taste of the sport at home, you can start training simple foundation skills and working with homemade obstacles like a large open box for a tunnel, or a hula hoop for a tire jump. There are also plenty of books and videos that walk you through training.

But there is no substitute for getting into an agility class. Find a local club and audit a class to see if the instructor’s teaching style suits you. Look for positive training techniques and lowered equipment for beginners. Full-size equipment should wait until your dog is comfortable and has mastered the basics.

We suggests going to local trials to become familiar with how the sport works. You’ll learn more if you leave your dog at home. Plus, an excellent way to learn is to volunteer – there are lots of jobs that don’t require experience, such as setting jump bars, and it gives you a great perspective of everything that goes into running a trial.

And remember, you don’t have to enter competitions to benefit from the sport. Not every dog will enjoy that kind of environment, and you might not want the pressure to perform in front of a crowd. Classes and a backyard course can provide all the fun, exercise, and challenge you need.

Basic Agility Moves

During a dog agility trial, your dog will be off-leash and free to run wherever they choose. This is where the bonding and teamwork come in. You can’t touch your dog, so using only cues and body language, you must direct them where to go because the order of the obstacles changes every time. It’s essential to communicate clearly with your dog, and they need to keep their eyes on you as much as possible.

Besides encouraging focus, it’s key to teach your dog to work on both your right and left sides. Most trick training is done with the dog right in front of the owner, so dogs learn this is a great place to be. After all, they get most of their treats in that position. For agility, you need to convince your dog to move beside you.

Start by rewarding them for sitting beside you. Then work toward moving, slowly at first, then building up to a run. It can help to use an object like a garbage can or tree as a guide and move in a circle around it. Be sure to go in both directions with your dog on the outside. Only put them on the inside (between you and the object) when they’ve mastered the skill. For an extra challenge, line up two objects and run around them in a figure-eight.

Another basic move is teaching your dog to go out in front of you to tackle an obstacle. You won’t always be able to keep up and run by their side, so they need to understand working at a distance. An easy way to build this skill is by using a low jump (a broomstick balanced on some books will do) and a favorite toy or little bag of treats.

Start by throwing the toy or bag over the jump so your dog can chase after it, jumping the obstacle as they go. Once he understands the game, you can add a verbal cue like “Go” and start adding distance a little bit at a time. Don’t forget to play this game with your dog starting on both your right and left sides.

These basic moves should get you started at home. The more difficult handling is best taught in a group or private class. Your instructor will pick up on any subtle body language mistakes you might be making, such as turning a shoulder.

Basic Agility Equipment

An agility course is made up of a series of obstacles, usually 14-20, depending on the class and level of competition. The big, ramp-style obstacles are collectively known as the contact obstacles because they all have “contact zones” (usually painted a bright yellow) that the dog must touch with at least one toenail when descending. The following list explains the basic agility equipment you will find in the ring:

Jumps are made of a bar between two stands. The dog must leap over the bar without knocking it down.

Tire jumps are donut-shaped rings suspended in the air. The height of the tire is based on the height of the dog, who must jump cleanly through the opening.

Open tunnels are long, canvas tubes. They can be either straight or curved, and the dog must enter at one end and exit at the other.

Weave poles are a series of six to 12 upright poles spaced out along a straight line. The dog must enter to the right of the first pole and weave through the others without missing a pole.

Seesaws or teeters are shaped like a teeter-totter at the playground. The dog must run up the side, touching the ground, then ride the seesaw down the other side as it pivots with their momentum.

Dog walks have an up ramp at one end, a flat, elevated middle section, and a down ramp at the other end.

A-frames are made of two broad ramps hinged together into a peak. The dog must scale the up side, scramble over the top, and descend to the contact zone.

You can purchase most of this equipment online for backyard use. Or you can find DIY plans on the web and build it yourself. Finally, you can make simplified versions by adapting things you already have lying around like tomato stakes for weave poles or a blanket over two chairs for a tunnel.

No matter how you start your agility journey, you can look forward to a stronger bond with your dog and years of fun.

#dog agility training #dog agility competition #dog training #agility training

[t0wardthesun]

Why I won't subscribe myself to any outside ideology, worldview, or school of thought (for too long)

When I was younger, I went looking for a blanket approach.

I was operating from the conditioning that told me I had to "win at life", and if I only found the best belief system, and did whatever it required of me, I'd come out on top.

I went searching for the meaning of life like a cheat code because I thought if I could "show the world" how capable I was, by mastering what I considered the "best" human game, I'd feel less like a failure.

The lie was “if I’m not doing more/being better than everyone else I’ll never get to have cool experiences and I'll get left behind.”

(This is bullshit)

This is back when I also thought others were the purveyor of my abilities - and teachers, pastors and parents decided how capable I was, rather than knowing and valuing my Self from within (this still feels like a stretch some days).

In my mid-twenties I came to a fork in the road.

Actually, it was more like a brick wall... and when Life saw me trying to scale it with my bare hands, build a ladder out of my own bones and sit at the base with my head banging against it for weeks... it threw me a lifeline.

I began to see things more clearly. I knew I had to stop what I was doing and choose authenticity over success (or at least what looked like success to the outside world) until I could hold my true self properly.

(If you want to find your authentic voice, you've gotta unravel the conditioning that says your authentic voice isn't good enough or valuable, otherwise you'll keep beating yourself up when you get close to expressing it or ignoring it completely in favor of yet another performance).

I went inward and worked on my inner dialogue - my relationship with myself - and built a foundation that couldn't be shaken... I found (and lost and found again) the core of me and am learning how to live from there.

This meant - less showing up on social media, less creating distractions out of thin air, and basically six years of de-conditioning the beliefs that said I had to be anything other than exactly who I am.

Letting go of this way of operating - unhooking from the paradigm of comparison and success/failure - meant giving up the yard stick I'd used to measure myself. I had to stop comparing myself to spiritual teachers, "successful" solopreneurs, social media influencers, and all the people I'd perceived had "won at life".

Because truthfully, no-one has won at life. No-one has "made it". There's no such thing and Life isn't like that. It's not a win/lose game, race, or a competition.

The deeper I've gone, the more I've realized I - and women as a whole - are more complex, nuanced and utterly original than any kind of worldview - no matter how expansive or progressive - can account for.

And as tempting as it is to believe I can find the holy grail and solve all my problems with one religion or way of thinking about or looking at the world, if I just try hard enough, or give up enough, it's not real.

It's scary to feel like you don't belong anywhere, until you realise by the same logic, you also belong everywhere.

Now, subscribing (which ironically means to "contract") to anything outside of myself for too long feels like a squeeze, and not the good kind.

It feels like a denial of all that I am, the infinite, irrepressible and undefinable.

At the end of the day, I deserve more than a surface level quick fix, that promises eternal salvation and offers nothing more than a momentary relief. I deserve the tools to actually understand and be myself, utilize all I have to offer and make the most out of this journey, not just a ladder to climb, a ruler to measure myself or box of someone else's making to fit myself in.

.

There's a psychology that comes with "success" as the world defines it. It means you're constantly either chasing a carrot or being whipped by a stick (sometimes both). It's usually born out of a sense of powerlessness or inadequacy - constantly seeking a supply that needs to get bigger and bigger. It's an addiction in its own right.

Growth is different. Heart-led living is different. It still starts with the same feelings (and the acknowledgement you can't escape them) ...powerlessness, inadequacy, fear... but instead of being motivated away from them, you allow yourself to sit with, unravel and be unraveled by them. The tool - the symbol, metaphor, sacred text, methodology - is just a tool. And instead of it getting pedestaled and a exalted as an idol, it’s just something you use until you no longer need it.

In a society that's continually programming us to be someone other than who we are - telling us we're wrong and not enough and need to "do better" - the only way to stay intact and aware of our own completeness is to learn how to be ourselves and stay true to that - no matter what.

Taking up our own space and living in our own lane is an ongoing process. It's less about living by others' expectations, and more about creating an internal culture that is natural to you, an environment you can thrive in.

Mine is made up of a combination of all the things I've learnt on the journey so far... which is why I can't begrudge myself the places I've been and the paths I've walked... church... personal development... network marketing... even spirituality... it's all a part of the walk home.

Right now... the tool I'm using is singing. It's connecting me deeper, but I'm not confusing it with who I am, or abandoning myself in order to chase or worship it.  

You don't need to chase carrots or beat yourself up with sticks.

(They're not real)

Take them all away and be brave enough to accept what you're left with.

It's good enough.

@t0wardthesun​ @jaeschaefer

[noxtms]

*   𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐘𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐃   :   where can we find info on your marauders and next gen side groups?

by joining nox and following the discord links to each rp from there ! lumos ( the marauders verse ) had a blog, but both of them being run from their discord groups just made more sense since i don’t run them on my own like i do nox - it’s easier for the respective councils to keep on top of things and really the only downside has been not having a traditional blogroll, but that’s fine. neither are required of you by being in nox, but to join & stay within them, you have to be a member - if you leave the main group, you forfeit the others too. 

both are fully influenced by the existing nox timeline, lumos probably moreso. our marauders verse takes place in 1994. it’s three years to the end of the war & the conflict between the death eaters and the order is escalating everyday. it’s really a very quintessential group for the era but for the change in the time period ( done so that it could feel like an actual prequel to nox, even if it’s au in all its own ways ) and the fact that everyone has been very supportive of my degenerate peter pettigrew thoughts and feelings, to date. 

the next gen verse is, of course, newer and less strongly established, but it’s also the one most au from the universe, since it’s specifically built from nox canon and diverts from the end of our s1 plot. in aurora, the prophecy that drove our first season was never spoken and the light side triumphed over bellatrix lestrange early on, during our second department of mysteries battle. every change from here on out was made to ensure that no one gets too comfortable with our next gen verse existing, in the first place - i don’t want aurora to take away from the fact that the nox plot is still ongoing, and characters that have kids over there may still die, here. just to rapidfire rattle off some changes, over there : kingsley shacklebolt & the diggory sibling died in our season 1 finale, there was never a resurrection ( no regulus, harry or voldemort ), the de’s were rounded up and sent to azkaban with many including bellatrix later executed, anton karkaroff never became minister, sybill trelawney still died ( but of a heart attack, not murder ), the chudley cannons won the quidditch cup instead of the holyhead harpies, etc, etc.

it’s now 2049, and rather than an rp dealing with the fallout of a war that never came, in aurora, the plot is a murder mystery with inspiration taken from one of us is lying by karen mcmanus, if we were villains by ml rio and twin peaks - willa longbottom, eldest daughter of neville & his oc wife, has been found dead beneath a dark mark and anyone could have done it. there are several known connections ( all with possible motives ) and five that can only come out through rp, all of which will build a clearer picture of who willa was and why she was murdered. i generally hate next gen verses, so it’s already been so fun to build one where no canon kids exist and no pre-conceived ideas of how those kids act do, either - it’s all STEEPED in nox canon, between the timeline we’ve worked on to flesh out the last twenty odd years and the fact i get to play cordelia malfoy, third born of draco malfoy & ginny weasley. 

so there u go ! that’s what i can say about both, and there’s still way more i couldn’t touch on - most especially in regards to how big and sexy everyone’s brains have been in their casting and characterisation of marauders era characters and how absolutely bonkers the aurora world is, already - but you’ll have to join us to get in on all that ! 

#hp rp #harry potter rp #appless rp #fandom rp #canon rp #oc rp #mumu rp #established rp #answered #anonymous #admin r. #this might be the first time ive ever actually. outlined lumos. but there is just so much more going on with aurora-

[twojackals]

Tolerance: a blog post

Someone in the public area of our forums posted a question about "Tolerance" and this was essentially my answer. I wanted to put it separately because I really want the content of this post to stand on its own. I’m going to talk in very broad-stroke emotions, based on what I feel, because the fact is there are two very different definitions of tolerance, and mine comes very much up on the dark side of things. I also very much speak as an individual.

Define Tolerance

The word “tolerance” itself has always carried a negative connotation for me. It seems steeped in unwillingness – even though some dictionary definitions state verbatim ‘the willingness to tolerate’ (particularly the existence of things). In other definitions, the term ‘endure’ crops up, another word carrying a more negative than positive feeling for me, that you are ‘subject’ to something you simply must ‘bear’ in order to move forward.

I suppose tolerance feels much like the bare minimum humans can possibly provide to a world swathed in broad and beautiful diversity. In general, I just don’t find tolerance goes far enough. It begs no such ideas of learning, broadening of horizons, and I’d disagree that it carries by default any aspect of respect, recognition, or understanding either. Even growth is not required; actually, I’d suggest it’s more akin to stagnation. Tolerance is the ability to sit and withstand a thing, maybe over and over again, without ever needing to become more than what you are. Tolerance is to endure pain, hardship, and survive. But mere survival does not make us better (despite the old adage) all on its own, and the basic pre-requisite of tolerance can be simple apathy, or even ignorance.

All that out of the way, I’m not going to deny tolerance is a start. It’s the first step (maybe not even that, more like a pre-step, a baby step, a leaning in the general direction of something better). But Ultimately when I hear someone ‘tolerates’ something, it sounds more like they’re working through a stomach cramp than anything, and that’s a “meh” experience at best.

Is tolerance limited to the religious domain or is it present in other areas of life?

Tolerance is in absolutely every aspect of our lives, the fact that it is in the religious or spiritual life is as a result nearly unavoidable and completely unsurprising. It is not special, religious tolerance. It’s just another form of “the bare minimum”. Tolerating the beliefs of others is not respect, dignity, knowledge, and some people mistakenly think it’s power for some reason (as though we have any right to “permit” something’s existence or not, particularly when the something is a human being’s rights or even their very existence).

As for it being simple or difficult, I think it is one of the easiest things a human can do, since all you need to do, is do nothing at all.

What are the limits of tolerance according to you?

Something that intentionally sets out to harm. If I define tolerance as ‘the bare minimum’, there is certainly not even that for something that is intentionally out to hurt people, but because tolerance is so darn simple, the cure for that is nothing less than action (against that which is intentionally setting out to harm). Otherwise, if you simply let something be even while it harms others, that is just another level of tolerance.

What can we design together to promote this value?

I don’t think I want to promote it. Instead, I want to break it down, and promote the individual values we assign to tolerance:

Knowledge

Growth

Understanding

Respect

Recognition

Interaction

Communication

Bridge-building

etc.

I never want to simply tolerate something, or someone. That’s not a goal for me. That would for me feel like settling for less. I think the way I’ve grown up and lived my life heavily influences the way I see this word.

I am sure other people have much broader meanings that ring true for them, and that’s perfectly fine. But for me, I’d rather replace the word all together if for no other reason than it can be taken in such starkly different ways.

#blog #thoughts #personal #tolerance

[loveditapp]

Top 15 Dating Advice For Introverts To Get Success

Dating Advice For Introverts 

Are you looking for dating advice for introverts? Are you looking for relationship advice that will help you create a sting romance? Are you tired of the dating world, tired of being single, and longing to have a relationship that lasts more than a season?

Would you like to find someone to love for the rest of your life? Dint see everyone around you as a couple, you also want to have someone in your life. Even if your friends spend their time telling you that meetings are when you do not expect it, it's not a reason to sit back. Here is some dating advice for singles that will help you find and build an enduring connection:

Top 15 Dating Advice For Introverts To Get Success

Follow These Top 15 Dating Advice For Introverts To Get Succeed 

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1) Firstly clean your mind 

Firstly clean your mind

firstly forget about what people said about an introvert like they do not get a date or they do not get the party invitation. just do one thing start to learn about relationships and you can do it for free on the lovedit app 

don't overthink that I am not looking good or I am not the one for her/ him or I am not a good sense of humor, just keep faith in your willpower and now read forward.

2) Push yourself out of your comfort zone.

If you want to find the love of your life, you are going to have to go out to places and events where you can meet people. You may find your Special One when you are socializing, OR--you may find the people who will introduce you to the person you are looking for. Either way, you are going to have to reach beyond your current comfort level of interacting and talking to people you don't know. Share who you are and be friendly.

3) Be clear about who you are looking for.

It is important to know what you want. If you do not enjoy children, do not linger talking to someone who has young children. If you do not like dogs, do you really want to spend time with someone who owns a kennel? Why encourage a relationship you know is doomed from the start? Getting what and who you want starts with knowing yourself and your requirements.

Be clear about who you are looking for.

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4) Pay attention to your communication skills.

Most people who instigate a relationship breakup say the number one reason they left is because the other person did not listen. Your significant other wants your full attention when they are talking to you. You cannot be watching the computer screen or listening to the TV in the background or responding to your cell phone. Put everything on hold and listen when they are talking. To listen to someone is to show that you care about what they are thinking and feeling. Listening builds a bond.

Also Read - 7 Tips to Developing Unshakeable Self-Confidence

5) Be in the now.

Did you ever notice that when you are talking to others, they are either re-living moments from the past, or rhapsodizing about the future? Living in the present takes awareness. Pay attention to where your focus is and bring it to them now. If you do, you will be emotionally more available which makes it possible to grow a relationship of substance.

6) Expect to have some differences to work through.

Expect to have some differences to work through.

To look for a relationship where you never have a difference of opinion is to set yourself up for failure. We come together in relationships to grow as human beings and to learn things we could never learn on our own. Sometimes, there can be some emotionally difficult times. Knowing that beforehand can save you from confusion or disappointment. Help is out there for individuals and couples who want to work through major issues.

7) Don't settle for less than who you want.

Many relationships don't last because they were never meant to be in the first place. People get scared of being alone or are afraid that someone better is never going to come along--so, they "settle". If you are settling for someone you know is not really who you want, you are setting yourself up for a relationship failure.

8) Put your best foot forward.

Make sure your appearance is neat and tidy. Dressing up makes a great first impression and can help you feel more comfortable while out on your date. Make sure you look clean and smell nice for your date.

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To be continued ----------------------------------------

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[catboymitosis]

Wonderful life remake upcoming (which I am excited for) makes hopefullness maybe one day we could get an Animal Parade remake a lot more realistic. It's one of my favourite games of all time tbh I played this game so hard and on my own thought of my own imaginary like, fan revamp/dlc/+ addition, so on my Animal Parade remake wishlist:

Obligatory all the modern day Story of Seasons character customization stuff and no gender restricted dating (Extremely likely)

Take the dating system from Tree of Tranquility instead, the lack of proper events in replacement of just bringing you stuff to your door is a little disappointing (Possible)

Keep in the rival marriages and kids (unlikely considering they seem to have phased them out now) rewrite the rival cutscenes (owen and kathy, chase and maya, gill and luna are all bad imo) or change up the rival relationship completely (very unlikely but BtN did technically do this, toby and renee are cute together and unless otherwise stated the rest are neutral) and make them all gay (literally never happening)

For making rival marriages work while neither dating nor protag is gendered I'd say just connect rival events affection requirements to both parties (eg. if either meet the requirement it'll happen) but lock it behind neither of them already dating/being married to you AND subsequent events being locked to the next year (like in DS). Since there aren't many rival events I don't think that's too big of a time sink but another option would be to just keep the "hey I wanna date this person what do you think" event and have a "date me instead!" Response which halts rival events so in lore the character can get to know you first and you have a chance to sweep them off their feet and date them instead. Since either side of the rival can come to you asking this saying go ahead to one will cancel out putting the rival events on halt as will getting married yourself, that way no NPCs can steal away the character you wanted to marry.

The biggest complaint I heard about Animal Parade were the loading times which I have no idea how to fix but the second biggest complaints I heard were about how big the map is and how slow it is to move, too much walking. While you can eventually get an animal to ride on and even fast travel for the early game I would suggest something like setting bike racks around the map, like by your house, by both the stores in flute fields, the waterwheel, the entrance to the forest and in front of harmonica town and the bridge to Garmon mines both of which you'd be forced to dismount before entering (reason being this isn't a mount you can leave everywhere and you can't enter houses with it and having a bike rack between each building to get on and off of would get annoying to people who want to go fast, plus I feel harmonica town and Garmon mines feel a lot less big and full of empty spaces, lore wise it's too dangerous to bike over the bridge and bikes aren't allowed inside Harmonica Town cause it's all pavements so that would be dangerous for the pedestrians) The stamina cost (especially tough early game) and more limited areas of usage are intended to make it worse than having a mount but that only makes it more an upgrade to work towards rather than something you have to bear through until you find the game playable.

I think part of why a lot of the map feels so empty is because we don't ever pass by anyone on our farm, the paths and most of flute fields, having characters actually walk to their destination and seeing them move around the world would do a big part in helping that without completely remaking the map. Also with the character tracker feature you'd wouldn't have to deal with going across the map to go find them only for them to teleport away and make you chase them all the way back you'd actually be able to catch up with them. Characters actually coming and going to the island regularly would be well appreciated too, again worth taking inspiration from how Stardew valley does it here. I think Sue and Samsom should also come over Saturday night and stay Sunday if Selena has a kid or if your affection is high enough with them and maybe there should be a specific festival on the island too!

Segwaying from the last point, being able to upgrade parts of the town in ways that effect the towns peoples schedules would be great! Like for example being able to upgrade the minecart shortcut into like a tramline so that you can use it while walking your kids/pets/partner/riding on an animal you can still use that shortcut and the townsfolk start using the shortcut too changing their schedules, or building changing rooms by the hot spring on your farm so the townfolks come take a soak in which you can join them and watch little scenes/raise affection while restoring your energy. Another thing I can think of is the houses, I'm not sure if it's really in the spirit of harvest moon but maybe being able to rent them out to characters you have high affection with, like Calvin moving out of the Inn and having an actual home, or if Owen has a kid he wants to move away from the mines so they don't put themselves in danger by playing in the mines like Chloe does and he did, or Jeff and Colleen seem like they'd be the type to want a summer home.

Something I've always found it jarring in games where your children grow up but the rest of the cast don't meaning you've got older kids that look the exact same as them. I'm not saying age the whole cast up but aging up only Paolo, Chloe and Taylor up into teenagers (like DS did) would be great and I'm especially attached to the idea of Taylor going fully rebellious emo kid.

While the dividing up chores to your family members system is cool it being optimal sort of hurts them as actual characters, I want my spouse and children to have a life outside watering my crops all day while not sacrificing efficiency. I think the dividing up chores should be left to the sprites as it usually is, or make it so if they're supposed to have work or school you can't ask them to do chores for you and just add sprinklers.

Whenever I'd play animal parade I'd always designate Sunday to family outing day where I'd take out my pets/spouse/children around with me. 1st of all I think a holding hand feature would be very cute (like in Fable 2, you'd still be able to run) 2nd of all I think you should be able to take multiple people out with you at a time and finally I want little events for when you take out certain people to certain places (like Rune Factory 3s dates). Taking your spouse to a certain spot would lead to a date, taking one kid out to somewhere depending on their personality type would lead to a day out, both kids out to the beach and it's a day out, whole family to the hill on flute fields and it's a picnic stuff like that, pet events based on the type of pets like dogs playing the the carpenters dog or cats playing with yarn in the tailors so on.

#thats all i can think of rn #long post

[kirstenlinae]

Non-Scale Victories and Struggles

I am supposed to be weaning myself off of caffeine altogether. That’s one of my 1st month goals to prep for surgery/post-op lifestyle. So far, this is one of the hardest goals to accomplish. Before this was established as a goal/requirement, I only drank coffee about 3 times per week...one to two cups per morning. However, now I’m back up to 5-7 times per week, steadily two cups per morning... and a third is tempting me today. I guess caffeine (much like carbonation or smoking) can cause ulcers and such post-op. 

Another goal I have for this month is to start taking a multivitamin. I bought some from Costco (Kirkland brand) and, they seem to be causing me headaches. More than likely from whatever additive(s) are in the vitamin. I called my dietician to inquire about this. She suggested that I go with a more name brand or “natural” brand that would probably have less additive junk in it. I’m still trying to look for one. It’s hard to find a multivitamin that isn’t a gummy. That is natural. That doesn’t cost a million dollars for a 30 day supply. My dietician told me not to invest a bunch of money in a large supply because post-op I will have to change to a specialized bariatric multivitamin. So... I need a 4-6 month supply. Again, specifically hard to find. I’ll keep trying though.

I am only 9 days out from my initial consultation and I think I am doing well with other goals. I am consistently drinking over a gallon of water per day. Yesterday was my last day drinking carbonated sodas. I am half done with my required 10-day food journal and, lastly but probably most importantly, I have been almost 100% compliant with my medication and insulin regimens. 

In mentioning all of that, though, I have to also admit that I am having trouble meeting one last goal. I told the dietician that by the end of the month (Oct. 11th), I would be compliant with an exercise regimen 3 times per week for 30 minutes each time. I am not counting the days that I clean houses (although definitely a work out for me). In addition to the 1-2 days per week that I clean houses, I want to work out 3 times per week either taking walks or riding my stationary bike. Obviously, when I work cleaning houses I am not requiring myself to also work out. However, I find it hard to get motivated to work out on the days that I have to work at the hotel. Mostly because, if I do work out, it would have to be in the morning/afternoon before work, since I work second shift 3p-11p. Once I get off work I definitely don’t feel like working out in addition to doing any chores that need done, making dinner and getting ready for bed. In an ideal world, I would love to work out 3-4 times per week, for 40-60minutes each time. I would like to mix my regimen between walking/riding my bike for 20-30minutes and then doing yoga, Pilates or mild strength training for another 20-30minutes. I would definitely have to build up to that, though. 

This morning I woke up and had the urge to check my blood sugar and weigh myself (although I didn’t do either). While I should be checking my blood sugar at least once a day, I usually don’t because it discourages me. Even though, I do think my blood sugars have probably stabilized within the last 9 days because of my insulin compliance and my changed eating habits. When I have “dieted” before, and monitored my blood sugars, it was amazing how fast my blood sugars would stabilize, especially if I was working out almost every day. As for weighing myself, I am trying not to play slave to the bathroom scale. I want to stick to weighing myself only at doctor’s appointments. That way, I know it’s real change (over about a month’s timespan) and, I’m not obsessing over every little ounce I lose or gain ever week (or even every day). Plus, as this post implies, I am really trying to focus heavily on non-scale goals/victories. While, of course one of the ultimate goals is to lose weight, the REAL and NUMBER ONE ultimate goal is to change and maintain healthy habits for my lifetime so my diabetes type II will go into remission (be controlled) and that way, I can not only live longer but, also live a more fulfilled life...however that may present itself to me in the future.

#weight loss #weight loss journey #bariatric surgery #gastric bypass #bariatricsupport #bariatric diet #gastric surgery #non scale victory #weight loss goals #healthy living #healthy eating #exercise #journal #personal

[red-dead-redemption-2-mul9q]

RedM - the RDR 2 multiplayer modification you have dreamt of

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥 According to Gamingsection. Even if that number has dipped in the subsequent year or so since that GamingSection article was posted, Rockstar has definitely still got a money stew brewing. This is to say nothing of the amount of money the company has made off of game purchases alone, which is reportedly a lot of money. Unfortunately, it seems that RDO is, for better or worse, effectively dead. And maybe as a result, also red, but the jury is still out on that. I am a huge fan of survival games , so adding more survival mechanics to Red Dead Redemption 2 is right up my alley. This mod takes things much further in the direction of survival needs, requiring eating, drinking, sleeping, and peeing, as well as balancing carry weight penalties and a whole host of other features. This mod effectively takes the Cripps Trading Co. With this mod, players can buy a wagon, stagecoach, or boat and engage in transport missions, whether that means hauling goods or ferrying people from place to place. You can basically start your own shipping and transport company by picking up missions from general stores. You can even hire guns to help ensure a safe journey — which will come in handy, since bandits can randomly attack your convoy. There are a ton of other features that are definitely worth checking out, but this is a lucrative, more fleshed-out profession in single-player that seems far less tedious than working for Cripps. Count me in. Much like AMJM Transport, this mod is all about earning a living wage off of honest-to-goodness hard work. You simply purchase one of the already existing-gunsmiths and do your best to run it and turn a profit. This will require doing supply runs while fighting off bandits, as you might expect from Red Dead Redemption 2. You can also either decide how much each item costs to purchase, and how much to pay your staff, or you can simply let the chips fall as they may and just collect a decent sum of steady income. You can check out Gunsmith Business by Bolmin here. Well, the Jobs Mod might be just the ticket. You can pick up a 9-to-5 and collect a paycheck working in all manner of professions. You can be a miner, bartender, hunter, shepherd, dockworker, or delivery guy. You can check out the Jobs Mod by Bolmin here. This mod is pretty simple, but it could really go a long way toward fleshing out the already-detailed-but-at-times-rather-barren world of Red Dead Redemption 2. It adds more NPCs to some areas of the game, specifically areas where there is already a great deal of detail but no inhabitants, like lounges or random buildings. In my opinion, more hustle and bustle is always a good thing when it comes to game-world immersion. Have you ever inadvertently killed an NPC in the middle of nowhere, without a soul in sight, any you still incur a wanted level because the crime was witnessed and reported somehow? Well, this is the mod for you. This mod aims to better balance the wanted system in a way that feels more realistic for the time and setting. This mod also lessens the response of the law for more petty crimes, which feels more reasonable and immersive. Believe me when I say that I could go on and on, because there really are a ton of cool mods for Red Dead Redemption 2. I was born and did a of couple things. Then I was introduced to video games, which allowed me to do a ton of things. I currently do those things and write about them. Hitman 3 Update 3. Share this post. Connect with. I allow to create an account. When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. Disagree Agree. Notify of. Oldest Newest Most Voted. Inline Feedbacks. Would love your thoughts, please comment.