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mccoyyy · 3 years

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moving this to my new blog so I can pin it again lol

@stregoni-benefici you are completely correct but I just wanted to expand on this a little bit - also i’m putting this under a read more cause this got a lot longer than i originally thought it would be

sexism: smeyers treatment of female characters throughout the entire series is extremely problematic. like you don’t even need to read deep into the books to see that. the backstories of all her female characters all involve some form of trauma and are significantly more violent than the male vampires (Rosalie and Esme enduring physical/sexual assault meanwhile Edward dies of the flu and Emmett gets vibe checked by a bear).

she also creates the idea that a woman isn’t complete without children/being a mother. every female vampire in the series is desperate for children yet can’t, its mentioned in pretty much every book and extreme emphasis is placed on how tragic this is. a female character wanting children isn’t wrong or sexist at all but the way its written in twilight makes it seem like its something a woman has to do in order to be happy and smeyer pretty much cements this idea by making Bella suddenly desperate to have Renesmee despite showing no interest in children/audibly voicing her thoughts against having children in eclipse and the start of breaking dawn (i’m pretty sure Bella has a line of dialogue in the books where she says something like she didn’t realise it was something she wanted/needed until it happened bit I’m not sure I try not to read/think about breaking dawn)

there’s also the way she writes female characters, specifically Rosalie. its mentioned throughout the series that Rosalie has extreme mechanical skills and multiple degrees in STEM fields but its barely ever shown, and instead her characterisation focuses on being obsessed with her looks (first couple pages of this, written by smeyer for new moon), and being a ‘stereotypical bitch’. for the first three books most of her character/dialogue is based on being cold and rude to Bella. She is unnecessarily painted as the villain for having different views on Bella (quite literally) giving up her life and future to be with a man (which is a whole other can of worms). the same is done to the character of Leah in eclipse/breaking dawn. Leah is a woman in the Quileute Tribe, she has been severely affected by the Cullen’s presence in the area and is painted as a character that the reader is supposed to dislike simply because she doesn’t like Bella/the Cullen’s despite having extremely valid reasons not to

anti-Native - smeyers treatment of native tribes is horrendous. she has profited fr years off of of native american culture for years and has done so without any acknowledgements. furthermore, she also demonises native american teens (especially in new moon) by calling them wild, violent, dangerous and out of control and then uses these stereotypes to create a contrast between the self control and patience of the Cullen’s and make them seem more like the good guys, and the wolf pack being lesser. She does this again with the treatment of Jacobs character in new moon and especially eclipse.

Jacob starts off in new moon as Bella’s best friend. he helps Bella come out of a severe depression caused when Edward left at the start of the book. however in eclipse his character makes a complete flip and he becomes moody, temperamental, argumentative and disrespectful of Bella’s boundaries. his character becomes unrecognisable and despite smeyers claims of a love triangle, it is obvious what the outcome will be. I have seen countless instances of people on this site claiming they hate Jacob because he is a dick/disrespectful/just as unhealthy as Edward. this was done on purpose by smeyer as she uses Jacob to make Edward seem like the obvious and correct choice for Bella. if you need more proof of this, take the scene where Jacob kisses Bella without her consent and she breaks her hand when punching him, Edward swoops in and almost gets into a fight with Jacob for touching Bella without her consent. this is an obvious attempt to make Jacob seem like the villain and Edward the white saviour

there’s also the treatment of the native characters by the white characters in the books. multiple times in the series, the native characters are called/compared to dogs/brutes and have a distinct unpleasant smell. I don’t think I need to explain how this is racist. the pack also helps the Cullen’s/saves Bella’s lives and never receive any acknowledgement/are treated any better by the Cullen’s/anyone really. the pack are only ever used as a way to make the Cullen’s look better.

there’s also some pretty obvious similarities to colonisation with the Cullen’s entering Quiluete lands which then forces them to start phasing into wolves (and I’m pretty sure none of the pack actually want to start phasing). also, remember Leah? the only female member of the wolf pack? because of the change she effectively can’t have children? that has implications.

and to top it all off, after doing all that, smeyer has never once addressed this or even acknowledged the Quileute Tribe.

pedophilic - I mean even without mentioning breaking dawn its pretty awful. first of all you’ve got the blatant sexualisation of minors throughout the entire series. Edward is 17 throughout the series and smeyer is writing literal paragraphs about his chiselled abs. Jacob is 16/17 when she has him running about forks topless with a 6 pack. this is way more apparent in the movies but its still a huge issue in the books and lead to Taylor Lautner being confronted by adult fans trying to get him to sign their underwear, and being forced into being shirtless for most of the movies which made him extremely uncomfortable (Elizabeth Reaser (Esme) briefly talks about this in the ID10T podcast on spotify). and just as a reminder, Taylor was 16 when the first one was filmed and 17 for the second.

Breaking Dawn is a whole other can of worms. the glaringly obvious issue is Jacob imprinting on a literal newborn baby. now the concept of imprinting itself has racist elements to it, but its heavily implied in the series that imprinting will inevitably lead to a romantic relationship. Jacob imprinting on Renesmee and waiting until she is old enough to enter into a romantic relationship (never mind the fact that shes ‘old enough’ she will still technically be 5) is pretty much grooming. The same happens with Quil and his imprint, Claire (a two year old) where I’m pretty sure there’s a scene in breaking dawn where Jacob and Leah are watching Quil play with Claire and talking about how Quil isn’t going to date anyone because he and Claire are ‘pretty much inevitable’ (i might be wrong though, like I said I try not to read/think about breaking dawn)

smeyer has also written a spin off book (its like 250 odd pages) called the short second life of Bree Tanner (Bree is that newborn vampire killed after the battle in eclipse by the Volturi btw). In this book, Bree is 15 almost 16, and another character Diego is 18 which is definitely pushing the boundaries of ok. (also as a side note, funny how Bree and Jacob are literally the same age and smeyer states multiple times how Bree deserved better and is only a child (who straight up kills people), yet when it comes to Jacob he has to be a responsible adult and is vilified for every mistake he makes)

racist - smeyer refused to let Catherine Hardwicke (director of the first twilight) have a diverse cast because she ‘imagined them a certain way’ (white) and it was a fight to get Edi Gathegi cast as Laurent and had to compromise with smeyer to make Bella’s friend group more diverse. this woman straight up refused to hire more diverse actors and only agreed to when they were side characters/villains.

Also in the official companion book/guide to twilight, smeyer literally writes that vampire venom makes you white

‘the venom leeches all pigmentation from the skin into a more indestructable vampire form…regardless of original ethnicity a vampires skin will be exceptionally pale’ (official illustrated guide pg.69)

this is a whole lot of bullshit cause she is literally whitewashing characters, but when you pair this with the idea that vampires possess inhuman levels of beauty it becomes extremely problematic and implies that being pale/white is more beautiful than darker skin tones.

also, if we go back to Laurent’s character for a second. so Laurent is one of the only characters who isn’t described as white (in the books he is described as having a pale olive skin tone) and in the first book he comes across as pretty reasonable (warning carlisle about James/Victoria, travels up to Denali and tries out the veggie lifestyle) but in new moon, his characterisation pulls a 180° (sensing a theme here) and is suddenly trying to kill Bella as a favour to Victoria and is Evil™ despite in the first book he literally says to Carlisle he didn’t particularly like travelling with James/Victoria and was only really doing it for convenience. where did this undying loyalty come from? yet again, smeyer is completely disregarding established characterisation in POC characters specifically to villainise them.

and finally, we have Jasper. for some reason (that reason being that she is racist) smeyer decides to make Jasper a confederate soldier in his human life. if you don’t have a lot of knowledge on the american civil war, the confederacy were the side of the US that seceded from the union in order to keep their slaves. Jasper was a confederate soldier, and not just any soldier, but a major. Jasper was a major in an army that fought for 4 years to keep the existence of slavery (and don’t even try to say that slavery wasn’t the root cause of the civil war. states rights aye? states rights to do what). now there’s an argument out there made by certain fans that a lot of people joined the confederate army out of pride/were forced into it cause of conscription to try and head canon the racism away but like that doesn’t matter. there was literally no need to make jasper a confederate in the first place. if she was so desperate to have a civil war vampire then she could have made him a member of the union. its been common knowledge that the confederacy was racist for a long time now, smeyer has absolutely no excuses here.

a lot of these issues overlap and I have probably missed heaps of issues (so feel free to add on) but hope this helps explain why smeyer can *ahem* get tae absolute fuck

#smeyer deserves jail #writing this pissed me off so much brb im off to buy a dartboard and a coloured printer #twilight #anti-smeyer #twilight renaissance #twilight resurgance #twilight revival #dont fucking buy midnight sun #edward cullen #jacob black #bella swan #the cullens #wolf pack #jasper whitlock #jasper hale

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singloom · 7 years

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2016 Anime/Animation Challenge ~ December (Part 1 of 2)

Splitting this month to make it easier on myself and not assault your delicate senses with my walls of textspam.

Princess Kaguya A Studio Ghibli film, Princess Kaguya was actually directed by Isao Takahata and not Hayao Miyazaki, and was based on the 10th century Japanese folk story "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." Like the folk story, Princess Kaguya is about a baby girl found in a glowing bamboo stock by a childless bamboo cutter. He takes the little girl home to his wife and they raise her as their own, like the child they never had. It's a touching, heartwarming story of her growing into a beautiful young lady and her transition from the countryside to the riches and glamour of the city as her new found parents try to provide the life of a Princess to their child.

What draws your attention immediately is the visual appeal of the film, like a Japanese painting come to life. For those of you that fell in love with the artistic style of the video game Okami, this is something for you. The watercolours and charcoal strokes really do give it an authentic style for a story based on such a classic folktale.

Between the gorgeous art style and a bittersweet ending, it's really a shame Princess Kaguya did not do so well at the box office because it really deserves to be seen.

Deadman Wonderland Easily nailed this series in two days since it was on the list of things to watch that I kept either forgetting about or putting off because of other stuff. Being a Loomy is hard. In Deadman Wonderland, we have a middle school student, Ganta Igarashi, who is accused of killing all his classmates in a massacre, then sent to a private-owned prison called Deadman Wonderland.

Like the title. Mind blown.

He also learns he can use his own blood as a weapon because he's a "Deadman." Handy little ability there given he's imprisoned in a place where Deadman are forced to fight each other for the entertainment of others. Not so cool.

The anime suffers from adaption distillation, changing certain aspects of the series and character interactions, so if you loved the manga and nipped over to the animation side of the pond, expect these changes in advance. If that's not too much of a problem or, like me, the anime is your first dive into DW (not Darkwind Duck, btw,) this can still be an entertaining series in terms of action and, if you like that sort of thing, bloody action. With blood tricks. Because Deadmen.

Ganta is a sympathetic figure, thrown into the thick of it against his will after being stitched up and forced into the Deadman Wonderland hellhole. His albino friend, Shiro, who knew him as a child, is like the marmite of anime characters; you'll either love her childlike mannerisms or find them a tad on the irritating side. Sadly, for myself, I leaned towards the latter. There's only so many times you can hear a bubbly girl saying the main character's name in that way before your patience wears thin. She's not all bad, but can be on the annoying side, especially later. Other characters, like Hummingbird, are interesting in the way they defy your expectations and really surprise you.

I did find Deadman Wonderland more engaging in the first half than the second, but it's worth a watch if, like I said before, bloody action is your bag in a confined setting like a prison.

Bananya Another series of short and sweet episodes, Bananya is about cats. Cats in bananas. Or bananas that are cats. Bananya cats. Each episode is about the titular Bananyas getting into all sorts of silly situations, whether it's invading the fridge or fulfilling the dream of being a chocolate covered banana. Yes, really.

There are different Bananya, like Tabby Bananya, Daddy Bananya (complete with a combover and newspaper,) Bananyako (the girl Bananya,) and even the Narrator who gives us insight into the daily lives of these curious creatures. Every episode ends by telling us a little about each Bananya.

Perfect for raising spirits and feelings of sweetness between more depressing shows. I already want plushies of these cute wee things. <3

Yuri!!! On Ice That gay show about ice skating, do I really have to go into this? Yuri!!! On Ice is everywhere, even professional ice skaters tweet about this one. Promising ice skater Yuri Katsuri finds himself being mentored by professional Adonis of the rink, Victor Nikiforov. It's an anime with a lot of heart, with characters you root for, even when they find themselves facing each other in professional skating tournaments. The fact the couple went canon instead of being just fujoshi bait made it even better because same-sex represenation needs to be a thing. The skating routines are beautiful, especially Yuri Katsuri mirroring Victor's performance in episode 1. Although the animation does dip at points in the later episodes, they are still beautiful spectacles. It's a lovely show. Give it a go.

We're Going On a Bearhunt Christmas Eve gave us the first ever viewing of We're Going On A Bearhunt, the animated feature based on the book by Michael Rosen. From the makers of The Snowman, this tells the story of four children heading out in search of a bear, singing a song about what a beautiful day it is and they're not scared whatever they find and whatever the weather. It's definitely one to watch if you've got younger ones about the house because it's one to enjoy as they squelch through the mud, paddle through water and stomp through the snow in search of an elusive grizzly. My only qwibble is how depressing the ending is, a far cry from the cheery book. Way to tear my heart out in time for Christmas, you guys.

Rewatch Who else remembers the Samurai Pizza Cats? The more I think about this special cartoon, the more I realise it might have been my first proper anime cartoon of sorts, one of two things that really got me into my love of Japan (the other being the Ganbare Goemon games.) Set in a mechanical style Little Tokyo, the city is defended from the villainous Big Cheese (or ) by a group of crime fighting, pizza loving heroes known as the Samurai Pizza Cats. Speedy Cerviche (Yattaro) is the leader who wields a sword when fighting crime. Polly Esther (Pururun) is the fiesty feline who attacks with the power of love itself... or her claws when the situation calls for it. Lastly, Guido Anchovy is the cool dude sporting the Samurai Sunspot Umbrella in battle.

I'm very attached to this series since I watched it on telly as a little Loomy and, like I said, it was a part of my gateway into Japanese cartoons, even if this one was localised with very strong liberties. However, that is actually part of the fun since you can tell they just rolled with it and had fun with the script. Even as a 30 year old, I still find it a blast to watch for old times sake.

I still remember the Samurai Pizza Cat Fanclub Oath. Say it with me, friends. :)

#2016 anime challenge #anime #animation

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ronaldmorton · 6 years

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Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women

The pawer women have made their mark in 2017! The ending of one year and the beginning of another brings with it great joy and reflection: This is our year-end tradition wherein Fidose of Reality announces a list of women in the pet industry who go above and beyond. In some way, shape, or form, these ladies did something to impact the lives of dogs in 2017 (and no doubt long before that and for many years to come). This year, we are switching things up. We’ve kept track of dog moms in general this year; maybe they are employed in the pet industry or maybe not. The 10 ladies you are about to meet have done something, either one random act, or throughout the year, that touches the lives of a dog(s) in some capacity. This is the first time Fidose of Reality has put a spin on Pawer Women, and we have all the feels in doing so.

In a year when Wonder Woman officially became the highest-grossing superhero origin film in history, a crown it should wear proudly and loudly, these ladies are a dog lover version of Wonder Woman. If you meet them, you may not see their crown or magic lasso, but trust us, they embody the Wonder Woman spirit.

For the Second Year in a Row, we are naming the Dog Parent of the Year: This is a dog mom who goes above and beyond and through actions, hopefully inspires others to make a difference in the life of a dog. Without further ado, here are the Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women. As an aside, my wife and I gather names of dog women throughout the year and together we discuss who makes the top 10. We do NOT sit in judgement of anyone; rather, we believe in spotlight amazing women who do good things in the dog world, and for their lives to be a celebration.

Dog Parent of the Year: Neely Bryanne

Neely Bryanne Elvidge loves bulldogs. I knew this the moment I met her. Our dogs first crossed paths at a New York City Pet Fashion Show years ago. You will notice a theme here that dogs bring people together, and Neely’s life intersecting with mine is another example.

Neely lived in South Florida for the last decade or so, but moved up to Indianapolis, Indiana last year after marrying her wife, Jen. Though Neely has a doctorate in clinical psychology, when she moved, she decided to go where her heart was calling… with dogs of course! Neely is a patient care advocate at a veterinary hospital outside of Indy. She works at a fear-free clinic and offers integrative medicine including acupuncture, herbal therapy, and cold laser therapy.

The couple has five of their own dogs: Four English Bulldogs and one French Bulldog. They also have 2 cats (a domestic short hair and a Sphynx), as well as an African Grey parrot and several fish. Neely is President of Hoosier Bulldog Rescue, so they often have anywhere from one to five fosters in their home as well. Currently they have three fosters – a special needs French Bulldog with mega-esophagus disorder, as well as a puppy mill mamma with severe skin issues who is about to start heart worm treatment, and a beautiful young bulldog who was used as bait for dog fighting. She’s about to go off to her forever home in New Jersey next month.

Neely and her wife foster and here is her story as to why, in her own words: “After adopting my first English bulldog “Girl” in 2010, I was immediately hooked on bulldogs. I should mention I was originally looking through shelter websites for a shihtzu when I stumbled up on this ancient, scrawny, bloodshot eyed, pathetic bulldog. And I instantly fell in love. She had been in rescue for 6 months and not a single inquiry. Let’s be honest, she wasn’t much to look at back then and she was already 10 years old! But something about her touched my soul. I was going through a breakup and had the typical feelings of being unwanted. I felt connected to her. People kept trying to convince me to get another dog but I kept going back to Girl. After I adopted her, the rescue asked if I wanted to volunteer. Within a month I accepted a position as Vice-President with that rescue and of course fostering came along with that! My first foster was the hardest to part with of course. But when you know they’re going to another amazing home, it’s honestly not that hard to let them go. And sadly, there’s always another one waiting to be rescued. I’ve only had two foster failures in 7 years, so that’s not a bad average!”

Neely says Champ was her everything, her heart dog and soul mate dog. He came to Neely in 2009. He was found in Miami after being dumped as a bait dog. It took months to recover both physically and mentally. He eventually became a therapy dog and they visited schools, juvenile detention centers, and hospitals. The duo taught Dog Safety & Dog Bite Prevention at local schools and community programs through our Dog Scouts of America troop. Champ also went to work with Neely every day at a psychiatric hospital where he brought a little joy into the patients’ lives. She worked primarily with chronic mental illness (Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Severe Depression, as well as Drug Abuse), and Champ provided so much positivity to a normally stressful unit. They started a campaign called Bullies Against Bullying which was the primary focus of so much of our therapy work. She says when Champ passed, a lot of her ideas and goals were never finished. She recently started working on the series of books that she started a few years ago. Even after his passing, his story continues to inspire others. One of his most well known endeavors was being “Champcasso” – he used his paws to paint on canvas, which they then sold or auctioned off to raise money for rescues.

Meeting Neely and Champ with me and Dex on right

Does she mostly rescue bullies or are there other dogs/breeds, too? Neely says, “Our rescue takes in French and English Bulldogs, as well as bulldog mixes. I’ve helped rehome other breeds also, including shihtzus, pit bulls, and a pugs, but our focus is mainly bulldogs. Although I love all dogs, I do have a fondness for the flat faced kids. ”

Connect with Neely and consider donating to her wonderful rescue:

On Facebook: http://ift.tt/2Eknmdh

Website: DivaDogs.com

Hoosier BullDog Rescue

http://ift.tt/2EiN69A

Congratulations, Neely! We raise our sparkling water dish to you!

Tammy Donly: Pet Blogger, Dog Rescuer, Mega Huge Heart

We first had the pleasure of getting to know West Coast gal, Tammy Donly, through the BlogPaws social media and pet blogging community. Tammy and I became fast online friends due to our shared loved of Cocker Spaniels. Her Cocker, Annie, would coyly flirt with my Cocker, Dexter, and she pined for the two to sometime meet.

The other half of the RosyReports.com team is a cute poodle named Rosy. Here is how Rosy describes meeting Annie, “I was named after Rose Street in Memphis where I was found as a stray in 2010. I was lucky enough to cross the path of my Mom walking Bear and Fuzz (my two Golden brothers who have since crossed the Bridge.) We moved to San Diego in 2011 and I officially proclaimed myself a California Princess. In 2012 we saw a Cocker Spaniel on Facebook and my parents went to get her at the shelter. I claimed her as my dog and named her Annie. (FYI, Annie and I are both forever young seniors- Annie is 15+ and I am at least 14 years old. I will never tell exactly!)”

Sadly, in December, the beautiful Annie lost her brave battle with canine cancer, and of course, Tammy and family are devastated. She will always be remembered and loved.

In true Tammy style, imagine our glee and tears flowing when we recently logged onto her RosyReports blog and discovered this:

His name is Titus. He is my new brother with fab highlights.I know some of you will be very surprised since we just lost Annie. And while our hearts are still broken, we found out about a dog that was also heartbroken after losing his family. So we decided we can help mend each other’s hearts and he now has his forever home.

Indeed, Rosy is honoring the life of another dog and welcomes the beautiful Titus home. Congratulations on being selected as a Pawer Woman, Tammy.

BTW, yes, Dexter did get to meet Annie, the two got along famously, and I will cherish these memories forever.

Learn more and follow along with Tammy and her pack at RosyReports.com and RosyReports on Instagram.

Rebecca Tolbert Smith: Dog Mom, Dog Rescuer, Online Mega Friend

Some people you never had the opportunity to meet in person, and yet you feel as if you have known them forever. You just click, and you know that when the day comes and you do meet, the connection of friendship will be instant. This is how I feel about Rebecca Tolbert Smith.

Rebecca and I first crossed paths on Instagram, as we are both mega Cocker lovers. Her account name recently changed on Instagram from “JacktheBlackCocker” to “JacktheBlackCockerandElliot,” and you can probably guess why.

Rebecca recently moved to Colorado with her family and we followed her adventures on the way. Her love for rescue dog, Jack, and her witty, funny comments are a bright spot to our days. They recently decided to add another dog to the family, a former trucker’s dog who was no longer wanted…and now has his happy ever after.

Beyond this love affair with Cockers and her big heart to rescue, Rebecca is one of the most loyal people I have never had the pleasure of meeting. She is forever tagging me, alerting me of things, sending folks to me for advice with dog issues, and is the true meaning of giving.

You can follow the Adventures of JacktheBlackCockerandElliot on Instagram.

Marlene Ness: Dog Show Pro, Dog Mom, Working to Eliminate Cocker Cataracts

I first met Marlene Ness at my 2016 fundraiser, Wigglebutts Uncorked, but Marlene and I have been online friends a pretty long time. I always admired her kindness, courtesy, and overall warm demeanor she presents to anyone she encounters. She travels the world with her dogs and is well know and revered in the dog show ring. In fact, here’s a photo of her gorgeous Cocker, Ace:

Marlene works tirelessly to help fundraise so that cataracts in Cockers may be eliminated. So prevalent are cataracts in Cocker Spaniels that a molecular genetic study of inherited cataracts in the Cocker Spaniel has been underway. Cocker Spaniel parents simply take their dog to have their eyes examined and submit a blood sample to help find a DNA marker to eliminate cataracts in Cockers. This, in turn, helps humans who are affected by cataracts.

Interested Cocker parents can call OptiGen at 607-257-0301 or email at [email protected] for questions about sample submission. Also, visit the Optigen website for complete details. Marlene is helping with fundraising in this capacity, and Fidose of Reality recently partnered with the American Spaniel Club Foundation in an online auction that raised several thousand dollars. If you’d like to help, please visit the ACSF site for more information.

Join Club Cocker on Facebook, too!

Bryn Nowell: Dog Blogger, Visionary, Heart of Gold

Bryn and I have had an instant connection. You meet her and think she is this quiet, reserved intelligent gal, and then you get to know her and follow her online and she surprises you with wit, candor, a hysterical sense of humor, a passion for pets, and a true friend of the highest order.

Bryn is the brainchild of A Dog Walks Into a Bar, which is oh so savvy and a site you need to follow. Here’s how Bryn describes her blog, “A Dog Walks into a Bar will educate and entertain visitors by sharing informative and fun weekly posts that focus on pet ownership and the adult beverage industry. We aim to share a variety of posts focusing on dog friendly locations and events, fun adventures, DIY projects, recipes, giveaways and charitable causes. Our primary aim is to assist animal rescue organizations and philanthropic causes that help animals and our local community. ”

Bryn also will give you the shirt off her back, as she helps both animals and people in need. She is a rare combination of humility and humor and one of these people in this crazy world you meet and say to yourself, “now here is someone I can count on.”

From her fundraising efforts to homeless dogs, supporting our Wigglebutt Warriors fundraising events, emails and direct messages, snail mail, and more, Bryn Nowell you are the epitome of a Pawer Woman. I look forward to watching you grow and soar! P.S. She takes fabulous images, as Yoda and Bean showcase here:

Follow Bryn: A Dog Walks Into a Bar blog

A Dog Walks Into a Bar Instagram

Katharine McMahon – Marketing and Growth Expert, Dog Mom, Survivor

I’ve known Katharine McMahon through her attendance at BlogPaws Conferences, and I have met her many times, she and her Iggy, Duff. McMahon overcame some personal struggles in 2017 and granted herself the fresh start she and her dog so very much deserved.

Duff was diagnosed with IMT, which is immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, the same autoimmune disease that my dog, Dexter, was diagnosed with in October. Both dogs are in remission.

McMahon reached out to me, with everything she was going through, and extended herself, her resources, her knowledge, and her friendship. When a woman going through struggles and can reach out to help others in need, that is a true Pawer Woman and Wonder Woman to me!

Follow Katharine on Twitter

Get to Know Katharine on Chance to Grow

Dr. Laurie Coger – Wholistic Veterinarian, Dog Trainer, & Dog Lover

Dr. Coger, or Laurie as I call her, is the real deal. She loves dogs, imparts knowledge from a wholisitic standpoint, and over the years, we’ve developed an online friendship. Not only is Laurie a friend, but a trusted resource and thought leader.

Dr. Coger’s practice and dog care philosophy emphasize natural methods and care. She regularly integrates chiropractic, low level laser, herbal, nutritional, and physical therapy techniques into her treatment plans. She is a staunch advocate of raw, natural diets. Her first book, “Vaccines Explained: The Wholistic Vet’s Guide to Vaccinating Your Dog” is currently available on Amazon. She is well known in the media, having been featured in USA Today, Dogs Naturally Magazine, Pet360, PetMD, and numerous nationally known blogs and websites. She has been nominated for a Dog Writers’ Association of America award for her work in the Australian Shepherd Journal.

Laurie is the founder of The Healthy Dog Workshop, too. She gives pet parents an alternative way of looking at pet food, vaccines, and more. She more than deserves to be a Pawer Woman!

Get to know Dr. Coger:

The Healthy Dog Workshop

Dr. Coger on Facebook

Nancy Brisebois: Dog Mom, Supportive Friend, Dog Lover of the Highest Order

Some people enter your life and you feel like it’s just simply meant to be. Nancy BG, as she is known online, is one of those people. Nancy is dog mom to rescued Cocker, Mayor, whom I self-admittedly have a dog crush on.

Nancy, however, is oh so much more. Hailing from Canada, Nancy is a Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor. She rescued her dog, Mayor, from the fine folks at OBG Cocker Spaniel Rescue, whom we have held fundraisers for several times. Nancy is one of the best and most engaged fans a dog blogger/dog writer like me could ever ask for. She is loyal, appreciative, leaves comments and tags me here and there, plus she genuinely uses the information we share. This gives us the warm fuzzies and all the feels in the world. Nancy, your love of animals, your commitment to Mayor, and the love and respect you show others online are some of the many reasons we are naming you a Fidose of Reality Pawer Woman.

We know this has been a rough year for you, and most recently, you donated to our birthday fundraiser to help homeless Cocker Spaniels. This small act is a huge example as to the mighty spirit you are. Oh and us Christmaholics, Elvis Fans, must stick together!!

Congratulations, Nancy! We love you.

Amy Cox – Fashion Trendsetter, Dog Rescuer, Dog Mom, Shining Star

Amy Cox is the president of The Paws Cause in McKinney, Texas. I first met Amy at the Women in the Pet Industry Conference a few years ago. She is a dynamo who you remember. She and her husband founded and developed The Shot Spot. Amy and her husband, Dr. Danny Cox, a Veterinarian, have traveled the United States and foreign countries including Mexico, Turkey, Greece, and Italy to participate and spearhead projects in animal rescue, disaster relief, spay and neuter programs and other animal related projects for over a decade.

She is a dedicated dog mom, travels the country with her pack, is well known in the pet fashion circuit, and is a genuinely kind soul. You know this the moment you meet her. I am honored to call her my friend. Congrats, Amy!

Learn more about The Shot Spot

The Shot Spot on Facebook: http://ift.tt/2q1gv5n

Learn more about The Pet Vet

Dolores Rodrigues – Dog Lover of the Highest Order, Founder of Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue

Dolores Rodrigues once told a reporter, “My goal is for people to share the same love and happiness that my first Cocker Spaniel, Rudy, gave me. He is my driving force and although this work can be very heartbreaking at times, seeing a dog get adopted into a loving family makes it all worthwhile.”

And oh how she shines and shares the love.

The mission of Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue, Inc. (AACSR) dba NY Abandoned Angels Rescue (NYAAR) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the rescue and re-homing of Cocker Spaniels and other dog breeds in need of loving forever homes. AACSR will not reject any dog due to age or health reasons and often accepts dogs with temperament and/or medical issues. AACSR relies solely on donations whether through adoptions or the generosity of the public to help pay for the veterinary care of sick, physically disabled, and behaviorally challenged dogs.

I have been a fan and friend to Dolores for many years, but something she did this year really touched my heart and will never be forgotten. When my Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, was diagnosed with an immune disease earlier this year, Dolores from Abandoned Angels Cocker Rescue called me and also called her vet for advice. She was one of the first people to reach out to me. So I dedicated my Christmas birthday fundraiser to Abandoned Angels Cocker Rescue.

Consider donating and learn more about Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue.

Dolores struggles with some physical ailments and that does not stop her from saving and rescuing and continuing to help dogs in need.

How You Can Help…

The best way you can help us is to provide a loving, permanent home for one of our Abandoned Angels. Please also make sure that each of your pets is spayed or neutered. Spaying and neutering helps reduce pet overpopulation and reduces the risk of certain diseases, including certain types of cancer and pyometra in females. We are also desperately in need of foster homesfor our pups. Some of our dogs are boarded, which is not ideal for the dog (despite the wonderful care provided by our vet and his staff) and costly for us. If you cannot adopt or foster a dog, we also need: $$$$ (for food, boarding and vet expenses), collars and leashes, treats for the dogs, dog food Beds, blankets and towels dogwalkers, who are willing to socialize the dogs, help w/transport (to help with pulling dogs in more distant shelters and transporting area cockers to other rescues when we don’t have the space). Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniel Rescue.

Congrats to the 2017 Pawer Woman from Fidose of Reality!!!!! Long may you shine, soar, affect dogs lives, and stay pawsome!

The post Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women appeared first on Fidose of Reality.

Fidose of Reality 2017 Pawer Women syndicated from http://ift.tt/2k1J2Eq

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symbianosgames · 7 years

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The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

[Video Game Deep Cuts is a weekly newsletter from curator/video game industry veteran Simon Carless, rounding up the best longread & standout articles & videos about games, every weekend. This week's highlights include A Night In The Woods' cartoon realism, a history of Loom, and much more.

Well, it's almost GDC time (latest announces here), so next week's Video Game Deep Cuts will be the final one before the show. Then the weekend after that may turn into a 'Game Developers Conference 2017 highlights' joint, because I may be a BIT too busy to find new links that week, heh. BTW, while you're waiting for the show, read up on this year's IGF finalists and with alt.ctrl.GDC exhibitors via the linked Gamasutra interview series.

- Simon, curator.]

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Why road-building in Cities: Skylines is a pleasure (Alex Wiltshire / RockPaperShotgun) "Cities: Skylines is a sim that feels uncommonly alive and reactive to your planning... They may walk or take a bus or train, but you’ll mostly notice them driving, creating traffic which fundamentally represents the health of your city, a pulsing network that’s driven by Cities: Skylines’ beating heart."

'Metacritic' Still Matters, But For How Long? (Chris Baker / Glixel) "Marc Doyle was headed off for a weekend getaway in Santa Barbara with some of his old college buddies when he received the news that the Washington Post's critic did not enjoy the video game Uncharted 4: A Thief's End."

Coming to Video Games Near You: Depressed Towns, Dead-End Characters (Laura Hudson / New York Times) "In the coming video game Night in the Woods, a young woman named Mae decides to drop out of college and return to the former mining town where she grew up. It’s a place where there is little opportunity and most people are struggling to make ends meet."

How to Make the Best of Working on Licensed Video Games (Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "Bowler is used to games with unique challenges; after shipping Game Party Champions, he was seen as someone who could shepherd others like it to the finish line. It's how he ended up as lead designer on a mobile tie-in game for Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, Man of Steel."

Why Yakuza 0 is a Masterclass in Managing Tone (Writing On Games / YouTube) "Yakuza 0 is a wildly dissonant experience, swinging violently between super-serious gangster intrigue, slapstick violence and over-the-top melodrama. It's the absolute best. In this episode of Writing on Games, I analyse why embracing this dissonance allows the game to tell more human stories."

Direction (Rob Fearon) "We are in times where games are in abundance. I wrote about this a few weeks back and I think it’s (hopefully) a useful primer for understanding why Valve are doing what they’re doing. We’ve gone from not many games being sold under our noses to lots of games."

What do developers and publishers really think of SteamSpy? (Ben Barrett / PCGamesN) "It’s constantly referenced by players, journalists, publishers and developers for a variety of reasons - but how accurate is it versus Steam’s unpublished numbers? What do developers think of it, and the ways it’s used? Importantly, do they wish they could be removed from it?"

The long and troubled history of Apocalypse Now, the video game (Adi Robertson / The Verge) "In late January, an exciting and unlikely project showed up on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter: a request for $900,000 to make a video game adaptation of Apocalypse Now, officially blessed by the film’s director Francis Ford Coppola."

Bonchan Looks Back on His Rise in eSports Unfold (Mike Stubbsy / Red Bull eSports) "Bonchan’s Street Fighter origin story is one of the most unusual we’ve heard yet. As he tells us in the latest episode of eSports Unfold, back when Street Fighter was on something of a hiatus, Bonchan met up with a legend of the scene, and quickly rose to the top when things started to pick up."

The Gamer Motivation Profile: Model and Findings (Nick Yee / GDC / YouTube) "In this 2016 GDC session, Quantic Foundry's Nick Yee presents the results of a global survey that help inform game developers about the different motivations of players, showing the different types of potential customer that exist in the video game market."

Game Director Ion Hazzikostas Explains Blizzard’s Newest Experiment, the 'WoW' Token (Heather Newman / Glixel) ""It’s kind of my baby," Ion Hazzikostas says about the WoW token. Though he's now WoW's game director, Hazzikostas has worked on the initiative since its inception. Here, he talks with Glixel about how the death of the Diablo RMAH made the WoW token possible, what people have been spending it on, and its impact on gold farming."

How Chicago's Overlooked Video Game Creators Scored an Extra Life (Sam Greszes / Thrillist) "Yes, dear Chicagoans, your humble hometown, the Second City, the City of Broad Shoulders, the Many-Nicknamed City That Is Barely Habitable Eight Months Out of the Year, deserves some recognition when it comes to gaming. It doesn’t get as much credit as the tech havens on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, it really is at the forefront of video game development -- and has been for years."

Metacritic's 7th Annual Game Publisher Rankings (Jason Dietz / Metacritic) "Which game publishers released the best games last year? For the seventh straight year, we have sifted through 12 months of data to determine the best and worst game publishers of the year, based solely on the quality of their 2016 releases. [SIMON'S NOTE: I find this a little bizarre, but it's certainly interesting to peruse!]"

Loom (or, how Brian Moriarty Proved That Less is Sometimes More) (Jimmy Maher / The Digital Antiquarian) "In April of 1988, Brian Moriarty of Infocom flew from the East Coast to the West to attend the first ever Computer Game Developers Conference. Hard-pressed from below by the slowing sales of their text adventures and from above by parent company Activision’s ever more demanding management, Infocom didn’t have the money to pay for Moriarty’s trip."

For Honor's mastermind: "My greatest fear was that I would die before I could share this with the world" (Wouter McDutch / GamesRadar) "According to Jason VandenBerghe, creative director on Ubisoft’s For Honor, there are only a handful of lucky developers who get to create the game of their dreams. It took him almost ten years to get the vision he had for For Honor greenlit and the game has since been in development for almost five."

Art Of The Title: Doom (2016) (Will Perkins / Art Of The Title) "DOOM’s end credits are the perfect coda for that kind of gameplay experience. A four-minute reprise of the player’s gib-filled journey, the title sequence is a hard rockin’, shotgun-blasting, demon-dismembering battle across Mars and into Hell itself."

The story of Warframe: how a game no publisher wanted found 26 million players (Tom Marks / PC Gamer) "In early 2013, Digital Extremes finally released the free-to-play space-ninja shooter it had wanted to make for over 13 years, but that doesn’t mean it was a happy time for the studio. Every publisher with an opportunity to back Warframe had passed, and most even said outright it would fail."

How the Yakuza helped sell Nintendo's first game (Chris Bratt / Eurogamer) "Join me in today's episode of Here's A Thing, as we take a look back at a very different kind of Nintendo and how, surprisingly, the Yakuza helped ensure its first game was such a massive success."

Other Places: Hitman (Other Places / YouTube) "Other Places is a series of short films celebrating beautiful videogame worlds. [SIMON'S NOTE: not writing, but certainly beautiful and a great idea - there's a whole YouTube channel of more if you like 'em.]"

Devs discuss the history and the future of so-called 'walking sims' (Jon Irwin / Gamasutra) "In many games, walking around is just something we do before jumping over that wall or shooting that menacing enemy. But an increasing number of independent games are tamping down on feature-creep and reimagining how we consider putting one step in front of the other."

The Story Behind YouTube's Strangely Compelling 'Hot Pepper Gaming' Channel (Patrick Klepek / Waypoint) "Nothing lasts forever, not even a YouTube channel about people eating obnoxiously hot peppers and trying to talk about video games. On February 6, Hot Pepper Gaming uploaded its its final episode, a tear-filled video about The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim's recent remastering."

Meet Hungrybox, the Most Resilient 'Smash Bros.' Champion (Justin Groot / Glixel) "'God, I'm crying a lot, I'm sorry,' said Juan "Hungrybox" Debiedma, one of five Super Smash Bros. Melee players (the others being Adam "Armada" Lindgren, Joseph "Mango" Marquez, Kevin "PPMD" Nanney and Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman) known as "Gods" for their lopsided domination of the modern competitive scene."

Darwin's Demons - Natural Selection Applied To Space Invaders (Scott Manley / YouTube) "Darwin's Demons is a student game project which applies genetic algorithms to space invaders to make each level harder than the last. "

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[REMINDER: you can sign up to receive this newsletter every weekend at http://ift.tt/2dUXrva we crosspost to Gamasutra later on Sunday, but get it first via newsletter! Story tips and comments can be emailed to [email protected]. MINI-DISCLOSURE: Simon is one of the organizers of GDC and Gamasutra, so you may sometimes see links from those entities in his picks. Or not!]

#IFTTT #Blogger

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symbianosgames · 7 years

Link

- Simon, curator.]

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#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

symbianosgames · 7 years

Link

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

symbianosgames · 7 years

Link

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes

symbianosgames · 7 years

Link

- Simon, curator.]

-------------------

#IFTTT #Blogger

0 notes