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aaronsrpgs · 9 months

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A Worksheet Manifesto (Rough Draft)

The Worksheet Manifesto is an attempt to explain why I'm moving my game design toward something I can print for free at the public library and give away. It's not a scold or a call to action; I buy full-color zines and hardcover books, and I support people charging for their work. This is a personal manifesto—an exercise in self-exploration.

The first reason I pursue this is ACCESS. I want people to be able to find and play my games. (Accessibility is maybe a better word for this, but I don't want it confused with the process through which something is made easier to use for people with disabilities.)

Some of the main barriers I've seen are financial (someone can't afford my games), technological (lack of computers and/or printers makes it more complicated to read my games), and international (shipping to someone outside the U.S. is prohibitively expensive).

Combining these three elements, I realized I wanted my games to be cheap or free. The common "community copies" solution on itch.io is much touted, and for good reason, but as I tried explaining the process to friends who weren't familiar with the site (or who flat-out aren't tech savvy), many responses were confused or frustrated. So I've set most of my games to pay-what-you-want with a suggested price.

Going from computer tech to printer tech, my most recent games were laid out in black and white, without ink-sucking textures (although some still have large spots of black in the art--something I continue to consider). Many American libraries offer limited free printing, and I always hope people will "utilize" the printers at their jobs or schools. I want people to be able to easily print out my games and share them at the table or pass them to friends.

And more selfishly, I hate dealing with fulfillment and shipping. It's stressful for me, it requires money up front to print things, and I'm bad at it, which means shipments go out slow, or not at all if someone lives outside of the U.S. Creating a file that's easy to print hopefully encourages people to create their own copies.

These cheap print copies also hopefully contribute to a feeling of DISPOSABILITY. I grew up with comic books, magazines, newspapers, and mass market paperbacks, and I think these cheap, short slabs of culture helped them feel like someone could engage with them without having to be fancy or educated or in the know. (A lot of us gatekeep ourselves!)

Prices for RPGs, like so many nerd collectibles, have steadily risen at least since the start of the pandemic. Crowdfunders often capitalize on FOMO, encouraging people to go all in on deluxe hardcovers with fabric bookmarks or whatever. And if my experience working at a used game store is anything to go by, lots of those fancy editions go right onto the bookshelf, unread. Don't want to break the spine or get fingerprints on it!

And I guess I'm just against consumerism? If someone wants a nice thing, I hope they get it, but a culture of games as luxury items and status symbols is not something I'm interested in.

So if someone has a game of mine and they don't want it anymore, I hope they pass it on, put it in a little free library, or recycle it.

And those dirty little printouts of my games? I want people to touch them and write them. I want TACTILITY. This is partially a usability issue: 300-page hardcovers are hard to find information in, and they're heavy if you have to lug them to a friend's house.

So I try to design games where everything a player (including the GM) needs is on, at most, three sheets of paper. I want them to be able to spread a couple pages out and take in the shape of the game they're about to play. I want them to circle things and make notes in the margins. Moving a pencil around does wild things to your brain, the same way that picking at a guitar or molding clay does. It focuses attention in interesting ways.

And in the end, you hopefully have a personalized article of play. And if you spill beer on it, no one's worried about replacing that $50 hardcover.

Speaking of beer, I want my games to be available to and contribute to COMMUNITY. As the pandemic started, I retreated into lots of online spaces, and those were absolutely vital to my survival. But I lost touch with lots of my friends and acquaintances in my city. I want to reconnect with them.

One of my favorite cartoonists, Mark Connery, is known for drawing little zines and just...leaving them all over. Coffee shops, art galleries, bathrooms. And when I think of him, I think of an artist responding directly to the places around him. Is it sad that some of this work is probably "lost" to all readers other than the person that happens across the zine? A little bit. But I think that comes from a bad part of my brain, the part that wants to own things.

I certainly don't want the entirety of my own work collected and widely distributed. Some of those things were specific responses to specific times that I've moved past. Some were bad! But I want to keep responding to my specific times and my specific place. I want to give things to friends (even if they just pass them on or recycle them). I want to give a game to someone at a zine fest and have them recognize my name from a zine they read in a coffee shop bathroom. And maybe they'll give me a zine in return.

My last hangup is MODULARITY. First, similar to tactility, I want to be able to give a player only the rules that matter to them. Character creation and basic rules? Here's a page. And once you're familiar with that and we've entered a downtime phase, here's a page with those options. You want to start a farm? Here's a page. I want it to feel like printing coloring pages for kids or ripping out my favorite magazine articles. These are the parts that matter. And if they stop mattering, you can get rid of them.

But I also want modularity on a system level. I want to add a subsystem to game as I think of it. I want to throw in an adventure pamphlet when it comes to me. I can keep them all in a little box, like a care package from my past self, and when it's time to run a game, I can dig around like a verminous animal and build my nest out of the best bits.

In CONCLUSION, I want to reiterate that this is a personal practice, and I'm not criticizing people who work differently. I used to work differently, and in the future, I'll probably work differently again.

This is simply the way I've identified what's important to me, set that up against the things that cause me to stumble, taken advantage of the privileges I have, and tried my best to bring that all together in a way that keeps me excited about my own work.

#ttrpgs #indie ttrpgs

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allsadnshit · 2 years

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I get excited about knowing more about food and being really particular about what I eat and I know it comes off as drab to other people who might not be in the same place with their mindset or health but I am not going to stop talking about it! You don't need health problems to have incentive to look more carefully into what you eat! So many people I see who talk about hating the government and thinking the rich and big companies are evil totally exclude food from that mindset and i just don't get it! Food and farming is so revolutionary! You can go the extra mile in your community and lifestyle to buy local from farms that practice what you want to see in the world! Why buy the cheapest meat at the store if you're also going to go spend a disposable income on drugs and alcohol? Like if you're back is against the wall financially I get it, but most of the people who I see rolling their eyes at learning about nutrition and cooking are people with disposable incomes from meaningless jobs where they just like sell shitty real estate or do tech start up marketing and social media work that often doesn't contribute anything to society! And then they spend their big bucks like it doesn't matter where it goes?

Not everyone who cares about food and nutrition is a California white chick selling essential oils with a degree from an expensive college, most of the time it IS a huge variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures making an effort to put money back into their communities and take care of their families and social media mocks it and makes it seems like this trendy whole foods type of Seattle kombucha company tech bro thing when it's often not

That would be like crediting New York American upper class white women for inventing yoga just cause they have somehow become the face of it! That doesn't devalue the roots or the practice!

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oldmagpie · 2 years

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number 6: tumblr bad

So tumblr is getting you down. That sucks, it should be a fun place to enjoy your hobbies and free time. Funnily enough, tumblr sucks for a lot of people, because of some established misunderstandings of how to use this site we all interact in. Isn’t that fun! Let me explain.

Tumblr is a platform that endorses and encourages a culture of shame, demonisation and disagreement. That’s just how it is, argue with me if you want. It therefore attracts a lot of people who enjoy that kind of interaction, where punching someone else down becomes a mark of superiority. Purity culture, the rise of the online children, all that boils up and creates a sense of uncertainty and definitely not being safe. Because no one is! If I don’t get angry anon asks for these posts I will be quite frankly shocked, and somewhat disappointed. But don’t despair, there’s always hope. Tumblr itself is akin to a toxic friend with its positives and negatives, and just like with a toxic friend the key is, and always will be, boundaries. On tumblr that means unfollowing, blocking, filtering (google how to use tumblr post and tag filters, if you don’t know how that works yet), closing anon asks, uninstalling the app for time away, etc. You can even just scroll past. All actions that... oh look at that, actions you have to take for yourself. Personal responsibility, the overarching theme of these posts. Learn it and love it, it’ll be vital in the long run.

Actually let’s take a second to talk about scrolling past. It’s a miracle option because literally anyone can do it and it requires no tech configuration at all! Free of charge! Just one finger needed! Takes no extra time! Sarcasm aside, just scroll past. If you don’t like or agree with something, scroll past. If it viscerally offends you, block the tag or unfollow the person, or block the person if you’re concerned about it. And remember this one important thing: in 90% of cases it is not the OPs fault you saw the thing. However, if you had taken all the steps to avoid it in the first place (filtered, blocked, unfollowed, not searched, etc.) and they had not done their own due diligence and tagged appropriately, then yeah, that’s on them. You have three options now. 1. if you aren’t going to unfollow or block then contact them and ask them to change their habits/behaviours, but for the love of fuck don’t just attack them in their reblogs or asks. People don’t do what you ask them to when you start yelling at them. They might have a reason for not tagging or have genuinely forgotten this once, just ask plain and simple and wait for the reply. If the reply is no then you know that option is out and you should probably consider the unfollow button. 2... unfollow or block them. Simple, done. 3. scroll past, and forget about it for the day, or just switch off and go do something else if it’s really bothering you.

Ah the unfollow button. And the block button, equals in how misunderstood they are. These two are definitively not a hate button. It’s nobody’s business but yours who you follow and unfollow, or who you block. It’s literally just a dashboard curation technique. You are responsible for keeping yourself happy and safe online, so if you aren’t using them out of a sense of not wanting to offend anyone? Then you have failed interneting 101 and also have only yourself to blame for not using the literal actual tools at your disposal to not feel that way. The flipside is true of these buttons too, if someone blocks or unfollows you that’s their choice. You don’t always get to know why, but you do get to focus on... not focusing on it. Nothing you can do anyway, it’s not your choice who does it and you can’t force them to change their minds anyway. Hey what’s that? Oh it’s Personal Responsibility again, here to save the day and remind you to learn it please and thank you.

Oh and one last thing, if you have infinite scrolling on and you use desktop, turn it off. You’ll thank me.

#magpie's pet fandom peeves #this was supposed to be about feeling sucky about fandom #but it turned into tumblr oh well #tumblr also sucky #sic

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agentnico · 3 years

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The Suicide Squad (2021) Review

This may be the better of the two, but the first Suicide Squad film will always hold the crown for managing to win an Oscar... somehow.

Plot: The government sends the most dangerous supervillains in the world -- Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Harley Quinn and others -- to the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Armed with high-tech weapons, they trek through the dangerous jungle on a search-and-destroy mission, with only Col. Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave.

“So that’s it, huh? We’re some kind of suicide squad?” says Will Smith in the original first film, with the line in itself being a poor attempt at a fourth wall break, yet, that movie never reached that promise of being a true Suicide Squad film. Because hardly anyone died, and as a whole David Ayer’s film was a generic mess, regardless of studio interference or not. In comes James Gunn from Marvel, who seems to have cracked the code for how to bring this comic book series to live action in proper gratuitous form, with even the ‘The’ in the title symbolizing that this is the one!

I remember going to see the first Guardians of the Galaxy film at the cinema, and back then I was still only just getting acquainted with watching western media, and that included superhero films. Heck my first ever Marvel movie was Thor: The Dark World! I know, what a banger to start with.......NAAAWT!! Anyway, I went to see Guardians and it was one of the first superhero films I came out of feeling like I truly witnessed something special. It had action, comedy and a good heart to it, and wouldn’t you know, my good old pal James Gunn was behind that flick. I don’t know why I called him my good old pal, I don’t even know the fella. Except in my dreams, but we don’t talk about that. So, flashforward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which I absolutely hated, and for that movie I’m pretty sure Marvel gave Mr Gunn mostly full reigns of creative freedom, as long as he kept it family friendly, and the result was a mess. Hence naturally now I was really sceptical when James Gunn ended up at Warner Bros. following the controversial moment when cancel culture decided to aim it’s slimy fingers at him, as he was given directing and writing duties for this new The Suicide Squad film, and also it was heavily insinuated that Warner Bros. basically told him he could do with the movie whatever the f*** he wanted, excuse my French. And we remember how it panned out last time when James Gunn was given a lot of creative freedom.

Flashforward to present day; here I am wondering and scratching my head thinking what in the heavens has happened, as by golly I am happy to report that The Suicide Squad is a total winner and a blast with a capital B - Blast! Gosh goodness golly goblin, this movie is so much fun from beginning to end. Right from the opening sequence you know that this film isn’t holding back any punches. It’s going at a 447.19 km/h speed of a Koenigsegg Agera RS crashing through any barriers like it’s nothing. Speaking of the opening sequence, it establishes why the movie is called what it’s called from the get-go. You straight away are proven how not a single character is safe, minus the obvious one that we know who it is, as there ain’t no way Warner Bros. would have allowed James Gunn to kill off that one character. But besides that person, everyone else feels like they could die at any given moment. That’s really a big charm of it, as it is frustrating how in many superhero films, let alone any blockbuster action flicks, so many characters always feel so safe and unstoppable, no matter how many times they get shot or how many buildings crash down upon them. And yes, this movie features a certain CGI character that constantly gets that treatment and survives, although it’s very self aware in that regard and is purposefully humoristic. But overall the entire set of characters feel easily disposable, and so so many of them die in such gruesome fashion, so indeed don’t get attached, as they don’t.

Speaking of which, this movie is hardcore gory! You see limbs and intestines flying round left and right, a guy gets ripped in half by a humanoid shark, another’s face gets teared off by a shotgun bullet and so on forth in all kinds of gruesome fashion. Visually this is one for the big screen, as here’s the thing: you’re either a mummy’s boy or you grow some cojones and go see a man’s heart get stabbed with a piece of debris glass in 4K high rate definition! Your choice! Oh, and it’s not just the violence, also the cinematography and the practical set pieces all look incredible. This is easily James Gunn’s best looking movie. The entire think LOOKS incredible!

We also have to talk about the cast, as they are all great! There literally isn’t a single weakling among them. Each one, no matter how big or small their role is, brings something to the table. I can’t talk about all of them, as we’d be here all day, so I’m simply going to mention a few of the stand-outs. Idris Elba comes in to replace Will Smith as a character called Bloodsport, who is in some ways a different character but evidently is a replacement of Smith’s. But that’s no bad thing, as with any ensemble movie you still need a main character to latch onto and have an emotional hook towards, and he is that character. In fact, I’d say he’s arguably better than Will Smith in the last movie, or at least he seems to be having more fun here. He works as a solid leading man, however what works even more is his banterous competitive genital-size-measuring back and forth with John Cena’s Peacemaker, who by the way is awesome as that character. He is not a good character, in fact he is as bad as a bad guy can get, especially cause he’s someone who believes that what he is doing is right, making him much more of a dangerous wild card. This is easily John Cena’s best role, with him adding to the comedy one-liners, but also delivering such an interesting character who I’m looking forward to seeing more of in his standalone spin-off show confirmed for next year. Oh, and he wears a toilet helmet on his head which he defines as “a beacon of freedom” which says it all. We also have returning characters from the last film Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis as Rick Flag and Amanda Waller respectively, and both are given much more room to stretch their talents and spread their beautiful acting wings like the Hollywood angels that they are. Kinnaman’s Rick Flag is the moral compass of the group, as even though Elba is our main guy, he’s nonetheless a villain still, whilst Flag is a genuinely good guy and what is defined as a true American hero, to which Kinnaman fits the part well. And Viola Davis as Amanda Waller is on an absolutely different level. You can tell she’s an Academy Award winner through and through, as she plays such a serious character in an otherwise goofy movie, and so her presence is felt and it is felt BAD! She’s such a despicable yet intimidating personality and she gravitates all of the screen presence to herself. Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn, and she gets even more chance to develop this character that she’s played in multiple DCEU films now, and as per usual the Harley Quinn shtick works well for her, though I do kind of wish she didn’t always get all the attention. Look, I think she’s a fun character and Robbie plays her well, however she’s constantly used to overshadow others in these films which I don’t think is too fair, and its evident as ever in this film too. Anyway, the remainder of the cast including Jay Courtney as Captain Boomerang, David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man, Michael Rooker as Savant, Nathan Fillion as TDK, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2 (who gave me strong A Plague Tale: Innocence vibes) and many more all play villains, but villains that don’t have particularly great superpowers. This is where the tragedy of Task Force X as a team plays a part, as many of these villains aren’t even good at being villains. They are useless, and the movie is really self aware of this and so treats all characters as they should be. Dare I also not forget to mention the CGI characters in this film, with both Weasel and King Shark being absolute scene stealers!

The Suicide Squad is the type of wham-bam-thank-you-mam batshit crazy entertainment which exists for the pure reasons of fun. It doesn’t set out to be the best superhero film ever, nor does it need to be. It’s an exhilarating, shocking, funny and amusing ride from beginning to end, with the energy never stopping, and is easily the best time I’ve had with a comic-book film in a long while, and I’m even talking about before COVID! Do yourself a favour and watch this one as soon as you can, as I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - The Suicide Squad is a BLAST!!

Overall score: 9/10

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transhitman · 3 years

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Nobody asked but I wanna talk about my OC universe. Specifically the biology of the human species because I think it’s cool as fuck. Basically, homo sapiens is extinct after nuclear winter and all the fantasy races are the different evolutions of the human species with adaptations that allowed them to survive. There are 6 total and they’re all sort of like combinations of two or more more traditional fantasy races so yeah.

H. magus -- HUMANS -- Only named as such because they’re the only ones that don’t have a major outward change in physiology. They look pretty much the same but are a little bit taller on average and can have gold or purple eyes. They survived via the magic of invention and Literal Magic, and mostly stayed in one spot. They sat on resources and created pretty capitalist-leaning societies, and thus didn’t have to undergo any major changes. However, there are still enough small differences to qualify them as a different species than H. sapiens, namely that their bodies conduct magic really REALLY well.

H. bucerus -- OGRES -- Sort of like a mix between tieflings and orcs. They’re descendants of the people who were ostracized from the Human communities for whatever reason, and had to deal with radiation, harsh weather, and GIANT FREAKING SHADOW MOSTERS. Since the Human ancestors were sitting on all the resources, the proto-Ogres were forced to become nomadic. In order to survive the Badlands, their muscles became much more dense, granting them super strength. However, they also weigh twice as much as a Human of the same volume and require twice as much food. They also developed methods of dealing with cancer caused by the radiation of the world. They basically integrate tumors into their bodies as horns. They have a special type of white blood cell that specifically targets cancerous growths and forces them to the surface of the skin, where they can be removed. They also have tails, which suit their environment. There are different variants depending on the global region they’re from, each with different horn and tail types. Probably the sexiest species. They’re tall ^__^ But their size is limited to like 7ft since being too big and dense would be DISASTEROUS in the food-scarce Badlands.

H. gurges -- DWARVES -- Ok so they’re honestly more mermaid-like, but I’m trying to fit a theme with the names here. They are short, though. And most of them live in cities that are below the surface, just not a solid surface. The Dwarves are descendants of the seafaring survivors of the Pacific Ocean. There is actually a wide variety that could count as dozens and dozens of separate species, but for function’s sake they’re all under the same category. They have convergently evolved with different types of fish, getting less and less human-looking the deeper in the ocean they live. On the surface, they’re just people with fluorescent skin tones. In the Abyss, they’re barely even human. They are able to withstand enormous pressure, and notably can form symbiotic relationships with sessile sea life. Sponges and barnacles and the like often grow on their bodies, sometimes in a very stunning, very beautiful way. Though the people closer to the surface are short, those deeper in the water grow to be gigantic. One of their subspecies includes the Extremophiles, who live in the deepest part of the ocean. They can reach about 20ft in length when counting their tails. It’s unknown weather these Extremophiles age, or what they really do down there. The Dwarves outside of the deepest Abyss usually live in underwater cities, on the coast, or on floating oil rig-type things. They’re all normal.

H. hiems -- ELVES -- Elves are sort of a combination between elves, giants, and general undead creatures (skeletons lol). They’re fucking massive, and live in only the coldest areas. Their skin is usually a shade of grey, tinted by the type of mineral that is the main staple of their diet. They eat rocks. Yeah. In fact, their bodies are so fucked up and adapted to their barren environment that normal food can easily kill them. Sugar specifically is HIGHLY toxic. Because they don’t process food the same way, they’re skeletal. And 12ft tall. Basically, slenderman. Though they aren’t bald. They have pale down-like hair on their heads. They also have another strange diet habit, which developed as a result of food scarcity during the beginning of the apocalypse. They have a very different culture surrounding cannibalism. Though the consumption of entire bodies is Not A Thing anymore, having your loved ones consume small parts of your body after your death is a very important ritual. It is an acknowledgement that the soul has gone, and the body has become empty matter. The other big thing about them is their special Suit Magic, in which a symbol of one of the playing card suits appears somewhere on their body when they go though puberty. The different suits grant them different abilities, and the four suits have divided into factions which were once at war with each other. (Blood (hearts) is healing. Edges (diamonds) creates shield constructs. Blades (spades) is bolts of energy. And Fists (clubs) is bludgeoning-type weapon constructs.) However, Elves are now extremely isolated up in their mountains and tundras. Very territorial. People honestly sort of hate them cause they’re also a little bit specist.

H. invictus -- MONOS -- Mono stands for monochrome. Predictably, Monos are monochrome. Arcane albinism overwrites their natural skin tone, and instead turns them a sickly white color, tinted by their subspecies hue. Everything else on them is jet black, including their blood and organs. Or, it’s that same hue color. They’re really fucked up, honestly. They’re sort of supposed to be a mix between vampires and orcs. They’re an artificially created species, made via eugenics and dark magic. Their creators were aiming to make an unkillable army, and they sort of succeeded, but at the cost of prevalent genetic defects. Around 70% of the Mono population has some sort of disability, which really isn’t a huge problem. They’re more than capable of providing medical care and creating accessibility deceives like prosthetics and magic medicine. You can do crazy shit with technology these days! In fact Monos were engineered to be compatible with tech- oh their creators were fascist eugenicists who abused them and treated them like disposable garbage specifically because of the disabilities they themselves caused though carelessness and forced inbreeding? Well. Alright. Not how I would have done it but... Anyway, long story short, the Monos pulled a 180 at some point and broke free of all that shit. Because they’re sort of a genetic mess, they have really great healthcare out of necessity. They’re the most technologically advanced species on the planet rn, but all of their scientists are engineers and doctors, not warriors, so they’re at constant risk of being annexed by Humans. Monos also have a very low fertility rate, so the percentage of whole-blooded Monos is going way down. They’re close to being endangered at this point. Luckily, some guy figured out how to grow babies in tubes but that’s a story for another day.

H. unicus -- DOWNDEEPERS -- Ok, Downdeepers are just all the miscellaneous designs I came up with that didn’t make sense as one of the other species lol. They’re the decedents of the people who fled to the newly-formed Downdeeps cave system, which is a global system of caverns that goes really fucking deep underground. The high concentrations of magic there cause Downdeepers to mutate rapidly. No two of them are the same. They all just live in tha caves... hell yeah...

The last human species are the CHIMERAS, which are really just the people who are a cross between two or more species. They were rare at first, but they had a population boom after global travel was reestablished (somewhat, anyway).

There are a couple other inorganic races I could talk about but I’m gonna leave it there. Yeah nobody asked for this but I hope you thought it was neat. I am honestly really proud of this world I think it’s cool as hell : ) yeah. And if you’re wondering how all the species can be cohesive despite their ancestors being isolated in different parts of the world (specifically Ogres, who live on every continent and don’t have a common ancestor), that’s because of some meta shit that has to do with how magic and human will interact. Collective subconscious shit. And that would take like 3 pages to explain so like. Just go with it for now lol.

#worldbuilding #cannibalism //#eugenics //

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grayroman · 4 years

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⌠ OSCAR ISAAC, 41, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, ROMAN GRAY! originally hailing from BLACKTHORNE, this alum specializes in RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (dark curls above scratched up reading glasses, milk and sugar with a hint of coffee, a multitool in the pocket of a worn brown leather jacket). it’s the pisces’ birthday on 03/09/1980, and when they were still in school their most requested dish was SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI from the school’s chefs. hopefully their presence can help ease the minds of gallagher students.

𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡’…

ACESS: GRANTED FILE NAME: GRAY, R.; 40; NO AGENCY

Roman Gray has had many ups and downs, sadly typical for someone in this line of work. Still, he likes to think he’s a pretty upbeat, healthy, friendly guy, though he may just be doing a good job hiding all the trauma in his life– again, sadly typical for someone in his line of work. He grew up without the knowledge of the spy world, and never attended a spy prep school. In his public high school in Queens, New York, circa late 90′s, he's the smartest kid in class, leagues above any of the other students. Coming from a low-income family, Roman figures the only way he’d be able to go to college was through a scholarship, so he works hard, thankful for his sharp intellect and aptitude towards technology. Naturally, the president of Robotics Club, he goes on to win several awards, and become nationally recognized– well, in the student robotics and technology community. But that, and his high IQ, puts him on the radar of Blackthorne Institute.

A letter arrives at the Gray household, asking for a chance for Roman to meet with recruiters from a boy’s university in Virginia. The family all jumps at the chance, and Roman meets with two of the buffest and suavest guys he’s ever seen in his life at a nearby coffee shop. They seem to eye the way Roman engages in polite conversation with his favorite barista, how he takes his coffee with 60% milk and sugar, and the way he kindly offers to pay for their drinks. Nonetheless, they disclose to him how his age and intellect would make him a great fit for their school, that even has a Research & Development major that would put his unique skills to use, as well as give him an additional new breadth of skills. However, if he enrolls, he would have to move to Virginia full-time and because of the nature of their private school, he could not withdraw until his degree was complete. But if he so chooses, Roman has a full four-year ride.

It’s a hard decision, to leave his family, but they all agree that this would be the best for all of them. He could go to a university that would not only allow him to pursue his passion, but not cost him or his family a cent, and put him on the road to being able to help provide for their future. So, despite the red flags and the slightly off-putting nature of the recruiters, he accepts.

When Roman first shows up to the Blackthorne Institute For Boys, he’s instantly in for a culture shock. The school is nothing like he’d imagined– bleak and dark, rigid and rough. And when he learns of it’s true purpose, of the world of spies, he feels betrayed. But the problem is there is no getting out now, he's stuck, feeling trapped and tricked by the institute and the people in charge. Still, they promise him that with his proficiency for his major, they could guarantee him a job upon graduation, and that if he tried to leave beforehand, everyone would be sorely unhappy. So Roman stays, in desperate hope to provide for his family, focusing on honing his craft, and channeling all his anger at the cruel nature of the school into all the physical training.

When his third year of school rolls around, he’s gotten good at throwing punches and shooting firearms, though he’s still definitely not the best in those departments– not to mention he hates it. But he’s at the top of his class when it comes to his major, making huge strides and taking advantage of the resources at his disposal, all while managing to keep his goodhearted disposition despite the harshness of the school. But this is also when he starts to hear rumors of the institute’s graduation process, and all this comes screeching to a halt, sick to his stomach. There’s no way out, he knows that, he doesn’t have to ask his instructors. So does that mean…? Roman barrels on ahead, refusing to think about it, refusing to accept that future.

By the time of his senior year, his father gets laid off from his low-rung corporate job, the only thing that had been keeping their family afloat. Loans are taken out, his family is put under more strain than ever before, and Roman resents both the capitalist assholes that had cut corners to line their pockets and the school that was keeping him hostage away from his family. Towards the end of his last year at Blackthorne, the CEO of the corporation is on trial, for revelations of embezzlement and even other heinous physical crimes committed against individuals in his employment. He’s at his peak of frustration, and with all the pressures of the school crushing him, he sets out on his graduation. After executing a hit on the CEO, Roman is silent the entire drive home, and upon reentering the school, runs straight for the bathroom to vomit.

Blackthorne pulls through on their promise, setting up a now emptier Roman with a job at an agency, working on developing and building new weapons. He hates it, really, but it pays extremely well, allowing him to support his family on his salary alone, and it gives him the space to later become one of the foremost experts in his industry. After years there, his murder farther in the past with each day, Roman starts to become more himself again, a humorous hotshot and quick as a whip. He even meets his best friend at that agency, a field agent who understands him better than anyone else.

Nearly a decade ago, while out on a mission, this best friend is caught in a struggle with his opponent, and as a result, the enemy gets a hold of his gun– a model Roman had made himself– and shoots him.

Roman quits immediately.

Since then, he’s become a freelance worker, taking jobs all over the globe, always moving. He’s been consulting on research studies and developing tech for hire, making a good earning for himself, and enough to keep sending his family back home money every month. On the outside, he’s his regular self– jovial, extroverted, cracking jokes and staying on top of his work, but he’s acquired a fear of staying in one place too long, making it impossible to commit to anyone or anything.

Fresh off a juncture in Berlin, he gets a call from one Laura Sutton, offering a mentoring job as a Blackthorne alum and expert in Research & Development at her school, the prestigious Gallagher Academy. While he’s not jazzed about being back in Virginia under Blackthorne’s name, and having to see the many faces of students he was once like, he takes it anyway. To Roman, this should be just another consulting job, and nothing more.

TL;DR - THE FACTS

the R&D alum who would have been here since January lol

was a Blackthorne graduate in order to support his family, since they promised him work after graduation

hates Blackthorne and all it’s memories, did not fare well there, and the hit he had to perform in order to graduate is his only direct kill, and one of the worst moments of his life

worked at agency for many years developing weapons

became a freelance agent after the death of his best friend, works on research and tech for anyone in the spy world who would pay

a bit of a nomad, doesn’t like to stay in one location too long; roaming loner with a heart of gold

generally friendly and easy-going; does his best to ignore all past trauma with humor and smiles

likes to pretend he’s tough, but he can’t take coffee black, has to have alcohol that’s sweet and fruity, and is obsessed with some musicals, so

not super happy about being here as a Blackthorne alum, but he does want to help the students

weary of all this Brotherhood nonsense, can’t help feeling guilty for all the kids, he doesn’t feel strange in wishing there wasn’t so much violence

protect the kids! he’s ready to adopt them but not really he can’t handle commitment, he refuses to like the kids too much

CONNECTIONS

Elise Park

Jack Stone

Irene Bradford

Naomi Powell-King

Hal Hardy

Allie Beckett

and that my friends is what you missed on glee!! hmu on disc to plot!! this has been another strud special!!

@gallagherintro

#gallagher:intro #abt #vis #i rly spent too long on both writing the intro and making the graphic but what else is new!#oof i havent done one of these since september truly crazy my resolve

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cyb-by-lang · 6 years

Text

Shell Game (1/?)

Wherein Kei relives the worst part of any education system: standardized testing.

Seriously.

My Hero Academia crossover ahoy.

Infiltration was not a mission type Gekkō Keisuke was designed for.

Didn’t mean she didn’t have the skillset for it, no matter how she’d reached that point. Despite a Gordian knot of coincidences and at least one soul-based mishap, she was still left with a strong Nature Release specialty, immense endurance from being a jinchūriki, something of a multicultural education, and the ability to read, speak, and write English. Between the limited preparation time and the possible threat level faced by any shinobi who attempted this mission, there were only so many candidates even before dimensional travel was factored into the Hokage’s decision.

Which was why she was chosen for a very special mission to infiltrate a Japanese high school.

Hey, Isobu.

Yes?

Riddle me this: How am I, a freaking special jōnin, supposed to answer this question?

Kei, it had to be said, had not needed to compose an essay for anything in Japanese since her successful Chūnin Exam. Mission reports? Sure. Fūinjutsu write-ups? Part of the job. Proposals regarding usage of village resources for local and national problems? It cropped up on occasion, but not consistently.

Isobu’s mind peeked over her figurative shoulder.

American high schools only required students to register or be registered for coursework by their parents, as far as Kei recalled. Her actual high school years were a little vague by this point, having devolved into hallway-shaped blurs punctuated primarily by friends and trivia. Mostly friends. In Konoha, compulsory education for shinobi was less of a formal affair and more on-the-job training a thousand times over, leaving holes all over the board.

And unfortunately for Kei, Japanese, mathematics, science, social studies, and English were all required topics. Kei’s Japanese was better than some of her peers, given the emphasis her skillset placed on calligraphy and kanji, but social studies was a wash. Japanese was probably not much better, and it was followed down the drain by mathematics. Science was middling, given the problems imposed by slamming into an alternate universe with ubiquitous internet when the shinobi-ruled world barely understood radios.

But dammit, Kei at least knew some things. Even if her English was informal, she’d done her time in the appropriate school system. Time to get some use out of it.

It was just a matter of muddling along until she could get to the practical.

Why couldn’t a friggin’ hero academy of a high school just involve knocking muggers unconscious? Kei knew how to do that. Without killing anyone, even!

You were supposed to change the exponent too, said Isobu, who read the questions through Kei’s eyes.

Dammit, Kei thought, and erased her second equation. She cracked her knuckles and drew glares from the students around her, but ignored them. At least it’s not differentials. Always sucked at those.

…You know, seeing you attempt calculus at this stage would be hilarious.

Thanks a bunch, Kei told him, and got back to work.

The math test came and went. The social studies test followed suit, reminding Kei that her “peers” were working with a solid decade of education and cultural context she didn’t have. Even if she’d been truly Japanese, there was a real chance a child from her version of Japan would have failed the entire section on Quirk legislation. She probably didn’t fail science, between Isobu and Kei’s discussion method and what she could extrapolate from the briefings regarding Quirks. And English? There was something of an edge there, and Kei and her Tailed Beast buddy had ever been a pair fond of using everything at their disposal to win.

And then, the dreaded practical exam.

With Isobu acting as her live-in Jiminy Cricket, in the exact opposite way a conscience was generally supposed to work, Kei managed to tune out the DJ-like announcer for the practical examination on the big day. She had her paperwork in front of her, a mission prodding at the back of her head, and a whole room full of hero-hopefuls who were probably going to hate her in about fifteen minutes. She did listen to enough of the explanation to know how the robot targets were going to be scored, and could see some figures in the crowd start to slump for one reason or another, but ultimately the information felt extraneous.

Kei had no intention of allowing a written exam keep her from completing her mission. To that end, she would happily destroy every opponent in the examination stadium with only Water ninjutsu. It was a nice way of working off stress.

Kei filed out of the room alongside the other potential students when the intro spiel was over, taking in the crowd. She could see a wide variety of body types, features, and open fear among the examinees. Assuming any of them got in, she’d try memorizing names and faces then.

Her mission would take priority.

“You need to have a paper trail.” Sensei’s frown had been audible over the connection, probably because he had no experience with cell phones and a lot of experience with genjutsu. Not a Luddite, but really unfamiliar with tech.

“That won’t be a problem. We’ll just have her take the entrance examination along with all the other heroes-to-be.” The Mickey Mouse soundalike had given her chills, at least up until she’d realized that they actually were speaking to a talking mouse. Sensei probably would have called him a summon, but Nezu assured them that Quirks worked in mysterious ways. And he actually was a mouse. Probably.

Maybe?

“If it’s what the client wants…” Sensei’s chakra signature remained wary, but it hadn’t shown in his voice. “One academic year or until the threat is ended, whichever is shorter.”

Sort of like any warranty, really. Kind of funny in hindsight.

None of them had any real appreciation for the risks, then.

“By your command, Hokage-sama.”

And here Kei was, dressed in gym clothes for a school she’d never attended and waiting for the hammer to drop. She tapped her shoes on the ground idly, getting used to wearing something other than sandals for the first time in nearly a lifetime, just to feel a bit more prepared. The exam robots were just there for racking up combat scores on opponents who didn’t bleed. Some of the kids around her would be able to go all out. It’d be fun.

But apparently not for the kid just to her left, who looked like someone told him life was cancelled. He had his arms crossed and eyed the entrance like it was a gallows, not a set of unusually large double doors. Another kid looked like she was going to throw up from sheer nerves. Two boys were stretching, while a girl near the front of the crowd was nearly bouncing in place.

Welp. Time to blow off some steam.

“GO!” screamed the digitized voice of the cockatoo-headed announcer, and Kei went to work.

#catch your breath fanfic #my hero academia #crossover #shell game #snippets #Keisuke Gekko #Isobu

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cyansovereign · 5 years

Note

ಠ_ಠ

Like Nerve, Waxwing Devil takes place in its own world, not on Earth. In this world, the surface of the planet is inhospitable and most people live up on very high mountains above an impenetrable layer of fog. Thus, most international combat is done via airship.

Which is important to know, as the main conflict is a country called Sidero vs a country called Altzairu. More accurately, it’s roughly “Sidero vs the rest of the world”, since the nation lost all its alliances for its unforgivable war conduct.

Altzairu is a small country, with not many resources or people, in which Sidero is the richest on the planet. It does have inventive geniuses fueling the creation of its warships, and an adaptive policy that they use to overcome their more numerous, but much more poorly-trained opponents. Soldiers of Altzairu are given nothing short of brutal training that puts them at the top of combat viability, and are also trained in piloting groups of small ships versus huge warships.

One such soldier of Altzairu is Aftan Singh, or by his nickname, Sting. He used to be just a porter at a small-time restaurant before the draft took him away from wife Christine and daughter Melissa. From age 21, he started as a “deploy thief”; this is what you call untrained, unskilled soldiers who are sent in on raids to fly in, steal valuable info and tech, and fly back behind front lines, which is the closest thing to “disposable” Altzairu has. However, he was quickly recognized as a capable pilot. By age 26, he became the leader of his own squad of Yellowjackets--one of the foremost innovations in warships. “Bees” were small ships capable of incredibly fast flight, and used to outmaneuver larger enemy ships, but the main problem was that they quickly ran out of fuel, so if they weren’t shot down outright, their eventual demise came as kamikaze. The Yellowjackets changed all of that--small yet incredibly fast airships designed to fly in, blast opponents, then attach to the hulls of larger ships and ram a large siphon into their fuel canisters to repeat the process (hence they name--they can sting more than once), while crippling the larger ships and creating a combustible target. Once the bottom rung on the totem pole at a shitty restaurant, Aftan is now a battle-hardened, highly skilled airforce captain.

Aftan has a lot of reason to hate the military of Sidero, for reasons I go into in the serial. Which is where Icaro Williams comes in--a bumbling soldier who signed up for an easy ride through post-military life and never took anything seriously, who gets himself stuck with Aftan after crash-landing with him on the surface due to a run-in with something called the Ghost Ship. Two people at complete odds with one another’s cultures and ideologies, on literal opposite sides of a war, trying to survive under a thick fog filled with hellish monsters...depending on how long Icaro can keep Aftan from shooting him outright.

Aftan Sigh is the main protagonist of the serial “Waxwing Devil”.

#cavaeaquilae

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wisdomblog · 5 years

Text

What is Truth?

In in the postmodern society of today, “Truth” is relative to the perceptions of the individual and or the culture in which they live. Those with the power to do so e.g. the media, educational institutions and tech giants like Google now determine reality.

The very nature of language is being changed too. Like everything else in postmodern society words no longer have absolute definitions. Words mean what people want them to mean in accordance with the community in which they are used. That's how teaching transgenderism to five-year-olds became tolerance, Dreaming of a White Christmas, and the words citizen and brown paper bag became racist and adultery, fornication, and abortion became women's health. Disagreeing with any of the above may result in being labeled a misogynist or a racist. What used to be free speech is now hate.

What is real?

If that wasn’t confusing enough...

2012 marked the beginning of the Global Futures 2045 conference where the world's chief tech geeks like Ray Kurzweil, the current head of Google R&D got together and brainstormed viable solutions to common problems like death. Among other things, Kurzweil and his buddies plan on being able to upload a person's consciousness into a computer Avatar on or before 2045 then dispose of the biological corpse so the person will live forever.

Then we have the latest market craze over sex robots and Sexbot brothels? As one researcher recently stated, "Humans need for intimacy will drive the design and manufacture of sentient sexbots."

Who needs a biological girlfriend or a wife when you can design your own partner?

The novel A Brave New World a story about a future technocracy was required reading when I was a high school junior. Years later the author, Aldous Huxley admitted that it was based on an actual plan. He was interviewed by Mike Wallace in 1958. The whole interview is fascinating and definitely worth watching but here is a short clip where he describes how those in power plan try to control future populations.

Are we addicted to tech or are we being programmed to choose it?

Not only are there viable plans to merge man with machine such that human biology becomes obsolete. For now Chinese scientists are now using CRISPR technology to edit disease out of the human genome. Sounds awesome right? They'll just edit disease right out of our DNA.

What else do you think they'll edit in a world where anything goes?

Of course there's a lot more going on like implantable chips that they've been planning for years. I mean why carry things that can be lost or stolen when you just implant everything you need in your hand or maybe your forehead.

I could on and on about our world of anything goes. But I can’t help but wonder...

How will anyone speak truth to a "do as thou wilt" world with it's reality and values rooted in feelings, and the absence of absolutes?

Some might comprehend where I’m going with all this. If not then just follow and you’re sure to find out. Given all the sheer stupidity and nonsense on Tumblr; I wonder if anyone is genuinely interested in where we as humans are headed and whether or not there is such a thing as an absolute Truth?

#futurism #technology #ethics #truth #religion #philosophy #apologetics

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sinrau · 4 years

Link

“We’re just rife with cash and it has led to a decent amount of guilt.”

Joe Pinsker 7:00 AM ET

Shutterstock / The Atlantic

One paradox of the pandemic economy is that even as businesses have shut down and jobs have disappeared, American households have on average been saving more money than they usually do. The country’s “personal saving rate”—the share of people’s disposable income that gets saved or invested—has rarely exceeded 10 percent in the past 20 years, but it shot up to more than three times that in April. In the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic, the checking-account balances of Americans up and down the income scale rose, thanks to government aid.

Now that that aid has been discontinued, many people’s balances are likely falling, making daily life even more precarious. But one segment of the country will keep on saving, seemingly living in an economy all their own. Their incomes have remained steady, while their spending has decreased dramatically.

In March, when lockdowns began, spending declined steeply for low earners and high earners alike. But while low earners’ spending returned nearly to normal levels in May, higher earners’ spending has remained much lower. “The people who had the least job loss are precisely the people who have the biggest cut in spending,” Peter Ganong, an economist at the University of Chicago who co-authored a paper analyzing household finances in March, April, and May, told me.

In the course of reporting this article, I spoke with people whose monthly expenses have fallen by hundreds, in some cases thousands, of dollars during the pandemic. They’re spending less on daily comforts that are now dangerous, or merely unnecessary, including eating out, entertainment, new clothes, and extracurriculars for their kids.

Travel cutbacks in particular are keeping large amounts of cash in people’s accounts. Lyn Alden, a 33-year-old investment researcher in New Jersey, told me that by skipping one short trip to New York City and two longer ones to visit relatives in Florida and Egypt, her family reduced their travel spending by about $15,000 this year.

Other spending cuts are more minor, but still add up. “One of the largest costs prior to the pandemic was my ‘bad’ habit of eating out nearly every day at work,” Jeremiah Stanley, a 40-year-old engineer at a tech company in North Carolina, wrote to me in an email. “The office culture is to have [lunch] meetings off-campus and this [costs] about $23 a day.” Lately, he’s been working from home and making ham sandwiches instead, leaving him an extra $400 a month to spend or save. Overall, he estimates that he and his girlfriend have together been spending about $750 less on food each month.

Another remote worker I heard from, Taryn, who is in her late 20s and works at an accounting firm in the Chicago area, estimated that she’s spending $400 less per month during the pandemic. She and her husband qualified for $2,400 in stimulus payments earlier this year, even though “we didn’t need the money,” she said—she currently makes $87,000 a year.

“It honestly feels pretty good, but it also feels kind of strange,” Taryn said. “It’s a weird feeling of Oh yeah, I’ve got extra money! but also I want to buy things, but there’s no reason to buy things.” (She requested that I publish only her first name, because of the sensitive nature of her job.)

Instead of buying things, Taryn and her husband have put that extra money toward a down payment for a house. They previously thought about buying one next spring, but since mortgage rates have fallen to historic lows, they’re buying one now—so in that sense, the pandemic has brought them closer to their financial goals.

To others higher up the income scale, the additional cash is much less consequential. “We’re really privileged … Honestly, our life doesn’t change a ton” with extra money, says Byron Hing, a 39-year-old lawyer at a tech company in San Francisco, whose family of five has been spending about $3,000 less a month during the pandemic. Another interviewee, a 60-something in Southern California working in finance, told me, “I hate to be the bourgeoisie, but there’s a point where you have enough money and it doesn’t make any difference.”

That 60-something, who expects to earn at least $750,000 this year, has been saving enormous amounts of money during the pandemic. Recently, he realized just how much more slowly cash has been flowing out of his checking account this year: His balance was about $70,000 higher than it would have been in normal times. (He requested anonymity in order to protect his privacy.)

There’s “just nothing to spend money on,” he told me. He said he used to spend $300 twice a week on restaurant meals, and $3,000 roughly once a month on short family getaways. He estimated that his spending is down by at least $10,000 a month since the pandemic started, and that doesn’t factor in the $25,000 he got back after canceling a two-week vacation in Europe. “We’re [also skipping] one this Christmas,” he said, “so I’ll save another 25 grand.”

A lot of the money that well-off people aren’t spending right now is money that lower-paid people would normally receive as income. Many industries that employ lots of lower-wage workers, such as restaurants, hotels, and child care, are ones that make life more comfortable or fun for higher-income people. So when those people’s spending on in-person services dries up, those lower-wage workers’ pay dries up too.

In mid-August, reduced spending among the top 25 percent of earners accounted for 57 percent of the estimated drop-off in spending overall, according to Opportunity Insights, a team of economic researchers based at Harvard. The damage done by that lost spending “reflects what happens in a pandemic when high-income people can work at home … but it also reflects the huge growth of inequality of recent decades,” Lawrence Katz, an economist at Harvard, told me. “Such a large part of our economy, and of employment, has been embedded in servicing high-income people, as opposed to making things and manufacturing.”

The savers I spoke with were aware of, and felt conflicted about, the fact that they were prospering in a brutally stratified system. “We’re just rife with cash and it has led to a decent amount of guilt when we hear about friends that are struggling with their jobs that can’t go remote,” said Stanley, the North Carolinian saving money on lunches. “We don’t take this lightly and wish there was some way that we could make sure that society was a bit more just.” (He told me that he’s doubtful about the efficacy of charitable giving and believes it’s the government’s job to step in when people need financial support.)

“We’re doing a really bad job as a society,” the 60-something working in finance said. “I would gladly give a big chunk of my savings to make sure that [others are] okay … I’m fine with [the government raising] my taxes.”

The starkest example of someone thriving during the pandemic came up in a conversation I had with Dan Ho, who is in his late 40s and lives in Brighton, Michigan. Ho has been playing the stock market since the beginning of the year, when he came to suspect that traders were underestimating the threat of the pandemic. He correctly bet that certain stocks were going to lose value, and has profited from the market’s unusually jagged ups and downs. Overall, he’s turned an initial investment of $100,000 into about $500,000 this year.

Ho told me that he doesn’t feel bad about these gains, because, due to the nature of day-trading, he could just as easily have lost his money. “I can see how [the pandemic] has really hurt a lot of people,” he said. “Do I feel guilty? No, because it’s not anything that I personally did. I’m just a little more financially savvy or literate than a lot of people.”

Some of those I interviewed felt compelled to give away some of their money. One, a 40-year-old software engineer in Boston named Mike who asked to have his last name withheld for his privacy, said his family has kept paying the man who cleans their house, even though they’ve asked him to stop coming during the pandemic. Taryn said she sent some money to the hairstylist she used to see, to compensate for the money she normally would have given as a tip. And several have donated to charitable causes.

These are humane responses, and they certainly don’t hurt. But they are no substitute for government policy. For much of the pandemic, many people out of work were able to, if not keep pace with these super-savers, at least stay afloat because of federal aid. Now, in the absence of comprehensive support, the gainfully employed will keep piling up money, while millions of other people strain to make ends meet.

The Pandemic Has Created a Class of Super-Savers

#IFTTT #WordPress

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magzoso-tech · 4 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/best-tech-of-2019-our-favourite-purchases-from-zomato-gold-to-realme-earbuds/

Best Tech of 2019: Our Favourite Purchases, From Zomato Gold to Realme Earbuds

Being a consumer is like a job, as a disgraced comedian once rightly said. We spend hours poring over the options at our disposal, looking at the features, going through reviews — a culture we at Gadgets 360 contribute to — and wondering what’s best suited for our needs. Sure, it seems crazy, but it also makes sense. After all, you work hard to earn that money. As you scroll below, you’ll find that some of us didn’t find anything worthwhile to spend said hard-earned money on in 2019. Meanwhile, most others found joy in new phones, tablets, laptops, headphones, subscriptions, or gaming consoles. Thus, in this Best Tech of 2019 article, we detail our favourite purchases from the world of technology this year.

Abhinav Lal: Zomato Gold

I’m going to nominate my Zomato Gold subscription as my tech purchase of the year. You may say, “Hey, that’s not really tech, is it?”, and I’d mostly agree with you. But, hey, it’s a premium offering by a consumer tech platform and seeing that I’ve reaped benefits several times over its cost already, I’m nominating it.

If you’d recall, Zomato earlier this year started Gold on delivery as well, making it rather decent value for money as long as you have participating restaurants in your neighbourhood. I got a 12-month subscription for Rs. 1,800, and since this was during Zomato’s anniversary celebrations, I also got five Rs. 200 cashbacks on delivery orders, bringing its cost down to Rs. 800. I recouped that in two dine outs — and have been using it for delivery as well.

As for my wishlist last year, it included a virtual reality headset, but I’ve been unable to convince myself to take the plunge on a mid-level offering. Maybe this year we will see a reduction in prices as the tech becomes more mainstream.

Buy: Zomato Gold

Aditya Shenoy: Nothing

At the start of the year, I was looking to buy a Sena 30K for my daily + weekend rides. After some thorough research found out that it won’t be able to survive the monsoons here. So dropped plans of picking one up. Surprisingly I haven’t bought a single new tech product this year. I did buy a V6 Communicator since the one I had got drenched in the rains and conked off.

An Android Auto head-unit for my car is still on my wishlist, but I think I’ll look for it next year.

Buy: Nothing

Akhil Arora: Nothing

True to what I’d predicted over 300 days ago, my tech wishlist stayed empty for all of 2019. Of course, I cheated and browsed through sales like any bargain-loving human, but I was never enticed to hit the buy button. That doesn’t mean I didn’t purchase anything. I picked up an iRobot Roomba 600 series at the start of the year and a Mi Air Purifier 3 towards the end of the year. One was a present, and the other a necessity — have you seen the data?

But I wouldn’t say I’d recommend either. If you’re looking for a robot vacuum or an air purifier, I’ve realised it’s best to stay away from entry-level products.

The Roomba is good at cleaning, but it’s very dumb. I live in a 3BHK and given how frequently I’ve to interact with it during cleaning, it really stretches the definition of the word “robot”. As for the Xiaomi one, it seems to do the job, but I don’t trust its AQI readings even though it has a new sensor. So without a separate air quality monitor, there’s no way to tell how good a job it’s doing.

My favourite tech product for 2019 then? 404 Not Found. Sorry for wasting your time, …again.

Buy: Nothing

Akshay Jadhav: Google Home Mini

This year I got a decent deal on the Google Home Mini during the Big Billion Day Sale on Flipkart. It was available for Rs. 2,299. I bought it just for casually listening to music at home. However, now my parents listen to their old playlists the entire day on it and they love the Home Mini’s ease of use with voice commands. Also, the fact that it can work as a Bluetooth Speaker is a cherry on top for me. It has certainly been the best purchase in 2019.

Buy: Google Home Mini

Ali Pardiwala: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

I’ve made a couple of big purchases this year, but the one device I’ve found more useful than anything else is the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Considering how many televisions I’ve reviewed this past year, this device is an invaluable tool of my trade. And of course, it’s helped me get access to a wide range of TV shows, movies, and videos across various streaming services up to 4K and HDR.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is, quite easily, one of the best streaming devices you can buy today. It’s the best Rs. 5,999 I’ve spent this year, and has made my television viewing experience far more entertaining and easy.

Buy: Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K

Aman Rashid: iPhone 11 Pro

I am a die-hard smartphone enthusiast, which is why I like to upgrade to a new smartphone every year. And for many people around me, it is a waste of money to upgrading to a new phone every year, but this has become somewhat of a hobby which I am unable to ignore. So my favourite tech purchase of 2019 is the iPhone 11 Pro.

To recap, I haven’t had great experiences using an iPhone. I have had two iPhones in the past, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 7 Plus. And with the iPhone 11 Pro, I was a bit skeptical before purchasing it because of my experiences with iPhones and the exorbitant prices the current Apple phones come with. But I was simply swayed away by the looks of the device. Unlike many people out there, I really like the triple-camera design at the back which makes it stand out from every other phone out there. And, the stainless-steel frame which you don’t get to see in flagships from other manufacturers. Moreover, the phone’s performance is top-notch, battery life is great, and the cameras are also a step-up from the last generation.

It has been almost 3 months since I purchased the iPhone 11 Pro, and I have to say I am really enjoying the iOS experience on this device. Looking forward to the iPhone 12 Pro or whatever Apple decides to name it.

Buy: iPhone 11 Pro (256GB)

Gaurav Shukla: LG G7 ThinQ

Even though smartphone prices have continued to go up with each passing year, I am yet to increase the budget that I had set for my smartphone purchases years ago. Hence, with just Rs. 30,000 to spare for my new smartphone, LG G7 ThinQ caught my eye. LG isn’t the most popular smartphone maker around; in fact, you will be hard-pressed to find LG smartphone owners these days. But, in my opinion, the company’s flagships are often some of the best value-for-money phones around if you are fine with waiting for a few months after the phone’s launch in India and don’t want to go for a Chinese smartphone brand.

Bought in the start of this year, the LG G7 is yet to disappoint me. The phone packs some impressive specifications for an older smartphone and is very easily going to last me another year. Having said that I do hate the massive screen but sadly that is a reality of the Android smartphone market right now, and the phone’s cameras aren’t great.

With Mi LED 10W smart bulb as my only other tech purchase, there is little competition for LG G7 ThinQ for my favourite tech purchase this year.

Buy: LG G7 ThinQ

Harpreet Singh: iPhone XR

I didn’t spend a lot of money on tech products this year, I’m going to end 2019 with a lot still left on my wishlist. But I did upgrade my smartphone this year. I switched from an iPhone 7 Plus to the iPhone XR, after spotting a decent deal online.

It seems like a decent upgrade to me. I like the battery life on the iPhone XR, but I miss the physical home button and Touch ID. I like the fact that it has support for an eSIM as a secondary connection even though I don’t really need one. I do love the camera though, nothing Pixel-like but since I only capture photos for Instagram and Snapchat, it gets the job done.

Buy: iPhone XR

Jagmeet Singh: Microsoft Surface Go

I often do some work while commuting. Checking for new emails or responding them while on-the-move is quite feasible through a smartphone. But I usually spend my travel time in writing new feature pieces or transcribing recent interviews that both a compact PC-like machine. I do carry my work laptop, but in the recent past, I observed the need for an even smaller device that I can take with me in most of the places. I found the iPad as an early solution. However, I ended up purchasing a Microsoft Surface Go.

Since the Surface Go provides me with the full Windows experience, I can not just open apps that are limited to iOS (read iPadOS) but also access all major software packages that I used to have on my desktop or work laptop. The portable design of the Surface Go also makes it an easy-to-carry machine and the optional keyboard adds productivity. Likewise, the touchscreen experience on the device is also on par with my iPhone. The only thing that lacks here is the battery life that gets exhausted in five-six hours of regular use. Nevertheless, there is a USB Type-C port that supports the Power Delivery (PD). So I use a compatible power bank for charging on-the-go.

Buy: Microsoft Surface Go

Jamshed Avari: iPad Pro

After promising myself that I wouldn’t buy anything unnecessary this year, I stumbled across a ridiculously good deal on a second-hand previous-gen iPad Pro that I simply couldn’t pass up. Did I actually need it? Not at all. Was it a good impulse buy? Absolutely! My previous iPad no longer receives iOS updates, I get to play high-end games, and the huge screen is just glorious. You can have a full-sized A4 page up, which is great for reading and especially for sheet music. Creative apps such as Synth One really feel transformed on the bigger screen and the stereo speakers are a revelation too. Moreover, it’s so light that I can just take it anywhere. Now to find an equally good deal on a keyboard cover…

Buy: 12.9-in iPad Pro (2nd Gen)

Nadeem Sarwar: Samsung Wireless Powerbank

2019 was the year I shelled out the most when it comes to purchasing tech goodies. I got myself the Acer KG241QP gaming monitor that offers 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time at a sweet discount on Amazon. I also burnt my earnings on a Redgear MK881 Invador mechanical keyboard with the Kailh Blue switches, and of course, RGB lighting effects. But my favourite tech purchase of the year was the Samsung Wireless Powerbank (EB-U1200CPNGIN).

This one’s not your average, blocky power bank. Aside from a USB Type-A port and a USB Type-C port, it also has a circular Qi-certified wireless charging pad that supports the in-house Wireless Fast Charge tech. It lets me simultaneously charge a phone and a wearable device (or another wireless charging compatible phone, which happens to be the Pixel 3 in my case). The 10,000mAh battery is enough to juice up the phone’s battery thrice, and the build quality is also top notch. It comes at a premium over rival 10,000Ah power banks, but the versatility it offers is unmatched.

Buy: Samsung Wireless Powerbank 10000mAh

Prabhakar Thakur: Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV Stick was my favourite purchase this year, though I did not really “buy” it. It came with a Samsung TV that I bought (not a smart TV). It has changed my TV viewing experience for good. With Fire TV Stick’s clean UI and decent voice remote, I don’t have many complaints about the device.

This one doesn’t support 4K videos, but I have no qualms about it because of the expense of the amount of data that will be needed should I raise the video quality that much.

Buy: Amazon Fire TV Stick

Roydon Cerejo: iPhone XR, Fire TV Stick, and PS4 Pro

I may have gone a little crazy this year with my tech purchases. My first one was an iPhone XR back in April, when the big discounts and cashback offers began. An excellent device with more than a day-long battery life which even rivalled the iPhone XS. Plus, the fact that it was available in India at an effective price which was even lower than what it was being sold for in the US, made it a no-brainer.

My second-best tech purchase has been the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. The reason it makes the list is because I managed to snag one during this year’s Black Friday sale, for just $25! (roughly Rs. 1,800). It’s also a lot faster than the standard version, supports faster Wi-Fi and of course, can do 4K streaming.

My last big tech purchase of this year is the Sony PlayStation 4 Pro. Yes, I’m aware that the PlayStation 5 (PS5) will be launching around this time, next year, but like every new console generation, the true potential of it will most probably only be realised till a few years in the console’s lifecycle. By then, we’ll also have newer revisions which may fix any teething issues of the launch models, possibly a Pro model and most importantly, more affordable prices out by then.

Pro tip: If you’re looking to get the PS4 Pro, keep in mind that the only official bundle with India warranty is the one with the extra controller. All other bundles on Amazon and Flipkart of the Pro that include free games, are direct imports and don’t have a valid Indian warranty.

Buy: iPhone XR, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, or PS4 Pro

Sumit Garg: Nothing

I have spent a lot of money this year. My biggest purchase has to be a new car, but did I make a tech purchase for myself? Well, no. Yes, I did buy two Redmi 8A smartphones, but those were gifts for my family members. Other than that, personally I did not find anything that amazed me in tech this year and because of that I didn’t make any tech purchase this year.

Buy: Nothing

Tasneem Akolawala: Amazon Echo

I didn’t make any big tech purchases this year, nothing that makes for a worthy mention. Although, I did make a tiny Amazon Echo purchase in January for the house. It’s proved to be quite handy, especially to satiate the growing curiosity of my kid. For those unaware, the Echo range of smart speakers from Amazon comes with Alexa voice assistant built in. It lets you ask questions, request songs, ask for recipes, and set reminders – and responds with voice-based answers. I’d recommend it as a nice addition to your home entertainment space. I bought the second-generation Echo, but it would be ideal to buy the third-generation speakers now. Amazon offers a slew of Echo speakers in different forms and functionalities.

Buy: Amazon Echo

Yousuf Jawed: Realme Earbuds 2

After using OnePlus wireless bullets for an year then getting back to old tech like wired headphones is tough but I did make a choice now and it is Realme Buds 2. These Realme earphones are good in terms of sound quality within the price bracket. The braided cable make you believe it is stronger and practically doesn’t get tangled. The length of the wire is very generous, and it comes with a rubber clip. I also appreciate the drivers and the chambers they are housed in, redesigned to give better sound quality. The magnetics snapping feature of the buds are very handy. So, yeah, this was my tech purchase on the year.

Buy: realme Earbuds 2 in-Ear Wired with mic

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#Miscellaneous

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life-in-the-monster-haus · 7 years

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Ghoul Squad Island Ghouls: Review!

Back by popular demand are more reviews for Adventures of the Ghoul Squad!

I will be reviewing each new episode after they are released! with screen shots and an in depth analysis.

lets jump right in shall we?

I stated in my first review that I don’t care for the theme song and the more I hear the more I still don’t... I wish they would have leaned more in the direction of James Bond that they were aiming for instead of the repetitive kidz bop sound it actually has.

Secondly the animation. in my first review I was undecided if I liked the art style or not and I have finally come to a conclusion on what’s bothering me about it. The art style used for the Ghoul Squad series falls into this weird valley of stylized but not stylized enough: I’ll explain.

The main 5 ghouls doing the exact same poses as their box art counterparts which I do not have a colored art for at my disposal but they DO use the box art silhouettes for the logo so I’ll use that.

Just looking at the silhouettes alone shows major differences in the art styles used here and I personally prefer the box art style because it’s more delicate, current and makes them look like actual high schoolers. The style used for the webisodes is clunky, I really hate their thick popeye arms/ankles and I feel like this art style infantilizes them. To be fair the original web series kind of suffered from this clunky popeye arm thing too but to a much lesser extent.

Now this does not mean I am against stylization as a concept, I frigging love the art for the vinyls so much.

However, the art for the vinyls is SO radically different and far removed from the box art style I can see it as it’s own separate thing where as the ghoul squad art is close- but not close enough, it’s just different enough that it bothers me but it’s not so different I can appreciate it on a new level. ( the same thing can be said for shows like Teen Titans Vs. Teen Titans Go!)

Anyways the show starts with Dracula being tech-illiterate and running back to his books which is kinda funny because I can’t even get my 80 year old grandmother to give up her old flip phone, I can’t imagine trying to get someone whose hundreds of years old up to date.

This might be the first time since the reboot we’ve seen consequences for them not doing their school work... I know, I was shocked they actually went to class as well.

Cleo didn’t do her humanology assignment so Dracula doesn’t let her go on the Island adventure. I wish she would have wanted to be there for more than JUST sand (sun, surf, pool boys, etc) it makes her sound kinda one note and anyone who knows even the teeniest bit about the ancient Egyptians knows that sand was a constant curse upon them, getting into their food and eroding their teeth- but alas, I’m here to review cartoons not cover world history.

interesting footprints for someone whose wearing shoes.

Once they are on the island they run into native wild life, a ‘spider monkey” which is essentially just a regular monkey with extra arms, kinda uninspired I think.

I much prefer the spider monkeys in the pre-boot that had a bit more spider in them and I thought they were unique!

But that’s what the reboot was all about right? making things cuter? even if it’s at the cost of what makes them monster-like... :\

The subplot of this episode is Cleo working on her paper while helping Dracula navigate modern technology.

it’s not a bad subplot but I feel like him being loud in the same room she is trying to work in kinda undermines the good example he was trying to set by keeping her there in the first place...maybe a better subplot would have been if she had the flu or some type of mummy sickness and had to stay behind vs her being punished but not really being punished.

once we get back to the main plot Lagoona and Clawdeen find a scale that belongs to a fresh water monster! and I really like that they explain only salt water creatures can live in the ocean, kids may not know that fresh water creatures would live in water on the island instead of around it. However this does bring up the question: that if all the monsters have been in hiding and isolated from each other how does Lagoona know what a fresh water monster scale looks like? I’ve mentioned before in both my reviews for the movies and the first episode that erasing all the history the monsters had together was a mistake and this is one of the many problems you create when you do that... if monsters don’t interact with other monsters in this universe like what is stated in welcome to monster high then are there still feuds between the species? Fangelicas words in the first webisode imply that vampires and werewolves being friends is surprising so I want to say yes...but that doesn’t make sense when in universe they stated that all the monsters are in hiding and thus do not have their own culture because they are isolated from other monsters.I am well aware that for lots of people this may be a good thing as many people were growing tired of the whole Gil / Lagoona soap opera of his parents being bigots and her being a salt water creature but I liked that conflict, as someone in an interracial relationship myself I can empathize with them and those kind of problems with families don’t always have a nice ending like they do in after school specials sometimes they are ongoing, sometimes they never get resolved or sometimes something worse....but it does happen and I like that the pre-boot didn’t shy away from that but let’s see if the reboot follows in those footsteps.

I talk a lot of crap about the reboot designs, like I really hate Lagoonas eye color needlessly changing but one thing I do like is that she has more freckles! unrelated to the picture: I also like how they pointed out that printed books can become out of date.

If monkeys can’t talk HOW is this one activating the mapalog? does the mapalog just respond to any language you say at it? including spider monkey??? what are the rules!?!?!

Dracula being a weenie is getting kinda old. remember when we thought he was going to be all menacing based on his portrait in frights camera action?

yea...me too.

....Why....would any sea creature make their home on the side of an active volcano... is Gil living by himself!? where are his parents!? did he run away? if they’re not in the picture maybe there will be no Gil / Lagoona soap opera drama.

We finally see Gil! my boy! in his pre-boot look but with a new water breathing apparatus that just covers his gills instead of his whole head....super interesting how Gil has a varsity jacket in colors for a school he’s never heard of and a swim team he’s never been on. man you really do not wanna give that boy new clothes.

One thing I will say about Gils updated look is that he looks more Japanese? I’m not sure if it’s a conscious design choice by the Mattel team or if I am just imprinting @peppapigvevo‘s beautiful Gil head cannon on to Gil but either way I like it!

This is not at all how surfing works.

Cleo is so strong, dang.

GIL JUST PEACES THE EFF OUT! I genuinely laughed at this moment.

It’s still early in the series to judge it too harshly but I’m glad we got Gil! it’s also super interesting to see what monsters they are going to “find” first like....I wonder if that’s whose dolls sold the best? I have so many questions! we’ll find out if they have answers, in the next episode!

<- Previous Webisode Review.

#monster high #ghoul squad #adventures of the ghoul squad #calling all ghouls #gil webber

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doodleysloth · 7 years

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Probabbly gonna do Bora’s info next… ;v; Feel free to ask questions about or for Jung as I want to start drawing more! More info under cut. Name:

Jung-Hwan Seonwoo (Hangul: 선우 정환)

Nickname(s):

Jung, Mr.Seonwoo (Work only; He becomes offended if it’s used outside his teaching job.)

Online Username:

Jung

Gender:

Cis Male

Sexuality:

Bisexual

Height:

6’5” | 198 cm

Weight:

210 lbs | 95 kg

Birth Date:

February 21st

Zodiac Sign:

Pisces

Occupation:

Language Teacher (High School) Translator (Mainly books and most of his income)

Personality:

Charming | Diplomatic | Resourceful | Responsible | Loyal ||| Manipulative | Vindictive | Callous | Entitled | Controlling

Surprisingly, Jung has a pleasant side to him, or rather the face he chooses to display outwardly. He knew how to make you feel important and cared for. Whether it is just words you want to here or sincerity is unknown. Due to his keen senses of observing others, he can be quite tactful if it does call for it. It’s often shown if he needs to cover for himself, and on the surprising occasion for others. Often left to his own devices, Jung has developed a rather quick wit about him. Difficulties to him seem rather than a challenge goading him on rather than a hindrance. Following rules is absolute to him, in a warped way he will do what he thinks is right. He has no shame in his actions and will be happy to admit to it as he has nothing to hide. Very rarely, Jung will exhibit a warped form of attachment because of this he becomes utterly obsessed with keeping the said party safe as to not taint them further. He will follow them until they threaten his perception of their relationship or reject him.

Having nothing, Jung has learned to be sly and quick-witted, unconcerned of others most of the time he has no qualms about disposing or using others for his benefit. Controlled by his emotions Jung lets his actions dictate his life, good or bad. The same goes for others; he will hold grudges and keep that resentment to better himself than the offender. Nothing will satisfy him more than coming on top of those who wronged him. Unsurprisingly he can be quite heartless in regard for others. At the end of the day, he only has himself and will have no problem stepping over anyone to reach his goals. They have done nothing for him. On the same side of the coin, Jung feels entitled to anything he desires as no one has given him anything worthwhile, he will take it by force. He’s a selfish man to his core. Due to the lack of structure in his life, Jung has the intense innate desire to control everything in regards to him. He keeps to a strict schedule and rules for himself that he refuses to break. He has gone so far to attempt to control what others think of him, or the person themselves.

Likes: • Sweets (Chapssaltteok and Butterscotch candies are his favorite) • Kids (Anyone younger than him he automatically treats as his student) • Structure • Different Cultures • Exercising • Drama shows/books • Tech gadgets • Manners Dislikes: • Idle flattery • Breaking of rules • Weak willed/meek people • Slackers • Impoliteness • Social gatherings • Unpredictable circumstances • Clutter History: At a young age, the moral lines of right and wrong were blurred for a child named Jung. His parents provided him an unstable lifestyle on the sensitive child. Smoke hung in the air, blood and sweat stained the carpet. The unsavory acts left a suffocating feeling in his chest. Learning quickly to fend for himself he often took care of his little sister, too tiny to witness the daily sin. Wising up quickly to his abnormal treatment, the child sought out help, despite the risks his parents posed. Soon they were subsequently arrested as Jung watched a smile tugging at his lips as he watched them spew obscenities. Oh, look at how hateful their eyes were! Was it so wrong he enjoyed the same suffering they toiled out on him? Old fashioned to the core, the children’s grandparents took them in raising them with strict rules and guidelines. Jung found the harsh way comforting, welcoming the stability and structure he was finally provided. Growing up, it caused him to be quite rigid and stiff with his views, his stubbornness not gaining him much support from his peers. Latching onto the rules desperately, he began to force his ideals upon others not caring for their opinions. Soon he was labeled as a thug by many of his schoolmates, gaining a poor reputation despite his scholarly feats. Deciding to run with this, the teen began to attack delinquents in his school, beating them into submission. Force was the only thing he knew; he would make others think his way. Was he using them as a scapegoat? No, it didn’t matter, they chose their fate when they decided not to listen to authority. He despised the whole lot of them.

Causing turmoil for the ones that raised him, Jung craftily hid from his grandparents prying eyes once they wised up. Playing coy came easily; he crafted a fake persona as he doled out his brand of divine punishment. Soon, it was put on the back burner as he was forced upon the college. Enjoying his language classes in high school the man decided to pursue his interests. Teaching seemed like a suitable job to force his passions upon others. Although he soon came to realize, most teens didn’t share the teacher’s enthusiasm for learning about other cultures. How disappointing. Irritated, the new teacher became quite strict falling back into his old ways. With his youth and inexperience, his students lack respect for Jung, which is his primary concern currently

Extra:

• His speech pattern is very formal and (usually) polite as he uses the speech level Hasipsio-che. Will use Haeyo-che once he is used to you. (Will not use any honorifics if you piss him off enough.)

• He expects the same politeness he gives others, if not; he will have a poor opinion of you and disregard you.

• Jung’s family is rather poor. He relied on scholarships and part-time jobs to get himself through school.

• Unironically enjoys Vocaloid songs due to his sister introducing them. Hums them to himself when he grades papers or when he’s bored.

• He has tech gadgets for almost anything in his house. Mainly for cooking. Jung names them.

• Can speak four languages fluently currently (Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese). Teaching himself Arabic in his free time.

• Taught himself English out of spite to curse at a kid in his native language. Taught himself Japanese under similar circumstances.

• There are rumors that he is frightening when angered.

• A neat freak. Detests clutter and messes. Will end up cleaning after you even if it’s impolite.

• As much as he can be cruel, it’s only if you get on his bad side. He is usually indifferent to everyone unless they make a substantial impression on him, good or bad. His respect is earned, and he will treat you in kind. Someone you don’t want as an enemy, but it’s in your best interest to get on his good side.

• Internalizes most of his emotions. If you are close to him, he will show more to himself than being polite.

CV:

Sung Joon

#mm oc #mystic messenger oc #oc jung seonwoo #THE GARBAGE MAN HIMSELF #sloth art

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kyliafanfiction-archive · 7 years

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@cantspeakfae and @plasticonobandana asked me to do Lung Jiao, the last member of Orion Team.

Again, as reference, Orion Team verse begins in July 2817.

Full Name: Lung Jiao (in common parlance, she gives her last name first, as is the norm for Chinese nomenclature. On all official government documents, however, her name is listed as ‘Jiao Lung’) Gender and Sexuality: Cisgender and... I’m not sure if she’s heterosexual or possibly asexual. I kind of feel like she’s the latter, but it’s an established part of her character that she’s more than willing to (and has) used sex as part of an undercover operation, and I don’t know how making an asexual character do that would come off. Pronouns: She/Her/Hers Ethnicity/Species: Chinese Extraction, Human Birthplace and Birthdate: October 3rd, 2758; Huangpu City, Shanghai III, the third planet of the Shanghai system, one of the oldest Earth Federation colony worlds (and to this day one of the few EF worlds that is almost entirely one cultural/ethnic - Chinese. Even most worlds settled initially from China are fairly racially diverse/mixed by this point) Guilty Pleasures: Roleplaying Video Games (doesn't really match her common persona - its a fact she keeps to herself, largely); Phobias: Bugs - its a low key phobia, but she hates bugs and they freak her out. What They Would Be Famous For: In theory, fifty to a hundred years after her death, her classified files from her time as an undercover operative for the Federation Directorate for Criminal Investigation (FDCI - basically the FBI of the Earth Federation) prior to joining OES could probably get her posthumously famous if someone read the files and they got turned into a vid miniseries or "true crime" novel series or the like. She spent nine years undercover as a broker of deals between criminals, and also maintained seven other active cover identities during that time. Definitely a story there. But as a rule she shies away from fame or recognition because it would make it harder for her to do undercover ops. What They Would Get Arrested For: For doing something illegal to maintain her cover that would led her bring down a bigger target. She did spend 4 months incarcerated on the prison/space station Cerberus Incarcinatorium in the largely uninhabited Elba System, after being arrested by people in FDCI who didn't know about her undercover status under one of her other identities (not her main one). She ended up co-ordinating a break out between her contacts on the outside and several convicted life-sentence murderers in the prison with her... and then she 'disposed of' the murderers when she was done with them, so they wouldn't be able to roam free. (of course she explained it away for her criminal contacts). OC You Ship Them With: No one. OC Most Likely To Murder Them: Mark Farrell (not the Heartpoint Chronicles OC, but the psycho-terrorist one. I need to change his name). She spent time undercover on his ship, The Chaos Hammer, including having sex with him more than once, before Orion Team blew the ship up... though as it turns out, the bastard survived. He has a...grudge against Jiao. Favorite Movie/Book Genre: Adventure Fantasy and Intrastellarpunk (basically, Steampunk/Cyberpunk/etc themes but set in pre-Hyperspace tech contexts) Least Favorite Movie/Book Cliche: Chosen One Heroes Talents and/or Powers: Jiao is an expert undercover operative, able to assume mannerisms and identities the way someone else changes clothes. Pretty good shot. Impeccable liar. Why Someone Might Love Them: She has a strong sense of Justice, she accepts no nonsense, she has a (very) well hidden nerdy streak that most people thing was just part of one of her cover identities... but was actually one of the most real things she's ever used as part of an identity. Why Someone Might Hate Them: She accepts no nonsense, can be very cold, and of course anyone she's screwed over via a cover ID. How They Change: She doesn't really change much. Though the rest of the Team will find out how much of a nerd she really is. Why You Love Them: I love her role as the ultimate undercover operative - her time as a criminal broker is deliberately borrowing concepts of Raymond Reddington from the Blacklist - she's kind of a reverse Red, in that sense. Also, I love her secret nerd streak - she does her rpging in very high immersion, high-detail, in-character games... basically the same intensity she brings to her undercover ops

#Orion Team #Lung Jiao

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tyreeloureiro31-blog · 5 years

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It has a huge Information Technology and Enterprise Course of Outsourcing (IT-BPO) trade that is now its second largest source of earnings. It's necessary that you do move on to full time work because if in case you have somebody on part time or on a brief venture, their consideration shall be divided. It's quite attainable they'll now not be accessible simply while you want them most. Full time people are relying on your firm for his or her livelihood and usually tend to persist with you long run. Managing your schedule to dealing with your emails, social media and web site our group will supply high quality companies so you can give attention to a very powerful task of preaching. I've been entertaining the idea of opening up positions for distant staff. My experience is that staff who are working part time ultimately drop off and cease working altogether. After studying this, I believe we have now LOTS of inside processes to ascertain first, but I have confidence it can be achieved. You may get a style of working with somebody by hiring them for a small mission, after which when it is completed should you're glad transfer on to full time work. They're in search of an experienced Private Assistant with strong Mission Coordination skills for an ASAP start. Communication within a distant WordPress group is key. It is a approach for unethical items of SHT to hire individuals for jobs and paying them, nothing. And with email, internet and Skype expertise at their disposal, there may be little that they did in the workplace that they can not do remotely, besides, maybe, make the coffee. I labored with a largely remote staff when I ran product at KISSmetrics and ran a distant group in Boston for the two.5 years for my past enterprise, Greenhorn Connect. You should clearly define what you expect out of your staff and why, and share the results so group members can be taught from each other's initiatives. This transfer has created alternatives for many who love being a PA, but not the lengthy commute or the long office hours, to do the same work as a digital assistant, or VA, on a self employed foundation, from the comfort of their residence. If remote is the way in which in your workforce to go, it is essential that you are transparent regarding objectives, duties, and results. With a younger, educated, and technologically-savvy workforce that speaks English fluently, the Philippines has turn out to be a hub of expertise for tech corporations. Worse, when I googled about Mechanical Flip I noticed that it is simply exploitation of the poor and determined. Nevertheless, with the fitting software program, distant group collaboration can proceed to thrive, no matter where your people are situated. Since the staff can't meet face to face and talk about the workflow, the whole lot must be on-line and arrange in such a way that even when somebody misses a day of work, they will quickly be up to date. Ardor WEB OPTIMIZATION is an web advertising and SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION outsourcing firm with offices in Australia, Cambodia and the Philippines. Customer Service and Support: In all probability the more traditional use of distant employees is for customer service, the place the employee gives phone or internet assist for customer questions or inquiries. Digital Assistants can do. When you've got a doc that simply must be shared, and won't be edited simultaneously, then you can place your documents (equivalent to an excel file) in a shared Google Drive or in Dropbox Many challenge management tools also have file sharing and collaboration features, in order that's one other alternative for collaborating on paperwork. Further, not certainly one of these giant employers has seen an uptick in creativity or innovation since they introduced their employees again into the workplace. Unlike other Asian and Indonesian countries, the Philippines has a distinctly Western culture. If in case you have a document that's being edited by many individuals, Google Drive is the best option. English is the primary language for business and education. Lack of coordination in any workforce usually leads to confusion and lost productiveness. Our teams stay up-to-date with the Search Engine Optimization techniques and strategies that work for numerous shoppers and in varied situations. Salaries, overhead prices, and the overall price of dwelling are significantly decrease within the Philippines than within the United States and different Western nations. It was initially settled by the Spanish earlier than being ruled by the United States up till 1946. We employ a mixture of in-home and distant staff and offer full-service digital advertising merchandise, Search Engine Optimization companies and support Also, we run ongoing coaching applications.

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