#increasing the gambling experience.

[ubaid214]

Learning the Virtual Platforms: A Information to On line Casinos

In the past few years, engineering has unquestionably revolutionized numerous industries, and the entire world of gambling is no exception. With the arrival of on line casinos, the gaming market has experienced a shift from traditional brick-and-mortar establishments to electronic tools, allowing people to participate in a common casino games from the comfort of the homes. This article goes into the electronic transformation of the casino earth, considering its benefits, considerations, and what the long run holds.

The Rise of Online Casinos

The late 90s saw the start of on the web casinos, with a couple of sites offering restricted activities, mostly general designs of blackjack and poker. Quickly ahead to today, there are tens of thousands of on the web casino websites offering a substantial array of activities, from slots to reside dealer games that replicate the actual casino experience.

Features of On the web Casinos

Comfort: One of many main causes for the popularity of on the web casinos is convenience. Players can accessibility activities 24/7 without the need to visit or stick to any gown codes.

Selection: On line programs give you a broader selection of activities compared to conventional casinos. Some tools house 1000s of position alternatives alone.

Promotions & Bonuses: Online casinos usually provide lucrative bonuses for new participants and continuing campaigns for regulars, increasing the gambling experience.

Progressive Characteristics: With the rise of technology, games today have advanced graphics, animations, and actually electronic and augmented fact features.

Safety and Equity Concerns

However, with the rise of electronic systems, you will find respectable issues about protection and fairness. It's critical for participants to choose programs which are registered and controlled by recognized gambling authorities. Arbitrary Quantity Turbines (RNGs) ensure sport equity, but players must however do their study before investing.

The Future of On line Gaming

The long run looks promising for on line casinos, with several emerging developments: Komisi303

Portable Gaming: With the escalation in smartphone application, several online casinos are emphasizing providing an easy portable experience.

Stay Seller Games: Linking the distance between traditional and on the web casinos, live dealer games provide real-time gambling with true merchants, enhancing the credibility of the experience.

Cryptocurrency: Many online casinos are now actually accepting cryptocurrencies, ensuring confidential and fast transactions.

Electronic Fact: VR engineering is slowly creating their way into the web casino earth, encouraging immersive gambling experiences.

Realization

On the web casinos signify a great blend of convention and technology. While they could perhaps not change the allure of walking in to a great casino in Las Vegas or Macau, they feature unmatched convenience, variety, and innovation. As a remains to evolve, people can expect a lot more exciting characteristics, games, and opportunities on earth of online gambling.

#In the past few years #engineering has unquestionably revolutionized numerous industries #and the entire world of gambling is no exception. With the arrival of on line casinos #the gaming market has experienced a shift from traditional brick-and-mortar establishments to electronic tools #allowing people to participate in a common casino games from the comfort of the homes. This article goes into the electronic transformation #considering its benefits #considerations #and what the long run holds. #The Rise of Online Casinos #The late 90s saw the start of on the web casinos #with a couple of sites offering restricted activities #mostly general designs of blackjack and poker. Quickly ahead to today #there are tens of thousands of on the web casino websites offering a substantial array of activities #from slots to reside dealer games that replicate the actual casino experience. #Features of On the web Casinos #Comfort: One of many main causes for the popularity of on the web casinos is convenience. Players can accessibility activities 24/7 without #Selection: On line programs give you a broader selection of activities compared to conventional casinos. Some tools house 1000s of position #Promotions & Bonuses: Online casinos usually provide lucrative bonuses for new participants and continuing campaigns for regulars #increasing the gambling experience. #Progressive Characteristics: With the rise of technology #games today have advanced graphics #animations #and actually electronic and augmented fact features. #Safety and Equity Concerns #However #with the rise of electronic systems #you will find respectable issues about protection and fairness. It's critical for participants to choose programs which are registered and #but players must however do their study before investing. #The Future of On line Gaming #The long run looks promising for on line casinos

[starastrologyy]

Astrology observations 🍒

My chart readings are still opened for those interested :) reviews are on my masterlist that is pinned to my profile 🤍

Something so interesting I’ve observed with Neptune conjunct the composite Ascendant is that the couple tend to be very forgiving of one another. However, there can be the inclination to engage in excessive drinking, gambling, or drug use together (if there are no mitigating factors).

It is not uncommon to begin dating someone new when your solar return Sun & Venus are in the Solar Return 5th house. Ideally, you want to have both to increase the chances. You want to look at the 7th house for a more long-term connection. However, it is possible for a relationship that begins in a 5th house centered solar return year to progress if there are aspects made to Saturn!

A “9th house heavy” solar return almost always indicates that a significant form of study or trip will present itself during that year. Some people may decide to enroll in college for the first time or others may even return to college in such a year. Alternatively, this could be a year in which your religious, political, or philosophical beliefs are highlighted.

It’s not uncommon to see individuals who have their Midheaven in Virgo, or the ruler of their Midheaven in the 6th house end up working in the health & wellness industries. These people can be drawn to personal training, nutrition or the healthcare industry.

If you have the ruler of your 7th house in the 9th. You may find that you have the tendency to attract long distance relationships or foreign partners.

Chiron or Neptune transiting the 6th or 10th houses are two planets I often see activated when a person is having trouble in their vocational sphere. Job losses or disillusionment pertaining to one’s career can often emerge during these transits.

Secondary Progressions are such an underrated predictive technique! You want to look out for when your progressed planets change signs, when the progressed moon enters a new house, or when there’s a progressed new or full moon! This is because these all often coincide with significant life events, this is especially true when it comes to the occurrence of a progressed new moon!

In synastry, when someone’s Mars falls into your 10th house they can motivate you to achieve your career goals and ambitions. However, if Mars is harshly aspected, this person can have a negative impact on your reputation, career, and the pursuit of your worldly ambitions.

You can expect to see a significant amount of advancement or abundance in your career in a year where your solar return Saturn or Jupiter trines the solar return midheaven!

Interestingly, you may experience sudden weight gain or weight loss when your Solar Return Uranus makes a conjunction to your Solar Return Ascendant! Alternatively, this could just mean that you decide to make an unexpected change to your physical appearance! This can be getting a new hairstyle or changing your wardrobe!

If you have your part of fortune in the 3rd or the 11th house you may find success with an online blog, sales, or anything involving the use of technology & social media!

Those with the ruler of their Midheaven in the 4th or part of fortune in the 4th can be drawn to real estate. This placement (ruler of midheaven in the 4th) can also indicate working from home or working in a family business.

Neptune conjunct the descendent is common to see in the charts of people who get married more than once in their lifetime!

If you have the ruler of your 9th house in the 9th, you may decide to pursue higher education/college abroad!

#astrology tumblr #astrology #astrology observations #astro thoughts #synastry #astrology blog #astrologyposts #astrology tips #astrology content #astro notes

[transmutationisms]

I was reading your porn addiction post, and I just wondering what you consider addiction if not some sort of disease? I also think porn addiction and stuff in that vein is fake but I also can’t think that addiction is just people choosing to be that way even though they hate it. I say this as someone who was actually addicted to substances like I feel like there was something going on there that can’t be explained by the idea that addicts just choose to be like that. (I don’t think you think addicts just choose to be like that I just don’t really know any alternative schools of thought lol) I don’t mean this in an accusatory way I’m sorry if it comes off that way, I am genuinely curious what you think cause your posts are always so enlightening.

first of all you have to keep in mind that 'addiction' has no singular meaning. even if we confine ourselves to talking about psychoactive substances, 'addiction' can range from the 'classic' case of increasing, compulsive, self-destructive use, to cases where a person's usage may actually be stable in the long term but they're chemically dependent on the substance (think: the way doctors talk about chronic pain patients who are dependent on opioid painkillers; then compare to how they talk about psychiatric patients who are dependent on SSRIs. for example). you can get dx'd with a 'substance use disorder' purely on the basis of how much you take/consume, even if you don't feel it's causing impairment in your life, particularly if you let slip that someone else in your life has expressed concern or tried to stop you. race and class contribute to distinctions here as well, where certain people have leeway to be seen (even in a psychiatric setting!) as 'experimenting' with substances, or using them 'recreationally', where the same usage pattern in a person who's otherwise marginalised might be flagged as 'addictive' and in need of intervention. all of this gets even messier when psychiatrists and physicians try to justify applying discourses of 'addiction' to eating, gambling, sex, social media, and so forth. recall that 'addiction' in the roman republic and middle ages had contested legal and augural meanings that could be positive as well as negative, and that by the seventeenth century it was largely used as a reflexive verb with a predominantly positive meaning—as in, "we sincerely addict ourselves to almighty god" (thomas fuller, 1655) or, of plato, "he addicted himself to the discipline of pythagoras" (thomas hearne, 1698). it was not until the twentieth century that "addict" came to be widely used as a noun defining people who were passively suffering on a medical model.

i don't mean to be evasive here but to point out that asking "how do we define addiction besides a disease model?" presumes already that the disease model is the singular and inescapable way of understanding addiction in the first place—this is not true historically or presently. addiction is a muddled concept and has always involved moral discourses; attempts to present it as a 'pure' or 'objective' medico-scientific judgment are in fact recent and still unstable.

to the extent that it is useful to talk about addiction as a disease—that is, as a state of suffering that is imposed upon the sufferer, that is a disruption of a desired state of health and well-being—i think it is critical to keep in mind that such a disease is social as much as biological. you can start here by pointing out that substance use is often precipitated by the necessity of withstanding miserable life conditions (ranging from extreme poverty, domestic abuse, social marginalisation, &c, to the 'standard', inherently alienating and miserable conditions anyone endures in capitalist society). but there are other social factors that contribute to the presentation of substance use as compulsive, escalating, and self-endangering. eg, lack of a safe, steady supply is a huge factor here! when people are forced to rely on inconsistent, unregulated supplies to get high, this contributes greatly to drug 'binge' behaviours and endangers users. there is also the fact that drug users are often already marginalised (esp along lines of race, class, ability, &c) and are then further marginalised on the basis of being drug users. what would substance use look like in a society where using didn't relegate people to the social margins, or render them socially disposable? what if people had social supports, and weren't forced to toil away their entire lives at jobs that make them miserable for pay that's barely enough to live on? what sorts of patterns of substance use would we see then? so then, is it the drugs themselves that are the problem here, purely neurobiologically? or is there a larger story to tell about how people come to exist in such a state where substance use is increasingly hard for them to engage in with safeguards; where being a substance user causes them to lose whatever degree of social connection and support they may have had, which was often insufficient already; where they are often unable to integrate substance use into a full and connected life because they are told they must either give up enjoyment of a substance entirely, or be continually branded 'relapsing', 'non-compliant', 'dangerous', &c &c.....?

at the end of the day i don't think it's helpful or accurate to talk about addiction as a disease because it decontextualises drug use from all of these factors: why people do it, why it becomes harmful for some, why it's assumed we must simply 'stop' and 'resist' in order to 'get better'. disease explanations blame the substances themselves on a reductive bio-mechanical level (& again, this becomes especially untenable philosophically when we think at all about 'behavioural addictions'). the point here isn't to say that addicts are just blithely waltzing into addiction—or, indeed, to say that drug use is intrinsically a bad thing that should be avoided! it's a pretty typical feature of human existence that many of us enjoy consuming substances that alter our mental and physical states, and that's not inherently bad. when i push back against a disease model of addiction, i'm not invoking a model of personal responsibility or individual choice. i'm asking how we can understand drug use within a much broader social and historically contextualised frame, and how that can help people who are in many different states wrt drugs, from 'currently engaging in patterns of usage that feel compulsive and terrible' to 'never done a drug in their life'.

#drugs

[irisintheafterglow]

Heyy, van I get a suguru geto x reader based on this playlist pls? Creative freedom, I just enjoy the playlist and your writing

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVNLTHYHuG3QRkaWiIAoNztVS2Ad51M3j&si=R_K3McCdTLK9Vc3H

tell me that you love me, love me till my lips turn blue

summary: for the first time in what feels like forever, you're paired with suguru on a mission. he gets...distracted.

wc: 1.13k

cw/tags: best friends to lovers, some language, canon-typical violence, mutual pining, suguru is the #1 lovesick idiot when you're not around, a little suggestive toward the end but nothing explicit

note: HIII you always have the best requests!! this is short and sweet but i was listening to the playlist nonstop while i was writing and oh MAN was it an experience. like ok powerful reader and powerful bf duo with doja playing in the background?? and then a good ol' makeout session at the end? delicious. hope you like this, thank you for your ask!!!

likes, reblogs, and replies are always appreciated :)

“They’re practically lining up, hmm?”

“Guess they’re excited,” you smile contemptuously at the Curse syndicate in front of you, all seven of the most wanted Jujutsu defectors this side of the prime meridian. Your partner on the mission huffs out an incredulous breath and you see him scowl out of the corner of your eye. “Do you need a–”

“Yeah,” he mutters and you wordlessly hand him the black hair tie from your wrist. You always kept extras when you were working together because he was sure to lose the one he brought; it was basically tradition, at this point. “You wanna take this round while I fix my hair?” 

“Sure, be right back,” you say carefreely as you shoot him a wink over your shoulder. He rolls his eyes lightheartedly at your antics and you decide to show off a little bit. Let’s gamble…25%. You stretch your limbs from side to side before raising a hand, sharply pulling it into a fist when you latch onto the energy signatures of the group in front of you. With such a low gamble, the effect of the additional energy is instantaneous; a quarter of the energy for every enemy in front of you basically over-replenished your own reserve. With the supplemental energy and your opponents temporarily stunned from the energy-theft, you send a single arc across the entire group and render them on the verge of unconsciousness. You mentally kick your technique up to 80% and absorb the remaining Cursed energy, leaving the syndicate groaning and incapacitated. After texting the higher-ups to dispatch a cleaning crew, you check on Suguru’s progress with taming his unruly hair. “You good?”

“Mmm, yeah. Just gimme a little longer,” he says absentmindedly, pulling his hair back over and over again until he’s satisfied with it. “I don’t know why I’m bothering with this, since the mission’s basically over. On paper, at least.” 

“Any idea where that last defector went?”

“I sent out a few Curses to go find him, but chances are he’s long gone by now. Satoru will probably end up catching him.”

“Oh, he’s gonna be so mad that he has to, you know, do his job,” you joke and he chuckles softly under his breath. It sounds like sunshine. “Any hard feelings that you didn’t get to save the day?”

“The opposite, actually,” he corrects and the look he gives you has your face burning. “I’m happy I got to see you in action. It’s not often that we’re paired together.”

“I know, and I’m sure you miss your awesome, amazing, gorgeous, talented best friend.” Your elbow knocks against his bicep and he shoulder bumps yours in response.   

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he drawls, waving a dismissive hand and your jaw drops in fake displeasure. “Just admit you missed me, already.”

“Not if you won’t admit it first,” you reply nonchalantly, in stark contrast to the increasing rhythm of your heartbeat. You were walking the ledge of that dangerous cliffside again, on the verge of completely falling for your best friend without knowing shit about his own feelings. It was selfish, allowing yourself to love him, but you couldn’t find the motivation to stop. “Let’s get out of this shithole; I’m craving some of that taiyaki we saw earlier on the–” 

Your words are abruptly cut short by Suguru’s hand gently but firmly covering your mouth while the other hand tugs you into a dark nook of the cave. He quietly shushes you and glances in the direction of the footsteps approaching from around the corner. You don’t focus on anything he’s trying to tell you, though, because your mind is short-circuiting from his proximity and the fact that he hasn’t taken his hand away from your arm. In fact, whether consciously or not, his fingers rub little circles onto your skin and your vision becomes a little starry. You weren’t sure if the affection was to relieve his anxiety or yours, but you sure weren’t complaining.

“Stay here, yeah?” He briefly takes his hand away from your mouth but doesn’t go far, repositioning it beside your head due to the cramped space he’d pulled you into. He’s close enough that you can feel his breath, minty from the gum he stole from you in the car. 

“Where are you going?” 

“Gonna take care of that last asshat out there and then come back and,” he inhales, eyes flicking down to your lips for a nearly imperceptible moment, “probably do something stupid.” Before you have the chance to ask what he means, he slips away and you hear the sound of faint rumblings. Chunks of rock crumble on the floor, the thuds mixing with distant pleads for mercy. The iridescent scales of Suguru’s dragon cast rainbows on the walls in the dim light and, before you know it, he’s back in the corner with you, slightly more flushed but just as handsome as minutes prior. “Miss me?”

“Cocky asshole,” you mutter half-heartedly, absolutely sure that he could hear your blood pounding in your ears from sheer adrenaline. He looked intoxicating, staring at you so intensely that your knees were buckling against the wall. The tension was suffocating in the stuffy, dusty atmosphere and your impatience reared its ugly head. “Well?”

“Well,” he breathes, unable to tear his eyes away from your face. 

“You gonna do that stupid thing yet or not?”

“I’m thinking about it,” he admits quietly, one hand brushing the side of your cheek tenderly. “Can I–”

“Stop thinking and just do it, Suguru. I’m not getting any younger–oh,” you murmur, melting into him when he grabs your chin and kisses you with pure devotion. His hand against the wall next to your head turns into his forearm when you pull him as close to you as humanly possible, the other finding your hip and drawing more of those infuriatingly loving circles. When you finally break away long enough to catch your breath, his lips stay on your skin, pressing feather-light kisses to your cheek, neck, and anywhere he could reach. When he finds your ear, he whispers the sweetest little promises that make your head spin. 

“I would die for you, you know,” he says in a low tone that you want to bottle up and inject into your veins. “I miss you so much when you’re out on missions; it drives me out of my mind.”

“I gotcha,” you grin and he raises a sharp eyebrow in question. “I got you to admit you miss me.” 

“Time for you to keep up your end of the deal, sweetheart.” His forehead rests against yours and he lets you greedily pull him even closer, humming when you pull the tie loose and card your fingers through his hair. “Say you missed me too.”

“Mmm. I missed you too, you love sick fool.”

“Takes one to know one, pretty.”

hear that? yeah that's me barking

#suguru x you #suguru x y/n #suguru x reader #geto x you #geto x reader #geto x y/n #suguru geto x you #suguru geto x y/n #suguru geto x reader #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk x y/n #jujutsu kaisen #ask iris!

[drnikolatesla]

Nikola Tesla on Human Energy

In an article written in 1900 titled “The Problem of Increasing Human Energy,” Nikola Tesla shares his ideas aimed at revolutionizing the way energy is generated, transmitted, and utilized, with the ultimate goal of enhancing human well-being and progress.

Tesla starts with his philosophical perspective on human life–what is it, and where is it going? He implies that human life is a movement, and since the existence of movement naturally implies a body which is being moved and a force which is moving it, then wherever there is life, there is a mass moved by a force. Since action and reaction are coexistent (Newton’s third law of motion), then human movement, along with all movement in the universe, is rhythmical. He explains how we are witness to this rhythm in the motion of the stars, the surging and ebbing of the oceans, the changing of seasons, and the infinitely varied phenomena of organic life. Tesla then identifies humanity as a unitary whole, and comes to the conclusion that the same general laws of movement that govern the whole physical universe must be applicable to all living things, including humankind, and we may understand this movement by using mechanical principles. Consequently, Tesla implies we may measure human energy using the formula for kinetic energy, E=MV²/2, which is one of the fundamental physics equations that describes a moving object's energy. E represents energy, M being human mass, and V a hypothetical velocity. Tesla goes on to consider humans analogous to machines and asks how do we increase the energy of this machine positively and decrease the negative forces decelerating it? In answering this question, Tesla suggests:

Promoting marriage

Having more children and raising them to a higher velocity, or enlightenment, than their parents

Attention to health

Improving quality of drinking water

Providing healthful food to those in need

Encouraging a vegetarian diet rather than a carnivorous one

Discouraging artificial food

Moderation of exercise between both mind and body

Discouraging bad habits with alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee, and other stimulants

Discouraging gambling

Improving hygiene, education, and morals

Reducing ignorance, stupidity, imbecility, religious fanaticism, etc.

Improving the productivity of soil by electrical means

Increasing the workforce

Ending warfare by developing machines (remote controlled robots, drones, etc.) to fight battles leading to fewer human casualties

Encouraging peace by bringing humans in closer contact

Improving methods of manufacturing (i.e., coal, gas, iron, aluminum)

Withdrawing from traditional energy sources and tapping into renewable energy

Tesla shares his invention of a radio controlled boat and its possible use. He also shares his experiments involving burning of nitrogen in the atmosphere, wireless transmission of power, and more. He discusses his vision for harnessing natural forces to help increase the energy needs of humanity. He proposes a global system of wireless power transmission, using the earth as a conductor and waterfalls as a power source. He also explores the possibilities of interplanetary communication and ideas related to tapping into cosmic energy sources and utilizing them for the betterment of humankind.

Tesla finishes his article saying:

"I anticipate that many, unprepared for these results, which, through long familiarity, appear to me simple and obvious, will consider them still far from practical application. Such reserve, and even opposition, of some is as useful a quality and as necessary an element in human progress as the quick receptivity and enthusiasm of others. Thus, a mass which resists the force at first, once set in movement, adds to the energy. The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter — for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way. He lives and labors and hopes with the poet who says:

"Schaff’, das Tagwerk meiner Hände, Hohes Glück, dass ich’s vollende! Lass, o lass mich nicht ermatten! Nein, es sind nicht leere Träume: Jetzt nur Stangen, diese Bäume Geben einst noch Frucht und Schatten."

(Daily work — my hands’ employment, To complete is pure enjoyment! Let, oh, let me never falter! No! there is no empty dreaming: Lo! these trees, but bare poles seeming, Yet will yield both food and shelter!)

*Goethe’s “Hope." Translated by William Gibson, Com. U. S. N.*

#nikola tesla #science #history #quotes #energy #wireless #power #humanity #humankind #philosophy #ahead of his time #ahead of our time

[scienceandfandoms]

I was talking on Discord and accidentally spent an hour giving my thoughts on how well each new Who companion could take care of a baby. Note that I think most everyone on this list is capable of taking care of a baby for some amount of time. As such I'm adding how long I think they could do so/additional stipulations in bold. Also of note that a lot of these depend on when in their timeline we mean. I split some ratings based on this. Also also this is just for fun

So without further ado... How well New Who companions would do taking care of a baby (under the cut)

Rose Tyler: When we meet her she is so so young to be caring for an infant for a significant amount of time. But by the end of her time on screen? Sure. In EU content she's even got a kid. Rating: a few days at the start, long term at the end

Mickey Smith: Era specific. Definitely not for early Mickey. But once he's matured after spending time in Pete's World he could probably do it. Rating: maybe for an afternoon at the start, long term at the end

Captain Jack Harkness: Has had children canonically. This does not, however, fill me with confidence. Probably knows how to keep them alive more or less though unless their death would save the world haha who said that. Rating: inevitable heartbreak/10

Martha Jones: I'd trust her to do so at the start if she had to bc of her medical training and being slightly older/with her shit together. My confidence has only increased with time. Rating: most competent so far, could probably handle it long term if she had to right at the start

Donna Noble: Has successfully, canonically, on screen raised a spectacular daughter who is also a companion. A large portion of her time on screen in The Star Beast is dedicated to how good of a mother she is. Rating: companion I would trust the most with a baby for any amount of time

River Song: Another one that depends in part on place in the timeline and I'm not even gonna get into the thing where the Library makes her a parent or something at the end of that episode bc that feels forced af to me. But I feel like she'd lack confidence in her ability to care for a kid of any age, but take to it surprisingly well if she really had to do it. Rating: earlier in her timeline just no. Later in her timeline she could probably manage long term

Amy Pond and Rory Williams (they're a couple so doing them together): at the beginning they're also quite young (not even counting Amelia era Amy). They could do it but I think Rory would be picking up a lot of the slack for the same reasons I think early Martha could do it. Dubiously canonly they DID raise a kid (though it's unclear if it was from infancy), and in general there's so many timeskips they're a lot older and more mature by their departure and I think they'd be fine. Rating: carried by Rory to squeak out mid-long term success early on, but in a better position long term later in their lives

Clara Oswald: Clara has experience with children, yes, but ones that are SCHOOL age. Clara is not equipped to handle an infant. You can't be clever at an infant. Unless you speak baby. Maybe she forces the Doctor to teach her to speak baby. I doubt it would help. Rating: I wouldn't leave a baby with Clara Oswald for more than an afternoon and even that much is a gamble

Nardole: Has been seen looking after babies before. Seems reasonably competent at it. Up there honestly. Rating: long term right from the start. Or at least from his second episode he's just kinda doofy in THORS and there's a significant time skip after that

Bill Potts: While not as young as someone like Rose, her position in life is still one that makes caring for a baby for a significant duration difficult. Could she do it? Yeah probably if she really had to. But I want her to live her life. Rating: living situation complicates anything more than short term early on, probably capable of long term with resources even then

Ryan Sinclair: Chibnall companions are kinda nothing to me. Sorry. Please don't come at me for not being a Chibnall enjoyer. But it can be hard to get a read on them to me. Ryan is pretty young though so I'm gonna say best not. Maybe if he was written by someone capable of developing a character. Rating: short term would probably be okay

Graham O'Brien: Also Chibnall. In a better position age wise. Loses points for all the ableism with Ryan so maybe if the kid isn't disabled I guess. Rating: another short term candidate I suppose

Yaz Khan: Also Chibnall. Also young. Still probably not. I'm sorry canon Yaz is kinda nothing to me I know a lot of people really like her. Rating: competent enough for short term probably

Dan Lewis: Maybe the Chibnall companion I'd trust with a baby the most? I mean he's not barely an adult, and his main crime is outing someone which isn't really relevant to a baby. I think it's a bit outside his wheelhouse but he'd manage it okay. Though if he never unshrunk his house that might make it a bit more difficult for anything longer term. Rating: congratulations you get short term with longer term conditional on the assumption you have somewhere to go with said baby

Rose Noble: She's 15. But on the other hand she could ask her mom for help so if that's an option she's fine actually. Rating: probably a great short term babysitter, has the resources to get excellent assistance if she were to end up with a baby in the long term

Ruby Sunday: Another Quite Young companion and her introduction literally does feature a baby in her care getting kidnapped. She does get that baby back though and it's shown that she helps her mom with childcare a lot so big babysitter energy. Rating: short-mid term on her own, longer term with assistance

#doctor who #new who #please note that this is not that deep #rose tyler #mickey smith #captain jack harkness #martha jones #donna noble #river song #amy pond #rory williams #clara oswald #nardole #bill potts #ryan sinclair #graham o'brien #yaz khan #dan lewis #rose noble #ruby sunday #she speaks #scienceandfandoms #long post

[furiousgoldfish]

Abusers can often tell, that what gives them the power over another person is just them owning a piece of property, a house, financial and economic hold over this person. They know that the only thing that enables them to control a victim, to punish them and keep them unable to escape, is that the victim has no other house to go to, no other source of income, no other survival resources.

So they’re not going to sit still and watch as the victim attempts to gain friends, a job, resources, piece of property. They’re going to do all in their power to sabotage it, stop it, or have it work in their favour.

For example, if the victim is acquiring friends (whose houses could be later used as a refuge), the abuser will attempt to sabotage or break it, either by monopolizing the victim’s time, giving them chores and jobs and time-consuming activities they have to do, away from friends. Or by telling the victim, that they’re universally unlikable, that their friends are not real friends, that they’re secretly judging and consider the victim a burden in their life. They might also go the route of suddenly needing the victim’s all time, being jealous, sick, feeble, needy, anything to stop the victim from reaching out and forming connections with the world.

If it’s about the money, the abuser will either find a way to claim a part, or all of the victim’s new income, or they will try to get the victim to spend it, by withdrawing the money the victim would usually get for necessities. They might sabotage the job by causing new trauma which will keep the victim incapable of work, they might steal the money, break something so the victim would have to replace it, or, they will try to talk the victim into putting the money in a place where they won’t have access to it, like in a joint account, savings account, a gamble, an investment. They will make it sound like a smart thing to do; then, the victim can’t go anywhere as their money is out of reach. And once the money is within reach, the abuser will find a new joint venture for them to spend it on, so then again, the victim would end up spending the money on increasing the abuser’s property, rather than for buying their own. The abuser will convince the victim that doing otherwise, would be very stupid.

In order to escape the sabotaging abuser, the victim has to somehow organize savings, a new place to go, new social connections, new experience and income, practically overnight, or completely in secret. This is why it often feels hard or impossible, it’s not a matter of taking your stuff and physically getting out, they make sure you have nowhere to go. They make sure you’re either unaware, or too ashamed to go to a shelter, that you’re looking at homelessness if you turn your back on them, because they made sure you have no income, no access to resources or social connections. 

And I’m not saying that the escape is impossible because I did it, and others have too; it might take years, it might take risks and secrecy and fighting with the abuser over and over again for the right to privacy, for the right to keep your own money somewhere they can’t reach it, sometimes it takes enduring violence, putting your life on the risk only for the escape. I’m saying you’re not guilty for having a hard time with it. It’s not happening because you’re incapable, or lazy, or don’t know how to get anywhere in life. It’s not because you’re bad at getting friends, or a job, or income. It’s not because of you. The abuser is actively standing in your way at the every step of it. But they won’t be able to do that forever. Nobody can keep another human being where they don’t want to be, forever.

#escape abuse #financial abuse #economic abuse #using property ownership to keep victims trapped #psychological abuse #victim shaming #victim blaming #sabotage of social life #sabotage of income

[visxenyax]

-𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖗 𝖀𝖓𝖈𝖑𝖊

Synopsis: Aemond has been sent to find his granddaughter, in the middle of the night! Warning: Incest; possessive;(soft) brat kink; SMUT; NSFW ---------------------------------------------- It was the middle of the night and along the path that led to the village of Westrose, there was Aemond who with his black steed with thick hair, were traveling that road in search of his niece, who was no longer at the castle for just over a few hours. Finally the young prince wearing a robe with a hood came to the village, tethered his steed to the side of the village entrance warm, because of the illuminations and people dancing, getting drunk, gambling and you could even glimpse, of couples in the middle of a sexual act;

he wasted no time when the young man was harassed by two prostitutes, a male who promised him divine experiences and the woman who told him that if he went with her, she would take him to see the seven gods!

<<Let me pass!>> he said in a cold voice and his temper was also icy, on the other hand it was his nature to always be icy and cold! The prostitutes were embittered, but on the other hand they were used to having similar behaviors from people; without remorse Aemond resumed his search for his niece; she was renowned for being a fairly open person, not very disciplined, who loved the freedom of the world, and hated being a princess locked up 24/7 inside a luxurious palace. As he went further and further, the number of people increased; continuing at this pace, he arrived at the square where there was a large wooden slab where belly dancers danced on it

Bodies with abundant and not abundant curves, which with their movements could enchant anyone, those curves and sinuous and sensual movements, lust but also the joy in expressing oneself by dancing transpired from them, a dance full of sensuality but also of happiness and joy . In the middle of the slab it was possible to notice a mane with long white hair, so long that it reached up to his bottom, it seemed made of shiny silk, although it was visually splendid and soft. "There she is," thought Aemond.

In his rough way, Aemond waded into the fray and forcefully took his niece's arm and dragged her away from the slab; the girl didn't seem to react at first, but when she turned around and saw who it was and what was going on, she became furious and was trying to wriggle out of his grip in every way, looking like a wild young filly. <<Let me go, uncle! I told you to let go of this fucking grip!>>she yelled, but he paid no attention

"Do you know what the fuck time it is?! it's time to stop doing your usual little girly shit and act like a princess, and you can't come here at this hour!>>Aemond's head whipped around towards her, and his face was full of anger, his eyebrows were furrowed, while his one eye was wide open, you didn't need the other eye to cause concern, that alone was enough; only from that could his anger be seen, through his glacial eye <<You are angry?>> Visenya looked down, she was scared and sorry for his behavior, he didn't like it when his uncle scared him so, she always felt uncomfortable almost disappointed in his presence when he behaved like this… Aemond didn't answer and turned away, still yanking his niece towards the exit that wasn't very close to them. Visenya's arm started to ache... <<Aemond…let go, you're hurting me, I won't run away, I promise>> said Visenya Without doubting Aemond aware of the too much force he had put on the girl's arm, I immediately loosened my grip, but it was too loose that Visenya escaped from his clutches. ''Holy sh-'' With a skilful shot he chased his niece, it wasn't easy to catch her, the young woman was rather plump but had muscles in her legs, which allowed her to have a fairly fast run.

the race was slowly becoming more and more exhausting, Visenya was trudging so to the first barn she saw, she darted into it, hiding behind a giant accumulation of pairs; lying down on a bed also made of the same material as the accumulation of pairs.

exhausted by running, she lay dead weight on it, hoping not to be found by her uncle. Aemond couldn't find her anymore, for the first time a feeling of panic hid inside him; thinking about how many punishments he would have had if he hadn't found her. Or to the millions of problems that her mysterious disappearance would cause, the people loved her, and would like her to become the future queen, for this Aemond must find her at all costs, for the kingdom.

without thinking he entered the barn in which his niece had entered, the place gave off her perfume

<<I know you're here, Visenya, show yourself!>> He was calling her back, even though he was looking for her everywhere, inside that place. He finally reached the place where Visenya was hidden, and there he could see the candor and sensuality of his niece...

her green, almond-shaped eyes looking at him with that innocent look, her heart-shaped mouth, half open with surprise at having been found; her curvy body, her slender legs....

An intense heat slowly built inside Aemond

<<Visenya, get up...and come- let's go!>>

Visenya shook her head as she pulled back

The young man kneeling in front of her was surprised by her audacity and the sensation she was experiencing; enjoying the moment he threw his head back, while being caressed by the young woman, he gave out soft moans, he wanted to keep himself composed even in that intimate moment, he didn't want to sin of virilityAemond was more and more fascinated, his member felt it, he felt he was going crazy... the tissue that trapped him was becoming more and more tight and annoying.. ''Fuck..'' even her thoughts were reeling with lust Aemond closed his eyes inhaling all the air he could, letting it out two minutes later, he had to calm down, but he felt the young girl caressing the inside of his thigh "What are you doing, brat- Visenya's hands were climbing more and more, until they reached Aemond's covered linguine... <<If you don't stop, the fire will burn you>>Aemond said <<Eh..then burn me, under this pair, let's create hell inside this barn>> she answered longing for Aemond. Aemond quickly lowered himself joining his lips on those of the young woman, in a hungry kiss, he was in need of her attention, that attention he had craved since time immemorial, his member was bursting with the desire he had for his Visenya, always the defined as hers even if she was unaware, wherever she went, she had her icy shadow, watching her, longing for her, protecting her. the kiss grew more and more fierce, adding their tongues from both sides, a kiss that became red-hot; Aemond wanted her and without thinking twice, he took both sides of the corset she was holding and forcefully split the corset, ripping the dress underneath; revealing the curves of her young, soft curves, almost milky white skin; her body in Aemond's eyes was perfect, her small breasts were grabbed and licked by the young man; the small nipple of the left breast was meticulously licked by his long and wet tongue. Making the girl moan, her repeated moans were like choirs of angels to Aemond... Visenya's hands were helping her uncle strip off the clothes he was wearing, leaving him shortly thereafter naked; his body was lean and muscular, but not too much, he wasn't excessively full of scars, but these little accessories made a bad impression on him, made him a fascinating man in the eyes of the girl. The hands that were previously busy stripping him were now busy on the young man's modest member, caressing and giving him pleasure. The young man kneeling in front of her was surprised by her audacity and the sensation she was experiencing; enjoying the moment he threw his head back, while being caressed by the young woman, he gave out soft moans, he wanted to keep himself composed even in that intimate moment, he didn't want to sin of virility

Aemond's hips started moving towards the girl, he wanted to feel more pleasure.

<<I want to hear you, Aemond, come to me>>

The young man didn't have to repeat it, he grabbed the girl's legs and dragged her upwards, bringing her close to his virility, eager. He entered her with such slowness as to send her to the gallows, he wanted to make every inch of himself felt inside her; the young woman was moaning, her moans were driving Aemond crazy and from there the inferno lit up, Aemond began to give decisive and repeated jabs, the young woman's body was slammed back and forth, their pleasure was increasing greatly , Aemond's composure had become nothing, his soft moans were making themselves heard, a chorus of moans could be heard inside that barn. Movements of hips more and more animalistic was giving, the young man felt his heart explode from the pleasure that the girl's flesh gave him. More and more he wanted the girl, he loved the young man's member inside her, he loved how he was giving it to her Aemond and Visenya were almost at their climax, the two mouths that had parted, reunited, as his hands returned to her small breasts, squeezing and releasing, moving it from side to side, as the movements of boy they became less and less until the last jab she gave him was so decisive and dry that it made the young girl's eyes widen, making her gasp.... Aemond's orgasm poured out onto the pair that was next to her body; while Visenya's climax was heard by a scream of pleasure… ----------------------------------------- The bodies lay side by side, sleeping, and weary from the sexual intercourse they've just had.

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

for requests, please write!! I hope you liked it!

#aemond fanfiction #aemond #aemond one eye #aemond smut #aegon targaryen #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #smut #house of the dragon #hotd aemond #hotd imagine #yn #visenya targaryen #queen visenya #aemond x visenya #image #oneshot #x reader

[milijanakomad]

Product design and psychology: The Role of Grinding in Video Game Design

Keywords: Grinding, Video Gaming, Game Design, Player Engagement, Psychological Manipulation

Abstract:

This paper scrutinizes the utilization of "grinding" as a technique in video game design, particularly as a method of psychological manipulation that affects player engagement and behaviour. Case studies are explored to deliver a comprehensive understanding of the practical application of grinding and its implications, all from a product design viewpoint.

Introduction:

The design principles governing video games frequently incorporate mechanisms intended to stimulate player engagement and prolong interaction time. One such prevalent mechanism is "grinding," defined as the practice of executing repetitive tasks within the game environment to achieve specific objectives. While grinding can evoke a sense of achievement, it also carries the potential to induce exhaustion and frustration among players. This study endeavours to explore the intricacies of grinding, its role in game design, and its influence on player experience.

Explanation:

Coined from the concept of persistently "grinding away" at a task, the term "grinding" in the gaming context implies the undertaking of repetitive actions by a player to attain certain results or to advance within the game. In numerous instances, such actions may not directly correlate with the game's primary storyline or objectives but are aimed at accumulating experience points, in-game currency, or specialized items.

Grinding is an omnipresent component across a vast array of game genres, with its prominence notably manifested in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). In these games, the player's progression and performance are often gauged based on their character's level, skills, and available equipment.

From the standpoint of game design, grinding assumes several roles. It serves to extend the game's lifespan by instituting goals that necessitate substantial time investment. Additionally, it fosters a sense of accomplishment and progression and can encourage social interaction in multiplayer environments. Despite these advantages, critics contend that grinding can lead to monotonous and ungratifying gameplay experiences. The considerable time commitment required by grinding may propel some players towards purchasing in-game enhancements using real-world money, thereby generating additional revenue for game developers.

Further, there is an ongoing discourse concerning the psychological implications of grinding. Its repetitive and rewarding nature might precipitate addictive behaviours and excessive consumption of time, mirroring the effects typically associated with gambling disorders. Through the exploration of these aspects, we aim to shed light on the complex dynamics of grinding in the context of modern video gaming.

Grinding in Gaming: Conceptualization and Design

Grinding typically refers to the act of performing repetitive actions in a game to attain a specific goal, often associated with levelling up, obtaining items, or advancing in-game skills. Although it can give players a sense of progression, it can also serve as a roadblock, encouraging players to consider alternative paths to progress, such as microtransactions.

Case Study: World of Warcraft

Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft (WoW) extensively employs grinding. Players often engage in repetitive tasks like fighting the same enemies, repeatedly battling against non-player characters (NPCs), or completing the same quests to increase their character's level, to gain experience points, in-game currency, or rare items. This grind contributes to a sense of achievement but has also been criticized for sometimes leading to a tedious gameplay experience.

Case Study: Candy Crush Saga

King's Candy Crush Saga uses grinding as a monetization strategy. As players progress and levels become harder, the option to grind through the game becomes more attractive. Alternatively, players can buy power-ups and boosters to surpass the grind, effectively translating grinding mechanics into revenue for the game developers.

Case Study: Destiny 2

This game provides an example of a 'loot grind.' Players repeatedly complete activities like strikes, raids, or public events to earn 'engrams' – randomized gear drops. The goal is often to collect more powerful gear to increase a character's power level.

Case Study: Old School RuneScape 

In this MMORPG, players might grind by repetitively performing tasks like mining, fishing, or woodcutting. These actions, though monotonous, boost the player's skill levels, enabling them to perform new tasks, quests, or create new items.

Implications for Game Design

Grinding, while a tool to extend game playtime and potentially drive monetization, must be thoughtfully implemented to avoid player fatigue or burnout. Game designers should strike a balance between meaningful progression and repetitive grind, ensuring the game remains engaging and satisfying.

Conclusion

Grinding, as a mechanism of psychological manipulation in video game design, can greatly impact player behaviour and engagement. Striking a balance between challenge, satisfaction, and repetition is vital to ensure a rewarding gameplay experience. As the video game industry advances, it will be intriguing to observe the evolution and refinement of grinding mechanisms and their psychological impact on players.

References:

Sicart, M. (2013). Grinding in Games: Understanding the Appeal. Philosophy of Computer Games Conference, 8-11.

Hamari, J., Alha, K., Järvelä, S., Kivikangas, J. M., Koivisto, J., & Paavilainen, J. (2017). Why do players buy in-game content? An empirical study on concrete purchase motivations. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 538-546. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.045

Blizzard Entertainment. (2004). World of Warcraft [Video Game]. Blizzard Entertainment.

King. (2012). Candy Crush Saga [Video Game]. King.

Bungie. (2017). Destiny 2 [Video Game]. Activision.

Jagex. (2013). Old School RuneScape [Video Game]. Jagex.

Yee, N. (2006). Motivations of play in online games. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 9(6), 772-775. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9.772

Johnson, M. R., & Woodcock, J. (2019). The impacts of live streaming and Twitch.tv on the video game industry. Media, Culture & Society, 41(5), 670-688. doi:10.1177/0163443718818363

King, D., Delfabbro, P., & Griffiths, M. (2010). Video game structural characteristics: A new psychological taxonomy. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(1), 90-106. doi:10.1007/s11469-009-9206-4

Deterding, S., Dixon, D., Khaled, R., & Nacke, L. (2011). From game design elements to gamefulness: defining "gamification". MindTrek '11: Proceedings of the 15th International Academic MindTrek Conference: Envisioning Future Media Environments, 9-15. doi:10.1145/2181037.2181040

#Grinding #Video Gaming #Game Design #Player Engagement #Psychological Manipulation #product design #gaming #user experience #player behaviour #destiny 2 #world of warcraft #runescape #old school runescape #candy crush #Youtube

[starleska]

I am definitely here to find out more about your OC Harper if you wanna share 👀👀👀

oh my god yes yes yes thank you so much Jam i would LOVE to gush about Harper Spiel and their bizarre backstory, thank you so much 🙈💖 Doctor Who OCs are so fun to make!

my dear Harper's story begins right after the events of The Giggle! Harper Spiel is a 26-year-old ludologist, or games specialist: a former world champion in several board games who turned their fascination with games into a lucrative career. previously they worked with the British government investigating high-profile gambling rings and other criminal operations which involved gameplay mechanics! 👀

following The Giggle, UNIT wanted to find out all they could about the Toymaker, and so they hired Harper to create a full report on him...against The Doctor's wishes, and without his knowledge. during their research, Harper discovers that the Toymaker is not an isolated incident: he has cropped up in gaming lore and texts throughout history as a godlike entity no one can win against. most people would steer well clear...but Harper takes this as a challenge 🔥 so, they begin a series of experiments with the Toymaker's Toybox. Harper spends weeks trying to engage the Toymaker without opening the box, attempting to coax him into a game, but comes up short. until they have a mad idea! on their birthday, Harper brings a sand timer to the Toybox, and challenges the Toymaker to emerge before the sand runs out. they have no way of knowing if the game is accepted... until a bang!! then, a flash of light...and the vague image of a grin with far too many teeth, beaming through the fog. when Harper awakes, they are no longer in their own timeline. they are in 1984, in an empty lot where the UNIT building hasn't even been constructed yet! 😱 it takes a few days for the Doctor - specifically the Sixth Doctor - to find Harper, and it's because the TARDIS has become absolutely fixated on London in 1984 and he can't work out why. this leads him to Harper, who the Doctor recognises as a temporal anomaly: a living entity displaced in time who should not be able to exist in this reality, but has been rejected by their own. according to the Doctor, Harper's birthday - originally March 22nd, 1998 - is now March 22nd, 1956...which would make them 65 years old according to their original reality!! if not...that means they're minus 40 💀 the Doctor, horrified by this mess, takes Harper into the TARDIS and tries to bring them back to 2024...but the TARDIS nearly implodes! he then tries every workaround he knows, but something about the game Harper opened up with the Toymaker has caused their own timeline to shun them. like it or not, the only safe place for Harper to exist (at least without increasing timey-wimey shenanigans) is within the TARDIS 😉 so!! Harper gets stuck with the Sixth Doctor, to his chagrin and their delight. Harper is familiar with the Doctor, but only his most recent regenerations, and they take delight in playing off his bombastic, arrogant personality. they're always getting stuck into some part of the TARDIS they shouldn't be, or wandering off and nearly causing a category 5 space-time event. they're a magnet for disaster and time distortion, and it drives the Doctor mad! 🙈 but as funny as their relationship is, there is real grief here. the Doctor soon recognises Harper to be somewhat like him: a scientist whose fascination often overrides their emotions, so the process of understanding that they will never see their friends again (as they have no family to speak of) is tough. it doesn't take long for the Doctor to soften towards Harper...after all, Harper is something which the universe itself is trying to reject. who can relate more to that than the Sixth Doctor, whose regeneration was characterised by fear, anger and feeling like an alien in his own body? aaaand that's Harper Spiel!! unwitting companion to the Sixth Doctor and challenger of the Toymaker 🥰 their adventures would be characterised by them attempting to find some way back to Harper's original timeline safely, with Harper insisting they need to find the Toymaker to make it happen...😭

#giggles oh i love making Doctor Who OCs. everyone should do it!!! thanks so much for asking about Harper 🙈 #also yes - Harper's birthday (dd/mm) and the time they get yeeted back to (dd/mm/yyyy) is the start of Colin Baker's tenure as the Doctor 😉 #i needed a ridiculous character to ship with both of my favourites okay and THIS WAS THE COMPROMISE #doctor who oc #harper spiel #the doctor x oc #the toymaker x oc #sixspiel #toyspiel #sixth doctor #6th doctor #the doctor #the toymaker #doctor who #dw #starleskasks #starleskawrites #long post

[empiredesimparte]

PRESS ARTICLE - URGENT: New Chief of Staff and dissolution of the Legislative Body by His Majesty!

The Emperor's new private military staff, Admiral Florent Quincy, 55, was spotted at the Tuileries Palace. He advises His Majesty on French and international military affairs, even the most sensitive ones. Which makes him an important adviser for the country's future policy.

Admiral Florent Quincy met the Emperor for the first time at the Tuileries Palace in Paris. He was guided by Jean Schulmeister, Napoleon IV's former chief of staff.

Florent Quincy's arrival in the corridors of power is attracting attention for a number of reasons, not least because he is one of the Simpartist party's biggest contributors and has extensive military experience aboard the aircraft carrier Le Normandie.

A few days earlier, His Majesty the Emperor Napoléon V dissolved Parliament. This is a rare political act, which in the republican tradition is normally used to resolve serious crises and is often judged with suspicion. It is wise to assume that the Emperor wished to give his Prime Minister Charlemagne de Maupas new political room for manoeuvre by increasing the number of Imperial Party seats in Parliament.

State of the Legislative Body under the First Government of Charlemagne de Maupas (end of the reign of Napoléon IV)

The opposition party (Third Party) had 150 seats compared with 200 for the Emperor.

Before the dissolution, His Majesty had only a very small majority, which allowed the opposition parties to systematically block the measures desired by the government.

State of the Legislative Body under the Second Government of Charlemagne de Maupas (Napoléon V)

Dissolution was a risky but successful gamble for the Emperor, as His Majesty's party won 83 seats in the early elections. This majority will strengthen the powers of the second government of Charlemagne de Maupas and the Simpartist party for many years to come.

Dissolution is permitted under the French Constitution in the event of "extended powers given to the Emperor in times of crisis". These powers were conferred on the Emperor after the death of His Majesty, the late Emperor Napoléon IV, in a terrorist attack.

At the beginning of his reign, Emperor Napoléon V asked the French Parliament to grant him extensive powers. Some opponents of power deplored the end of democracy, and the dissolution of Parliament is proof of this today.

It is clear that through this very serious political gesture, His Majesty is showing all his power, since he enjoys great popularity, but also that he is placing all his trust in his Prime Minister, Charlemagne de Maupas.

⚜ Traduction française

ARTICLE - URGENT : Dissolution du Corps Législatif par Sa Majesté !

Au palais des Tuileries a été aperçu le nouvel état major des armées particulier de l'Empereur, l'amiral Florent Quincy, 55 ans. Ce dernier conseille Sa Majesté pour les affaires militaires françaises et internationales, même les plus délicates. Ce qui en fait un conseiller important pour la future politique du pays.

L'amiral Florent Quincy rencontre l'Empereur pour la première fois au palais des Tuileries à Paris. Il est guidé par l'ancien état-major de Napoléon IV, Jean Schulmeister.

L'arrivée de Florent Quincy aux loges du pouvoir attire l'attention pour de multiples raisons, principalement parce qu'il est l'un des plus grands collaborateurs du parti Simpartiste et a une grande expérience militaire à bord du porte-avions Le Normandie.

Quelques jours plus tôt, Sa Majesté l'Empereur Napoléon V a dissous le Parlement. C'est un acte politique rare, qui dans la tradition républicaine, est normalement utilisée pour résoudre des crises graves et qui est souvent jugée avec suspicion. Il est sage de penser que l'Empereur a souhaité donner à son Premier Ministre Charlemagne une nouvelle marge de manoeuvre politique en renforçant le nombre de sièges du Parti impérial au Parlement.

Etat du Corps Législatif sous le Premier Gouvernement de Charlemagne de Maupas

Avant la dissolution, Sa Majesté ne disposait que d'une très faible majorité qui permettait aux partis de l'opposition de bloquer systématiquement les mesures souhaitées par le gouvernement.

La dissolution était un pari risqué mais réussi pour l'Empereur, puisque le parti de Sa Majesté a gagné grâce aux élections anticipées 83 sièges. Cette majorité va permettre de renforcer les pouvoirs du second gouvernement de Charlemagne de Maupas et du parti Simpartiste pour de longues années.

L'Empereur Napoléon V au début de son règne demande au Parlement français de lui conférer les pouvoirs étendus.

La dissolution est permise par la Constitution française en cas de "pouvoirs élargis donnés à l'Empereur en temps de crise". Ces pouvoirs ont été conférés à l'Empereur après la mort de feu Sa Majesté, l'Empereur Napoléon IV dans un attentat. Il est évident qu'à travers ce geste politique d'une grande gravité, Sa Majesté montre toute sa puissance puisqu'il jouit d'une grande popularité, mais aussi qu'il place toute sa confiance en son Premier Ministre, Charlemagne de Maupas.

#simparte #ts4 #ts4 royal #royal simblr #sims 4 royal #sim : louis #sims 4 fr #sims 4 #ts4 royalty #le cabinet noir #sims 4 royal family #sims 4 royal simblr #sims 4 royalty #sim : florent #sim : jean #ts4 royal wedding #ts4 royal family #ts4 royal simblr #worldbuilding #press

[daily-fantasy-ideas]

Had a new idea for a kind of bastard spellcaster, the Invoker:

Invoking the power of other beings is not something particularly strange in the world of spell-casting, there are in fact numerous (typically at least somewhat religious) varieties of spellcasters whose primary method of casting involves invoking the abilities of some higher power.

Now invokers on the other hand are seen as different. Unlike with the other invocative casters, there is no exchange or communication between the one invoking and the one whose power is being invoked.

To do this invoker requires a remnant of some powerful thing (most often biofacts are used), for example, a mythic hero's strand of hair, a dragon's scale, the fragment of a legendary sword, or a divine's blood droplet suspended in glass.

In order to invoke the power contained within the remnants collected most invokers use a three-staged magical device.

Stage one is the holder where the remains physically go, they're often suspended within an open casing of some sort so they can be swapped in and out with ease.

Stage two is a connector inscribed with the words of rituals that connect the remains to the final stage of the device.

Stage three is the casting head, this is from where the invoked power is sent out and made a tangible force in the world

An example of one of these devices could be a traditional-looking wizard staff with the remnants placed at the top, with the ritual words inscribed upon the shaft of the staff, with a sharpened point acting as the casting head at the staff's base.

An alternative example could be could involve a waist bag-esq holder for the remnant with an inscribed leather cord connecting the holder to a swand acting as the casting head.

Additionally, while most people upon gaining new knowledge and experience of the world increase their own power and become stronger and better people for it, invokers can instead pour this developmental potential into the remnants they possess to increase the power and number of feats remnants are able to perform.¹

Further, if needed an invoker can also pour their own life force into a remnant to give it a temporary boost.²

Additional idea stuff I couldn't add in the main text.

¹ Yes that is just me saying they can level up the remnants instead of themselves, but it's a bit of a gamble as they might not get something good from it (at first at least).

²Yes that is just me saying they can sacrifice health for more powerful abilities, but again it's a gamble but one which can be rerolled if the invoker has placed levels into certain skills. The amount of health sacrificed is also proportional to the power boost gained.

The particular method of invocation used by invokers is descended from a school of assassination spells that sapped people's power at range to either weaken or kill them.

Invoking too much from one entity into short of a timespan can weaken the entity's power temporarily.

Invoking the power of just like some normal guy can drain them so much power that they die.

The things that the remnants are taken from might become aware that their power is being invoked.

Invocation can go massively wrong and the invoked power can turn explicitly against the invoker.

Sometimes the things being invoked will attempt to take revenge against the invokers, by either destroying them or manipulating them with the promise of more power.

Some invoked entities are actually just fine being invoked, as the invoker might actually be spreading their will.

Some people technically fall under the label of invoker but they gain the permission of those who they invoke, these types of invoker are more rare and less disliked and more simply seen as weird.

There can be remnants of intangible things such as forces, these too can be invoked.

The dead can be invoked.

The invoked power of most dead things is generally less potent than the invoked power of those that live.

This idea was created entirely because the word "invoke" sounds cool to me, everything else just kinda spiralled out from that

#long post #fantasy ideas #world building #fantasy magic #fantasy magic system #fantasy characters

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Any predictions for Worlds?

My prediction for Worlds is that it's unpredictable. 😁 I assume that you wanna talk the men competition? (I can talk about all other disciplines as well, but that would take too long here)

I'd say there are 4 contenders for the Gold medal at Worlds Ilia, Shoma, Yuma and Adam.

Let's take a look at the Season 2023/2024 Best Scores:

1. Ilia Malinin (6 quads FS) - 314,66 (GPF23)

2. Yuma Kagiyama (3 quads FS) - 307,56 (4cc23)

3. Adam Siao Him Fa (4 quads FS) - 306,78 (GPFra23)

4. Shoma Uno (4 quads FS without all combos) - 297,34 (GPF23)

And the Personal Best Scores:

1. Ilia Malinin - 314,66 (GPF23)

2. Shoma Uno - 312,48 (Worlds 2022)

3. Yuma Kagiyama - 310,05 (Olympics 2022)

4. Adam Siao Him Fa - 306,78 (GPFra2023)

I think the SP will be key and who makes less mistakes. A mistake in the SP can cost the title. The free skate however will decide who will win.

Let's take a look at each of the 4:

First don't underestimate the current World champion! I know Shoma doesn't have the highest season scores and even his PB is behind Ilia's but Shoma has one thing that none of the others have, which is experience under pressure. Shoma is 26 years old and around in his 9th senior season, there is no one that can beat him on that. As Shoma's season best scores aren't as high imo he has the highest potential to improve his scores by miles. I think for the SP Shoma is quite save. Out of 4 SPs this season he hit 4 clean skates! For his free skate we have to take into consideration that so far this season he had no complete BV, he always missed one jumping pass bc he popped one of them. The q's have also been a problem this season yet he still was 2nd at GPF despite of it. Shoma's BV is 3rd highest if he's not going back to 5 quads, but his PCS will be the highest unless he makes serious mistakes. Also Shoma performs usually best when he's not the favorite. So never count him out! Shoma paces himself usually for the big competitions but Shoma seems to have new boots, so it's a bit of a gamble to say where his consistency might be.

I did this calculation after GPF23, where a realistic score for a clean free skate could be around 211+, which is higher than anyone's.

As a big Shoma fan I ofc want Shoma to win a 3rd world title and I think that's also within the possibilties.

I think it's undeniable that Ilia has the highest BV and therefore the highest scoring possibilty, but I actually doubt that possible score will be much higher than what he got at the GPF. Ilia is also the one of the 4 with the lowest PCS. The SP is going quite well for him this season, but a 4A in the SP would be very risky and could also cost him dearly if missed. Of course a clean 6 quad free program will be hard to beat and the 4A seems to add PCS as well, but still his PCS hold him back a bit. Imo Ilia's PCS are still too high but that high TES give you high PCS is nothing new in skating and we have to be realistic that his PCS will only increase. Yet Ilia was again not very convincing at US Nats and it's reported that he's struggling with his new boots. Could also be that Ilia peaked too early to win...

Adam is quite similar case as Ilia with the PCS but his BV is not as high though Adam is also training a 4F and might include it into his program, what would upgrade his BV. Adam's SP has been a bit of a problem under pressure, yet also if he is clean he would place 4th after the SP if Yuma, Shoma and Ilia are clean. I think Adam's scores this season are quite maxed out judging wise. He never scored as high before and he got those scores with clean skates. I think that Adam may have peaked a bit too early in the season, his Euros performance was less than stellar and he never was in a position to win a World championship. We should not underestimate the difference in pressure. I actually think if everyone goes clean it would be Adam who is 4th.

Yuma has the lowest BV of the 4 contenders, but almost as high PCS as Shoma. His GOEs are probably the best out of the 4 contenders which makes up for less difficulty. You can see that if you compare Yuma's 3 quad 4cc free skate score with Ilia's 6 quad free skate score, that they are almost the same score despite Ilia's massive BV. With the high from the 4cc win Yuma definetly gained confidence yet without devaluing his win the mental game is quite different when you're not competing among the best. At JNats Yuma showed an unusual mistake in the SP I guess because of the pressure and at Worlds 2022 he also made very uncharistic mistakes under pressure. Yet the way he presented himself this season and condidering the judging at 4cc I would say Yuma is a favorite to win.

I don't want to make a final ranking what I think will happen because usually Worlds has very unpredictable results. I mean Junhwan Cha was not on the favorites list to win Worlds 2023 yet he was very close. I would not be surprised if the men event is a hot mess and someone totally under the radar lands on the podium.

Even if I ofc have my wishes all I really wish for is an exciting and fair competition. That's all. Another title for Shoma would be great but anything that happens now is a bonus and 3 world titles one after the other is pretty high expectation. Shoma is not underestimating his rivals nor do I, but you better should not underestimate Shoma as well. 😊

#figure skating #prediction #montreal 2024 #also usually when i was near the comp irl shoma won so... #it's a joke ofc but it's also true #gonna wear the shoma world champ shirts😁 #replies #shoma uno #ilia malinin #adam siao him fa #yuma kagiyama

[rubirenegade]

Experimenting with costume designs I might have preffered to the excellent work they did for The Lords In Black :)

(LONG POST WARNING: UNNECESSARY RAMBLINGS AHEAD)

I did find them enjoyable as heck and the performances were damn excellent, just wanted to try to imagine how I might have brought them to the stage to satiate my own desire for THE TERRIFYING LORDS IN BLACK

Clarification: I have zero stage experience so PLEASE, give me comments and ideas of your own to fix potential issues of my design, if this got your imagination going ❤️

Goals:

1. Maybe less comfy outfits, but not overbearing.

2. Closer to the dolls' design

3. Still on a budget: no crazy heavy dragging full suits like Ursula or Pinsir puppeteering.

4. Creep factor increase, meaning: Less visible faces! One of the creepiest traits for the lords is that they have no clear faces, making them uncanny and disturbing, lovecraftian and unreachable. Think the hive controlled people in tgwdlm or the giant spotlight eyes in Black Friday, gazing at you from a paranormal abyss.

5. Keep the things I liked in the originals, especially the acting.

Details:

1. Pokey: Singular Voice, keeper of many faces

having a mask under the mask he is holding will give him a more uncanny phantom-of-the-opera vibes and less visible facial expressions, leaving much to be desired

Also: more masks to cover his jacket, as his voice speak from many mouths.

Other idea: a Jacket made of realistic skins he stiched from faces (a bit much though, probably)

2. Tinky: horns is all you need

Curt's facial expressions are the exception to this "no face" concept. Just too damn good not to leave it as is. Goats horns will do as an addition, simple. Maybe face paint to have dark circles around his eyes, giving him a sleepless maniac vibes, could help- making his crazy eye looks stand out.

3. Wiggly: glowing eyes in the dark

The one I changed the most. I want to really FEEL the Wiggly from Black Friday. I want the glowing eyes in the dark, the creepy tentacles, the lack of a visible mouth under them.

A pair of glowing goggles will do, or two lightweight flashlights on some flashy headgear would do.

The mouth prosthetic might be a bit much, I'll admit. Maybe a mask, Scar-From-Twisted style, could work here just as well (again, this is a relatively short screen tim).

And claw hands and feet, for him to open all his deliciously loud screaming presents :) not critical, but adds dangerous vibes to our Wrath Fuel Frendy-Wend

4. Blinky: Eye think it should work

Big mask. Eye shaped. Done. (Again, Scar-masking could also work, probably even better)

(I assume that if its too hard to sing in the mask, another cast member could sing from backstage)

5. Nibbly: YUM YUM

Probably the hardest for me, it's just so damn good and Kim fucking nailed this. The giant lolipop and cutesie outfit are AMAZING and just easily floor me.

So, I went with simple facepaint to give her a giant mouth. Might not work in practice, but if they gave her a see through blindfold colored in her skin tone it might make her eyes vanish, leaving only the mouth to focus on. Maybe the hat goes town to shade her eyes instead. Anything to bring the mouth to the front and have the eyes disappear (decided now Im gonna painted that next)

Other ideas: blood smeared into a giant smile (might make mouth seem smaller though) or a realisticly painted giant mouth nask (which will make Kim's bite lifeless, so not a fan of it)

Conclusion:

I love these characters and brought my own idea of how to put them forth on screen to keep their lovecraftian horror vibes while keeping it realustic viable for a Starkid production. Hoped you liked it!

SUMMON US ONCE!

SUMMON US TWICE!

YOU GAMBLE IT ON THE ROLE OF THE DICE!

#starkid #nerdy prudes must die #lords in black #the lords in black #wiggog y'wrath #nibblenephim #pokotho #bliklotep #tnoy karaxis #wiggly #hatchetfield #the summoning #the black and white #go nighthawks

[forasecondtherewedwon]

remember it once - chapter three

Fandom: The Artful Dodger Pairing: Jack x Belle Rating: T (will change) Chapter: 3 / 7 Word Count: 2900

For today's @dodgerfoxweek prompt: love letters/banter

read on tumblr: one | two

The months are long without her. Jack finds himself softening towards Sneed of all people. Following the lifesaving procedure Jack performed on Belle, Sneed has demonstrated a genuine interest in bettering his basic surgical skills and acquiring the more advanced techniques he lacks. He’s still superior, still snide, still essentially Sneed, but now he listens to Jack’s ideas and, occasionally, compliments him on his successful surgeries.

The number of successful surgeries has been increasing steadily since Belle introduced ether and carbolic acid, and with Sneed cooperating, the two doctors are able to work side by side in the theatre on the same patient. This frequently shortens surgery time, which has manifold resulting benefits: decreased blood loss, reduced risk of death from time spent under anaesthesia, shorter duration for Jack and Sneed to endure each other’s presence. Strangely, the situation has become something akin to… training each other. When Prof goes, the hospital’s power structure should actually change for the better, with two capable surgeons sharing their knowledge. Sneed will be Jack’s reliable right hand, and Jack has dreams of bringing in new doctors who will contribute to the pooling of information rather than existing in competition with one another and risking lives in the process.

Of course, it isn’t a completely smooth partnership. Sneed can be awfully Sneedy at times. Whenever he makes a dig about Jack’s reading, Jack urges him to put his own educated shoulder to the wheel to see if he can find the cure for being an insufferable git. Someone really should, he insists while watching Sneed’s mustache twitch with restrained petulance, in this day and age.

Unless he’s tending to his patients, Jack keeps his evenings for himself. He’s trying not to gamble, not to drink too much (admittedly, “too much” is an inconstant measure), not to say yes to Fagin’s more suspicious plans; anything he claims is “foolproof” is particularly to be avoided. It isn’t exciting, but nothing really is without her.

Just once during the four-month voyage that carries Belle to England, a letter is delivered to Jack. Well, it’s delivered onto another ship, to the postmaster in Port Victory, to Government house, into Fanny’s hands, and she turns up at the hospital—to his initial confusion. Since Fanny escaped marriage to the Lettuce, Jack isn’t aware of any renewed interest in Sneed. He doesn’t understand what she’s doing here. When she says she’s received a letter, he imagines the very worst and feels his face drain of blood, but Fanny launches into a description of Belle’s experiences thus far. By her tone, Jack slowly recognizes that this letter was not followed by a note about Lady Belle Fox’s tragic burial at sea. He exhales. Even though Fanny feels that she’s communicated everything, Jack asks her to read the letter. He wants to hear Belle’s words.

Tell Jack I would write to him if Mother was not watching me like a hawk, Belle writes. I forgive her, only because we have been two months at sea and even the pastimes which were initially the most novel have become dully familiar. Without a full household staff to command—and Father, crucially Father—her attention falls heavily on me. She tells me to do my embroidery and study my Latin instead of the anatomy texts she finds “vulgar” and “revolting.” This is most amusing, considering her own pricked fingers and the seasickness that rears its head whenever she attempts to read for an extended period.

“It sounds dreadful,” Jack remarks, crossing his arms.

“But you were in the Navy!” Fanny protests. “Don’t you love the sea?”

“I didn’t mean the sea.”

She may be willfully ignoring the implication that he was talking about her mother.

It is not recommended that I stand on deck, Fanny reads on, but after I had done it once, I was determined to return. Fanny, it takes the breath from one’s lungs. Blue. Everywhere. To be in constant motion, harvesting the energy of the waves. Some mornings—

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

Jack’s vision had unfocused as he listened, reintroduced to the sea he’d made his career upon through Belle’s eyes. He realizes the question is Fanny’s and blinks.

“Which part?”

“All that dreadful… air! The wet!”

“Keep reading.”

Fanny sulks but lifts the paper once again.

Some mornings, I catch the dawn. The sky is the blackest thing you can imagine, and then, suddenly, the ship and all of us onboard are born into the world. I believe we are hardly real between sunset and sunrise. Colours seem to seep up from the horizon as though the paintings you love so much have been washed in the distant water, fleshy pinks and bitter oranges rise and bleed. It is the most vital thing I have ever seen. I only wish Jack were with me. Tell him, Fanny. I can hardly believe I won’t sail from one shore and meet him at another…

“It becomes a bit… romantic,” Fanny explains, not exactly bashful, but certainly aware that she is privy to something Belle and Jack would ideally keep to themselves. “Would you like to read the rest alone?”

Ah. Then it is uncomfortable.

Before he can speak, Jack watches Fanny’s eyes widen as she recalls the disastrous dinner. She’s about to assume (only because Sneed bloody announced as much) he can’t read. He heads her off, quiet and flushed while he explains that it is difficult, not impossible. Easier when words are written clearly with plenty of space, more difficult when someone’s handwriting is cramped and smudged. He can read. It just takes time, but he will spend time on Belle, he will sit with her letter and focus and squint in order to relieve Fanny of her messenger duties.

“But what about when you want to write back?” Fanny asks, eyes searching but kind.

“I’ll ask—” But who will he ask to correspond with his fiancée on his behalf? Fanny is probably the best choice as she’s keen to support their romance, but she’s nosy. He might (he does) want to say things that only Belle’s eyes will read.

“Oh! I have already thought of something much better!” Fanny gushes. Jack hasn’t yet had the opportunity to suggest a single name.

—

“It is the images that I find so very awful,” Fanny explains, supporting this assertion with a grimace as she pages past an illustration of a grotesquely swollen tongue, “but it was the images Belle seemed to like best, of late.”

She’s installed him in her sister’s room. One of Belle’s medical texts is open on her desk, and the pair of them stand over it in contemplation. The Governor is in town and the household staff are either entirely disinterested in what Lady Fanny and Dr. Dawkins might be doing in Lady Belle’s bedroom or else they don’t care a whit. Even if they did care, Jack thinks, what are they to do about it? Most of them probably can’t read any better than he can, if at all. They certainly won’t be writing to Lady Fox to inform her of the young doctor’s latest misdeed.

“What do you think?” Fanny asks.

“I couldn’t overstate their usefulness,” Jack says, turning a few pages himself. “And I suppose they are things of beauty, when done well.” He traces graceful lines of musculature. “The detail shows an interest in precision and care, which I can certainly relate to.”

“Not of the images themselves,” Fanny complains, closing the volume with sudden petulance. “My idea! Drawing to Belle instead of writing to her!”

“I’m not sure I have your… skill,” he states cautiously, recalling Fanny’s very memorable trees. “Not to mention your instruction. You must have had tutors?”

“I did have one, but he was quite rigid. We had a difference of taste.”

“I see.”

“Have you ever drawn?” she wonders.

“A little,” Jack admits. At last, he removes his hat, setting it on the desk. He brushes a hand through his hair. “We surgeons try to keep notes of our surgeries—successful and not. Often, Hetty will take dictation for me, but if she’s busy, or the procedure’s something I did by feel rather than by sight, it can be easier for me to try to sketch what I remember.”

Fanny smiles encouragingly.

“Try, then.”

This is how he removes his coat and pulls up a chair. It is how he casts his eyes over the pencils and sticks of charcoal, the messy potted watercolours, before reaching out to touch the tools with his fingertips. Jack doesn’t notice when Fanny leaves him to it, but at some point, there is a cup of tea on the desk into which he accidentally dips a brush. He doesn’t realize until he fills his mouth with the chalky flavour of diluted paint.

It's his own palm he’s attempting to represent. He curls and opens his hand, studying the toughened skin. In his mind, he peels back time, scrubs away the callouses to peel back his very skin, remembering his palm ripped open from the ropes on the first ship on which he sailed. Jack sketches the ragged edges of the injury, the glow of abrasion. With a sodden brush, he dips into the red, then swipes across the paper, watching the wound bleed as the water spreads. He wrings some of the water out before applying more paint to the spot, getting the colour rich and real and—

Fanny shrieks from behind him.

“How awful! I mean, excellent.” She smiles in apology. “I wish I had never seen it, and I mean that as the most sincere compliment.”

“I understand. I appreciate your opinion.”

“Do you?” She looks genuinely surprised. “I can see why Belle fancies you.”

It really isn’t his place to tell his fiancée’s sister she should expect more than basic respect from any man she’d hope to marry, so he doesn’t. Fanny is much more assured in the advice she gives to him, offering blunt criticism as she points to different parts of his creation. Not unkind though.

“Again soon?” she asks when she’s done and he’s standing to go, realizing he has paint soaked into the sleeves he didn’t roll up his arms soon enough. Unusual. It’s normally blood there.

Jack nods.

—

While he’s still learning, Belle’s letters begin arriving from London. Fanny dutifully shares each one. Now that Belle has more freedom to write—physical freedom, without her mother looking over her shoulder—each letter contains the sentence “Fanny, stop reading.” Jack appreciates the honesty of Fanny reading this line aloud, though she does also frown at being excluded from the rest.

The rest.

It has to be Fanny who explained, and Jack is grateful for it. The remainder of Belle’s letters are written larger, with spaces between the letters, each word cleanly executed on the page. They’re legible, specifically for him, exactly how he told Fanny a letter would need to be to lessen his struggle.

At last, he has an account of her longing firsthand. She doesn’t speak of the engagement—there is still a risk that Fanny would spy the word, even if she weren’t intentionally snooping—but it’s clear she isn’t only writing to an acquaintance, a friend, a fellow student of the human body. That Belle refers to well enough, perhaps dangerously so, but it’s all in Latin. The switch from one language to another stumps Jack at first, but he learns to watch out for it. In Latin, Belle is both formal and erotic, and Jack finds himself angling her letters away from the eyes of Hetty and Fagin, though neither knows the language. While Belle’s sentences are stiff, the parts of the body she employs Latin to address—parts of his body, and hers, frequently imagined together—evoke visceral memories. The dusty old language can be surprisingly sensual, Jack finds, when Belle writes of skin on skin.

He responds with broken bones, chipped teeth, dislocated jaws—drawings of all the latest cases to pass through his ward, everything Belle’s missing. It’s when he’s replicating the twisting line of stitches he threaded into an elbow the other day that he has the idea to embellish beyond paint; Jack pokes through her belongings (sorry, Belle) until he discovers her embroidery thread. After that, his art becomes vivid in a way that almost astounds him, even as he jabs the needle through the page. He lays a skin-coloured wash on an arm, then raises a blue vein down its length. He adds fibre ribs to open cadavers, creeping lines of red to blood-shot eyes. When he gathers both Fanny’s art supplies and his strength to recreate the surgery he’ll remember for the rest of his days, he brings Belle’s aorta to life in crimson before sewing in the noose that ties it off. I love you, he tries his best to say. I love you all the way through.

—

Dearest Jack,

I must tell you immediately, or with as much immediacy as a letter from Britain to Australia can allow, that my mother and I will be home in Port Victory sooner than we had planned. Therefore, do not suspect me of neglecting our correspondence if you do not hear from me with the regularity to which we have both grown accustomed. I may be boarding a ship within the week. I fear my mother is being overly cautious, but as an earlier departure is to my benefit, I was hardly about to protest. The responsibility for her agitated state is mine, as I will unfold.

I’ve told you of my time at the University College Hospital here in London. As access to the hospital was key to my mother getting me here, she has allowed me to maintain a standing appointment with staff. I have observed so much and taken copious notes. Your letters also inspired me to seek out a young nurse here, who I was told had something of a talent for drawing. I’ve paid her to illustrate my notes, so that we might more easily replicate these new techniques on our patients when I am back.

Though I miss you terribly—you know I do, Jack, do not be too jealous of London’s sick and injured, monopolize my time though they may—there has been so much to learn that I was deeply frustrated by the wave of sickness that suddenly swept the city. Before you leap to chastise my response, yes, I know it was a selfish one. You see, at home, you might have called on me to help mitigate the spread of illness. Here, I am an indulged guest. I may be present at surgeries and question patient doctors, but in the case of an outbreak, I am denied entry. Foolishly, I complained about this to my mother. Rather than commiserate with me over the injustice of my being shut out when I have the time, inclination, and very possibly the skills necessary to help, she determined they were quite right to bar me. A mere two days later, she decided we had better leave them to it and sail for home while our own health is still sound.

This does not mean I have seen nothing, and, Jack, I am not so selfish as to hope this illness reaches Port Victory. It appears to be neither influenza nor typhoid. I may have been able to diagnose it with closer study, but such a thing was denied me. At least these male doctors cannot separate me from my books; I have already begun packing my trunks with all the latest literature. I know you will make time for me so that we can discuss things properly. It is an enormous comfort.

It's been more than half a year since our separation began, yet I doubt you have forgotten what awaits us upon my return. My mother will see how you have flourished in your role as Head Surgeon, and she will know how steadfast our love has been. I believe our engagement has lasted long enough. I long for us to be united in all ways.

Yours across oceans,

Belle

—

The months are slower than ever, but not even Sneed on his crankiest day can bother Jack now. When Prof finally stepped aside, as recognition for his substantial contributions to the health of the colony (To the death rate, more like, Jack thought, but resisted impertinence just this once), he was allowed to maintain his residence in the house meant to be passed between head surgeons. Braced for the worst, Jack was surprised that this didn’t mean he wouldn’t be offered the things his predecessor had enjoyed.

Instead, they built him a new house.

The day he was granted his own bed is still clear in Jack’s mind, the day he was given his own quarters at the hospital even clearer. An entire house is so overwhelming that he puts off moving in. He’s afraid of the strange and terrible objects that will fill it—spoons in the kitchen and settees in the parlour. Innumerable trinkets for Fagin to nick, no doubt. Jack will have to pretend to mind, because the best thing that will be in the house will be Belle. He can’t imagine being concerned about much else.

He takes to strolling down to the dock each morning. On one of them, Belle’s ship comes in.

#dodgerfoxweek2024 #my writing #The Artful Dodger #dodgerfox #Dr. Jack Dawkins #Lady Belle Fox #Lady Fanny Fox

[kommikoira]

2024_04_30 // veganism and the state of consumption

i would consider myself somebody who enjoys eating. i have in the past spent more than i should having an enjoyable meal to treat myself despite it not being the best idea. as a person with autism, my relationship with food is very complex and the fact i enjoy eating adds complications to that.

historically, i have been very close-minded about eating food, new food. i was the epitome of the child who wants to eat 5 things (except i hated ketchup and still do). luckily, as i got older i was more and more interested in trying food. broadening my palette, which an old friend of my grandmother who was addicted to gambling loved to facilitate. i could write a whole post about that relationship and how it affected me, and maybe i will one day, but for now, back on track. food.

as of writing this, i eat all but red meat. pork, fish, and chicken are parts of my diet, but i have been coming to question this choice for a myriad of reasons. taste and convenience are, obviously, not reasons i am considering this. on the topic of convenience, that leads me to my first point.

"convenience makes it so easy to fall back into the pattern, and i'm frustrated with myself for it as well. the constant cycle of "service -> sell the unsustainable service -> service needs investors/advertisers..." -em essex (2024)

this quote is in regards to the centralized net and the doomed collapse of the social media industry, but it got me thinking about the role that convenience plays in my life. as an american i am relatively used to convenience, despite having never been middle class before. but i am no stranger to fast food, pre-made meals, and buying meat at the grocery store. there is always a cost for convenience, and under capitalism it is generally either exploitation or cutting corners. the meat industry convenient for both reason. cenny's video on zoophilia and the role it plays in the furry fandom opened my eyes to the systemic abuse of animals in the meat and dairy industry and how little people seem to actually care. historically, i have said i would never ever be a vegan because it didn't align with my morals in the belief of the intimacy of life consuming other life to live, but i think that relationship has been warped and abhorred by capitalism and so makes it even more against my morals to continue to consume meat and animal products under such a system. i will make it clear now that i would not chose to go vegan because i am against eating meat, i think when done with respect and intention it can be a very respectful and irreverent as an experience, but such things are unable to be done under capitalism at this point.

the other main reason in my mind as i have become an increasing believer in animal rights and the equality of life. animals are living, intelligent beings who are exploited and in need of liberation from bourgeois oppression just like the rest of us. human supremacy is going to come to be challenged in the anthropocene as human development skyrockets and irreparably changes the planet, so as a therian i understand more than lots of people the affects of human supremacy on society.

i will try and inact this change in my life in the coming years.

#blog post #veganism #animal rights #animal-bourgeois relationship #kommikoira #therian #fuck ketchup