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shinesurge · 4 months

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Webcomic rings run by people within the community are cool and you should support them

I've been loudly struggling a little bit with corporate webcomic Stuff lately so I want to mention something positive to balance it out: webrings run by small groups of creators earnestly trying to support each other are slowly making a comeback and I for one am delighted.

If you weren't around for them in the before times, webrings were just some folks who hang out a lot who feature each other on their websites. That's literally it lmao. There's generally no money involved and it only really functions the way it's supposed to if people have control over their own websites AND genuinely want to participate and get excited about other folks' work, which means the practice has pretty well fallen by the wayside over the years in webcomic culture given. Everything. In the rare event someone decides to do something like this it's usually in the form of a link list somewhere on their website; this doesn't usually indicate any sort of mutual support, it's just a list of what the creator is reading themselves.

A webring, though, is an official banner or hub that people gather under intentionally where each member is more or less on equal footing. It's essentially the concept of "a rising tide lifts all boats" put into practice, each creator brings their own audience to the table in a passive, opt-in sort of way that's different from working for a publisher since there isn't necessarily a Top Spot or a paycheck everyone's vying for, and individuals retain autonomy over both their own work and how (if) they promote each other. You're all at your own tables in an artist alley rather than fighting over the table in the front of the book store, essentially.

I have two rings and one collective for you today!

Webcomic Ring was brought to my attention AGES ago by Holly, one of the artists featured there, and I might have brought it up at some point but I'm doing it again lmao. This is exactly the kind of thing you ought to be looking for; a small group of enthusiastic folks having a good time making their weird little comics. You probably haven't heard of much in the catalog, that's PERFECT in the context of webcomics that's where the GOOD SHIT is. Finding something like this is A Gift go dig around in the longboxes for a while.

Then a few people have pointed me in the direction of the KNIFEBEETLE collective and that's neat too! Most of the comics there are already fairly well-known, but the vibes are excellent and I haven't seen a lot of talk about the collective /itself/ outside folks already in the know. I think it's important for this sort of thing to be more visible to folks who aren't terminally steeped in webcomic culture already so here I am telling you about it. You were probably reading several of these before I suggested it, but that's how a webring works! For it to do its job you should take those bigger creators' tacit recommendation of the less popular titles as a sign to go read something new and strange. Wild, I know these are practices held over from the old internet, but I think we should try and bring them back.

Lastly, I want to mention Spiderforest, which is a collective (slightly different from a webring) BUT still a very cool project readers starved for new stuff should pay attention to.

You've probably seen Spiderforest kicking around for a long time already; they're wonderful and have always been an overall positive force in the community in my experience. They really focus on building up a community, and especially welcoming newcomers and helping them get their feet under them. Full disclosure, I've been asked to apply by a few different folks over the years and the only reason I never did is I don't have the ability to participate in their forums and such as frequently as they want their creators to; it's a very good system (from my outside perspective) that might contribute to the community staying mostly healthy in ways that art communities usually don't and I appreciate it a lot!

ANYWAYS that's all I got for now, just trying to balance out some bad feelings I've been having by talking about some good stuff. Please go binge an archive this week.

#long post #contrary to what i say i do love webcomics so fucking much #there are Reasons i'm fucking angry all the time lmao

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tarotchariotpickyourcard · 6 days

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PAC: Why you didn't get the job/placement

Wondering why you were turned away or didn't receive the call? It's natural to wonder, even if people tell you to just move on. Here is an attempt to understand.

Group 1 is a ring. Group 2 is a pink flower, Group 3 is a plant.

GROUP 1

THE EMPEROR - TEMPERANCE - KING OF PENTACLES

Immediate impression is that the employer directly thought perhaps you as an applicant were not ready or prepared for the stress or situations that the placement might bring. They potentially would have wanted an applicant that was more ready to step quickly into the role, rather than someone they would have to spend more time/money training up or paying more attention to. This isn’t to say you’re not actually qualified, it’s more that this person just made their mind up and that was that. With king of pentacles this is more money oriented, more thinking on profit long term. They may have thought that you didn’t connect with them in terms of the long term impacts of the business/studies. If this was regarding specifically studies this could be that they saw it as a lack of foresight or big picture thinking. (Again, not saying this is actually true, if you feel that it’s an incorrect representation).

I asked what the employer, or teacher or leader or whoever was in charge, was looking for that you may have missed in communicating or showing. The card is Drive. It says “No matter what my energy level is, today I’m lighting my motivational furnace and burning with drive. Starting now, I’m the reigning badass of productivity and I’m about to blaze through my entire to-do list and then some.” So if you were to apply again or with the same people, you may want to show examples of how you have been assertive, or a self teacher, or someone who has initiative in their work.

Now we have ‘Tijme to move on’ and ‘Stay optimistic’.It says “don’t quit right before the miracle occurs.” If this is something that crops up as a yearly opportunity or something to that effect, then stay optimistic that you can get a chance next time. If you are really interested in the role or type of opportunity, stay optimistic that you can get something similar in nature.

If you are applying for roles or studies while you’re already in something, time to move on suggests letting go of where you are mentally and emotionally first. That will energetically open you up to more opportunities. Stay optimistic suggests holding on for a bit longer and trying to visualize positive outcomes that make you feel happy, like something has happened.

I drew a card as something that you can show off about yourself and it is imagination. It says “I treasure my imagination, and I can conjure it at any time. My imagination helps me dream up creative solutions to complex problems that I wouldn’t have thought of from inside this same-old box.” So you are someone who can think up some helpful solutions, even if they seem a bit different or strange. You can think differently and really add to research, work and teams.

I’m sorry that you were turned away, but it’s looking positive for you in the future so good luck.

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GROUP 2

So we have the 8 of swords and the king of swords. We also have time to move on and blessed change. This was not the job or placement for you anyway, I see really strongly it wouldn’t have been beneficial for you in the long run. There is something more unexpected for you down the line.

The reasoning seems more based on how you appeared as a person? I feel like the ones who interviewed were people who saw themselves as logical, down to business and they may have seen you as an applicant who was more in their head in an inefficient way? I just don’t think you were a fit, on either side. So the course, or the workplace, or the environment, wouldn’t have really gelled. I’m sorry I can’t see any more than that to be honest. 10 of swords as an extra is hinting to me that maybe you said something that put them off and that was the nail in the coffin. I’m not saying you said anything drastic, it could have just been something that made them think attitudes were different, or values weren’t aligned. For example, I know someone who wasn’t taken on because they said they were a direct person in the workplace. Imagine not wanting someone who is direct. So please don’t take it personally, I just don’t think you were for each other.

I asked what they were looking for that you may have missed, or didn’t show. The card is prep work. “I make friends with the quiet loners, organization and planning. And I suddenly realize how cool they are! I start hanging out with them, and I bend to their influence. I even allow them to give my daily habits a makeover. Normally I wouldn’t succumb to peer pressure, but isn’t efficiency the best?”

Yeah, definitely seems like they were looking for someone like themselves (in their opinion). Now, let’s have a card showing what you can show off about yourself that you have. Self Reliance (ah, so you can be a one man band at times). It says: “I am a confident, capable, walking, talking, learning machine - and I practice total self reliance every chance I get. Even if something’s tough, I can probably do it. Even if something is new to me, I can probably figure it out. Or maybe just google it.” Whether you think you’re confident or not, you have a quiet type in work where you know you will manage things. This is a self starter energy that doesn’t run away. Do you know some people get afraid at the idea of working at a different branch or with a team that isn’t their usual? I feel like you would walk in there and introduce yourself and get on with it. You can walk into a job needing to learn on the go, and you wouldn’t bother colleagues as much as they think a new hire would.

Good luck, I see a positive unexpected opportunity that you will be able to go for because you’re still freed up. It’s going to make you grin.

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GROUP 3

10 of pentacles, The world. Empowerment, Wait, Let yourself receive.

There’s something here regarding timing or travel. Maybe they needed someone asap, but you had a 6 week wait to go. Timing could have just been off. Perhaps there was time between jobs or roles that they didn’t like. Maybe there was a need to travel when you were asking for remote work and they weren’t willing to give it. Another possibility is you didn’t seem enthusiastic about their desire to hop from site to site, or travel for a longer period of time for a project or course.

Empowerment makes me think you told them about a boundary or limit, but they weren’t willing to shift, compromise or allow. I get a very stubborn energy from the employer/interviewers side. If they were really immature, they could have noticed if you weren’t very early. Maybe you were right on time or a little bit late for the interview. I feel like you had a lot of good qualities that they were looking for, but it was more the practical aspects of things that got in the way.

I honestly don’t see anything too deep. I think you did a very good job in the interview or discussions you had. I think you’re able to stand up for yourself and refuse to give more than you can. I think you have a good head on your shoulders. You deserve a better role or placement that gives you more in return for what you do.

The cards that you have on your side to show next time in an opportunity are risks, and enthusiasm.

Risks says “ I take big risks and leap into the unknown with fearless abandon, knowing that the best surprises and richest experiences come from bold choices. Worst case scenario? The unknown is filled with spiders and they swarm me and eat me and decorate their spider cave with my bones. But what are the chances.”

Enthusiasm says “When I have to make a spreadsheet, sit in a long meeting with no coffee, or do anything else I don’t like, I dig deep and find a way to be enthusiastic about it. The difference between having to do something and getting to do something is all in my perspective.”

So the cards are overall saying bide your time for better results, the right place will accept what limits you genuinely have, and there can definitely be a fair give and take for you. There is patience needed though.

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Hope it made sense have a good one.

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darkwolf989 · 1 month

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Eres jodidamente estúpida, niñita?

MAJOR SHOUT OUT TO absolut3lyn0t for ALL the help with editing and for teaching me Spanish! I can't WAIT to use the things I've learned in the Outside The Office series!

Enjoy!!

I strutted across the stage with the confidence instilled in me by three of hell's most powerful overlords. My hair on point, my smile perfected, my outfit, killer. And my VoxTech watch that served as a location tracker? Sitting in my locker at school alongside my phone. As far as my family knew, I was staying late for volleyball tryouts.

Walking through my highschool hallways, it was impossible to miss the plethora of help wanted posters plastered all over the walls. The job description was simple, requiring nothing more than excellent customer service skills and a large, bolded eighteen plus only need apply. The pay started five dollars above minimum wage, with the promise of hefty cash tips.

The money was really what caught my attention. After listening to my father bitch about last month’s credit card bill, I decided it was time I started working, without the hovering of my father, my Uncle Valentino or my Aunt Velvette. I needed money that wasn’t connected to them in any way, shape or form- dollars I could spend how I pleased, and without their input. Unfortunately for me, my father owned VoxTech, the biggest company in all of hell. Even as his daughter, I couldn’t be sure where its tendrils spread. Whatever job I chose, I needed to fly under the radar.

School first, you have more than you need and access to anything you could possibly want. Is what my father had told me when I first asked if I could start working. You have no reason to get an afterschool job. Focus on being sixteen, kiddo.

And I knew damn well if my location popped up in some new place consistently, I would be discovered and forced to quit on the spot. So as soon as I made the decision to apply, I made it a point to tell my family I was trying out for the volleyball team.

Glad to see you decided to leave behind that silly job idea, my father had said over sips of his morning coffee. Believe me, someday you’ll wish you didn’t have to work so much.

As if.

I walked into the address listed on the flyer, noting the shift in scenery as I made my way deeper downtown. Open interviews, they called it, two pm to ten pm. I had already filled out the application on the bottom of one of them, if you could even call it that. Three easy to answer questions.

Age? I filled in eighteen.

Availability? After School hours.

Size? I scribbled down the number.

I followed the directions to the address on the flyer and handed my application to the demon at the door. The place itself looked a little run down, done up in red, black and gold. But it certainly gave the appearance of being a high end facility- especially with the long stage and the pole at the center.

I was quickly ushered inside and seated across from a shark demon in a red fedora. He looked me up and down and just like that, I was handed a uniform of red and hired me on the spot for the shift that started ten minutes ago.

“With your body, I mean, your smile, you’ll make an excellent addition to our team,” he praised.

“What exactly is my job title?” I asked as he led me to the dressing room.

“Waitress,” he responded easily. “But really, you’ll do a little bit of everything. And don’t worry, we’ll provide everything you need.”

The first few days were simple. The manager assigned me a false name the first day, and I quickly learned that while I was working, that’s the only name that was called. Honestly, it was the most difficult part. The rest was relatively simple.

Every two hours the girls were required to meet behind the stage, walk across and out down to the pole, take a swing around with a smile as an announcer introduced us by name. It was nice, honestly, to be valued like that. The rest of the responsibilities were easy. Dress up, smile, flirt, take drink orders and find a reason to bend over. To say I didn’t enjoy it would be a lie. The money was good but the attention? Even better.

The fourth day, however, the manager pulled me aside at the start of my shift.

“Hey, reader. The big boss is coming in. Check out his new hires. I’m putting you with him. Be extra nice. He’s known for leaving hefty tips and promoting on the spot. Trust me, you’re gonna want to keep him happy.” And with that, he pushed me towards the stage.

After introductions, I put on my biggest smile, adjusted my dress so that it revealed just a little bit more and walked confidently over to the VIP booth. Time to impress the boss.

“Hi boys, how are we doing tonight?” I purred as sultry as I could. “My name is Reader’s False Name and I’ll take care of anything that you desire.” I leaned forward onto the table. “And I do mean anything…” I reached out and set my hand on the red jacket of the man I assumed was the boss. “What can I get you tonight, sir?”

He looked up at me and instantly, his expression turned to anger. Cold fear shot through me as I recognized the all too familiar features.

“U-uncle Valentino? Wh-what are you doing here?” I stammered as I took a step back.

“The better question is what are you doing here, niñita?” He growled as he stood up. He pulled his coat off and yanked it around my shoulders, effectively covering my entire body. He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me towards the back towards the dressing rooms. The door slammed shut behind us.

I tried to wriggle away, “I work here! I got an afterschool job after Dad got on my case last month.”

I didn’t think his expression could twist into deeper disgust.

“I changed your diapers! You can’t be working in my clubs!” He snarled.

I crossed my arms. “Uncle Val, I’m sixteen!”

“Eres jodidamente estúpida?” He took a deep breath. “That’s half the issue! Who even checked your age una perra ciega?! What fuckwit hired you?” He paused and pulled out his phone. “You know what? It doesn’t fucking matter. You’re fired. Whoever hired you is fired, hell I might shut this entire fucking club down. Oh, and it goes without saying that you’re fucking grounded!”

I looked at him incredulously. “You’re grounding me for getting an afterschool job?”

“No, reader, I’m grounding you for taking an afterschool job at a strip club! Oh, and for leaving your watch at school. We make you wear that for your own safety, muñeca! You could have been killed, or raped or worse!”

He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me towards the front door. I caught my father’s name on his phone screen and my heart sank even deeper. Fuck.

“You’re going home with me right now, bebita. And keep my jacket on, I don’t want to see your tits ever again.” He practically spat as he shoved me into his awaiting limo.

I sat next to him for the duration of the ride, my arms crossed as I listened to the phone call between him and my Dad. From what it sounded like, I was about to meet my maker.

“Phone. Now.” He demanded as he outstretched his hand. “Or did you leave that at school too?”

At least he sounded a bit more calm. Maybe I wouldn’t be in as much trouble as I thought.

“It’s in my locker,” I mumbled. “Along with my homework. So if we could stop on our way home…”

“Delay the inevitable all you want, your father is pissed. And so am I.”

“Yeah, I got that,” I mumbled as we stopped in front of the school. “I’ll go in and…”

He snorted in amusement. “Like hell you will. I’ll go inside and get it for you. What’s your locker number and combination?” He leaned forward, “it’s in your best interest to tell me, niñita.”

He was probably right. I sank back as I watched him walk into the front office of the school as if he owned the place. Come to think of it, there was probably a high chance that one of the three did have some sort of control over the school. I leaned my head against the window as I waited. I would never be allowed to grow up, hell, after this Dad might not even let me leave the V tower.

Valentino stalked out of the school moments later, my pink backpack slung over his shoulder, and one of the flyers in his hand. The other hand held his phone and I winced at the furious slurry of English and Spanish came flying out of his mouth. Several curses later, he ended the call and turned to me.

“Any of your other amicico’s get involved in this? Fess up now, or I promise I will make sure that you lose every privilege you have.”

“Not that I know of,” I mumbled quietly as I pulled his jacket tighter around myself. “And I would tell you if I did.”

“I would hope so, cariño,” he grumbled as the limo stopped. “Word of advice? I would go straight to your room and change. The less of you your father sees, the better.”

We rode in silence in the elevator and as we stepped off, I came face to face with the furious faces of my father, Vox, and my Aunt Velvette. Uncle Valentino walked towards them and wordlessly pointed to my room. I tried to scurry away as quickly as I could.

“Change, wipe that clown makeup off your face and get your ass to the living room,” I heard my father shout.

I thought the makeup was pretty, I said to myself sarcastically as I stood in my bathroom shower, scrubbing it off. Without the makeup remover the restaurant, or should I call it a club, provided, taking it off took ten times longer. I pulled on my leggins and a sweatshirt and braided back my now wet hair, hopeful that by removing any trace of the club I would somehow lighten the punishment that was sure to come. I slowly made my way out to the living room.

“Come sit, little princessa,” Valentino gestured. “Join us.”

I kept my eyes down as I made my way across the living room and sank into my usual seat on the couch.

“Look at us, reader,” my fathers authoritative voice filled the air. “And start talking. The floor is yours.”

A few heartbeats of silence while I tried to gather my thoughts.

“You know, staying quiet won’t help your case,” Velvette interjected. “Come on, talk to us. Honestly, I think it’s pretty funny.”

“There is nothing funny about seeing my little princessa half naked, tits out, in my own fucking club,” Valentino shot back. He mumbled something in Spanish that sounded vaguely insulting.

“And let’s not forget the danger you put yourself in,” Vox added. “You left your phone and tracker in your locker at school. You’re lucky I don’t have the doctor put a chip in your arm.”

“I didn’t know it was a strip club, okay?” I said in exasperation. “I just wanted to make my own money! I got mad when Dad went through the credit card bill last month and I just, I just wanted privacy and to buy what I want without being questioned! And I’m willing to work to earn it, but Dad wouldn’t let me.”

“Reader. You’re sixteen. You need to focus on schoolwork, grades and being a teenager- you’ll have plenty of time later in life to…” my father began.

“Vox, her request isn’t unreasonable,” Velvette cut him off. She looked thoughtful. “Nor is your idea about the chip in her arm.”

All three of us stared at her in disbelief for completely different reasons.

“I am not letting Dad put a chip in my arm-” I began.

“She is not going out to work,” my Dad shouted at the same time.

“Eres jodidamente estúpida?” Valentino added. “The fuck, Velvette?”

A grin slowly crept across her face. “Well then, it seems we have a few bargaining chips on the table, don’t we?”

“I don’t like where this is going,” I said.

“Yeah, neither do I,” my father added.

“Well the way I see it, we have a few options and plenty of room for compromise,” she said with a glance at Valentino. “On one hand, reader could concede and let Vox put a chip in her arm in exchange for being allowed to get a job. Or she could come work for one of us, and have the money deposited in a private account. Or a third option, Vox if you’re so hell bent on her focusing on school, and she wants privacy so damn bad, let her open her own account in her own name and deposit money into it each week. This way she gets the privacy she wants, and you get her staying focused on her studies.”

“I’m not letting you put a tracker in my arm, so that options out,” I replied.

“And I don’t want you working at all- not for me, not for Velvette, and certainly not for Valentino,” Vox added.

A look of understanding broke across Valentino’s face and he grinned widely. He leaned back, “then I suppose the third option is the only one that fits, hm amicito?” He took a sip, “I do have to ask though princessa. How exactly did you plan on cashing your paychecks without your own account?”

I felt myself turn red. “I…wasn’t planning on cashing them and just using my tips.”

“I can’t decide if that’s clever or stupid,” Vox muttered. “But fine. We’ll go open your own bank account tomorrow and I promise to keep my eyes off of it. But you need to promise to keep focused on your studies, got it?”

“Deal!” I said excitedly.

“Also, I think you owe your Uncle Val an apology more so than any of us. I haven’t seen him that scarred since, well, I’ve never seen him that upset.” Vox added.

“Sorry, Uncle Val,” I muttered.

He looked pained, “you’re growing up, mi amore. But this isn’t the place for you to be, ever again. I fear what would have happened to you if I hadn’t chosen to come in tonight.” He stood up and planted a kiss on my forehead.

“Your jackets in my room, Uncle Val. I promise I’ll give it back,” I muttered as embarrassment flushed through my face. “I guess it was kinda sketchy.”

“Common sense, niñita. I cannot wrap my mind around why you didn’t turn around as soon as you stepped into that neighborhood.” He turned to walk towards the kitchen. “Discussion for tomorrow night, I suppose.”

I frowned, “what’s tomorrow night?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear? Your papi, Aunt Velvette and I came up with a brilliant consequence, if I do say so myself.”

Dread knotted in my stomach. Uncle Valentino was well known to be the most…creative in his punishments.

“I signed you up for volleyball, mi amore. After all, isn’t that what you wanted to do?” He gave me a wicked grin. “And I’ll be the one…ensuring you arrive in a timely manner for the next eight weeks. And don’t worry, your papito already brought you all the equipment you’ll need.”

I groaned. This had the potential to be not only incredibly embarrassing in terms of my abilities, but also I somehow doubted he would sit there quietly. The image of him sitting on the bleachers, screaming into the phone, cursing in Spanish and English made me want to die right then and there. “Uncle Val, I hate sports. And I hate team sports even more.”

“Then maybe next time you’ll think before becoming a stripper, hm conejito?”He patted the top of my head and sashayed towards the kitchen.

He couldn’t be that angry if he was using my childhood nickname. I leaned back on the couch and tucked my knees up.

“You’re lucky that's your only consequence,” my father grumbled as he scrolled through his phone. “That chip idea isn’t off the table, you know.”

“We’ll get your bank account set up after your grounding is done,” Velvette reassured me. “In the meantime, what do you all want to do for dinner?”

Thank god Velvette was the master at changing the subject.

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stagkingswife · 2 months

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Take Notes Like Stag Part 3: Spell Lab Notes

Part 1: Spirit Encounters Part 2: Unrecorded Entity Note Taking Exercise I think I’ve said this somewhere before, I don’t know if it was here, or on Discord, I’m a huge believer in applying the scientific method to spell work. I don’t believe that magic can be explained by science, or that it’s an extension of science. But I do believe that an approach of empirical observation, incremental variable adjustment, and repeat experimentation is a great way to develop a solid spell work practice. This is how I figured out a lot of my own methods and personal magical paradigms - by testing something, making notes, changing a variable, and then testing again - rinse and repeat. There’s a lot to keep track of in that process though, particularly if you’re rinse and repeat step keeps repeating, so over the years I’ve developed a template of “lab notes” to keep track of my experiments. Spell Friendly Name - A brief concise, yet descriptive title. • The idea of a “friendly name” is something I stole from my IT day job. A lot of hardware devices come with their network name set as their serial number, or model number, or something like that. Those sorts of names can be fine for a sys or network admin, but it’s not super helpful for a normal person - so it’s an important step up setting up that device to give it a name that is immediately recognizable and descriptive of its role on the network: Like HR Printer, or [Company Name] File Server. When you’re testing and workshopping spells it’s important to be able to distinguish them from one another in your notes. You don’t want a dozen pages in a row all titled “Prosperity Spell” but they’re all different spells. Make sure your Friendly Names are descriptive, catchy, and above all stay consistent across your notes for subsequent re-casts.

Date Cast - The day (and time if it matters to you) that you cast the spell • I’m not one for celestial or planetary magic, so I don’t care much about when I cast the spell for magical correspondence reasons. I care mostly in relation to the next field -

Time Frame/ ”Due Date” - When you expect the spell manifest result by. • I’m a big believer in setting yourself time frames for your spells - it’s much easier to tell if a spell has succeeded or failed if you have a due date for it. So I mark my time frame as part of my notes, however I built it into my spell: two weeks, by the next rainfall, before the turn of the season, by an exact date. Keeping this due date next to the date of casting helps me keep track of how long is left for the spell to work. Parameters for Success - What an ideal successful result looks like to you. • We all know that sometimes spells manifest in funny ways that can still technically be called “successful”. You phrased the inscription of your prosperity spell as “looking for a windfall” only to get a bunch of free apples at the farm stand because they had a windstorm and have to get rid of all of the apples that fell? Technically you got a windfall, but it wasn’t what you wanted. So you recast the spell and this time phrase the inscription as, “you want to come into money.” Well this time a great aunt dies and leaves you an inheritance. We all know these examples, I’m not saying anything new. But I find that keeping track of exactly what I quantify as “success” helps me troubleshoot my spells. Is my parameter of success for this theoretical prosperity spell specifically that I get a raise at work? Then I say it here. Am I open to alternatives? List them here. Materials: Function - Your ingredients list: what role of each ingredient is in the spell • I vastly prefer to create my own spells, I find I can tinker and troubleshoot better with something I have written myself because I understand how everything is meant to work, and how it all works together. I list out every single ingredient and what its job is in the spell, not just ingredients being used for magical correspondences. I include lines like, “paper & pen (mundane): for the writing of inscription” or “mortar & pestle: for grinding herb blend.” But then I’ll also have lines like “Nettle: used here for personal association with emotion, a la Aunt Betty and her nettle tea,” referencing a personal magical association I have within my own paradigm. This may be overkill for some people, but it keeps my spell work neat and organized and I never have to wonder what an ingredient is supposed to be doing when I want to recast a spell.

Method: Function - Steps of the spell, written in order, with some form of annotation or commentary on what each step is supposed to achieve magically. • This step of my note taking I get a little messy, to be honest. It works best when I have different colored pens and have had time to pre-plan. When these conditions have been met my notes look like code. There will be a step written out, then on the next line ## and a color change to indicate the beginning of my comments. If I didn’t pre-plan, I usually still have two different colored pens - even if it’s just black and blue, so I’ll write out my steps in order and rely on marginalia for my comments. It’s not as organized, and my handwriting gets cramped and hard to read sometimes, but just like the ingredients lists I like to know not just what every step is doing, but why.

Adjusted Variable(s)* - If you’re recasting a spell what have you changed from the last time and how do you expect that to affect your result.

• If I cast a spell and am not happy with the results (maybe those parameters for success I noted earlier weren’t met to my satisfaction) I don’t go looking for a new spell, I troubleshoot. I start making changes to spell and keeping track of the change in this field of my notes. I note what exactly the change is: Am I adding something, removing something, trying a different method, etc. Then I write down a hypothesis (remember that word from science class?) for how I think this adjustment will change how the spell manifests. *I leave this field blank or out of my note entirely if I’m taking notes for the first casting of a spell, or re-casting a “known good” spell (one that I know works exactly as is - usually because I’ve cast it before and already gone through the troubleshooting and refining process). Observed Manifestation - The counterpart to Parameters for Success, what actually happened as a result of the spell - to be left blank and filled out on or after the Time Frame/”Due Date” is up. • If these notes were a science class lab notebook, which they were 100% inspired by, this would be the results section. What actually happened!?! Maybe nothing happened! Write that here. Maybe your prosperity a week and a half after you cast your prosperity spell your boss said you were killing it at work and that you were going to get a promotion! Maybe the spell totally backfired! Be honest with yourself about your results, these notes are for you to build on. I have pages and pages of notes where either nothing happened, or the results were just off from what I really wanted. But I kept troubleshooting, and now I have a roster of spells that I am really confident in. Adjustments for Next Cast: If you have an idea for what you want to change next time, write it down now. You won’t remember when you come back to it. • I usually like to write up my results and then do some brainstorming for next time. I try to only change one thing at a time, isolate the variable and all that, but I will often have several ideas for things that could improve the results, so I’ll brainstorm in this field and then highlight the one I want to try next somehow, either by underlining or marking with a star. Then that option goes into the “Adjusted Variable” field for the next time.

#witchcraft #witchblr #spellcraft #spellwork #spells #grimoire #book of shadows

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transinatrade · 2 months

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Another One *Vine Boom*

I am not the only trans man in my class anymore. It is a little comforting. He's been offering me rides home since sometimes my partner is in an appointment or something similar and can't pick me up when we get out of class. For the sake of his anonymity I won"t go into a ton of detail. It is good to see however.

Our instructor was telling us about how the industry has been changing, and how much more diverse companies are trying to be now. I just hope he's right, and that what he said applies to me.

The biggest issue I'm having at the moment is I need to change my name, but I have the misfortune of living in a state where it is incredibly expensive. It's about $400 when everything is combined, and that's if the judge approves of the name change. If I get unlucky and get a judge that won't approve it, that will cost more. Thing is, that's a third of my rent. I don't have that sort of money. I was thinking of doing a gofundme or making art for people to raise the funds. I'm hoping having a legally changed name will save some awkward conversations and some headaches for whatever IT people would have to scratch their heads trying to change my name in a ticket system.

I found a company that has the early morning shifts I would want to work. I'm a morning person and like to get out mid afternoon. I'm also not trying to work a majority of my shift in the heat of the day. I'm going to apply but for the reasons I've listed above I'm hesitant. I'm also not sure how I'm going to manage two jobs and school. I'm sure I'll figure it out when I get to it.

#tradeschool #transgender #transgenderfirst #lgbt #trans #trans man #trans masc #transman #transmasc #hvac #hvac apprentice

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phrandallanton · 12 days

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do you have any tips on learning anatomy ?!1?1 im losing my mind over it 😿

Watch videos on YouTube about it or looking it up online, basic info I know. We live in the time where information is so exseable, use that to your advantage! The only place you should avoid is TikTok. Don't get me wrong there are some good creators on there but tutorials are better on YouTube and Google as I feel like they explain more. Here's some channels I recommend for not only learning anatomy but art as a whole:

Marc Brunet:

Draw like a sir:

tppo

As of tips I can bring to the table, the biggest one is don't stress over making things perfect! One of the reasons why I love the RANFREN style is how poorly drawn it is and that's what makes it look good. I know it sounds like an insult but it's not. The hands are always so effed up looking and that's my favorite part. Another example is Shin Chan. A lot of the adult's faces are always so wonky but it works and I love it.

Of course you need to learn the rules before you break them. Even the most exaggerated art use basic anatomy/fundamentals. But you don't always have to play by them. Art is subjective, you can draw a piece that has perfect anatomy and fundamentals and people may still not like it. Draw whatever looks good to you and makes you happy!

(This may differ though as if you want to get into a job where you have to draw in a sertant way/sertant thing the whole "I don't care what people think" isn't going to work. I personally do art as a hobby and never plan on doing it to appeal to others so I can bank off of it. If one day I can do that, cool. If not, also cool. That's how I see it! When it comes to trying to make art profitable a lot of creativity can be lost as most places don't want to take a risk of doing something that can effect them and the money. Little tangent, oops. But yeah, keep in mind that what I just typed out is coming more from a hobbyist stand point rather a professional one!)

Another thing is if there's something you don't like about your piece, then fix it. I use to say whatever when there was something I didn't necessarily like about my art because I didn't want to redo hours of work or mess up something, but trust me redoing it and getting it somewhere you like is so much better. Once again, the internet has lots of information to help so don't be shy to look up on how you can make something look to your liking. Criticism can also help with this. Always be open to constructive criticism when you're wanting to get better! Doesn't mean you have to apply said criticism to your art but it's still something you 100% should be open to.

Also with practicing try and do 30 minutes at a time and taking 15 minutes breaks in between. You're brain tends to absorb more information then studying for an hour straight. And don't push yourself to study every moment of your life. You should have a good balance of studying and free drawing. And please take breaks too. Burn out is not fun, it can take a long time to overcome it. (Coming from someone who experienced burn out for over a whole year.)

You also may not learn at it right away. Take your time and go easy on yourself! Don't compare your art to others as you have no clue how many hours they spent into practicing, and I assure you most artist have drawn stuff that looks horrible compared to what they post online. People will only post stuff they think looks good for the world to see. Your practice sketches aren't the best but it's one of the steps that's going to help you get where you want to be! <(＾⊆＾)_/¯

#Ask #Tips #art #digital art #drawing #artwork #Hope this helps!#info dump

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autumnhobbit · 6 months

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I haven’t said anything about this but I’ve exhausted the list of people irl I care to tell about it and I figure I should commemorate it somewhere so I don’t forget it;

So for the last 10 months I’ve been working full-time at this monument company. This is what I would have called my dream job if I called anything that. I had applied for it before years ago but had no work experience to speak of so I must not have impressed much at the time, and as it turned out I instead went to the factory where I met Zach.

I went back to work for personal/mental reasons that, to be frank, I didn’t fully think through. Taking the job meant that I was working Mon-Fri and didn’t qualify for any vacation time until September. Zach works Fri-Sun, 12 hour days, gets paid for 40 hours, and has the other four days off, and still gets the same amount of vacation time. This is an insane and difficult to replicate scenario, as I’m sure you all can tell. The result of me going back to work, however, was that we never had any leisure time together anymore. We never had a common day off except for holidays. The early days of this were absolutely miserable. Like, I’m not kidding you I was physically sick from how miserable I was. I don’t think I’ve ever cried so much in my life, and he took it worse than I did. We’re not one of those couples that can never see each other and be content. This situation took its toll on our relationship and just seemed to get worse and worse. The way I am, I’m loathe to change any situation for fear of inconveniencing people or changing their opinion of me. I felt in decent standings at work, my boss and coworkers seem to like me, but making a stand and a statement of my needs is always stressful and uncomfortable for me. But finally it got to a point even I had to admit a change had to happen or we weren’t gonna make it, and/or I decided I didn’t want to spend another year like this one. But I was still nervous about it and waiting for the right moment.

Well, my boss actually brought up a subject I could easily segue into my situation. He assured me he understood my position and told me he absolutely didn’t want to lose me as an employee and we could work something out. It turned out he basically told me to pitch what schedule I would like to work to him and we’d do that. So I pitched I work Mon-Wed-Friday and he immediately accepted it. I’ll have 2 days off with Zach a week without having to give up my weekends to myself and I can still make a little money and have something to do. And I even got a raise, too. I didn’t ask or pray for this because it was too close to me but it worked out anyway, and I frankly feel no amount of thanks to God would be enough.

#personal

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xiaq · 1 year

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(this can be answered publicly) Hey X, pardon me if you’ve answered this before, but I was just curious on how you ended up transitioning from academia to tech and what role you started with in tech? Also, so you have any advice for someone looking to break into tech from a non-STEM background? Thank you!

Hey! I haven't answered it publicly but it's a popular question, so I will now (warning, long answer is long).

So I was so fed up with academia for sundry reasons I won't get into here but I wanted a career that would allow me to A. retire some day (something that paid generally well), B. would allow me some measure of work/life balance without high stress, and C. Would ideally let me use my communication/writing/speaking/presenting skills in some way.

My parents and my partner all work in tech and were like, "did you know that we desperately need people with your skillsets in the tech world?" and my partner, who works in technical sales was like, "You would kill at my job, I am not lying." And I was like, every job listing in technical sales that I see requires either a degree I don't have or past experience I don't have, or both, and my mother was like "Do you know how many mediocre resumes from unqualified men come across my desk? Apply for the damn positions anyway." So I reworked my resume to focus on applicable skills/experiences and wrote a cover letter for each position I applied to saying "hey, I know I'm an odd candidate but let me tell you why that's a good thing." And I got a lot of positive responses!

I was interviewing at 2 different tech places when I accepted the offer for my job now. I had an initial screening call interview with HR, then a zoom interview with the hiring manager, and then I was given access to a limited demo environment and had a week to teach myself the software and put together a demo for a fake customer which I did for the hiring manager (my future boss), one of my current peers, and the VP of the org. I was offered the job the same night I did my fake demo. So in total it was a 2 week interview process, and I started working 2 weeks later. **

I'm a pre-sales solutions consultant, which basically means I'm paired with a sales guy who does all the money and business value talk with customers, while I get to learn about a customer's data problems and then demo for them how our products can address those problems.

The learning curve was (and still is) steep. But it was basically like going back to school, and I've always loved learning new things. The job is super fun. It fulfills all of my wants I listed above with the added bonus of being completely remote (aside from occasional travel to meet with customers for in-person demos). The people I work with are supportive, management is communicative and constantly giving me feedback/talking about my trajectory. I've won internal awards, already received two raises and one promotion and I haven't even been there a year. I'm making more than double what I did as a professor and the concept of retirement doesn't feel like a laughable pipe dream anymore. I miss teaching a lot, but I'm healthier, happier, and better prepared for the future now. And my work is genuinely fulfiling because I'm showing people how they can fix problems. Also, playing with data management software and putting together custom demos is neat. It's like all the best parts of a college project--research, making a preso, knocking everyone's socks off while giving the preso, but I'm getting paid for it. I'm glad I followed my mom's advice.

So I guess my advice is the same as hers: even if you're not "qualified," apply for the position anyway. Make custom cover letters for each position and if there's not a way to include the letter with the app, do some googling and find the hiring manager on LinkedIn and message/email them. The person who hired me said that my cover letter was what got me the initial interview. So that shit works. If you have friends or family working somewhere with open positions, use those connections. Having an internal referral will go a long way to getting your resume looked at. I know we're all like, boo nepo babies, but networking is a huge part of any industry. Use it to your advantage if you have the advantage (no, I'm not working for my parent's companies, but if there'd been an open position I was interested in, I would have applied for it. No shame).

**I also, on the side, applied for the Austin Fire Department because why not. After a whole lot of mental and physical prep, I was accepted to the academy (in the first class, no less, holla) right before I was offered my current job. But I had to be realistic and say that probably wasn't a good long-term career option for someone who is 110lbs and was barely meeting the physical testing requirements who also has issues with getting overwhelmed in high-input sensory situations. So. Into the tech world I went. This side note just to say, I was keeping my options very open and there's nothing wrong with that either, lol.

I hope this helps!

#answered asks #tech world things #academia #tech #career things #x abandons her dream career so that she might retain a modicum of sanity #i don't remember using that tag but I love that it was suggested to me #because yes exactly #mylife

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corvid-language-library · 2 months

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Future Plans

This is mostly me thinking aloud (or rather, writing shit down), so feel free to ignore (it's gonna get long).

Basically, I'm trying to decide what to do in regards to staying in Japan/moving on.

I love living here. I love my job. After a year of doing it, I've learned from my mistakes and I feel like I've become a much better teacher. With the new school year I've implemented some changes in my approach that I know are going to have positive outcomes, and I want to see it through. I want to keep working with these kids, I want to help them grow.

But... I have reasons for wanting to go back to the UK (never thought I'd say that):

Top of the list is my nan having quite severe dementia. That in itself doesn't affect me greatly as I've not seen her for years and was never close to her. However, I know my mum is struggling to look after her. She frequently drives 3 hours to see her, then spends a week caring for her, and while she tries to put a humorous spin on the stories she tells me I can tell it's hard for her. I want to be there for her, maybe even go with her to help look after my nan just to take the burden off of her.

Related to that... I worry that my mum will develop dementia later on and I'll regret not spending the years we could've had together with her. She's the only family member I'm close to really and honestly, I miss her.

Also family-related... I'm missing my niece growing up. I'm not a part of her life at all and that makes me sad.

I'm still considering studying Education Psychology in the city where my brother lives. It would be expensive and I'd need to rely on my dad's money, which I don't really want to do, but it would set me up nicely to either go into research or then apply to do a teaching Masters degree in Norway (plus I'd get to actually be a part of my niece's life for a bit).

I miss having a fucking oven oh my god I want to bake so fucking badly you have no idea.

At the moment I intend to see my contract out for at least the rest of this year. After that, I'm not 100%. I might continue another year and stay until my visa expires (depends on the situation with my nan I guess).

Another plan would be:

Go back to the UK either when my contract reaches its end at the end of January or when my visa expires at the start of January

Come March, apply to university in Norway

Move to Norway the following summer if I get accepted

I'm also considering transfering away from Yamagata if I decide to stay on for a third year, but I'm in two minds. As mentioned above, I want to continue working with these kids and see through what I've started. I also love Yamagata and my team are great and I'm finally making friends! But I also want to explore more of Japan. It's so expensive to travel here from Europe and I doubt I'd be coming back anytime soon, but it's difficult to get to different areas of Japan from Yamagata. If I were in, say, Osaka, it would be much easier for me to go to new places.

Other options:

Just stay in Yamagata and get my visa renewed and settle down properly

Go do TEFL in a different country that's slightly closer to home (maybe Spain or France)

So yeah, those are some thoughts I'm having. I don't really know what to do at the moment and most people just politely listen and then say "well, it's down to you really" and that doesn't help lmao. Thankfully I've got quite a while to decide anyway.

#chough chatterings

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marionettemi · 2 months

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Tw: su*cidal ideation, mentions of offing oneself, really long vent ig

!! PLEASE BLOCK, DON’T REPORT!!

I don’t want to exist, but I don’t know if I want to die.

I am stuck in a space between life and death where I merely exist, and it is the worst thing I have ever experienced.

I don’t want to live to work for the rest of my life in a career I won’t like because I have no interests.

I don’t want to live until applying for said job, not wanting to, but needing money to survive.

I don’t want to live until college where I will be working to a life I’m not sure I want. To live to know whether I get to possibly live on my own, which seems more impossible with every growing day in a world where I am constantly reminded how doomed the economy is.

I don’t want to live until the end of high school, where I know all the rest will follow.

I don’t want to live until the tests in my senior year, which I am nowhere near prepared for.

I don't want to live the rest of my life suffering with my list of mental illnesses.

With all this, one might ask why I’m still surviving. The truth is, while I know it’s impossible, I feel like I deserve one good month. Even a good week would be enough. I feel like if I hold on long enough, then one day I will get a week where I dress up and go to a lake with a friend who will talk my ear off while I lay quietly on their chest. One week where I live on my own in an aesthetic apartment where I am who I want to be. Who I would be if it weren’t for…me.

If I just hold on long enough, surely I will be rewarded. For the suffering I have been through where everyday it is a fight to not make the ultimate decision to leave forever, surely life will turn out amazing like the books I read. A character going through the same things as me or more and ending up with an amazing life after all. They were rewarded for surviving, why can’t I be?

Yet everyday, I realize I am more alone than the last. Everyday, it feels like my chances are diminishing.

My life has revolved around my mental health since I could remember. After learning why I was the way I was, I was so sure I could get better. Yet here I am, years and years later, no better, if not worse than when I learned.

I don’t want to exist. If I could hit a button to disappear then I know I would. Maybe I’m just scared of the afterlife. I’m not particularly a good or bad person. I haven’t had the chance to become one yet. I never started the betterment arc, I suppose.

I want to live in a fairytale where someone will take me away and better me by my side. A world where everything will work out because it’s a story. A world I currently escape to.

I think it may be the support I want. If I had someone to guide me through my hard times, like a lover or best friend. If I had someone to explain the world to me, like a new and almost perfect guardian. If I had enough people around me willing to share enough love with me to give me interests, happiness, and a reason to live.

I don’t have enough reasons to live, yet I’m scared to leave. I’m scared I may be leaving right before my happy ending, especially one that closes with, “yet it’s just the beginning.” I want to believe my reward, my happy ending, my next chapter is coming soon. I don’t think it is, and I’m scared to run out of time.

I want to make my decision to leave or stay. I wish I could see the future to know if I escape this limbo between life and death.

I wish I never had to make this decision in the first place. I wish I didn’t exist.

#vent post #tw vent #tw sui ideation #svicide #tw self destructive behavior #tw sui implied #tw sui vent #tw sui talk #tw sui attempt #self mutalition #depressing shit #tw depressing stuff #tw self destruction #self mutilator #personal vent

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robogart · 2 years

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Hi! It's ok if you're not comfortable awnsering- but I was wondering how much you make a month from art on average? I'm going into my second year of art school and I'm getting worried about how lucrative online independent work would be. You seem to have a system that I could see myself enjoying, specially compared to the usual instagram and youtube artists you see thriving from online work. And if you don't want to give out numbers: Does it make a living or do you need/work a second job? Ty <3

Hey! This is a great question and I’m going to apologize in advance because it’s going to be a LONG answer! Mostly because I think this is a great way to shed some light on just more “regular” type circumstances for art jobs things! But I hope I can answer this question sufficiently!! 🙏💖

Okay - so I don’t feel comfortable saying how much I make (I’m superstitious that if I share it in a public space it will be dashed IMMEDIATELY) but I can definitely talk about logistics!

So to preface everything with the simple answer: I DO make enough now to have a living! It’s a SMALL living, but I’m able to focus just on my artwork for now! Which is honestly still wild to me and I AM waiting for the rug to be pulled out from underneath me at any given moment (I am throwing some salt over my shoulder as we speak, just in case)

Now I just want to talk about some general insight points about my current situation/how I got to this current situation:

I have only JUST been able to move out (I’m 28 now)

I live in a shared apartment with my friend (fate was SO on our side and this has been a whirlwind 2.5 months omg)

I have student loans to pay off ($400/month! Gross!) on top of rent/life payments. If you’re in this boat, always keep it in mind!

For 7 years after college, I was working on art (commissions, personal, etc) and also working “part time” (30+ hr work weeks so lmao not really but for employer-benefit reasons 🙄) This is for 7 years after school! It took a bit to get here!

I only had to pay a small rent when I was living at home so while it took 7 years (underpaid, family circumstances, physical/mental health woo!) I WAS able to save enough to move out

most days I can still hardly believe I’m here @ w @;; and it’s a constant working process to figure out how to stay here as well! I work 8-10 hour days, 6 days a week.

And if you’re like me, I don’t come from money, so my parents aren’t in a position to help and I have student loan debt. This has informed a lot of my adult life!

That said, I have been lucky to be in a family with a steady lower-middle class income AND ALSO in a pretty stable/functional family situation so that I was able to move back home for a while to save a bit of money. Not everyone has those circumstances to plan financially! But if you come from a more secure/affluent financial background, some of this might not apply to you - which is fine too.

My advice would be to first and foremost make a budget list for yourself (love my google sheets! I have MULTIPLE budget lists lmao)

Make a budget list that covers what you would NEED to earn each month. And then from there, make a sheet that shows what you DO earn each month from art!

Try to track that income for at least 3-4 months of steady work!

If those numbers continue to meet up, then I would say that’s a green light!

If they don’t meet up - maybe look into some part time stuff! Which, like I said before, can be REALLY solid. And it’s always solid at least for a steady line of income, which is great! 💪✨

And remember to treat your job like a JOB! Clock in and clock out! It’s just a job! Not your life! Keep doing you! 💖 Too many times have I given 100% on jobs when it really should be like 80%! Save your energy for yourself too!

And if you are able, think about moving back home. Saving money is ALWAYS a solid choice. Give yourself some time to figure shit out and get your ducks in a row.

I’m only able to do what I can now because I lived at home for 7 years and worked pretty non stop! (working in the morning to afternoon at my first job, coming home doing chores, and then working from 8-11 on art)

BUT, always know, that we are NOT the same person!! You’re going to have a different path from me and so will many others! But in case you wanted a general picture of my circumstance, I’m hope this helped!

And as always, do NOT feel pressured by my advice here!

Advice is just to help INFORM your OWN decisions! Never to make them for you! 💖

I feel like I both talked about A LOT and I’m ABSOLUTELY missing something from here! 🤔 So I apologize for such a novel!

But if you or anyone else reading this thinks of a question about this type of stuff, let me know! I try to be pretty transparent about this since I feel like I’ve only seen a lot of advice from people not with students debt so it’s always been a little frustrating 😔💦

This work IS possible, but it was a lot of work to get myself here! And it’s still a constant dance of figuring out new things (which is equally exciting and a bit stressful) ^ w ^;;; 👏💖💖💖

But thank you for reading this far omg! I hope it was a little helpful at least! ; w ; 🙏💕

#text #A LOT of text I'm so sorry! TT w TT

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multifandompostcardexchange · 8 months

Text

Multi-Fandom Postcard Exchange: Important Announcement

Hey there, everyone. It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to begin the process of closing the Multi-Fandom Postcard Exchange. The exchange will officially close on August 29th of next year (2024).

The primary reasons for this decision are a lack of funds and a lack of commitable time. The lack of funds in particular has made it impossible to keep up with annual increases in PO box pricing, ever-growing postage rates, and maintenance of required tech.

Please read on for further important information.

❤ Vex and Rebel

Sending Postcards

Current members are welcome and encouraged to continue sending postcards from now until July 1, 2024. This cut off date should allow mail from international members to reach us before our PO box closes at the end of August 2024.

Please remember to continue registering your received postcards!

Membership Management

Membership has been CLOSED and no new member applications will be accepted. Current members are still welcome to manage their membership through these forms:

Update Public & Private Information

Update Interest Profile

Update Gifting Information

Retire Membership

Fortune Friday

There will be one more members-only Fortune Friday event. It will occur on Friday, October 13, 2023.

Holiday Cheer

We are very sorry to announce that we will be unable to coordinate Holiday Cheer this year. We understand that Holiday Cheer has been a popular and appreciated event for the past three years and we apologize for any upset this change causes.

Additional Information

If you have any questions, the ask box is open.

Behind the Keep Reading cut below, you will find:

Any information we forgot to include when initially making this post. (Anything we missed will have its own separate post, but since this will be our Pinned post, we want it to be comprehensive.)

A more in-depth and personal explanation of our decision to close the Multi-Fandom Postcard Exchange, ways to keep in touch, and a thank you.

Explanation of Circumstances

The decision to close the MFPE came down to two things: money and time.

Since opening in August 2020, we have spent $1,260.09 in postage, $582 in PO box fees, and $180.31 on certain miscellaneous gifts to our members. That last number does NOT include the cost of things won from our Prize Vault, the cost of items distributed during our Member Appreciation Giveaway, or other gifts that were never itemized. In other words, far more has been spent than the $2,022.40 outlined above.

As of October 6, 2023, the MFPE has received $757.53 in donations, and we have been grateful for every penny. But the MFPE was never meant to run off of donations.

Why? Well, Vex (that's me) had a secure, stable, well-paying job for over a decade and expected to stay at said job until retirement. I definitely did not expect to become increasingly unable to work due to traumatic stress. In fact, when my therapist suggested I take a long break from work, I laughed and said it would be impossible. (Ha ha ha.) So instead of applying for the short- and long-term disability benefits I had access to at the time, I kept going and going until I suddenly reached my breaking point and quit my job in a fit of desperate frustration.

That is the simplified version of the story. The tl;dr version would be: I used to make money and now I don't.

But even if it were possible to fund the MFPE purely through donations, Rebel and I are still unable to commit the time.

Keep in Touch

If you would like to keep in touch, I am currently more active on Dreamwidth than anywhere else. A majority of posts are friends-only, but feel free to subscribe and request access (drop a comment saying you're from the MFPE!).

Other places you can find me are listed on my Fandom vCard.

Thank You

To our members, volunteers, and supporters: thank you for all of your kindness, interest, passion, and cheerleading throughout the years. It has meant more to me than I could possibly express and you have my endless gratitude.

Spread joy. Be kind to each other. Every small action has the potential to save someone's life.

❤ Vex

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entwinefates · 16 days

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𔓕 BLOOM ⸻ PLOTTING CALL

hi hi hello hello nice to meet everyone again!! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉi've been answering asks here and there, but there's about a week left before the month ends, so i wanted to try sending out a mini plot call while i work on some other things. i'm admittedly still a little nervous so⸻though i'll list all the comms i'm interested in⸻i'd like to only take on two threads at a time as to not overwhelm myself ( and i want to keep myself open for the june event !! anxiety be damned i'm doing the next event even if it kills me. ) if you're interested in threading together then feel free to slide into my dms o7

TCG. ( grips your shoulders. ) i love genius invokation tcg so much it's not even funny. it's gotten to the point i log on solely to play the silly card game. the idea of building a deck for paimon alone has me weeping with me joy. i'd loooove the play the game straight while the two muses take dramatic shots at eachother ( "my grandfather has no pathetic cards, kaiba!" ) and if, for whatever reason, you would like for me to offer advice for different decks and strategies your muse could utilize (◕_◕)🎉

ANGEL SHARE. for a quick buck you decide to pick up a one-time job at a tavern. your coworker is a baby. it is your personal mission to keep her from dropping glasses or else you'll be oweing the winery money instead of the other way around.

or i'd think it'd be funny if paimon was really sullen and came to the bar to "drink her sorrows away," cos that's what people in mond do, right? unfortunately, you have to cut her apple cider off at the eighth glass...

WUBBABOO HERDING. i've only recently picked up the game again, so my knowledge of hsr is limited, but based on a scan of the wiki page, i think there's lots of potentially fun shenanigans! paimon being mistaken for a wubbabboo and crying indignantly about it, trading increasingly strange plans on how to catch the wubbaboo, finding someone possessed and trying to uselessly bonk the spirit out of them cos she can't fight ... silly. so silly. honestly little pie interacting with anyone from the star rail cast sounds really fun!

PLOT BUNNIES.

i think it'd be suuuper cute if paimon won a makeup kit and wanted to test it out on someone since she's too young to wear it for herself. it could go a bunch of different ways, like someone teaching her step-by-step how to apply the various products or the two of them just winging it and slathering on everything.

╰┈➤ taken; hiii alina!!

i had the idea that maybe the steambird was hosting a non-fiction writing competition and paimon decided she wanted to interview one of her friends! i imagine it'd be something small like their daily life, their fighting style, fun tidbits about themselves, etc. i think it'd be make for some cute back-and-forth and a nice excuse to make up some headcanons ♡♡

╰┈➤ taken; hiii sen!!

#‎ ‎‎ ╰ ‎‎‎‎ ✦ 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 ／ ooc.#( i wanted to get either this or an open st.rter out ages ago but EVERY SINGLE BUNNY I HAD i wanted to send to the masterlist as a comm )#( i got a bit nervous since it's so late in the month but better late than never surely !! )

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omegaprotocol · 4 months

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The Truth

A few days later Hailey is in her home at the dining room table on her laptop. She is open to a website with job listings for anything robotics related. She gets a text on her phone, opens up the message and sees that she has been rejected for the job. She lets out an aggravated groan. This was the third rejection today and it wasn’t even noon. She had never been rejected from a job before, but now it seems like it’s the norm. After she puts her phone down it begins ringing. She checks the caller ID to see that it’s Jason. She hangs up the phone but Jason calls again almost immediately. Hailey rolls her eyes and answers the phone.

“Hello?” she says in an annoyed tone.

“Yeah. Hello. What’s the deal, you just drop off your stuff at my apartment and bail?”

“I have a ton of important stuff to do right now and I just need you to watch Omega for a little bit. After I get this all sorted out I’ll get her and be out of your hair.”

“No, you can’t do this to me again. You always say that it’s something important. Well you know what, I’m important too and this ain’t fair, not to me, or your sunshine toy.” Hailey places a hand on her temple.

“Please tell me you aren’t saying these things in front of her.”

“What, that’s what you care about? And no I’m not, right now I’m in my car driving.”

“Ok good, I don’t need to explain to Omega that she isn’t a toy.”

“Why does that matter?”

“I have to curate the information she hears, she is a learning AI meant to save the world. I can’t have her data corrupted because I can’t build another one of her, I only get one shot.”

“One shot for what? Why not just tell me what’s happening?”

“If I tell you, will you stop complaining about her being in your apartment?”

“The reasoning had better be great, but sure I will.”

“Ok I’ll meet you at the fareway for coffee and tell you about it.”

Hailey then arrives at the fareway, a golf themed coffee shop with green walls made to look like terf and little flags at every table. Hailey walks in and looks around and finds Jason with a cup of coffee slouched in a booth toward the back of the shop. Hailey walks over, sits down and pulls out her laptop to continue applying for jobs. Jason looks around the laptop with a tired expression.

“Couldn’t even say hi first before ignoring me?”

“I know you want my world to revolve around you right now but at the moment I have to apply for new jobs.”

“New jobs? What happened to your old one?”

“I lost it.”

“Ok, the world is ending. How did you get fired from a job? You're like the most insane work-a-holic I know.”

“You want to know what’s going on or not?” Jason puts his hands up as if to surrender and sits back in his seat. “Ok, so, it started a few months ago, I had gotten the government to pick me for the grant for their ‘International defense program’ or whatever. After I got picked they gave me a document detailing what they wanted. They needed a defense system from… something. It was really vague and didn’t talk about defense from what. It just kept saying ‘the target’ over and over again.

“The target? Like, as in, an alien that is coming to destroy Earth?”

“Right? It was weird and I couldn’t make sense of it. I made a few prototypes of things that might work but they were not impressed. I got another document saying more about ‘the target’ but as I was reading it became clear that the government had no idea who or what was coming to hit us. So, because I can’t solve a problem I can’t even figure out, I decide to build Omega Zero and a few other systems to help her out in defending us from this thing.”

“What!” Jason gets low and whisper-yells to Hailey. “Omega isn’t a nuke right? You did not put a nuclear bomb in my apartment!” Hailey rolls her eyes.

“No, she isn’t a bomb. The government wishes I just built a bomb, but that doesn’t solve the issue. No matter what I build, the mysterious target could have a potential answer to it, and if they do, the world is doomed. So instead I put my dissertation’s money where its mouth is and built a true AI. An AI that could learn who the target is and defeat them no matter what it is.”

“Woah, that is like, a really big deal.”

“Yes it is. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Anyway the government was not happy that I wouldn’t build them a weapon of mass destruction, so I grabbed Omega and ran. No doubt the government has me on a watch list, and on top of that I for some reason can’t get hired right now. All the jobs I apply to reject me.”

There is a pause as Jason looks down at his coffee and Hailey continues to type. Jason realizes he may have overreacted now knowing how much stress Hailey is under.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the phone call earlier. I didn’t realize what you were going through. Omega can stay at my apartment for as long as you need.” Hailey looks up from her laptop and makes eye contact for a brief moment.

“No problem, I know it was probably hard to not get any information and just have this dropped on you. Especially in the middle of your music career.”

“Yeah well, I’ve mostly just been working at the movie theater these days.”

“Oh, that’s cool too I guess.” Jason and Hailey finish their coffee in silence before returning to their homes.

#superhero #superheroes #Omega Protocol #original character #original story #ocs #comics

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crazilust · 2 years

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Ambition through the signs (pt. 1)

Hello every one and welcome back to this series where I analyse personality traits through each and every signs and ranking them, just for fun.

My definition of ambition for this ranking will be : someone's who has a "strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work".

Please check your Sun, Moon or Mars. You may also look at other placements, such as houses. I would suggest 1st, 6th, 7th and 10th.

Scorpio (#3)

Scorpio is pretty high up in the list, let me tell y'all. With Scorpios, it's easy. They will simply not give up. Why do you think they get made fun of so much for being obsessed with people? Sure, it applies to their crushes, but it also applies for their goals. Once they have a goal in mind, they will simply not. give. up. y'all. it's actually kinda scary, and they should be careful of that because on the other hand, they also have a hard time letting go of toxic situations.

Advice: My advice to you dear Scorpios is to assess if that goal you've been giving your all to is still aligning with your values. I know you're only satisfied when you get what you want (and even then...) but it's important to realize when something is just not for you anymore... You got this.

Pisces (#5)

Water signs in general are underestimated. When it comes to anything related to ambition, intelligence, etc, water signs are not really considered. Well, I'm here to shake the cards a little, if you'll allow me. Pisces are ruled by Jupiter, y'all (traditionally). In order to have ambition, you need to have the imagination the back it up first! C'mon! Whenever Pisces get an idea of what they want in life, they start building a whole lifestyle around it and then get to work. Please do not forget how good of a manifestor they are. Not only do they get what they want, but they will put the work to back it up too. If you don't agree, I'd say you probably met a Pisces who was not in a good enough mental state to put in the work into their ambitions (cause, yes, sometimes they can kinda dwell in their misery...). But yea, anyway, I'd say they're up there.

advice: be careful of your mindset, Pisces, it's litteraly your biggest strength. The same way you can create big things out of thin air, you can create a misery mindset out of a minor inconvenience as well. be really cautious with your thoughts, i'd say.

3. Capricorn (#8)

Ugh... This one is going to be controversial. But I have to say it. Alright. Yes, Caps are ambitious. I'm not gonna deny that or take this away from them. Because they're a Cardinal sign, they will always have ideas of starting something on their own, be their own boss, etc. Plus, as an earth sign, they will also have that visceral need to have material stability which can push them into having big ambitions. BUT. There's two reasons why I wouldn't put Caps any higher. First of all, just like any Cardinal sign, they like to start shit... Don't like to finish it, most of the time. I feel like we don't talk about this enough. We say that about Libras, Aries, Cancers but Caps? We forget them. I don't. Y'all don't finish your shit. Which starting projects is a sign of someone's ambitious but to me, someone ambitious is also disciplined. Second reason is that Caps are pretty traditional. If they have a spouse that brings big money or a job that pays good and they're satisfied... Yep. They'll stay.

advice: Be careful not to stay too much in your comfort zone. I feel like this can be your biggest flaw sometimes.

4. Aquarius (#6)

Aquarius are pretty high in the list, I would rank them as number 6, honestly. For multiple reasons. First of all, Aquariuses are always turned towards the future. They're always thinking on how to do things differently, how to evolve. Which is a big component of ambition. Second of all, they also have always some sorts of big plans going on for them. They always tryna do something not just for their community, but for humanity as a whole. You'll probably never know about the project they're actually working on, but for sure, it's big. Third, they also have a god complex, for most of them🤣. Which, let's be honest, in order to succeed in life, you kinda need to have. That kind of "My idea is the best and it'll work even if no one but me believes in it". I f*ck with that.

advice: My advice for Aquarius would be to share their projects with people. Let people know what you're up to. Even if you don't really have a solid plan (is that why you don't wanna share?). Maybe you'll meet someone that can help you sort it out.

5. Sagittarius (#7)

Any sign ruled by Jupiter will be ambitious, y'all. To me, the planet that rules expansion, knowledge, luck, etc. can have no other choice but to give its native a huge ambition. I know that Sags don't really look ambitious because they can sometimes seem aloof and lost in their thoughts. But man, do they have big plans. Let's not forget that one of the main themes of Sagittarius is "freedom". They will do anything for it and won't sacrifice for no one. In that same regard, in order to achieve freedom, most of them will come with some elaborate plan in order to "get out of the rat race". Most Sagittarius find that through art, they can achieve this freedom (I feel like this can also apply to Pisces, btw). So their ambition can be channeled through art, or traveling, for example, which, for some people, may be considered less ambitious. The only thing with Sagittarius, is that sometimes, they can get lost in their plans becaude they're simply too big and they won't start the work. Being mutable signs also, they get bored way too quickly and start another project before barely touching the last one.

advice: work on your discipline, as this is your most fatal flaw. your plans lack realism sometimes, which can be a good thing, but it also makes you feel overwhelmed too fast. one step at a time.

6. Aries (#4)

Aries, as being a cardinal sign, is a pretty ambitious sign. Not only are they a cardinal sign, but they're also the first one. For the most part, Aries will find a way to be their own boss, one way or another. While freedom is important to them, I feel like their main theme is being the authority, THE first one to achieve something. Most will feel attracted to entrepreneurship because it grants them that authority that they so crave. While they still share that cardinal flaw to leave things hanging, Aries' desire to be the first one to achieve things (the pioneer archetype) is stronger than that and for the most part, once they set their mind on something, they rarely give up. Let's not forget that Aries are ruled by Mars, just like Scorpio and they share that same determination and grit. They rarely give up (which just like Scorpio, can become a flaw).

advice: the main reason some Aries are not ambitious is when they feel that they have no chance at becoming the best, or that they're not the first to achieve things and then, they'll give up. Aries, you can be a little childish sometimes, so I'ma need you to get up, get off of your victim mentality and try, try, try again! (it's all love 🤨❤️)

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and we're doneeee ! I hope you liked this post and the second part will be out shortly :) xx

love you,

dolly x.

#astro community #astrology #astrology notes #astro notes #astro observations #aries sun #scorpio moon #scorpio #capricorn #aquarius #moon #astrology observations

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