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fizzigigsimmer · 3 months

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i know i'm about about 20 years late to this but i was waiting for other people to ask, but they never did! so for the wip game, please pretty please tell us about all the rest of the fics!! news paper au, vampire apocalypse, military brats au, angels & demons au, star wars au, rock music au, & Caligator - Slave fic hurt comfort Dystopian! sorry for being greedy ho, i can't help it when it comes to your stories 😔😔😔

It's never too late! 😊 And It's amazing to know you like my stories. Some of these others have asked about - the tag search system is broke af on my blog so my apologies. I will link those. But starting with the new stuff:

Star Wars Au - Billy is a powerful Jedi Knight with a reputation for rule breaking and struggling to control his emotions. After a busted up mission he's one step from being kicked out of the order, but gets an unexpected second chance. The mission is to travel to an outer planet and retrieve a mysterious Sith holocron, and to stop the sith lord who may also be hunting it. A simple enough mission, until he becomes entangled with a rogue pilot (with ridiculous hair). Steve's the rebellious son of a powerful trade conglomerate whose only interests seem to be star ships, girls, and getting into trouble; but there's more to him than meets the eye. On the plus side, Steve is not the Sith lord the council warned him to be wary of. On the downside he is the sith lord's apprentice and Billy just slept with him. AKA Struggling Jedi Knight Billy falls for Sith Steve. Two men, two different sides of the force. Is there a path between the darkness and the light that no one has found?

Rock Music Au - Steve is a closeted country singer who is part of a pop-country duo with his longtime girlfriend Nancy. Billy is a jaded rockstar down on his luck who takes a job as a janitor at a friend's studio in Nashville. A chance encounter one night at the studio allows him to hear Steve working on some new material. Steve is stuck creatively, stuck in a dying relationship, and is unable to be his authentic self and is depressed. Billy hears something in his music - real shit - and for the first time in months he's able to write music again. Steve is wary at first but he gives the song Billy gave him a try and it KILLS, blazing to the top of the charts. While Steve fights with his managers and Nancy about the changes he wants to make with his music, he falls into an affair with Billy who introduces him to the world of sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Billy can't stop making music whenever they're together, it's like Steve is his muse. But then everything goes crash, because it was always going to. You can't swap one addiction for another and call it healing. Steve's friends rush in to sweep up the pieces. Billy moves away and finally gets the help Max has been begging him to. He gets better, but he can't help looking back and wondering where Steve is now. Whether he's happy or if he and Nancy worked things out. Surely he wouldn't wait for Billy. But maybe he looks back too, and wonders if they can salvage the beauty in the broken?

Vampire Apocalypse - The apocalypse has arrived in the form of a strange disease that is killing off the human population and turning them into bloodsuckers. Not true vampires, but more like ravenous zombies with spoiled blood. Vampires can't even drink from them! Once hunted by humans, covens and werewolf packs have risen in prominence as the remaining population seeks protection from the hordes of the infected. Steve a half vampire runs away from his coven and hides out in a werewolf pack posing as an ordinary human. Things start to get complicated when he falls for Billy the alpha. Can they make it work or will the end of the world and ancient rivalries tear them apart?

Military Brats - Billy is a military brat, the golden child of the base who strives for perfection under his abusive father Neil. Steve is a queer rebellious punk who is the son of a big brass. The Harringtons are transferred to Cali due to Steve's misbehavior and an incident on the last base, and his reputation proceeds him among the military families. Neil warns Billy to stay away from Steve. Not to cause trouble on account of who his father is, but never to be alone with him. But that's hard to do when Steve seems to set his sights on Billy from the beginning and goes out of his way to give him a hard time. But what starts off as rivalry changes when Steve realizes that Billy isn't safe to be anything else but the perfect son, and slowly they start to peel back each others layers. Steve gives Billy a safe space to rebel and figure out who he really is, and Billy helps Steve realize he' shouldn't have to scream for attention, and that he's worth more than he thinks he is. They save each other.

News Paper Au

Calligator - Slave Fic

Angels & Demons AU

#harringrove #billy hargrove #steve harrington #FWF #answered asks #wips

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sugar-petals · 4 years

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Tarot Reading Practice: Why Using Lenormand Cards Is Amazing

they’re originally from france and gorgeously vintage — what more does a card reader want?

it’s like tarot’s major arcana, but simplified and with cottagecore imagery. the nostalgia factor is off the charts, too.

the cards have an even longer tradition than the rider-waite tarot, going back to the 18th century. that means: plenty of material out there.

it is excellent to predict timing. each card is numbered and has a specific set time range, even season. you can pinpoint your prediction down to the day.

lenormand’s accuracy even has a historical anecdote. all of napoleon’s battle victories and losses were correctly predicted by madame lenormand, the inventor of the deck herself. who was looking fly as hell by the way.👌

there are only 36 cards to learn. if you buy oracle cards, it’s usually 44 cards or more to study, with tarot it’s 78 cards plus reversals. especially if you’ve already learned the tarot, this is peanuts.

and yes, no reversals in lenormand. god bless.

some decks have the meanings printed as little poems onto the cards themselves. that’s classy, that’s clever, and extremely handy for beginners. it’s brilliantly written and still open-ended enough to allow a different interpretation each session. it changes depending on what other cards it comes with, you’ll never be bored.

in other decks, they also have classic playing cards on them.

buying lenormand cards is incredibly inexpensive. five bucks and you’re good to go, whereas other decks cost you 20 or more. and even if the price is low and the cards are a bit smaller (e.g. mine are 9 x 5.5 cm), the value you get out of those is... wow. i’ve even seen quality decks as cheap as two euros.

there’s only one thing going on at a time on the card. no complicated symbolism, it can speak to you more instantly. the downside: with tarot, you can draw a story out of one card already. with lenormand, you need say a 2-card spread and benefit from knowing more about what card means what.

which again is an advantage though. lenormand needs less intuition, you can squarely, shamelessly learn it by the book. whereas tarot, you know how it is. the card wants to tell you something specific that might not be the standard definition. while lenormand is like haha boom, you will travel next month! you will move in with your partner! you have beef with a colleague if you write email XYZ!

astrological signs and houses are associated with specific cards. i repeat, lenormand and the zodiac go hand in hand just like the tarot. do i even have to go on?!

the cards are petite but sturdy. you can carry them anywhere or create gigantic spreads. shuffling and storing will never be a problem.

nothing is wishy-washy. the card is either positive, negative, or neutral. you can get a clear yes or no.

the querent has their own set card to symbolize them. let that sink in! if you have clients, they will love this. and it’s so easy for you to create spreads with that, too. if you read for yourself, same thing, the querent cards are one of lenormand’s coolest features. the ‘gentleman’ or ‘lady’ can stand in for the person who’s asking, two friends, or a couple. lenormand is THE deck for love questions. PS: not to worry, you can use it for non-heterosexual couples with ease. the querent cards can be whoever you want, the reading results will not be impacted.

because of their simple imagery, card names are easy to memorize. tarot has spreads like ‘THE HANGED MAN in reverse + THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE + THE HIGH PRIESTESS in reverse + TEN OF WANDS in reverse’. meanwhile, lenormand spreads are like ‘ship - dog - fox - fish - whip’ and that’s it. you don’t even have to know the card’s name, it’s so self-explanatory. you can learn this in one day.

the deck is not the most wide-spread among popular readers, but there are still a lot of websites with information online. simply because it’s such a strong tradition.

solid, quick lenormand skills are the sign of a seasoned tarotist. you can recognize a trustworthy pro by it. if someone claims they are a veteran but they haven’t heard of lenormand... especially if your tarot reader is european, this is the go-to branch of cartomancy they should have heard about.

similarly, it’s a sign your cartomancy knowledge is about to climb to the next level if you got these pretty french cards on your hands and become naturally invested. it’s one of those cases where the deck finds you at the right time.

niche bonus: lenormand will be the #1 ace up your sleeve.

they’re so decorative and available for any visual taste you can think of. steampunk lenormand, fantasy lenormand, history lenormand, romantic lenormand, the list goes on. you will find whatever style is precious to you very fast. all while the classic vintage cards are a staple you can purchase very easily.

levelling up is possible to no end. you can use one, two, three, five, nine, or even all cards at once. customized spreads on top of that. you can have fast success with the helpful 9-card layout, or really get into it going big.

lenormand’s 36-card ‘grand tableau’ (great table) reading is infamous and the one and only final boss. not one card will be redundant, their interconnection is what the interpretation is built on in the first place.

once you have the card meanings down, you learn the grand tableau principle faster than you assumed. you will be able to expound your answer by looking at the distances between cards, that’s the whole idea.

example. if the ring card is far away from the querent card, that means to wedding in sight. if the ring is next to the querent card, that means marriage. pretty simple. if the ring is surrounded by positive cards, even better. you can tell how easily you can answer a question this way.

or: if the dog (=card for friendship) is next to the child which is next to the heart, that means: possibility of falling in love with your childhood friend. it’s literally that straightforward. lenormand can’t leave you hanging, it never plays games. it gives you every concise warning (with concrete ways to prevent the outcome) and chance for a blessing.

the grand tableau is as powerful as tarot’s classic spread, the celtic cross. you have something to work towards/work on and get an impressive, highly informative spread that will leave not one question unanswered. this shit is amazing. lenormand is one of the most worthwhile essentials for card readers, i did not once regret learning about it.

#lenormand #lenormand cards #tarot #tarot cards #learn tarot #tarot reading #cartomancy #witchblr #astrology #french tarot #lenormand reading #card reading

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thoughts-on-bangtan · 3 years

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Why these ships

Yesterday Admin 1 posted a rather complex post (x), so today we thought we’ll take it a little easier and instead talk about our ships and why we ship the ships we ship. Seems fun, right? This isn’t meant as some kind of detailed analysis of moments or a way to convince others of why these ships are superior somehow, because that’s not something we do around here.

This is simply meant as something lighthearted and for you to get an idea of who types these posts and the POV we have when looking at ship content, as well as what got us into being vminies and namjinists.

Since Admin 1 is a very wordy person, we’ll start with Admin 2. Let’s go!

Admin 2, who ships vmin

My bias is Tae and my bias wrecker is Namjoon. When it comes to Tae, it isn’t about his stunning visuals or whatnot, but more his artistic soul that captivated me. Because of that I feel like I can understand him, just like I can understand Namjoon though I’d never be able to reach such intellectual heights like him.

In my opinion, if there is a romantic couple within BTS, the most likely option would be Jimin and Taehyung. I’m not basing my opinion on any concerts or things like RUN since I’m aware that BTS are idols and places/events/shows such as those are more like theatre in that they are playing a role, playing up certain things to get a reaction out of the crowd and alike, or is being used as a way too push or highlight a certain member or members.

Any time I see Tae and Jimin interact with each other I get this feeling that they have some kind of mystery about them, that they’re like + and -, two very different people, and yet there’s this something about them that brings them together. Perhaps it is simply the sole fact that they are so different that makes them so intriguing not only to each other, but also for me. Observing all the materials we have of these seven years, it’s been interesting to see how they’ve changed both physically and mentally, how they went from being these ‘bad boys’ at the beginning of BTS career and how that transformed over time until they became the boys we know today. I think over the years they simply got the chance to explore and find and be who they are, together but also as separate people. Looking at Tae, he’s changed a lot over the years and I don’t mean it in the sense of “he became quiet”, but rather that his mannerisms and personality changed, that he got to show more of himself and who he wants to be and as who he wants to be seen by others. Same goes for Jimin, who in the first years struggled with being one person until he finally started to evolve into who he wanted to be and simply became Jimin instead of whatever others wanted, which he even praised himself for.

And along with that I also think they got to explore parts of themselves they might’ve not even been quite aware of being there at first, in terms of what they mean for them as individuals but also as two people together. In that regard I think they’ve changed the most out of all the members, and really, in such a way, only they have visibly changed in such a way. They got to explore deep parts of themselves and live them together.

“I’m from the moon, you’re from the stars”, as in they are both different, not from earth, but they got the chance to be different together.

There’s also the fact that they themselves call each other soulmates is for me very intriguing since I understand soulmates as either two people being very similar to each other (the same mentality, interests, tastes etc) or two people who found their romantic other half that, in a sense, completes them. I don’t see vmin as the former, since they are so different, but I think they’ve simply found and worked so hard with together to meet each other on another level which led them to become the second. That’s my theory and my feeling.

I adore how, even though they get so comparatively little screen time together in the last few years, whenever we do see them interact with each other their interactions are always so different, so full of warmth, softness and gentleness, romantic even, and fully of mutual respect. It’s endearing to me how shy Tae seems to get whenever Jimin shows him more affection on camera. I applaud Tae for how he showcases his feelings for Jimin so “openly” on Weverse through the pictures and posts he makes that involve him, though most don’t want to see it as such.

Them saying that it’s enough for them to look at each other and they immediately know what the other is thinking, how they basically almost have conversations with each other just through looking into each others eyes, honestly made my heart sing with cuteness and fondness.

These are my feelings when I see them. When it comes to more substantial reasonings as to why I think they may be real and why I think so, that’s a post for another time since it’ll take much more preparations and thoughts. But at the same time I want to say that I’m one of those people who thinks that if not vmin and not namjin, then none of the ships are real in a romantic sense. In a friendship way, all of them are real. But that too is also something for another post in the future.

The most important thing in it all for me was Tae stating that 95z is love, but that, too, is something for another time.

Admin 1, who ships vmin and namjin

I’d like to preface my part of this by saying that while I do ship vmin and namjin, I’m not the kind of person who will try to find definitive proof that they are real (especially if that means overanalyzing the most minute interactions and split second touches because, to me, that feels obsessive and invasive and not every one second shared glance must mean anything) and proceed to force my opinion onto others, or get into fights why my ships are more valid than someone else’s. That’s not who I am and that’s not the kind of experience I’m looking for while being ARMY. At the end of the day while I do believe that there are good chances (and reasons to believe so) that these ships are real, vmin probably more than namjin, I won’t insist on that having to be true and I also don’t really care all that much either? It’s their private lives after all, so for me this is all mostly for fun and for discussions, if that makes sense. Should one day any member of my ships come forward and say he’s in a relationship with someone outside of my ship, I don’t be angry or disappointed, I’ll be happy for them regardless.

That being said, similar to Admin 2, whenever I see Jimin and Taehyung together, there’s just this special something about them that just does it for me. I’ll admit that when I first got into BTS and became ARMY, I didn’t care about shipping at all. It’s not that I wasn’t familiar with RPS, I’ve read plenty of that as young teen, but rather that I was so enamored with their music and friendships that those simply seemed more important to me. With time I started to pay more attention to the individual dynamics and bonds within the group and soon I realized that Jimin and Taehyung stood out to me without a question or doubt. I’ll admit that I do read fanfic, so out of curiosity I checked out the other maknae ships (the actual ships as well as their fanfic counterparts) and came to the conclusion that they didn’t have that something for me, felt more like brothers, and that I kept on going back to vmin every time.

There’s this sense of belonging (to each other) I feel when I watch Jimin and Taehyung together, how they’ve grown together over the years, their bond going through phases and changes and how they only seemed to get closer and closer, even during the time when people claimed vmin were over and we were in a drought. I look at them, their interactions, the fondness in their eyes and the gentleness with which they treat each other and I think this is it. It’s so easy to see how much they care about each other, and how important they are for each other, I can’t help but love and admire it, and in the end it turned me into a vminie.

As for namjin, this one is a little less clear cut, perhaps. Something that hasn’t been mentioned yet is that I’m a Namjoon bias. He was the one who caught my attention first when I discovered BTS and he’s been my bias ever since, so I enjoyed seeing his interactions with the other members, how he has this mutual respect with them yet how when he says something, everyone else listens because he’s the leader. Plus, his mind is honestly the greatest and most wondrous thing. Anyway. I adore the dynamics that Namjoon has with the other members and how different they are, but the one he shares with Seokjin has caught my attention that little bit more and stood out to me more, just like with vmin.

Namjoon and Seokjin have been close ever since Seokjin joined BigHit, at first simply because they needed to figure out how to get the rest of the group to listen to Namjoon despite him not being the eldest, and then simply because they liked it. I’ll never forget that video they made together around christmas time which ends with Seokjin singing All I Want For Christmas Is You. The date vibe of that video? Off the charts. Over the years as they’ve matured, so did their bond, and while they’re certainly not as clingy and touchy with each other anymore as they used to be after debut, it makes their interactions and little ways of showing affection for each other that much more special.

Their mutual respect, admiration and influence on each other is also something that’s always drawn me to them, how some things Seokjin told Namjoon years ago stuck with him for years and he found ways to incorporate them into his philosophy and ending ments at concerts showing how even these small things affected him, touched him. There’s also things like Namjoon helping Seokjin with his music, the way they praise each other and get shy about it, or tiny details such as Namjoon holding Seokjin’s hand and trying to hide it from the camera behind Namjoon’s thigh (which obviously didn’t work out since we did end up seeing it). It’s these little things about them that do it for me, how when they hug it simply feels so special, so meaningful, the way Namjoon looks so fondly and proudly at Seokjin sometimes and vice versa, and how calm and also absolutely chaotic they are when they’re together. Brilliant.

So, as much as I’m a vminie, I’m certainly also a namjinist.

As for other ships, I’ll call myself a Sope enthusiast since those two together definitely have a certain something about them too. At the end of the day though I love BTS, will always be OT7 and their true family type bond, as they have called it themselves as such many of times, will always stand above all else for me.

#vmin #namjin #jimin #taehyung #namjoon #seokjin #bangtan sonyeondan #BTS #why we ship who we ship

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thegreymoon · 3 years

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Salty Ask list: 9. Most disliked arc? Why?, 20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?, and 27. Least shippable character? The saltier the better!!!

Thank you for the ask, anon!! 💜💜

OK, I will answer both 9 and 10 (because the most disliked arc is no. 10 😅) I have already answered some of these earlier, so I will copy/paste those, if that’s OK!

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

For Merlin:

Agravaine. He’s just the worst. So greasy and sleazy and just, yuck. Yuck, overall. He’s not even one of those characters one can love to hate, like, for example, Uther, who is also simply the worst, but who will preoccupy you in ways you never saw coming! When it comes to Agravaine, everything about him was so thoroughly hateful, frustrating and unenjoyable, the highlight of the entire season was finally watching him go splat against the wall! The second most hated is that girlfriend of Gwaine’s at the very end that was plying him for information. That entire sequence is just so mind-numbingly infuriating, I can’t even think of it without getting angry. It almost ruined Gwaine for me entirely.

For The Untamed:

Oh, finally an easy one!! 😂😂 Wen Chao, Wang Lingjiao and Wen Zhuliu are in a tight race for the first place here and who is winning depends entirely on who I’m looking at in that precise moment! Of course, Wen Ruohan and Wen Xu can get into the hate bucket too, but they were so bland and boring, they cannot really compare. Jin Guangshan is also the worst, I can’t stand him. The only reason I hate the Wens more is that Jin Guangshan is actually a competent villain on a higher scale of villainy than the previous lot. Jin Zixun is also awful, a ridiculously unredeemable character on every front and Su She can also have an honourable mention.

10. Most disliked arc? Why?

For Merlin:

Oooh! There are so many!! But I think the ones that I rant about the most often are those related to Gwen! Everything about Gwencelot makes me rage! I dislike him and how he treated her and just do not see this epic ~love~ there, at least not on his part, yet they kept bringing him back to mess up her life over and over again.

Mind you, I am not the biggest fan of Arthur in this context either, he was a terrible boyfriend (though a somewhat better husband because Merlin picked up the slack), even though Arwen >>> Gwencelot by miles and miles. I hated how he would break up with her every five minutes over nonsense and then come crawling back. I hated how she always immediately forgave him, all grateful and relieved, and I always felt like she didn’t really have a choice because the power imbalance between them was staggering. Plus, the fact that she was the one who nursed Uther in his last months after everything he had done to her, and that Arthur had let it happen, infuriates me to no end.

My loathing for that whole cheating arc is infinite. I hate how the writers could not make up their minds about what they wanted to do with her. On the one hand, they were such cowards in their attempts to keep her ideologically pure, they had already sacrificed a lot of her quirkiness and character to suit Arthur’s needs and wants and to make him look good, so they were reluctant to have her actually cheat because it would undermine him. I don’t understand why they even had to have that entire arc if they were so afraid to go there. She was supposed to be under mind-control, and then they pointed out that the spell works by bringing suppressed emotions to the forefront! Why was that necessary? I mean, you can’t have it both ways! Either do it and own it, or just leave it alone! It would have been so easy to have her choose Lancelot and develop a proper romance there, and then to have Lancelot die, and Gwen fall in love with Arthur afterwards, as he supports her while she grieves. But, no, they had to take this cheap shot at her and humiliate her and have her cleaning pigsties just so that Arthur can angst about it for a few episodes. I am forever mad.

I also dislike the whole evil!Gwen arc (though a part of me did enjoy watching her go apeshit after quietly swallowing so much injustice throughout the entire five seasons of this show). I feel like they were intentionally undermining the character and her entire relationship with Arthur. The whole cheating nonsense so late into season 4 had already done so much damage, then they went and pulled this poorly-thought-out crap in the second half of season 5, when emotions were already running high and nobody was in the mood to be forgiving of someone trying at and almost succeeding in killing Arthur, who was so much more beloved among the viewers than her. Just imagine how much better spent that time would have been if they had... oh, I don’t know, developed Mordred more and given him a proper reason to turn against Arthur!

Ugh 😒

For The Untamed:

I dislike the whole Yanli/JZX romance. I don’t know what he’s like in the novel and the other adaptations, but he gets on my very last nerve in the drama and I never actually saw him do anything meaningful to redeem himself for all the crap he pulled and all the humiliation he piled on to her. I also don’t like the whole Yin Iron nonsense. It just doesn’t tie in properly and the plot holes and inconsistencies it leaves behind are gaping and huge (but, happily, nobody is watching this for the Yin Iron plot 😆). There had to have been better things to do there, especially since it is something that does not exist in the source material. The worst parts of the drama for me somehow always tie back to the Yin Iron.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

For Merlin:

Hmmm… when it comes to the most popular ones, I think none of them, because they all get complicated and dark to some degree. But on a platonic level, when it comes to friendships, I would go with Merwen, Merlance and Merwaine. Merlin and Gwen are delightful together, but I have a hard time shipping them romantically without Arthur, there is just no path forward for me there that does not involve him too, and that tips the dynamic into something much more complicated (but still happy for all three of them because I am so not down for jealousy and competition between Merlin and Gwen, Arthur has two hands and he can damn well use them).

I also think that Lancelot’s love for Merlin was pure, but I just don’t ship it at all and think that there was never anything there except for friendship (I can see Arlance going sexual, though). The same goes for Gwaine, I think that he loved Merlin unconditionally, and as far as friendship goes, it is pure, but if I ship them sexually, then all purity goes out of the window, not just as far as the sex is concerned (because the sex they would be having would be positively filthy) but also because I just can’t imagine a universe in which Merlin does not love and desire Arthur more. The angst, the pain and the darkness are off the charts.

As for the less popular ones, I think the purest is Percival/Elyan regardless of whether you see it as romantic or platonic. There is just so much mutual love, admiration and respect between them! No angst, no lies, no triangles, no drama, just taking care of and supporting each other and living in domestic bliss.

For The Untamed:

WangXian, no contest. They fell in love as kids and continued to love each other for the rest of their lives, even beyond death. The way they love each other is so absolute and so selfless! They both respect and admire the other, they are so supportive and accepting of each other, quirks, flaws and all, and they kind of set the gold standard as far as relationships go!

27. Least shippable character?

For Merlin:

Eh... this is a tough one. I actually had to step away from this question and think about it and I didn’t come up with anything because the entire main and recurring cast is very shippable. There are, however, characters that aren’t shipped as much as they could be (Elyan, baby, you deserve better 😢), and then there are also characters that result in unsavory ships that are best left unmentioned (but because these are salty asks, I am going to mention them anyway).

The first one that came to my mind was Gaius, but he is actually very shippable because there is no rule that says you have to ship him in the canon timeline. He has a serious canon het love interest, and a crack one as well. Also, let’s not forget Uther. I’ve seen the fandom float this one as a crack ship, but it is actually very serious and plausible. There is so much complicated history there, decades of it, and definitely a deep, albeit toxic relationship that can absolutely be (and likely even was) sexual. If I was less busy and more inclined to get anon hate, I would totally be open to writing it myself.

I have seen a lot of people list Uther as an answer here, but Uther is very, very shippable! Anthony Head is handsome and charismatic, and he has so much presence as Uther, he could have chemistry with drywall if the script called for it. Again, there is no rule stating that a ship should be wholesome and happy, so let me go over the most obvious ones. When it comes to m/m ships, I already mentioned Gaius, plus I definitely felt it whenever the neighbouring kings came over to visit Camelot (my personal favourite was Lord Godwyn). Uther also has three canon het ships (why, yes, I am counting the troll), most notably Ygraine and Viivienne, and he is 100% shippable with Nimueh (though I prefer Nimueh with Ygraine). Last but not least, there is Morgana. It is squicky incest, yes, but it is also very obvious, if you have the inclination to go there. My jaw was on the floor on my first watch when he confessed that she was his actual biological daughter, because up until then, I totally thought that things would get sexual between them in canon.

Agravaine is also an obvious (I would even go as far as to say a semi-canon) ship for Morgana. Do I hate it? Yes. Do I think she slept with him to get him to deliver her Arthur’s head? Again, absolutely, yes. Even Kilgharrah is very shippable and he is a giant firebreathing lizard (obviously, laws of physics require transmorphing him into something smaller and (hopefully) human-shaped for the p0rn).

For The Untamed:

Jin Zixun and Jin Zixuan. I am forever mad Jin Zixuan (somehow) ends up having sex in canon anyway. My first thought for this was Wen Chao, but no, he is absolutely shippable. Like I said, the ship does not have to be nice, and Wen Chao is very nasty, but also very sexual (plus, there is always Wen Zhuliu).

The one character that I personally am the least inclined to ship is Wen Ning because he is so childlike and it feels like he never mentally developed into an adult.

Salty Asks

#salty asks #merlin #the untamed

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sage-nebula · 4 years

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I watched X-Men: Evolution as a kid, because of course I did, because it was a Kids WB! show and Kids WB! was where I watched most of my cartoons. (I mean, I watched some Nickelodeon too of course, but particularly in my late elementary / middle school years I was all about Kids WB!, since that was where Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Jackie Chan Adventures, et cetera aired.) I loved it back then, as you do, and since I signed up for Disney Plus like a peasant because I want to be able to watch the new Marvel shows when they come out, I’ve had it on in the background while I do tedious stuff in Pokémon Sword, like going through Max Raid battles or breeding.

I’m on season three now, so I have to say that my impressions of it now are definitely different from what they were when I was a kid (or even in my early twenties, I think, since I’m pretty sure I rewatched it on Netflix way back then, but I honestly don’t remember very much of it from that rewatch for some reason---I think maybe because they didn’t have all the seasons?). For starters, in the first season in particular I cringed so much watching it now, because it is so very, very early ‘00s. And that’s not a bad thing, per se! It’s just that---for instance, Kitty’s valley girl slang was off the charts in season one. The animation has clearly not aged very well in comparison to what we have today (though of course that’s to be expected). And I’m sorry, but some of the mutant superhero(/villain) outfits are just so, so ugly. Wolverine honestly looks like a Halloween costume store reject (though I’ve never seen a good outfit on him so he’s just . . . he’s doomed no matter what series he’s in). Jean has some weird funky headband thing going on. Cyclops correctly pointed out that Avalanche wears a fruit bowl on his head, but Cyclop’s own onesie is so ugly he has no room to talk. Some of them aren’t so bad, like Shadowcat’s or Nightcrawler’s, but others are just . . . well, this is me looking at them:

But honestly, as much as I’m embarrassed by the show at times in ways that I know I was not when I was watching it as a kid growing up, I have still stuck with it, and it does get better as the series goes on. With that said, I can tell that my tastes have changed regarding ships and such as well from when I was a kid. When I was a kid, I know for a fact that I shipped Scott/Jean and Kurt/Kitty. While I still think that Kurt/Kitty is cute, Scott/Jean makes me roll my eyes and groan every time they have another Romantic Moment™ together, because of how forced it feels (and how childish and annoying the romantic triangles were in season two especially). Scott and Rogue have more chemistry in my opinion, and while I like Jean well enough I don’t really ship her with anyone at the moment. I also have fallen head over heels for Kitty/Lance, both because they are cute as hell in season two (my favorite moment is when it’s agreed they’ll go to the dance together and he’s so happy he accidentally causes an earthquake dslkfjds), but also because I’ve come to stan one (1) problematic boy, and his name is Lance Alvers, a.k.a. Avalanche, a.k.a. the only valid cartoon character named Lance don’t you even start. Watching the series with adult eyes gives me a lot of feelings for this poor boy, mostly centering around the fact that I don’t think Xavier tried at all to recruit him in season one (during Kitty’s recruitment episode), and that I feel that if he had reached out, that if Lance had been shown some compassion then, then perhaps things might have been different for him. I kind of feel that way about the Brotherhood as a whole, actually, except Todd and Fred have less inclination to do the right thing than Lance does, in that Lance actually tries sometimes to be a good person, whereas Todd and Fred just . . . don’t care very much. (Which, to be fair, Lance “blends in” with non-mutants better than Todd or Fred do, and as such both of them have received far more bullying and harassment over being mutants than he has, which might in turn inspire them to turn more harshly against others who might criticize them in any way---but I digress.) Seeing that Lance’s chances at redemption, and that his relationship with Kitty, is being / has been tanked in season three makes me sad. My feelings are hurt. I just want him to sort his life out and start doing the right thing. Just please get your shit together, Lance, I’m begging. (That said, that responsibility is on him, not on Kitty, and she is not wrong for not being with him while he’s pulling bullshit. I want them to be together, but I also want it known that Kitty is her own person and needs to do what’s best for her, too.)

Aside from them, Wolverine and Captain America had only one episode together but they are clearly OTP material, wow. That whole scene where Wolverine is by Cap’s ice bed talking about how they’ll find the cure and he’ll be waiting and etc etc? I don’t get why people ship Wolverine with Sabertooth (if they do, I’m assuming) when he clearly has a pining heart for Steve Rogers. I sleep for Wolverine/Sabertooth, but Wolverine/Cap is the real shit.

That said, I cannot take Wolverine seriously at all. Not only is his mutant outfit ugly as sin, but he also makes all these snarly noises whenever he uses his claws that honestly sound pretty reminiscent of Electabuzz from the PokéAni and I die laughing all the time. Like it’s supposed to be a serious fight scene and he’s supposed to be badass but here I am laughing my ass off at him because he can’t use his claws even once without being like “RWBLBHWLBLBHWBLWH” (that’s probably not the best written out version of his snarly noises but you get it). Like calm down, man, don’t be so dramatic. I’m sure, positive even, that you could scratch things without having to make snarly noises with your mouth. Scratch with your claws, not with your vocal chords. I believe in you. (This is 100% how I would die in a fight against him, though. He’d make the snarly noises and I’d start laughing and he’d be able to kill me instantly because I’d be incapacitated by laughter. It’d be worth it, though. At least I’d die laughing.)

I feel like introducing the new students in season two (save for like, Boom-Boom, because I love her) was kind of a mistake, since hardly any of them got any real development and were just kind of There as a result. I’ve heard that Bobby gets a lot of heat for being stupid, and to be fair there was a moment at the end of season two where he successfully cuts the alarm system but then almost immediately drops the wirecutters into the motion sensors that he’d already passed, but like, honestly . . . I would do that. That would be me, and my luck, and my clumsiness. I can’t even fault him because man, I’d be there. Even so, Bobby didn’t contribute much in most of season two, and neither did the others, and I feel that screentime would have been better saved for the main cast to be developed more. C’est la vie though, season three has started trimming that cast down some at least.

All in all though, it’s a fun thing to have on in the background, and like, now that I’m an adult and know with 100% certainty that I’m queer, seeing the political side of X-Men also clues me in to exactly why superhuman and ESPer stories always appealed to me as a kid. I didn’t know I was queer back then, at least not consciously, but subconsciously I knew I was different and so now, knowing exactly how I am different, it’s like ah . . . oh yes . . . that’s why this type of story appeals to me so much, I get it now.

Either way, though, don’t be surprised if you see more Avalanche / Lance Alvers reblogs from me, because every time I see him I’m just

So yeah, don’t be surprised if you see more of him.

#xmen evolution #xmen: evolution #Lance Alvers is the ONLY cartoon boy named Lance who matters or deserves to exist #don't even try to start with me because I said what I said and I meant it and I'm RIGHT #but seriously though #Wolverine: ''RWBLWBLWLBWLW''#Me #mocking him right before he kills me: ''RWBLWLBWLBWLW''#HOW DOES ANYONE TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY I LAUGH AT EVERY SINGLE FIGHT SCENE HE'S IN #well the ones with Sabertooth are kind of old by this point but like #STILL #HE SOUNDS SO FUNNY AND LOOKS LIKE A DISASTER JUST #MAN THERE'S GOTTA BE A BETTER WAY TO GO ABOUT THIS #THERE'S JUST GOTTA

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reggieandveronica · 5 years

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Some choice Reggie/Ronnie takes from 3x09/3x10 online reviews

[...] Which brings us back to the fact that, sad as it is for Varchie fans, this breakup is almost certainly for the best—not only for the characters but for Riverdale as a whole.

Of all Riverdale’s characters, Veronica has become one of the muddiest. Her conflicted relationship with Hiram, whom she still calls “Daddy” despite her various plots to undo all of his extremely evil plans, has gotten inconsistent to the point of being frustrating. Her relationship with Archie only confuses matters further and ties her to a character who for a long time has been dead weight. Also, stable, unbreakable relationships are boring! Hopefully, this shake-up is not like the short-lived Bughead break we saw last season; hopefully, this one actually sticks. Camila Mendes is one of the strongest members of the Riverdale cast, but she’s been sentenced to working with mediocre material for too long. Bring on a new ’ship!

Also, it’s worth noting: Reggie is a catch! Gone are the days of the Red Circle, when he was a terrifying member of Archie’s fascist gang who took things even further than Archie did. This season has given Reggie some stellar character rehabilitation by pairing him with Veronica running her basement lounge, La Bonne Nuit. They make a good team, and Reggie also looks good in formalwear—a prerequisite for any worthy Lodge suitor. Plus, at the end of Wednesday’s wild ride of an episode, he showed up at the hospital to comfort Veronica—with a bouquet and a balloon. Is he the smartest guy in the world? No. But then again, neither was Archie. We all have a type, and if Ronnie’s into ripped dummies, put us down as Team Reggie all the way.

- Vanity Fair

Veronica and Reggie Kiss

We saw this coming a mile away, and it’s not because Reggie looks so dapper in that tartan suit. Veronica is killing it in the speakeasy game now that she serves actual liquor. Reggie has become her boy Friday, and even runs the booze through the backwoods and across the border, Prohibition-style.

The two cut quite the figure, and it seems like their lifestyles are really lining up. I don’t think Archie’s Patagonia and flannel would go with her diamonds and couture. So… they kiss, and it’s a pretty big sign that Archie is in Ronnie’s rearview … except maybe not once he comes back from the dead.

- Culturess

Back in Eldercare, excuse me, Eldirvare, the quarantine has been lifted and school is back in session. La Bonne Nuit is thriving, thanks in large part to star attraction Josie, performing selections from Cabaret in Josephine Baker flapper glam. And yet Reggie’s beer runs across the border are interrupted by beatings at the hands of Gargoyle gang members. These ambushes are courtesy of Hiram Lodge, who’s demanded 10 percent of his daughter’s profits in exchange for so-called protection. Veronica agrees, but supplies him with a “well-cooked” version of the club’s books. “Has anyone ever told you you’re a badass?” Reggie asks Veronica, not unlike someone who would like very much to smooch her, sooner rather than later.

Veronica, too, is taking on new job responsibilities, Sally Bowles–ing “Maybe This Time” to entertain the La Bonne Nuit crowd in Josie’s absence. She makes eyes at Reggie from the stage, and he gives her what I am pretty sure is supposed to be a sensual thumbs-up in response. Soon enough, once the club has emptied, he tucks her hair behind an ear and, at long last, they make out. Varchie is in the past, my children. Veggie is our future.

- Vulture

The taste of her hunky bartender’s mouth still on her lips, Veronica could hardly be more shocked when Archie shows up unannounced at La Bonne Nuit. She’s happy! But she’s mad! Then they’re kissing! Back at school, Reggie flirtatiously approaches Veronica at her locker, going in for the canoodle, when whoops, no thank you. She can’t tell Archie what’s happened between them, she explains — it would hurt him. Reggie understands.

Archie dyes his hair back to red in time for a surprise welcome-home party at La Bonne Nuit, where Veronica serenades him in Spanish, which is sweet, and publicly addresses him as “lover,” which is upsetting. But it’s no use: Tortured with dark visions of Hiram, Archie storms out mid-song. Soon after, Archie comes to Reggie to ask him about “cheating,” but his sort-of girlfriend’s sort-of boyfriend woefully misinterprets his meaning. “She told you?” Reggie says. “You know it’s over, right?” Ruh-roh: Archie was talking about SATs.

Reggie, clutching flowers and an adorably idiotic baby-blue “It’s a Boy!” balloon, shows up at Hiram’s hotel room and wraps Veronica up in a big hug. That’s what 2019 should be all about, for all of us: trading your sad, hot dummy for a fun, hot dummy.

- Vulture

3) Veronica and Reggie is on.

Hell yes! Poor Reggie is almost beaten up by “the Gargoyle Gang” on two separate occasions while running shipments for Veronica, so he’s earned a little TLC—and honestly, the sexual tension between these two has been off the charts for weeks. After Veronica performs a killer rendition of "Maybe This Time" at the speakeasy, she and Reggie finally kiss, as Archie lies maybe-dying in a cabin hundreds of miles away. Sorry, Archie, but also not sorry because you abandoned Veronica and then made out with an evil farm girl in the very next episode, and also Reggie and Veronica make a pretty phenomenal power couple. My only qualm: Are we calling them Veggie?

- Harper's Bazaar

2) Veggie is dead, long live Veggie.

I was astonished, and not in a good way, when Veronica welcomed Archie right back with open arms. Reggie deserves better than this nonsense! And Reggie aside, Archie straight-up abandoned her with no warning and didn’t give her any say in what was happening, and the fact that he did it to escape her possibly murderous father is no excuse.

Anyway, Reggie is very calm and accepting when Veronica is like, “Sorry bro, Archie’s back so we’re done," and is more concerned about Archie’s wellbeing because he is too pure for this world. But once Archie starts acting strangely like the black-haired stranger he now is, Reggie’s sass comes out: “What if he’s not your Archiekins any more?” And as it turns out, he sure isn’t!

- Harper's Bazaar

*Veronica sings for some reason*

Uhm, ok? The song goes on as we see the buildup of Veronica and Reggie’s relationship now culminating in a kiss. For how snarky I am about Riverdale, they did a nice job of building the Veronica and Reggie couple. Their relationship has grown steadily through every episode of season 3. In a show that struggles with subtlety, the Veronica and Reggie relationship is a breath of fresh air because it has organically sprouted from fun side conversations and looks of pure joy for each other’s successes.

- The Nerd Stash

Veronica & Reggie Kiss

This relationship is a long time coming. Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes) and Reggie Mantle (real-life Mendes boyfriend Charles Melton) have been acting as partners in all but romance since Riverdale season 3 began. With Varchie done and Reggie walking around the Bonne Nuit shirtless, a hookup couldn’t be far behind.

Veggie’s kiss comes towards the end of “No Exit,” when the pair has successfully bested Hiram for now. As we learn throughout the episode, it’s five weeks after the events of “Outbreak.” The quarantine was lifted, but Riverdale continues to lack its pep. That’s why Hiram and his hilariously-named Gargoyle Gang are still gouging small businesses like Ronnie’s Bonne Nuit.

Some jockeying between the two Lodges transpires, but Veronica realizes she doesn’t need to pay “protection” to her dad and his goons — she should pay the Serpent's for actual protection at a reasonable cost. Crisis averted. With business booming and Hiram foiled, Veronica and Reggie are feeling sexier than ever. The moment the Nuit clears out, these two crazy kids can’t keep their hands off of each other.

- Refinery29

The Varchie-Veggie Rivalry Begins (And Ends?)

Last week, Veggie certainly seemed like the future. Then, Archie returns to Riverdale in “The Stranger” and is knocking boots with Ronnie before the Riverdale title card even pops up.

After Archie and Ronnie’s speedy makeup session, Veronica tells Reggie (Charles Melton) whatever they had is over now that her Archiekins is back home. A key part of Ronnie’s strategy is making sure Archie doesn’t learn his girlfriend and his close friend had sex while he was dying in the forests of Canada. Reggie messes this strategy up within seconds, and accidentally spills the beans to Archie. Still, Varchie drags on when Archie forgives a tear-stricken and apologetic Veronica. They recognize their relationship is broken, but decide to have sex for what might be the last time. These two.

The next day, Varchie crumbles forever in the wake of Hiram’s shooting. Archie — who returned to Riverdale in the throws of PTSD and general rage — runs out of the SATs and promptly disappears. During that questionably MIA period, Hiram was shot. Veronica is forced to ask Archie if he committed the crime, proving once and for all these are two people who fundamentally can’t trust each other anymore. Archie storms out after “asking,” but really announcing, “It’s over.”

In between all of this Varchie drama, Reggie continues to check in on Veronica, even though he knows she picked Archie. That’s why the last time we see Veronica, she’s embracing Reggie, who shows up to the hospital with flowers and a very cute balloon. Veggie rises.

- Refinery29

So, back to Archie. Just as everyone figured after the obvious fake cliffhanger, Archie is not dead. Well, according to Jughead’s narration, the Archie we knew is. The dark-haired boy that returns to Riverdale in this episode is a completely different person, we’re told. He goes to see Veronica at her speakeasy and she’s so happy to see him, she starts taking his clothes off right there at the bar. Hope Reggie doesn’t walk in. Speaking of, he’s acting all boyfriendy towards Veronica the next day, and she tells him they have to stop. Archie’s back in town, after all. Reggie says it’s fine in the way that makes clear it is very much not fine. This is going to get messy!

Archie struggles to get back into his normal life at Riverdale. Despite having the protection of the serpents, and his dad threatening to kill Hiram if one hair on Archie’s head is harmed, Archie still has some serious PTSD from everything that’s happened this season. He can’t even properly enjoy Veronica’s welcome home party. As soon as she starts singing “Eres Tu,” he starts having flashbacks to his confrontations with Hiram and his dream of killing his old self. He abruptly leaves the speakeasy, which Reggie immediately notices. He tries to parlay it into getting back together with Veronica. “What if he’s not your Archie-kins anymore?” Real classy, dude. She can’t tell him what he wants to hear, leading Reggie to briefly confront Archie in the locker room. It doesn’t lead to anything, but the camera got the chance to linger on buff shirtless boys.

Archie does eventually find out what happened between Reggie and Veronica. He tries to ask Reggie about cheating on the SATs, as he’s very behind. Reggie immediately breaks at the mention of the word “cheating.” Real thick skin this guy has. Even with that, it looks for a moment like things will remain OK between them. They stay together that night, but all Archie’s problems are still there the next day. He has another flashback during the SATs and storms out of the room. Shortly after that, Hiram Lodge is shot. Veronica suspects Archie, and though he denies it, he’s hurt that she suspected him at all. He realizes she doesn’t trust him anymore, and that it’s truly over between them. Sad as I am to see this ship go, the show did need to change some things up as far as its main couples went. By the end of the episode, Reggie visits Veronica’s dad in the hospital and they end up together. I guess we’ll have to wait until next week to see if the drama continues at all.

- Geek.com

As for Veronica, she returns the egg to her father … in pieces. And it’s accompanied by a note that says: “New deal. No deal.” She then sings her heart out at her speakeasy until Reggie returns AND THEY KISS!! I, for one, am super into this couple. Sorry, Arch!

- EW

One relationship that’s not over? Reggie shows up to the hospital with flowers and Veronica hugs him. And I, for one, am so happy they didn’t just blow off Reggie and Veronica. THE CHEMISTRY IS REAL.

- EW

#Riverdale #veggie #reggieronnie #reggie x veronica #veronica x reggie #got sent a couple of these and they're on point!#they make a good team #and Reggie also looks good in formalwear... a prerequisite for any worthy Lodge suitor #the accuracy #if ronnie's into ripped dummies #choking #did vanity fair have to do all three of them like that tho #the two cut quite the figure #and it seems like their lifestyles are really lining up #um wow so glad everyone appreciates their #aesthetic #trading your sad hot dummy for a fun hot dummy #skljdflks #his sort of girlfriend’s sort of boyfriend #lmaooo #the ot3 #!!!#reggie says it’s fine in the way that makes clear it is very much not fine #a breath of fresh air because it has organically sprouted from fun side conversations & looks of pure joy for each other’s successes #sounds like #partners in crime #quality characterization #RxV #reference #attracted to dumbasses and dumbasses exclusively

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fitfitnessmagazine · 5 years

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If you have decided to be strict with yourself, you might have to rule out several health-destroying habits from your life. Of course, you will have to force some good habits too. Other than filling your plate with yummy yummy veggies, you would need a fitness equipment or a gym membership to advance towards your goals. Of course, being a gym slave is not for everyone out there.

So, if you are looking for an affordable solution to stay fit from home, the Weider Ultimate Body Works might just be the perfect fit for you. It’s an all-in-one, top of the line home gym equipment that has garnered a lot of eyeballs from fitness enthusiasts around the world.

Let’s dig deep into this review to know more and see if it’s the best fit for you. Before we start we must mention that we do have a slight opinionated review of this home gym because it simply is just that great. For the price it is unbeatable. End. Of. Story.

How the Weider Ultimate Body Works Treated Us

Our house hosts few big dudes. Frankly speaking, a new fitness equipment is not always well-received by our family because we are not easy-to-please individuals. Given our past experience, we are able to tell if the product is a hit or a miss right off the bat. Fortunately, this machine did please most of us.

Things We Liked

The sheer variety of exercises that we could perform on this home gym gave us an indication that the machine would live up to our expectations for the most part. Believe it or not, we kept discovering and inventing new exercises as we started sparing more time for our workouts. Better yet, we loved the fact that we could get a faster more efficient workout from this machine. Also, we discovered that the prep time for moving from one exercise to another was very little. So, kudos to the smart product engineering.

The entire movement of the machine felt like butter. It was smooth and easy. Also, the gliding motion wasn’t any noisier than a silent bee. The resistance band didn’t fail to impress either. They are undoubtedly a great touch to add extra resistance for a more challenging workout. It helped us do bodyweight exercises more efficiently. The exercises that the Weider Ultimate Body hits certainly targets every muscle group in the body, providing a total body workout. Do note we were also able to do quad and hamstring workouts on the machine.

As for assembly, it definitely wasn’t that difficult either, as Bowflex made this a straight forward simple process. Due to shipping constraints, the machine doesn’t come assembled. But, there are only a few parts to put together to enjoy a good time with the equipment thereafter. Also, the instructions are easy to follow. Someone with half a brain should be able to put together the machine in less than 30 minutes.

Not to forget the fact that the price of this machine is considerably lower than the products in the same niche. It appears that the makers have done everything possible to knock off their rivals.

Things We Didn’t Like

The package does not come with a workout poster (this is helpful when wanting a bigger visual reference to know which exercises to perform). Frankly speaking, we were expecting one because we didn’t think of it as an ugly or unnecessary thing. Nevertheless, this isn’t a major drawback because it’s easy to find daily exercise routines from the web. But, it would have been nice if they had included a workout poster to hang on the wall for easy reference. Given the fact that this machine can perform many many exercises, the makers should include a workout poster or a DVD to make it a better product. On a side note, the outside of the box does include few exercises. But, it’s only a small fraction of what you can do with the equipment. So, relying on Internet searches and your own imagination can be helpful over here to find new exercise material.

Of course, if you are looking to make a career out of bodybuilding, this machine is not for you because you might quickly outgrow it. So, professional bodybuilders may have limited progress from this equipment. Because of increased intensity and power, elite guys out there may not be able to stick to any one piece of gym equipment for too long. As they say, “No home gym equipment is perfect for everyone.” As such, this home gym is more suited for body toning and general health/fitness.

With efforts, it can definitely sculpt your muscles, but not necessarily turn you into the next Arnold Schwarzenegger of the city. So, it helps to be real with one’s expectations to avoid unnecessary disappointments down the road.

Weider Ultimate Body Works Exercises

Total Bodyworks 5000 Exercise Chart

What Are Customers Saying About the Weider Ultimate Body Works?

Customers love the fact that this piece of fitness equipment is great for small spaces. It doesn’t doesn’t take any more space than a standard weight bench, yet offers a host of options for workouts. For quite a few folks out there, it also proved to be a life-changing product, especially those who work from home. Even those who weren’t allowed to leave early from work by their nasty bosses, appreciated the fact that the product helped them stay in shape by devoting as little as 20-30 minutes a day. It left them with no excuses for not training. It gave them a decent amount of definition without devoting a lot of time for training.

Most users have nothing but positive comments on the product’s versatility, durability, usefulness, and functionality. On the whole, the machine has been well-received and appreciated by the vast majority of the masses.

Benefits & Best Features

The machine features a sturdy structure made of tubed steel. It makes use of the body’s natural weight for resistance. Plus, it includes four power bands and a cable pulley system to help one take their workout to the next level. The cable pulley system stimulates the muscles effectively by allowing one to do a full range of motion like nothing else out there. Also, the machine is smartly engineered to adjust the positioning to vary one’s workout intensity. One can target their arms, chest, shoulders, and just about any other body part for a complete body workout from the comforts of their home.

Getting a Weider Ultimate Body Workout can do a world of good to one’s flexibility. You will only be able to realize this once you use the machine. My limbs feel so free after using this bodyweight style home gym, it feels as if i have gone to chiropractor and received an adjustment.

As the makers declare, the product also has a supersaver design to it. This machine can be conveniently folded for easy storage to free up the real estate space.

It doesn’t carry any fancy features or bells and whistles, but it holds great merit for what you pay for it. It clearly caters to the needs of individuals who admire bodyweight workouts. Within few months of use, everyday tedious tasks such as picking up kids, gardening, grocery bag lifting may seem a lot less torturous on the body due to the increase in strength that one can derive from the machine.

So, one can expect real results over here. When compared to other low-end products, this machine doesn’t eat space or wobble during use. Because of its durable construction, it can offer years of use for a fraction of the price you would pay for other all in ones.

It’s highly-crafted despite the low cost. From the personal gym standpoint, the product is made to please one and all. It’s designed to offer you everything that a gym membership can offer you minus the trouble of traveling and of course, the recurring gym membership fees.

Warranty:

The warranty on this home gym isn’t best out there, but they do have your back covered for 90 days. Yes, there is a 90-day warranty on the parts and labor. If something goes wrong within 90 days, the weird happening will be covered by the company. Of course, the chances of any fitness equipment going bad is high after few months and not when it’s almost new, so it won’t be an understatement to claim that the warranty is just an eye-pleasing formality. That being said, there are hardly any reports of a premature machine breakdown. In fact, the product exceeded most expectations with regards to the quality and durability for the money paid towards it.

Dimensions:

The shipping weight of this piece of equipment is 72 lbs, and the product measures 62 x 19 x 8 inches. From the measurement, it’s easy to tell that it won’t take up a lot of space, making this one of the best compact home gyms you can buy. But, you might have to remove a few parts to fit it under your bed. Also, it’s a bit heavy to move around from one room to another. It’s better to let the machine sit in one corner of the room to avoid the hassle involved in the transition. As such, the machine can be folded to move it out of the way. The assembled dimensions are 71L x 25. And, for those who don’t know, the weight capacity for the machine is 250 pounds. One of our family members weighs 230 pounds, and the person is able to use this machine without any hiccups. So, this workout apparatus can support the advertised claim. Therefore, it can be used by all or most members of the family.

Last Thoughts on the Weider Ultimate Body Works

The Weider Ultimate Body Works can easily be your only source of exercise tool. Not to forget the fact that the machine won’t put your bank account in the ‘red.’ Even if you are going through a brief period of unemployment, you can still afford this fitness equipment. Reflecting on the myriad of health benefits you can derive from this fitness product; its homecoming should be a no-brainer affair. For general fitness, it’s hard to beat this home gym at its price point. It’s a clear winner in its class. It’s a relatively small investment for great results!

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The post Weider Ultimate Body Works | Our Honest Review appeared first on Fit Fitness Magazine.

#Fit Fitness Magazine #Fitness #Strength Training

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gmpromheelswedges-blog · 6 years

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williamjharwick · 7 years

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Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

To jog your memory, the Physical Product Experiment is a brand new venture for me. It’s super exciting, but it’s also something that could potentially fail (like with anything, I guess). But that’s why I am taking my time with it. I want to do it right, make sure I thoroughly test out the idea before releasing it into the public. I want it to be a success. I’ve never created a physical product before, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.

Initially, the physical product I envisioned was a productivity calendar. But, as time passed and I did more research, that concept morphed into something different: a physical productivity calendar paired with a workbook, which interact with each other. And we’re not talking about a blank workbook here. The idea is that the calendar and workbook would be created with the goal of helping people achieve their specific, targeted goals.

For instance, during our validation and feedback part of the experiment (which is happening now; more on that below!), twenty-plus amazing volunteers signed up to test out the physical calendar and workbook prototype in their pursuit of achieving one specific goal they’ve expressed passion in pursuing: writing the draft of a book in ninety days. In exchange, the volunteers would share their feedback about the experience.

Down the road, the plan is to have a wide spectrum of 90-day goals for people to choose from, each goal with a specific roadmap for the user to follow. Since they are 90-day goals, this leaves time for people to achieve several goals throughout the year using the same productivity calendar and workbook!

But that’s down the road. One more immediate obstacle we’re facing in this experiment is the challenge of actually creating, manufacturing, and distributing a physical product. It’s a lot more complex and difficult than you’d think! Richie Norton, founder of Prouduct, reminded me of this in a recent episode of the Smart Passive Income Podcast (a must-listen episode if you’re thinking about creating a physical product).

Why We Beta Test

As I explained in Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will be receiving prototype calendar and workbooks soon. They’ve been patiently (thank you!) awaiting those packages as we iron out the kinks, but we’re happy to say now that we’ve started sending out the prototypes for the first round of beta testing!

Beta testing is really important for obvious reasons (see my book, Will It Fly?, for more reasons why). For a physical product, beta testing is even more crucial because we need to not only understand how people use the product, but also what people think about the overall design of the product and how it feels in their hands. The tactile experience users have is an aspect of beta testing that can’t be ignored.

So, we’ve been taking this physical product experiment very slowly. We want to make sure we do it right. There are a lot of costs involved, as you might imagine, especially when it comes to manufacturing. There are also still many unknowns in terms of how many of these productivity calendar-workbooks we’ll sell, which almost makes it feel like gambling in a way—when you have to pick a specific number of products to manufacture before you make your order. It feels risky. But that’s why we beta test—to get the best possible idea of how the product will perform once released into the wild.

Process Is Key

There are still a lot of things up in the air, but we’ve made progress. By the time this blog post goes live, the twenty-one volunteer beta testers will have already received a box that includes digitally-printed versions of the final calendar, workbook, and sticker set designs. The digitally-printed versions of the products are approximate representations of the final design, so they won’t be the final final in terms of product material, paper, and print quality.

The reason for this is we needed to meet our deadlines. In the research phase for this physical product experiment, we spoke with numerous experts who suggested we explore options, price points, and other details related to the shipping of the physical product. This ended up being overwhelming and time-consuming. So, because of this, our timeline shrunk, and we needed to move forward with digitally-printed versions in order to get the products into the hands of the beta testers so they can start testing the process.

This will enable the beta testers to kick off their 90-day draft writing project and provide feedback on the process of the product itself. The process is the most important, after all. The process is the guts of the product, what will make or break the success of the goal seeker, and we need to make sure that it’s as finely tuned as possible before we go public.

The final product materials, in terms of feel, is also important. But the more extensive feedback loop will take place in the process testing from the beta testers. So, at this point, even though we’d love to get feedback on the product materials, we’re just not there yet, and we needed to get the product into the hands of the beta testers in order to meet our November promotion and December shipping timeline goals.

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

In addition to sending the products to our beta testers, we’ll also share it in the Slack Community. The Slack Community is going to be really important, because this is how we’re going to collect feedback during the 90-day process. We chose Slack because it differs from Facebook, for example, in that it provides a bit more customization and offers more privacy.

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

Costs are going to be an interesting factor down the road. Placing a bulk order upfront is the plan, as I mentioned before, but how will we really know how many to order? The plan is to pre-sell. By pre-selling, we’ll get a more accurate understanding of the demand. It’s a way to validate the interest (see that validation thing again; it’s important!).

We also have to consider that there is potentially a four-to-six-week manufacturing and shipping process (thankfully, I have Richie and his Prouduct team helping manage the manufacturing process). And we’ll be working with another third-party company to help focus our efforts related to shipping.

Another cost factor (another one, yes) is, since there are multiple components to this product (calendar, workbook, stickers), additional steps are necessary, which translates to additional costs. We want to create an amazing product that’s reasonably priced, but to do that properly takes time and patience to ensure we have the steps in place—from shipping to manufacturing to materials—to get it done effectively and as cost-efficiently as possible.

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

As I explained in PPE #3, Atlas Press is the name for my new business unit within SPI that will produce a line of products, and we want the products themselves to have names that tie into the “atlas” theme (collection of maps, tables, and charts). So we chose a brand name that speaks to the journey the users will go through during the process:

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

The plan is to have different colors for different groups of goals. For example, there might be a goal related to fitness, which might be a certain-colored book, and a goal related to personal work-life balance, which would be marked as a different color. I really like the idea of this goal quest and having it be like an expedition, something that users will trek through, and that will take work, but by using the guides as your map, you can help find your way to the goal.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

The book is meant to tell a story while guiding people on their own journey in finding their way through writing their first book, and inspire them along the way. Right from the cover, we’re depicting the journey that this will be, using the topographic visual asset to imply discovery and exploration.

Knowing this could be a challenging endeavor for some, we wanted to make it easy on our readers to make their way through the pages, and always know where they stood in the process. So we designed very deliberate spreads to showcase progress with large typography denoting the milestones in sequence, and sprinkling words of wisdom to start each new chapter. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way from those who have achieved great things.

Additionally, throughout the story there are little breaks in the action where we ask our readers to pick up their pens and engage with the pages of the book. Here, again, we want our audience to know exactly when we are asking them to participate, so we designed specific call out box and workbox page styles to “guide” our users through their portion of the story. Throughout those sections in the workbook, we are using simple ruled lines, and plenty of them (in case someone has a lot to capture).

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

So, things are moving forward, just a little bit slower than we anticipated because of all the details about manufacturing and shipping and materials we had to nail down with the team over at Prouduct. But, that’s to be expected. We’re still learning as we’re putting the plan together. Working with Prouduct, a team with vast experience in these matters, makes a world of difference in helping me understand nuances I may not have seen or understood otherwise.

For instance, what’s the cover going to feel like? Not just look like, but feel like. What are the materials of the product? How do I want the users to react when they pick it up? What type of paper am I using on the inside? Should I add ribbons so people can keep track of where they’re at in the process? All of these details add to the overall user experience, and they’re necessary ingredients in building a successful product.

That’s the wonderful thing about working with a team like Prouduct. They know what they’re doing. Even though the process has slowed, and beta testers have had to wait a bit, we’ve been keeping them up-to-date on where things are are at so that they’re not getting overly anxious. For you beta testers, if you haven’t received your products yet, you will very soon!

In the next installment of the Physical Product Experiment, the beta testers will already have started the process, making progress on their goal of writing the first draft of a book! As things come along, I’ll share more with you and look forward to revealing some numbers in terms of costs, shipping, warehousing, and all the things that come along with something like this.

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping shared from David Homer’s Blog

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andrewmrudd79 · 7 years

Text

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

Why We Beta Test

Process Is Key

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping originally posted at Homer’s Blog

0 notes

judithghernandez87 · 7 years

Text

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

Why We Beta Test

Process Is Key

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping originally posted at Dave’s Blog

0 notes

davidmhomerjr · 7 years

Text

Physical Product Experiment [PPE #4] Manufacturing & Shipping

It’s the fourth installment of the Physical Product Experiment! In case you missed the previous installments, make sure to check those out before you read on. You can find those posts here:

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #1], I introduce what the experiment is all about, and why I chose to explore physical products.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #2], I discuss two of the most important components to the experiment’s success: validation and feedback.

In Physical Product Experiment [PPE #3], I get into the nitty-gritty with prototypes!

Why We Beta Test

Process Is Key

Why December?

During December, goal planning is top-of-mind for a lot of people who want to kick off the new year right. 2018 will be here before we know it!

Collecting Feedback

Plus, Slack allows for a less “noisy” atmosphere. Specific channels will be created for specific conversations, such as a #feedback channel. The complete list of channels will include:

The Cost Factor

I’ll share more specifics about the costs in the next installment!

An Epic Quest

Quest.

The calendar will be branded as Quest Maps. The workbook will be branded as Quest Books. The overall product name will then be called a Goal Quest.

Let’s hear a quick take on the design strategy we took from Team Flynn designer Phil:

In the end we want these pages to be filled with the creative thoughts, words and ideas of our readers, and we hope the design of the new book allows each person to do just that!

All the Little Details and Next Steps

Looking forward to it! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for paying attention. It means so much.

0 notes

dorayfung · 7 years

Text

H&M Is Changing the Sustainability Culture, 1 T-Shirt at a Time

All of the steps to how H&M’s Conscious Sweater is made. (Photos: Courtesy of H&M)

“Fast fashion can be both ethical and sustainable.” Can any fashion brand make such a statement, or is it just a big old oxymoron? And can you have both sustainability and style? Aside from Stella McCartney, of course. But how many of us can afford a wool jacket for $1,145?

The closest affordable brand that meets those criteria may surprise you: the Swedish giant H&M.

Since 1997, H&M’s commitment to sustainability and moving the fast-fashion market to a more ethical platform has been encouraging. But exactly how sustainable and ethical can a fast-fashion company be — and can all that be possible for $35?

Anna Gedda, head of sustainability at H&M, has mentioned many times in interviews that the only possible way to move the dial within the fast-fashion model is to close the loop, and for H&M, it focuses on eight steps to help make its circular approach effective: design, raw materials, fabric and yarn production, product manufacturing, transport, sales, and use. If all eight of these steps are consciously handled from the start to the end of the use cycle, then there is a chance for major companies to make a direct impact environmentally and ethically.

A quick search online will get you plenty of facts, figures, and charts on which fashion companies are the worst when it comes to “conscious” clothing. But H&M claims it is fully transparent with its sustainability program and with all its production. So we traced the origin of an H&M knitted sweater — namely, H&M Conscious Sweater With Shirt Collar ($35) — which is made in a factory in China and is currently in stores.

The first step of the design process to creating an H&M garment. (Photo: Courtesy of H&M)

At the Beginning — Design

Ann-Sofie Johansson, creative adviser and designer of special collections for H&M, tells Yahoo Style the aim is to create fashion without compromising on all the other qualities H&M customers expect from them. Choosing materials and fabrics that are less harmful to the environment — such as recycled polyester, recycled glass, recycled plastic, and organic hemp — is the first step in the sustainability loop.

The Raw Materials

In 2012, only 13 percent of all the cotton used in H&M garments were sustainable. By 2016, that figure had grown to 43 percent. H&M’s goal is for all the cotton used in its clothing to be 100 percent sustainable by 2020. By 2030, the company aims to have 100 percent of all its clothing come from recycled or other sustainably sourced materials. H&M does not have a direct relationship with mills, but working with organizations such as Natural Resources Defense Council has improved the company’s knowledge. Not taking responsibility for second-tier suppliers is no longer an option for the company.

How It’s Made

According to H&M, 70 percent of all its goods are sourced from China. For some, that may raise the question of whether the clothing was made in a sweatshop. Martha Lorentzon, H&M’s sustainability business expert, explains to Yahoo Style that H&M adheres to the Higg Index, a set of codes and conducts from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition to make sure the apparel and footwear industry is following correct procedures and acknowledging the environmental, social, and labor impacts of its products. Working closely with the Higg Index has meant factories that want a long relationship with H&M must follow these guidelines and Higg’s scoring system, and they must take responsibility for their workers and working conditions.

Fair Wages

H&M’s fair living-wage strategy includes collaboration projects with the U.N.’s International Labour Organization, nongovernment organizations, and trade unions. But working directly with owners of each factory to implement a fair wage program is where the real impact can happen. H&M’s Fair Wage system is about creating a dialogue between workers and employees, and has a trade union in place to speak on behalf of the workers. Trainings are also given to factory workers on workplace cooperation, negotiation skills, and knowing the law. For some workers, this could mean the simplest of things, such as knowing what their job description is, what a fair wage is for the work they do, and what benefits are they entitled to.

So far, 290 factories have enrolled in workplace dialogue and industrial relations programs. By 2018, H&M’s goal is to have an improved wage management system in place with its suppliers that make up 50 percent of its production.

A worker assembling a garment detail in an H&M Chinese factory. (Photo: Yahoo Style)

Handled With Care

Fast fashion is often viewed as being of poor quality, and therefore these garments are seen as having a short shelf life. But that’s not always the case. Each H&M garment is handled by more than 30 pairs of hands, from the initial design down to individual quality control before being steamed, labeled, bagged, and shipped to stores. As the customers, we also need to do our part by prolonging the lifespan of our clothing and not getting rid of items simply because they’re no longer trendy.

A factory worker steaming an H&M black sweater — one part of a long process that a garment goes through before being shipped out. (Photos: Courtesy of H&M)

The Final Stage

Once the product has been made, steamed, control-checked, and packed, a very small amount is shipped by air. More than 90 percent of H&M’s products are shipped by sea, which is the most carbon-efficient method of shipping; all major shipping lines are already converting to cleaner diesel fuels to reduce emissions.

Every garment is quality-checked and packed before being shipped. More than 90 percent of H&M’s products are shipped by sea. (Photos: Courtesy of H&M)

Buy, Sell, and Recycle

If you’ve worn your H&M sweater into the ground, don’t toss it. In 2013, H&M introduced a Garment Collection initiative in which unwanted garments — whether or not they’re H&M apparel — can be dropped off for recycling. Old garments are sorted and can be turned into other textile fibers or donated to other recycling projects. Considering that in the U.S., about 95 percent of clothing that is thrown away can be reworn or recycled, programs like this can make a big difference. Since H&M’s Garment Collection launch, 32,000 tons of clothing have been collected and given a new life. In 2016 alone, H&M stores worldwide collected more than 15,888 tons of discarded clothing. Their aim is to reach 25,000 tons by 2020.