#there is an above average chance it will be addressed

[peppertaemint]

I joined tumblr ‘cause of Shinee just recently and was a babywol (2022), really admired them, especially Key. I feel lost, and like such a fool for feeling this conflicted. As a poc, I’m so done with making excuses for people, it’s always heartbreaking to tell people how I feel, be dismissed or worse just be heard and then they do nothing about it, not even stand by you. It’s gutting when it keeps happening, just never gets easier- like I know they’re going to hurt me, but I also love them because there’s a lot of good to them? Also, how many people can I cut out from my life? I don’t want to see Taekey dragged, it’s just so much worse knowing they’re fully capable of learning and growing from this, but they most probably won’t bother, especially with a lot of the fandom trying to bury our comments. It’s just infuriating when taekey have talked about what it feels like with people commenting about their image/ weight, and they turn around and do the same thing to their own friend. I can’t believe just last week I was all happy for Key being called a ‘safe and comforting presence for fans’ in some article. Do you think they’re likely to apologize/change? I’ve heard some comments about a concert where one of the members apologized in the past. again, feel foolish for holding out hope, but I’m just so tired and feel so torn.

Hi Anon,

I am dictating this, so apologies if any of it comes off weird. I don't think you have to make excuses for people and I don't think it's a matter of them not wanting to learn. My own take is that it's a cultural difference that is difficult to bridge. That's not an excuse that's just a reason; that being said, when I watch old Korean stuff like TV et cetera versus what is out now there is a big difference. That doesn't mean it's perfect, but to me, I see it going in the direction that is what I want and expect.

Basically, I think you can respect someone's art and like their art but acknowledge that you don't like every part of them or everything that they do, the same as the way you love a family member, but you don't like everything that they do. The problem in these spaces, These online spaces, is that People associate an artist with their own identity, and then that artist's failing becomes their own, and it's not, it is theirs for them to own and keep. And it is enough for you to say I'm not cool with that and make your thoughts known.

I think that everyone is capable of making mistakes and mistakes that are hurtful, and it's up to us to decide what we have as a boundary and what we don't. And honestly, I've been a fan of shinee since late 2019, and this is the first thing like this that I've seen go on. I saw the old stuff but I wasn't surprised because I've seen that with every single group that I've looked into and I've seen it in almost every Korean show that I've watched. But they have apologised about things and they are people who self reflect.

not a lot of fans have watched it, but the interview in 2018 with radio star.... There's so much reflection in discussion of changing as people, about growing up and understanding when you've hurt someone, and changing your behaviours, so I just think out of everyone that I've seen, I see a lot more of that with this group than other groups. And it is specific. Key went on about how he used to hurt peoples' feelings. Then it's something that he has to watch out for. Obviously it is something that he probably still struggles with for whatever reason and I think we've all seen that, if you're a fan and you've watched enough stuff. I feel more comfortable with artists who are honest and make mistakes and discuss those things whether it's tomorrow or it's like six months from now. Then people who purposely ignore it or make disingenuous comments. I don't think this is a group that ever makes disingenuous comments, I don't know if that's helpful, anonymous, But that's my two cents.

#there is an above average chance it will be addressed #that's my opinion #shinee ask #shawols

[blueberryblogger]

Dropout's statement from the discord about ticket pricing, for those that may not have seen it:

"Hey everyone! A statement from us here at Dropout and Dimension 20 about the ticket situation with Madison Square Garden - apologies it took a bit of time to get this all sorted, not the easiest stuff to coordinate when the whole cast is mid-travel and everyone at Dropout was prepping for our hiatus (which started yesterday):

The last time Dimension 20 had a live show was in 2019 - nearly 5 years ago - in the Bell House theater in Brooklyn, New York. It seated around 200 people, and we had to work to fill it. We expected our live show at Madison Square Garden to go roughly the same, just on a bigger scale - given we were punching so high above our weight class, we would have to work pretty hard to fill the Garden. After all, it was Madison Square Garden. We had misjudged the situation, to say the least.

Even though the UK live show tour tickets had sold quickly, it was nothing compared to what we saw with the situation over the Gauntlet at the Garden tickets. Dynamic Pricing / Platinum Tickets had not been something explained to us, nor something presented as something we had the ability to opt out of - once we had a better understanding of the situation as a group, we communicated to Live Nation that it was Dropout and the cast’s desire to opt out of all dynamic pricing tickets for this event and for all events going forward.

Thankfully, the average cost of all tickets sold so far (over 15,000 now!) is $119, meaning the vast majority of fans attending got tickets at a much more reasonable price, and dynamic pricing nonsense only kicked in for the few remaining seats. Even still, plenty of fans who wanted to attend got priced out quickly, and so we’re aiming to address that here and in the future in a few different ways:

1. Stop the dynamic pricing options for this show and all future shows.

2. Introducing Dimensioneer Tickets - a lottery system where selected individuals will have the opportunity to buy up to two tickets for $35/each (for seats placed all over the event space, including the best seats in the house). Apparently it’s something Olivia Rodrigo does! Thanks for the idea, Olivia. Links for that will be distributed soon.

3. This was already announced, but a recording of the live show will be going up on Dropout at no additional cost for all Dropout subscribers. We want to make our live shows as accessible to fans as possible, but the truth is that if you can't get to New York, if you can't get the night off work, if you can't afford the flight or the hotel, then you still can't go regardless of ticket prices. The most significant thing to us is that the live shows end up where the show itself lives, and that all our fans all over the world get a chance to participate.

We are so deeply grateful to everyone who has supported Dropout and Dimension 20 over the years and made this event sell out so quickly. And now that we have a better sense of how all of this works, the next live show will go much smoother. That’s been the journey of Dropout and Dimension 20 - trying a bunch of stuff, figuring out what works, and doing it better the next time around. And ultimately, we’re so grateful to have a venue that can accommodate so many of you. We could never have dreamed five years ago of having thousands of you in one place.

In the meantime, everyone at Dropout is on a two week companywide hiatus, and the cast of Dimension 20 is kicking off their UK live show tour in just a few days. Fans of Dimension 20 will have a LOT to look forward to in the next year, so stay tuned."

#dropout tv #dropout #dimension 20 #d20 #gauntlet at the garden #the unsleeping city #d20 tuc #intrepid heroes

[swtorpadawan]

Unmasked

Author’s Notes: The following story takes place in my Nas Legacy as part of my Monsters and Masks series. Content warnings for original character death, some blood/gore and bigotry towards non-humans. Lots of angst, here, folks.  

Nas'haes'uhme – Shaesu to those few in the Empire who deigned to address her by her own name – collapsed upon the rocky ground of Korriban, her vibro-blade falling out of her hand.

She knew it was over for her.

The stab wound to her torso was already bleeding out, and her attackers were unlikely to give her any respite. Her strength was fading rapidly with her limbs barely responding to her commands. She certainly couldn’t muster the strength to stand, much less defend herself.

Haes – her proper given name as a Chiss – had come to this accursed world in the hopes of earning a place amongst the Sith. She ’d been aware that the odds had been against her; she was starting out several years older than the average Sith Acolyte at the academy and besides that she faced considerable discrimination from her ‘fellow pupils’, virtually all of whom were human or Pureblooded Sith. It had immediately made her a target. Even the former Jedi who had been broken and turned to the dark side held an advantage over her in experience if not philosophy.

Of course, had matters gone otherwise, Haes would never have chosen to come to Korriban for Sith training at all.

Two years ago, after the death of her husband (killed by fighting in someone else’s war, she didn’t need to remind herself), Haes had been exiled from the Chiss Ascendancy when her Force sensitivity had been revealed to the authorities. With few connections outside of her own people, the Sith Empire was the only viable place she could go. And as a Force-sensitive, Sith training was the only real path open to her.

Above her stood her attackers, glaring down at their victim. Hanik, a human, and Mathiren, a Sith Pureblood. The two acolytes had ambushed her as she’d stepped outside of the tomb, the ancient tablet she’d recovered laying shattered where she’d dropped it.

It shouldn’t have surprised her that these two would have chanced such a cowardly move out here, so far from the relative safety of the Sith Academy. With their modest individual abilities, they’d have known they couldn’t have taken her on their own in a straight-up fight, certainly not without alerting the Overseers.

They had provoked and even bullied her many times these last few months, and for reasons that were understandable to the Sith mindset. After all, she was alone. A minority of one, without natural friends or allies. She could count on one hand the number of Acolytes on Korriban who were not either human or pureblooded.

And if she was not the first Chiss to ever step down upon this cursed rock, she would have been astonished.

As she felt her breath start to go shallow, her thoughts naturally turned to her children. They’d been the only reason why she had pushed herself even this far.

She wondered what the Empire, and indeed the galaxy itself, would do to them without her being alive to protect them.

She had been heart-broken when she’d left them with the Nedecca family on Dromund Kaas while she’d headed off to Korriban.She was not entirely fond of the couple, who had served in the Imperial Military alongside her husband before he’d been killed in the fighting against the Republic. But they were the closest thing she had to friends in the Empire. They were also not unambitious; if Haes had succeeded in her goal of becoming a Sith and eventually a Sith Lord, they knew they’d be well-rewarded for their aid. For them, fostering a pair of ‘alien children’ had been worth the bother.

But now, in light of her failure to survive and advance, she didn’t think they would do much to protect them, even if they could. They were a practical couple. Besides, they had their own daughter to consider, a few years older than her own children, just last season entering the Imperial Academy on Ziost.  

They would not risk either their own lives or their daughter’s future by defying the Sith for a pair of non-human children who were not their own.

She was worried for Nas’ash’dia, of course. It had been months since she’d seen the last holo of Ash. At twelve years old, Haes was leaving her lovely daughter behind at the precipice of womanhood. But she also knew her clever daughter was a survivor; if any non-human child could survive being orphaned in the Sith Empire, then Nas’ash’dia could.

But loath though she was to play favorites, she felt greater concern for Nas'laeso'ucu.

Where his sister was highly intelligent and resourceful, her son Laeso was brilliant. Even as a small child back on Copero, his curiosity and intellect were far beyond Haes’ ability to comprehend, as he would devour book after book. Even then, she and her husband had privately spoken about the limitless future their son had before him. No endeavor would be outside his potential. Now at eight years old, his intellect intimidated the Nedeccas, who observed this young Chiss boy easily pass every test their teaching droid could put to him.

But his intelligence was not what worried Haes. No. She’d gone to great lengths to conceal that Laeso was Force-sensitive.

If his abilities were discovered with her death, he’d follow his mother’s path to Korriban soon enough, likely with the same destiny.

If his abilities were not discovered, his fate might be even grimmer. The Sith of Korriban were usually at least quick. She couldn’t imagine how long a frail child such as Laeso would survive mining ore on some distant slave mine facility.

Haes felt a tear trail down her cheek.

“Hey, she’s still breathing.” Hanik jeered, the insult snapping her consciousness back to reality. “Think this alien schutta is asking for more?”

The anger flared within Haes’ chest, refocusing her thoughts. The building rage was not for herself, but for her children. Her magnificent children who she would never see again and who would almost certainly suffer greatly in her absence. As her teeth gritted in fury, her finger reached out.

Behind Hannik, Haes’ vibroblade lifted off the ground…

The Sith Acolyte screamed out as the weapon impaled him through the back, jutting out of his chest. Blood sprayed out over the rocks, much of it raining down on her.

She smiled at the sensation, the hot, fresh blood of her slain enemy warming her even as the last of her strength and rage was exhausted. Her blade clattered to the ground.

Alarmed at his companion’s sudden demise, Mathiren frantically raised his blade to finish her off.

Haes could only reflect on her legacy.

She’d worn a mask for years to protect her children, desperately attempting to become something she wasn’t.

In these final moments of her life, she was, in fact, a Sith.

As the blade swung down and her life came to an end, Haes could only hope her children would learn to survive by wearing their own masks, without becoming monsters.

 Fifteen years later…

The assembled members of the Dark Council of the Sith Empire – ostensibly the twelve most powerful Sith in the galaxy – stood in their council chamber on the top floor of the Sith Academy of Korriban.

Perilous as the existence of any Sith could be, the death of one who sat upon the Dark Council was still considered a remarkable event, even when it was the second such death they had witnessed in less than an hour.

By necessity, this Council meeting had already been well short of a full dozen in physical attendance.

Three of their number – Darth Decimus, Darth Acharon and Darth Hadra – the heads of the Spheres of Military Strategy, Biotic Science and Technology, respectively – were appearing by holoprojection as they’d been committed to overseeing the Empire’s flagging efforts on Corellia.

Three more Councilors – Darth Rictus, the oldest serving member of the Council who commanded the Sphere of Mysteries, Darth Zhorrid, the youngest Councilor who nominally presided over the Sphere of Imperial Intelligence and Darth Aruk who led the Sphere of Sith Philosophy – were entirely absent. Rictus was occupied investigating rumors into the whereabouts of the rogue Sith Lord Darth Jadus, himself a former Councilor and the father of Darth Zhorrid. Zhorrid’s own absence was no great surprise, given the Council’s recent dissolution of the Empire’s once-feared Imperial Intelligence service. No doubt, the young Sith was desperately trying to cling to her crumbling power base. Meanwhile, Aruk was absent while dealing with some dissident conspiracy on the capital world of Dromund Kaas.

A seventh Dark Lord – Darth Baras, who had taken control of the Sphere of Military Offense after Darth Vengean’s fall – had been killed in this very chamber earlier in this session by his former Apprentice in a private duel. That Apprentice had in turn successfully claimed the title of the Emperor’s Wrath before departing.

Finally, an eighth – Darth Thanaton, who had represented the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge for less than a year – now lay freshly dead on the floor.

That left a mere four Dark Lords of the Sith physically present to mark Thanaton’s passing, and to stand witness for what was now to come.

It may have been Darth Mortis who had delivered the death blow to Thanaton in a mercy-killing to preserve the dignity of the Council, but no one could deny the potency of the strange, masked Sith who had just bested their former colleague in a Force duel with a brilliant display. His build was slight and his lineage was unclear; there had supposedly been a ‘Lord Kallig’ many centuries ago in the days of Tulak Hord, but that was ancient history, and the name representing little more than a footnote in the modern Sith Empire.

Nevertheless, despite his unassuming posture and his much-maligned origins, the upstart projected an air of power about them, and not simply because they had just witnessed him crushing one of their number. Thanaton’s time on the Council may have been relatively brief and more than a few found him tedious, but none would have questioned his personal power when he’d succeeded Darth Arctis some months ago.

Off to the side stood the newcomer’s two seconds; a Dashade shadow-assassin and a Kaleeshi Sith Apprentice. Strictly speaking, protocol demanded that the peculiar duo should have remained outside the council chambers, along with their master. None had been properly invited into the chamber. But as it was apparent that Thanaton’s followers guarding the door had failed in that simple task of security (as they had been repeatedly outmaneuvered over the last several weeks during the Kaggath between the two Sith), no one on the Council had bothered to force their eviction. As they had not actively interfered in the fight with Thanaton, to the assembled Dark Lords, they were irrelevant.

The masked Sith Lord paused at that, regarding Mortis, then turning towards the seat in consideration. Finally, he turned back to address all the assembled members of the Council.

“My lords, I’m… I’m truly honored.” He finally spoke; his voice was clear through the filter of the mask, though it was rather lighter than one might have expected from a young Sith Lord who had dared so much.

“I was not expecting this at all.”

The words were humble.

None of the Sith present believed they were sincere, but such was to be expected.

Such considerations were, once again, irrelevant. The strong had overcome the weak. The corrupt had been cleansed.

The ways of the Sith had been preserved, as Thanaton had insisted.

“You just killed a Dark Council member in fair combat.” Darth Marr, the head of the Sphere of Military Defense, pointed out, his iconic masked face looking up from Thanaton’s fallen form.

“What did you expect?”

The deliberations were not without protest.

“He’s only a lord!” Darth Ravage, who ruled the Sphere of Expansion and Diplomacy, was incredulous. “You can’t put a lord on the Dark Council!”

“Quiet, Ravage!” Marr snapped at his junior Councilor. “He’s earned his place.”

The young Sith Lord who had been the subject of the argument tilted his head at the exchange, as if carefully considering something. Finally, his hands reached up behind his head as he unclasped the skull-mask he was wearing, letting it fall away.

A collective gasp could be heard from several members of the Council, including those observing by holo. Ravage visibly gaped while Darth Vowrawn, the head of the Empire’s Sphere of Production and Logistics, chuckled to himself at the revelation. Only Marr and Mortis maintained something approaching a professional decorum, standing in a stoic silence.

The face before them was young; this was no surprise. Everyone knew that Thanaton’s opponent in the Kaggath was an upstart. The face was likewise heavily scarred; the defects crisscrossed him from old injuries. That was also not a surprise; Thanaton himself had protested that this interloper had once been a slave before becoming Zash’s apprentice, and more than a few slaves in the Empire bore such scars.

No. What had startled many of the Councilors was the fact that the face looking back at them was blue with glowing red eyes that regarded each of them with a cool intellect that might have unsettled the Emperor himself.

Incredibly, this newest addition to the Dark Council was a Chiss.

“Are we really going to allow this… this alien filth to sit on the Dark Council?”

If Ravage had been incredulous before, he was now fast becoming apoplectic, looking around the room to his assembled fellows.

“Without even consulting with the Emperor whom we are sworn to serve?” he spat.

“Enough, Ravage.” Darth Marr waved a dismissive hand.

Ravage’s ploy had been obvious. The Emperor, it was well known, rarely took an active role in day-to-day Council matters, even to name a replacement. It could be months – if not longer – before he made his will known.

For a Sith like Darth Marr, who had lived long enough to observe Thanaton’s rise from slave to apprentice of a disgraced master to Sith Lord to Dark Lord of the Sith, such a gap in the Empire’s leadership structure would be unacceptable.  

He turned and acknowledged the latest addition to the Dark Council.

”As I have said, he has earned to right to that seat.”

 Minutes later, the newly appointed Dark Councilor of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge made his exit from the chambers, Khem Val and Xalek in tow. The Kalesshi held the discarded Kallig mask in his hands, carrying it reverently.

He had worn many names while walking along the path that had led him to this point.

He was departing from this planet – a planet that had forged him in so many ways – as Darth Imperious of the Empire’s Dark Council. In and of itself, this name meant nothing to him, aside from the authority that had come with it. He accepted that it now referred to him by anyone within the Sith Empire.

Prior to this, he had been commonly known as Lord Kallig. This name had been inadvertently stolen; the consequence of a delusional ancient Force ghost misidentifying him at the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas. Nevertheless, he accepted that the name had granted him a degree of credibility within the Empire. Regardless, as was now the case with his Dark Councilor title, that name personally meant nothing to him.

For most of his life, he had been called ‘Ozibaumnu’. That name’s origins had been meaningless from the first moment he’d uttered it; a series of barely coherent syllables muttered on the day he’d been sold into slavery as a child. It had nevertheless come to symbolize a breaking with his past, from before he had worn a slave collar. For that small circle of people he now called friends – Ashara, Andronikos and Talos – from them, he would continue to accept that name. From anyone else, it would now be as meaningless in effect as well as in fact.

But none of those names had ever really been his.

His name was Nas'laeso'ucu. Son of Nas'haes'uhme. Brother to Nas’ash’dia.

And regardless of whether he ever used that name aloud, he would never wear a mask again.

END

Author’s Notes: Just in case it wasn’t obvious, several lines of dialogue in this piece were pulled directly from the end of the Sith Inquisitor story on Korriban.

Ozibaumnu’s name originally had a different, more Chiss-appropriate origin. Unfortunately, I lost the notes on that, and when I reread the Chiss naming conventions article, I realized that it didn’t make sense. This is my best effort to reconcile all of those continuity issues. On a related note, ‘Shaesu’ is pronounced ‘Shay-sue’, while ‘Laeso’ is pronounced ‘Lay-sue’ and Nas’ash’dia is pronounced ‘Nazz-osh-dee-ah’, even though her personal name is usually pronounced ‘Ash’. (Yeah, I know Chiss names are weird.)

This story was originally two separate chapters, with Shaesu’s titled What We Leave Behind. The combination of the two seemed to work. (I do love before-and-after stories.)

As stated elsewhere, I’m ignoring Chiss aging rules. As far as I’m concerned, they are approximately the same standard as humans.

Now for the elephant in the room I inserted near the end – yup. Ozibaumnu is NOT the actual descendant of Lord Kallig. I may address this in future stories, but it’s been an idea I’ve been turning over in my head for a long time.

The referenced daughter of the Nedecca family later becomes a Major in the Imperial Army and an NPC in the game. She shows up on Corellia in the Imperial Agent storyline, serving as an aid to Lord Razer. As you might imagine, her reunion with Nas’ash’dia was rather awkward.

I always thought it was hilarious that Darth Ravage was heading the Empire’s “Sphere of Expansion and Diplomacy”, considering he’s one of the least diplomatic Sith in the entire game. On that note, tracking the Dark Council members and their assignment Spheres is a pet-project of mine.

The reasons for the Ascendancy to join forces with an Empire (that usually doesn’t see Chiss as people much less equals) are convoluted and I hope to explore those in the future. But it seemed to make sense that the children of an exile and failed Sith acolyte would be pressed into slavery, rather than being sent back to their people.

I’ve written about Nas’ash’dia elsewhere. It is strange to me that she predated Ozi – and is in fact the Outlander in my Nas Legacy – and yet I’m more comfortable writing about her brilliant but traumatized brother. More about Ash in the future, I hope.

People continuing to fight after being shot or stabbed in the chest is a pet peeve of mine. In real life, that (almost) never happens. The strength just drains right out of you. I try to adhere to reality here with Shaesu.

Thank you for reading, and may the Force be with you.

@abbee-normal​ @abysskeeper​ @cryo-lily​ @eorzeashan​ @grandninjamasterren​ @iacyper9​ @kartaylirsden​ @kemendin​ @magicallulu7​ @moxtoons-main​ @mysterious-cuchulainn-x​ @taraum​ @thefrostflower​ @swtorhub​

#swtor fanfiction #swtor #unmasked #swtorpadawan writes #swtor fanfic #my writing #writeblr #oc: ozibaumnu #oc: nas'haes'uhme #oc: nas’ash’dia #oc: nasashdia #the nas legacy #nas legacy #darth imperious #darth marr #darth vowrawn #what we leave behind #dark council #the dark council #darth ravage #darth mortis #korriban #darth decimus #darth acharon #darth hadra

[lets-talk-spirituality]

Let’s talk about: Collective Lessons

This was recommended by a lovely anon and I immediately felt called to write on this topic. With the New Year approaching, I want to reflect on the collective lessons I see that many of us are tackling personally, but also on a wider scale.

Productivity Wound

During the pandemic, a lot of us were confronted with the reality that we prioritize our careers and our productivity over other areas in our life that might fulfill us more, such as time with family, time for new hobbies, and time for rest. In fact, may of us are working on addressing this core wound around the need to be productive all the time. This wound ties to workaholism and usually masks a deeper fear of not mattering, being memorable, or having inherent value. Many of us in the western world are raised believing our value is tied to what we accomplish and produce, versus the value being in the act of doing in and of itself and the self growth that produces. This can lead to looking for external validation, which makes us perfectly primed to go above and beyond at our workplaces as we seek to be told we are good enough through the work we do. This leads us to work harder, to do more, to compromise our own lives for the chance to be good enough and to prove our value. This can lead to burn out, depression, exhaustion and a lack of motivation.

How to combat this wound: practice active rest. Actively allow yourself to do nothing, to sit in meditation, to sit outside, to be unproductive and to stand up for yourself when that rude ass ingrained voice tells you you aren’t worth anything and you should be doing more. You can say, “I’m choosing to actively rest and restore my energy reserves for the upcoming week. Thank you for showing me I still need to heal areas of my self worth.”

Lovability Wound

This one is my deepest wound and it’s a doozy! Many of us struggle with this wound, especially those of us with intense childhood trauma. I still struggle with the mindset of if my own parents couldn’t really love me, why would a stranger? But I also see this playing out on a collective level which is why we’ve seen a rise in the conversations around self love, body positivity, and self care. All of these ideas center around accepting and loving yourself as you are not as the you you wish you were. Sadly, capitalism through advertising sells us the idea that we aren’t good enough as we are and many of us internalize this as a fear that we will never be loved or cannot be due to our horrible flaws (which are usually super average and effect tons of people, but is made to seem like something that needs to be corrected so you will buy a product.) I think this is playing out a lot in Hollywood and the beauty and fashion industries where many are opening up more about things they were/are ashamed of and how that has effected their self esteem.

How to combat this wound: I’m still working on this wound, but from my current stand point, I think healing lovability wounding comes down to figuring out what it means to love yourself and to find ways to do that that make you feel good, whether that’s through eating, exercising, a beauty routine, etc. I’d say just be aware of detangling it as much as possible from doing these things so you will be deserving of love and more from the energy of doing these things because you love yourself. You can say, for example, “I love myself so I’m choosing to feed myself the best food for my body so I can have more energy”

Perfectionism wound

Another big wound I see the collective addressing is perfectionism. I see this playing out a lot through celebrities discussing mental health, eating disorders, and other pressures they’ve faced. I see it a lot in the body positivity movement and other movements that are aiming to normalize things that affect many people, but we still see as something to fix such as stretch marks, acne, hair loss, cellulite, vitiligo, etc. I think more and more of us understand that these “flaws” aren’t flaws at all but pieces of our story, pieces of us that make us who we are and there is a certain pride that we should hold for that. A lot of this wound stems back to being told we aren’t good enough and we should buy this product to fix it, but unlovability also is tied to perfectionism because we think if we can just be X enough, then we’ll finally be loved or accepted or valued. The key is accepting yourself as you are now, living in the present, since that’s all you can control.

How to combat this wound: allow people to see your “imperfections.” Don’t cover your spots, wear a bathing suit that shows your body, talk more openly about your struggles, if it feels scary or uncomfortable to do, try to push yourself to do it. I’m still working on this one. I have a lot of body image healing to do and while I don’t wear makeup, I do struggle to wear clothes that I feel expose parts of my body that I don’t like. Try saying to yourself, “You are perfect just as you are and you don’t need to hide your light anymore. It is safe to show things you don’t like about yourself with others. It’s is brave to not be perfect.”

Boundaries Wound

This wound is all over the place and effects so many areas in life. I see it coming up a lot with regards to work culture where it seems more people are putting their foot down and saying they aren’t going to jump through any hoops their bosses say jump through. A lot of people are prioritizing their mental health, family and time off, over work. This is called setting a boundary. Boundaries are needed is all sorts of areas, including relationships. Boundaries can look like saying no, I’m not available to talk right now, or no, I can’t stay late today. In general it’s saying no to things you don’t feel comfortable with. This wound is surprise surprise tied to unlovability as well, since the thought would be, if I make this person happy then they will validate me as a good worker, a good friend, etc. It all comes down to do you feel valuable inherently. A lot of us compromise our boundaries in exchange for trying to get our need for approval met.

How to combat this wound: start questioning yourself before you say yes to something, ask yourself if you are compromising in a way that doesn’t benefit you long term. Ask yourself why you want to say yes. Is it a genuinely exciting opportunity or do you feel internal pressure to say yes so you can be the good person. Enforce boundaries. I do this with calendaring. I will say No, I can’t do this because that is when I have my workout class, or no, that is when I have a meeting. Practice saying no. This helps you take your power back. You can say, “I’m just as valuable as anyone else and I’m going to prioritize my needs first, then share my energy with others. I will fill my cup first.”

Public vs Privacy Wound

With the advent of social media, many of us found ourselves thrown into the crosshairs generally saved for the elite. We’ve been, as a society, grappling for years with what to share publicly and what to keep private.

How to combat this wound: social media should be a fun way to connect with the world. Before you post, ask why you are posting, what you are looking to have fulfilled. Practice not so actively curating yourself. I’ve started to let myself post on stories more instead of being like no, I don’t need to share this, I will let myself if I want to. It’s about determining your own boundaries for what you feel comfortable sharing and sticking to your guns. If you post too much, consider a social media detox. You can say, “It’s okay to keep things to myself, because keeping things to myself keeps negative energy away from the things I’m working to manifest. It’s okay to share this post just because I want to. It doesn’t have to have a deeper meaning.”

Gender Wound

This is probably one of the biggest collective lessons we are seeing play out. For a long time, gender norms have been used as a way to control and shame people and to keep them in little tiny approvable boxes. To force them to be what society says is right. Now more than ever, we have taken back our power to say, I don’t care about society, I have to do what is right by my soul.

How to combat this wound: think about how you perform gender and what that means to you. It doesn’t have to be as drastic as shifting pronouns but it can be! It could also be simply recognizing, for example, that as a woman you have been taught to be less assertive and instead you now focus on asserting yourself. Maybe as a man, you were conditioned to not express emotions, especially with other men, but you decide to start being more open with your friends. You can say, “Just because I was taught this is how people like me are supposed to act doesn’t mean that belief is serving me anymore. I let it go with love and light.”

Religion Wound

Another human created construct that has been used to control the masses is religion. A lot of us have been directly harmed by the religion we were raised in. Personally, I was raised as a Christian and was indoctrinated with shame, so much shame through the concept of sin, being inherently flawed for merely existing, and that I’m meant to let a man lead. I’ve rebuked those concepts and do not subscribe to Christianity anymore, and most of the people I know who are still religious like the community of it and have had to redefine that religion for themselves in order to still engage with it.

How to combat this wound: Examine what beliefs and ideas were instilled in you around religion and spirituality, examine whether these are still things you believe. Begin to shift your perspective around these concepts. You can say, “I appreciate all that this religion has shown me about myself but I no longer need to subscribe to a system that oppresses me.”

Abundance Wound

Many of us have been indoctrinated with the idea that we are limited. And honestly, in this economy, we are limited. As a collective we are still subscribing to a lack of abundance. Abundance isn’t just financial, but also the idea that there isn’t enough love to go around, enough money, enough time, enough success, etc. It gives you a reason to be productive and work your job if you inherently believe you don’t have enough money, and for many, you don’t because many of us aren’t paid enough to truly be able to survive. If you’re told there isn’t enough for everyone it creates competition which creates a dynamic that forces people to abandon their boundaries to stay ahead. This is part of why I think a class warfare is brewing.

How to combat this wound: challenge the thought that there isn’t enough to go around, when you can, share with others, like I always tip well to spread abundance with others and to indicate to the universe I believe in abundance for myself. Look at your wounding around money and see how you can heal those ideas. You can say, “There is no competition, since my life is unique, I am unique, and there is no comparison. There is enough love and joy and abundance to go around and I release any beliefs to the contrary.”

Authenticity Wound

Another major wound that ties into perfectionism, boundaries and lovability. Many of us compromise who we truly are in pursuit for social acceptance. Our brains are still hardwired to want to fit in with the group because in years past, isolation from the group meant certain death. These days, being alone doesn’t really mean you will die, but studies show that loneliness can have a negative impact on life expectancy. The problem is many of us can’t form true connection because we are not being our authentic self. That’s how we are more connected than every but we also feel more alone than every before. Your tribe can’t find you when you’re acting like someone else. Many of us don’t even know who we are authentically because we’ve been acting like someone else for so long, since this indoctrination begins in childhood. Being your unabashed self is the most rebellious choice you can make in the face of a society that values conformity.

How to combat this wound: think about ways you can be more authentic and where you are hiding yourself to make others feel more comfortable, where you are compromising your true expression and evaluate ways you can better live in your own truth. You can say, “I love myself enough to show people who I truly am. Those who are meant to be in my life will accept me and those who aren’t will easily fall away.”

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Now I just want to say, I know that many in this world can’t even focus on these wounds because they are literally surviving day in and day out and I don’t want to act like I’m not aware of this because I am. It’s hard to care if you’re lovable when you are trying to figure out how to pay your bills and get out of debt or get food. I was living in this energy for a long time. A lot of us in the west have most of our basic needs met and it allows to focus on the next level up. I believe that those of us who have the privilege to focus on more collective issues in these ways have the power to lift others up with us, to get more people out of survival mode and that is our responsibility to ourselves and others to work on these issues to bring the collective consciousness forward. That’s part of why people with more collective missions have so many of their needs met by life.

#spiritual insight #spiritual guidance #spiritual journey #spiritualawareness #spiritual evolution #spirituality #spiritual awakening #awakening #abundance #2023 #new years #new year #perfectionism #collective lessons #lessons #lovability #authenticity #boundaries #boundary setting #healing work #trauma healing #spiritual healing #self healing #productivity #religion

[deathsmallcaps]

(USA based sorry)

I’m definitely speaking into an echo chamber but like.

Nearly every algebra student I tutor ends up with a word problem involving the gender wage gap. And they’re all confounded by it and have no clue.

And a guy in my fucking Calc 3 class was like “wait you guys were serious? That’s real?” When it came up. BRO YOU’RE ABOUT OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK???

It’s amazing what is and isn’t common knowledge. Feminist history isn’t taught past “and then women got their right to vote :)))))).” With occasional mentions of Title IX and the late 1900s waves of feminism. Of course only in in-depth history classes, not general Ed. Wow.

I am not in training to be a historian or a history teacher, but by all that is right in the world I hope it becomes more normalized and common to speak about shit that is LESS than 100 years ago in depth when it comes to American History & culture. Wtf. I swear even when I took AP history* the professor was afraid to touch on that stuff. For some reason (happily) my English teachers were a lot more willing to teach about modern history & minority stories.

And this is just what affects my white anglo cishetallo abled-passing housed female life personally. I cannot truly imagine the feeling of personal erasure & irritation one of comes to other identities & issues that have only relatively recently been resolved, addressed, acknowledged or even only pointedly ignored. I am fucking angry FOR you and can’t wait for things to change. You ALL deserve better. Don’t forget that.

It’s not your job to educate these people or their children (unless you’re literally a history teacher or something) but I want to shake the people who decide these what gets taught until the cowardice & insecurity & thoughtlessness & malice & election-based anxiety shits out of their assholes and leaves their hearts hungering for intelligent, thoughtful & interested discussions on modern issues and genuine history that should not be squeezed into the last pages of textbooks out of fear of offending paper white & paper thin pride.

Human rights deserve attention. Human rights should not have to be a radical talking point. It should be both as natural and expected as breathing clean air & as ingrained and knowable as to be accessible in math problems.

There is so much to be done. And it is exhausting. But please know that you are not alone.

*interesting tidbit below but basically irrelevant to the above post

I took AP america history to learn about the parts of American history that are never, or barely, covered in history classes throughout the grades. Basically, if it happened outside of the Puritans-WWII, it’s got a poor chance chance of in-depth coverage. And while the class did teach me good analysis skills and some interesting facts, it mostly covered the exact fucking periods I mentioned above.

And you know what? Literally right before we took the AP test, our teacher told us “study up on periods 2-7” (im pretty sure there are 9 periods of American history, forgive me it’s been like 5 years) “they never test on 1, 8 or 9”. Guess what the essay questions were on. And guess what time periods 1,8 & 9 are? If you posited precolonial america, the mid 1900s and modern day, ding ding ding you’re the winner! :))))))

(AP classes are worth it if you’re bored and/or trying to cut down on the amount of classes you’ll take in college & thus save money. But a lot (not all) of the AP certified teachers will try to convince you it’s the be all, end all of learning in high school. Also the weighted GPAs are a scam. No one looks at those. If you’re worried about keeping a good average, stick to the class level that fits within both circles of ‘not boring’ and ‘not going to wreck your life’. You can take an AP test and have it count and not take the class. Just be warned it is genuinely difficult.)

#idk where this is went but I am feeling passionate #context: I’m in the middle of getting a Math Education degree and am avoiding homework

[that-stone-butch]

Can your electrician brain explain why the many Christmas light outlets plugged into each other and the breaker being tied down in that post you reblogged is bad? Like obviously it’s dangerous but what would happen exactly 🤔

of course! so the main issue is that forcing a breaker not to open during overcurrent conditions will cause the wire to experience an amount of current higher than what it can safely deliver.

it helps to think of the wires that deliver electrical current as pipes. if you force a pipe to contain a higher pressure of water than it can physically handle, then the pipe will swell, or distort, or even burst. wires function similarly. the amount of current a wire can deliver is related to its size; a thicker wire can handle a larger amount of current than a thinner one. in the electrical field we have trade sizes that (generally) are rated to deliver a specific amperage.

when you force too much current through a wire, it will heat up. we sometimes do this on purpose, like with toasters. your average toaster is operated by just forcing current through relatively small conductors, causing them to glow and heat up. this heat is used to heat up your toast. make sense? but toasters often have timers built into them, either electrical or physical, that force the circuit to disconnect power to the heated coils of wire after a certain point of time. this both prevents your toast from burning, and prevents the toaster from burning down your house.

now, the circuit breakers in your home are sized to open at a specific amperage to prevent the wires on that circuit from experiencing more current than they are sized to deal with. imagine you plug in too many loads on one circuit, the circuit demands too much current, and the breaker trips, cutting off power before the wire has a chance to heat up and damage the home.

this poses a significant issue in that, when a breaker is forced shut, forced to keep the circuit continuous, it doesn't actually address the cause of the overcurrent event, it just forces that overcurrent to continue, and for the dangerously high current conditions to go from momentary (tripping the breaker) to ongoing.

please refer to this profoundly simplified MS Paint diagram of a home with too many lights plugged into one circuit:

several outlets are on the same circuit, with one 20A disconnect in the upper left. if the whole circuit hits that threshold current, the breaker trips open and the circuit becomes dead.

(note the current path through each outlet, and through the disconnect. while the outlets are all connected in parallel, their connection is simplified here for demonstration purposes shhhh)

if the current exceeds the breaker's threshold due to the piss shit amount of xmas lights, the breaker trips open, and the path is interrupted, as above.

however, if the breaker is forced shut, the conductor is forced to deliver more current than it can handle, and will quickly achieve a temperature that can burn through its sheathing, the walls, the furniture, the house, etc.

it's worth pointing out that the breakers in that post may be idiot-proof, that are designed to stay tripped even if the outside switch is forced shut by a dumbass homeowner. however, it is likely that the physically forcing of the breaker switch results in the circuit staying closed, and for things to get out of hand very fast.

tl;dr: if a breaker keeps tripping in your house, try unplugging a few things before resetting it. and don't force it shut what the fuck

#ask #hostile-homo #electricianposting

[a-s-levynn]

This one came in as a message, under the cut is only the person tagged, and if you want it, i'll delete it i just had to share this because dinosaur qustion.

You can ask as many as you want there are no limits here! I am happy to see you here! 💖

I also just realized i was so into answering the questions i forgot to address the people who asked me things.. 🤦🏻 Just typical me things. I'm sorry i love you guys i'm just stupid as shit!! 😭💖

27. 3 things you love about yourself. I just answered this but i'm not gonna cheap out. But at this point i almost treat these as trivia about me but whatever. 1. I still love the fact that i wasn't in music specialisation in elementary school because i had a good voice or hearing for a child but i had above average rythm sense. And i still came out with and okay voice. 2. I'm good with directions. If i have been somewhere or seen the way on pictures i won't get lost. 3. I am a fast learner.

31. Free Pass! (Ask whatever question you want to know that's not on the list) WHAT IS MY FAVOURITE DINOSAUR? Okay so i know dinosaurs are the ones on land and technically the aquatic creatures of the same time are just big ass reptiles and not considered dinosaurs but i love them. And i cannot pass up the opportunity to mention the chonkers, my boys, the Shonisaurus and the Shastasaurus.

But just so i actually share a proper land dwelling creature i adore, and it is actually classified as a dinosaur: i'm very fond of is the Linhenykus. This funky smol guy is just adorable with it's single fingies. And their usual size was about 50 cm which is just...look at it:

I want one okay ?!?!!? !!!? TAT What and adorable little creature TmT

@murkyquirky Please tell me if you want me to untag you, but i can't pass up the chance to share my favoure dinosaurs with the world

#levynn answers #murkyquirky

[rotten-hearts-sharp-teeth]

A mystery man joins the Wild Geese

This Tumblr exclusive short contains massive spoilers for the Alone Wolf alternate end.

Huge thanks to @jason-lives-again for the artwork!

Lucky Dog

1992

Barrett shifted the weight of his M4A1 while he followed the lieutenant through the dusty mercenary camp. The mid-day sun beat down on his bare arms, but he didn't mind the heat. It served as a reminder of just how far he was from dreary ol' England.

 As they stepped inside the makeshift tent, Barrett’s eyes adjusted to the shadows and he wondered if he should turn his cap around.

 No.

 There was only one chance to make a good first impression and he intended to look his future Captain in the eye. Humans would only see what their minds were willing to believe and the space under the tent was still bright enough for his eyes to pass for brown instead of red. The curly gray hair that reached his broad shoulders was easily explained as poor genetics.

 The corner of his full lips lifted in a secretive smile. That part at least, was true.

 "Here's that recruit I told you about Captain."

 The Lieutenant stepped to the side and gestured to a red-headed man bent over a topographic map.

 "Barrett, Captain Bernadotte."

He'd heard about the Bernadotte family through rival mercenary circles and when word came around that the young upstart was starting his own group, joining him seemed like a sign from God. 

The red head stood to his full height and Barrett was surprised to see that he was almost as tall as he was. It wasn’t often that he came across a human that compared to his size. 

Bernadotte rounded the table and offered his hand. 

"Usually mercenaries go by last name, non?" 

"No last name. Just Barrett. C'est toujours agréable de rencontrer un autre ours dans la nature."   (It's always nice to meet another bear in the wild)**

He grinned wide enough to show teeth without revealing his sharp canines. It was a lie of course. He had a last name, but Barrett knew that he wasn't the first mercenary to run away from his lineage. 

As he shook hands with the Captain, Barrett breathed in deep through his nose. His mother had taught him long ago that the best way to take measure of a man was through his scent. It was easy for a mouth to speak false words, but scent never lied. 

The smell of cigarettes clung to Bernadotte like a thick cloud. It was a common scent among mercenaries, but one that never failed to remind Barrett of his godfather. 

"Tu parles français?"

He nodded his head. 

"Oui." 

The Captain's eyes narrowed and his chin lifted higher as he released Barrett's hand. It seemed like he wasn't the only one making an assessment. 

"Barrett. That's a German name, is it not? Are you German?" 

Barrett grinned and let his natural accent flow effortlessly. 

"Actually Captain, I was born in London." 

Captain Bernadotte stared at him for a moment, then laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. Underneath the stink of cigarettes and sweat Bernadotte smelled like combat. He was a man who believed in fighting alongside his men and that was someone Barrett could respect. 

The long haired Frenchmen returned to the table and picked up a notepad. Flipping through the pages, he addressed Barrett without looking at him. 

"Your skills tested above average and you've seen your fair share of combat, oui? Kuwait… Bosnia.. Those battlefields were hell on earth." 

The Captain dropped the note pad and crossed his arms. 

"So how in the hell does a young guy like you come out of that without a single scar to show for it?" 

Barrett raised a gloved hand and absentmindedly scratched behind his ear. At thirty-four he wasn't nearly as young as he looked, but he knew that his lack of battle wounds would make him stand out in a crowd of seasoned mercenaries. Dropping his hand, he lifted his shoulder in a shrug.

"Just got lucky I guess. Can't really explain it." 

Bernadotte seemed to make up his mind and smirked as he pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes out of his front pocket. 

Lucky Strikes 

"Very well then. Tomorrow we shall see just how lucky you are." 

He lit the tip of his cigarette and inhaled deeply before blowing out a thick cloud of smoke. 

"Welcome to the Wild Geese, Barrett from London." 

*** 

Barrett shifted his weight on the slanted roof and tried to ignore the water running off the bill of his cap. The sound of traded gunfire broke through the low rumble of thunder, but it was on the opposite side of the city block. 

His first night of combat and he'd been assigned perimeter duty. 

He couldn't really blame the Captain. He was untested among the ranks of the Wild Geese…. but they could have given him something a little less boring! Barrett was a capable mercenary, trained to kill by Hellsing's finest soldier. 

His father. 

Barrett’s lip curled in a silent snarl as he thought about his father. That rotten bastard could burn in hell for all he cared! But his Maman? 

He sighed and tilted his head back to let the rain pelt him in the face. 

He hoped she was doing alright. 

The sound of insurgents in the alley drew his attention and he made the mistake of looking right at them. The shine from his eyes gave away his position and he had just enough time to curse himself before the bullet pierced his brain. Thrown off balance, Barrett tumbled from the roof. 

Fabric tore as razor wire mounted on top of the fence wrapped around his leg. His fall was cut short, but he was left hanging upside down and without a weapon as his rifle clattered to the pavement below. 

"Merde!" 

Barrett tried to grab his gun, but the stock was just out of reach. His fingertips brushed against the sling as his assailants rounded the corner and opened fire. Bullets ripped through his flak jacket as if it was made of paper, shredding his chest and stomach. This time when the gunfire ceased, he remained still. 

Six insurgents crept closer and Barrett didn't have to speak their language to know what they were arguing about. One insisted he’d hit him with the head shot while the others disagreed. If he was killed with the first shot, then how had he reached for his rifle? 

It was a legitimate question and one that Barrett planned to answer. 

Ignoring the insurgents, he focused his senses on the battlefield around them. It would be a shame for a member of the Wild Geese to witness what he was about to do, especially since he worked so hard to join them. 

Luck was on his side. The mercenaries were headed his way, but it would take them several minutes to reach his location. 

That left him plenty of time. 

Barrett's body disappeared in a swirl of smoke-colored mist and reformed on the other side of the insurgents. Five startled men turned to look at him while the sixth, the one who shot him first, fell to his knees. Everything above the hip was gone. 

The werewolf stood and slowly turned around. Red eyes reflected a bright flash of lightning while the rain washed blood from his dark gray fur. Opening his mouth, he growled at the men as they raised their weapons. 

Bullets passed through his intangible body and he let friendly fire cut down two more.

Then there were three. 

He rolled to the ground and became solid long enough to grab the combat knife from his boot. With a quick flick of his wrist, he buried it in the forehead of his nearest prey while drawing the pistol from his side. Two shots claimed the last two lives.

The fight was over in seconds. 

Barrett released the breath he had been holding as he climbed to his feet. The rain would take care of the blood on his skin, but he still had a few pieces of evidence he needed to dispose of before the Geese reached him.

His shredded vest was ripped to smaller pieces to disguise the bullet holes, but he couldn’t locate his cap. Shaking the rain from his eyes like a dog, he examined what was left of the bodies. Five of them were fine, but he needed to get rid of the one he had bitten in half. 

He eyed the ropes of intestines and made a face.

Barrett hated the taste of offal. 

*** 

Captain Bernadotte was the first to reach him. 

"My God man! What the hell happened to you?" 

Barrett let his wet curls hang over his eyes and tried to fake an exhaustion he didn’t feel. 

"Ambush. I thought they had me for a second there, Captain." 

The Captain gave him a quick once over while the Geese searched the bodies lying in the rain. It was unlikely for him to come out of a fight with five men unscathed. Unlikely, but not impossible. 

"And your clothes?" 

Barrett's smile turned sheepish as he pointed to the top of the fence. As luck would have it, the crotch of his pants and half of a leg dangled from the razor wire. He hadn't realized it during the fight, but his lack of clothing helped sell the story of the torn vest. 

"Fell off the roof. Got stuck. But in the end it saved my life." 

The Lieutenant called for the Captain and Barrett’s shoulders sagged in relief. Thanks to the rain, he doubted the Captain would notice the absence of scrapes on his skin. 

One of the men approached with the missing cap held in his hands. His finger poked through the bullet hole and he paused to stare at it in mild confusion. It was obvious he was trying to figure out how the hole had been made without killing Barrett. 

"Ah, you found it!"

Barrett snatched the cap away and yanked it over his wet hair. He made it a point to frown, then pulled it off to examine the hole. 

"Bloody wankers! Good thing it fell off before they shot it, I'll tell you that much." 

The answer seemed good enough to satisfy the mercenary’s curiosity and a strong hand clapped Barrett on the back.

"I don't believe it. I don't believe it! You Bastard!" 

Barrett turned his head to see the Captain smiling at him while the other Geese looked on in approval. The tension inside his body eased. They believed him. 

"You really are a Lucky Dog!"

** Barrett means ‘bear strength’ in German while Bernadotte means ‘strong, brave bear’ in French

#hellsing #hellsing ultimate #hellsing oc #barrett #pip bernadotte #the wild geese #alone wolf #werewolf #werewolf oc #werewolf wednesday #short fiction #the captain #hans gunsche #sabine #walter c dornez #alone no longer #my writing #au

[yadown]

Dissociative Origins

This is a hub post for our dissociative origins and links to related posts.

Q: "Why aren't you officially diagnosed for dissociation?"

A: "Because we don't need medical attention for it, and the healthcare system is for people in need of medical attention with some degree of urgency, not for settling internet arguments or as a war medal. We've already received therapy for autism, OCD, and depression, which we believe would have been much the same had we described it as front-stuck dissociation (we hadn't explored dissociation at the time). We were originally cautious about seeking help because we were worried about being rammed full of pills, and we still believe in addressing underlying problems instead of treating the symptoms. Ultimately, that's an ongoing, day-to-day process, and we don't need expensive hand-holding to do that. We're already past that stage in our development."

Q: "So how do we know you're not faking it?"

A: "We're not making any money out of this, and without that, we would have no rational incentive to persist in doing this. We lose time that could be spent furthering our career. When we were around 22, we desperately wanted to find people we could rely on and who wouldn't abandon or betray us. In retrospect, we weren't very nice company at that time. We feel we recognise that same misguided us-and-them attitude in sysmeds, so if that is you, we would like to think you'll give us a chance before discounting a potential ally."

General Origins Background

We broadly overlap most of the DID, OSDD-1a and OSDD-1b criteria. How is that even possible you may ask? Because what is true in relation to one time reference frame may differ at another. We were raised in a strict religion. We consider our origins to be primarily neurogenic, and then additionally influenced by trauma, environment, inherited epigenetics, situations outside our control, and choices we made. And these are factors all systems can consider. Did you have a mother? Was she stressed around the time of your conception? So it's not black and white.

We don't really consider ourselves to have been broken apart; we were never whole in the first place. We talked out loud amongst our parts when we were 3 years old - and being as that's about as far back as our memories go, that would indicate there was never a "breaking" event. However we were chronically in an environment with inadequate stimulation for our above-average abilities. We never acted like a child even when we were a child (it was Mum and Dad, not Mummy and Daddy). We hated being in a child's body as our cognitive abilities were advanced for our age. We preferred to have serious conversations with other adults, than to be around children who we perceived as unruly chimpanzees. When our parents asked if we had an imaginary friend; the other parts would hide behind the ANP (Equa), who played along with their false assumptions to get them to leave us alone. We have always, and continue to, talk out loud amongst each other several hours every day, and get very distressed if we can't (can't function otherwise).

We've had near-death experiences (being dangled over a balcony by the ankles at 7, and almost drowning on holiday at 14). Regarding the latter, we couldn't swim and fell off raft in a ~9 ft deep pool. Our father was watching and giving a faint smile. Maybe he thought we were playing. Maybe he wanted us to die (he never liked us). We were ~6 ft at the time; in the end it occurred to us to start jumping and taking breaths, which we had just enough room to do. And slowly we hopped our way out (bear in mind: the water pressure at that depth, and the oxygen depletion of jumping).

We think fictives sound really cool, but haven't been able to find the slightest spark to form any (cf: never really acted like a child, and preferred non-fiction even as a child).

We liked to act out plays when we were about 5, though.

Whatever your origins, we will take you seriously and in good faith.

Links to Other Posts

Autism and Dissociation

Memory

Scenes from a Childhood (and Beyond)

Upbringing Post

- Notar

#did #did osdd

[mixsethaddams]

crushcrushcrush

Read on ao3

Modern AU. Work In Progress.

Summary:

Steve and Eddie were best friends for most of their childhood. As they grew up and grew apart, social media became the only way to know what the other was up to. Even that had diluted down to just the occasional 'like'. So why does it hurt so much when Eddie makes an announcement that Steve shouldn't even care about?

Or, Steve hurts his own feelings stalking Eddie's instagram and then has to deal with it.

////

“Class, we have a new student with us today! This is Eddie, he’s just moved here from Kentucky, and will be joining us for the rest of the year. Everyone make him feel welcome!”

The class muttered their acknowledgement of the wide-eyed boy standing in front of them. As much as a group of six-year-olds could, anyway. He was clutching a small lunch bag to his stomach and shuffling his weight back and forwards across each of his feet.

Little Steve Harrington noticed that Eddie was wearing the same type of shoes as he was, just a little more worn.

“Tell us about yourself, Eddie,” said Miss Tilly, patting Eddie softly on the shoulder for encouragement when he looked at her with big, worried eyes.

“I, um, I…” he stumbled over his words. Steve did that too sometimes, he thought. “I live with my uncle Wayne and I, um, I get to sleep in a big grown up bed all by myself in his house because he likes sleeping on the couch better, and I, I, I, um–”

A big grown up bed all by himself? Steve thought that was so damn lucky.

“Where does you mommy live?” asked a small voice from the back of the class.

Anyone above the average age of the room’s occupants would have seen the way Miss Tilly’s jaw clenched in panic and Eddie's fingers tightened around his bag.

“She, she, she, um–”

Steve was wondering why this boy didn’t know where his mommy lived. Steve’s lived with him and his dad, at their house. He knew their address and everything. Then he noticed that Eddie’s lunch bag had SpongeBob and Patrick on it. Maybe Eddie would let him look at it up close at recess. They were Steve’s favourites. He even had a SpongeBob pencil.

“Thank you, Eddie, I look forward to meeting your uncle at our next parent’s night!” said Miss Tilly quickly, shuffling him away from the head of the class. “Now, there’s a free chair beside Steve, Steve can you raise your hand, please? Thank you, Eddie go on down and sit by that nice boy there,”

Eddie looked unsure as he wound his way down through the other desks and towards Steve, who smiled and waved. He sat slowly and kept his bag on his lap, still looking around and taking in his surroundings. Steve tapped him on the shoulder, and he jumped a little before looking over at him.

“Hi,” said Steve in a whisper.

Eddie gave a hesitant nod in return but didn’t say anything. He looked sad, and a little afraid.

Steve didn’t like that. He was used to happy people, and he was used to making people happy. His mommy said he could make anyone happy. He tapped Eddie’s shoulder again, a bit more insistently this time. It was almost a series of small thumps rather than a few courteous pats.

Eddie was just as startled to have someone looking for his attention as he looked at Steve again. His grip tightened around his bag again and his shoulders raised up towards his ears.

Steve lifted his SpongeBob pencil and waved it around a little in front of Eddie’s face so he could see that they both liked the same cartoon. Once he realised why he was having a piece of stationary jabbed towards him, Eddie’s face lit up and his smile was a mile wide. He lifted his lunch bag so Steve could see it and pointed to the characters on the front.

Eddie’s smile made Steve’s tummy feel funny. The way it went all the way up through his eyes made him feel really good. Steve decided to make the new boy smile every chance he got.

He liked it when he smiled.

///

Keep reading on ao3

#steddie #steve harrington #stranger things #eddie munson #eddie stranger things #steve and eddie #steve x eddie #modern au #ao3 fanfic #fanfic #st fanfic #steddie fic #instagram should sponser this one #seth writes

[feedingtheflockministry]

Words of Christ Found in The World Trade Center Rubble

Note to readers:

While I was getting ready for work on September 11, 2022 I remembered it was 9/11. I thought it would be nice to have something of good news to report on or to remember for that day, instead of the horrific event that took place in 2001. About an hour later (as I was going through our social media accounts) I saw someone had shared the attached video, and decided to watch it. It was the answer to my unspoken desire.

During March of 2002 an opened Bible fused to a piece of steel, was found in the debris The World Trade Centers of 9/11 by a fireman and given to photographer Joel Meyerowitz. In 2010, he gave it to the September 11 Memorial Museum.

The passage of scripture that it was opened to was from Jesus’s famous Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters five through seven. The segment of that sermon that is readable says this:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”

Some might scoff at this and chalk it up to coincidence or chance, but to that I would say, “Have you ever opened a Bible before? Depending upon font size an average Bible consists of 1,020 to 1,200 pages. The paper is very thin and delicate, and therefore can be burned or torn easily. So for this Bible to have survived the destruction and high heat of this disaster is a miracle of God in and of itself, but to see the passage of scripture that addresses being attacked and how we should react to it is a voice from Heaven above, if you are willing to accept that.

As I continued to dwell on this miracle and the words of The Lord, He reminded me of His judgement on Cain the brother of Abel in Genesis. The LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Cain told Abel his brother.

And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.”

Notice something missing here in The Lord’s judgement of Cain? It is a life for a life. The Lord closed up the ground on Cain who was a farmer. Then He said that anyone who kills Cain would receive a punishment seven times worse.

There is another passage in the Bible that says this, “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY,” says the Lord.”

What does The Lord tell us to do with our enemies? He said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

His call is for prayer, good deeds, and walking in peace before those that love you and those that hate you. Vengeance is not a teaching of His for us to follow.

Jesus’s younger brother James wrote this in his letter, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?”

So remember to not allow anger and hatred to spread through you. Instead pray for those that hate you and wish harm to you. Walk in peace with all people so that you may be called sons and daughters of God through Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord.

#bible #one wtc #wtc #9/11 #never forget #miracles #miracle #jesus christ #Youtube

[cosmocorvid]

The Résumés

After years of fifteen years of physical training and mentally preparing, I thought I was finally ready to take this mercenary shit seriously. See, I put out a recruitment ad about two weeks ago and I'm convinced that I'm the victim of a massive trolling campaign. The people who are applying have low ability, no ability or are flat out hurting themselves. You don't believe me? Just listen to this shit.

" I think I would be a great fit on your team because I am strong"

That's all they wrote on the form too. No name, no address and it wasn't even in an envelope. I don't even know how it got to my mailbox. But never mind that, the worst thing about this entry is the lack of elaboration. Like, how strong is "strong"? Is this "Orc strong" or slightly above average gnome? There's a big difference y'know. To be fair, I've met some strong gnomes. I saw one fighting a dwarf in a nightclub once. Took about twenty bouncers to get them separated. They called them the "Pint Sized Pugilists." This is only the start though. It gets worse. Look at this one.

"I am unmistakably a great fit because I have the spectacular ability to turn into a sun flower."

Putting aside the fact that sunflowers are quite beautiful, what is the real world application of this? How am I gonna fight somebody with a sunflower? By spitting seeds at them? Aggressively throwing petals? Oh yeah, the motherfucker has to go through the full sunflower life cycle before he can turn back into a human. To top it off, If he dies as a plant he's fucked! He's dead as a human too! I gotta pour water on this dude for two weeks! This is why my uncle told me he always worked alone. Of course he got ganged up on by fifty elvish militants with swords and corium cannons so maybe its not the best idea to try to fight an army by yourself.

Now you see what I'm going through right? I can't get the Lord's tax money without you giving me a chance to get said money into my pocket. Give me some time, I might have the money in a week, a month, or maybe even in a year. Alright buddy, I'll have the silver in a month. If it takes any longer, I'll leave "Stapleton" for good. I won't even send my pet otters after you. Deal?

#short story #fantasy #might continue this

[advernia]

WHAT CHANGED YOUR BELIEF(S)?

ONE —

There is nothing you can do when it comes to height. Advantage or disadvantage, only one can apply. But that is all to it - the rest of a fight will depend wholly on your efforts.

That was true. Sort of, kind of, maybe. But that did nothing to calm the irritation he'd always felt for those above him, quite literally.

Honor in battle is subjective. What one would call underhanded or dishonorable is the break of a stalemate for others. A chance to find an opening. Or perhaps it is simply a strategy. To make it simple... in the heat of battle, your will to win or survive shall become your drive.

It sounded all pretty dramatic. Not like he'd find himself in a life or death situation anytime soon, but... yeah, he'll never know. There were all sorts of people in Night Raven College. Who's to say that he wouldn't end up fighting a couple of them in the course of four years?

Remember that in a fight, you should not take anything for granted. Again, your height would prove to be a disadvantage against taller opponents, but do not take it as a liability. Use your smaller frame to your benefit. Do not dismiss anything as useless or impossible until you have tried it.

He stares at the length of his arms, the stretch of his legs. So maybe, if just maybe, he doesn't get taller one day... he had to rely on what was left of him. He's not that burly or that strong at all. Stamina maybe average. But he could improve. He had to improve.

Epel stares at the setting sun, at the long stretch of ground as far as the eye can see. He pushes himself off the grass and moves a steady pace forward, a steady jog onwards.

"Alright... gotta head back to the dorm!"

TWO —

When asked what he makes of the fae, he speaks of the legacies they have, of what they have done until they grew great enough to create the home he lives in, the great Valley of Thorns.

When asked what he makes of the mermen, he speaks of how wide the waters flow onto every area of Twisted Wonderland, of the way mermen far and wide have inhabited each part of the seas and turned it into their homes.

When asked what he makes of the beastmen, he speaks of the wide breadth of their species and their capabilities, of how they are able to uphold generations of withstanding tradition by making their philosophies into the core foundation of their individual societies.

When asked what he makes of the ghosts, he speaks of the traces of history given form, of the strange manner that they are able to exist time forwards but are fragments of what was backwards.

Ask him of others, as well - he will speak in the words of history and of time. He answers in a manner that does not address the question in itself, but what he says urges an opinion, encourages an image to be formed. Create your own answer from his response, it appears.

But when asked what he makes of humans, he speaks differently. Vaguely, even. The color he uses to describe the fae, the shrewdness he notes from the mermen, the energy he attributes to the beastmen, the elusiveness he points to the ghosts... he gives no similar remarks of them to mankind.

What then, does he truly make of humankind?

THREE —

It's like... what time was it? Kalim turns his head to one side of the room, where a clock hung from above the classroom doorway. Oh, eight minutes left. Eight minutes till class. Basic Astrology class. Basic Astrology class and its -

"Oh man, it's nearly time," he says with a small laugh, fingers moving about in small random gestures. Sitting beside him, Silver gives a glance with eyes half open.

"You seem jittery," Silver covers his mouth briefly, letting out a small yawn before speaking again. "Is something the matter, Kalim?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong! You know, not wrong wrong. It's just that Astrology's next, that's all!"

"I see. I didn't know you liked Astrology."

"Haha, it's alright, I guess!" Kalim scratches the back of his head, eyes flitting now and then to the doorway. "I'm real nervous about the quiz today, though."

Silver stares blankly at Kalim. "... Quiz?"

Kalim stares back, wide-eyed. "Uh, yeah. Today."

The two stare at each other for a few more seconds in silence until Kalim takes out his textbook from his bag, flipping through pages quickly.

"Don't you worry, Silver! I'm sure we can go over some of the content together! There's still some time!"

"Th-that would be helpful, thanks."

Kalim stops at a page, messy notes scattered among the margins of the paper. Silver eyes the circled words and underlined phrases too, skimming through the footnotes under them.

"Can you read my writing? Sorry if it's a bit of a mess! I tried putting my notes on a notebook, but I still ended up writing on my book last night anyway..."

"Ah, no, it's fine. You've written quite a lot, though. You seem to have studied hard for this."

"Haha, you think? It was my first time pulling an all-nighter on my own, too! There's still some parts I can't understand well, like this section, but I think this portion says something like this..."

FOUR —

"Jaaamilll!"

The loud scream echoes across the corridor, finds its way into the kitchens, slips itself into Jamil's ears. Any second now, Jamil sighed as he kept stirring the pot in front of him. Oh right, did I add the...

The sound of hurried footsteps getting louder, then they stop.

"Jamil!"

"Kalim," Jamil replies dryly, sparing a quick look at the doorway before reaching out for a bottle of spice. "What is it."

"Hey, hey! Oh, that smells good! Is it dinner? But before that!" Kalim steps a few paces behind Jamil, grinning. "Did you guys have that quiz in Astrology today?"

"We did," Jamil pops the bottle open and shakes it down a few times, a reddish powder sprinkling down onto the stew. Satisfied, he closes the bottle and sets it back on a rack. "What about it?"

"Hehe... look at this!"

The frantic tapping on his shoulder has Jamil turning around, and bam! A piece of paper is all but nearly shoved to his face.

"Ta-dah! I got a 68 this time! It's way lower than my usual scores when you tutor me, but hey, I passed!"

Ah, so this was the reason he asked me to ready a whole pot of tea last night... and why he was up all night yesterday.

... Hmph. Turns out he can put in some effort when it matters.

Jamil takes a few steps back, looks at the grin on Kalim's face and the proud manner he held onto his paper.

"Not bad. You still have to do better than that, though."

Kalim tilts his head to the side. "I was gonna ask about that! What did you get, Jamil?"

The Vice Head smirks, focus going back to stirring the stew.

"A 92."

"Whaaaaaaaat!? That's super high!"

1: epel reappears for this batch! here's everyone's context:

epel -> lilia's advice. (see: lilia lab coat card)

malleus -> ah, let time tell.

kalim -> jamil's overblot. (post ch4)

jamil -> proof of effort. (post ch4)

#twisted wonderland #epel felmier #malleus draconia #kalim al asim #jamil viper #more on bad realizations: malleus also enables my dramatic writing style lmao just noticed when setting this on queue #there's like... already four of them in the cast that i tend to like writing a ton of descriptions for aha #though i particularly like how malleus' part turned out even if it's choppy lol #q&a

[by-ethan-fox]

*This* is the biggest killer of VR games

Did you know that the Quest 2 VR headset outsold the Xbox Series consoles during the pandemic?

No? You're not alone.

Yet something that is said, over and over, anywhere the Quest headsets are discussed online, is "where are the more elaborate games?" with users seemingly crying out for bigger, bolder, more involved experiences.

Unfortunately, "where" is the wrong w-question to ask when it comes to what's killing possible VR games before they get the chance to exist.

The question people should ask, is why.

Let's go back to that fact I shared up above, the one about the Quest platform outselling Xbox Series consoles in a similar timescale. We know this because of a leak:

In March 2023, a source at Qualcomm (who manufacture the primary chipset for the Quest headsets) said some things that clued people in to that the Quest had sold approximately 20 million headsets at that time. That was ~30 months, meaning that over that time, the Quest sold an average of 667k headsets per month (likely heavily weighted to the first 12 months, but still, just a mean average).

This leak was considered to be reliable, because there was the suggestion that the source was somewhat castigated for what they said.

This data-point isn't widely known among the general public. However, it's very well-known among VR enthusiast and developer circles, because apart from this... To say other data is sparse would be generous.

There are certainly people who want bigger, more elaborate games. So why aren't they getting them, outside of a few tentpole titles like Asgard's Wrath 2 and Assassin's Creed: Nexus?

It might be boring, but outside of small indie and enthusiast projects, what makes games isn't just people, it's money. Investment. And investment requires Forecasting.

Over the decades, game publishers have got pretty good with forecasting. Given, no-one can predict the future, and sometimes they get it wrong... But there are so many games on Steam on many of the popular genres that publishers can tell, with some degree of accuracy, if they make a marketable game, how many copies it might sell.

True forecasting is very involved, factoring in a great deal of market research. You've also got to try and predict not just how things are now, but how they might be in several years.

But before you do all that, any project needs to pass a very basic evaluation of its economics. If it fails this check, the bigger process is pointless.

I'm sure there are tons of different methods for this, but a basic one a developer/publisher might use is this...

First, is Total Addressable Market, which you could call TAM. TAM is the theoretical maximum they could ever sell. Generally they get this by looking at the most successful example close to what they're proposing to make, and finding out how much money it made. So if they're making an MMORPG, it's World of Warcraft. If they're writing a thriller book, it's an average of the top selling thriller books from the last few years.

If it seems weird, even arrogant, to work out TAM, just bear in mind that a theoretical maximum is important... Because if it's low, the whole idea might be a complete waste of time.

Second is Conservative Addressable Market, or CAM. CAM is a low-ball; they look at the sales for as many comparable things as they can, and then find the lower-sellers that are still considered a success (filtering out out-and-out failures, provided you can explain why they failed) and from that, they get a value which is much, much lower than TAM, but a more realistic idea of how many copies they might sell.

From this, they can conclude that, assuming they make a good, desirable, marketable product, they'll sell a number of copies between CAM (low-end) and TAM (high-end).

Next, they figure out their Product Price (you could even call this ARPPU); i.e. the average amount of money each player pays. Might include payments for DLC, etc.

They also factor in how much money they might reduce in a sale, and take a stab at what % of sales come at full price and what % come at sale price. Plus they remove tax and whatever % the platform holder keeps (I think Meta keep 30% of all sales).

After that, the basic formula is simple:

ARPPU x CAM = Conservative Revenue Estimate

... and from that, they can calculate their budget. Estimates vary, but if they want to have a 300% RoI (i.e. spend 1$ to make 3$ back), their Speculative Budget would be 33% of that.

Most companies have a "Person-Month Rate", i.e. the amount of money 1 staff member 'costs' for a given month; they can then use that to work out how much development time that budget buys...

... and that ultimately decides how 'big' the game can be, in terms of features and content.

If it seems a too simple... That's because it is. This is the most basic of forecast models. They're just trying to find out whether the game's even remotely worth making.

Because they need to be sure that they're not going to spend 50m on a game that, even if it's REALLY successful, could only make 25m - as in that case, phenomenal success == bankruptcy!

But I started this article by talking about a killer of VR projects. Have you spotted what it is yet?

Let's say we want to make a game for the Quest platform.

For the sake of argument, let's say it's a sci-fi adventure game, with steampunk environments and weapons, which plays like a mix of Skyrim and Half-Life Alyx.

First, we go to calculate TAM, and we immediately have a problem.

There are stats, given, for how many Quest headsets there are (the aforementioned 20 million), and there's the idea that the Quest 3 has sold over a million headsets...

... but these figures are not totally reliable, and suggesting you could sell 1 copy to every headset is too rudimentary logic, even for a TAM.

The alternative values are that Beat Saber has made >$250m (source) and the two Walking Dead games have made >$100m (source), which are encouraging, but they're practically the only figures we have, and that's dangerous, as a small number of points do not suggest a trend. These numbers are high-end examples (sometimes called 'vanity metrics').

Second problem. We can't calculate CAM properly either.

Because, to do so, we need to see figures for the success of various different VR games, to understand what constitutes a reasonable sell-through. This information is just too sparse.

There is data saying "more than x games have made y million", however this data is now several years old and not really relevant.

If you keep an eye on the VR community, you may have seen some figures... But there's also the problem of numbers which seem positive, but really aren't.

For instance, you could see that many Quest store apps have made over 1 million dollars, and think 'wow'... But bear in mind, if you're paying ~60k a year to developers (that's a number plucked purely out of the air, btw), you're talking at least 5k per developer per month. That's only going to pay 8 people for your 2-year period... And that assumes no extra costs like marketing, which isn't really a fair representation.

AAA game companies have projects that inflate/deflate in terms of staff count, but they might have teams that top out at hundreds of people, and might run for as long as four years.

It's a random example, but the quickest I could find on Google; more than 100 staff were involved in the creation of Dark Souls.

Finally, sale price. There is presently little-to-no conventional wisdom for what proportion of the sales of VR games are made at full price and sale price, and how much players will pay for an experience. If we make a AAA VR game and need to charge $60 for it, will people pay that?

So... Where does this leave us?

What is the killer of bigger VR games?

My belief is that a business case has started to emerge in recent years to make bigger, more fully-featured VR experiences. But that's only a hunch based on incomplete information. That's not to say the VR space isn't volatile; I believe it is. But I also believe that, as something of an "enthusiast sector", that making something genuinely good and innovative would be rewarded.

Unfortunately, due to the reasons mentioned above, this business case is difficult to quantify.

So the killer, then, is a lack of public VR sales & revenue figures.

It presently must be extremely difficult for a developer to approach a publisher or an investor with a VR title. Meta have the biggest platform, but, historically, they've been pretty cagey with their numbers, only releasing the few figures I've mentioned (sometimes involuntarily), because information is power (Meta understand this better than most).

There are sources of figures; aggregator services, but these are expensive to use in and of themselves... And even then, where do they source their numbers? Surveys? On the internet? In the 2020s?!

But this must be harming consumer VR, because it's preventing projects from getting off the ground. Even the most basic questions about forecasting can invite the most dreaded response an investor can hear:

"I don't know."

When talking to investors, they might hear "I don't know", but what they really hear is "I don't want to tell you the figures".

But given the sales of the Quest headset, and Meta's stake, presumably they have some figures that could paint this in a positive light for developers to use?

Developers and publishers can't really fix this. Even if a few developers gave figures, that's probably not enough - and they might be contractually prohibited from doing so.

Meta are currently the market leader in this space, so consumer VR needs to call on them. They've spent years and billions building the Quest platform into the definitive place for VR games.

They don't need to be an open book, but they just need to provide enough information to try and tempt more publishers and investors into the VR arena, in terms of software, particularly games. Because the longer they don't... The more people are going to assume, sight-unseen, that the figures are bad.

And the right time for this is now. New financial year, the Quest 3 is out, Stand-Alone VR has turned a corner. The hardware is capable, now we just need to give the would-be devs of VR's Skyrim or Bloodborne the ammunition they need to fight those boardroom battles.

Your move, Mark.

===

Ethan Fox is a VR enthusiast, indie videogame developer and long-time videogame industry observer, as well as creator of the award-winning Nina Aquila: Legal Eagle videogame series.

Ethan can be hired to consult on VR game design or marketing; click >here< to ask about that.

Follow him at... Bluesky / Tumblr

#VR #virtual reality #VRChat #Quest #videogames #gamedev #featuretag

[sankyyyy]

From Canvas to Crowd: Exploring Event Artists’ Impact with Artist Bazaar Community

Introduction

When we think of an event, the first thing that springs to mind is mostly the audience's energy, the breathtaking sights, and the immersive experiences that create long-lasting memories. The artists and creative spirits who turn everyday places into magical areas are responsible for these truly memorable occasions. Event artists are now essential in the fast-paced world of event organizing. The Artist Bazaar Community is a network that links Artist For Events with large stages and is committed to improving event experiences through artistic expression.

 Artist's Journey for Events-

 Becoming a well-known event artist after working as a private artist is a personal development process. Many artists find comfort in their canvas, using it as a private place to have silent conversations with their inspiration. However, moving to publicize their work by giving a performance or exhibition in front of an audience is a gratifying but difficult task. For events, artists present their work and interact with attendees directly, creating an engaging dynamic rarely found in formal showcase shows.

Role of Artist Bazaar Community in Supporting Artists-

  An essential component of this life-changing experience is the Artist Bazaar Community. Through the establishment of a connection between artists and event organizers, the group guarantees that artists are accessible and essential to public events and corporate activity. In addition to relationships, the assistance comes from training programs that address performance skills, audience interaction strategies, and scheduling. Additionally, the community offers the best Artist For Events. With this, artists get an active networking opportunity to engage with colleagues and business executives, increasing their visibility and opportunities in the events industry.

Impact of Artists on Events

The impact of incorporating artists into events is essential. The depth and emotion of visual artists, actors, and musicians improve the atmosphere. Artists carry a unique charm with them that has the power to turn an average event into fantastic entertainment, from live painting workshops that capture the spirit of a festival to engaging dance performances that tell a cultural tale. Events where artists have provided entertainment and greatly increased audience involvement are highlighted in the Artist Bazaar Community's success tales, making the events more social media-worthy and memorable.

Challenges and Opportunities-

It can be challenging to be an event artist. Obstacles include modifying your artwork to fit various topics, adjusting to new audiences, and handling logistical issues like transporting and arranging your artwork at the event. However, things are starting to improve! More event coordinators are realising the value of art in creating memorable events. Events that look good engage people and maintain their interest are in high demand due to the pandemic's rebound. The ArtistBazar community works to lower these obstacles so that performers can rise above the difficulties and seize the chance to perform. The community acts as a mediator by offering Artist For Events since it recognizes the precise needs of event planners and artists.

Vibrant Hub For Talent-

The Artist Bazaar Community is a dynamic center where opportunities and talent meet. Here, creativity can be fully discovered. They will do all their power to assist you if you're searching for anchors for any event, as well as choreographers, DJs, singers, painters, comedians, mehendi artists, etc. Please trust our knowledge to match your needs for an event with our premier services. Their specialty is creating unique experiences. It just needs to be asked for; this community is prepared to use our best management service to make your event memorable. Let your creativity bloom by coming to the Artist Bazaar Community. You can contact them to schedule your upcoming excellent entertainment event!

Conclusion -

The Artist Bazaar Community is your doorway to an endless range of creative opportunities, regardless of whether you are an artist eager to enter the event sector or an event planner hoping to add artistic touches to your next gathering. Interact with gifted artists and turn your events into unique experiences by joining us today. You can explore their website or contact them to learn how you may work with innovative artists on your upcoming project. Thanks to their constant backing and enthusiasm for art, the Artist Bazaar Community and its artists are poised to revolutionize event experiences by transforming every event into a platform for remarkable artistic expression.

#Artist For Events

[mighty-move]

Tips How to Get Rid of Stuff Before Moving

If you’ve lived under one roof for more than 5 years, then the chances are that you will be surrounded by a great number of material things that are supposed to make your life easier and more fun.

In most cases, owning stuff defines who you are and what you are passionate about – you wouldn’t own a massive book collection if you didn’t like reading books, and you wouldn’t own a guitar if you showed no interest in music whatsoever, right?

The accumulation of stuff is often inevitable – after all, what would a home look like without any pieces of furniture, furnishings, electric appliances, electronic equipment, and of course – your personal items that you prize so much?

And naturally, things are perfectly fine until the moment comes when circumstances force you to move to another home, often in another city or a different state. For when it’s time to move house, you just can’t take all your possessions with you. Or to put it better, you can but you shouldn’t.

Isn’t it easier and faster to just throw everything you own into boxes and finish the packing job in style? Not really.

Learn how to get rid of clutter before moving, and why you should do it in the first place.

Why less stuff will help you move house for less

You only need to combine two facts together in order to understand the idea behind sorting out your stuff before you move and then deciding what to get rid of before it’s time to leave your current home and what to take with you to your new address.

The two little pieces of factual wisdom that will help you save loads of money in the long run are:

In general, moving house is an expensive business! According to the American Moving and Storage Association, the average cost of an intrastate is around $2,300, while the average of an interstate Packers and Movers Kolkata to Noida.

The moving cost is calculated on the basis of several important factors, and one of the most influential price-forming factors is the overall weight of the shipment.

By now it should be clear to you why everyone is frantically searching for good ways to reduce the moving cost, and, keeping in mind what you just read above, you should definitely consider doing the same.

In theory, it’s relatively simple – you simply have to take much less stuff with you when you move. In practice, however, that “simplicity” could turn out to be one of the hardest things you’ll do until you reach the protection of your new home.