#10/10 strategy would recommend

[beatbybaseballs]

ok last post before i go to bed i promise. tomorrow i might have to employ tab jail and classical music to try and replicate the time i transcended and did 11 writing assignment in like 4 hours

[cemeterygrace]

wild how showering and washing your hair makes you feel like a real person again

[ijltln]

wanna spice up ur next (conservative) family gathering? randomly drop "cops are domestic terrorists" into the conversation

[homo-house]

hey uh so I haven't seen anyone talking about this here yet, but

the amazon river, like the biggest river in the fucking world, in the middle of the amazon fucking rainforest, is currently going through its worst drought since the records began 121 years ago

picture from Folha PE

there's a lot going on but I haven't seen much international buzz around this like there was when the forest was on fire (maybe because it's harder to shift the narrative to blame brazil exclusively as if the rest of the world didn't have fault in this) so I wanted to bring this to tumblr's attention

I don't know too many details as I live in the other side of the country and we are suffering from the exact opposite (at least three cyclones this year, honestly have stopped counting - it's unusual for us to get hit by even one - floods, landslides, we have a death toll, people are losing everything to the water), but like, I as a brazilian have literally never seen pictures of the river like this before. every single city in the amazonas state is in a state of emergency as of november 1st.

pictures by Adriano Liziero (ig: geopanoramas)

we are used to seeing images of rio negro and solimões, the two main amazon river affluents, in all their grandiose and beauty and seeing these pictures is really fucking chilling. some of our news outlets are saying the solimões has turned to a sand desert... can you imagine this watery sight turning into a desert in the span of a year?

while down south we are seeing amounts of rain and hailstorms the likes of which our infrastructure is simply not built to deal with, up north people who have built everything around the river are at a loss of what to do.

the houses there that are built to float are just on the ground, people who depend on fishing for a living have to walk kilometers to find any fish that are still alive at all, the biodiversity there is at risk, and on an economic level it's hard to grasp how people from the northern states are getting by at all - the main means of transport for ANYTHING in that region is via the river water. this will impact the region for months to come. it doesnt make a lot of sense to build a lot of roads bc it's just better to use the waterway system, everything is built around or floats on the river after all. and like, the water level is so incomprehensibly low the boats are just STUCK. people are having a hard time getting from one place to another - keep in mind the widest parts of the river are over 10 km apart!!

this shit is really serious and i am trying not to think about it because we have a different kind of problem to worry about down south but it's really terrifying when I stop to think about it. you already know the climate crisis is real and the effects are beyond preventable now (we're past global warming, get used to calling it "global boiling"). we'll be switching strategies to damage control from now on and like, this is what it's come to.

I don't like to be alarmist but it's hard not to be alarmed. I'm sorry that I can't end this post with very clear intructions on how people overseas can help, there really isn't much to do except hope the water level rises soon, maybe pray if you believe in something. in that regard we just have to keep pressing for change at a global level; local conditions only would not, COULD NOT be causing this - the amazon river is a CONTINENTAL body of water, it spans across multiple countries. so my advice is spread the word, let your representatives know that you're worried and you want change towards sustainability, degrowth and reduced carbon emissions, support your local NGOs, maybe join a cause, I don't know? I recommend reading on ecological and feminist economics though

however, I know you can help the affected riverine families by donating to organizations dedicated to helping the region. keep in mind a single US dollar, pound or euro is worth over 5x more in our currency so anything you donate at all will certainly help those affected.

FAS - Sustainable Amazon Fundation

Idesam - Sustainable Developent and Preservation Institute of Amazonas

Greenpeace Brasil - I know Greenpeace isn't the best but they're one of the few options I can think of that have a bridge to the international world and they are helping directly

There are a lot of other smaller/local NGOs but I'm not sure how you could donate to them from overseas, I'll leave some of them here anyway:

Projeto Gari

Caritás Brasileira

If you know any other organizations please link them, I'll be sure to reblog though my reach isn't a lot

thank you so much for reading this to the end, don't feel obligated to share but please do if you can! even if you just read up to here it means a lot to me that someone out there knows

also as an afterthought, I wanted to expand on why I think this hasn't made big news yet: because unlike the case of the 2020 forest fires, other countries have to hold themselves accountable when looking at this situation. while in 2020 it was easier to pretend the fires were all our fault and people were talking about taking the amazon away from us like they wouldn't do much worse. global superpowers have no more forests to speak of so I guess they've been eyeing what latin america still has. so like this bit of the post is just to say if you're thinking of saying anything of the sort, maybe think of what your own country has done to contribute to this instead of blaming brazil exclusively and saying the amazon should be protected by force or whatever

[60parsecsrevive]

Rebloging just to say to all the people who selected "never heard of", this game is great and the characters are even greater.

Its a challenge, don't be fooled. One wrong choice and it's all over (that's the point btw before people complain). But once you get better its so fun to see where the story goes and how far you get.

That and the characters can be matched up together. Everyone is basically BI and it's fuckin great.

So yeah, check out a vid at least! It's very good I definitely recommend it!

Requested by anon

[f1cflcfic]

Won't Say I'm In Love (SMAU ft. Lando Norris) - part vi

pairing: lando norris x tennis player!reader (fem!y/n); past carlos alcaraz x tennis player!reader (fem!y/n)

summary: As a general rule, y/n does not date athletes. You've been there, done that - would not recommend. Besides, you definitely don't do love. There's no time in the world for complicated feelings when there's a career Grand Slam to be won. But what if your heart just refuses to listen?

genre: social meda/mixed au, friends to lovers

note: this is RPF and is obviously in no way, shape, or form reflective of real persons

series: part i | part ii | part iii | part iv | part v | ...

April 10, 2025

April 11, 2025

April 12, 2025

[Excerpt ViaPlay interview]

The Sakhir circuit means a return to familiar testing grounds. Does that mean that you feel more confident going into this race?

"I mean, yes and no. We know the challenges of the circuit, and how the car responds to them. We can adjust, but also all the other teams on the grid will be doing the same - they'll know our performance and weaknesses, too. So there's more work that goes into preparing different strategies, and coming up with adaptations to our run plans."

Are you hoping for a better result here than in Japan?

"Of course. I mean, our results there were not what Oscar or I were hoping for. Because this is a triple header, there's also very little time to linger on those feelings of disappointment - so we had to immediately get back into the mindset of Sakhir presenting a fresh opportunity for a win. I'm happy though with what we've been able to extract in qualis, so thanks to the guys and girls at the factory for all their hard work"

You did spend some time in between doing other things. How does that affect your preparation time?

"It doesn't. Having time off, creating memories with friends is a huge part of actually allowing me to race to the best of my abilities. If anything, I can get stuck in my head on all the mistakes and errors. It's nice to forceyourself out of that loop."

We did hear rumours of a karaoke party - did you sing a duet with your former teammate Carlos?

"Where'd you hear that? We celebrated Y/N's birthday in Tokyo, with a couple of drivers, yeah. I will not confirm or deny that a duet happened, but it was good, yeah. We had a good time."

Is he a better karaoke partner or a better paddock partner?

"Close, but will have to go with paddock!"

April 13, 2025

[Excerpt BBC Sport interview]

Warm welcome to Y/N L/N! How does Sakhir compare to Suzuka?

"Hi, thanks for having me. Suzuka was super special because it was the perfect excuse to spend my birthday in Japan, but I'm hoping to see a podium happen today."

What's it like for you as a spectator of a sport, rather than the one doing the sport itself?

"It's definitely different! Especially because this is a sport I've never actually participated in myself. I guess that's why I'm also feeling even more nervous. And I've never seen them win, so maybe today's the day."

There's a lot of eyes on you - does that make going to major events like this a different experience as well? Knowing that so many people out there have a vested interest in who you're supporting, what you're wearing, saying, or spending your time with?

"A vested interest? Have not heard that one before. I mean, I don't really spend time scrolling on social media, or reading headlines about myself. I just like spending the little free time I do have with my family and friends - it's very boring, really."

It's interesting, because the FIA has been quite strict in how drivers may express themselves but at the same time also assigns media duties to them. Is that similar in tennis?

"I mean, yes - we do have code violations as well as media obligations. In my view, journalists tend to forget that their translating of stories goes both ways. Sometimes I'll get asked a question about something that's happened online, and I think I'd have been better off not knowing about it at all. We get briefed by our own teams, but a lot of athletes aren't chronically online on purpose. Hate, abuse, death threats - you name it, I've seen it. Especially as a woman. I wish I could be cheering for a woman in Formula 1 today, but I can't. And it's in part because of this unhealthy, sexist environment that's so prevalent in sport. So I'll make do with two great and dear friends, who I know care about this sport and fair, equal opportunities a great deal."

read part vii here.

A/N: well, this turned out a lot longer than expected, so next stop is Madrid and a healthy serving of delusion, misunderstandings and mixed emotions :)

♥ likes, comments, reblogs and asks are always very much appreciated - i love chatting and hearing your thoughts! ♥

taglist (open): @linnygirl09 @julesbog @midnight-and-books @sarx164 @obxstiles @freyathehuntress @vhkdncu2ei8997 @berrnuu @lightdragonrayne @glow-ish @batsratswrites @blushmimi @lazybot

[shibaincubus]

How to change your life with Gamification

Disclaimer stat point and daily quest (points) are used interchangeably and are different from main/side quest (points)

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧₊˚

You may have already heard about Gamification. It’s a strategy in which you use game mechanics,elements and principles to apply them to your everyday life to enhance your performance, studying etc.

But how should I use this technique to get the most of my life?

This is a guide for implementing Gamification in your life and thoroughly explains the process.

In my guide I am inspired by manhwa systems like in the solo leveling manhwa. Normally a system gives you stats such as strength which one can upgrade and become stronger. Upgrading is archived by quests that give you exp which also can increase your Rank e.g from F Rank to E Rank all the way to S Rank or higher. Quests are differentiated between daily quests and non daily quests. There are more functions such as items and gold but for the basic setup they are not needed

First you need to create your stats. In the solo leveling manhwa there are six stats: Strength, Vitality, Agility, Intelligence and Sense. You should have six stats but you are not obligated to use the ones from solo leveling. Idk how you can implement Sense and Vitality.

I strongly recommend you to have a stat called Willpower which indicated if you did every quest that you set for yourself and how well you stick to the system as a motivation.

As you can see I copied the stats Strength, Intelligence and Agility from Solo Leveling and added Willpower, Discipline and Stamina.

Some other ideas for stats are:

Charm (Beauty stat: I would use this if you want to glow up)

Charisma (If you want to improve your social skills or want to speak ------------ more professionally etc. I would use this stat

Health: If you want to eat more healthily or want to diet or want to -------- get your sleep schedule right etc. I would use this stat

You can get creative and cater to your own needs

Now if you have your stats you have to create a daily quests with each of these stats

Here is my example:

My quests don't look like much but you have to gradually work yourself up to your goals. Someone who has never done e.g Pilates in their life can't do a 30 min Pilates workout from day one without loosing motivation in the long run. So if you want to e.g. get your sleep schedule right I would set your wake up time e.g. 5min earlier every cycle until you reach your goal and maintain it.

A cycle equals 21 days. If you finish a cycle you can reflect your performance and make the daily quests harder or change the stats if they don't fit into your goals. Especially your first cycle is more of a test and try period. But you should keep your stats as they were and should not change them except if they really don't serve you.

Main/Side Quest stats:

These quests are quests like ''learn … language for 15min''. They are more of a to-do lists task.

I would use this formula for categorizing these tasks:

ASSIGNMENT (S) LIST

The ASSIGNMENTS

:::

:::

:::

CATEGORY: main/side exp etc.

DIFFICULTY: e.g. SSS

CLEAR CONDITION: e.g. finish all assignment(s)

TIME LIMIT: e.g. 7 hours

REWARD UPON COMPLEATION

:::

+2 exp

Stats in crease: e.g. Mentality +1 Intelligence +2 Motivation +1 Skill +1

PENALTY UPON FAILIURE

:::

all stats -1 (e.g.)

emotional damage e.g. +3

DURATION: e.g. 24 hours

Items confiscation …

DURATION: ???

Emotional damage stat explained:

This stat affects your conversion rate to points in the daily quest stat points. Normally the conversion rate is 10 e.g 10 main quest stat willpower point = 1 daily quest willpower stat point. Per +5 emotional damage you have to collect 5 extra points to converse the stat point

Example 10 points are needed in the main quest stats to converse to one stat point with a rate of 5 emotional damage point you need 15 points. A 10 point emotional damage point equals a 20 point conversion rate and so on.

How to decrease the emotional damage stat:

If you complete main/side quests as a reward you get -1 emotional damage point which you can use to get your emotional damage point to a good level. Emotional damage can't get into the negative.

The difference between daily quest stats or stats and main/side quest stats and leveling up is explained below

Stats in/de- crease in the main/side quests doesn't affect the normal stats that we've established so you have to create a new stat page for the main/side quest stats to count the points.

Like this:

Ten points on e.g intelligence stat on this list equals one daily quest intelligence stat point.

The conversion rate is as such 10 to 1 which means if you have e.g ten agility points you get one agility stat point.

How to level up:

Every time you finish a daily quest you gain a point for the Stat (first pic) you can only gain one point per stat per day. If you gain 10 points at every stat in the daily quest stat you can level up. If you don't finish a quest you will loose 1 point from the stat that you would've gained one point from.

Ranking up:

First you have to choose a range from which you can level up e.g F to S Rank / F to SSS+ Rank etc. than you have to find a starting point which you gradually increase e.g 20 (start point) increases +20% per Rank up.

How to increase your Rank:

Completing all daily quests gives you 1 EXP while the EXP gain can value in main/side quest the rest is explained above.

Here's my example:

Zyklus is German for cycle which I just tracked here and is explained above.

Lastly you need something that motivates you and in Solo Leveling it was a Punishment Zone if sung jin woo doesn't complete his quests.

For myself if I don't complete 5/6 quests i have to do the punishment.

For the punishment you have to do something you detests (and strains your body)

My example are 150 burpees

A full page can look like this:

One last thing is that you can 100% customise this approach you can add coins items etc. which also exists in a system, change other things as you like but the foundation has to remain intact.

[inclosedwalldelusion]

40 sentences that will teach you more about nutrition than a $400,000 medical degree

From Brett Boettcher @brettboettcher1

40 sentences that will teach you more about nutrition than a $400,000 medical degree.

1) Meat, eggs and animal organs are the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.

2) Bone broth is loaded in collagen and helps repair the gut so you can heal from the inside out.

3) Saturated fat doesn’t cause heart disease, insulin resistance does.

4) Your ratio of triglycerides to HDL is a great indicator of mortality risk; the lower the better. ·

5) Protein is the most metabolically active macronutrient and it isn’t bad for your kidneys.

6) There isn’t quality evidence to show that dietary cholesterol impacts the cholesterol in your blood. ·

7) There is even less evidence to support that total cholesterol is bad for your health since it is inversely correlated to mortality risk. · 4h 8) Walking before and after meals is a great way to improve digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes.

9) Fiber is the last thing you need if you have IBS or diverticulitis.

10) Dairy is great for your health and its saturated fat intake is inversely correlated to heart disease.

11) Most nutritional recommendations were introduced based on profit margins, not health outcomes.

12) Calories in and calories out is all that matter, but some calories make you hungrier (sugar/grains). Other calories (protein) help you burn more calories.

13) Multi grain just means they took 2+ different terrible sources of grain and put them together into one product.

14) Cereal and bread for breakfast will spike your blood sugar and have you starving before lunch. Try Greek yogurt or eggs instead. ·

15) “Intuitive eating” and “listen to your body” makes no sense considering 88% of people are metabolically unhealthy and addicted to food. No one would say “intuitive crack use.”

16) Eating is a stress on your body; The less often you can eat, the healthier you’ll be.

17) Plan your meals around the protein source (with its natural fat) and add a small side of carbs if needed.

18) Eating for satiety is more important than relying constantly on willpower. Find filling foods and avoid foods with addictive properties (ultra-processed).

19) You don’t have to know how to cook. Grill a meat, sauté a green vegetable, bake a potato. Mix and match a million ways.

20) Eating many of the same foods every week isn’t perfectly optimal but it’s likely your best path to consistency and therefore success. ·

21) Becoming more insulin sensitive should be the focus of any health-related nutrition plan.

22) Salad dressings are one of the worst things you can eat for your health. High in calories and inflammatory industrial oils.

23) Eating 5x per day won’t boost your metabolism. If you are trying to gain weight, it’s an excellent strategy.

24) Bacon can be healthy, just avoid the processing with nitrates.

25) Cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are two of the best sources of protein per calorie.

26) Carbs are beneficial around a workout. But many sources of carbs are processed and easily overeaten. Focus on single ingredient foods.

27) You can’t be healthy at any size no matter what your mother or liberal arts professor said.

28) Eat a high protein meal before attending social events that are filled with junk food.

29) If eating out, order the food with the highest protein content.

30) The #1 reason people fail is that they don’t prepare. Meal prep, meal plan, have ready to eat protein sources. · 31) The food you eat directly impacts your mental health and processed foods are correlated with depression and mental illness.

32) Processed foods have been engineered to be as addicting as possible. Your taste buds can be retrained with natural sources.

33) “Plant-based” foods are made in laboratories and are an easy way to sell overpriced junk to consumers at high margin.

34) Eating 1 gram of protein per lb of ideal body weight daily will do more for your body composition than spending 30 minutes on the treadmill.

35) When in doubt, if it comes from the center aisles of the grocery store or has more than 3 ingredients, it’s not good for you.

36) Many foods labeled as “keto” “paleo” or “high protein” are far from meeting the intended definition.

37) Your gut is responsible for 70% of your immune system; feeding it sugar and other inflammatory foods is making you sick now and later.

38) Genetics play a role but over 90% of the country has a resting metabolism within 500 calories daily. Being fit is possible for everyone.

39) Flipping the food pyramid upside down is closer to healthy eating than the traditional suggestions.

40) Eliminating drinking your calories is the first change to make when trying to improve your health.

[usmcr-c78]

Vedic Astrology Nakshatras

Pt.4

Characteristics Associated with

Leo 0° to Virgo 10°

Magha/Purva Phalguni/Uttara Phalguni

Nakshatras

CHECK Big 3 Sun Moon and Rising (Sidereal/Vedic chart) for traits

Magha: The Mighty One

Symbol: A throne room or a house

Presiding Deity: Pitris (Ancestors)

Location: Leo 0º to Leo 13º20

Dasa-Ruling Planet: Ketu (7 years)

Color: ivory/cream

Animal:male rat

Favorable:Positive, balanced, has self-respect and expects respect from others Big-hearted; goes first class Likes to be entitled and to bear titles Respects educators and spiritual people Honors traditions; likes to adhere to chains of command Does well when praised Likes to be served and given attention

Unfavorable:Arrogant, disdainful, overly demanding, indignant Has a strong dislike for those who dislike them or treat them with disrespect Could get involved in an affair if they feel unloved by their mate Can be manipulated by flattery Cruel to those who don’t show them respect

Recommended Activities:Do things where you have to be bigger than your normal self Take “kingly” action, go to “war” if need be Dangerous deeds are better supported now Any activities related to water are deemed favorable Store up your food reserves and do fire prevention Learning music and dancing is good here Plan to meet some influential people during this time This is a favorable time for marriage ceremonies and for paying respect to the dead

Purva Phalguni (Pubba): The Former Red One or A Fig Tree

Symbol: Front legs of a bed, or a post

Presiding Deity: Aryaman (a form of Sun at twilight)

Location: Leo 13º20’ to Leo 26º40’

Dasa-Ruling Planet: Venus (20 years)

Color: light brown

Animal: female rat

Favorable:Bright, physically active; focus is on the body. Physical approaches to healing Lively and friendly; sweet speech likes to give; wants fame and attention Loyal; good at ministering to those in a higher position Advocate; aristocratic, cultured, and oriented to the refined Would rather “entice” someone than force them

Unfavorable: Reckless; focused too much on getting what they want Builds up debts Strong aversion to being uncomfortable Falls into bouts of gloom or depression if they do not get the praise and comfort that they feel is their right Vindictive if hurt but not in a confrontational manner

Recommended Activities: This is another nakshatra favorable for doing “fierce” or negative acts, such as having someone detained, arrested, fined, or penalized while these deeds are of a negative nature, they should end up successful This is not a favorable time to initiate new things, except perhaps to start a new study, to uncover hidden wealth (“buried treasure”), or to gamble aThis might be a time to put someone in an institution or “home” Go to “war” and use subterfuge if need be If you need to develop schemes and strategies, then this is the time Construction is supported now One should take care to avoid accidents by not engaging in obviously dangerous acts illnesses that occur during this time might be difficult to overcome

Uttara Phalguni :The Latter Red One or A Fig Tree

Symbol: The rear legs of a bed, or a post

Presiding Deity: Bhaga (the blind Sun as wealth-giver)

Location: Leo 26º40’ to Virgo 10º

Dasa-Ruling Planet: Sun (6 years)

Color: Bright blue

Animal: male bull/cow

Favorable:A level-headed leader or manager Associates well with people in power and gets financial benefits from them Good communicator Loves luxury and comfort Liberal yet has fixed principles Happy, friendly, and likable—especially popular with mates and partners Socially smart Generally fortunate

Unfavorable: May have many partners (in and out of marriage) Egotistical, orders people about without due consideration for their feelings Obstinate, disdainful, vain, arrogant Takes too much for themselves (the “lion’s share”) Not grateful A social climber May be sad or angry under a “happy smile”

Recommended Activities: This is a time for new beginnings such as marriage, entering your new home for the first time, inauguration events, opening celebrations, swearing-in oaths, starting new construction of a home, taking vows, and making promises Wearing new clothes and jewelry is favorable Performing sacred ceremonies is good now You will succeed in tasks started now if you do careful planning, stay clever, and remain courteous

☆Haven't posted in a while, but I'm back on track☆

🪷Virgo to libra nakshatras coming soon blessing to yall abundance to all🪷

[idealandreal]

Marc Marquez's Greatest Hits (pre-2024)

When I first got into MotoGP and became a Marc Marquez fan, I had so wished it was easier to find races. There are so many to choose from and it was a bit daunting on where to start. I know not everyone is as neurotic as me and doesn't have the time/money to spend hours upon hours on Video Pass.

So, as more and more of us get into MotoGP/Marc Marquez I wanted to consolidate some of his greatest races (imo), and where you can watch them.

Most of his best races are actually available on YouTube for free via the MotoGP channel. I've included direct links below, but just FYI there are actually a ton of great races on MotoGPs youtube page, 10 out of 10 would recommend checking it out.

Year: 2012 Location: Valencia Why It's Good: My personal favorite race, I watch it way too often. The greatest comeback of all time, starts last and makes it through the field by the last few laps. Absolute crazy guy, but this was just the start of it all. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2013 Location: CoTA Why It's Good: First MotoGP Win Available On: YouTube

Year: 2013 Location: Silverstone Why It's Good: Rides with a broken collar bone and still is a menace to Lorenzo at the front Available On: YouTube

Year: 2014 Location: Le Mans Why It's Good: comes back after falling to 11th in pretty spectacular fashion Available On: VideoPass

Year: 2014 Location: Assen Why It's Good: A flag to flag race that also shows off Marc and Cos strategy skills and just overall balls to wall mentality. Good battle with Dovi as well, but does pretty much decimate the competition. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2015 Location: Philip Island Why It's Good: this race is insane with how many passes there are. Also the supposed start of the Rossi/Marquez beef. Available On: VideoPass

Year: 2016 Location: Mugello Why It's Good: Last lap battle with Lorenzo goes crazy. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2016 Location: Sachsenring Why It's Good: I mean, it's the Sachsenring, but this race is in the wet and really shows off Marc and Cos flag to flag skills. And other rider's lack there of…. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2016 Location: Motegi Why It's Good: If you really want to just see Marc happy and his team freaking out, this is a great race because something unexpected happens. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2017 Location: Austria Why It's Good: the infamous Dovi/Marc last corner crazy pass, also when Dovi throws up his hand and is kind of like “I can’t believe you just did that”. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2017 Location: San Marino Why It's Good: wet race and Marc has a craaaazzzy last lap. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2018 Location: Thailand Why It's Good: Marc pushes the entire race and some can’t keep the pace (queue evil laugh) Available On: YouTube

Year: 2019 Location: Austria Why It's Good: a repeat of the 2017 battle but even better in my opinion Available On: YouTube

Year: 2019 Location: Silverstone Why It's Good: Crazy last lap battle with Rins and I think this is still one of the closest finishes in MotoGP history. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2019 Location: Thailand Why It's Good: I will say that this one is not great if your a Fabio fan first and foremost, but if you are a Marc fan and know what a absolute menace he is.. I think this race is a great example of Marc's mentality about winning. Also, when he claims the 2019 MotoGP World Championship title. Available On: YouTube

Year: 2020 Location: Jerez Why It's Good: If you want to hurt your soul, this is the race where Marc's arm is nearly torn off. However, before that happens, he is incredible and this race also has the greatest double take done by Valentino when Marc comes past. Available On: Youtube

Feel free to add any that I missed in comments or reblogs.

[bluespring864]

source: Sporting Misadventures with Chris Hoy on Acast

Some of the Most of the highlights:

"Overall it was a good experience" Typical Andy enthusiasm, folks :D

oh and he really is hell bent on criticising his perceived inexperience and flaws as a coach throughout...

also he was really careful throughout to speak in hypotheticals about the future of the coaching partnership, clearly they were still discussing it at this stage

tells the story again about explaining to everyone that he couldn't think of anything worse to do than coaching "and then in the car on the way home about thirty minutes later I was on the phone to Novak and he asked me... to help him"

"And I was like... 'Okay that's a bit different. Like, that's quite unique." Okay let me translate. This is Andy speak for: 'Novak, that's completely insane. I like it, though.'

"You know, I consider him to be one of the best athletes of all time"

"I enjoyed the matches. I liked sitting at the side, watching matches from a different perspective. I enjoyed the analysis, and preparing and planning, like, the strategy and everything."

"I'm a poor communicator. Something, you know, something I've always struggled with. But then when you're part of a team and kind of leading the team it's really important that you're communicating well with people and giving them clear direction. So... I think I did an okay job with that. But I found it hard. I found that really demanding."

"I spent way too much time in my room just watching videos of tennis and almost, like, overanalysing matches, like, overpreparing." Is anyone surprised.

[about giving secrets away from the matches they played in the past] "Yeah, we spoke about that quite early on [...] It wasn't so much, 'this is what you did wrong' it was more like 'this is what you do right'. When I was playing against you and you were doing this, it was so hard to play against for these reasons. [...] This is what it looks like and this is how it feels like for the player down the other end."

"if I was able to hear from Novak, or Federer or Nadal..." Well, I think Novak might be on a permanent first name basis now. Only took about 25 years :D

"I do think it's sort of a unique perspective that I have on Novak's game"

"I've competed against him in the biggest matches, on the biggest stages over a 10, 12 year period. I've studied his game. A lot. But also experienced what it's like to play against him. And practiced with him as well, and all of those things."

asked who he would have coached out of the big 3, given the choice: "I think, probably Roger." RIP Novak :D

talking about Roger having all the options, all the shots at his disposal: "To be fair, Novak was really good with this as well"

"It doesn't really matter who's coaching those guys, provided you're giving them clear direction." It does matter to one guy though, Andy, you do realise that?

"Lots of people can watch a tennis player and go 'right, this is the strategy if we're playing against them' [...] but not all of their players can execute what you're asking them to do. And that was the thing, for me, with Novak, that was amazing. In a couple of the matches I gave him the strategy that I thought would work and would be beneficial. And the way that he's able to execute that and do exactly what's being asked of him because of his technical abilities, you know... yeah. The way that he strikes a tennis ball, the way that he moves on the court... And just has no weaknesses, really." Well this counts as waxing lyrical. Well done, Novak :D

P.S. I would recommend the full podcast episode, he does tell a few hilarious actual 'sporting misadventure' anecdotes as well :)

[sugarandspisces-writes]

Coffee + Crosswords

Pairing: Melissa Schemmenti x reader

Summary: It's Friday at Abbott and you spend a slow morning in the break room with Melissa and Janine.

Word Count: 3.3k

If you were to ask anyone at Abbott what their favorite day of the week was, they were guaranteed to say Friday. Unless you were to ask Barbara Howard. She would not hesitate to tell you that her favorite day was Sunday. Nonetheless, Friday was a day that everyone enjoyed because it meant the weekend was around the corner.

It was a day when things slowed down, and you could step away from the week's stressors and just breathe. Plus, if you were on top of things, you didn’t have to worry about grading papers or making lesson plans for a couple days. But you knew better than anyone that it didn’t always work out that way. Sometimes you still had work left to complete on the weekends no matter how productive you’d been at work.

The students also loved Fridays because learning for the week was done. The biggest task they had to accomplish was showing that they understood the material being taught. Your second graders loved the end of the week because they looked forward to taking their spelling tests. However, today was not about taking tests. The end of the first semester was approaching, and most teachers were counting down the days. It seemed like a lifetime away, and everyone was looking for a way to make the time go by faster. The strategy beloved by the kids, and their teachers if you were being honest, was to have a movie day. For you, there was something nostalgic about watching movies at school. It made you miss the days you were in your kids’ shoes.

It was around 10 o’clock, and you sat in the teacher’s lounge while your kids attended art class. Melissa was in the lounge with you since it was her free period, and you knew Janine was bound to show up at any moment since it was her break as well. You sat at the table near Melissa’s and talked about the events of your day. 

You’d been teaching alongside the woman for over a year, yet you struggled to find your footing around her. One moment she seemed to enjoy your company, and the next she didn’t pay you any mind. However, she was up for discussion today, and the content of your conversation surprised you. She was following up on an issue you’d brought to her attention a few weeks back.

“Did you ever get that stuff figured out with your student?” She pulled her eyes away from the TV and focused on you.

“Oh, um, kind of.” Truthfully the answer was no, but you'd been holding onto hope.

Parent-teacher conferences recently took place, and you spoke with the parents of a student who struggled with math. Despite the effort you’d put into gathering the evidence–worksheets, quizzes, and even standardized test scores–they didn’t believe their child was struggling. Since Melissa had gone through a similar situation, you asked for advice.

Her face scrunched in confusion at your uncertainty. “What's that s'posed to mean?”

“Well, they’re still not budging, so…” You shrugged before slumping into your chair.

“So, what?” Melissa’s shoulders copied your actions, though hers were more pronounced. Her jacket rustled with the movement, the silver hardware clanking against each other. “You just gonna give up?”

Immediately, your posture straightened at the insinuation of admitting defeat. “What? No, I never said that!”

She wasn’t fond of quitters, so your reaction rubbed her the wrong way. “You coulda fooled me.”

Everything you tried had seemingly failed, and as a new teacher, that was discouraging. You’d never give up on your students though, so you had to see it through. “I’m in the process of putting a plan together.”

“Did you get in touch with the math interventionist?” That was one of her recommendations, and she wanted to know if you followed through.

“Yes, and they’re gonna work with him during the summer. You know they have an outreach program for the kids, but it depends on his parents' compliance. They're not gonna let anyone work with him if they don't see an issue.” She nodded in understanding, prompting you to continue on. “If not, they told me they'd work with him at the beginning of next year so he wouldn't slip too far behind, but I’ll believe it when I see it.” Since the district was short-staffed, the schools had to share resources. It was extremely inconvenient, but you had to make do with what you had.

She was pleased that you took her advice and that she wasn't just flapping her gums for the hell of it. “At least that’s something. It shows they're trying, you know?” 

You sighed, upset at the fact that you were still at odds. “I guess, but I feel so bad. He’s having a really hard time, and he gets so frustrated with it. I’m afraid he’ll just give up. Especially since his parents aren’t on the same page.”

She agreed with the point you were making. “There's potential for that to occur, but it’s not a reflection of your teaching abilities.”

“It is though, isn’t it?” It was your responsibility to educate, so wouldn’t the blame rest on you?

“Not necessarily. We do what we can, but we aren’t always capable of filling in the gaps. Sometimes we have to recruit additional forces. It doesn’t make us failures 'cause we couldn’t do it on our own.”

You worked hard to ensure that your students were motivated to learn. If they ever lost their drive, you wouldn’t hesitate to help them regain it–even if it meant you had to spend time with them before or after school. Melissa’s words helped you realize that your setback didn’t stem from a lack of proficiency. “You’re right. It just sucks.”

“When have you known me to be wrong?” She smirked.

“Oh, whatever.” You rolled your eyes, still finding yourself laughing nonetheless.

“But seriously, it’s nothing you can’t handle. I know it’s tough, but you’re doing a wonderful job.”

You had no idea she noticed your teaching endeavors, though you should have known. She kept tabs on just about everyone and everything in your place of work. “Oh, wow. Uh, thanks.” You weren't sure what to say, not knowing if it was a compliment or simply an astute observation.

“Don’t thank me. Just keep doing what you’re doing. He’s lucky to have someone like you fighting for him.”

You smiled now, basking in the unmistakable praise. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted.”

“I’m gonna make another cup of coffee. You want some?” She stood from her seat, eyeing you as she awaited your answer. 

“Nah, I'm good.” You shook your head, remembering that it wasn’t even noon and you’d already indulged in a few.

You absentmindedly scrolled through your phone as she busied herself with brewing a fresh pot. There wasn’t much to look at, so you opened the newspaper before you. You flipped through the pages, skimming some of the articles, then landed on the crossword section.

You’d been into word games lately, mostly playing apps on your phone, but you'd take advantage of the physical version today. Until Janine joined you two this would occupy your time. By the time the coffee was done brewing, you’d finished most of the puzzle but found yourself stuck. 

“Blank Hurts, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.” You read it more times than you could count before releasing a huff. It was the last answer you needed to complete the puzzle, and it was putting you through the wringer.

Melissa came to retrieve her creamer from the fridge and caught a glimpse of what you were doing. She squinted to get a closer look at the small print before pulling her glasses over her eyes. As soon as she read it, the answer was clear. She could only chuckle while watching you struggle. You were a Philly native, so to her, it was amusing that you didn’t know the players on your home team. When your huffing and puffing continued, she couldn’t bear the sound any longer.

“Jalen.” She uttered from behind you, solving your short-lived distress.

You glanced over your shoulder and met with the sight of her—arms crossed over her chest, glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and a grin tugging at her lips. 

“Huh?”

Her heeled boots thumped against the linoleum flooring as she came into your direct line of vision. It wasn’t long before she stood next to you, mere centimeters away.

When she spoke again, her manicured finger was pointed at your phone. “Jalen Hurts. That’s the answer.” 

You almost couldn’t process the words she spoke. Your senses were taken over by her amber perfume, the sweet, warm undertones paired well with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. After gaining enough resolve to write, you jot letters into the spaces. 

She retreated to the other side of the room before you could say anything else, but quickly returned with a surprise. She slid a steaming cup of coffee across the table, propelled by a gentle hand. “You’ve got to be the only person who doesn’t know who that is.”

You frowned, but it was impossible to argue with her. Football was the least interesting sport in your opinion. Mainly because you didn’t understand a thing that was going on. “We can’t all be connoisseurs like you.”

“It’s common knowledge, hon.”

“Okay, Vince Lombardi,” you teased, referring to the woman as one of the NFL greats. That much you knew. “Thanks for the answer–and the coffee.”

“You owe me, big time,” she joked. “I made it how I like mine. If you think it’s gross feel free to toss it.”

“Are you crazy? I’d never waste a cup of caffeine.” Especially one you made for me, you wanted to add, but didn't thanks to your better judgment.

You sipped the warm beverage as you thought about your little interaction. It took a minute or two for your brain to reset to its previous level of performance. The organ worked double time to get her out of your head, but she managed to make a lasting image.

She was a woman of details, always so well put together. The all-black outfit paired with her array of gold jewelry was a classy, yet powerful choice. Her makeup was done perfectly, and her green eyes were adorned with the sharpest winged liner you'd ever seen. Striking red hair followed suit, strands curled neatly with color-coordinated cat-eye frames resting atop her head, giving the impression of an effortless blowout. She had a certain je ne sais quoi about her that intrigued you to no end.

You glanced over your shoulder once you heard the door swinging open. Janine walked in and smiled as she saw you and Melissa. She waltzed over to the table and her skirt flowed graciously behind her with the movement. 

“Hi, guys!” She greeted the two of you. “Guess who caught up on all their grading?”

You exchanged hellos and excitement for the teacher as she made her way to the fridge. When she rounded the table with her snack, she stood firmly beside you and playfully nudged your shoulder.

“Whatcha doing?” she asked as she began to eat.

“Nothing much,” you sighed, “I just finished this crossword.”

“Oh, you did the one on the paper! I always did that as a kid.” She shared, smiling at the memory. She knew you were on a crossword kick recently and that you completed multiple every day.

“There was a clue on there about football, which I know nothing about.”

“That makes both of us.” She laughed before sitting in the seat next to you. “I may know a little more than you, though. At least I know what the players look like.” 

“I know what some of them look like!” And by some, you meant none, but Janine already knew that. “Melissa helped me though.” You nod your head toward the woman's direction.

Janine looked at you with a glint taking over her eye that only you could read. You knew she was making a mental note to ask about the interaction later when it was just you and her.

“Oh! Melissa.” Janine smiled as she said her name, elongating the ending. “Are you ready for game night?”

Janine had planned a bonding activity for the teachers, like she did occasionally, in hopes that it would help everyone destress from their busy schedules.

“I’m ready to kick all your butts. Again.” Melissa was undefeated in a few games and took pride in that.

“Someone’s cocky,” Janine glanced at you.

“Nuh uh,” she waved her finger around. “It’s called confidence. Maybe if youse had more of it, you’d be able to beat me.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t play to win,” Janine stated with a satisfied smile. She always claimed that she was only there to have a good time, which in return received an eye roll from everyone.

“Yeah, that’s what all the losers say.” She moved her hand in a circle to emphasize the word ‘all’. She then stood up and pushed her chair underneath the table. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go find a movie for my kids to watch.”

As soon as she heard the door close, Janine turned to look at it for confirmation that Melissa was out of earshot. “So, Melissa helped you with your crossword, huh?”

“Oh my gosh, Janine.” You chuckled at her insinuation, noting the toothy smile she displayed. She had an inkling that Melissa liked you, but that was an overstatement.

“What?” She looked at you quizzically, though she knew exactly what you were trying to say.

“Yeah, so?” You shrugged nonchalantly, keeping eye contact with her. “She also gave me some more advice regarding the situation with my student.”

A look of "I told you so" crossed the woman's face. “Didn't I say it'd be a good idea to ask her? You should listen to me more often.”

“And she may or may not have made coffee for me.” You casually brought the mug to your lips, eyes closing at the pleasant taste. By some supernatural powers, she had made school coffee enjoyable.

The teacher gasped and her hand clutched your arm, startling you a bit. “Really? Oh my gosh!”

“Janine, please,” you pulled your arm from her grip. “You’re acting like a child.”

“Oh, whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “You know you love it.”

Though you tried to stave off your giddy expression, you cracked. “Must you have to read into everything?”

“Only the things that matter. Like how you're drinking out of her favorite mug.” She pointed at the cup, noting the teal and black ombré design.

“Now you're just making stuff up.”

“Are you kidding me? You cannot be this oblivious!” There was no way she was reading too deep into things.

“It's not oblivion. I'm just being logical.”

“How far has that gotten you?” A hand popped over her hip as she quirked an eyebrow toward you.

“Oh, hush.” You pouted.

During your time at Abbott, you and Janine developed a special relationship. You were a first-year teacher and Janine was in her second year, so you bonded over being new to the field. Teaching was hard for you to navigate in the very beginning. While Janine was still fairly new to teaching, she had learned a lot and grown tremendously in her first year. She was very resourceful and she shared a lot of her tips and tricks with you. Whenever you felt your insecurities getting the best of you, she would always be there to pick you up. 

Because the two of you had become so close, she knew how you felt about Melissa. Janine was very attentive, and you couldn’t get anything past her. She could tell that being around Melissa made you nervous. It wasn’t because you were intimidated by her—you had gotten over that feeling within the first few months of working with her. You were drawn to her tough nature and how the energy shifted when she walked into a room. She was intelligent and had a great personality once you broke through her icy exterior. 

Since the beginning of the year, all you wanted was to impress her, but every time you tried, you just embarrassed yourself. For a while, you weren’t sure why you cared so much. You didn’t know why what she thought mattered until you came to a conclusion halfway through the school year. It all mattered because you liked her. It was a strange thing to come to terms with, but you decided to let the feelings run their course. There was no harm in that, right?

“She's just in a good mood today. I’m 99% sure she sees me as the kid that teaches the same grade as her.”

“That’s not true,” Janine assured you, but she knew how Melissa could be. The woman had to warm up to you before she showed her true colors.

“It is and you know it.” You said affirmatively.

“She’ll come around.” She spoke as if she knew something you didn't.

You looked at her with doubtful eyes and you could see her facial expression change as she thought of an idea. Uh oh.

“I could put you and her on the same team tonight,” Janine said in a sing-songy voice. “Name a better way to get her to warm up to you.” She waited for you to answer, but you were heavily against this. Janine was the proud organizer of game night, which meant she was in charge of making the teams. 

“I could actually think of several, much better ways.” You enlightened her. “She would eat me alive if we lost.” You were not competitive, and you knew winning was important to Melissa.

“Oh, come on, Y/N!” Janine practically whined. “It’ll be fine.”

“No.” You said firmly, standing from your chair as you noticed the time. You had to retrieve your kids from the art teacher in five minutes. Janine followed your lead and walked out of the lounge trailing behind you. You couldn’t even see her and you knew that she was sulking.

“Quit doing that.” You laughed, looking in the direction of the shorter woman. “It’s not gonna make me say 'yes'.”

“But–” She started but was cut off within seconds.

You whipped around to face her. “Remember what happened at the last game night? When you made her draw eight cards during Uno?”

Janine didn't answer though she knew exactly what you were talking about.

“Don't worry, I’ll refresh your memory. She ended up losing and didn’t speak to you for weeks. Weeks! I can't risk that.”

Janine ended up getting the victory and despite that, it was not a good night for her. “It’s fine, now.” Granted, she wasn't sure if it was, but it seemed like it.

“No. I refuse to let her give me the cold shoulder because of you.” It wasn't even about the crush at this point. You worked closely with her and wanted nothing to compromise that. Besides, she could hold a grudge like her life depended on it.

“Fine, I won’t do it.” Janine relented, though it seriously pained her. She believed wholeheartedly that she could shift the dynamic between you and Melissa.

Though she was defeated, something told you she wasn’t letting go. “Thank you,” you said before heading in the opposite direction to pick up your class.

 “But let me know if you change your mind!” She added as you walked away.

That statement alone made you less confident in her ability to leave it alone. Though she meant no harm, she was hopeless. You knew she'd be fighting tooth and nail not to go against her word. Of course, she wanted to honor your wishes, but once she was set on a plan there was no going back.

Sure, Fridays were a fan favorite, but something told you this one would be the death of you.

A/N: Hello, Hello! This is just a little something to start your week off right. It's been sitting in my drafts for a while and I wanted to get it out. Also, part two of Kiss It Better is on the way! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.

[ask-barbatos]

It brings me great joy to see so many new users of our D.D.D. system, and I would like to take a moment to share a little knowledge  for those of you struggling with the Ruri-tunes events. In this lesson, I will show you the way to gain the resources needed to rank for Free2Play players.

Now if you would like to join me, Click below to continue.

Naturally, we would all like the opportunity to rank and gain the prestige and awards.

Not everyone is able to afford the cost of some of our Akuzon specials, however. This guide is for those who are "Free 2 Play", or f2p.

If you can afford it, the VIP monthly premium is a great way to get a leg up on these competitions when you subscribe long term, so please consider this if you are able.

Now, onto the lesson.

One of the more difficult aspects of events is the lack of Action Points, or "AP" to fully complete every level daily. To combat this, you only have to employ one simple trick.

Do not, under any circumstances, click on the 1x - 3x clear! You must move through the Battle menu instead.

As long as you are able to clear an S, you should use the Skip. Indeed, it does take a little longer every day to do this three times per level, but I will explain how this benefits you.

On the surface, the most immediate benefit is the experience your cards gain towards leveling. The more your cards are leveled in this natural way, the less Grimm you have to spend on leveling them in Contacts.

However, there is a less immediate benefit.

Excellent, a surprise guest. This is exactly what we want. Leveling your cards is a bonus, but we also get additional gifts when using the Skip function instead of Clear.

You should become intimately familiar with how your card's subjects prefer to be interacted with, and sometimes you can even recieve a bonus AP gift. While Grimm, Raven, and AP are great gifts that can assist you in events, the real treat comes next.

Here in your To-Do is where it gets exciting. As you can see, you can gain bonuses from the Surprise Guests as well as using the characters in battle. You do not get these bonuses when you automatically clear, and they are easy to rack up.

These do not expire and they continue to earn toward the next milestone, so it is worthwhile to save them for the occasion that you do not have enough AP to complete the event levels daily.

In this picture, I have 11 visible x50 APs waiting for me to use when I need them, however since they can stack, more often than not when I redeem one, the next one is already ready to redeem.

There are additional places to gain AP and resources such as Grimm and energy drinks; your card's Devil Tree!

Many of the low ranking cards offer resources for low cost in exchange. I also recommend completing your tasks in Akuber for additional materials to unlock these benefits. (as well as the daily bonus 10 AP)

Finally, your D.D.D. may occasionally gift you AP into your mailbox for updates, participating in events, and Lesson releases. You can hold onto these, as long as you mind the expiration dates.

To summarize your sources of AP for events, which you can start gathering at any time, I have compiled a list below. I have marked the sources that you can redeem at any time, redeem for a limited time, or the ones you must collect daily/automatically collected by color.

Fridge Time +60AP (Set reminders if it helps)

Receiving AP from Friends up to +50AP (A common strategy is removing idle friends to replace with active friends who will send you AP daily. However, it is understandable why this may not be desirable to some.)

Sending AP to Friends x3 +10AP (Daily)

Akuber +10AP (Daily)

Surprise Guest x3 +10AP (Daily)

Getting S rank in Battle x3 +10AP (Daily)

Ranking Reward Bonus +50-200AP (Usually expires in 60 days)

Surprise Guest Gift +10AP

Birthday Event Bonuses (You may refrain from collecting gifts you earn until needed)

Lesson Release Bonus +100AP (Usually expires quickly)

Exchange +30AP (Costs 1 ticket, on participating events)

Raven -> Demon Voucher -> Exchange Ticket (Costs 45 Raven, my recommendation if you go this route is to wait until you can purchase 10 Demon Vouchers to do a 10-Card pull to guarantee at least one SSR+ cheat card.)

Game Update Bonus +100AP

Devil Tree +30AP (Costs materials and Grimm)

Demon Rewards for Surprise Guests +50AP (Stacks)

Demon Rewards for using them +50AP (Stacks)

Event Rewards/Celestial Box, depending on the event, will vary. Please consult your events bonuses to work them into your plan, if appropriate.

Login Bonus/Event Login Bonus, varies

Level Up, +Your Max AP

Flash Sales:

20DP: AP Recovery Set, +200AP & x3 D-Energy [12 hour cooldown, Triggered by AP depletion]

99DP: Congratulations Set, +100AP & x5 Demon Voucher [Triggered on Level Up]

It is important to plan your event and usage of your AP based on how long you can hold onto it for. Using the daily assets before you use the longer term assets is part of an excellent game strategy.

Finally, I would like to advise you of "Cheat Cards". These are cards that are released in the Gacha preceding the event, and when you collect them you receive a bonus when collecting the event materials. Using your demon vouchers as advised above in sets of 10 will increase your chances of obtaining these cards. The cards you obtain and level up will assist you greatly.

There you have it. There are loads of wonderful ways to gain resources to excel at events. You may find yourself ranking quite highly just from this one simple trick of earning and saving AP until you are ready to use it.

Did you find this lesson informative? I will attempt to provide additional tricks for new users as they come to mind. Enjoy, and I shall see you next time.

Barbatos

[cassandrarebornanew]

Redacted thoughts

Spoilers if you haven’t listened to the new Hush/Avior/Starlight vid

I’ve been thinking about this one for a while actually, because there was this thought that was bugging me, and I only just straightened it out.

The whole thing has a lot of similarities to the birth of Athena.

I am an avid fan of Greek mythology (as if you couldn’t somehow already tell) and I am wholeheartedly embracing the opportunity to rant.

First of all, while you have the whole Hush-splitting-from-Avior thing, we need to talk about how he got there in the first place. The Sovereigns deemed in necessary and appropriate for the good of the world and the order that has been established. Athena’s mother, Metis, a nymph, was pregnant with Zeus’ child - one that was prophesied be smarter than him, and he feared it would overthrow him and disrupt the order he had established. See it?

Then you have his actual “birth” situation. We know that Avior was in severe pain before Hush split from him, and that none of his fellow daemons could help. In the mythos, Zeus came down with a splitting headache that none of the gods knew how to cure. Hush pulls away from Avior in a final moment of agony and Zeus literally bashed his own head in to relive the pressure (or Hephaestus split his head open with an axe at Zeus’ request, but the premise is still the same).

Hush springs out fully formed, completely furnished with all the tools (the Sovereigns think) he will need. Athena comes out of Zeus’ brain fully formed and wearing a full set of armour. 

Athena is a master of strategy and calculating the odds. Hush relies solely on the numbers, calculating which route is the most efficient / aligning with his cause.

She experiences flights of anger and passion despite her stoic nature, such as with Arachne; Hush is now struggling to grasp the depth of his newfound emotions, especially with Doc.

She is a goddess of virginity, staying “pure” and some might even say “innocent” (🤮 but stay with me). Hush is… inexperienced in the fields of romance and emotion.

She is the goddess of wisdom and war strategy above all. Hush is a weapon, crafted by the Sovereigns, capable of power no one can match.

Athena is loyal to her father, loyal to the other gods. She prevents the collapse of the Age of the Gods this way, averting a major disaster.

Hush is loyal to his creators, loyal to the Sovereigns. Will it be enough though?

I’m well aware Eric probs didn’t think of all this / do it on purpose, but I couldn’t help myself :)

Anyway I love the Redacedverse. 10/10 would recommend.

[libertineangel]

The government will scrap a visa scheme, set up by Boris Johnson's government, that allows firms to hire health and social care workers from overseas. Instead, firms will be required to hire British nationals or extend the visas of overseas workers already in the country. Home Office figures estimate this change will cut the number of workers coming to the UK by between 7,000 and 8,000 a year. However, care companies warned some services will struggle to survive without international recruits. Employers will also be asked to pay more to hire foreign staff. The Immigration Skills Charge will increase by 32%, leading smaller firms to pay up to £2,400 to sponsor workers to come to the UK, while large firms will pay up to £6,600. Universities could also be hit by higher charges. The government plans to look into a new tax on every international student enrolled in a UK university, with the proceeds redirected into skills training. At the same time, colleges must meet stricter thresholds, with at least 95% of international students expected to start their course and 90% expected to finish.

The qualification requirements to apply for a skilled worker visa will go back up, reversing changes made under Johnson's government. It will mean new applicants will generally need a degree-level qualification, rather than the equivalent of A-level, which ministers say will make around 180 job roles ineligible for the visa route. Lower qualification requirements will remain for sectors facing long-term shortages, or those considered key to the government's industrial strategy. However it is not yet clear what that means in practice, and the government's migration advisory body has been asked to recommend roles for inclusion. The government also said: English language requirements for all work visas would increase The amount of time migrants need to live in the UK before applying for settled status would double from five years to 10, while setting up a fast-track system for "high-skilled, high-contributing" people A "limited pool" of refugees and displaced people recognised by the United Nations' agency responsible will be eligible to apply for jobs through existing skilled-worker routes. The government will also explore changing the law on how the right to a family life contained in Article 8 in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is applied in immigration cases. The government has previously said Article 8 should be interpreted "much more narrowly", opposing its use in cases including that of a Palestinian family, who were granted the right to live in the UK on appeal after originally applying through a scheme designed for Ukrainians. [...]

Sir Keir dismissed claims the plans were reacting to the threat from Reform, telling broadcasters: "I'm doing this because it is right, because it is fair and because it is what I believe in." He repeatedly attacked the previous Conservative government's immigration approach as an "open borders experiment", which was now over. The UK risks "becoming an island of strangers" without strong rules on immigration and integration, he added.

[fullmoonandstar]

Common Interests

Gale x gn Tav / Reader

Fandom: Baldur’s Gate 3

Rating: T

Word count: 1.3 k

CW: Dyslexia, vague mentions of past trauma

Summary: Your crush is well-read and you want to be close to him by picking up a book. It would be a good strategy if reading wasn't so hard.

Or

Dyslexic gn Tav/Reader wants to impress Gale

A/N: inspired by this post

You were so concentrated on the task at hand that you didn’t notice the footsteps behind. You had found a nice secluded spot a bit away from the camp and settled on a fallen tree to continue your reading as you had done for the past few days.

“What are you doing?”

The question carried a smile, but you jerked, and the book slipped out of your hands. Gale snatched it out of the air, and you grasped at nothing.

“Hmm … an interesting read you have here. I would recommend following up with Sara Ibb’s take on the topic. They give a more balanced view.”

You felt your face burn and prayed to the gods that Gale was too distracted by your choice of book (you had found it in the cellar of an abandoned house) to notice.

He rattled on about the nuances of using weave grass in potions, and you could not help but let the corners of your mouth creep upwards. Gale’s enthusiasm made your insides feel all warm and soft.

“Oh, I totally lost you in the barrage of words. I …” Gale laughed nervously. “How did you like the book?”

“It was good.” you said a bit too quickly.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at you suddenly intrigued, as if you were a puzzle to be solved.

“Come, my friend, what did you really think?”

You panicked. What would be an acceptable thing to say? Your heart beat faster, and you were stuck between wanting to flee and not being able to so without making a bad impression.

The seconds dragged on, but no words left your mouth. Gale watched your silent struggle for another heartbeat before sitting down next to you and waited.

"It’s hard to read." you said finally. Gale’s brows furrowed and you stammered an explanation. "I can understand it, I can read, but it’s so difficult to read.

"Why?" Gale asked softly. The ball of anxiety and embarrassment was melted away by his warm presence. You had been so caught up in your own head that you had forgotten how save Gale made you feel, like you could tell him everything.

"I’m not sure how to explain it." you paused to think. "It’s like the letters come in and out of focus, like they move around on the page if I don’t give it all my attention."

Gale nodded slowly in the corner of your eye, but you couldn’t look at him. You had never told anyone about this and if you were honest, your school days and the embarrassment that was your inadequate reading skills were still hanging in the back of your mind.

"I hope you don’t think me rude, but why are you reading that if it’s hard for you? I remember you saying you are not big on books."

Now he had hit the target, the big question.

"Which is understandable for someone with your condition."

"My condition?"

"Dyslexia, from the sound of it."

"Is it fatal?"

Gale laughed, and his eyes sparkled with amusement.

"No, and it’s not contagious either." He smiled at you, the sweetest thing you had seen in a while.

"As far as we know, it stems from individual difference in how the brain works and has nothing to do with intelligence or lack thereof. People with it have problems reading or writing, in various degrees of severely. It’s pretty common, but before when reading was a skill not many were allowed to learn, we didn’t notice that about 1 in 10 people has problems with it. You should have seen Val, their writing was atrocious but a very fine wizard indeed." He smiled wistfully. "You have nothing to worry about."

You looked at the book in your hands in a new light. Since your school days, you had struggled, but now at least you had a name for the trouble you had.

"Thank you, Gale."

Your eyes met, and your heart skipped a beat. He looked stunning just sitting next to you, and a warm wave of affection rolled over you. You opened your mouth to say something when Gale leaned over. For a moment, you thought he would kiss you, but he reached out and took the book.

"Do you want me to read it to you? Or maybe something else? I have a collection at my tent." He gave you a bright smile while you still recovered.

Snap out of it, you told yourself, you’re acting like a love sick puppy.

"Choose whatever sounds interesting."

"You want to read to me?" you said when your brain had caught up.

"Yes, I do enjoy the sound of my own voice, and you seek knowledge."

Gale was someone who talked a lot, but you would be lying if you said you did not like that about him. It was his openness that drew you in, in the first place.

He studied your face and added: "That’s very attractive."

A twig snapped behind you and both, you and Gale jumped.

"There you are!" Karlach appeared with a leaf in her hair that was sizzling.

"Food is almost ready, let’s get back before we eat everything without you."

Shadowheart was not a chef cook by any means, but she and Wyll had a good tag team on the hearth. You ate with gusto, and forgot all about your conversation with Gale.

After dinner, he came over and said:

"My offer still stands. If you'd like, you can come over at any time."

"Now?"

"Sure, come." He held out his hand to help you stand up from the log you were sitting on, and you took it.

Gale had not been lying about the collection he had.

"You carry all this in your bag?!"

"Not technically, I have this pocket dimension…"

"Wizard stuff."

He laughed.

"Yes, Wizard stuff."

You found a book that sounded interesting and handed it to him.

"Ah, yes, I could have known this one would pique your interest."

Gale sat down on his bedroll, and you sat next to him.

"Strap in, you will love this. Such a good read."

————————-

When you opened your eyes, you panicked, not knowing where you were and why you felt so warm. This was not your tent, and you lay under a blanked with a warm body pressed to you, an arm holding you in place. The memory of last night came back to you. Gale reading to you, and you were slowly shifting from a sitting position to lying down on his bedroll. At some point, you must have drifted off to a dreamless sleep, the first one since your infection.

Gale stirred, nuzzling your neck sleepily before freezing.

"Oh, I’m sorry." he said and began to pull back, but you caught his hand as it retreated.

"Don’t." You pull his hand back into the position it was, you tight in his arm and his body pressed against your back. "It’s nice. Let’s stay a bit longer."

He said your name, and you looked over your shoulder. His hair was in disarray, but it made him even more endearing, not less.

"Why did you start reading books?"

He had asked the question that you had not answered the day before, and it seemed he already knew the answer.

"There is this person I like, they are really smart, and I wanted to be closer to them. To him."

Gale shifted until you were on your back, facing him. You noticed the little wrinkles the pillow had made on his face but also the fullness of his lips. His eyes studied your face and got caught by your lips.

You reached out and ran your fingers from his temple down the side of his face through his soft beard. Your hand on his chin, you nudged him to lean in, and he followed your request.

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