#6 basic rules for good health

[digitalevery]

How to Make Tomorrow Better: Six Rules for the Wellness Revolution

Taking care of one's health in today's hectic society can seem like an uphill battle. But if you stick to these 6 basic rules for good health, you can transform your health journey and create a brighter tomorrow. These guidelines lay the groundwork for a healthier and happier life; they are simple but powerful. 1. Take Care of Your Body

In order to maintain good health, the first rule is to eat nutritious foods. A diet rich in fresh produce, whole grains, lean proteins, and other unprocessed foods should be your priority. Cut out the bad fats, sugar, and salt. Keep in mind that your immune system and overall health will be better served by a diet rich in nutritious foods.

2. Drink plenty of water. Ensuring adequate hydration is crucial for optimal health. Three bodily processes rely on water: digestion, circulation, and thermoregulation. Get eight glasses of water daily—or more if you're doing a lot of physical activity or living somewhere hot. A well-hydrated body is less likely to experience weariness, headaches, and other symptoms of poor performance. 3. Get Your Body Moving Often Maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires regular exercise. On most days of the week, try to exercise moderately for at least 30 minutes. Yoga, swimming, jogging, and walking are all possibilities. In addition to assisting with weight maintenance, exercise has many other positive effects, such as elevating mood, decreasing stress, and enhancing cardiovascular health. 4. Get a Good Night's Rest A good night's sleep is crucial to your health and happiness. Get between seven and nine hours of good sleep every night. A lack of quality sleep is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, poor cognitive performance, and excess body fat. I hope you get enough sleep tonight for a better day tomorrow. 5. Deal with Stress Your health can be adversely affected by chronic stress. Try some yoga, meditation, deep breathing, or outdoor activities to help you relax and cope. A better mood, stronger immune system, and reduced risk of stress-related diseases are all possible outcomes of a stress-free lifestyle. 6. Foster Connections For optimal health, strong social ties are crucial. Get out of the house, join a group activity, and focus on building relationships with the people who matter most to you. Loneliness, poor mental health, and short lifespans are all ameliorated by social assistance. Conclusion :

Take charge of your health and start a wellness revolution by adhering to these six simple guidelines. Tomorrow will be better than today. If you put your health first, you'll have a better and happier life.

[sehatgyantips]

Bukhaar kee sabase achchhee dava

[bloomzone]

GLOW UP DIARY #5 : FIND YOUR PURPOSE

"pain is a price to pay for happiness"

-kim seungmin (straykids)

© bloomzone!!

#5:FIND PURPOSE

✉️:Finding a meaningful life purpose is a profound journey that many people embark on at different stages of their lives. It involves discovering what brings fulfillment, direction, and satisfaction. Identifying a purpose can help guide decisions, inspire actions, and provide a sense of meaning in both personal and professional aspects of life.

1.Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to Finding Your Life’s Purpose

﹙ 💌 ﹚ we will explore the concept of Ikigai, a Japanese term that means “a reason for being.” Ikigai is important to know because it offers a pathway to finding purpose and joy in life. It involves harmonizing four key elements: what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be rewarded for...

2.EVERYTHING ABOUT IKIGAI

Basically, ikigai is seen as the convergence of the following four core elements:

1. What you love (your passion)

2. What the world needs (your mission)

3. What you are good at (your vocation)

4. What you can get paid for (your profession)

The word ikigai, that space in the middle of these four primary elements, is seen by the Japanese as the source of value or what make one's life truly worthwhile.

THE 10 RULES OF IKIGAI

1. Stay Active, Don’t Retire:

- The idea behind this rule is to keep your mind and body engaged in meaningful activities. Retirement doesn't mean stopping all productive work. It encourages finding activities you enjoy and continuing to contribute to society, which can provide a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

-Benefits: Staying active helps maintain cognitive function, physical health, and emotional well-being. It can prevent feelings of uselessness and isolation.

2. Take It Slow:

- Embrace a slower, more deliberate pace of life. Instead of rushing through tasks, take time to savor and appreciate the process.

- Benefits:This can reduce stress and anxiety, improve the quality of your work and help u enjoy life more fully. It encourages mindfulness and living in the present moment.

3. Don’t Fill Your Stomach:

- The 80% rule, also known as "hara hachi bu" advises stopping eating when you're 80% full, rather than completely sated.

- Benefits: This practice promotes better digestion, prevents overeating, and can lead to a healthier weight. It’s associated with longevity and reduced risk of chronic diseases.

4. Surround Yourself with Good Friends:

- Build and maintain strong, positive relationships. Spend time with people who uplift and support you.

- Benefits: Good friends provide emotional support, reduce stress, and enhance your sense of belonging. Strong social connections are linked to better mental health and increased life expectancy.

5. Get in Shape for Your Next Birthday:

- Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining health and energy. Aim to improve or maintain your fitness level each year.

- Benefits: Exercise boosts physical health, mental clarity, and mood. It helps prevent chronic diseases, improves sleep, and enhances overall quality of life.

6. Smile:

- Adopting a positive attitude and smiling can improve your mood and the mood of those around you.

- Benefits: Smiling releases endorphins, reduces stress, and promotes a positive outlook. It can improve social interactions and relationships.

7. Reconnect with Nature:

- Spend time outdoors and appreciate the natural world. This can involve walking in parks, hiking, gardening, or simply enjoying a sunny day.

- Benefits: Nature exposure reduces stress, boosts mood, and improves mental health. It can also enhance physical health and encourage a sense of wonder and connection to the world.

8. Give Thanks:

- Practice gratitude regularly by acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of your life.

- Benefits: Gratitude enhances happiness, reduces negative emotions, and improves mental health. It can also strengthen relationships and foster a more positive outlook on life.

9. Live in the Moment:

- Focus on the present rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Engage fully in whatever you are doing at the moment.

- Benefits:This practice, also known as mindfulness, reduces stress and enhances enjoyment and satisfaction. It can improve mental clarity and emotional regulation.

10. Follow Your Ikigai:

-Discover and pursue your Ikigai—the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Let this guide your life choices and actions.

- Benefits:Finding and following your Ikigai leads to a fulfilling and meaningful life. It helps align your passions with your skills and societal contributions, resulting in a sense of purpose and happiness.

3.Discover Your Ikigai: Guided Journal Prompts for a Meaningful Life

Ikigai journal prompts can help you explore and clarify your purpose and passions. Here are some prompts to guide your reflection:

Exploring Your Passions

1. What activities make you lose track of time?

2. What did you love to do as a child that you may have forgotten about?

3. What topics or activities are you naturally drawn to?

4. When do you feel most alive and engaged?

5. If you could do anything without worrying about money or other obligations, what would it be?

Identifying Your Strengths

6. What skills or talents do you excel at?

7. What do people frequently ask for your help with?

8. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

9. What feedback have you received that highlights your strengths?

10. When have you felt most competent and capable?

Understanding What the World Needs

11. What issues or causes do you care deeply about?

12. How do you want to make a difference in the world?

13. What problems do you see in your community that you wish you could solve?

14. What do you believe the world needs more of?

15. What impact do you want to have on others' lives?

Finding What You Can Be Paid For

16. What professional roles or careers have you considered?

17. How can you monetize your skills or passions?

18. What services or products can you offer that others would pay for?

19. What industries or fields are you interested in exploring for potential income?

20. What value do you bring to your current job or any job you’ve held?

Integrating Ikigai

21. How can you combine your passions, strengths, and what the world needs into a potential career or hobby?

22. What small steps can you take to start aligning your daily activities with your Ikigai?

23. What changes can you make in your life to focus more on your Ikigai?

24. Who can support you on your journey to finding and living your Ikigai?

25. What would a typical day look like if you were fully living your Ikigai?

Reflecting on Progress

26. What have you learned about yourself through this journaling process?

27. How has your understanding of Ikigai evolved over time?

28. What obstacles have you encountered in pursuing your Ikigai, and how can you overcome them?

29. What successes have you experienced in aligning your life with your Ikigai?

30. How can you maintain balance and avoid burnout while pursuing your Ikigai?

ıllı ⠀ : ⠀Let ur passion be your guiding star, leading you to a life filled with joy, purpose, and unshakable fulfillment.stay healthy I love u <143 ❛ ⠀ ♡ ⠀ !!

© bloomzone

[zombzomb]

tw: nsfw, suggestive, bondage, edging, food problems, sickness, spanking

i’m so drawn to bdsm power dynamics because i’m always so focused on so many different things that the idea of someone being in charge of taking care of me is so appealing. the simple act of having to pick something to eat will put me off from eating altogether, but having someone there to say “this is what you’re gonna eat” or “this is what you’re going to buy” is so comforting to me.

i bring this up, because i totally see the 141 doing this in their own ways. ☺️

john helping you with habit building and getting seemingly impossible tasks done. you wanna be up at 6 am, but can’t find the will to walk to the bathroom to do your skincare or basic hygiene routine before the cold air pushes you back under the covers. so john’s got a warm drink (tea/coffee/hot chocolate/etc.) and your misplaced slippers waiting for you to get to the bathroom via him carrying you, avoiding the evil cold hardwood floors. can’t find it in yourself to do this one uni assignment? he’ll stop by your desk for scheduled breaks with snacks, drinks, and head, with a thorough fucking promised by the end should you finish your work.

simon is always going to be there to make sure you aren’t ignoring your mental health. he has a sixth sense for when you are overwhelmed and trying to push through it and act normal, or for when you’re not getting your hunger cues or whatnot. he won’t say anything or bring direct attention to it, knowing it might break the dam and exhaust you, but simon will bring things that he knows will comfort you or ask you to help him relax with a good cuddle (sneaky man). but he also knows when you’re already overflowing; that gentle comfort is not going to help. thus, he turns to tying you up in pretty rope and fucking you until all you feel is his cock and pleasure.

kyle definitely is helping with self care and confidence, especially if you’re a fellow BIPOC. he definitely knows a lot about hair (sidebar, imagine him being the oldest with a bunch of mixed-race siblings 😭), skin, nutrition, and overall just taking care of yourself. get sick? no worries, kyle has a recipe from his ma that will take care of that and knows just how to make you feel less gross by the end of it. want to go to the gym? don’t worry, he’ll make a work out plan for you both to do! nervous about fucking up a really important presentation? easy, he’ll slip a remote vibrator into you for all the practice runs and randomly turning it on, edging you until you get through it without even breaking a sweat.

johnny being your enforcer by gently encouraging you to be more adventurous and holding you accountable. always want to go to a club, cafe, or beach, but never do because of the planning or prep you feel like you have to do? no worries, johnny has already packed what you need in your bag and/or car, and he’s also ready if you need him to come with you as an extra push. he will notice the moment you are struggling with making executive decisions and jump right in to help. and if you struggle with making rules for yourself, resulting in you procrastinating your work, he’s got that covered to. he knows very well how to be stern and provide consequences, whether that’s making you watch something that will give you intense secondhand embarrassment, doing the dishes, or getting a not-so-fun spanking that leaves your ass bright red and aching for days.

[rayclubs]

Making a list of random Russian words I think Heavy would say so y'all can stop putting "da" and "niet" everywhere.

"Ну" - an interjection, untranslatable.

"Так" - "so" - another interjection.

"Всё" - "all" / "that's all" - usually used to signify being done with something. "Всё, I'm tired, let's go home." Can be used in conjunction with past tense to signify an intention. "Всё, I left. " ("That's it, I'm leaving.")

"Ну да." - "Yeah, right." - sarcastic.

"Ну да, конечно." - "Yeah, right, of course." - very sarcastic.

"Тихо" - "quiet" / "be quiet" - can be used literally, but also has mild comedic potential. Use it when someone is making a point that is factually correct, contradicts your point, but also you kind of hate it. "I am pretty good at chess." - "You never won against Medic." - "Тихо."

"Куда?!" - "Where?!" - use when someone or something is moving in a direction you neither expected nor desired. For a more obscene (mat) version, see: "Куда, бля?!"

"Давай" - "let's go" - can be used in a variety of contexts, including but not limited to: a suggestion, an encouragement, a sarcastic taunt, and a substitute for "goodbye". "Давай, see you later."

"Отстань" - "leave me alone" - said when annoyed by someone. For a mat version see "отъебись", for plural see "отстаньте" and "отъебитесь".

"Ладно" - "alright" - has a ton of uses. One I'd like to see is reluctantly agreeing to something you'd previously dismissed. "Ладно, you convinced me!"

"Короче" - lit. "shorter" - an extremely common interjection. Depending on context, can be translated as "so" or "to put it briefly". "The BLU team has a turret on the roof, a stickybomb ambush in the tunnel, and a Spy in our territory - короче, we are fucked."

"Хорошо" - "fine". Can be used instead of "ладно" or in the same sentence. "Всё, ладно, хорошо, you convinced me! Now отстань."

"Бывает" - lit. "Happens" - used when reacting to a relatable story, or when trying to comfort someone who just experienced an unpleasant but relatively minor thing. Not unkind, but not overly empathetic either. My sis said it when my cousin announced his breakup at the family table. Happens. Shrug.

"Надо" - "need" or "gotta" - used in response to someone protesting the inevitable. "I don't wanna wake up at 6 frickin' AM to do Soldier's stupid frickin' training!" - "Надо, Scout, надо."

"Жесть" - lit. "Tin" - not sure where the use comes from, but it's said in reaction to something shocking and almost always negative. "His head blew up. Жесть." Not a rule, but I would use it with a period instead of an exclamation mark, for emphasis.

"Ужас" - "horror" - same context as "жесть", but worse. Can also be sarcastic. Can also extend into a full sentence: "Какой ужас!" - "What terror!".

"Стой" - lit. "Stand" (verb, imperative) - wait, hold on, hold up a minute, etc. See "стойте" for plural. "Подожди"/"погоди" (plural "подождите"/"погодите") is very similar and literally means "wait".

"Спасибо" - "thank you".

"Пожалуйста" - "please". Can also be a response to "thank you".

"Всегда пожалуйста" - "always please" - a very lovely response to "thank you", basically means you're always ready to help.

"Не за что" ("for nothing") and "на здоровье" ("for health") - two more nice responses to "thank you".

"Будь здоров" - lit. "Be healthy" - "bless you", like when someone sneezes.

Will add more later.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Mint Plays Games - Liminal Horror and On The Hill.

It's time for a new year and some new games, and my first game of the year was Liminal Horror, by Goblin Archives!

I do not consider myself an OSR aficionado, but I'm aiming to try and remedy that a little this year, and Liminal Horror has been haunting since I discovered it's existence.

Since the last time I tried to run an OSR game, I've learned that it's often a good idea to get a sense of how these games are meant to be played through using an adventure, so I went on the hunt for a compelling adventure to play through for this one. I settled on the adventure On the Hill, by M. Allen Hall, mostly because it was free, printed nicely, and I saw some good reviews for it!

The Adventure

On the Hill is a remix of the adventure module Horror on the Hill, writing for Basic Dungeons & Dragons. It's a voidcrawl, an iteration on a pointcrawl. There is a map with locations attached to an encounter die to mark each turn of play with a hint of tension and various omens or clues to keep the game interesting. Many Liminal Horror modules are voidcrawls, and On the Hill is easy to read and navigate, with three different maps - one for the GM, and two for the players to discover as they play.

The basic premise is that you are journeying through a state park, looking for a lost hiker while strange creatures of the hill haunt your steps. There's lore woven in throughout the module, and at the beginning is enough information to let the GM know what to expect from the intial NPCs, as well as a reason for why the Hill is as it is. The PC's will uncover clues in a random order, depending on what the GM rolls on the Clues table, as well as what path they decide to travel. I tried to introduce as much as I could, but overall our group paid little attention to it - and we still managed to cobble together a story in our short amount of time.

Our particular game

The Mechanics

The checks for Liminal Horror are very simple: you only roll when you're in danger, and you're rolling a d20 with the hopes of getting a value under your related stat. There are only 3 stats, and they double as your Health over the course of your adventure. You can take physical damage and wounds, which decrease your inventory, and you can also take metaphysical damage, which can inflict you with Fallout.

Fallout is a kind of strange consequence that changes your character, giving them some kind of benefit but also alienating them further and further from normal society. At the end of the game, death might be kinder than what the weird has in store for these characters. The module comes with a d6 table of custom Fallouts, such as a crown of bone that slowly emerges from hour skull. Our table had a slight brush with Fallout - since we were just running a one-shot, I introduced a Fallout as soon as a character rolled for one. We still only ended up with two Fallout-related consequences the whole game, although the players who did find themselves changed fully embraced those changes. One of them received eyes as black as night, while the other found himself taking on cracked bark-like skin.

As a horror game, Liminal Horror pulls no punches. My GM-ing style is usually very forgiving, as I personally find it hard to punish my players, but I warned the party that this time, there was no more Mrs. Nice-Rabbit - and while nobody died, one player got pretty close. Another one lost his eyes, and I consider that a personal win, when it comes to ruthlessness. A few times I re-rolled a dice, but that was mostly because I kept rolling the same result, and I wanted to keep things fresh, rather than experience like, 6 cave-ins in a row.

The Drawbacks

One thing that I'm still unsure about when it comes to the OSR is the... lack of rules about certain things. I know that in general, it's expected that the party should allow the GM to make a ruling rather than stick rigidly to a detailed set of rules. That being said, the combat rules reference a stress die, and I'm still not entirely sure whether that's a d20 or a different die, and the wording makes it seem as if the topic is covered earlier in the rule-book - and as far as I can read, it's not. This lead to an awkward pause in play, while I tried to figure out how exactly Stress is supposed to work.

The Final Thoughts

Liminal Horror is compact, with simple character creation that allows you to come back quickly even if you die. Most of the time I found myself relying on the module than on the game document, simply because of the amount of stuff in the module. Quinn of Quinn's Quest talks about how modules are where it's at in his Mothership review, and this approach certainly made me appreciate how much of a burden modules take off of the GM's shoulders. At the end of 2024, I felt a little run down from constant reading and GM-ing, and this game was a gentle return that made planning much much easier! I also don't think I'd have achieved the same amount of complexity if I had written my own adventure.

I also personally appreciate the Fallout system. It gives you a chance to impose non-physical consequences on your characters without turning the scary parts of the game into a sanity-eroding circus, which is often one of the weakest parts of traditional horror games.

Also, despite the style of play being drastically different from what we usually do, my players enjoyed it. I let them know ahead of time this was a horror game, and horror was what they signed up for. There's also a lot of really neat adventures out there! I'd recommend checking out The Twisted Classics Jam, the Tales From the Void Jam, and the Horror of America's Jam, which is actually going on from October to April!

If you as a group want to dive into some really freaky, horrific scenarios that treat the characters (and players) with respect, even as they're putting them through the meat grinder, then you should check out Liminal Horror.

[purplesaline]

Morning cuddles with the boys.

Also just a reminder that Parker is an exceptional service dog candidate who doesn't have his forever home yet. Since we hadn't found him a placement at 8 weeks my plan was to raise him until he was one year and do some foundation training on him. For the right person he can go home any time between 6 months and a year.

We also ship anywhere in the world.

His cost will be

the initial purchase price ($1900 CAD) which was cost recovery only and includes his first set of shots.

Vet fees for his second and third round of shots ($365 CAD)

Food ($50-$100/mth. He gets the good stuff and he deserves it, so between $500-$1000 CAD by April)

Training: I'm not charging anything at all for my time but we do have a trainer helping us out because of my physical limitations. She charges $80/hr for 1-2 hours a week. By April we'd likely be looking at $2000 CAD

Any incidental costs that pop up between now and then, fingers crossed we won't see any

This would put the total for a 1 year old service dog candidate, specifically bred for service work (5th generation), with foundation training at approximately $5000 CAD, not including shipping. Which is so ridiculously cheap it should raise red flags as to whether you would actually be getting what you're being promised. You would be and I can prove it. The price is that low because everyone involved is more concerned with helping disabled folks get access to service dog candidates that are set up for success than we are with making money.

In fact we're so concerned that the right person gets Parker and Parker gets the right person that cost doesn't even need to be paid all at once! We know that it can be harder for disabled folks to save but it can be a lot easier to manage a monthly payment, so payment plans are an option we can talk about. And if that's still out of the budget the trainer is willing to negotiate on her pricing as well, despite also being disabled and on a limited budget.

Basically we'd be giving this pups away if we could afford to.

Parker's brother, Bentley, was also a service dog candidate from this litter and is living in North Carolina with his handler learning to be a cardiac alert and mobility dog. He's doing SUCH a good job and is already consistently alerting to two different types of scent during training sessions.

Parker has the potential to be an amazing servuce dog doing mobility, psych/PTSD, diabetes alert, allergy alert, or cardiac/POTS alert. If it's not on the list here he'd probably still be good at it, I'm just less familiar with the training that goes into the other types.

He is a soft, sensitive little lad who likes to test boundaries to see just how much he's allowed to get away with so he'll need someone who is a soft handler but consistent with enforcing the rules because this boy will find every single loophole that exists and exploit it fully otherwise.

He's gonna be a BIG boy. 65-75lbs at least. Genetically one of the healthiest dogs you'll ever see, his mom is completely clear for all genetic issues common to collies and his dad has also been DNA tested for health. Parker was DNA tested as well, though not as completely as his mom or dad as he won't be breeding. You can see Merry's (mom) test at LestWeForget Collies and Levi's (dad) test at High Country Collies

And if Parker isn't right for you but you're still interested in a service dog candidate puppy from us don't worry! We'll be having more litters and even plan to do a repeat of this last litter with Merry and Levi. I can't guarantee we'll have any older pups available but if you can't start with a puppy but are able to cover the costs of raising we can definitely work something out.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns!

[naisaspalace]

Vedic Astrology 101 p2

Basic explanation of the houses, rulership and signification and how to read the chart (or interpret it on a basic level).

Introduction:

after explaining a little of the signs and the planets now i will attempt to introduce the houses, the rulerships and their respective significators.

i will bring the nakshatras in the next part.

click here for part one, if you wish to read it :).

The chart:

The Vedic / sideral chart has a different form of layout and from now on we will have two "designs", one is the northern form (the left side) and the southern form (the right side)

The Northern format uses triangles, the kendras (1,4,7,10) are in the middle. the difference is that the houses are fixed but not the sign

and on the southern side, the chart houses are not fixed but the signs are fixed. (picture below).

there is no "right" chart format to choose from, you can use which one is easier for you to understand, I myself use the northern chart and I will be using them for further explanations if I find them necessary but on a solid basic level, those are the charts formats.

and you can see the chart, as a circle if you wish, by using other websites like astro or astroseek which showcase the charts using a circle format independent of the system you choose to use.

The houses

classifications:

The Kendras (or Quadrants): Houses I, 4, 7 and I 0. These are highly significant houses. The Panapharas (or Successant Houses): Houses 2, 5, 8 and II. The Apoklimas (or Cadent Houses): Houses 3, 6, 9 and 12. The Trikonas (or Trines): Houses I, 5 and 9. These are highly auspicious and, along with the Kendras, determine the health, wealth, status, dignity, rise and virtue of a native. The lagna, being both a kendra and a trikona, is the most significant of all houses. The Upachayas: Houses 3, 6, 10 and II. These houses indicate struggle, competition and material achievement. The Trika Houses: Houses 6, 8 and 12. These are considered bad houses (Duhsthanas). They indicate debt, disease, loss and misery. The Ayu-sthanas (or houses of longevity) : Houses 8 and 3 (8th from the 8th). They indicate the length of life and, therefore, also the death. The Maraka-sthanas (or killer houses): Houses 2 and 7. The two halves of a horoscope: (a) Houses I to 7 indicate the invisible half and houses 7 to I indicate the visible half of the horoscope. (b) Houses 10 to 4 indicate the eastern half and houses 4 to 10 indicate the western half of the horoscope.

first house or the lagna (ascendant).

represents your body's health and appearance, character, and strength (psychical).

ruled by mars ,house of, aries, sun is the significator of the first house as it also signifies the self and the house where the sun exalts.

the second: money earned and material goods as well as the face appearance and the voice and throat.

ruled by venus, house of taurus, jupiter is the significator because is related to accumulated wealth, financial assets and speech.

the third: nervous system, siblings, short trips, communication style

ruled by mercury, house of gemini, mars is the significator because the third house is related to courage and mental ability.

the fourth: mother, emotions, family, home, origins, heredity, and ancestry.

ruled by the moon, house of cancer, moon is the significator

the fifth: love matters, pleasure, leisure, children, ego, artistic skills and intelligence.

ruled by the sun, house of leo, Jupiter again because the fifth house is related to children, education, intelligence, entertainment, cinema and drama.

the sixth: everyday life, daily work and colleagues, co-workers,health, and house of open enemies.

ruled by mercury, house of virgo, significator of the 6th House are Mars and Saturn because the sixth house is related to diseases, enemies & litigations.

the seventh: unions, marriage, other people, associations, and contracts.

ruled by venus, house of libra, venus is the significator.

the eighth: debts and crises, transformations, death, financial investments, and sexuality.

ruled by mars, house of scorpio, is Saturn because the eight house is related to longevity, joint assets of husband and wife, inlaws and their family, death and rebirth, fall and rise, occult sciences, dark knowledge, hidden things and secret affairs.

the ninth: travels, abstract and higher concepts, spirituality, and foreign matters.

ruled by jupiter, house of Sagittarius, the significators are Sun and Jupiter because the ninth house is related to long distance travels, higher education, gurus and luck in life.

the tenth: social success, professional destiny, karma, and reputation.

ruled by saturn, house of capricorn, the significator is Jupiter because the eleventh house is related to gains, profits from all sources, professional networks, friends and family wealth.

the eleventh: friends, social networks, ongs, earned gains.

ruled by saturn, house of aquarius, the significators are and the twelfth: enemies, difficulties, solitude, hidden ordeals, secrets, dissolution, subconscious, spirit guides and imagination.

ruled by jupiter, house of pisces, the significators are Saturn and Jupiter because the 12th house is related to jails, hospitals, asylums, spirituality, spiritual donations, foreign lands, imagination and the subconscious mind.

obs1: the lord of the lagna is called the lagnesh

obs2: rahu and ketu rule no house, but that depends on the author/teacher because rahu co-rules aquarius so he to some people also rules the 11th, and the same for ketu who co-rules scorpio (8th).

The end (please read)

just like the first part this was short as well, because this website has a character limiter but, i hoped i explained well enough and helped someone to understand the basics of the houses better.

for the next parts i will tell about the nakshatras and will bring charts to teach how to read on a basic level. thank you for reading <3

readings are open. click here for contact info. and please leave feedback and suggestions of posts if you desire too.

[elvenbeard]

Exposing myself here a little and sharing the current rule-set for my CP2077 Discord I'm the process of setting up below the cut! Below the cut, cause this post it's a lot of text as is.

I think I got all channels set up how I want them for starters, but there will always be room for improvement :D First and foremost I want this to become a place of encouragement and sharing and fun... I really just want it to be an extension of my fandom corner on tumblr here and have a room to chat with everyone I love in one spacereally, that's the whole point XD

Still though, I think some basic rules are good, especially if I decide to open this up to more people down the line - but also, some might find a strict ruleset (or my specific ruleset) not to their taste, hence, before sending out invites, I wanted to put this here.

If we're mutuals, or if you're following me and like what I post, original content and reblogs alike, AND if you wanna be part of this server under the prerequisite of accepting the rules below the cut... Like this post or DM me or leave a reply etc. And I might send you an invite.

(I want to open this up specifically also to people I'm not mutuals with, since I don't always follow back for a variety of reasons. But I have a good memory for user-handles and will recognize you if you interact with my posts on a regular basis!) Important: If I don't send you an invite, please don't take it personally. I might not know you or your vibe well enough yet. Especially if we're new mutuals, or if I'm not following you. But I will check out everyone I don't recognize or don't follow who reacts to this post. I want to keep the server somewhat small in general and especially to begin with, but if all goes well, I might come back to this post here somewhere later down the line and send some more invites! I love you all lots, and especially with my semi-forced hiatus recently I missed interacting with everyone. Being welcomed back so warmly repeatedly by so many people in your tags and replies and all really meant so much <3

So yeah! Server-rules below, react to this post or get in touch with me if you're interested to join based on these prerequesites, invites will go out during the weekend most likely! :D

1. Don't be a dick and use common sense. Be kind to each other. Assume ignorance over ill intentions first and foremost, and when in doubt, stay civil and ask a mod or admin for help via DM.

2. Homophobia, Transphobia, Queerphobia in general, Racism and Hatespeech towards other server members will not be tolerated. Report any talk of this sort to a mod or admin asap if you notice it.

3. This is an adult/NSFW server. You need to be at least 18 years of age to participate and can expect respective content. This is not to exclude anyone younger than 18, but for legal reasons.

4. No 18+ content needs to be spoilered ||like this|| by default. If you choose to spoiler something, which you are always free to do especially in general channels, use a label/indicator describing the content you're spoilering (e.g. [explicit sexual content], [nsfw], [blood/gore], [xyz kink], [tmi]). No kinkshaming please, but also, note rule 5.

5. If someone asks you to spoiler a specific type of niche/extreme content (e.g. extreme kinks, dark and disturbing topics, (mental) health themes like self-harm or terminal illnesses, or any content that could fall under 4) please do so. Be mindful of each other's comfort levels with being exposed to certain darker topics. Being asked to spoiler content does not equal being kinkshamed.

6. Everyone's boundaries are valid and you are free to set them. Simultaneously, nobody should have to censor themselves or their creations either. Spoilering (extreme) content on someone else's request does not equal censorship but is part of being a community.

7. If someone forgets to spoiler a topic that has been previously asked to be spoilered, do not assume the worst and kindly remind the op to spoiler. If the same person keeps forgetting the same things though and you feel like it is on purpose or targeted, let a mod/admin know.

8. If a topic that makes you personally uncomfortable is being discussed in a group setting, stepping away from the conversation temporarily is an alternative to asking to spoiler something (also applies to rule 6). Simultaneously though, due to no blacklisting options on Discord, be mindful of what you post especially if others whose comfort levels you don't know are there with you.

9. Please keep discussions on the server civil. If you've messed up, apologize. If discussions get personal or touch upon server-external issues, please resort to DMs to resolve them. If you need a neutral party to listen, @elvenbeard is always happy to.

10. Do not post content that isn't yours without the explicit permission of the original creator (be it mods, VP, art, writing, etc.). This includes posting links to external works that aren't yours.

11. Start no arguments or spread negativity by discussing non-server-members and their activities.

12. Keep shippy content to the respective channels. Respect each other's ships and headcanons (exceptions: see 13), but also respect the source material(s).

13. If you notice headcanons that are queer-phobic, transphobic, racist, hateful or something similar, especially if they are being framed or discussed as positive, inform a mod or admin asap. Everyone is entitled to their own headcanons, but any falling under these categories will not be tolerated.

[twistedminutia]

A Million and One Minutia: Sleeping Potions and Other Worlds

Vil and Rook learn about other worlds. (Read the previous chapters here: Ch. 1, Ch. 2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, and crossposted to AO3 here.)

All of the classes at NRC are, to me, equally interesting and incomprehensible. Some more than others. History of Magic? Okay. I don’t have a lot of context for what they’re talking about, but history is history. Chemistry? I mean, there’s some magic stuff in there that I don’t know about, but I can work with the basics. Practical magic? That’s one where I literally can’t do anything except study theory and even then, I don’t understand it most of the time.

Potionology is somewhere in the middle- I can’t do anything in the class, but at least I can figure out what’s going on most of the time. It’s like cooking- each ingredient does something specific and you have to add them in the right order at the right time to make a potion that does what you want it to do. I may not be able to infuse the magic that makes the potion work or whatever, but I at least get how it works, and the basics of potionmaking.

All that to say that I don’t understand at all what Vil is doing right now.

I know the basics that Professor Crewel gave us in class- potions need a base liquid and a few of several base components to stabilize everything, then adding more ingredients lets you tweak the effects of the potion, as long as you keep everything in proportion and keep the temperature controlled.

Vil seems to be ignoring several of those rules- there’s liquid in the cauldron, but only water, which Professor Crewel lectured as being the poorest base liquid, and several other ingredients, none of which are the ten approved base ingredients Professor Crewel told us to use. The heat is high, higher than Professor Crewel usually tells us to put it in the beginning as well. None of this would be so concerning to me, usually (what do I care if Vil screws up a potion?) but this potion is supposed to be one that I’ll drink. So I’m a bit nervous.

Rook is completely unperturbed, skipping around the room and plucking ingredients off the shelves before handing them to Vil. He’s a strange duck- I actually met him within my first two weeks of being in school. Though his only action at the time was to shove a box in my hands with a wink and skip off down the hall. It turned out to be full of, uh, ‘feminine products’ which saved me the trouble of telling Cowley they needed to be accounted for in my hygiene budget. How he knew I needed them, I don’t know. He just thrust them at me and vanished.

In the present moment, he waxes poetic about pretty much everything in the room, from the act of potion making itself to Vil to the ingredients. On occasion, he tuts over me, insisting he can see my ‘lack of beauty sleep’ in my skin. I think he’s exaggerating. I mean, come on, I don’t look that bad, do I?

Vil prods at the potion with a stirring paddle before cutting his eyes back over to me. “Rook’s right,” he says, and I once again have to wonder if mind reading magic is a thing. “Poor sleep is terrible for your skin, as well as many other aspects of your health. Getting a decent amount of sleep is vital for all of us right now. Which certainly isn’t happening if your little problem continues to go unaddressed.”

“Yes, sir,” I mumble miserably. Rook, adding insult to injury, practically drapes himself over me.

“Ah, unable to find the sweet respite of le sommeil! My heart weeps for your poor skin!” He presses the back of his hand to his forehead like a swooning Victorian maid. The entire posture is only made more ridiculous by him being in full lab gear. Vil, on the other hand, looks good even in a labcoat and goggles. How’s that fair?

“It would have been far more prudent if you’d informed me of this beforehand,” Vil says, going back to the potion. He tips some herbs in and steps back when they send up a plume of color-changing smoke.

“I didn’t realize it would be a problem,” I say, embarrassed. “Grim never complains. I guess he sleeps like a bag of bricks, though.” And no one complained in Scarabia, though I suppose Ramshackle’s walls are much thinner- maybe when their dorm was rebuilt, they added soundproofing. “I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”

Vil glances at me, his gaze marginally less severe. “It never came up when you were living at home?”

Home. My chest pangs sharply for a moment. “I- I didn’t have them when I was at home.” It hurts to breathe for a moment, like the misery of missing home has lodged in my throat, scraping with sharp edges.

Rook pounces on that statement with the tenacity of a wildcat. “Where is your home, dear prefect? I’ve been unable to ascertain it myself, and as much as I adore the beauté of a good mystery, there has been quite a cold trail, in your case!”

“Uh,” I say, flailing a little. “It’s not really any of your business, is it?” I cast a glance at Vil, maybe looking for help, but he’s not paying attention.

“Excusez-moi, prefect!” Rook says, moving back with a hand pressed to his heart. “I didn’t mean to pry!” He definitely did. But at least he has the decency to look upset about it. Unlike the damn Leech twins, who always seem all too happy to snoop. “But, if you would be so inclined to share, I would be interested in what land has produced such an interesting person!”

That could almost be a compliment. Except it’s Rook, so ‘interesting’ could mean anything from ‘normal human interest’ to ‘you would make an excellent rug/jacket once I skin you.’ Hard to tell. I ignore him completely and try to change the subject. “Uh, Vil, is the potion thing almost done?”

“No,” he says, giving me a sharp, irritated look I’m getting to know all too well. The sort of look that says ‘I’m annoyed I have to tell you something you should know already.’ “This sort of potion will take well over an hour to steep. It’s not one of the simple blends you make in your first-year courses.”

Oh cool! At least an hour hanging out with Rook and Vil! Fun! “Do I, uh, really need to be here for it?” I ask. “If it’s going to be a while until it’s ready.”

“I’m making this potion for your benefit,” Vil says. “The least that you could do is help out.”

“But I’m not actually helping.” He made me get into my lab gear, which is about a size too big, before going into the Pomefiore basement, but I haven’t actually been doing anything.

“I’ll need your help in a few minutes. There are several important components that need to be added at precise times.” He gestures me closer and I obligingly moved to his side. I find it a bit awkward to be close to Vil- he’s intimidating.

“Will it work right if I do it? Professor Crewel doesn’t usually let me put anything in,” I say. Vil makes a sound that, one someone less graceful, might have been a snort.

“Perhaps on a first-year potion, but this one’s significantly more advanced than the ones you would be taking on. Most of the magic infusing takes place at the beginning.”

That makes something occur to me. “Is that why you were using different base ingredients in the beginning?”

Vil nods. It might be my imagination, but there’s a faint crease of a smile at the corner of his mouth. “Yes. I’m not surprised Crewel has been having you do potions that have even magic infusion throughout. It’s not an easy technique for beginners.”

“And that’s what the water is for?” I ask.

“Mm. It encourages a more even infusion of magic. Though it works poorly in potions where magic is infused throughout, as it can be somewhat diluting.” Vil continues stirring, eyes fixed on the potion. “Get me some bristleroot.”

For a moment, I think he’s talking to Rook, but then he glances at me and goes, “Well?” I scramble to obey, hurrying over to the shelf of ingredients.

And then pause, because the shelf of ingredients is a bit hard to sort through. Everything’s labeled, but some of the labels are a little worn, and a few of them are even facing the wrong way, so I have to rotate them around to check the label. I don’t know what bristleroot even looks like- all the names of plants in Twisted Wonderland are blurring together in my head.

I panic for a moment before Rook leans over me, grabs a jar, and tosses it to Vil without so much as a backward glance. Vil catches it almost effortlessly. “Hm?” Rook hums, looking at me with his patented ‘I’ve figured something out and you don’t know it’ gaze. “Did you not recognize the bristleroot? I was thinking perhaps you hailed from the Shaftlands, but perhaps not, if you cannot recognize its most prolific weed!”

“I just didn’t see it,” I protest. Rook quirks an eyebrow.

“Non? But I saw your eyes move over it at least twice before moving on.” I grind my teeth. He’s not wrong. In my defense, I was looking for something bristly, but the jarred bristleroot is all big, soft flowers.

Rook continues. “You are a most intriguing puzzle, prefect! Not from the Sunset Savannah, for I would know any fellow countryman of my own by sight. I thought, perhaps, the Queendom of Roses, given your proclivity for Heartslabyul, but there isn’t a hint of their accent in your voice!” He leans a little closer, which is impressive because we weren’t that far apart to begin with. “No trace of Scalding Sands accent either. Perhaps the Land of Dawning? Or maybe a Sage Island native? Though have seemed quite unfamiliar with the landscape when we’ve left campus.”

I recoil. “Have you been watching me?”

He’s not even ashamed. “But of course! Why, I could hardly bear to take my eyes off such a strange quarry. One must know their prey, after all, but you have quite a capacity for being unknown!”

I glance back at Vil for help, but he barely seems to be paying attention. Maybe he’s used to Rook being like this. “Uh. I’m not doing it on purpose.”

“Ah, but that makes it even more enticing to solve!” Rook crows. “Many people attempt to hide, but how much more fascinating is quarry that does not seek to, but does so anyway?”

He’s beaming at me, and I don’t know what to say to throw him off. Except, maybe, some portion of the truth. “It’s personal, and I don’t really want to talk about it. Okay?”

Rook considers me for a moment. I don’t know if that’s actually thrown him, but he isn’t saying anything and isn’t coming closer to me, so it’s sort of a win.

Vil says, “One of you, I need the barriard beetle wings,” and there’s a jar thankfully right next to my elbow, so I gab it and hurry over. Rook’s gaze follows me, but his body does not.

I pass Vil the jar and he carefully sprinkles a small amount into the potion before stirring a few times one way, then a few times the other and aiming his magical pen at the fire to lower the blaze to embers. “The potion looks complicated,” I offer, trying to turn the conversation off me. “If all we needed was a sleeping potion, how come you didn’t just use your signature spell? You can put people to sleep with that, right?”

He lifts a single, elegantly maintained eyebrow at me, his entire expression screaming ‘what are you, some kind of idiot?’ “That would be an extremely inefficient use of my spell, to put a single person to sleep for one night, and doing it repeatedly would be even more of a waste. The sleeping potion is complex, but keeping a cursed object around for the sole purpose of a good night’s sleep is foolish and leads to unnecessary blot accumulation. Not to mention, the sleeping potion will administer a much healthier sleep than my curse would allow.”

I peer at the shifting blue-green liquid in the cauldron. Vil and Crewel were the ones who came to me with this idea, and Crewel stated that he had put everything through the ‘proper channels’ and that Vil was ‘approved’ to give me the potion, but it’s still weird to me, coming from somewhere where this kind of thing is strictly regulated, to have another student making me a sleeping potion.

“I recognize that you don’t have magic yourself, but that’s no excuse to not understand the basics of blot accumulation,” Vil says, and I realize he’s launching into one of his lectures. I pay attention, since getting caught not paying attention is just asking for it. “It should have been discussed within the first few weeks of practical magic.”

Oh. I don’t really remember the first few weeks of practical magic. Between Riddle’s overblot and trying to understand the sudden influx of magic info, some things slipped through the cracks. “Probably,” I say. “I must have missed it.”

Vil gives an irritated little ‘tch.’ “If you’re going to attend Night Raven, you should put a little more effort into your studies. How can someone have their nose buried in a book half the time and not understand blot accumulation in potion making versus spell casting?” He doesn’t even sound particularly mad, just annoyed, but it’s needling. “Even if you are a partial student, you should at least put in the effort to-”

“The effort?” I didn’t even realize I was pissed, but something in me snaps. “I am putting in effort! More effort than anyone here! It’s not my fault my home had no magic and I’m stuck trying to play catch-up while babysitting a bunch of- of-” I realize what I’ve said a moment too late. “Whoops.”

Vil looks stunned, for the first time I’ve known him. His eyes are wide, hands frozen on the stirring paddle. Rook, across the room, looks similarly startled. “I’m sorry,” Vil repeats, tone incredulous. “Did you just say that there is no magic where you come from?”

Crap. This is why I hate the reveal bit. The questions are always so awkward. “Uh. No?”

“Gray.” Vil draws himself up, hands on hips, expression stern. It’s like standing under the full force of a laserbeam. “Explain yourself.”

“Ugh.” I rub my forehead. My brain’s whirring, but I can’t think up a convincing lie fast enough, and I don’t know if even a convincing lie would trick Rook. He seems like a human lie detector. “Yeah, the place I come from doesn’t have magic.”

There’s a pause. “I’ve never heard of a place like that,” Vil says. His tone’s a little gentler, if skeptical. He looks at Rook, who shakes his head. Rook’s gaze never leaves me- I can tell he’s waiting for the next part.

“You probably wouldn’t have. Crowley hadn’t heard of it either. I’m from Earth- it’s a different world.”

Vil’s barely paying attention to the potion anymore. He’s just staring at me. I consider crawling under the bench, just to get away from his and Rook’s stares, but that would probably be more embarrassing. After a moment, the silence gets so awkward, I just start rambling. “Er, even Crowley’s not sure why it happened. I just woke up in the coffin at the entrance ceremony like everyone else. And then the mirror couldn’t send me back home, so I’m just here now, I guess.”

“That’s why you’re staying in Ramshackle,” Vil says. “I was under the impression Crowley had put you there to keep an eye on Grim.”

“No, he put me there before Grim was actually enrolled in the school. Technically I was supposed to work here instead, to pay for my stay-” Vil’s expression goes momentarily weird and hard to read. “-but there was an incident with Grim and Ace and Deuce and I ended up getting enrolled as a student. Well, a partial student.”

Rook is suddenly across the room and very in my personal space. “You have traveled across worlds! How fascinating!” He stares into my face like he’s trying to see traces of home on my features. “With no magic, you say? Our world must be quite the new experience for you! Ah, I’m almost jealous of you being able to view such a different place from your home.”

“It’s not that much to be jealous of,” I say, shrinking back under his gaze. He retreats a little, his expression going ever so slightly softer.

“Oh, yes, I imagine how terrible it would be to be torn from your home with no way to return!” he says, expression dropping into one of maybe slightly overexaggerated misery. “As grateful as I am for your lovely presence, I would hate for your time here to be the cause of your distress, nor would I wish for you to be trapped, as a rabbit in a snare, in a place that is not your own.”

“Ah, well, Crowley said he was looking for a way for me to go back, but he’s also, you know, Crowley, so I don’t know how well that’s going.” I’ve stopped asking him about it. He dodges the question every time. In truth, I don’t know how much I trust him to get this done- after winter break, I think there’s a part of me that doesn’t think I’m ever going home again.

I bite the inside of my lip, hard. I don’t want to cry in front of Rook, and I certainly don’t want to cry in front of Vil. Nobody at Night Raven seems like they’d react well to a show of weakness.

There’s another long moment of silence. I really wish Rook would launch into one of his long, flowery tangents, because it would be a good way to cover up the fact that I’m about two seconds away from bursting into tears and I keep sniffing so my nose doesn’t run.

“Rook,” Vil says. “I need the chamomile. And the mint.” Rook wheels away and the clattering and sizzling of ingredients being moved and added gives me enough space to choke my emotions back into the nice secure pit in my chest. Vil stirs the ingredients into the potion and then turns his attention back to me.

“I’m sorry.” The words hang heavy in the air.

“It’s fine.” I don’t know what else to say. “It’s… nice here. Usually.”

“Hm.” Vil’s lips thin. He keeps stirring. “Rook. Take our guest upstairs, please. She should be given some Pomefiore hospitality while she’s here, yes?”

Rook draws himself up like a taunt bowstring. “Of course, my Roi du Poison! Come along, Trickster.”

“Wait. Didn’t you want me to help with the potion?” I ask.

“I can handle it from here,” Vil sniffs. “Most of the time-critical ingredients have gone in already.” He looks down his nose at me. “I am perfectly capable of completing this on my own.”

I feel myself droop a little. Did the revelation that I’m from a world without magic make him see me as so incompetent I can’t even hand him potion ingredients anymore? I guess I can’t entirely blame him, since I clearly can’t identify anything. Rook gestures me toward the stairs with a little half-bow and I go. I glance over my shoulder at Vil as I go- he’s staring intently into the depths of his potion, brows furrowed in a frown.

Rook practically drags me into through Pomefiore, insisting on giving me a steaming cup of tea and several of those tiny, fancy cookies you serve with tea. I’ve never been much of a tea drinker, but I sip on it to be polite. The cookies are all right. There’s a sandwich cookie with apple butter that makes me wonder if Epel contributed to it. I mention offhandedly about liking the pattern on the drapes and Rook launches into a thirty-minute explanation of the pattern’s history and importance to Pomefiore specifically.

We’re many minutes deep into his rant when Vil returns to the room, no longer wearing his lab uniform. Rook and I changed out of ours before we went to the kitchens. His purple cloak sweeps around him as he sits next to me. He still looks haughty, but there’s something ever so slightly gentler around the corners of his mouth and eyes. “Have you ever taken a potion before?”

“Er. No.” Vil’s expression gets tighter. Wrong answer. “I assumed it was like taking medicine?”

Vil’s jaw relaxes a bit, though the stern lines of his eyes do not. “It’s not entirely dissimilar. The effects will come on faster, though, so I suggest only taking when you are ready to fall asleep.” He passes me a tiny vial of potion, only slightly bigger than my thumb. I stare at it for a moment, then look back at him.

“This is a lot less than what was in the cauldron.”

“I’ll give you as much as you need per day while I’m staying at Ramshackle. We can reassess once the VDC is over.”

I rotate the bottle in my hand, holding it up to catch the light. The potion’s dark, but when the light catches it, I can see that it’s indigo. “There aren’t any side effects?”

“No. It’s not poorly made.” Vil’s lips quirk into a small sneer. “It’s designed for a full eight and a half hours of sleep per dose.” His expression grows stern again. “Which means that if you take the dose later than your bedtime, you won’t wake up in time for class. And I will know. I will administer the doses myself, if you can’t do it on time.”

“I’ll be fine,” I say. “And it’s not…” I hesitate. Vil raises his eyebrow at me, clearly impatient. “It’s not dangerous at all, is it?”

He snorts. “I’m not trying to poison you. If you take too high of a dose, that could cause excessive sleep, but I know how to measure the dose. You’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” I tuck the vial into my pocket. “Thank you, Vil.”

His expression softens again, only slightly. It’s strange how just a little quirk of his eyebrows and a shift in his lips makes his whole expression change. Maybe it has to do with him being an actor, or maybe it’s the way his makeup is clearly designed to emphasize his features. “You’re welcome. Though I could hardly allow you to wake every night with your screaming- not only does our manager need to be in good shape to properly support the rest of the team, but you were also waking up everyone else as well, and all of them need a full night’s sleep.” Vil leans back, folding his arms over his chest. His expression fixes on me with his arrow-sharp intensity again. “Do you remember what you were dreaming about?”

I blink. It’s a question I’ve been asked before, but not from Vil. Mostly just from Deuce, Ace, and an over-concerned Kalim. “No. I remember… being afraid? And maybe something hot? But I don’t remember anything specific.”

Vil hums. His gaze remains fixed on me, scanning my expression with deep intensity. After a moment, he sighs. “All right. The potion should allow for a dreamless sleep, but if it fails, then I need to know.”

“I’ll tell you,” I say. He doesn’t look convinced, but he nods.

Rook, on my other side, claps his hand on my shoulder. “How lucky you are, to sample the lovely works of Roi du Poison’s labor! I’m certain it will soothe your troubled sleep.” He squeezes my shoulder, and the gesture is surprisingly comforting.

“Thanks, Rook,” I say and he beams.

“But of course! It has been quite lovely to get to know you more, Trickster!” I don’t know what he’s talking about, since he’s the one that’s been talking the whole time, but I don’t question it.

Vil rises to his feet, tugging his cloak in around him. “We should be heading to practice. Come along, Rook, Gray.” He starts out of the dorm, leaving me and Rook to catch up. The vial in my pocket thumps against my side with every step. I’m relieved to have it. I can’t remember the dreams, like I told Vil, but it’s still unsettling to wake up with my throat raw and my trembling body soaked with sweat. Hopefully this tones them down.

At the very least, I hope it will stop Deuce and Ace from giving me the pitying looks they’ve been shooting me ever since they moved into Ramshackle. I avoided talking about the nightmares for that reason specifically. I don’t want people pitying me. Not at Night Raven, anyway. That’s just asking for trouble. And I’m so damn sick of trouble.

[nalyra-dreaming]

This is again ab ep6 so I understand if you don’t post this!

Re the prev posts, the arguments don’t really make a lot of sense. Do you think it’s Louis that is making them float? If it’s Lestat, then them floating doesn’t necessarily mean Louis is enjoying it as well. Like the significance of floaty sex in my mind anyway is that it’s showing that Lestat can get carried away with his powers sometimes, he might not be intentionally doing it but having sex with Louis is just so good it makes him float you know? But Louis in ep6 is checked out, not just in that moment while talking to Claudia, but in general. And what he’s saying goes with what is shown, he’s a shell of himself. He says it’s due to realizing Lestat was probably not going to change and he was probably not going to fight him on it anymore, and also seeing himself becoming like Lestat in due time. Also, not saying that he doesn’t love Lestat, he obviously still loves him, that’s what makes it tragic. Him loving Lestat doesn’t mean he’s always going to want sex with Lestat though, if that makes sense, so that’s another argument that doesn’t really hold imo.

I actually clicked on the link you provided having talked ab this exact ep 6 and agree more with op tbh, idk if you’ve changed ur mind since but that’s basically what I’m trying to convey in this post. And like J says, it doesn’t have to be a good relationship portrayed all the time, so it makes sense that this rocky part of their relationship is portrayed in this way in ep 6.

The thing is, and sincerely, with all due respect:

what it boils down to is you saying that Louis would spread his legs for Lestat if Lestat wanted sex, even if Louis did not want it. He‘s “checked out“, not there, poor Louis………..!!!

That is what Claudia insinuates and what you underline, and what all this discussion boils down to.

Poor Louis, unable to refuse. (sarcasm)

And sincerely: which Louis have you been watching? You really think this Louis, especially the show’s Louis is going to just roll over and take it?

Louis, refusing to play the game Lestat wants him to? Refusing to eat despite it being detrimental to his health? Refusing to bend to the rules of the law makers? Refusing to let Lestat come back for 6 years? Refusing to leave when Claudia wanted him to? That Louis?

If he has sex then because he wants to. And yes, people can want sex despite being in rocky parts of the relationship.

Louis never stops loving Lestat.

And I find it really interesting that his agency is (still!) dismissed like that.

If you really want to nitpick the floaty sex then start thinking about why they included that and not who made who fly 🙄

This is the last I‘ll say on this.

[ashadowofburnedoutstardust]

Random thoughts:

Why the ruling class are currently shitting their pants

The republican base has realized that who they voted for is not on their side (finally) but the thing about their base is that they were the ones to mount an insurrection

They likely have a high proliferation of gun ownership within their ranks which means many of them are a pretty good shot.....

I think I'm finally starting to understand the purpose behind having that amendment giving Americans the right to bear arms (Given the history of how the United States was originally born)

See the thing is it basically enables them to collectively mount an offense against their Government and depose them if the government were no longer found to be serving the People in their opinion (basically we're talking about your average coup attempt)

I'm guessing this was a motivating psychological factor behind the January 6 event

(Just to be clear it is my opinion that these people were radicalised by the party representing the outgoing government at the time)

As we've witnessed over the past year, even a Democrat party led US government is willing enough to send its police and/or military up against the citizenship when using their protected right to protest something that is very unpopular seen as unjust, (It is what lost them the election after all) and/or misuse of public funds for the gain of the oligarchy instead of the public and still actively side with business lobbies, both foreign and domestic

This isn't exactly something new in the USA it's happened time and time again, the Boston Tea Party, the French Revolution, the American Civil War, Vietnam etc etc

The incoming US government as well as the current administration has demonstrated repeatedly that funding war instead of healthcare, buying weapons from their friends instead of taking care of their veterans, influencing and controlling information available to the public by what is basically a state-run media (you need a licence from the government to run any form of press in the United States)

And then they've decided that on top of betrayal after betrayal after betrayal, to add taxes on things that cost them the bonuses that they've been working for all year for companies that already underpaid them in an economy that is squeezing them dry where they don't have health care and one among them finally took a stand against this system by assassinating "one of them".......

I mean if I was a member of the ruling class I'd be shitting myself too

[toujokaname]

Card shuffle / Episode 6

Author: Akira

Characters: Tatsumi, Mayoi, Aira, Rinne, Hiiro, Kohaku, Niki, HiMERU

"Hey, hey, can I sneak a little nibble of your finger or something?"

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: MDM Stage

Several days later. Just before the first match of Matrix starts.

Tatsumi: ...We've arrived at the show with no idea of what to expect.

We haven't prepared at all, is this really going to be okay?

Mayoi: Uuu... Such unpredictable circumstances are rare for ALKALOID, so it makes me anxious... Wasn't summer the last time it was like this?

Aira: We usually take a bunch of lessons before every performance...

Rinne: Huuuh. You're as well-behaved as they say you are.

Aira: We've got the trauma of almost getting fired in the summer... That's why we give it our all every time, so we don't catch any flak later.

Rinne: Haha. That must be why ES likes you so much. If they're paying us the same salary, obviously they'd favor the ones who exert themselves willingly.

But doesn't it piss you off that they think "they'll do fine even if we don't say anything" and blatantly cut corners?

Tatsumi: I wouldn't say it's foolish to expect the other party to always do their best, but it does make the likelihood of disappointment much higher.

That's why we've always done everything we could.

Is that really something that should be made fun of?

Rinne: I ain't making fun of you. Well done, well done, Mr. Goody Two-Shoes ♪

Rinne: ...Haha. God, no way, looking at you guys just reminds me of my youth...

Tatsumi: ...?

Rinne: But still. Even you honor students had no way to prep this time 'cause the details were too vague, right?

Tatsumi: Yes... Even with our best efforts, there are limitations to what we can achieve.

I'm sorry to keep asking this, but... Have you truly not been informed by the producer in charge regarding the specifics of our ten upcoming matches?

Had we known the nature of the matches in advance, we could've at least prepared ourselves mentally.

Mayoi: ......

Tatsumi: Ah, don't worry, Mayoi-san. No matter what difficulties may come our way, we will certainly be okay.

Let's overcome this as we always have, together.

Mayoi: No... I mean, yes, in sickness and in health, but... Well, um, it seems that our opponents, Crazy:B, have appeared.

But... S-Somehow, something's... wrong.

Tatsumi: Hm? Oh, it's true—That striking red hair belongs to Hiiro-san ♪

Fufu. Though we haven't been apart for that long, it feels oddly nostalgic.

Hiiro: Heeey, Tatsumi-senpai, Mayoi-senpai, Aira!

Hehe. It's a bit unsettling to face you guys as enemies.

Aira: We feel the same way... But wait, why're you so cheery, Hiro-kun? Did the Crazy:B guys treat you well?

I was worried since Crazy:B has a bad rep, I thought you might get bullied?

Kohaku: We ain't bullies... Beg your pardon, but what exactly do ya take us for...?

Aira: Ah, Kohakucchi!

W-Wait, you look a little pale, are you okay...?

Kohaku: Ugh~... Rather, it feels like we're the ones who got bullied.

Aira: Um...?

Hiiro: Fufu. I became the leader of Crazy:B and gained the authority to manage the entire unit.

I couldn't tarnish Nii-san's reputation, so I pushed everyone as hard as I could.

Specifically, everyone was a bit sloppy with things like punctuality, so I made sure to tighten up on that!

Because a leader is basically a monarch! Naturally, the rules set by the monarch are absolute! If you disobey the monarch, you'll be severely punished!

Aira: What kinda dictatorship is that...?

Kohaku: Ain't that the truth... To be honest, Hiiro-han was so obviously a good kid, that we kinda looked down on him...

But we forgot. Hiiro-han's the little brother of this tyrant, Rinne-han.

Rinne: Who're you calling a tyrant? Gyahaha, sounds like our Otouto-kun's been giving you a hard time ♪

Niki: It was really awful... If I disobeyed Otouto-san's orders, I'd be punished on the spot. Like, I was even deprived of meals?

I thought I was gonna die, for real.

Mayoi: I-Is everything alright, Shiina-san? You look a bit wobbly? Um, my fingers, how many do you see?

Niki: Aah, I thought I smelled something delicious, so it's Mayo-chan~♪ Hey, hey, can I sneak a little nibble of your finger or something?

I'm... so hungry I'm at my limit—

Mayoi: Eek, you have the eyes of a starving beast...!

HiMERU: —Like father, like son. Amagi's child is an Amagi after all.

Rinne: He's not my son, though, he's my brother. But still, you guys only knew the obedient little Otouto-kun after coming to the city.

Nobody was aware that our Otouto-kun could be a real handful, right?

Otouto-kun was raised to be my assistant. He strictly abides by the rules and makes sure everyone else does too.

With such a guy in charge, well, it's no wonder you you wound up in some kinda dystopian nightmare ruled by an emotionless computer ♪

Kohaku: That's exactly how it felt... Since Matrix details were murky, Hiiro-han had us preparin' for every scenario.

To brace ourselves for any kinda showdown, we started with singin' and dancin' lessons, and wound up doin' a whole buncha trainin' exercises that had me scratchin' my head.

Gettin' drenched under waterfalls or catchin' every last leaf before they hit the ground... Aghh, it brought back memories of the strictness of my sisters back home.

HiMERU: Should you refuse or display disinterest, expect punishment; even if the outcome is poor, punishment ensues. Punishment, punishment, punishment, punishment.

As these days repeated themselves, our spirits felt like they were about to shatter.

Tatsumi: M-My condolences, HiMERU-san...?

[ ☆ ]

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[she-is-27-i-checked]

Putting this here because I value the opinions of a bunch of depressed neurodiverse queers who care about me far more than any medical professional. This is heavy mental health stuff so don't feel obliged...

So as you may have gathered things have taken a turn for the worse recently with the old Brain Mould situation. I've been on this rodeo a LONG time so I know the signs. What I don't know this time is what to do about it.

Brief history is I was on sertraline for about 6 years when it started to get less effective and so asked the doctor to try something else. The stronger drugs were all initially effective at conquering the depression and anxiety but after a while all gave me the same debilitating side effects. It's what I believe is a result of dopamine imbalance which is caused directly by the effect of the ssri's and it materialises just like ADHD symptoms - inability to concentrate, lack of motivation, noise and touch sensitivity, irritability, and probably via the effect of all that going on behaviourally, leads to anxiety and depression. So I ended up back where I started but for different reasons. I tried maybe half a dozen different drugs and they all basically went the same way. With no more drugs left to try we agreed I'd just stop taking anything and see how I got on raw dogging life. I did not get on well. At the point I was going to lose my job and/or marriage, I went back on sertraline working up to a higher dose than before.

Then things were good! Actually GOOD for about a year. I was free of suicidal ideation entirely for the first time I could actually remember. Then in September this year it started creeping back in. Just the occasional "omg I'm so tired I wish I was dead". Which used to be just a constant screen saver in my brain and I hadn't had in 12 months. Which made me panic a bit. And things have been creeping worse for the couple of months since then. I haven't been doing much work, I'm being less and less patient with child and wife, and I'm not at all prepared for Christmas.

Right now it is the middle of the working day and I have done nothing except order groceries, shower and twat about on my phone. At 5am when Mrs got up for work I started scrolling Tumblr despite having 2 hours until the alarm. Thinking about Christmas with The Families makes me feel sick.

Soo... I'm either under medicated, over-medicated or just responding normally to the objectively stressful events and season. I do not trust a doctor to help me unless I go there already knowing what I want out of the visit.

Should I get help now? Realistically that could only be an increased dose of sertraline because the other options have all been ruled out already. Or should I leave it and see how I get on once the Worst Time Of Year passes?

[olomaya]

Honestly, I'm relieved. This game was still looking so rough and I'd feel much more comfortable with a June release than this coming out in 6 weeks.

I was watching a video from SatchoSims* and he talked about how LBY is more just a compilation of gameplay features without any gameplay and he definitely pinpointed my main issue with the game despite my excitement for it. I just don't know what I'm going to DO or what I will want to do because they haven't really done a good job of explaining the rules and structures and goals of the game (aka what the game is about).

I'm still excited for it and will definitely play it in June and am eager to check out the modding tools but yeah, what are we doing?

The Sims was a time management game. You had to figure your shit out and meet your basic needs all while juggling other mini challenges and responsibilities and TRY to become successful which would then unlock cool shit to buy or do that you would have the time to do because the money and rewards and perks you grinded for allowed you to do it.

And then TS2 improved on that by focusing on interpersonal relationships and making that more complex so that Sims felt more unique but also had to focus more on mental health and well-being and the drama that comes with interacting with other people.

Then TS3 took that even farther by basically unleashing chaos all around you with an open world so you have less control over what is going on so while you are grinding away to create a dream house for the Sim you want to marry and grow old with, you head over to the park and see your future spouse making out with some asshole in zebra print pants! And then on top of that, they deepened skills and hobbies so Sims have soooo much to do so that life goals are so much more diverse (though I will admit this came at the expense of interpersonal relationships). People often say that they wish TS3 had TS2's hobby system but in my opinion, it not only does but it's infinitely much better than TS2's. I would argue that TS3 at its core is a game about hobbies and interests.

I love that LBY seems to be wanting to improve on TS3 (because TS4 definitely didn't) and give us a true life simulator but I still don't understand what the game is about. They show off how many traits they have and how we can mod in our own traits but what do the traits means? If a character has a Difficult Childhood trait, how is that going to affect their ability to form relationships, fall in love, be a good parent? They said we could have truly homeless characters to play Rags to Riches challenges. That's awesome! Can we see that? How does the economic system work? Could it be integrated, for example, where household taxes and bills actually go towards community development? Like THIS is gameplay. I don't want to see another treasure trove video or someone doing work tasks. Those are features, not core gameplay and if it is then I'm afraid Rod Humble is making TS4 competitor, not TS3 which would be a shame.

*I don't know if I like him or not, but he has good viewpoints compared to the other high-profile Sims 4 YouTubers who at this point are practically on the Maxis payroll desperately trying to pretend that game is interesting because it literally pays their bills 😭😭

[faultychips]

I <3 Catching MONSTERS and BEASTS!!

...Y'know, the more often you have to acknowledge something awkward, the more awkward it gets. So, I'm not gonna make a big deal about how long it's been since I last made a review again after this time. Finishing college and health complications got in my way for a little while, but I think I'm finally ready to get back in the saddle, and I'm very excited to write about games again, at whatever pace I need to take to do it. I've missed this. Let's get back into it already!

In my search for something that can measure up to my expectations and my nostalgia for Pokémon, I came across two games that stood out to me: Coromon and Cassette Beasts. Both looked like very fun games, but to know how good they really are, I had to try them out for myself. Let's start, then, with the game I finished first.

Coromon is, first and foremost, an extremely good "Pokémon Clone". It can be kind of exhausting to hear this said about any game that remotely includes monsters or creatures, but Coromon is very clearly trying to replicate the core features of the Pokémon games, and it does it very well. There are technically 124 Coromon to collect, but a few are variants on existing ones, so it's really closer to 110. Still an impressive number of original designs! I found myself thinking "Wow... this game's art is gorgeous!" over and over again; the game would not be nearly as engaging, as it indeed is, without the vivid backgrounds and beautifully animated sprites.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with Coromon. Everything that is fun about Pokémon is present and still fun in Coromon, and there are even a few improvements on the formula. For instance, capturing Coromon seems to have a much higher chance of success, making that whole process much less annoying while still not being a guarantee, and you'll be given plenty of free healing and capture items throughout the game that I encourage you to use freely (basically everything is available in shops by the end of the game, unlike items such as Max Revives in the older Pokémon games). There is also a welcome change to the "shiny" formula: there are instead "basic" Coromon, "potent" Coromon, and "perfect" Coromon, each with a different color palette and most importantly, better stats for rarer variants. This gives players an actually good reason to seek out "shiny" variants, and the midground Potent Coromon are relatively simple to find and you'll meet a nice amount over the course of your journey. (Perfect Coromon are... not so easy to find, but I'll get to that.) And most importantly the game is fun! Coromon Battling is unique in many ways--like how there are 13 types, but only 6 are available as Coromon Types, and the other 7 can only be used as Skills (attacks)--but it's just as entertaining as Pokémon battling and I enjoyed designing my team around the blend of new and familiar rules.

Of course, in a cruel bit of irony, Coromon falters in the same ways it triumphs: it is a lot like Pokémon, specifically the older generations 1 through 5. I hope you're the kind of person who likes grinding level-ups in RPGs, because you'll be doing it inevitably here. The story is also pretty forgettable, with mostly unremarkable characters... true to most Pokémon storylines. The "Perfect" Coromon replicate all the time-wasting problems of regular shiny Pokémon, typically taking multiple hours to catch just one, while adding on that the perfect ones are ideal for competitive play and therefore you're playing sub-optimally by not grinding out hours to get one; the double-edged sword of "a good reason" to get "shinies". Though honestly, for better or worse, you don't need to worry about competitive play because there aren't enough players online at any given moment to actually engage with the multiplayer features. There are no asynchronous options to cover for this, either. I found this a real shame, because it seems like the only way to get certain visual cosmetics (that the game goes to great lengths to make sure you know about) is through participation in multiplayer battles. It feels like you should be able to purchase them with actual real-life money; I wouldn't be willing to do that anyhow, but I couldn't even find a way to do that, so... Maybe on the mobile version you can. And finally, when Coromon's main story ends, you're basically done playing, same as many modern Pokémon games. There's an attempt at a battle tower equivalent of sorts, but I found it way too grindy for way too little rewards. It's hard to get excited about cosmetics and such when there's nobody else to show them to.

I think one thing that Coromon does that doesn't work very well that is unique to itself is that the player character has a good lot of dialogue, and oftentimes I found myself thinking "Wow... I wouldn't say that. That really takes me out of roleplaying as my character." Ultimately, it's a small 'problem', but I think it's an interesting example of why silent protagonists are so effective, because when the player character acts independently of the player, it can be distancing. ...Oh, and the game was made for mobile first and once you see that big glaring pause button at the top of your screen it's hard to unsee it, but ultimately I do like having the option to use just my mouse as a controller when playing. It would just be nice if you could toggle the mobile UI elements off.

Ultimately, Coromon was a game I enjoyed a lot, and nicely satisfied that Pokémon gen 4-5 2D itch I had, but while it makes a lot of the same good choices as Pokémon, it also carries over many of their flaws. I think it succeeds as being a generally equivalent experience, though notably lacking some of the perks that come with Pokémon's cultural popularity. As I was writing this review, they announced that they're in the process of making a sequel to Coromon, which will be titled Coromon: Rogue Planet. While I didn't feel like I necessarily needed more of the original game after the 50 hours I sunk into it, I think this is a great opportunity for the devs to learn from the creation of this first game and for the sequel to surpass its inspirations; I will be watching to see if it does.

Despite coming out about a year after Coromon, my Cassette Beasts review is actually much more overdue, because I started playing it in 2023 almost immediately after its release. I spent 30 hours in the game, did everything you need to do in order to beat the final boss...and then I dropped it in early May and never got back around to truly finishing it. After playing Coromon, I decided it was also time I put this other beast to rest. In all fairness it had been about a year and a half since my last playthrough, so I started a completely new file from the beginning to make sure I was refreshed on the full Cassette Beasts experience.

Cassette Beasts, like Coromon, has a really phenomenal amount of work put into its artwork. Every single monster is fully and energetically animated, with attacking, hurt, and sleeping animations for all 129 monsters (in the base game). There are also full dialogue sprites with a range of expressions for every remotely important NPC in the game, and it makes each bit of interaction feel more significant and engaging. There are some caveats to the visuals which I'll elaborate more near the end, but overall, the effort on display is incredible and all the 2D artwork looks great. The monster designs in particular manage to be unique in ways I really appreciate; it's really easy for mon-games to fall into the trap of just making most of their catalogue "just a real-life animal but... red, or maybe blue" and I feel like Cassette Beasts manages to avoid that trap and is consistently creative with their real-life inspirations.

One of the first things you might notice about Cassette Beasts is that all of its battles are in "Double" format; i.e. you control two different characters at once, facing one or two enemy characters; usually fighting 2-on-2. Those were always my favorite in the Pokémon games, and having an entire game of it does not disappoint. I also really like how much there is to the combat system; the way different types interact with each other is complex without being too hard to remember. Whenever you encounter a new mechanic you haven't seen before, like status effects such as Poisoned or Burned, a tutorial tip will show up to explain how the specific mechanic works, which helps a lot to evenly introduce the player to everything as it becomes relevant. In summary, the battling system is designed well and very fun to play around with.

One of the other things you might note about Cassette Beasts is that it boasts a "fusion" mechanic, something rather coveted in Pokemon spaces (so much so that there is a volunteer-driven fangame dedicated to the concept), making it a perfectly understandable feature of a game trying to go above and beyond the existing fusion-related ideas Pokemon has to offer. Unfortunately, while this idea is relatively well-implemented in gameplay, it wasn't anything very interesting either--every possible combination of monsters are fuse-able, and every fusion has a custom animated sprite, which is a jaw-dropping amount of work, but because of the huge amount of them these fusions tend to be very simple blob-looking combinations, often with "copy-pasted" elements. Shortcuts like these are extremely understandable given the workload, but aren't very compelling to look at. Since textually these "fusions" occur when the player character and a given NPC have a strong bond, maybe taking the time to design a single complex, unique fusion for each NPC instead of every single actual combination--quality over quantity--may have been a better choice.

The pacing...let's talk about it. The game doesn't waste any time hitting you with its complete premise and then throwing you out into the open world within the first hour. This feels pretty breakneck, but I suppose I appreciate that it seems to be trying not to waste your time...though I think a game should ideally make you enjoy even the starting tutorial-y parts of the game. Unfortunately, the game never really stops feeling breakneck, since it is an open world game with quests that you can technically complete at any time. Pretty much the whole map is accessible to you immediately, gatekept only by obtainable abilities scattered throughout that have no hard level or progression barrier. The game then becomes a series of frantic grocery check-listing: run back and forth from one destination to another, fast-travel repeatedly because it's the most cost-efficient option for healing, snap up every new objective the game puts in front of you...wander aimlessly until an NPC hands you another quest or hint about something you should probably be doing right now. This formula is what actually caused me to drop off of Cassette Beasts for so long back in 2023; once you reach the endgame, the quests dry out almost completely, and I just... ran out of momentum. Not to mention, that's around the time the game will start increasing your chance of finding bootlegs- the "shinies" of this particular title, which have a random typing and better moves than the average beast. My last hours on that save file were spent trawling the world map for these random bootleg encounters under some vague pretense of preparing for the final boss, before I realized how pointless it would be to raise a monster from scratch when I already have a fleshed-out team from the previous 25 hours of playing...and then I had no willpower left to cross the finish line, so I dropped it and moved on. On my more recent attempt, I was able to mostly ignore the bootlegs (still compulsively catching every one I found of course -- maybe one day shiny Pokémon just won't be a thing in these games and I can be free) and got all the way to the final boss and got to see the ending, which I enjoyed and wish I had just gone ahead and seen in 2023, but… it still felt like it was hard to really sit still and savor the world of Cassette Beasts; there's always something I ought to be getting over with instead. It could honestly sometimes be more of a nauseating chore than a thing I wanted to do.

...Actually, it took me two play sessions and a total of 50 hours to realize this, but I think the game actually made me motion sick for a majority of the time I was playing it. A previous version of this review was a bit more harsh (as harsh as I'm comfortable being, anyway) but I realized after looking it up and seeing some other reports of the same issue that it's likely more a fault of the way the game's lights and camera are functioning than anything else it features. I almost never get sick playing video games, so I'm honestly not exactly sure why it was happening, but I suspect it's something about the 3D backgrounds with 2D sprites, as well as the ways the camera shakes and sometimes swerves quickly in 90 degree increments. I feel like the game would have looked nicer (and been less nauseating) if the world map was in 2D with a stricter player movement limit, with less room for janky collision and puzzle malfunctioning, but I also understand that would have likely been much harder to implement. The music is a small part of this, but I also feel like the addition of vocals to existing instrumental tracks in certain areas and conditions made me get tired of hearing said tracks over and over very quickly; more songs to rotate through may have helped this, but I feel like the vocals were best isolated to the fusion battles, and even those ones start to get repetitive eventually.

Finally, I want to wrap up by talking about the story, because I feel like Cassette Beasts has a great story with an interesting cast of characters, but it's also very brief in total, and it often pulls its punches when it feels like there's something interesting about to take place. For example, one of the NPCs you can fight alongside in battles--I'll call these “companions”--is an ex-member of a cult that still actively occupies the island you're stranded on. Not only that, but she was essentially a high-ranking member with a good degree of participation and control over the cult’s activities; sounds serious and complicated. But dig deeper and you come to realize that the cult is little more than a paparazzi club for a guy who intentionally resembles a talk show personality, and the only real negative impact they have on themselves and others is the fact they hoard a small bit of land far away from anybody else, and are generally antisocial. Your companion will still act like she can never be forgiven for her involvement, to which your character will have two options of response that both say "it's okay, you're not a bad person"... which is true, because it seems like she never did anything of particular consequence. I don't think any of Cassette Beasts has to be gritty or serious or troubling; my favorite companion quest is the one where an artist's character from middle school has come to life and wants his validation, which is quite silly and fun, while also having real emotion to it. But it feels like sometimes the game dips it's toes into more serious topics with purpose--cults and depression/suicidal ideation being the standouts from the companion questlines--but then quickly retreats or covers itself with jokes before it can really make a proper impact, and I find that disappointing. (I do wonder if maybe these companions have their more potentially "undesirable" edges sanded off because 5 out of 6 of them are romanceable.) But aside from the companions, I really enjoyed the main storyline of the game, and the different "Archangels" you'll meet were the highlights of my visual and gameplay experience. The ending was satisfying and, in my opinion, nice and sappy in the best ways. I love a good story about alternate worlds and strange creatures and people rising to overcome any challenge. I really enjoyed the time spent exploring that with Cassette Beasts; my main criticism is that a lot of the rest of the game feels like a winding distraction away from this solid core conceit. Maybe in a more concise game a playthrough would take a nice 10 hours rather than 20...or maybe I would play longer instead in a game that makes you feel better about taking it slow.

Despite the criticisms I've had in this review, it is truly amazing to see the work small independent teams are doing nowadays, making titles that rival triple-A studio efforts. Especially when it comes to Pokemon, which has found itself producing increasingly unimpressive games over recent years, but also in general, as big game companies across the board rush to get messy products out the door, there's a great opportunity for indie devs to rise to fill the gaps of quality these studios have left empty. It is no small feat to do, but Coromon and Cassette Beasts shoot for the moon anyway, and I think they stick the landing quite well in their own rights. My criticisms are made partly in the hopes that they will be useful feedback for whoever comes along looking to make their own Pokemon-inspired title, be it these studios in sequels, or a newcomer to the game. These two games are fine candidates for someone looking to have a new, fresh experience with the classic monster-catching formula they enjoy; if either interest you, check them out below!

Coromon is available for $19.99 on: Steam, GOG, Nintendo Switch; $4.99 on App Store , Google Play

Cassette Beasts is available for $19.99 on: Steam , Nintendo Switch, Xbox / Xbox Game Pass