#Best Communication Skills Courses in 2024

[onlineenglishclass]

Explore the top-rated Communication Skills Courses of 2024. Master effective communication strategies, boost interpersonal skills, and excel in professional and personal spheres. Elevate your communication game today!

[luxurious-realty3]

[felassan]

EA site update:

"The Dread Wolf Rises Dragon Age Day 2023 Happy DA Day to our friends across Thedas!"

"[Mark] Dragon Age has always been a franchise about characters. Characters to fall in love with or to learn to loath. Those characters need a place in which to live, to fight, and to love—a place that shapes them and the events they find themselves swept up in. Today we explore the place they call home that forms the stage for everything that you do: Thedas. Corinne and the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf team have created a game that celebrates the rich and varied past of the franchise while crafting new experiences and stories. It has been incredible to come back to BioWare and see all of the progress they’ve made, and I’m excited for some of that world to be shared with all of you today. [Corinne] Thank you, Mark! I fondly remember playing each entry in the Dragon Age franchise, being completely immersed and enamored in the world you all had built. It amazes me to be here now, working alongside you and the team, to bring new stories and characters (not to mention a few returning characters) to all of the fans of the franchise. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is the product of hard work and love. We know how much this world means to all of you, how these experiences stay with you. We want to get it right, so we’ve taken our time. We're so excited to join in this celebration of all things Dragon Age and the incredible fandom that surrounds it. Within the dev team, we’ve been eagerly awaiting Dragon Age Day as the enthusiasm, stories, charity, and artwork you share motivates us to be our best and create new experiences for all of you. To celebrate DA Day, we’re sharing a look at a few of the in-game locations you’ll explore on this new adventure (and perhaps a little more for those who listen closely). The stage is set. The Dread Wolf is ready to make his move. Oh, and one last thing before I go… In summer 2024, we’ll be fully revealing Dragon Age: Dreadwolf to you! We honestly can’t wait. See you all in Thedas, — Corinne Busche, Game Director & Mark Darrah, Sr Production Advisor"

"You’ve visited the lands of Thedas thrice before in our games and many more times in comics, books, art, and short stories. This time, you’ll be venturing to places unseen and returning to places from long ago. To celebrate Dragon Age Day, we wanted to show you some of those sights. [link to new trailer] We stand on the precipice of change. This is a world brimming with stories and characters waiting to meet you. The fate of this world teeters on the edge of a knife. In past games, you only got to see a slice of the world. In Origins, it was Ferelden—a land ravaged by war and Dark Spawn. In II, it was Kirkwall and its locales—festering with corruption and a dark underworld. And in Inquisition, you ventured across much of Orlais—facing down political intrigue as often as combat."

"This time, however, much more of Thedas is yours to see. The desolate, beautiful badlands of the Anderfels with curtains of distant mountainous spires. The twisting canals and gleaming towers of Antiva, where Crows may lurk in any shadow. The turquoise seas of Rivain with its rushes of greenery and hardy sea-faring people. And of course, there’s more."

"We felt this was best for the tale we wanted to tell this time and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have! It’s allowed us to create many more locations than past games, including both some you’ve longed to go to…and some you’ve never heard of before!"

"To help capture the wonders of Thedas, we partnered with three wonderful artists from our exceptionally talented community and gave them an early look at what you’ve now seen. We’ve always been so fortunate to have such an incredibly skilled community of artists, and getting to work with these three was a true joy! We asked each of them to create a vista of one of the three regions in the video based on their interpretation of it in their own unique styles. Please enjoy their wonderful work, and be sure to send them some love when you check out their personal channels for more of their art!" [link to art]

"Turning our focus to your closest kitchen, if you’re looking for a fun gift this holiday season or want to try some Thedosian dishes yourself, we’ve got you covered with Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas from our partners, Insight Editions! This project was lovingly crafted by the author, Jessie Hasset, as well as members of our team who have an affinity for the kitchen and a love of cuisine."

"The cookbook features recipes suited to all skill levels, but we know that jumping in may be a daunting task for some. To help you out, we’ve partnered with MisoHungrie, a wonderful YouTuber who specializes in cooking, with a particular knack for video game and entertainment-related dishes. If you’re looking for a place to start on your culinary journey, check out his video and follow along. And be sure to let us know what you think of these Thedosian delights! In addition to this, there are two giveaways you should keep an eye out for! For the first, our friends over at Insight Editions are giving away five copies of the cookbook on their social channels, so be sure to check them out. And it doesn’t end there. For those of you who decide to try your hand at making a culinary delight from the book (including one of the ones we’ve released separately), be sure to follow our own Dragon Age social channels for the second giveaway. Keep an eye out for the opportunity to submit your creation for a chance to win a BioWare Gear Store package, including the brand-new Morrigan romance bundle! Details on that giveaway will be posted next week."

"As we mentioned earlier this year, we’ve partnered with Dark Horse to create a digital package of all their comics for Dragon Age and Mass Effect on Humble Bundle. Visit the Humble Bundle page to find out how our partners are working to support Child’s Play, an organization that seeks to make the lives of children in hospitals more comfortable through the enjoyment of games. There’s no better time than the holidays to bring a smile to someone’s face. BioWare is also supporting a few local charities this month that focus on helping the most vulnerable in our communities via food banks. This includes the Edmonton Food Bank, the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, Les Banques alimentaires au Québec, and the Central Texas Food Bank. All of them provide food to thousands of people each month and rely on kindhearted donations and volunteers. If you’re wanting to give back this holiday season, please consider supporting Child’s Play or donating to your local food banks. Many communities also accept non-monetary donations of canned, dried, and packaged goods, clothing, and other useful supplies. However you choose to support those in need, know that every bit helps and can make a big difference in someone’s life, whether they’re in your community or around the world."

"An insult that he took as a badge of pride. An insult to inspire hope in his friends and fear in his enemies. That is what Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, truly is. Not a man who sees himself as evil, but someone who believes he’s fighting for a good cause and is willing to get his hands dirty. This long-awaited chapter of Dragon Age is fast approaching—the time close at hand. We’ll see you next summer with answers to your questions, including ones you have yet to ask. With that will come our full reveal including new trailers, gameplay, and—of course—the long-awaited release date. The Dread Wolf will rise once more and we’ll have much more to share with you as we approach Summer 2024. Please keep an eye on our social channels for all the latest information on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s reveal and beyond. Know this, though: The Dread Wolf has not been idle these past years. His reach is far, and soon his plans will come to fruition—a cataclysmic rejoining of magic and realms hundreds of years in the making. Will you be able to stop him? We hope so. Always believing in you,             — The Dragon Age Team"

[source and full post]

[seafoamreadings]

week of may 26th, 2024

these are written predominantly for the *rising* signs but they are also intuitively "channeled" enough that they should work for any dominant energy you have! (try your sun if you don't know rising, or more advanced readers can try moon, anywhere you have a stellium, etc and see what works best for you!)

aries: although mars gets entangled with ceres in a less than optimal way this week, otherwise the transits are quite friendly for you. they encourage you to be friendly too. if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all, but if you can, then go out and be seen and have a good time. just be sure not to neglect your needs.

taurus: distinctly airier vibe may not be your preferred speed but it's actually good for your money and resources as long as you can exercise self control. mercury reaches the last degrees of your sign, makes a hyper-technological-futuristic meetup with uranus, and then next week joins your 2nd house pileup for great results in all manner of exchanges.

gemini: even if you don't consider yourself much a fan of the limelight you're nonetheless set up to sparkle this week. literal glitter is auspicious. but not all that glitters is gold; if something seems too good to be true or overly superficial, it's ok to pass it over.

cancerians: like it or not, even if you remain unaware of it, you're doing soul and shadow work this week. but especially later in the week if you can tap into jupiter trine pluto you become a veritable magician. all the tools you need are at your disposal.

leo: quite possibly you feel a bit flat or dimmed out this week. but gemini activity brightens up your social circles. seek support from your friends and network. if that's not very forthcoming it's a good sign to fortify those circles.

virgo: mars squares ceres and then mercury trines it this week, challenging your health or how you care for your body as well as pushing you to communicate these types of needs with the people who matter to you. you may need help from spirit guides more than from human beings, though, and you may also have your ailments put somewhat more in the spotlight than you might prefer. in the end, it's for the best, one way or another, no matter how to the contrary it seems in the moment.

libra: this week sees you thriving, on the condition that you build from your past mistakes or wisdom and head into the future boldly and equipped with experiential knowledge. blindly fumbling onward does not do justice to your keen skills of discernment.

scorpio: there is certainly some magic in things that superficially seem frivolous. are they really? enjoy small things and watch them grow into big and important things. meanwhile, build a safe haven out of your home for yourself - and maybe for a new pet, as such friendship is auspicious for you now. if not, you can certainly at least care for the local spirits of nature, right?

sagittarius: your relationships remain a central focus. commitment may seem to materialize in places you thought you never wanted it to. meanwhile you get a lot of financial support through your relationships, or a lover turns out to be such a valuable resource you'll wonder how you managed without them.

capricorn: of course ceres is still hanging out in your sign and even in retrograde is a fruitful blessing. she is challenged by mars this week so do not overdo anything. do what you must and stop, and then only do what's pleasurable and lights you up. she's also augmented by mercury at around the same time, so good conversations are a rich source of spiritual nutrition.

aquarius: your position in your daily life is strengthened throughout the week but probably not in any way that seems particularly vigorous, and even less so if you're not intentionally having a good time. even if times are hard, you have to be focusing on even the tiniest positives.

pisces: if you're interested in healing generational trauma/curses/genetic illnesses/etc, this is a good time to do it with the benefics, the sun, and soon mercury all on your side. if that's not an issue, work to resolve any conflicts with roommates or your family of origin, your landlord, the structure of your home itself.

[biasbuck]

BiAsBuck’s ficrec Fridays

Happy Friday everyone! I'm back again with another round of the fic I've been reading this week (when I wasn't busy reading Chuck Tingle's excellent satirical Hollywood horror novel Bury Your Gays). ALSO I've just got to 7x04 in my complete series rewatch, let's go, lfg!!! You can find previous rec lists here.

23 August 2024

the parts we play by @calinaannehart ok I know I recced this last week but it's finished now and it stuck the landing SO beautifully and seriously if you've not yet read this Buck is a Hollywood actor shadowing the 118 much to Eddie's initial frustration au fic then what are you doing? It's beautifully characterised, has such fun multimedia elements, and all the perfect romcom beats whilst also just being a glorious celebration of the firefam and Buck and Eddie. Read it!

piece by piece, rubble to rubble by @sharpbutsoft 'Christopher Diaz doesn’t believe in hell, but if he did, he thinks it might resemble back-to-school shopping at Westfield Mall with his Dad and Buck.' in which Chris is frustrated by his own descent into teenagerdom and the pitfalls of clothes shopping, Eddie is a very patient loving Dad, Buck helps, and things go very wrong. A satisfying 'trapped hurt/comfort leads to will reveal' scenario, with Buck and Chris bonding and being brave in the face of danger and uncertainty.

from the ashes by @exhuastedpigeon sees Eddie post-season 7 finding inspiration amongst a burned out art studio, and picks up a creative skill he put away as a teen. I really loved seeing him reconnect with a part of himself he'd hidden and the emotions it brought out, as well as the descriptions of how he captures all the colours and landscape of his family and heart through his art. This feels like a lovely unintentional companion piece to be read alongside when i see stars, that's all they are by @ithilien-writes which I recommended last week in which Eddie takes poetry lessons and I just love how we're all in agreement that Eddie is in need of some art therapy, community and creative expression to unrepress those feelings.

you're almost home (i've been waiting for you to come in) by @sibylsleaves roommates fic! In which Buck moves in with Eddie after he and Taylor split, Eddie has a revelation at Hen & Karen's vow renewal and comes out, domestic bliss ensues, and then Buck gets extremely in his head about it. A delicious mix of uhauling and slow burn, with angst, fluff and yearning galore. (I also really liked James in this, how do we manifest him, he was such a great oc.)

of waterfalls by @standback ballet dancer Eddie!!! In which Buck goes to physical therapy at the gym and is infuriated by how hot and good Eddie is, of course. But soon they become best friends and support each other along the way. With twists and turns from Eddie not being part of the 118, and some really lovely world building into Eddie's dancer world. I LOVE this concept, and particularly how Shannon was incorporated into the backstory that got them there in a way that was so seamless. When the dream belongs to someone else, how do you know where to draw the line? When do you let yourself find a new dream?

PS - quick one this week as it's been a busy one, but insert usual call out for more henren fic here. Feel free to self rec! And please share and reblog :)

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo 2023 wrap-up

And finally, after the hectic period of Christmas and the New Year, we are here and ready for our wrap-up!

Warning: this devlog may include some typos. As per usual!

Honestly, I can't believe we are here. This year has been wild for so many reasons. We have made so much progress, perhaps not as much as we would have wanted, but we have come really far. I'm very proud of my team and thankful for the people we have met this year that have made this journey easier.

So...let's see what we have done this year and our plans for 2024!

✦ First of all, we made our itch.io page debut!

And this was perhaps the hugest milestone for us. It got a wonderful reception even if there's nothing to play yet, so we can't be grateful enough for that. This of course includes the key art and the screenshots we managed to get ready for the itchio page!

✦ We launched our official webpage!

Another amazing milestone for us! I remember tirelessly working with Raquel for weeks to get this done the way we wanted it to be.

✦ We welcomed our editor, Allie Vera, to our team!

They are not only a marvelous person but someone I'm having the privilege to learn from. Her editing skills are amazing and the script has done nothing but improve since we got it in her hands. We have started editing together and she has been working so, so hard, I'll be doing my best to keep up. Please send a lot of love their way, because they deserve it!

✦ We began working on the CGs!

Raquel has been working super hard and right now we have five CGs ready and one in process. The last one will likely be ready for next month, and with that the CGs for the demo will be finished!

✦ The UI was implemented and it's fully functional!

For someone who was a total stranger to programming, I think I've done a good job this past year! The game menus finally look like they should (with a bit of changes needed here and there) and everything is working well. I'm sure the code could be optimized greatly, but for now I'm happy with how it is (as my skills are, well, what they are!).

✦ We finished the demo script and have started the editing process!

That was a huge step for us as many changes were done to the script before we could consider it done. We sadly had to cut chunks of content because we felt like, for a demo, it was better to get to the juicy parts and meet the LI's as soon as possible. Some adaptations had to be made, some ideas had to be scratched, but here we are now, with a finished script ready to be coded, and being edited by Allie!

✦ We got some nice backgrounds done!

Work on backgrounds has been slower than we would have wanted to, but taking into consideration we were studying a master (that was pretty hard on us) and there's only four of us, I'd say it's a victory! There's still some backgrounds left, but as Astro and Raquel work on that, there's other areas of the game that keep moving forward.

✦ We opened a ko.fi page!

This was one of our 2023 goals, so high-five!

✦ We met amazing people, made new friends, and learned from a lot of fellow devs!

What a ride has it been! People I used to admire from a distance, enjoying their projects and gushing over them, are now part of my personal life. A lot of fellow devs have come forward in 2023 with new projects, new inspiring and incredible ideas, and we have been supported by all of them and welcomed as if we had always been a part of the Indie visual novel community.

Just to name a few of inspiring and amazing devs, the sweet folks at Foxglove Games (who have released Trouble Comes Twice!), Velvet Cupcake Games and their progress with Made Marion, Best Laid Plain Productions and their amazing work with Save the Villainness, and of course our beloved Crescence Studio with Alaris and Intertwine, which now has an Extended Edition!

As per usual, Lem (Crescence) has a special spot in this devlog because they have been the absolute highlight of this year. What a loving, sweet, amazing and creative individual. We all are very lucky to have them with us, but specially me; their friendship has meant so much for me this year, and I hope we can only grow closer with time! I LOVE YOU LEM!! 💜

✦ On a personal note...

On the personal side of things, I got diagnosed with OCD in late November. I had been suffering the symptoms since July, knowing something was wrong but thinking it would pass. It has changed my life and the way I see things and myself, and I'm on a long journey that has, unfortunately, affected my work on Lost in Limbo. I have not worked as much as I had planned, but I'm lucky to have my friends, my family and my partner, who are walking this path with me.

I'm sharing this because I think it's important. My experience will hopefully give someone who is reading this the push to seek help; I thought it was nothing and I ended up going through the hardest year of my life. Thankfully, I now have the help I need; I have been going to therapy since October, been diagnosed, and I'm now on my way to learn to live with OCD and heal from it. Some days are harder than others, but I'll get there! 💜

On a happier note, Astro and I will be adopting a cat from a shelter very very soon, if things go as planned! Raquel has taken the plunge and opened a sticker store! She has been doing great so far and is overworked but happy. We are so proud of her!

Also, we finally, FINALLY had the chance to get together for New Year's Eve and celebrate together after more than seven years of friendship! Sadly Kayden couldn't make it in the end because of COVID, but hopefully this is the beginning of a lot of years of celebrating together!

Mostly, the team and I have been doing fine, all things considered. Astro wants you all to now that even if he's not very active on social media, he appreciates your support a lot and will do his best to return that love! Thank you all for your support through the year, as always 💜

We had a bunch of goals set for 2023, and my God if they weren't ambitious. This year has taught us a lot about limits, about being realistic with our expectations and with the amount of work needed for a visual novel, and has overall humbled us.

There's one sprite remaining, the LI's expressions, plus one CG and finishing the backgrounds that need a bit more polishing. That and editing the script into its final state and code it accordingly.

With that being said, I want to be positive and say the demo may be ready for April - May, but I don't know if that'll be possible. We made the mistake of being too excited and too positive when it came to the work we would be able to do, and we apologize for that. We are still learning and we hope you can still support us and make this journey with us as you have been doing since we started.

Still, the demo WILL release this year. That is for sure. As we keep working —and the team has been working very, very hard— we'll decide when the demo will release, giving it time to be beta tested, sent to streamers who are interested, etc.

So the main objective of this year is...

✦ Release the demo!

Obvious, right? But with it comes some smaller goals!

✦ Code the script!

The editing process is going well —thanks to Allie who works tirelessly, honestly— so I hope I can step on the gas and get those corrections done as soon as possible!

✦ Finish all the assets!

As soon as Raquel is done with the CGs, we'll start working on the expressions together (I have already been toying with it) and the remaining sprite. Astro will finish the remaining backgrounds!

✦ Open a casting call for our LIs!

We want the demo to be at least partially voiced. When the whole script is done and more or less coded, we'll open a casting call to give our LIs what will be their official voices for the whole game. What an adventure!

✦ Open our steam page!

Pretty self-explanatory, but there it is!

What a year, huh? We have worked so much and so hard while studying, and that studies are now over. This year has been one of self-discovery, of new challenges, of some goodbyes and some new faces and friends. My only wish for 2024 is for it to be gentler to everyone. Hopefully we can all heal from whatever hurt us in 2023, laugh a lot with our loved ones, and learn more about ourselves and our lives in this 2024! 💜

With that being said, thank you for reading once more, and let us hope this year brings us a lot of amazing games and memories! 💜

[myfirstgamejam]

My First Game Jam 2024 is on!

The optional theme is: “Light”

Here’s a few tips and links to get the most out of the jam.

Make a dev log on the community!

A development blog is a blog in which a game developer or team talks about the process they’ve made over the course of the game’s creation. Maintaining a devblog keeps your audience in the know and helps facilitate productivity so you’ll have something to blog about. It also serves as a record of problems you encounter as well as the solutions you find for those problems.

Development logs are essentially the same thing, except we’ll be using the jam forums rather than a blog. However, you are free to use both the forums and your own blog as you develop your game.

Doing so is not necessary at all, but check out all the logs from last jam! In order to get the most out of your jam experience, it is vital that you interact with your fellow jammers and the community surrounding it. They’ll provide valuable feedback and support to help you along the way. So please, we encourage you to mingle, post in other logs, and of course post your own!

In addition, you are encouraged to add images and gifs. Here’s some programs to help facilitate that:

ScreenToGif

Licecap

Start your dev log today!

Respect your community!

Take a moment to review our code of conduct. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment, and we appreciate your efforts to make our community welcoming for everyone!

Post daily updates!

Post screenshots or fun mishaps to your dev log, twitter, tumblr, or your own blog to track your progress and get feedback. Tag your posts as #MyFirstGameJam so other jammers can find your work! To get the most exposure you can also tag #gamedev or #ScreenshotSaturday for Saturdays! Share your work and link back to your devlog to get feedback.

Manage your time and tasks!

We have a list of of useful time and task management tools for staying on top of your project. Set goals early and keep track of how fast it takes you to reach them!

Use our resources!

Still deciding on an engine? No problem. Check out this post to see what fits your project best or try the sortingh.at!

We have also started migrating our resource lists over to a new jam resources wiki! Here's some direct page links:

Unity resources

Godot resources

Gamemaker resources

RPGMaker resources

Ren'py resources

Twine resources

Free assets

Resources tag on blog

If you still have questions about the jam itself, take a look at our rules page!

Join the jam chat!

Want to share your work or ask for help? Or even just take a break from dev? Join discord chat here! (Please note you must be at least 14 years old to join!) Feel free to say hi and share your work! If you need help with a specific skill or engine, you can @/Unity or @/2D Art to notify mentors. If you think you would like to help other people with some part of games–join us as a mentor! You can get notifications when someone has a question about engines or skills you have expertise in!

Here’s a quick guide to how you can become a mentor.

Heed advice from previous jammers

This jam we took the time to write up a quick summary of advice from previous jammers: Know how to scope.

You can read about the number one game jam killer here!

Take care of yourself!

Game-making can be exhausting as well as rewarding! You are more important than your work, and we compiled a list of helpful tools for getting the most out of you!

Aaaand good luck!

Game dev can be exciting, frustrating, and extremely rewarding. We hope to give you the tools to help you succeed in your goals in the next two weeks!

[simslegacy5083]

Not So Berry (Straud Descendants) Gen 9

Today's (8/13/2024) Episode: Making The Pitch

When Luigi put his mind to something it usually wasn’t long before he’d achieved his goal, and his proposal for Noemi’s boss was no exception.

Working late into the night he outlined his idea for a new life sim. He’d played Sims Forever since he was young and had been programming mods to enhance his gameplay almost as long. The popularity of those mods made him confident that he understood what would appeal to other gamers.

Noemi had been right that Luigi’s name being attached to the project would get her bosses attention.

Her supervisor had looked skeptical when she’d dropped a proposal from her fiancée off that morning, but by lunchtime Patricia caught her in the breakroom with quite a different attitude. “I looked into your boy’s plan.” She said, wolfing down a quick sandwich between meetings.

“A respected Sims Forever modder with a couple other claims to fame developing a competitor to the classic game?” She rapped her knuckles on the table for emphasis and pointed. “Get him here ASAP for a meeting with me and Daniel from investment! I’m positive the community will eat this up.”

A couple days later Luigi found himself in the conference room of Rainy Day’s downtown headquarters. He and Noemi worked for different branches of the same parent company, and he’d met her boss a couple times in passing, but the investment guy was new to him.

Used to public performances he was at ease, smiling brightly as he shook hands and settled down across from the other two sims.

“So…” Patrica began “I read your proposal and I’m intrigued. I want to hear more about what you think you can bring to the table to set your game apart from Sims Forever. We’ll want to attract its audience and bring in new players – how do you intend to do that”?

As he’d gotten older Luigi had learned how to use his cheerful nature to his advantage. To that end he didn’t attempt to hide his enthusiasm, letting his excitement shine through and captivating his audience as he launched into an explanation.

"Sims Forever has been my favorite videogame for as long as I can remember. I love it, but I’m also very aware of what it lacks, the things I got into modding to fix. I want to develop a game that has options for more control, and more chaos. One with randomly generated NPCs that didn’t dress themselves in the dark, who have skills and backstories to match their traits and preferences.” 

Luigi paused to take a breath, but before he could continue Daniel held up a hand to stop him. "I've heard enough. Your project writeup outlined this quite nicely. It’s clear you have the passion to execute your vision; and I’ll be counting on Noemi here to manage the team needed to back you up."

Luigi gave Daniel a sincerely thankful smile as they discussed the contractual details, but Patricia didn’t let him escape on a high note.

"Before you go, there is one issue we need to talk about. You got yourself into quite the pickle the other night with that little mouse fiasco. I trust the PR department is helping you clean up that mess?“ She looked at him expectantly as he did his best to suppress a flash of irritation and shame. 

"Of course," he lied "they're all over it.“ In reality, the “damage control” team were all over him to address it publicly, but he’d been stonewalling them. He’d hoped the whole thing would just blow over in time without requiring him to take an active and risky role in repairing his reputation.

 As he and Noemi walked out to grab lunch, Luigi’s excitement at his win was dampened by worrying about what he was going to say to the team’s publicist later that evening. It looked like he was going to need to cooperate with them after all.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[ms-m-astrologer]

Transiting Juno enters Libra

Friday, August 9 - Sunday, November 3, 2024

Caveat: this may not have a big impact on you personally unless Juno is prominent in your birth chart (closely in aspect to the Sun, the Moon, &/or an angle).

As you would expect, Juno loves to be in Libra. She’s powerful here in a “traditional” sense, working through the existing systems and structures to achieve her goals. Juno’s transit through Libra gives us a push toward equality and justice, as well as toward beauty and balance. In Juno’s areas:

All one-to-one relationships - equality is, I hope, the ruling principle. (Sometimes it’s social climbing.)

Protocol and social ritual - I would hope we take a more G B Shaw approach (Pygmalion): “The great secret, Eliza, is not having bad manners or good manners or any other particular sort of manners, but having the same manner for all human souls: in short, behaving as if you were in Heaven, where there are no third-class carriages, and one soul is as good as another.”

The powerless (women, battered wives, abused children, minorities, disabled, victims) - justice!

The atmosphere (weather, climate, storms) - straight line winds, usually. Concerns about air quality.

In every Libra placement’s life, comes a choice between what is superficially attractive, and what is deeper but less pretty. We misuse this transit by manipulating people and situations to get our own way; by “both siderism” (as the US press calls it); and by glossing over aor ignoring life’s less pleasant aspects. Honesty is the best policy, especially when conveyed in a thoughtful manner.

Saturday, August 10 - Juno/Libra trine Pluto Rx/Aquarius, 0°26’. Empowerment. We can establish deeply transformative relationships.

Tuesday, August 13 - Juno/Libra semi-sextile Mercury Rx/Virgo, 1°14’. Second of three; a niggling nagging feeling which may not clear up for a while.

Wednesday, August 28 - Juno/Libra (6°24’) semi-square Mercury Rx/Leo (21°24’). Very frustrating for communications; it’s like a minor irritation that balloons exponentially if we don’t stop and breathe through it.

Thursday, August 29 - Juno/Libra semi-sextile Sun/Virgo, 6°17’. More niggling, nagging feelings. We know we could do better.

Saturday, August 31 - Sunday, September 1:

Juno/Libra square Ceres/Capricorn, 7°34’

Juno/Libra opposite North Node/Aries, conjunct South Node/Libra, 7°55’

A simple way to look at this is to imagine conflict between one’s spouse and one’s parent. Different ways of doing things that don’t seem to have common ground. Tendency to manipulate family to get what we want, instead of being open and straightforward.

Tuesday, September 3 - Juno/Libra (8°23’) semi-square Mercury/Leo (23°23’). Third of three. If we’ve had some habitual way of communicating, we realize that not everyone is charmed by it.

Friday, September 6 - Juno/Libra conjunct Venus/Libra, 9°26’. Aw jeez! Very romantic, of course. Be sure that, if you must wear rose-colored glasses, your feet are firmly on the ground. Can also be manipulative.

Saturday, September 14 - Juno/Libra (12°12’) sesquiquad Uranus Rx/Taurus (27°12’). Pushing for radical change, but the timing is off.

Tuesday, September 17 - Juno/Libra semi-sextile Mercury/Virgo, 13°20’. Third of three, and by now we’re aware of where our communication skills are lacking.

Saturday, September 21 - Juno/Libra inconjunct Saturn Rx/Pisces, 14°59’. Painful reality we would rather not face, but need to adjust to.

Sunday, October 6 - Thursday, October 10:

Juno/Libra semi-sextile Vesta/Virgo, 20°07’

Juno/Libra conjunct Mercury/Libra, 20°43’

Juno/Libra trine Jupiter Rx/Gemini, 21°20’

Juno/Libra opposite Chiron Rx/Aries, 21°25’

Juno/Libra semi-sextile Venus/Scorpio, 21°45’

The main thing here is Jupiter sextile Chiron, and the opportunity for learning and healing. Juno gives that energy some perspective, and Mercury helps negotiate.

Wednesday, October 16 - Juno/Libra conjunct Sun/Libra, 23°25’. The beginning of a new Sun-Juno cycle. Good for integrating Juno energy into our basic identity.

Saturday, October 19 - Juno/Libra opposite Eris Rx/Aries, 24°55’. The day before Kamala Harris’ birthday! Andre Kahr (ProActive Astrology on YouTube) has talked about the Vice President representing Eris warrior energy. This opposition demands social justice for all.

Wednesday, October 23 - Juno/Libra inconjunct Uranus Rx/Taurus, 26°14’. Unexpected events demand adjustments. We struggle to balance our need for independence with our need for a partner.

Sunday, October 27 - Monday, October 28:

Juno/Libra inconjunct Neptune Rx/Pisces, 27°35’

Juno/Libra (27°57’) semi-square Venus/Sagittarius (12°57’)

Juno/Libra (27°58’) sesquiquad Saturn Rx/Pisces (12°58’)

The main thing here is the Venus/Sag - Saturn Rx/Pisces square, with Juno providing annoyance and friction (like a pebble in your shoe). Our timing is off; we’re getting mixed signals, at best. We feel triggered by something.

Saturday, November 2:

Juno/Libra semi-sextile Mercury/Scorpio, 29°45’

Juno/Libra square Pluto/Capricorn, 29°45’

Ending on such a sour note. If we’ve been thwarted, we aren’t very gracious losers; we use our words to destroy. Instead of working on a relationship between equals, we’re indulging in power struggles and toxic emotional blackmail. Use Mercury to think it through clearly.

———————————

Venmo Mary_Brack

PayPal MaryVBrack

Thank you!

[onlineenglishclass]

[intelligencevidyarthi]

Engage your team with fun and interactive group communication activities designed to foster collaboration and strengthen relationships. From icebreakers to problem-solving tasks, these ideas will enhance teamwork.

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 12/02/2024

V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​a​-​V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​r

Season 6 Featured on: SiIvaGunner's Highest Quality Rips: Volume DQ

Rip credited to "Green Monika Takeover"

Requested by crickqt! (Discord)

If you're truly deep in the trenches of SiIvaGunner like I am, then over the course of reading all of these blog posts, you may have noticed a rather...curious omission from my coverage. I've covered jokes both obscure and relevant, storylines big and small, rips of every part of the spectrum from Outertale to Loopdeloop Griddy to Sex - Steve Harvey. Yet all of these have one thing in common: They're all from within the SiIvaGunner channel. And as should perhaps be expected, SiIvaGunner is far from the only place where high quality ripping occurs nowadays.

SiIvaGunner was, of course, not an entirely original concept to begin with - mashups using video game music have existed for ages, and Chaze the Chat himself has made it no secret that the channel was an evolution of a subculture from SoundCloud, inspired heavily by the works of toonlink, as I mentioned back in Aphex. Yet the channel certainly carved out its own niche and style: its presentation as bait-and-switch mimicry of the actual GilvaSunner channel, paired with the mysterious insistence on full anonymity of each rip's creator, gave SiIvaGunner its own feel, one that it would only further refine as the fanbase grew and lore began to develop. For those first nine months, there was nothing else on YouTube like SiIvaGunner.

Yet when the channel's true "ending" was announced in the last quarter of 2016, near the end of Season 1, several people were distraught to see it go after just a few months. And keep in mind, it took until February of 2017 to get any sort of confirmation that SiIvaGunner was actually going to be sticking around beyond occasional events - and before November 2016, we didn't even know if the channel would return at all. So it comes as no surprise that, on October 1st 2016, we'd see the birth of the first true "fan channel" aiming to continue SiIvaGunner's legacy - TimmyTurnersGrandDad. And even as SiIva returned, TTGD grew to form a fanbase of its own, its own smaller community, with many of SiIva's rippers even contributing different things to both channels in parallel.

I'll be completely earnest with you all - the reason I haven't covered fan channels on this blog before is due purely to my own lack of experience with them. I've been glued stuck to SiIva alone since 2016, and the rabbitholes of the various fan channels simply appear too vast and deep to go down the same way I myself do here on this blog for the main channel. But, TTGD aside, there is one fan channel that deserves special mention, one that has quite often intermingled with SiIvaGunner itself and has such an immediately recognizable identity from all others - the namesake of V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​a​-​V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​r itself, Vvvvvavvvvvvr.

To put it concisely, while TTGD aimed to initially be a SiIvaGunner successor, then moved to be more of a SiIvaGunner alternative, the nature of the Vvvvvavvvvvvr channel has always been a fair bit more...dubious. You'll notice it just from clicking on the channel yourself - everything from the profile picture, to the header, to the titles and thumbnails of the videos uploaded to the channel have a far more chaotic, unpolished, almost "trashy" feel to them. This is because, with little exception, Vvvvvavvvvvvr aims to be almost entirely unfiltered - with minimal quality control and a submission process open to anyone, its effectively a big sandbox for rippers of all skill levels to submit to, the output almost best described as the SiIvaGunner equivalent Twitch Plays Pokémon. And much like that phenomenon, Vvvvvavvvvvvr somehow, through the unfiltered voices of hundreds of contributors, managed to find its own voice, its own set of recurring jokes, and eventually develop its own lore to tie it all together.

References to Vvvvvavvvvvvr aren't exactly a rarity on SiIvaGunner, either. The YTPMV Rock my Forum, as featured on LAST YTPMV^2 OF 2016 by ripper Xarlable, eventually took off as Vvvvvavvvvvvr's primary channel meme; almost every time the meme has been referenced on SiIvaGunner since, has been in tribute of the fan channel. V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​a​-​V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​r, then, is no exception - uploaded during the period of which the Vvvvvavvvvvvr had supposedly ended for good, its a loving tribute to just about every joke featured prominently on the channel, in the form of an incredibly varied medley rip. Scatman John, Reese's Puffs Rap, The Michael Rosen Rap, Chadtronic, Rock My Forum - its not as if these memes have never been featured on SiIvaGunner before, but they're (to my understanding!) such core parts of Vvvvvavvvvvvr in particular, that their usage in combination here makes the tribute's intentions clear.

As if that wasn't clear enough, certain segments of the fast-paced C-R-O-W-N-E-D are dedicated to referencing specific Vvvvvavvvvvvr rips (formally "vips") on an individual basis. A section using sentence-mixed AVGN clips, for instance, uses the same clips, sentence mixed in a similar fashion, as Crazy Bus Tylenol. There's references like this strewn all about this dense medley, yet as many in the comments have made clear - none of them get in the way of V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​a​-​V​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​v​-​r just being a fantastic rip on its own, without any context or knowledge of the fan channel itself.

While I don't fall into that category in particular, as I'm of course aware of the fan channels that are more active now than ever - I am still very much an outsider. Yet I've once again been privy to take a peek down the rabbithole through this request, and I learned a lot about Vvvvvavvvvvvr as a result: Its a genuinely valuable platform with a fun and zany community, however small it may appear from the outside looking in. The near complete lack of filter or quality control means that anyone, even you reading, could submit something to the channel, a first step toward a great ripper's journey - a good number of SiIvaGunner's members who first joined around 2018-2021 got their start by contributing things to fan channels just like Vvvvvavvvvvvr. And though I may never become a full-on fan to the same degree I am SiIva itself, I'm of course eternally grateful and happy for their existence - through collaboration and teamwork, these channels help keep the art of high quality ripping alive.

[canticleofcanticlesforleibowitz]

*The Lesbian Herstory Archives has intern positions available for Archives, Library and Information Science Students for Fall/Winter 2024* Interns will be asked to split their time on and off site, working a minimum of 10 hours each week. Iterns will be asked to mask when working in close proximity to others. Project will be assigned according to intern skill sets and LHA's project needs. *Projects*   - *Imaging, Metadata, Rehousing, Processing*: Music (Legacy Formats),   Special Collections, Periodicals, Unpublished Papers, Video Documentation *Requirements:*   - Completion of first semester core courses   - Interest in best practices in archival processing, metadata development,   digital libraries and access services   - Demonstrated interest in lesbian history and activism   - Comfort working with archival materials of a sexual nature.   - Ability to work remotely, independently and maintain regular   communication via gchat, email and attend weekly virtual meetings. *Prefered Skills:* Experience with Microsoft Office 365 , Excel, Google Suite or Zoho; Airtable, Omeka  (Training can be provided) *Application Instructions* Applications must be sent to* dyv.researcher@gmail.com <dyv.researcher@gmail.com>* and must include a *Resume* and *Cover Letter* demonstrating your interest in lesbian studies and archival practices. *One document combined as a PDF*. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be reviewed. *About The Lesbian Herstory Archives* All-volunteer-run since its inception in 1974,  The Lesbian Herstory Archives is home to the world's oldest and largest collection of archival, bibliographic and multimedia materials by and about the diverse lesbian experience. LHA is  501(c)3 , non-profit educational organization with no paid staff and no local or federal government support. We rely solely upon individual donations and private foundation support.  We offer research assistance to academics, artists, filmmakers, authors, individuals and classes. During non-pandemic times, we also provide tours, exhibits, in-house events and a semester-long Lesbian Studies course. We look forward to receiving your applications.

[demifiendrsa]

Thedas Calls - Dragon Age Day (2023)

A full reveal for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is scheduled for summer 2024.

Latest details

Thedas Calls

You’ve visited the lands of Thedas thrice before in our games and many more times in comics, books, art, and short stories. This time, you’ll be venturing to places unseen and returning to places from long ago.

To celebrate Dragon Age Day, we wanted to show you some of those sights.

We stand on the precipice of change. This is a world brimming with stories and characters waiting to meet you. The fate of this world teeters on the edge of a knife. In past games, you only got to see a slice of the world. In Origins, it was Ferelden—a land ravaged by war and Dark Spawn. In II, it was Kirkwall and its locales—festering with corruption and a dark underworld. And in Inquisition, you ventured across much of Orlais—facing down political intrigue as often as combat.

This time, however, much more of Thedas is yours to see. The desolate, beautiful badlands of the Anderfels with curtains of distant mountainous spires. The twisting canals and gleaming towers of Antiva, where Crows may lurk in any shadow. The turquoise seas of Rivain with its rushes of greenery and hardy sea-faring people. And of course, there’s more.

We felt this was best for the tale we wanted to tell this time and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have! It’s allowed us to create many more locations than past games, including both some you’ve longed to go to…and some you’ve never heard of before!

The Places You’ll Go

To help capture the wonders of Thedas, we partnered with three wonderful artists from our exceptionally talented community and gave them an early look at what you’ve now seen. We’ve always been so fortunate to have such an incredibly skilled community of artists, and getting to work with these three was a true joy!

We asked each of them to create a vista of one of the three regions in the video based on their interpretation of it in their own unique styles. Please enjoy their wonderful work, and be sure to send them some love when you check out their personal channels for more of their art!

—“Rivain” by Gabriela Isache

Upon eastern shores and sunkissed sands, the Lords of Fortune no longer hold dominion over the coasts of Rivain—not when dragons are growing bolder and laying waste to their ships.

—“Antiva” by Nipuni

Ever the pinnacle of mystery and intrigue, the Crows watch from the deep shadows of beautiful Antiva. Something, however, is amiss, and they are set on uncovering the source.

—“Anderfels” by Solelle

To the far west, three Grey Wardens patrol the Anderfels. Tremors have been creating disturbances of late. Their cause is unknown. Upon the distant horizon, a storm of ominous intent brews and darkens the skies.

[esotericfaery]

Leo Full Moon, Jan. 26th, 2024

Just days after both Pluto and the Sun enter Aquarius and are still conjunct, bringing in a fresh energy of desire for revolutionary actions (or for some, disgust towards those who practice them), after the intensely driven ambitions of Capricorn Season, we have a full moon in the sign of boldness, confidence, leadership. We still have plenty of Capricorn energy right now, so buckle up. See my Facebook pinned post for more details about that double Aquarius energy.

We have a mix of wanting to invest our energies in organizing or participating in protests, whether socio-politically or personally, and many of us will have the deeply emotional desire to change something about our style, or engage in creative, yet unconventional pursuits.

This Moon is conjunct the Vertex, which, along with the Anti-vertex, forms a culmination angle in the area of romantic fate, or what may seem like fate. This is an area of the chart which stimulates cosmic awareness of unity consciousness. Venus and the Anti-vertex are conjunct in Capricorn early in the day, causing a major turning point to present itself in romance. Venus conjuncts the Ascendant in Capricorn later in the day, which makes us want to be especially affectionate with loved ones. Some will feel like being social, yet because of the below, many of us won’t. Those not dealing with the below, will feel harmoniously content among others, and are also more likely to attract abundant financial opportunities.

Some will want to make changes to their romantic relationships. Leo is a highly dramatic energy, and this Moon is reflecting that off of the Aquarius Sun and causing mirroring issues to spring up or intensify. Meanwhile, Pluto pushes for a heavy, hard look into the situation. It’s generally best to, if possible, wait until the Aquarius New Moon on Feb. 9th, to make and act on big decisions. Don’t be hasty about leaving someone. Let the energy of this lunation drift through you, and take extra time for introspection and to feel the issue thoroughly out. Do you really not love your person anymore, or are you actually just experiencing a period of depression or anxiety about other matters in your life, and mistakenly feel you can’t measure up to what they need? Many of you will find that improving your communication skills with your partner, will bring you closer together.

That of course, excludes relationships where a partner is at all abusive. Abuse includes those who refuse to speak clearly, and are satisfied with allowing you to feel as if you have done something wrong. If you’ve experienced this, I urge you to not let this happen more than once. Everyone who behaves this way is displaying a pattern where they’re not in the right headspace to be in a romance with anyone. Even though you love the person you’re with, please leave. Anyone worth being with, will love you, and love includes knowing that it’s wrong to play such mind games.

The dark side of Leo energy includes the psychic sexual alchemist who has a personality disorder, and uses people for their own gratification. Of course, Leo energy doesn’t always express this way, but I feel that during this lunation, many of you will be dealing with such individuals, no matter where Leo is in their charts.

Mercury and Mars are also still in Capricorn, and conjunct, bringing in a double dose of desire for aggressive communications and actions. Take time to breathe before speaking or acting impulsively, and if possible, avoid those who are behaving that way. We can work instead with such high energy, by crossing off more on our to-do lists, getting more exercise and engaging in love-making within committed relationships between two people. Any ways you usually release tension are especially recommended during this lunation. Mercury and Mars are also square Chiron in Aries, adding dredged up, heavy energies which are difficult to release. So try to balance the releasing of physical energies with self care as necessary.

The Sun squares Jupiter in Taurus. Avoiding excess can help us get ahead easily in many ways, yet we’re well advised to not take on more than we can handle. Overall personalities rule here; those who tend to be more cautious will go more that way, and those who tend to be impulsive or self-righteous will go overboard.

As this is a bit of a mixed bag, yet mostly a difficult lunation, I recommend checking your personal transits if you require more precise guidance. As I’ve recently mentioned, I appreciate the new followers and requests for chart-readings, yet I’m only a student starting my second year learning Astrology. I need more practice at individual chart delineation. I aim to be practicing in 2025 or early 2026. If you’d like a few recommendations for currently practicing Astrologers, let me know.

This Moon culminates at 12:54 PM EST, for those who enjoy moon rituals.