#How Can I Choose the Best Digital Weight Scale?

[omronhealthcareshop]

It takes some research and knowledge of your specific needs to select the best digital weight scale. Here is a thorough guide to assist you in making a wise choice. Read the blog to learn more!

[theresattrpgforthat]

hi! my sister wants to be able to play with me and my brother, but she has trouble reading and writing, do you have any ttrpgs that dont require a lot of reading or writing?? (like, character sheets dont take ages or whtvr)

THEME: Little Reading or Writing Required.

Hello friend, so for folks who aren’t great with reading or writing, I think the best approach is to use systems that provide you with small amounts of information that you can keep in your head, or games that provide you with a lot of visual cues. I’m going to include some systems that seem pretty rules-lite (because they allow you to create a character pretty easily) but I’m also looking for games that give you visual or tactile aids to help you remember what’s going on in the story or with your character.

The Best Job on Earth, by Hilander.

Welcome New Employee! Please fill out your personal info!  Note that supevisors are not beholden to know your name, and may refer to you by the 4-digit hiring code helpfully displayed on the front and rear of your uniform!

Players will take on the role of unpaid interns working for SolTech Industries, a perfectly ethical research consortium funding a Better Tomorrow! Of course, when these experiments get out of hand, our fine interns are deployed to clean up.

The Best Job on Earth is not a very long read for the GM, and probably an even shorter read for players. Your character sheet can fit on 1/3 of a piece of paper, with three stats and a little bit of space for the items you get from a d20 roll table. This game isn’t necessarily a one-shot: your interns can spent earned XP in order to get a promotion, which involves increasing personal scores and getting an extra Luck point, which basically is a resource you can use for a free re-roll. This game is great for fans of horror, paranormal science, and the crushing weight of unpaid internships.

Mausritter, by Losing Games.

Take up the sword and don the whiskers of a brave mouse adventurer in Mausritter, a rules-light fantasy adventure roleplaying game. Mausritter is built on the chassis of Into the Odd, with new rules for setting, character generation, magical artifacts, and mouse-scale adventures.

Mausritter has very concise character sheets, with only 3 stats to keep track of and a card-based inventory system. If you buy the physical version, or if you decide to do some printing, you can use these cards to put in/on your inventory slots, as visual reminders of what you are currently carrying and how much room you have left. The book is 25 pages, but character creation is one, maybe 2 at the most - and most of your creation process just involves rolling on tables! Make your mouse in minutes and you’re ready to play.

Flyover Country, by Headstone Hills.

Fields of wheat and corn ripple in the wind, hungry eyes peering out between the stalks. Billboards along the road advertise strange and dangerous attractions. Smiles are too wide, manners too polite, secrets buried too deep. The neon light of a diner glows in the distance, but you may never reach its doors. An empty highway stretches out to the horizon before wrapping back in on and around itself, twisted on into the forever horizon. This is Flyover Country.

Flyover Country uses a tarot deck as a resource and oracle as you play the game. Character creation is simple and quick - although I recommend the GM do a bit of reading and prep beforehand. Each character gains a score (or pool) of points for three aspects: Body, Mind and Wyrd. Every time they use their ability, they draw a number of tarot cards equal to their score. The player can then choose which card they want to use to represent their outcome. Characters that are injured will reduce the score of a relevant trait by 1.

One way to make this game a bit simpler is giving each of the players a card with their character’s Ghost and Haunting already written on it. This is a combination of your character’s dark secret and the strange ability that will manifest inside them once they make that secret known. When I played this with my characters, we used poker chips as tokens to represent our ability Scores, and players would hand in tokens whenever they had to reduce their scores. I think the tarot cards make for an exciting mechanic, although the game’s success certainly depends on how well the game master can interpret the outcomes of cards being drawn.

This House Will Outlive Us, by pludmale.

Residents change, but the house remains. Everyone is changed by the house, and the house, in turn, is changed by its visitors.

In this game players take turns building the story of a house. The narrative is guided by flipping a coin onto different areas of the game board. The game is played in 3 stages: determining the type of house, picking out character roles and playing out the history and future of the house itself.

This House Will Outlive Us uses a map of the house, a number of cards with prompts, and a coin that you flip in order to tell its story. Each card has to be read to figure out what happens next, but the amount of information you’re expected to retain and communicate is very small, and because the game is so collaborative, you could potentially have one person do the bulk of the reading while the table shares the role of providing answers to the prompts.

This is a game that also doesn’t really require anyone to write anything down, as it’s meant to be played in a single session, and the changes from era to era should be pretty easy to remember - although you could also assign someone to be a note-taker if you like.

Horse Girl Infinity, by Jordanfish.

The majesty of someone's passionate vague horse fantasy. Inspired and empowered by the grace and might granted from the union of girl and horse, hero and pony, pilot and mecha.

The combination perfect for horse-lovers and mech aficionados, Horse Girl Infinity is high-action but relatively simple to play. You are presented with a grid of strengths, three of which your horse is specifically good at. The amount of dice you roll is dependant on how close the skill you are using is close to one of your strengths. Some especially difficult challenges may require a group roll, where everyone has to roll their dice and contribute Victory Points dependant on your success.

Your characters’ advancement is built around their goals, which takes a mechanical effect. Your Dream is something about yourself that you want; when you act in accordance with it, you gain Determination or XP. Determination can be spent to give you an extra dice on a roll, while XP can be spent on a separate grid that gives you a new narrative advantage. I think the spatial organization of information may make it easier to find and keep track of, and you can use tokens like poker chips or coins to help you keep track of your Determination and your XP.

If you want a slightly different genre, you can also check out Demon Blade Ultimate, which is more aligned with Shonen-style anime.

Crescent Moon, by Ema Acosta.

Go on a strange journey into the patchwork world of the daydream in Crescent Moon ☾, a feelings-delving role-playing game of brave children and bold adventures.

Rules for crafting your own whimsical tale full of breathtaking landscapes and unlikely friends await inside. Delve in to uncover stories of daring deeds and fantastical creatures—of calm afternoon naps and of promises whispered under starlight.

I don’t own Crescent Moon, so I can’t say for certain that this is super non-reader friendly, but I’m willing to go out on a limb and say it is, because the character sheets remind me very much of Mausritter character sheets.

The most obvious connection is the hand-drawn inventory: you draw the objects you carry, as well as items and conditions that may affect you. Because you use cards to represent what your character is currently carrying, I think this element has the potential to reduce the amount of reading and writing the player has to do. The GM on the other hand, likely has a little more work to do in terms of planning an adventure - although I don’t think the work a GM does in this game is as much as say, a D&D DM.

[sticksoft95]

Tips For Small Embroidery Fonts To Get The Best Results

Small embroidery fonts add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your embroidered projects. Whether you're monogramming a delicate handkerchief or adding text to a intricate design, achieving the best results with small fonts requires precision and finesse.

1. Choosing the Right Font

When working with small embroidery fonts, opt for fonts that are specifically designed for embroidery. Choose fonts with clean lines, minimal serifs, and adequate spacing between characters. Avoid overly intricate or decorative fonts that may be difficult to reproduce accurately at a small size.

2. Simplifying the Design

Keep your design simple and streamlined to ensure clarity and readability at small sizes. Avoid overly complex or detailed designs that may become muddled when scaled down. Focus on essential elements and prioritize legibility above all else.

3. Adjusting Stitch Density

Optimize stitch density to achieve crisp and defined lettering. Increase stitch density slightly for small fonts to ensure sufficient coverage and avoid gaps or distortion in the stitching. Experiment with different stitch densities to find the optimal balance between clarity and texture.

4. Using High-Quality Threads

Choose high-quality embroidery threads in a suitable weight and color for small embroidery fonts. Opt for threads that are smooth, strong, and colorfast to ensure consistent results. Avoid using cheap or low-quality threads that may break or fray during stitching.

5. Testing and Adjusting

Before embroidering your final design, conduct test runs on scrap fabric to evaluate the appearance and quality of the small embroidery fonts. Make any necessary adjustments to the font size, stitch settings, or thread tension to achieve the desired results. Take note of any issues or imperfections and address them before proceeding with the final embroidery.

6. Optimizing Machine Settings

Fine-tune your embroidery machine settings for optimal performance when stitching small fonts. Adjust the speed, tension, and needle settings to ensure smooth and precise stitching. Pay close attention to detail and monitor the stitching process carefully to catch any errors or inconsistencies.

7. Considering Fabric Type

Choose the right fabric for your embroidery project to ensure compatibility with small fonts. Opt for tightly woven fabrics with a smooth surface, such as cotton or polyester blends. Avoid textured or stretchy fabrics that may distort or obscure the small embroidery fonts. ZDigitizing specializes in providing top-notch services in both Embroidery Digitizing and Vector Art. With a commitment to excellence, our team ensures high-quality results that meet the diverse needs of our clients. Whether you require precise embroidery digitization for intricate designs or professional vector art services for a polished visual appeal, Zdigitizing is dedicated to delivering accurate and aesthetically pleasing outcomes.

8. Practicing Precision and Patience

Embroidering small fonts requires patience and precision. Take your time when positioning the embroidery hoop and aligning the design on the fabric. Use sharp embroidery scissors to trim any stray threads or excess stabilizer for clean and professional results.

Conclusion: Achieving Excellent Results with Small Embroidery Fonts

With the right techniques and attention to detail, you can achieve excellent results when embroidering small fonts. By choosing the right font, simplifying the design, adjusting stitch density, and optimizing machine settings, you can ensure crisp, clear, and legible stitching that enhances your embroidered projects.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How small can embroidery fonts be?

What is the best stitch type for small embroidery fonts?

Can small embroidery fonts be used on different types of fabric?

Are there any special considerations for digitizing small embroidery fonts?

How can I improve the readability of small embroidery fonts?

[mosesdumpin]

I really wanted to be a misanthropic little shit. I tried to be a cynic. None of it could last very long. I can't assume the world has fallen ill to evil and the default stance of humanity is malice. I wanted to think like this because I have been mistreated, unloved, damaged, and victimized. I was abandoned and felt a gaping maw where I was told love would be. Telling my stories, explaining my emotions, and sharing my history should enable my turn into heavy-lidded nihilism. But I just love humans so fucking much.

In fact, one of the primary overwhelming and positive emotions I have felt lately have been a deep appreciation of humanity as a whole. I want to be clear, I am not claiming this as a version of inherent compassion or empathy. It is the result of the lack of socialization, hyper-fixations, and nosiness. I was/am a know-it-all little shithead whose entire ego is wrapped up in what I know or do not know. And a subject that requires a steady, risky, years-long, and ongoing study in order to even vaguely understand is Other People. From social behaviors to being introspectively aware its not something you learn from articles or science journals. Sure, you can get the gist or memorize the outline of it all, but the reason this subject (other humans) is so difficult is because, like a rudimentary mirror of quantum mechanics, it is fundamentally altered at every step through the sheer existence of yourself. Knowing yourself should be easy, but it is not for the same reason its difficult to know others. Yourself is fundamentally altered at every step through the sheer existence of literally anyone else. Our identities and selves are feedback loops who are constantly trying to give structure to a dynamic system unfathomably larger than ourselves - like how we choose to draw a wave in the ocean. I sometimes go on a kick watching dance crews and choreography. This is happening more since I got into XG since I find their performance captivating and tends to trigger this urge. This usually always ends in me sobbing; rocking back and forth with the famously ugly cry face as if I've lost a loved one. In reality, I'm overwhelmed with awe and joy at how fundamentally Human dancing and music is. It isn't so much like crying at something beautiful as it is succumbing to the sheer weight of something too huge for me to ever understand. That isn't to say it isn't a GOOD emotion. Its one of my favorite emotions. I know we like to do the whole "blue speck in an infinite universe" thing but to me its like being a flea on a rat musing about the unfathomable scale of New York City when we can only barely conceptualize the rat we are standing on. Humanity taking the accidentally evolved (redundant phrasing, just assume I mean it for emphasis) survival trait of pattern recognition and remixing it with digital (as in, fingers and such) dexterity to create music and THEN remix it again within the boundaries of the bodily dexterity/flexibility we lost when becoming bipedal... while syncing the best of what we have gained with what we have lost to express something we perceive as infinite - cognition and emotion. Above all, since pre-history and pre-pre-history, likely since our pattern seeking behaviors honed to its slightest edge, we did this despite it offering only token or deeply indirect assistance to survival or production. You can argue its a social behavior (which is true) and helps all of our social ties in some way but honestly, have you danced alone before? Have you felt that joy, that eruption of movement to music or excitement? Have you felt joy or peace when you've hit the right note at the right time when you aren't even trying to play a specific song or piece? Sure, this is social, our brains reward us for refining a social behavior blah blah. Honestly I think every time we sing, play a song, create music, dance, tap our feet, bang our heads, move in sync, shake, jump, exult, and CREATE we are riding the resonance of humanity like the surface tension of a rock being skipped across a vast, unimaginable ocean of ourself. This idea is my Eldritch God, my Seraphim, my Infinitely Expanding Universe, and the Face of God. I cower before the knowledge of how small and weak I am compared to it, but I can exult that I am an aspect of it, like a single pixel in a digital photo whose dimensions are so large I can only define it as infinity.

[fraserwallace55]

Week 2

For this week I began with trying to work out the AUT printing system with my moodboard from last week. It was simple enough once I found the page to upload my file, but from there it became rather frustrating, as the job never came through because of a printing error. From that failure I moved with the rest of the class in opening up InDesign, which for me was the first time doing so, as I had only used the other Adobe programs of Illustrator and Photoshop beforehand. I began trying to get an understanding of it, which was initially made a lot easier with certain key commands for zooming/panning and a couple of important shortcuts for tools being identical to the programs I'm more familiar with.

I then made a start on the first activity, where I realised quite fast that the typeface I had used in my moodboard wasn't super practical for it, as it had only one font in its family. I ended up having to spend a little bit of time finding a vaguely similar typeface that had a much more expansive family than Quicksilver. I ended up settling on Condor, another Sans Serif typeface with a lot more difference of thickness in certain strokes, and 60 fonts to choose from instead of just 1. Once I had a couple of the fonts activated, I was able to begin properly adjusting the document.

I left the text as it was just so I could focus more on playing around with alignment, spacing and sizing, while simultaneously getting more familiar with InDesign and what some of it's specific key commands do. It also allowed me to trial varying weights of the Condor font family and see how they would look in upper and lowercase, condensed, bold and regular, and also in outlines, which I tried with 'mana'. The typeface displayed all the diacritical marks present in the text, except for the one above the a in 'digital'. I did change the z too, as it adjusted to a capital letter which looked rather unpleasant.

The second activity was looking more at the arrangement of larger bodies of text and how in InDesign the textboxes can be arranged and have the text linked together despite the boxes being separate.

I found that the Condor typeface I chose to replace the rather limited Quicksilver one didn't work incredibly for body text: it felt challenging to read because of the strong variation of thickness in each of the glyphs strokes, but also possibly because of the letter spacing.

I made an attempt to adjust the spacing but it still didn't feel quite right considering the size of the text, so I ended up changing the body font entirely to another sans serif font, being Bahnschrift, which I figured would've been a lot easier on the eyes to read since its a constant thickness across each glyph, while also being somewhat complementary in form to Condor, which I kept as it was for the heading. I also tried the drop cap in the sans serif font of Constantia in attempt to make it stand out a bit from the rest of the sans serif typefaces around it, along with drawing even more obvious attention to where the paragraph starts.

I noticed once I initially added the first screenshot of this to the post that there was an crucial error with how the text formatted itself once I changed the font, so I scaled it down by 1pt and arranged the list part of the text to the textbox below the 2 columns above, which wasn't the best immediate fix but as of making and trialing stuff on the document I wasn't quite sure about the specifics of what to do to make it considerably better.

To finish off this experimentation, I trialed making use of the serif font Cambria for the body text, as it and other similar serif typefaces are easier to read across in large sections due to the serifs themselves providing more flow into the next glyph used.

I also tried changing the column layout, although it wasn't quite as effective as the first layout I had gone for, especially with the list section which had got much more compressed in order to compensate for its lower height relative to the rest of the text. This made it much more of an annoyance to have to read since there were sometimes as little as 2 words on a single line.

[ellsbclls]

you write hurt/comfort so beautifully, it makes me want to have tom comfort me like that ): do u think you could write something where he's taking care of you after a long day at work?? and if it's a little nsfw i wouldn't mind but u dont have to do anything ur not comfortable with. again L O V E ur work!!

thank you so much 🥺 i guess i just try to portray a type of love i think everyone deserves! but also thank you for giving me this idea because my mind went rampant. i also don’t know why the reader is a musician, but just roll with it i guess idk what happened there??? 

i hope this tickles your fancy! nsfw, so extended warnings will be under the cut! please do not interact if you're a minor!!

extended warnings: cue fingering, and some messy, needy sex in the bathtub 🛁✨

The steam rising from the bathtub makes light work of your weary muscles, menthol vapors kissing up your spine, soothing the knots scattered across the length of your back. You were in dire need of this, after the plight of a day you’d endured. A couple of hours in the studio had quickly spiraled into a six hour-session, with nothing to show for it but a lousy sixteen measures of brass ensembles — and by the good grace of your talent and patience, the artist has requested you drop in for their session again.

The thought makes you want to drown.

Instead, you opt to curl into yourself, softly pressing your cheek into your knee, watching the spindles of warmth waft up from your well earned bubble bath. In retrospect, the weight of your day didn’t fall solely on this new client — if you’re being honest, they actually had a lot of potential. You wouldn’t mind having your name tethered to a couple of their hits — but Tom had just returned home from a three month long shoot, and you’ve only been graced the luxury of his presence for less than 24 hours. Any time that isn’t being spent with him feels blasphemous, but since he has yet to return from his unknown whereabouts, you seized the opportunity to flush out as much irritability as possible before he returned.

You didn’t know just how tired you were until you were woken up.

A half an hour passes before you’re tousled from your dreamless slumber by a docile touch, familiar digits scaling the curve of your spine before they take a detour at the nape of your neck, carefully parting stray strands of hair to either side of your frame.

“Tom?” You hum, dulcet tones wafting through the steam akin to a dream as it ebbs from the rim of your subconscious.

“Yes, darling?” He muses, entranced by the frothy remnants of your bath soak as he dips his fingertips into the water.

“I missed you today.” You melt into his touch, allowing your head to fall to the side and survey his attire. His hair is all tousled, chestnut locks sprouting from the bottom of his backwards strewn baseball cap, and those honey-dipped hues you adore so much are creased with concern. You want nothing more than to soothe them away with the pad of your thumb, and so you indulge yourself, reaching over the edge of the tub as you continue to ramble. “I started the day already praying for it to be over with, and somehow, every single inconvenience fathomable decided to fall onto my lap. I mean — who the fuck needs seven different french horn tracks in an overture? A real band barely needs one.” Tom’s nodding along to your ramblings, but you both know that he doesn’t fully under the lengths of your frustration — just as you’ll never truly understand the inner workings of his own career. “The only thing keeping me together was the thought of coming home to you.”

“I’m so sorry, my love,” He coos, and continues to caress your back, working out all of the knots that the steam couldn’t relieve. “If it’s any consolation, I was only running late because I had to stop and buy some pancetta on the way home.”

“Don’t apologize. I assumed you would be back since all your stuff is still here.” You tease, mirroring his bemused smile, letting his world seep into your slowly booting brain. “Pancetta…” Not many people knew this, not even Tom before his first attempt, but the boy could whip up a mean bowl of pasta. You remember floundering across the bed the night before, identical to a little kid throwing a tantrum, moaning over just how badly you were craving carbonara. Silly of you to think that he’d take your melodramatic request in stride. “Are you-“

His enamored gaze is answer enough, but he pairs it with a chaste kiss to your forehead that has you nuzzling into his touch. “Only the best for my lil’ lady.”

You show a mere fraction of your appreciation with a swift, flurry of kisses over his cheekbones, pulling him closer by the downy bundles of his hoodie. Lovedrunk giggles and contented sighs bounce off the tiles before you’re both submerged in a comfortable silence, one that leaves the both of you free to shamelessly examine the other, one clad in their comfy, weatherworn disguise while the other dawns nothing but an enchanted smile. Even with the disparity between your attire, you both end up with flushed cheeks and dopey grins.

Hours, days, years seem to press on until you break the silence with a silly question, one that you ask in hopes of hearing his gentle, candied voice once more — or even better, his laugh. “What would you do if I was as big as a thumbtack? Would you still love me?” You query, a childlike sense of wonderment tinting your sugar-coated sigh.

He takes a second to ponder your questions, taking it into far more consideration than you had in bringing it to fruition. You can’t stifle the tiny puff of air that leaves your lips, the semblance of a chuckle, and Tom, with his wild brow and theatrical ways, whips his head in your direction, sending you a cautionary glare. “I suppose I would…” He starts, only to tap his finger against his bottom lip, drawing the suspense to its boiling point by the time you shove his forearm. “But then again, it doesn’t matter what size you are, there’s no limit to how much I love you.”

“Hmm,” you manage to vocalize. Your heart is now a star, an incandescent ball of fire caged beneath your ribs, and if he hasn’t gathered it by now, then he can bask in the warmth of your smile and know that for him, for him it is the sun.

You have to admit that you got ahead of yourself. One moment, you were binding your lips in a bruising, indulgent union, urging him to bask in the lovelorn rays of light he summoned, but only managing to pull him into the bathtub, fully clothed and unsuspecting. What was once your lukewarm oasis is suddenly a swirling cauldron of spearmint, teatree, and now unmistakable notes of him, sloshing against the edge of the tub as his frame struggles against the latent tide. There’s bound to be one hell of a mess waiting on the bathroom floor, but now that he’s settled in your grasp, you see no reason to fret just yet.

“Y/N.” His voice is deadpan, which can mean one of two things — he’s either overwhelmed with joy, or exhibiting a great deal of restraint in not drowning you right then and there. You choose to cancel out the latter, and offer the best attempt at innocence your babydoll eyes could muster, peering at him through your lashes with a teeth-rotting gleam.

“What?” You ask simply. His eye starts to twitch, and you only double down on your facade. “I just wanted to be closer to you.” Wading through the newly shallow body of water, half of its contents now dispersed across the tile floor, you make light work of his soggy hoodie, sloughing it over his head as he grumbles beneath it, giggling when it catches against that razor-sharp jawline of his.

“Well, you are very close now.” You notice how his voice drops down an octave, and you’re embarrassed to admit just how quickly the coil in your stomach tightens at the sound of it, how it already aches to be pulled taut. 

Tom seems unsuspecting enough when he captures your lips once again, his brims as delicate as baby’s breath against your own, tentative as they glide in a sultry dance. He doesn’t need to coax a confession out of you, the truth is already there, nestled in your urgent, needy pressure, in the whimpers threatening to spill into his lips. He’ll indulge in this little game for a moment longer — where you pretend that you aren’t desperate for his touch, and he pretends that he isn’t just as desperate to provide it — but once you fumble into his lap, clumsily grasping for more, and more, and even more of him, his resolve begins to crumble.

“I need you.” you whisper into the hollow of his mouth, golden-tongued and virtually earnest, coaxing a trembling sigh from the back of his throat.

He hums back, contented, basking in the intoxicating warmth of your silhouette, tracing the curve of your breasts with his knuckles. “Long day, my love?”

“Mhmm,” You demonstrate your point with a wistful sigh,  enveloping his great hands with your smaller ones, coating them in languid kisses until there was no skin left untouched.

You’re just too fucking cute, he muses. He can never say no to you, not even in jest.

Two of his slender digits roam the valley of your stomach, knuckles ghosting over your navel in their listless descent before they venture between your thighs, surveying just how badly you really need him. He dips his middle finger between your folds, tender and slick with your arousal, and emits a husky groan as he traces a steady line between your entrance and the spot just below your clit, ghosting your little bundle of nerves with each taunting caress. “You’re already soaked, my love. This all for me?” He coos, nudging your jaw with the tip of his nose, pressing a wet, open mouthed kiss against the column of your neck.

“All for you,” You sigh, digging your nails into the broad planes of his shoulder. “Please, Tom, please touch me.”

He finally spares you, thumb sloppily circling your clit as he plunges two digits into your opening, welcoming the lithe intrusion with a warm, velvety embrace. You slump into his embrace, nipples straining hard against the soaked fabric of his t-shirt, and raggedly whimper as he starts to work you open. The reminder of your nude form plastered against his clothes, albeit soaking wet, summons another pool of wetness to your core. You’re flooded with thoughts of delectable anguish — of denim kissing your hips, dragging against your bundle of nerves, as he ravages your bare little cunt, proving that you’re so desperate for his cock that you can barely wait for him to undress.

“Is this all you needed, baby? My fingers? You wanted me to stretch this pretty little cunt out?” He can’t stop the filthy words tumbling from his lips, especially not when your tiny mewls of pleasure are flooding his ears — you’re just so soft and pliant under his touch, so eager to be filled to the brim, it’s intoxicating to know that you’ll take anything he has to offer you. “I’ve got you, baby. I’m gonna give you everything you need. Gonna have you spilling all over my fingers and then — fuck! — then i’m gonna fill you up with my cock. How does that sound?

“Y-yeah,” You’re rutting against his palm at this point, grinding down to meet each thrust, to feel impossibly closer, fuller, ambling toward an orgasm that is already barreling toward you. As he finds a new angle, the pads of his fingers nudge against your g-spot, and the heel of his hand careens over your clit with such a delicious pressure that your thighs begin to quake. “‘M so close.” You whine, prompting him to punctuate each thrust with a curl of his fingers, dragging your orgasm from the pit of your stomach.

“Then let go, baby. Let go for me.” You need no further persuasion, your eyes squeezing shut as you teeter off the edge, with nothing but a raspy, desperate string of obscenities, clawing at the slope of his shoulders, and bathing his hand in sultry waves of nectar as it spills from your weepy little hole. His fingers are trapped between your fluttering walls, working you through your climax with nimble, tentative thrusts, stretching each wave of pleasure out until you’re trembling over little ripples.

“That’s it, that’s my girl.” You feel so small beneath his gaze, teeming with endless pools of adoration, like you’re a freshwater clearing and he’s parched. It nearly distracts you from his fingers as they slip from your opening, but each receding wave of bliss is tethered to him, so you groan at the loss of contact. Your walls flutter hopelessly around nothing, chasing the delicious stretch of his digits in their absence, but you’re instantly qualmed by the sound of his zipper being pulled down, no doubt freeing himself from the waterlogged confines of his jeans.

“Can I?” You sink your hands into what little water still remains in the tub, hooking your fingers through the belt loops of his jeans, but he swats your shaky hands away, adamantly shaking his head as a small frown of confusion forms between your brows. “You don’t wanna take ‘em off?”

“This is about you, my love.” He whispers, his free hand smoothing over the small of your back, stroking the patch of dew-ridden skin with his thumb. “And right now, all I wanna do is keep my promise.”

“You’re so good to me,” You whisper just above his lips, leaning back into his touch, peering between your bodies to survey his ministrations. You’re still a bit dazed from your first, earth-shattering orgasm, but the prospect of another has you buzzing with excitement, and Tom knows that look well enough to speed up his course of action.

Pearly veneers sink into the swell of your bottom lip at the mere sight — his cock is beyond compare. Even as its impatiently pulled through the opening of his jeans, it’s put on a mouth-watering display as he leisurely pumps himself, smearing tiny pearls of precum across his flushed, leaky tip with each upstroke. He’s far too enticing, far too pretty with his rosy cheeked, droopy-eyed charm, to resist, and you’re quick to replace his hand with your own, curling your fingers around the base and mimicking a couple teasing pumps before guiding him to your entrance.

Tom spreads his legs a little wider to accommodate you, the sensation of wet denim rubbing against your thighs, knocking your legs farther apart, causes a soft whimper to fall from your lips. It doesn’t take long for you to align the head of his cock with your entrance, teasing him with a couple of lascivious drags through your folds before you sink onto his length, reigniting the remnants of your last orgasm as inch after delicious inch prods your tender walls apart. By the time he bottoms out, you’re nothing but a trembling pile of limbs, and his lips seek out your own just to muffle your staggered breaths with a burning kiss.

You allow yourself a couple of seconds to adjust — no matter how or which way you take him, he still pushes up every crevice of your insides, demanding every square inch of your velvety heat. A wild flurry of crimson blossoms across the high planes of your cheeks as Tom nuzzles his forehead against your own, brushing his nose against yours, coaxing a melodious string of giggles from your chest while you scrunch up your nose. He presses a chaste kiss to the corner of your lips and smiles against the spot. “You look so pretty like this, my love. With that gorgeous smile of yours, and that pretty little pussy squeezing my cock.” You feel like you’ve got whiplash, trying to come to terms with how obscene he can be under such tender movements. “Just wanna turn you over and bury myself inside. See how tight you feel when you’re folded in half.” His hands reach down to rub gentle, circular motions into the small of your back, and you can’t help but pulse around him at the juxtaposition.

Once the uncomfortable stretch of his girth melts into pleasure, you finally start to work yourself over his length, and you swear you can feel every gorgeous ridge and vein of his cock as you rise up to the tip, only to plunge back down with a impish yelp, setting a clumsy, needy pace that certainly gets the job done. You don’t really find your rhythm until Tom helps you out, sinking his fingers into the supple curve of your ass, orchestrating a hard, punishing pace as he drives up into your sopping cunt, meeting you in the middle with each thrust.

All at once, the bathroom is washed in a crude symphony, the combination of your heavy panting and slapping skin intermingles with the shallow splash of water as it laps against the edge of the tub, punctuating the sinful drag of his length, and how the tip pounds against your furthest wall as you impale yourself onto him. You can feel another orgasm start to build, and since Tom has made it his solemn vow to not only study, but master, every little, scrumptious detail of your body, he senses it as well. 

“You got another one for me?” He asks between labored pants. His own orgasm is starting to peak over the horizon, following in the blazing trail you’ve set, you can tell by the way a thin sheen of sweat starts to build against his hairline, and his brows almost meet in the middle, as if the feeling of your pussy pulsing around his cock is unfathomable. He uses the grip he has on your waist to take control, using one hand to scale up the breadth of your back, and as his palms leave a blistering trail up, up, up your sides, he pulls you flush against his chest, attempting to plant his feet against the floor of the bathtub, 

He needs the leverage to piston his hips up into your own, to pound into your greedy hole at an unyielding pace — to keep his promise — and as you start to feel the tell tale edge of your climax cresting over your weary frame, you spoil his shoulder with sweeping, butterfly kisses and flood his mind with sweet, sweet nothings, luring him to the brink with the same dulcet tones you know drive him wild.

His hips stutter into your own, and before the words can even exit your lips, you’re dragged to the edge of bliss with a couple of rough, uncompromising thrusts that have you wildly spasming around his length. He joins you almost immediately, throbbing against your sensitive walls as he fills you to the brim, driving the mixture of your arousal further into you as he fucks you through your orgasm. 

Once he pulls out, he’s quick to wrap you up in a soothing embrace, planting kisses over every acre of skin he can get his lips on, but you’re too focused on the trail of cum leaking down your thighs to really indulge him, curiosity getting the better of you as you gently weave your arm between your bodies and collect the wetness on your thighs. You swear you can feel the rumble of his chest once you pop your fingers into your mouth, humming around the sodden digits, making a spectacle out of the addicting elixir pooling on your tongue, but his glimmer of reinvigorated stamina is put to rest by the sight of your drowsy, half-lidded stare.

“Why don’t we get you dried off? Then I can start dinner.” He hums against your cheek, punctuating his suggestion with yet another chaste kiss. It’s genuinely like he can’t get enough, and neither can you as you sleepily nod.

“Will you wake me up when it’s ready?” You sigh, teetering on the edge of slumber once more.

“Of course, my love.”

[exosmutfactory]

Royal Pains

stunning gif by tipannies

❥ This might be the most daring one shot of mine to date, so! Here we go

— Pairing: You & Baekhyun

— Genre/AU: smut, 

— Word Count: 2.8k

— Rating: 18(more like 21 >.<)+ (M)

— [ Contains: Plot ofc (can’t be helped). Some restraints ;) deepthroating, airplay/choking, slight degradation, voyeurism (eep), etc! ]

❥ This was a lot for me to even proof read okay, let me post this here and run

ღ♥ღ♥ღ♥ ღ♥ღ♥ღ♥ ღ♥ღ♥ღ♥

Byun Baekhyun was never an easy man to please.

He’s belligerent, impatient and way too stiff for a man in his late-twenties. Though you suppose that is what comes with the responsibility of leading a kingdom. Nothing short of aggression and authority is expected of him with his title of power. And women across the land enjoy eating bare minimum affection out the palm of his stern hand - except for you.

If he’s a cold-blooded king, you are his ice queen to match.

You were that inwardly hotheaded, steel fratetrain of a princess that didn’t take shit from anyone, let alone the soon-to-be king whose name you never could remember yet face you never forget. He was always trying to boss you around your own house and intimidating all other men that tried to pursue you. And yet the annoying crown prince left quite the impression on you during those awkward royal-arranged dates and accidental yet totally coincidental meetings at night under the shining stars. 

You still ask yourself how you went from a love-hate courting arrangement to being the one to receive his late-night undivided attention and witnessing his eyes taking on the softest of expressions. Maybe you were a saint in your previous life.

But of course, there’s only a certain amount of time before you push each other’s buttons again. Keeping the peace balanced on a very sensitive scale will tilt out of order and end up sailing across the room eventually. Only so many small bickerings before your stubbornness straight-up rivals his assertiveness. Some occurrences of these types of arguments are better than others…

Much better than the one right now.

Someone calls your name. A deep voice that can be soft and melodic or choppy like an all-consuming storm deep at sea depending on the situation. In this instance, you can clearly hear the thunder in their tone that matches the hard look in their brown eyes when you raise your head from the blanket in your hands. “Baekhyun?” You murmur, head tilting in mild curiosity. Trying your best to ignore how good he looks in a white dress shirt, black slacks and a matching blazer that is complemented by his slightly pushed back hair.

He says your name again through gritted teeth, gesturing to the patio doors that lead out to the garden with a ring covered hand, “Did you dismiss the gardener?”

“His wife went into labor,” You justify, continuing to work on the red wool with soft clinks of the knitting needles.  

“The head chef?”

“A family emergency.”

You hear his teeth click together before he utters, “And the maid?”

Your needles are set down on your lap at that, “Nope. I fired her.” You chirp, irritation swelling in your chest at the mention of the wrench as you pick them back up. Counting back from 20 to will away your bubbling anger. 19, 18, 17-

Baekhyun inches closer in all his angry glory, black dress-shoes tapping on the marble floor. “And what reason do you have for that?”

“She was going around spewing bullshit about her being your fucking mistress.” You spat, clutching the needles so hard they bite into your skin.

He takes a deep deep breath, chuckling humorlessly. “So,” His hands are clasped behind his back, leaning forward to meet you eye-to-eye from your spot on a custom made leather couch with the tiniest of revengeful smiles. “Because of jealousy you decided to fire our 5th maid of the month.”

You know you should back off; try to contain your anger and let him have his little moment with soft words of compromise - but oh, the memory of catching that woman spraying the collar of his shirts with her nauseating perfume this morning… You’re murmuring under your breath before you can fully comprehend the reaction you’ll get. “Not my fault she was a pest and definitely not my fault for all the others you fired.” The others being gentlemen that respected your space and accompanied you on the loneliest of days by complementing your improving knitting skills and bonding over tear-jerking novels.

It’s silent for a few moments, and then Baekhyun chuckles, running a hand through his hair, “Always going out your way to give me a fucking headache.”

“If I’m a headache, you’re an eyesore,” You mutter under your breath, looking away. You can’t even bear to face him after that.

“An eyesore?” Baekhyun muses. You choose not to respond, dead-set on glaring a hole into the farthest wall as you will away the urge to cry.

Baekhyun grabs your chin and before you can snap at him, he’s kissing you with fever. The rough way his teeth tug at your bottom lip making you gasp into his mouth, the perfect opportunity for him to explore your wet caven. Blanket forgotten at your feet as he pulls you up and backs you up to the nearest wall; pelvis flush to yours. “Let’s see how much of an eyesore I am after this.”

He hoists you up into the air before you can say anything; carrying you bridal-style to your bedroom as butterflies nervously flutter around in your stomach. You know where this is heading. Not even blinding rage can keep the fire from growing between your legs.

Baekhyun lowers you to the bed gently as if you are having your first night together all over again. Slender hands pulling at your blue ballroom dress and the blossoms of daisies out of the carefully woven braid in your hair. Scattering them on the sheets of your California King sized bed as he presses his lips back to yours.

You gladly recuperate his endless kisses, relaxing further under the familiar weight of his body and the soft caress of his wandering hands…

Until the tell-tale sound of a lock clicking into place reaches your ears.

Your eyes snap open but you’re a second too late; both of your hands, cuffed, to a bar in the headboard. And it’s not with the usually fluffy baby pink ones. No. You’re chained to the bed like that of a prisoner under the unforgiving guard of your husband; gazing down at you with the darkest of eyes. “B-Baek-” A firm hand wraps around your throat, silencing you.

“I think..” He hums, eyes lazily running over your helpless form; a smirk playing on his lips, “That you’ve done enough talking for today.”

Another look from him keeps you from protesting through your parted lips; his thumb rubbing unhurriedly along your neck leaving you to gulp as he steps off the bed. You lift your head to see what he’s doing, only catching a glimpse of him pulling off his tie before the handcuffs rattle against the headboard.

Baekhyun looks at you from over his shoulder with a tsk, completely loosening the silk material from around his neck before approaching the bed again.

You bear your neck, expecting him to tie it there only for the soft material to be pressed against your eyes.

“Since I’m such an eyesore,” He mocks, tying the blue material firmly around your head, “Guess you won’t be needing to see, will you?”

Your noise of protest only earns you a sharp smack to your sensitive core, making your thighs snap shut with a yelp.

“Keep those legs open,” He warns in a low tone, rummaging around the room while you quickly obey; spreading wide and straining your ears to hear him. Your cheeks darkening at the tell-tale signs of arousal covering the inside of your thighs.

“Look at you,” Baekhyun muses by your side; the lightest brush of his fingers across your folds making you gasp, bucking your hips. The slender digits tease over your thigh before rubbing the wetness into your skin. “Already dripping onto the sheets.”

“Baek.” You bite back a whine, holding your breath at the light rustle of clothes and obscene slick sounds that meet your ears. Baekhyun’s weight is fully dipping next to you in the bed; lewd wet sounds coming from lazy strokes of his cock. You whimper, wishing you could see how he looks right now, all flushed cheeks with those brown eyes so blown with lust that they appear black. His soft pants and quiet groans put you in a state of arousal that you’re rudely awoken from by a sharp pain on your thigh. Your whole body jolting up with a shout. “Baekhyun, what the fuck-” You pause, breath catching at the leathery texture gliding across your sensitive skin. 

“It’s been a while, hmm?” Baekhyun muses with a chuckle. A faint whoosh the only warning you get before it’s coming down on you again. You gasp, biting your lip as the brief pain ebbs away; the implications of him using the riding crop sinking in. This definitely isn’t going to be one of those nights he goes easy on you. No, you’re fucked and can only get more fucked from here.

The sinful sounds of skin against skin and your quiet whimpers fill the air as he continues to spank your thighs with the pleasantly painful material. One hit being so close to your wet cunt you arch your back with a broken whimper of his name, nearly cumming at the lingering burn it leaves alone.

“Tsk always so greedy,” Baekhyun murmurs; pace increasing on his cock while dropping the leather crop next to you. The volume of his groans indicating his orgasm making you tug at your restraints; helplessly squirming in the sheets. “B-Baek, please.”

“What do you want, sweetheart.” He sighs, hand resting so high on your thigh you tremble in anticipation.

“Y-Your-” You bite hard on your lip, throwing your head back when he brushes his thumb over your throbbing clit. “Your cock!” You gasp, trying your best not to melt under his touch; thighs trembling in want. “I-I want to suck your cock, p-please..”

“Hmm.” Baekhyun bites your earlobe, drawing a gasp from your throat before you sense his clothed thighs straddling your chest. The wet tip of his pressing against your bottom lip.

You lick your suddenly dry lips, tasting his precum as he slowly slides into your awaiting mouth. The weight of him on your tongue making you keen under him, choking a little when he hits the back of your throat. His quiet moan shooting heat right down to your core.

“Such a good girl.” He sighs, firmly gripping your hair; your eyes welling up with tears every time he sinks into your throat. “So tight and warm for me.”

You moan, curling your tongue around his tip when he pulls out to let you catch your breath. The way his hold tightens in your hair has you gulping down his precum, preparing for what comes next.

Baekhyun quickly slides his cock down your throat with ease, groaning as your nose hits his pelvis. The way he takes your breath away with every quickened thrust has you moaning along with him, swallowing around his thick girth as his grunts meet your ears, loving the sound of his cock stuffing you full.

You could keep going like this for hours. Letting him fuck your throat raw and leave your jaw aching for days. His high pitched moans and merciless thrusts leaving the biggest inferno between your trembling legs.

“Ah.” He suddenly grunts, slipping out of your mouth and pulling away before you feel the hot spurts of cum dripping on your chest and down to the messy sheets below.

“Fuck.” Baekhyun sighs, not paying your whine of disappointment any mind as he shuffles farther down your body. The soft material of his pants brushing over the back of your thighs barely a warning before he’s slipping into your weeping core. You gasp, tugging hard at your restraints. The delicious burn of his thick length making you clench hard on his cock.

“Mmm.” He moans, pushing in to the hilt. “Always so wet for me.”

You bite your lip in vain to keep quiet as he wraps his hand around your throat; his loud groans and your quiet whimpers fill the room along with the slamming of the headboard and the wet smacks of his cock ramming into your walls.

“So so greedy.” Baekhyun chuckles darkly, picking up the pace with a tight grip on your hips. You moan, but a certain, small noise reaches your ears. A distant whimper. Misplaced for the privacy of your bedroom.

“I can feel you clenching down on me.” Baekhyun pants, pulling you out of your thoughts as he angles his hips; the brute force of his thrusts slamming into your cervix in that painfully pleasant way he knows makes your back arch and toes curl. Your cunt gripping him like a vice. “Greedy girl. Fuck, your pussy was made for my cock.”

You can do nothing but arch your back, breathlessly moaning his name until you feel the tie being pulled from your face. Your blurry eyes opening as it slips down to rest around your sweaty neck, the shocking view in front of you enough to make your building orgasm stop dead in its tracks. Because there. Just beyond Baekhyun’s gloriously clothed form, is three familiar figures kneeling near the foot of the bed.

“Finally caught on, sweetheart?” Baekhyun chuckles, slowing down to grind against your clit as you choke on your words; jaw dropping at his audacity. At the display of the maids you’ve fired watching on with wide, envious eyes, or the way he is milking your g-spot, you do not know. But damn if it doesn’t make you tighten more around him..

Your eyes can’t seem to look away from the people kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Three sets of hungry eyes focused on the pair of you as the palace guards keep their gazes away out of respect. Your attention isn’t brought back to Baekhyun until he hisses, releasing your neck to push your thighs to your chest and tangle his hand in your hair. “Keep your eyes.” He growls, yanking your head back to stare directly into your eyes. “On me.”

You gasp loudly, clamping down on him with a nod. Doing your very best to keep up the new position despite the burn in your hamstring, the throbbing at the roots of your hair under his unforgiving grip and his punishing thrusts. The tip of his cock nailing your g-spot without fail as your thighs shake; pressing your feet to his chest for stability. The slight shift in position making you cry out in bliss.

“Hmmm is my greedy whore going to cum?” Baekhyun asks in that slight condescending tone that drives you wild. You can’t look away from his fiery filled eyes, so many emotions of love and lust swirling in the orbs that you find yourself drowning deeper in the tighter the coil builds up in your core. Gushing around him as the others in the room are brought back to your attention by the restless shuffling coming from the floor.

Baekhyun chuckles at the red coloring your cheeks. “Dirty girl.” He murmurs, brushing his lips over your ankle before holding your hips down to the bed. “You enjoy being watched. Your pussy is weeping for it.” He gives your clit a swift smack that has you arching your back with a cry of his name; shaking at the seams. A burning stare catches your eye just as he’s sliding his hand down your stomach and between your quivering thighs.

Baekhyun’s fingers rub mercilessly on your throbbing clit while you’re locked eyes with one of the men who was your previous maid; feeling a sense of courageous sexual power surge through your veins as you are finally brought over the edge. Until Baekhyun slips out the moment you clench down on him.

You're left gasping under him as your walls spasm in defeat; a broken sob ripped from your throat as he strokes himself to completion. His cum landing on top of your mound and dripping down your quivering entrance at the tail end of your ruined orgasm.

Baekhyun hums, lazily rubbing his tip over your sensitive core as he takes in the tears streaming down your cheeks; softly cupping your cheek as he waves the others away without a glance. He waits until they are gone before moving to release you, planting a kiss to both your red wrists before meeting your eyes with his now soft brown ones that you’ve come to love so much. “Next time talk to me first before dismissing anyone from work, okay?”

You look at him for a moment with a sniffle before nodding, letting him pull you into his warm arms. Your eyes narrow behind his back as he whispers sweet words in your ear..

Yeah, Baekhyun doesn’t expect to be put on probation from sex for the next two weeks..

Or the confirmed pregnancy test two weeks after that.

[cynettic]

Red String of Fate

A/N - Not really genshin, its more of a quick vent drabble. Angsty and nsfw for triggering topics and gory stuff :’) I felt kinda proud of this one which is why I’m posting it, any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated!!

_-_-_-_-_

I’m a murderer.

Red string idly tied around my pinky, delicately swaying with every whisper from the wind. Caressed and woven into this world by fate. A gentle binding, thread spilling down to my foot and loosely littering the wooden panels of my floor with loops and twirls. Adorning the dust and encasing me whole in its meaning.

Its promise.

I’ve always hated being bound, held and grasped by an irrevocable hold. Ones I’ve put myself in, ones others have clutched me in. 

Pinching the red string that hung around my finger, I tugged at one of the loose ends of the knots. 

Ones that the red string of fate has tied me to. Several, tangling along the jagged ridges of my knuckles and slipping past the gaps between my fingers. A soft velvet against dry skin, the calloused pad of my thumb gentle when nimbly rolling it along the back of my palm. Silken texture brimming in abundance and pulsing in rhythm akin to one of heartbeat. Slow, steady, eternal.

Full of life.

The darkness in the cramped space of the apartment cages me in like an animal, body growing numb and sending a tingling sensation up my spine. Subduing aching muscles into a deep heavy sleep, complexion falling into well needed slumber. Till it was just the consistent thrum of the thread along my hand that held me awake, fate wrapping its hold on me once again.

Snip.

The motion is always slow, prolonged with the weight of the scissors in my hands. A spectator to the red thread as it slowly dissolves into ash, a ticking time bomb to the end of a life. Another. Seeping at their lifeline until the string finally dissolves at their fingertips, draining the last of their existence and sparing mine.

Greedy for comfort, I selfishly choose myself.

I can’t feel my elbows as I lean forward, ice prickling at my toes and cold slivers digging into my fingertips. Hazy, guilt eats me up like the snowstorm that enraptures my body in snow. Freezing me in place and biting at my mind, frosty reach clawing at my sanity.

But its my body thats numb, I wish my head was.

To be pliable with the nothingness that threatens to devour me, stained and greasy hands fervently scratching the fibers of my tunic. Dirty, I was oh so dirty. Contaminated with a bubbling hatred that quelled inside, pounding with deprecating fists that begged to get out. Pleading, because hands and knees dug for an eternity on the ground wouldnt be suffice to the lives I’d taken. But thread against skin arose an anxiety I could not thwart. Until I was no longer sure how long I’d spent sitting on this desk, staring into the pale grey walls of my apartment. Absent. Knives and scissors littering the corners of the wood, small chunks scraped with only the splinters in my nails to blame. Soiled hands incapable of holding life, a desperate cry to the heavens to spare me the responsibility, to let me go.

Because no matter how feather light the thread felt, the weight of a life pulled me under. Down into the depths of anxiety, because no matter how much I choked in the sea, I could not breathe. No matter how much my arms flailed, I could not rise. No matter how much I screamed, I couldn’t be heard. Not by others, not even myself.

String grows laden with water, a weight pulling me down to the bottom where I cannot rise.

I’m sinking.

The strand pulls me into a gentle hold of uncertainty, coaxing me into the decision to choose myself again and again. Until I’m hesitant to determine whether snipping the vibrant red cord is a punishment or a relief. To finally make it to the shore of the beach, form lifeless against grains of sand. Condemned in self pity, looking for the blood on my hands. 

My hands are clean.

I want to cry because they shouldnt be.

An endless cycle when the waves wash over my ragged form, snaking through my legs and under my arms. Sand letting the sea take me. The murky water is salty against my tongue, and I can only feel the dim sensation of something around my finger before I’m once again plummeting down.

But I always come back up.

Unable to rectify my crimes, I keep adding onto the list, nails slowly biting into the wood of my desk as I mark another one. Another death.

Snip.

I’m so cold.

But regret is like a spider, a horrid looking thing that scales up my leg, embedding sharp legs into the icy numbness of my shins. It leaves me petrified, the idea of swatting away leaving me with immense disgust. So does leaving it there. I don’t want to touch it, not when its on my thigh, on my stomach, up my shoulder blades. Not when it slowly makes its way across my arm, flexing its angular legs until it reaches my hand. Spiders terrify, they make people do things they dont mean to do. So does regret, reaching my frostbitten hands and sending a rush of warm blood. It's a spiking pain that hits, biting the soft skin of my palm and leaving ugly red flush in its wake.

Regret was my drive. My push when I decided to sever the digits that let fate take control.

It was easier to grasp the knife on the side when I was running on raw hatred and self loathing. When my hands were throbbing and I could picture the red string that held me captive, feel the thread palpitate against my finger.  Knowing with certainty that someone was on the other end of that string.

Bound to them.

The first few fingers were easy, blade sharp against unnourished and neglected skin. Soft ligaments and weakened bones posed no threat to my determination, body willing to my wishes. One by one, until the hilt was in my mouth and I was shaking my head back and forth with a strength I hadnt had for days. Wooden splinters buried themselves in the cracks of my teeth, gagging when the tail of the handle caught on the inside of my cheek and dug further into my mouth. I didnt stop, not until I was cutting the wood of the desk.

Until all ties to this wretched fate were cleaved.

 Hands all but circular blobs of discolouration, blue and purple tinting the tips of bumpy flesh and splintered bones. Blood coated pads that soaked into the rotten planks of wood, spilling over the desk and onto the floor. 

Finally. Finally my hands were stained in blood.

Not nearly as much as their ought, but it served its reminder perfectly. A pang of relief slipping through my body just like the crimson liquid that oozed down to the floor. Matting the hollow lines between floor panels with trickles of blood and soaking into my socks.

I was free.

Eyes fluttering closed, the sharp icy pain was gone, shock taking over my body and leaving me motionless. Solace was an odd little thing, consolation after actions of regret. But it was warm, and I could dimly register the ease that spread through my body like a drug. Bitter tasting but leaving me weightless, mind overdosing on the dopamine that pumped through my veins. Vasoconstriction quickening my pulse and leaving me breathless in the best way.

I was free.

Delusional satisfaction left my head buzzing and I didnt know if I was smiling or my face seemed to rise. Eyes rolling to the back of my head before returning to my sockets, head tilting forwards and nearly touching the puddle of blood on the desk. But I was happy, I was free.

Until I wasnt.

Till a bright red string settled once again, blurred vision transfixed on the way it slackened right above my collarbone, below my chin. 

Around my neck.

It was soft, warm as I struggled to realize it was someone elses heartbeat pressing against my jugular. Throbbing at an inconsistent pace and sending my thoughts into a whirlwind of activity. Till all I could think about was taking the scissors in my hand, grip firm and unrelenting to the viscous game destiny played.

Snip.

The realization came too late, palm on the base of the tool when it occurred to me I couldnt grab it. Simply watch as blood slipped through the gaps where my fingers shouldve been, pain seizing my wrist and presenting itself to me for the first time. It was electric, jolts of torment taking me by surprise and leaving me stunned. Shocked, but not enough to tip me off my high. Wretched grin widening across my face when I stared down at the red string, parched lips letting out a measly croak as I spoke. “You outplayed me.” Because at that moment it all felt strangely hilarious, pain building up in the nonexistent slim skin of my fingers. It was as if I could still feel them, and a feverish laugh spilled from the bosom of my throat as I sagged, shoulders shaking. 

The realization was bittersweet and brief before I leaned my forehead on the puddle of blood, baring with the pain of my actions. The consequences to my regrets. 

I cannot escape fate.

[script-a-world]

How do I keep my worldbuilding consistent when I have multiple timelines and alternate universes? Especially when memories can bleed over too.

Constablewrites: Really, really good notes. You’re gonna need something that allows for a high level of organization and categorization. That might be a tool like Scrivener or Evernote that lets you create folders and tags, or if you prefer physical notes you can use different colored pens, sticky notes, or even multiple notebooks. (There are probably tools out there specifically designed for such a purpose, but I’m not personally familiar with any.)

However you keep your lists, you’ll want to have one set of notes for each timeline and universe that impacts the story. If you have characters hopping around, you’ll also want to have notes for each character’s personal timeline (so the order in which they experience events, which timelines/universes they travel between, what they remember when, etc.). These lists don’t have to be super long or involved--just a brief phrase describing the scene or event can be enough to keep it straight.

Even for writers only working with a single timeline, it can be useful to have a calendar of events. You can call your start point Day 1 and go from there, assign events to arbitrary dates on our calendar, or go into detail with your own system, whatever works for you. The key is just to have a way to be sure of how much time has passed, so you don’t have something like characters saying they’ve only known each other a couple of days when it’s established elsewhere that it’s been a month.

Also, this doesn’t have to be done in advance. Doing it as you go is fine, and so is assembling the lists as you’re preparing to edit and untangle everything. You might save yourself some effort down the line if you sort that stuff out before writing, but not everyone’s brain works like that and that’s okay.

Tex: It’s difficult to make lists and notes if you don’t know what information to put in them. This is a fairly common issue, since the plethora of information available to particularly worldbuilders can easily become a sensory overload.

A calendar of events is an excellent idea, if you’ve got events to catalogue (and dates to go along with them!). Unfortunately that won’t cover the rest of a world, so you’ll need to be careful in how your organize your notes. Please note that both of our suggestions are but one of many methods to arranging worldbuilding notes, especially when it comes to multiple timelines.

Scrivener, Evernote, OneNote, or even a set of notebooks or word documents can be very versatile depending on your style of note-taking. I deeply prefer an iterative process to worldbuilding, wherein I slowly collate and organize scraps of notes into a polished whole that functions as an archive. Usually I keep multiple versions, in case I need to roll back to certain timelines of development and branch off in a different direction, and keep the discarded versions in case there’s a new way to incorporate the research and ideas.

There’s a lot of debate about digital vs physical copies. For digital, the pros are that you can easily edit and transmit files to a high volume capacity, as well as store them in a comparatively small container or even purely online. Its cons, however, are that they’re easily lost, corrupted, or stolen.

For physical, the pros are that the copies are tangible, easy to visually reference in large volumes, and can usually withstand long-term storage without corruption issues. Its cons, however, are that they have a physical weight, can be cumbersome to carry around, and are difficult to edit while retaining coherency.

One of the most successful note-taking styles I’ve seen is a blend of digital and physical. When you’re still developing an idea, a digital format is very useful until you’ve gotten some concrete decisions down. You can do this with some throwaway notebooks or loose paper, too! Just make sure it’s collected in the same place, or at least is annotated in a way that’s easy to identify (e.g. headers of the same colour, washi tape, dedicated ink colours, dedicated folders, etc).

The intermediary point is usually the difficult part, because transitioning into firm decisions about your worldbuilding is where packrat tendencies kick in. “But what if I need this?” is a very common refrain. However, if you’ve isolated your first step, you’ll still have all of your sketches and ideas and notes!

A basic sorting process of “I’ll keep working on this” versus “I’ll set this aside in case I still need this” will tamp down on a lot of that inevitable anxiety. This will give you control over the flow of development, and you’ll always be able to incorporate things from that second pile if necessary.

The main characteristic of the intermediary point is the filing system, and is incredibly useful even when dividing a world into multiple timelines.

The best method that I’ve found for working on multiple timelines is to start from the most common details. Since these notes are likely to be stored with other stories, the first order is fandom vs original work. If you only write original work, it may be helpful to arrange things by title and/or genre.

I’ve made a sample worldbuilding folder on Google Drive (available here) that can be downloaded locally or into your own Drive, and am narrating the main path way; any additional folders you see will largely be blank in order to allow others to learn the overall structure. You can always copy the folders and files I mention into the additional folders, and rearrange as best suits you!

Since I made this for primarily fandom (re-title as necessary for original work), this means choosing Fandom 1 and then World Name 1. Traditionally the first world is the “canon” world, or the original seed, so it gets first pick.

I have in World Name 1 some things pre-seeded:

Timeline 1

Timeline 2

Unsorted

World Name 1 - Meta Info.txt

All of the individual files in there - usually .txt or .docx - have information on them regarding suggestions how to use them. If you already have a method, then disregard and populate as you prefer.

The Unsorted folder acts as a catch-all, and there’s going to be one of these at roughly each level. For the Timeline level, this means working in conjunction with the Meta Info text file - usually discarded snippets and/or research. While you can definitely create subfolders in this one, I would recommend keeping it loose so you don’t create a stressful, nitpicking situation that loses focus on your main goals.

If you have a main timeline, then that’s going to be Timeline 1. However you choose to prioritize the other ones, just make sure you’re consistent with it, and clearly label everything.

Within Timeline 1, you’re going to have the following items:

Story folder

Plot folder

Unsorted folder

Culture folder

World Name 1 - Timeline 1 - To Do List.txt

You already know how the Unsorted folder functions, so pass that one by. I’ll cover the file before delving into the folders. It’s a text file (that’s a bit oddly sized, apologies for that - it can be resized upon opening with Notepad or a similar program), and left without any instructions or suggestions. World Name 1 - Timeline 1 - To Do List is, as it says on the tin, meant to keep track of things that need doing for this timeline. Be it items that need updating, necessary tweaks, reminders for other things, it’s a relatively isolated way to keep track of this timeline on a meta scale.

Moving on to the rest, the Story folder contains two of its own - Chapters and Master Story. I’ve found this method useful, since it’s dumping drafts into a virtual outbox on an as-completed basis. Master Story has a preseeded doc, while Chapters is meant to contain each chapter unto its own folder (Chapter 1 has its own preseeded doc, as well). The guide docs are colour-coded and contain notes for both fanfiction and original work.

The next folder in Timeline 1, Plot, comes with three pre-seeded guide docs of its own:

World Name 1 - Timeline 1 - Characters.docx

World Name 1 - Timeline 1 - Plot Unsorted.docx

World Name 1 - Timeline 1 - Plot.docx

You see how there’s still an Unsorted folder, albeit in file form? That’s for information that can’t be put into Characters.docx or Plot.docx. All three have notes and some sort of sorting and colour-coding applied to them, with some modularity for copying and pasting. Plot.docx functions a lot like programs like OneNote and Scrivener, so the formatting can be ported over if you prefer a more literal digital notebook style.

The last folder in Timeline 1 is Culture. I’ve divided this into Non-Physical and Physical. There’s a readme text file in both detailing the types of things would go into each folder, though otherwise both left blank so you can dive right into creating sub-folder systems of your own. As with the higher-level folders, you can always duplicate the methods of unsorted folders and meta docs!

[ryqoshay]

Happy Life: Sweeter Than a Choir

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Words: ~1.4k Rating: G AU: Angelic? Time Frame: Sometime after their college years Story Arc: Stand Alone Set: “Thank You” For Your Smile (HtHaN) Sweeter Than a Choir (HL) All I Can Say (TA)

Author’s Note: A second salvo for the seasonal scene barrage.

TheFallenAngel: Ne, Riri!

TheFallenAngel: One of my little demons just gifted me the new Christmas cosmetics pack!

TheFallenAngel: I know we have plans after dinner but do you mind if I stream before?

SakurauchiRiko: Of course you can stream

SakurauchiRiko: Have fun!

SakurauchiRiko: See you when I get home

“I’m home!” Riko announced as she walked in the door.

“Taste the minty wrath of Santahane’s Candy Scythe!”

Riko chucked to herself as she realized Yoshiko was already lost to the world as she focused on the game she was playing. Then, a grey dog and a black cat scampered around the corner into the entryway.

“Hey, Prelude, Phobetor.” She knelt to greet the pets of the apartment, offering both scratches behind the ears and under their chins.

After a minute or two, Riko took off her coat and boots and stored them before making her way to the living room. It came as no surprised that those watching the stream noticed her presence before Yoshiko.

“Uwah!” Yoshiko seemed to notice her girlfriend’s name being spammed in chat and glanced at Riko. “Hey, Riri! I’m almost do- Ha! Ring out! Fall into winter’s abyss! Santahane shall rain coal down after you for your naughtiness!” Her final taunt issued, she tossed her controller onto the cushion beside her and popped up off the couch. “Welcome home!” She spread her arms wide.

By the gods, she looks cute, Riko thought to herself as she fought down her embarrassment and stepped forward into her girlfriend’s waiting arms.

Yoshiko had apparently found an old outfit from one of their Christmas themed photoshoots back during their time with Aqours. Or perhaps she had made a new one in a similar style, Riko couldn’t quite tell. Either way, the bells and beads and poinsettias and cape and tiny hat, all in Christmas colors, suited Yoshiko well. And the tousled twin tail hairstyle was a pleasant change from her normal side bun.

It was all so adorable, Riko couldn’t help herself when she pulled back from the embrace just enough so she could reposition her head and lean down for a kiss. She tried to ignore the surge of notification sounds as cheers and subscriptions flooded in from the still-live stream.

Finally, Riko pulled away and turned toward the camera. “Hi, everyone!” She greeted cheerfully, hoping her blush was being kept to a minimum, though realizing it probably was not. “I know you’re all enjoying Yocchan’s bonus stream today, but I’m going to need to steal her back in a little while so we can decorate for the holiday.” She smiled as she skimmed some of the responses. “Hrm, we’ll see. I’m still not that good at fighting games, but perhaps I will join Yocchan next time. Maybe.” She turned to Yoshiko. “I’m going to go make dinner, so you have until then to keep playing.”

“Right!” Yoshiko grinned before pouncing back onto the couch and grabbing her controller. “Alright, who among you is willing to face Santahane to claim their place on the Nice list?”

Riko also smiled as she made her way to the kitchen. Over the years, she had become quite fond of listening to Yoshiko’s streams and occasionally even participating in them. But it hadn’t always been like that. The younger girl’s energy had, still to this day, the potential to overwhelm the more reserved older girl, but time and time again, Riko found herself drawn in by the enthusiasm. The smiles, the laughter, even the melodramatic antics. Riko had come to love it all.

“You can’t stop my Jingle Bell attack!”

Haughty laugher burst out from the living room as Riko assuming another little demon was felled at the hands of the skilled fallen angel. Yoshiko was obviously enjoying herself, which in turn was what Riko enjoyed watching, or listening to in this case.

“Yocchan!” Riko called. “Dinner is ready. Come help me set the table.”

“The time has come, little demons.” Yoshiko announced to her viewers. “Yohane must bid thee adieu, for now. But fret not! Thy master shall soon return! Pay heed to thy standard digital messenger systems so that thou might participate in our next gathering from across the void.”

A moment later, the blue-haired girl practically skipped into the kitchen, her cape flowing behind her and twin tails bouncing over her shoulders.

“Thanks for making dinner!” Yoshiko said, sliding in to set a shameless kiss on Riko’s cheek before gliding away to grab plates from the cupboard. Silverware and napkins were nabbed next and the winter holiday wrapped whirlwind spun out to the living room.

Riko followed the other girl with their meal and set it on the table before taking her seat.

“Itadakimasu!” Yoshiko clapped her hands together before reaching for her fork. “Mmm! Riri’s cooking is always the best!”

“I’m glad you like it.” Riko replied, taking her own first bite.

No matter how many times Yoshiko said as such, part of Riko continued to worry about making mistakes when she prepared meals. And of course she knew full well that Yoshiko would eat just about anything she made, despite, and sometimes because of said mistakes. Nonetheless, she doubted she would ever tire of watching Yoshiko enjoy the food she had made for her.

The notification for the Aqours group chat sounded on both of their phones.

“Someone must have finished decorating already.” Riko decided. “Should we check?”

Yoshiko agreed and retrieved her phone. “Ah, Ruby and Zuramaru.”

“It’s a lovely display.”

“Yeah, but we can out do them.”

Riko was about to point out that it wasn’t really a competition but was interrupted by Yoshiko laughing. She checked her phone to find Mari being scolded by Dia for her commentary while Kanan played an all-too-casual mediator. She set her device down to resume her meal but continued to listen to her girlfriend laugh as the situation unfolded.

It was a completely different laughter than earlier during the stream. Yohane’s laugh was hearty, deep and more than a little mischievous, while Yoshiko’s was gentler, purer and decidedly sweeter. Like her singing voice, the girl’s laughter had the range of an entire choir. And like her streams, Riko enjoyed listening.

After a few minutes, Yoshiko settled back down and the couple began chatting about various things like their respective days at work and what decorations they most looked forward to putting up. Once they were done, they both cleared their places and headed for the dining room.

“Ne, Riri,” Yoshiko spoke up “one of my little demons sent me a play list of Christmas parody songs. The ones I’ve listened to so far have been pretty funny. Do you want to listen? Otherwise, I have a more normal playlist prepared as well.”

Riko was about to choose the normal list when she realized the parodies would mean comedy. Comedy more than likely meant more laughter from Yoshiko. Suddenly, the weights shifted on her decision-making scale.

“The parody list is fine.” Riko agreed after a moment.

“Thanks, Riri!” She grinned. And with more flourish than was necessary, Yoshiko paired her phone to the stereo and started the music.

“I should be thanking you, Yocchan.”

“Huh?” Yoshiko tilted her head. “For what?”

Oh, had she said that out loud? Well, may as well tell her.

“For your laughter.” Riko started to explain. “For your smile. For your joyful energy that fills this place and makes it a home worth living in. For just, you know, being you. And for being with me.”

For a moment, it looked like Yoshiko might burst into tears, but just as moisture was starting to gather at the edges of her eyes, she blinked it away. “Riri~!” she cried, launching herself at Riko.

Having mostly anticipated this reaction, Riko caught the other girl and pulled her into an embrace.

“You’re welcome! And thank you!” Was all Riko heard before Yoshiko became incoherent.

Riko contented herself by running her hands through curled twin tails while Yoshiko babbled into her shoulder. However, it wasn’t long before what she thought was a classic carol started to play and Yoshiko chuckled. A moment later, she pulled away. Magenta eyes shone like the lights the couple was about to hang.

“This one is one of my favorites.” Yoshiko said excitedly. “I think you’ll like it too, Riri.”

“Alright, I’ll be sure to pay attention to the lyrics.” Riko assured. “Shall we start decorating?”

Yoshiko agreed and the couple started opening boxes. Another Christmas season was underway and Riko quietly prayed for a hundred more to come, each as wonderful as the last.

Author’s Note Continued in Followup Post

[wesleydaltonsblog]

Learn How I Lost 150 Pounds in Just 4 Months

This is not just another fad diet book of which fill libraries, bookstores, and the internet, but the true story of how I lost 150 pounds in about 4 months (and kept the pounds off). A story, which I believe anyone who can walk, will benefit from.

First let me back up a bit and explain how a middle-aged 6 0 male with a medium to large frame got to be 335 pounds. Well, it wasnt hard and didnt seem to take all that long. It was eating lots of fast food, burgers, and little to no exercise over the course of a few years. Sound familiar? In my 30s and 40s I was fairly active with scuba diving and just in my job itself. Then all of a sudden my job changed to where I sit at a computer eight hours a day (and still do), instead of being a busy technician building and testing things.

With age also came the slowdown of my bodys metabolism (I am now 54), coupled with a sit down job and eating lots of fatty burgers and other high calorie meals. Especially bad was eating big meals just before going to bed. It didnt take long to find myself at 335 pounds. I blew up like a big fat whale and my huge belly hung way over my belt line. I had to buy 3X shirts and 50 waist trousers to go around my bulk. I looked and felt just awful.

The time came when I finally said enough is enough! I was not feeling good, was out of breath all the time, and could hardly walk up the stairs to the bedroom. I went out and bought a good digital bathroom scale and weighed myself the next morning (undressed and after using the bathroom). The max limit on the scale was 330 pounds. The scale gave me an error message (a big fat capital E). That meant I was heavier than 330 pounds! Oh my God I thought! It cant be! That morning, I weighed myself at work on the shipping scales. My weight was about 340 pounds fully dressed and after eating breakfast. That meant my true morning weight was around 335 or so.

Steps I took to lose the pounds

I knew I didnt want (or could afford) to buy expensive exercise equipment. Nor did I want to spend a lot of money to join a health club. There had to be a better way. I did some research on the internet about aerobics and metabolism (the rate at which the body burns fuel) and came to the conclusion the answer to my weight problem was to increase my metabolism through aerobic exercise, and by changing my eating habits. The strict definition of aerobic is with oxygen. The body uses oxygen to burn fuel. Aerobic exercise improves oxygen consumption by the body and burns fuel more efficiently. I learned that aerobic exercise (like walking at a brisk pace for 20 or more minutes without stopping), will increase the bodys metabolism (perhaps up to several hours), even after you stop exercising. This is just one of the added perks of aerobics.

I would encourage everyone reading, to search the internet on metabolism and aerobics. There is much more information there than I can possibly put here, or need to. The information is abundantly available no need for me to re-invent the wheel.

After getting freaked out when my new digital bathroom scale went Tilt, this is what I did

1. I created a spreadsheet on my home computer so I could track and record my weight each Saturday morning (you can choose any day you wish, as long as you are consistent on when you weight yourself). Once a week is best.

2. I researched the internet about losing weight, and learned about metabolism, aerobics and aerobic exercise (and how they affect the body and calories). I figured I should be about 180-185 pounds for my height and frame, so I adjusted my daily calorie intake for that body weight. No special diets to speak of, just calorie intake adjustment, although I do try and eat healthy foods most of the time.

3. I invested in a good pair of walking shoes. This is critical!

4. I measured out one mile (using the odometer of my car), and timed how long it took me to walk one mile at a brisk pace (brisk pace meaning walking fast enough to elevate my heart and respiration rate). It took me 20 minutes to walk one mile. A 20-minute mile is not all that fast, but fast enough for someone weighing 335 pounds. And 20 minutes is the minimum workout time for aerobic exercise to be beneficial to the heart. My course was nothing more than the sidewalks of my neighborhood. Partly homes and apartments, and partly businesses.

5. I walked one mile per day, everyday, for about the first month (a 20-minute walk after dinner). I noticed my energy level was building and I felt better. After about the first 10 days, my digital bathroom scale began to give me a number instead of the big fat E error message. Definite progress!

6. The second month I increased my distance to one and a half miles a day (or a 30-minute walk after dinner). The soreness in my legs gradually disappeared.

7. I continued this pattern of increasing the distance by one-half mile until I was up to six miles per day (doing three miles before work and three miles after work). Six miles a day may be a bit extreme, so you may want to adjust your walks accordingly. But it worked for me and got to the point where I could walk three miles without breaking into a sweat. The pounds melted off!

8. After I lost nearly 100 pounds, I scaled back to four miles a day (two before work and two after work). I walk the miles faster too, about a 17-minute mile).

9. After 4 months, I reached 185 pounds and thats apparently where my body wants to be. I continue to walk four miles everyday, watch my daily calorie intake, and have stabilized at 185 pounds.

Do I still eat a big fat juicy burger and ice cream once in awhile? OH YES! I love that stuff! But I religiously weight myself each Saturday morning and my weight seems to be happy and steady at 185. I dont deprive myself of the foods I love, but I have learned what, when, and how much I can eat and get away with. One has to experiment and adjust accordingly.

I look forward each day to my walks. In fact, I get a sense of accomplishment after each walk. A fringe benefit I guess. Another fringe benefit is that walking is a great stress reliever especially after a hard day at the office. All in all, I am in much better health. That 150-pound barbell I was carrying around all day is gone. My heart and cardiovascular system is much healthier all due to walking.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits (other than the obvious health benefits) is that the people in the neighborhood and the storekeepers stop me all the time and comment on how I look. These are the people who would see me walk by their homes and stores each day. They saw a once very fat person transformed into a thin person.

The bottom line

I was sick of being obese and I knew it was killing me and that I needed to do something and quick. I was a sure candidate for a heart attack or stroke. After doing a little research, I found the best way for me was aerobic walking coupled with a change in eating habits. There other types of exercises that will work too, but I believe nothing is as good for the human body then walking. The benefits are enormous and the cost is, well, the price of a good pair of walking shoes and comfortable clothes. Its enjoyable too! Forget those expensive boring indoor treadmills! Go for a walk in the great outdoors!

If you can walk, have a place to walk, by all means go for it! If you are like me, you will increase your energy a hundred fold. Start off slow at first if you are way out of shape, a few minutes a day. Walk briskly and swing those arms. Increase until you can do a mile, then a mile and a half, and so on and so on until you reach your goal weight. This is a lifelong commitment, so dont stop after reaching your goal weight.

My family and friends at work all say I am half the man I used to be. They are not very far off! I went from wearing 3X shirts and 50 waist trousers, to wearing large shirts and 34 waist trousers. Yeah, I had to buy all new clothes but I didnt mind the expense one bit. 

To hell you more I have prepared a full presentation to teach you how to lose weight in less than 4 months.

Click the link below to watch the presentation.

Click Here to learn about my secret strategy used by thousands all over the world to loose more weight even faster and in less than 4 months.

Take care and happy walking.

[z-iridest]

(A/N: Hey guys! Sooo, this is my first one shot here on Tumblr, featuring Todoroki due to a rush of creativity coming to me. The inspiration is a matchup I requested from none other than @lxvely-mha ^.^, so this little one shot is my way of saying a huge thank you! Hope you guys enjoy this piece featuring my oc [literally me XD]. Little heads up, this will be in her point of view... Feel free to request from me if you liked it ^.^)

There's three things I know for sure. One: I'm not the most confident person... Thanks to bullying I had endure most of my life, my self confidence isn't that high, especially when it comes to my body. I'm only 5 foot 4 inches tall... Mind you, I'm only an inch below average height, but my weight... not so average. I had stopped checking on it some time ago because I was scared that a much bigger triple digit number was going to pop up the next time I stood on a scale.

Two: If I ever do feel confident, it's usually when I'm either listening to music, writing or singing. I'm not exactly creative enough to write lyrics and compose the music... But, for the composing part, I don't really have an excuse due to having a music genius for a best friend. There are times I feel like Kyoka Jirou should have been my sister.... That girl knows me better than anyone else at U.A....

Three: I'm deeply and irrevocably in love with my boyfriend. It's actually pretty funny how we ended up together. We didn't actually start talking until after the Sports Festival, and Midoriya was the one who introduced me to him. Shoto Todoroki... I wasn't too open with Shoto when we first met if I'm being honest, but I found out pretty quick how interested he was in me. Everytime we had to pair up for projects and we got to choose, he always ended up making his way toward me. I swear, as soon as our friends started seeing us together more and more, it was teasing left and right from the girls. It honestly wasn't too long before I started noticing our friends starting to get us into situations where we were alone together... Hell, everyone in our class started shipping us. It all built up to when we first moved into the dorms...

Shoto and I had been in the kitchen at the same time, Kaminari and Kirishima talking amongst each other while Shoto and I were talking. I have no idea which one did it, but a sudden force knocked me forward toward Shoto. I had braced myself to hit the wall, but I felt something warmer than that under my hands. When I looked up, I realized I was in Shoto's arms, with my hands on his chest, and much to my own embarrassment, I started blushing redder than the left side of his hair. As embarrassing as the situation was, I couldn't look away from his eyes... Those beautiful, enchanting heterochromatic eyes, and those eyes... Were right... On... Me. There was this look I had never seen in his eyes before, but it wasn't bad at all... The look in his eyes almost seemed... Longing, but there was so much love behind them, I couldn't look away even if I wanted to. We had confessed at the same time, and shared a good laugh over it.

That was a couple months ago...

In the span of a couple months, we had opened up to each other a little bit more. Shoto had seen how competitive I could be first hand, thanks to the Sports Festival, he already knew how stubborn and closed off I was since it had taken me months just to open up to him a little while we were just friends. Only two days into our relationship, embarrassingly enough, he found out about my tendency to ramble... I had been talking about a day out with the girls and how much they had bombarded me with questions before training had started. When I had looked up at him, he was staring at me with the softest look on his face, his chin in his palm and his head tilted. I'm not gonna lie, I almost squealed because he looked like an attentive puppy. It was so cute!

Best part about being with Shoto? Cuddles. Oh my god, you have not lived until you cuddle with Shoto. I don't think Shoto lets even one day pass without wrapping his arms around me at least once, but hey, I'm not complaining. Whether it's cuddling in one of our rooms, hugging for a quick moment because our schedules only allow a second of us time, or Shoto wrapping his arms around me from behind while we talk with our friends, Shoto's hugs are just the right temperature for comfort, thanks to his quirk. I'm not gonna lie, I think I've messed up my sleep schedule way too many times because of how much I fall asleep in Shoto's arms. A majority of when we cuddle is usually when I'm writing. I'll be sitting on the couch, typing out a drabble or a one shot one of my readers requested (or a drabble about Shoto), and he'll just slip in behind me, put his legs on either side of me, and wrap his arms around me. He'll usually press a kiss to my temple as a way to tell me to lie back on him, which I gladly do everytime so my head ends up on his chest. He'll press kisses to my cheeks everytime he gets a chance, usually while we're cuddling. Hell, he'll pepper my face with kisses until I start giggling, and he only stops because he's too busy chuckling with me. Occasionally, I'll give him one of my earbuds and we'll listen to music together on Spotify while I write. If I'm not sleepy, that's my favorite way to cuddle...

And did I mention the cute little kisses Shoto gives me? I swear, Shoto makes it a point to kiss me at least once while we're cuddling together. But, my favorite times are when he gives me three: One on my forehead, one on the tip of my nose, and one on my lips.

But one thing's certain: I absolutely cannot be insecure around him. Oh boy, let me tell you, Shoto absolutely hates it if I even look insecure. If he catches me even looking like I'm thinking about doubting myself, he launches into the biggest lecture about how beautiful and perfect I am in his eyes. He lists everything he loves about me until I'm blushing a darker red than Kirishima's hair, and he always finishes with, "Don't ever doubt yourself, my love, because nothing can take you away from me. I will forever be your hero, your knight in shining armor. You are my princess, my greatest love, and as such, I will always come for you." As if his words weren't enough, he goes full on prince mode and kneels on one knee, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand. It makes me blush so dark everytime.

Now, if I'm ever next to him, he'll literally pull me onto his lap, and pepper my cheeks in kisses until I start giggling. As soon as I do, he gives me a tight hug and starts stroking my hair. He usually does it with his left hand, letting off just enough of his fire side to give me a comfortable warmth without burning me. He'd start humming or softly singing to me in my ear, and let me tell you.... My man can sing. He'll usually stroke my sides, my back or my hair as he sings, my head on his shoulder. Actually... That's usually how I fall asleep, being held close to my boyfriend, his soothing voice singing to me. But, even after the months of knowing him, Shoto has no idea that I can sing. I'm not as good as Jirou, who's the only one who knows about my ability to sing...

Well, one of the rare afternoons after class, Shoto had to do extra training with Midoriya and Iida, so I was left to do what I wished until Shoto got back. Since I was sweaty from hand to hand training against Ochaco, I decided on taking a shower. Once I got out, I dressed in sweatpants and a black tank top before sitting on my bed as I dried my auburn hair. I softly started humming before closing my eyes as I started to sing.

When tomorrow comes

I'll be on my own

Feeling frightened of

The things that I don't know

When tomorrow comes

Tomorrow comes

Tomorrow comes

And though the road is long

I look up to the sky

And in the dark I found,

I lost hope that I won't fly

And I sing along, I sing along

And I sing along

The chorus is when I really lost myself to the lyrics, thinking about Shoto. The song truly conveyed, in words I could never describe, how I felt about him all these months of knowing him.

I got all I need when I got you and I

I look around me, and see a sweet life

I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight

You're getting me, getting me through the night

Kick start my heart when you shine it in my eyes

Can't lie, it's a sweet life

I'm stuck in the dark but you're my flashlight

You're getting me, getting me through the night

'Cause you're my flashlight (flashlight)

You're my flashlight (flashlight)

You're my flashlight

"My love, you never told me you could sing like that." I jumped at the smooth and calm voice of my boyfriend, my eyes snapping open to see him standing in the doorway of my room. My eyes widened as all the heat rushed to my face. I'm pretty sure I broke the world record for darkest blush at that point... He was leaning against the doorframe, the most adoring look on his face as he looked at me with his head tilted in that adorable as hell way. Damn it, I could never think straight when he looked at me like that...

"H-How long have you..."

"I didn't mean to intrude, my love." Shoto told me as he walked toward me as he talked. "It's just that I had heard an angel's voice singing, only to find that the sweet angel I was hearing was no one but my princess." Shoto sat down next to me and I let out a squeak of embarrassment, making him chuckle before he pulled me into a hug, putting me on his lap like he always did. I hid my face in his shoulder out of embarrassment, but he merely rubbed my back. "My love, your voice is nothing to be ashamed of... Your voice is as beautiful as you." He pressed a kiss to my temple and it wasn't long before he made me sit up and sit in front of him. He picked up my hairbrush and started gently brushing out the knots as he picked up where I left off, my voice harmonizing with his. We smiled at each other as we kept singing, Shoto pulling me back to him as he laid back with me on his chest, his arms around me. I smiled as we sang together, our eyes never leaving the other, our fingers interlaced and our voices harmonizing together. He smiled up at me when we finished singing and pressed a sweet but passionate kiss against my lips.

Maybe I had only been with Shoto for a couple months, but I finally felt complete...

With him... I was finally home.

[jialemelody]

Blog 10: Self-Tracking Wearable Technology

In the article, Our metrics, ourselves: A hundred years of self-tracking from the weight of scale to the wrist wearable device, Crawford challenges the user agency and accuracy marketed by self-tracking technologies. In her paper, Crawford proposes that self-tracking devices have historically been perceived as a method for individuals to acquire self-knowledge, consequently acting as the standards for enforcing individual and social discipline. The quantified self-movement, for instance, is a phenomenon stemming from such intimacy and reliance on the information generated from wearables as means of self-knowledge. Yet, Crawford argues that there are inherent limitations and inequalities in the structures of wearable technologies, including its generalization of data (lacking accuracy) and the mediation of personal data by the wearable-producing companies which undermines user agency.

The intrinsic need for self-knowledge is one concept that interested me. While many digital technologies are designed to facilitate interaction, wearables are marketed as tools for understanding oneself. Indeed, I agree with Crawford that keeping track of personal data is no longer just about the numbers, but has become a powerful source of self-knowledge and expectation. Personally, I have always been a committed user of MyFitnessPal - a diet and exercise tracking application. By inputting height, weight, age, and activity levels, softwares like MyFitnessPal can easily generate a user's recommended calorie and nutrient intake. Similarly, I try my best to adhere to the guidelines on a daily basis - in particular the calories, carbohydrates, and fats consumption. Hence when a respondent is quoted "the numbers tell me how to feel" in Crawford's article, I found myself resonating with the thought. Occasionally when I choose to have unbalanced or unhealthy food options (such as eating three pastries for dinner on a particular day) and log it onto the app, it would immediately send a warning in red such as "Your goal for today is to stay under 34 grams of fat" (as shown below). As such, MyFitnessPal functions to enforce discipline. 

Yet, this semester I participated in a module, Food and Health, offered by the Department of Food Science and Technology. As part of the module, students were required to complete a detailed analysis of their diet for three representative days. During the thorough analysis of my own diet, I came to realize the discrepancies between the data I logged on MyFitnessPal compared to the actual breakdown of my nutrient intake and requirements. These differences resulted from factors such as portion sizes, Health Promotion Board recommended intakes (as compared to data used on the app likely based on statistics from the United States), lack of data on essential minerals recommendation, and limited nutritional profiles of certain local food. Such discrepancies support the argument by Crawford that the complexities of measurement limit the quantification offered by wearable technologies to one that is relative, rather than truly personal. At the same time, this seems to raise an interesting paradox of self-knowledge as a byproduct of public knowledge, facilitated by self-tracking devices with metrics generated from public contribution. Despite being labeled as a personalizable measure, self-tracking technologies appear to accelerate the convergence between private and public data, through so reshaping the practices and way in which individuals understand normalcy and themselves. 

[dzamie-oc]

Smaugust 14 - Feathered

A dragoness and her deinonychus friend go out for dinner and discuss having feathers. Then they eat some people. (2135 words)

cw: death, gore, hard vore

Sivarel strode into the restaurant and up to the host. The dragoness sat back on her haunches to raise a paw, digits folding to make a "V" symbol. "Table for two, please," she said with a smile.

"Of course, ma'am," the employee replied. He gathered a pair of menus and handed them to a tall, slender server - probably an elf, or elven in ancestry. "Will this be indoor or outdoor seating?"

"Outdoor, please," Sivarel said, "ideally not surrounded by other tables. Cuz, you know, wings." She self-consciously brought the feather-covered limbs closer to her body.

The host nodded and made a mark on the seating plan, then gave the server a quiet instruction. "Absolutely," the server said with a professional smile, "this way, please, follow me."

The dragoness dropped back to all fours to pad smoothly along behind the elf, through a pair of glass doors, and onto the stone-tiled ground outside. They wove easily around some groups eating and conversing, before the server stopped and gestured to the table. Sivarel thanked them, then nudged one of the chairs aside to sit on the ground, shifting her weight back to sit up and get her front paws off the ground.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

The dragoness shook her head. "Just water, thanks." After the server left, Sivarel turned away from anything and anyone flammable, held her paws together, and breathed a quick jet of flame across them for quick and rough sterilization. She was far too proud of her draconic form to transform herself just for a simple dinner. After opening the menu in front of her, she slowly extended one wing along her side and began idly fussing with her primaries and secondaries, brushing them into place with small, careful claw movements. When the server appeared with two glasses of water, she refolded her wing.

"Are we ready to order, ma'am?"

Sivarel hummed, thinking for a few seconds. "Still going back and forth between a couple of things. In the meantime, could I start with the chicken strip appetizer?"

"Of course, I'll get that right out to you." The elf made a quick note in their order pad, then walked back away, leaving the dragon to her water. Then, in the corner of her eye, she recognized a certain someone.

"Hey, Siv!" said a deinonychus with a dark red stripe down her back plumage, waving at the dragon.

"Hello, Cerise. I haven't ordered yet, but there's chicken strips coming." She gestured with her head in a path through the door and the restaurant.

"Cool!" The dinosaur tensed and sprang up, easily clearing the fence to land next to her friend. She climbed into the chair opposite Sivarel and opened up her menu. "Ooh, that's a big steak," she commented.

"Did you really just jump up? I can't take you anywhere," Sivarel said with a smile. "I'm thinking of getting the half-chicken. I grabbed a small something on the way here."

"Something, or someONE?" Cerise asked with a mischievous grin.

Sivarel stared at her. "We're in a restaurant."

"Yeah, but you're still a dragon, and I'm still a raptor." Sivarel opened her mouth to reply, but Cerise held up a claw. "No 'veloci-' there, I'm right. Anyway, people are gonna eavesdrop cuz that's what people do. Might as well have some fun at their expense." She flipped through the menu a couple times, glancing at the items. "Split a full chicken?"

"Sure. And yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to play along." The dragoness folded her menu and stacked it on top of Cerise's.

A few moments later, the server returned with a plate of chicken strips. The elf took the order from Sivarel while Cerise took a few strips to her plate to begin eating.

The duo engaged in some small talk for a while, catching up on each other's days, before the chicken arrived. They each took part of the bird, a very brief break in their conversation.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," the deinonychus said after gulping down a bit of chicken, "I went and saw Jurassic Park again the other day."

"Really? Why? I thought you hated its popularization of naked dinos." The dragon smirked and leaned in slightly. "Or did you go to see the naked dinos, you naughty murderbird?"

Cerise glanced away. "Aren't we in a restaurant or something?" After another second of being smugged at by her friend, she rolled her eyes. "But no, I'm guessing they wanted to make dosh on concessions, so they offered ninety - yes, NINETY - percent off to dinosaurs. Got plenty of feathery butts in seats, I'll say that much." She tilted her head. "Or, at least, plenty of seats filled with feathery butts. I think the t-rex ended up taking, like, half a dozen or so, between her rear and her tail. Polite enough to sit in the back so us smaller folk could actually see every inch of Jeff Goldblum..."

"Well, eye candy aside, how was it? Quiet theater, or did you get one of the fun ones?"

"Oh, nobody there took the movie seriously. If there was a dino whose species appeared on screen, there were 'constructive comments' about the scene thrown about." Cerise grinned, silently recalling some choice arguments between the velociraptors and the utahraptors. "Plus, one of the non-dragons sitting near the rex kept talking about the differences between book and movie, which was at least more interesting than wondering if Rexy in the movie was going to eat the obvious protagonists. Dunno if it was the catfolk or the... dolphin next to her, though."

Sivarel swallowed the last bit of meat on her half of the chicken. "...dolphin?" she asked skeptically. "Oh, by the way, let me know when you're done. I crave meat."

"It was a dark theater, okay? Vaguely dolphin-shaped blob. Only got the catfolk cuz they meowed." She took a quick break to wolf down some more chicken, and Sivarel mimed asking for the check to the server, then the small dinosaur continued, "anyway, all of this was supposed to be a lead-up to: you've got feathers, I've got feathers."

The friends shared a quick smile and said together, "mine are prettier," and laughed.

"Anyway, again. We have feathers, but not, like, a ton. If you had to choose between being naked, and being as fluffy as an owl, which would you pick?"

"Easy," the dragoness replied, crunching on a bone, "I have a minimum comfort temperature, and no maximum. I will be the fluffiest dragon you ever did see, and I will be comfy forever." The server set down the bill, and Sivarel quickly placed enough coins to cover the cost and a decent tip before pushing it back towards the elf. "Keep the change. Anyway, Cerise, let's hear your answer. Big feathers or no feathers?"

"Joke's on you, I came prepared. No feathers, but I would have to hang out with my dragon friend a lot during winter." The deinonychus did her best sad-puppy impression. "Surely my bestest dragoness friend Sivarel wouldn't leave me to become a raptorsicle?"

Their conversation briefly halted as they wound their way back through the restaurant and said a polite goodbye to the employee at the front. "Anyway," Sivarel continued, putting on a silly voice, "Missus Owldragon, how many licks does it take to get to the deinonychus-filled center of a Cerise-pop?" She draped a wing over her friend as they passed a small grove, and pulled her in. "Let's find out. A-"

Suddenly, an empty two-liter bottle bounced off the dragon's head with an audible "donk!" She whirled and glared at where it came from. "Really?!" she shouted, only to hear a guy cheer and call, "ten points!"

The dragoness took a deep breath. "Cerise, my wonderful murderbird friend?"

The deinonychus swished her tail slowly, building excitement boiling off in the form of energy. "Yes, Sivarel, my sister in feather and scale?"

Sivarel bared her fangs - for it could not really be called "grinning." "I'm feeling a bit peckish. Shall we see about a second course?"

Cerise followed suit, crouching in preparation. "Why, I thought you'd never ask."

Cerise darted swiftly between the trees, darting back and forth like she was running the slalom at a dog show. Sivarel, in contrast, sprang up, soaring over the tops of the trees with a few powerful beats of her wings. She watched with keen eyes as the smaller dinosaur wove through the trees, screeching a challenge. The humanoids, not nearly as nimble as the deinonychus swaying her tail with each turn, quickly made for a clearing in the trees. Unfortunately for them, clearings were exactly what Sivarel loved to see.

She folded her wings and dropped like a stone, landing with a heavy THUD right in front of them. The first - a human - she caught his head in her mouth, sending him into a blind panic as a quick kick with a foreleg sent the other - a tiger catfolk - right into Cerise's path. Between the difficulty of subduing a struggling meal shortly after eating, and the need to avoid attracting too much attention with screams, the dragoness quickly made up her mind. She clamped down firmly on the man's head and jerked her own head quickly to the side. There was a snap, and the human hung limp in her jaws. Meanwhile, her dinosaur friend had come to a similar conclusion, and had leapt up to cling to the tiger's head, rapidly kicking to tear out the woman's throat. The catfolk, however, had better reflexes than her human counterpart, and successfully threw the little dinosaur off... before falling back, herself, rapidly suffocating and bleeding out.

Cerise wiped her claws on the feline's fur, then looked up at the dragoness. "I'm gonna go scuff up some tracks. Back in a few." And like that, she trotted back into the woods, pausing occasionally to kick around the grass, dirt, and leaves.

Sivarel flicked her head back, then jerked forward, catching the man's shoulders in her jaws. Another toss and a swallow, and she'd gotten him almost halfway in. She swallowed again and tipped her head back, leaving her mouth open as she shifted and jerked her head and neck, welcoming her second course into her stomach. One or two more swallows to make sure, and then she laid down to digest her meal and wait for her friend.

A couple minutes later, the deinonychus made a reappearance, trotted over to the feline body, now thoroughly dead, and began to tear it open. "Our next trick, of course," she said between bites, "is to get back home without attention."

"Even from volunteers?" Sivarel asked with a smile.

"Especially from volunteers," Cerise answered. "They're the absolute worst for me. You can gulp 'em down nice and easy, but they seem to think I can, too." Rip, tear, snap snap gulp. "No matter how many times I tell them, they're all super surprised when I slash open their guts and start snacking on their intestines. Ooh, speaking of which..." The dinosaur made a quick cut, then began to slurp down the organ like a bloody noodle.

The dragoness's stomach gurgled and growled as it compressed and moved the meat within. "Expecting you to start at the neck, maybe? Or do they just think that you'll be able to swallow them whole anyway? What would you even look like?"

Cerise dipped her head into the torn-open tiger woman, and reemerged a few seconds later with blood on her feathers. "No, I offer the neck and they always refuse. And, I dunno, I think my belly would drag on the ground. Uh, no pun intended."

"Behold the fast and agile deinonychus," Sivarel remarked with a snicker. "Anyway, when we're ready to head out, I'll lick you clean. Anyone asks, you spilled something sweet on you and I couldn't resist."

The dinosaur nodded, then went back to her eating. After a bit, she pulled back and walked over to her friend. "Along the feathers, if you could. It's harder for me to fix mine than you yours."

Sivarel nodded back, then set about carefully licking her, drawing the blood away from the coarse feathers and into her mouth. Once she had a soaked, but mostly clean, dinosaur in front of her, she smiled and leapt into the air. "See you back outside the trees!"

The dragoness soon landed back on the sidewalk, and started preening her wings again while waiting for her friend. A couple people stopped to watch; she stared back until they went away. After a minute or so, Cerise stepped out from the grove. With a wordless nod, they turned and began to make their way back to their homes, more full than they had at first intended to be.

[shahzadarsi17-blog]

Private Branding: A Complete Manual

Without a doubt, we all have a personal brand name. You have a personal brand and also been sharing this brand using everyone that you have ever are in contact with. The way you choose to portray by yourself is your personal brand. At this point, the question is can you agree with this brand? Is it a real representation of who you are?

What exactly is Brand?

Your brand is actually people say about you when you are not in the room" : Jeff Bezos, Founder associated with Amazon

Actually a brand is completely anything, the mere proven fact that you know that one thing is certainly not the other, is branding. As a result a brand is a name, a thought, design, symbols, attributes, status and quality that separate one feature from yet another. That is why Apple's identity differs from the others from Samsung's, even though they offer, essentially, the same idea. Very same ideas, but different strategies to presenting them. That's the things that make the each one unique. Customer avatar

Think about Personal Branding?

"All individuals need to understand the importance of logos. We are CEOs of our very own companies: Me Inc. To stay in business today, our most crucial job is to be head online marketer for the brand called An individual. " - Tom Peters

It is the same concept, the sole difference is that it is now over a personal scale. Your personal label is your brand name. You look completely different from everyone else, therefore your physical appearance is your brand design. You will have different parents, fingerprints, prices, personality, voice, qualities, notion and elements than all others. Therefore , you are unique.

This is just what personal branding is about, currently being your original authentic do it yourself and presenting yourself as a result. You do not see Apple as well as Samsung showcasing their manufacturers in a similar manner, even though they are fundamentally selling the same idea.

You might have the same qualifications, knowledge and you might even have gone for the same learning institution because the candidate you are competing to the job with. Who and then gets the job? It is just about all up to your personal brand.

"Personal branding is about managing your own personal name - even if you may own a business - inside a world of misinformation, disinformation, and also semi-permanent Google records. A weight date? Chances are that your "blind" date has Googled your personal name. Going to a job meeting? Ditto. " - Claire Ferriss

Why is a great private brand important for your career?

Top rated tips:

CVs or resumes are no longer enough. In fact , I actually predict that in the years into the future, resumes, as we know them nowadays will cease to exist. Be steady in the manner you sell your own brand. Showcase your ability and become a leader in your area associated with. Sell your unique promise. Speak your true values, guidelines, ethics and integrity successfully and consistently.

Focusing on all these strategies will help you get, not merely any job, but a career that is best suited for you. Just how is that? Because the manner in which anyone communicate your brand will be specific and unique to you personally. And you might have the exact requirements with your job competitor, nonetheless your attributes would be diverse. This way, you are not a duplicate regarding another, as that can be seen as boring and predictable. Additionally, this strategy allows you to attract the proper employer that appreciates along with values your brand assure. Digital marketing service

So what would make your company stand-out? What makes you dissimilar to anyone else? And why is it important build your personal brand? Discuss will help you build an authentic in addition to marketable personal brand. The following are the tips to help you be unique industry by storm competition.

Looking At Your Talents

This is an important factor in personalized branding. It is not an idea simply centred on your own perceptions, but in addition of those who know you actually well.

Those with a solid particular brand, know who they are and exactly they want in life. In fact , these are crystal clear on that. This is how you get to understand and identify your unique selling points. So that you can help you with this important activity, I have compiled several concerns for you to help keep you give attention to identifying your true talents:

What was/were the highlight/s of my career, as well as why am I so pleased with these moments? What was one of the most fulfilling task or job I have ever worked on, and also why was it rewarding? What role do I constantly play in group jobs, and how do others inside the group view me? How can you overcome the most challenging obstructions? What tools do I make use of? What do I enjoy doing the almost all (business or leisure) Only were to talk to someone regarding the subject that I enjoy the nearly all, what would it be? Merely were to accomplish something involving great significance to me, along with there would be no obstacles connected with any kind to stand in your path, what would it be? Currently, try to think of 10 one-word descriptions of your strengths at the. g. creative, compassionate etc Choose people who know a person, your friends, family and colleagues and enquire of them to each give you their very own insight of what your benefits are. After doing in which compare your lists having theirs. Share your record with them and see if they see you the same way as you look at yourself.

"Emphasize your strong points on your CV, in your protect letters and in your job interviews. It may sound obvious, yet you'd be surprised how many people basically list everything they've ever before done. Convey your interest and link your advantages to measure results. Organisations and interviewers love tangible data" - Marcus Buckingham

Now that you know what your talents are, use them. Utilise these as part of your strategic plan in the daily activities as well as with possible employers. Let the right customers know these gifts. Converse them effectively using every single relevant resource available to you. You should use your CV to highlight your current strengths, online profiles and also you must unquestionably have a individual website as your digital CURRICULUM VITAE. Just remember your values in addition to ethics when communicating in your audience. This will set an individual apart.

Know your Constraints

We all have weaknesses, nonetheless it is not always easy to approve them. It is in your welfare to be completely honest along with your self about what your limits are or you will set yourself on the spot for significant disappointments. Remember that a weak spot is anything from staying utterly uninterested about something in life to having limited expertise to do anything of interest.

"My perspective is that if you push us towards something that you think is actually a weakness, then I will convert that perceived weakness directly into strength" - Michael Jordan

Why don't help you identify these flaws:

Which aspects of my career/ education that I like the the very least, and why? Am I somebody who believes completely that I should have more and better? Do I come to be debilitated by the thought of the need to perform certain tasks? What type of tasks? What were time points in my career, as well as why? In a group circumstance, which role/s do I just like the least? What was the least successful task/project I have ever done, and why did it are unsuccessful? In the face of obstacles, what makes my family give up? What is the most uninspiring subject to talk about for me? Exactly what do I think are my 15 weaknesses? Be honest with yourself. Since on question 9 throughout strengths, only substitute weak point for strength.

Do not waste material your time with weaknesses which often not hinder your specialist goals. Establish what restriction you can turn into strengths so that you can jump-start your career. Learn the relevant skills that will help you progress. Put your self in uncomfortable networking scenarios if you need people skills as an example. Remember to mainly focus on weak spots that hold you back coming from achieving your potential.

Major tip: Your strengths are generally what gives you an edge in fact it is crucial that you use them to your advantage.

Prices

Knowing what your values usually are, is knowing who you are and you stand for. Having solid values, help you establish and also navigate your thoughts so that they are usually in synergy with your passion along with essence. In other words, before you require yourself in anything at all, consider, "is this in connect with my values and exactly I stand for? "

Principles are essentially a set of key points that you live by. They will define the codes this determine your personality, approach, actions, reactions and so on. Consider it this way; perhaps the reason you will be unhappy at work is because your own personal values are not allied with the information you do. Having values, consequently , is standing-up for what you imagine in. It is crucial to align you with what you engage oneself in.

"Love is the manifestation of one's values, the greatest incentive you can earn for the moral features you have achieved in your figure and person, the mental price paid by anyone for the joy he or she will get from the virtues of a different. " - Ayn Rand

Define your values

There are numerous of places in the internet who have great resources on how to create your values for your private brand. These are in a kind of a list of adjectives that talks about your values. Find a collection most suited for you and by a task of elimination, choose the leading 5 words that wedding rings true to you and you. Establish why you chose these words and define whatever they mean to you. Use them to create your personal mission statement in addition to hold yourself accountable if not respecting your values. These kinds of values should be communicated with your CV, website, social media websites and blog posts.

Passion

Have got passion for what you do! That is why biggest secret. It might seem to be difficult to reconcile the idea of enthusiasm and work. However , carry out establish that which you enjoy carrying out. That which gives you joy. On top of that, consider topics that charm you, that keep you motivated and wanting more.

Should you be still confused about what your love might be, think about a time once you could not wait to do anything or read about something. Take into account the time you could not hang on to get out of bed, and about the things which moved you to tears. Remember the projects that produced feel creative and had anyone filled with ideas. When you sense stimulated and motivated to accomplish something, then you are excited about it.

Ask yourself:

What do I enjoy about my current career? If I were to volunteer, which usually charity would you choose? Exactly why? What do you spend most of your time and energy doing?

"There is no appreciation to be found playing small-in negotiating for a life that is lower than the one you are capable of existing. " - Nelson Mandela

Your job related interests must be in more or less in the following areas:

Research Problem solver Analysing Planning Managing Organizing Mentoring Creating Counselling Instruction Writing

Other ways of connection

Listening Negotiating and many more

Features

What words would you make usage of to describe yourself? Also consider the lyrics that others might value to describe you. Deliberate around the following words without constraining yourself; creative, thoughtful, futurist, ambitious, resourceful, risk-taker, peacemaker, ethical, connected, compassionate, super-hero, worldly, diplomatic and so on. Locate attributes that best represents your personality and utilize them to communicate your manufacturer essence.

Positioning

Once you are very clear about your values, attributes and fervour, it's time to now placement yourself. What does that mean specifically? It is simply means that you should look at how others perceive you actually based on your strengths, principles, mission, attributes and passion. Bear in mind, this is about authenticity. Of work, you have to be consistent concerning who you say that you are.

Create a positioning statement. This specific statement you can use during selection interviews as it is more powerful and new than going on about your tedious career past. It catches your essence and individuality.

Target Audience

At this point you should have everything required in order to attract the right viewers. You must first determine the industry in which you want to work, then search for best organisations you wish to work for. Perform an extensive research on these kind of organisations and establish just what problems they are faced with; you could be a match for them according to your unique strengths, values, article topics and attributes.

With your groundwork done, create a personal model strategy using the keywords with job descriptions to attract all their attention. After all, they want to seek the services of good talent and someone who matches their standards. Still remember to never give whatever you have, reserve some of your personal good selling points for any interview.

[isobelthewitch]

5 Apps Every Modern, Millennial Witch Must Have On Their Phone

What do you think when you see the word witchcraft? Salem? Broomsticks? Bubbling cauldrons? An old withered woman hunched over a tarot deck and an oil lamp? You may or may not be surprised to learn that the modern witch is seldom any of these things. In fact, for many of us involved in the modern witchy world, technology plays a huge part in our practices!

If you're a modern witch looking to expand your reach into the technological world, or maybe even just a curious newcomer, this is the article for you. These apps may never be able to replace your loved and worn tarot deck or grimoire, but they are certainly convenient in a pinch! Not to mention, there's just something kind of cool about having a spellbook with a backlight.

1. Spellcaster

Spellcaster is one of the witchy apps I've been using the longest--and with good reason! It's a great introductory tool for new witches, it's mostly free, and it's aesthetically pleasing to boot. The app includes a great variety of different tools, including several daily tarot readings, a baby spellbook with detailed instructions on castings, and a daily horoscope. For $0.99 you can also unlock rune readings, a rock guide, and of course, some cute witchy stickers.

I'd recommend this app for new or casual witches due to its easy to use interface and versatility. However, more seasoned witches might find it a little confining and impersonal, as there is no way to add your own spells or other customization.

2. Oil Guide

With a simple and easy to use interface, this app is fantastic for those looking to get into the application of oils or aromatherapy as part of their practices. It includes fabulously written information guides on everything from acne treatments to ulcers, tips for direct application and methodology, detailed info on just about every oil and oil blend you could imagine, and even an entire section dedicated entirely to weight-loss.

The downside? The meticulous detail of the app is almost entirely lost without purchasing the premium version, only allowing access to a select one or two pages in each section tab. The good news is the premium version is only $0.99, and while I usually scorn the thought of purchasing anything I can look up on the internet for free, Oil Guide is just so damn compact and comprehensive it ends up paying itself off over and over again.

I would absolutely recommend this app to anyone looking to seriously get into using essential oils, not just witches. That being said, newer witches might be a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information the app has to offer and might feel more comfortable easing their way into witchcraft with some tamer apps, like Spellcaster or GoldenThread Tarot.

3. PlantNet

PlantNet is, and I don't say this lightly, freaking awesome. Funny enough, it is very much not designed to pander to witches, but I'll be damned if it isn't one of the coolest tools I own regardless. Its basic premise revolves around mucking about in nature, so if that isn't up your alley, it's possible this app is not for you. However, if you are like me and enjoy the occasional escapade into the wilderness, this app can become your best friend real quick.

PlantNet is essentially a worldwide database of identified plant species, categorized by location. Now while that might not exactly sound like the most interesting sentence you've ever read, its usefulness makes itself known through its signature feature: camera identification. That's right, if you've ever seen a plant on a hike and thought, what the hell is that? This app is about to become the coolest thing you download today.

Simply snap a couple pictures of the plant in question and PlantNet will automatically search through its databases to find you a range of potential matches. Once you recognize your mystery flora, simply click the picture and PlantNet will dump an entire Wiki page's worth of info about it on you. This has been amazing while looking for herbs out in the wild, and also just becoming more familiar with my native plant life. Plus, once you submit your photo, it gets added to the national database as a GPS location for that specific plant--who said science and witchcraft couldn't work together?

4. Stone

Stone is one of my favorite apps not only for its usefulness but also because it's so dang aesthetically pleasing. Like you might have guessed from the name, Stone is a crystal and rock identification tool. The app opens to a page of various crystals against a white background, and clicking one brings you to a pretty looking page that tells you the basic uses and principals for the stone in question.

Its a great tool for identifying crystals you might own but aren't quite sure of their names or uses. With a constantly expanding and updating database, its worth coming back to even if you couldn't find what you were looking for the first time. It also allows you to search for stones by name or "vibe", which is essentially the enhancing effect of a particular stone (i.e. "passion", "insight", "joy", etc.).

While the more seasoned witch might find Stone a little basic, it is a great tool for new or beginner witches that are curious to learn about the common properties of crystals and how to use them.

5. GoldenThread Tarot

GTT is a fun app I would recommend to those looking for an introduction to tarot, or those witches just looking for a fun daily tarot app. Like Spellcaster, GTT offers a daily tarot reading, albeit at a more advanced level. The thing I love about this app that Spellcaster lacks, however, is its ability to personalize its readings in a way I didn't think possible for a smartphone app. After drawing your daily tarot card (which is complete with an explanation of its meaning for those unfamiliar), the app will ask you to rate your reaction on a scale of great to horrible, as well as choose from a list of generated words that might have been evoked while reading your card (i.e. acceptance, fear, excitement) before adding that card, as well as your reaction, to your personal log.

Logging your cards daily provides a fun way to look back over your readings, as well as make connections in your personal life. Another cool thing about GTT is it offers to teach you how to use your own physical tarot deck in personal readings, and also allows you to log readings done this way. Many witches are uncomfortable using digital tarot decks, so the fact that GTT provides options for both physical and digital tarot readings makes it a fabulous versatile tool.

Beyond this, GTT also offers several general tarot lessons, ranging from "An Introduction to Tarot" to "The Minor Arcana," as well a tarot database that explains suits, individual cards, and their relationships to each other.

I recommend GTT to all witches, new and old, as both a fun way to learn and to practice tarot skills. The best part? The app is 100% free, although its creator does sell a beautiful physical tarot deck based on the app's aesthetic, so if you're a witch looking for a deck, give it a look!

Be Blessed.