#How Can I Increase My Height After 30

[csuitebitches]

On Becoming Better

A sign of positive change as you religiously follow your routine is this: your body automatically does the “habit” required in your routine.

it becomes a habit to clean up, instead of putting it off for later. it becomes a habit to pick up your book as you get into bed at night. it becomes a habit to eat a fruit in the mornings, and to do a simple 30 minute exercise.

you won’t feel like an “IT girl” at any point in the beginning. In fact, you might feel demotivated, lethargic, you might find yourself making excuses to not accomplish your daily goals. But the feeling of being put together, of feeling like you’re finally Her, comes as you consistently and diligently look after yourself. This will take time.

even if you’re practicing just being more social / feminine, that’ll take time. An example - I have these beautiful Jimmy Choo heels that are honestly, hell to walk in. I barely ever wore them and whenever I did, I felt like a chunky Godzilla monkey clanking down the stairs - I just didn’t feel ladylike. then one day, I came across this video of a lady showing exactly how one walks in heels. And boy, was that a game changer. I actually wrote her advice down and began practicing walking in heels every night, starting with a shorter heel height. in time, those heels have become one of the comfiest heels I own. I absolutely love them, and I get endless compliments. I began wearing kitten heels at work because somehow, they made me feel confident, yet feminine - and I felt a lot more put together than wearing flats.

Another example is using my Orai speaking app. It helps me so much with impromptu speaking! I love doing their little public speaking exercises. After two weeks of using it, I noticed a confidence boost in my presentation and talking skills, especially at work. I combined that with learning new words and I feel like my communication has improved significantly.

One last example is my Sweat app. I hate working out for more than 40 mins, I just can’t do it. I hate using crazy heavy weights too. With Sweat, I can workout for about 30 mins, select a fantastic low impact workout, feel amazing after, not be ridiculously sore the next day - and I’ve been seeing increased muscle definition. I was at a party the other day and whilst I was in the bathroom I suddenly noticed how toned my arms had gotten.

what this example shows is that taking little steps towards any goal you have - big or small - and practicing religiously helps a lot. And selecting the method that works for you. Lifting heavy weights works for some girls, not for me. My boyfriend keeps trying to “build” my workouts and I’ve flat out told him no, I’m doing it my way because it’s just what works for me.

do what works for you but do it consistently.

[sunkissedlouis]

Hi! I don't know if you already have a tutorial but would you mind sharing your gif making process? Thank you!

hiiii anon!

thank you for sending this in :) it's my first time getting a tutorial request hehe i tried to explain each step i do as best as i can.

i'll put the gif making process and tutorial under the cut bc it's image + text heavy

before starting, i'd just like to share what i use in creating gifs:

i'm on mac (i used to do them on windows... the ps steps are the same if you're using one)

i'm currently using photoshop 2022

i use 9xbuddy or video downloadhelper extension on firefox mainly for downloading videos

best quality to download for hq gifs is ideally 1080p and above. (although you can get away with 720p for smaller gif sizes)

i use mplayer-osx extended to get the screencaps/frames for my gifs (if i'm not doing the import option in photoshop)

for this tutorial, i'm using the latam highlights video from louis' ig reels to make today's gif. on to the tutorial / process!

please click the screenshots i've included below and zoom in on the texts on them to see them clearly (apologies for the quality!)

IMPORT YOUR FRAMES. once you've downloaded your video, open photoshop and click FILE > IMPORT > VIDEO FRAMES TO LAYERS

SELECT THE PART YOU WANT TO GIF. the shorter, the better because you want to keep it crisp and keep the file under 10mb when you save it after all the layers. here are the settings i use:

toggle the smaller arrows under the bar to select the parts you want to gif. once you have your frames loaded, it should show you a timeline table at the bottom and their corresponding layers on the right side. (if you can't see the timeline, go to WINDOW > click TIMELINE)

3. DELETE EXTRA LAYERS, CROP PARTS YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON, AND RESIZE.

after cropping the parts of the gifs, resize them according to the tumblr sizing to prevent your gifs from looking blurry once you upload them. you can use this size guide for your reference :) the gif's height can be any size as far as i know. go to IMAGE > IMAGE SIZE > INPUT THE SIZE. for this gif, we'll do 540 x 540

4. CHANGE GIF SPEED and CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT

once you've selected all frames

set the delay to 0.07. this is usually the natural, normal speed for gifs on here. it depends on the number of frames you have but i usually do .07 or .05 (sometimes .08 haha)

with all your timeline frames still selected, then select all the layers on the right side. go to SELECT > ALL LAYERS

then convert them to smart object so we can edit all the layers all at once. go to LAYER > SMART OBJECTS > CONVERT TO SMART OBJECT

5. SHARPEN (one of my fave parts!)

this is the basic one that most users use:

STEP 1: go to FILTER > SHARPEN > SMART SHARPEN

radius usually goes from 0.3-0.4

STEP 2: Repeat STEP 1, but this time change the settings to:

you can stop here but i like my gifs crispier and to have more texture! i use the sharpening settings from this tutorial or these sharpening action packs from user brainwasheds. i highly recommend these! i mix and match the settings when i'm not happy with how they look on my gifs. but for this gif we'll use the sharpening settings from this tutorial.

in addition to the settings from that tutorial, i also added FILTER > OTHER > HIGH PASS at 3.4 radius, then set the opacity to 60-80

then lastly add FILTER > ADD NOISE > NOISE at gaussian setting with 1.5 amount, then set opacity to 20-30

6. BRIGHTENING, COLORING, BALANCING, ADDING TEXTURE

now for the fun part!

STEP 1: BRIGHTEN UP THE GIF this is my go-to way to increase the brightness. go to LAYER > NEW ADJUSTMENT LAYER > BRIGHTNESS / CONTRAST then change its blending mode from NORMAL to SCREEN

you now have a very bright, highly saturated gif but we'll fix that lol

STEP 2: ADD CONTRAST BY FIXING THE BLACKS AND WHITES add a new adjustment layer > LEVELS

i usually play around with these. middle and black arrows add shadows and contrast while the white arrows add highlights/brightness to the gifs.

these are my settings! these are not definite bc it varies depending on what you're working on, so adjust them accordingly. next, add another adjustment layer > CURVES

i usually zoom in to locate the darkest / black area using the black dropper. then once that's done, do the same and locate the brightest/white area. this adds further contrast to your gif that wasn't done in the previous step.

STEP 3: COLORING (my fave part!!!) add a new adjustment layer > SELECTIVE COLOR this is the part where i like to neutralize the skin color when it gets too yellow or red, make the colors pop, and sometimes change them too. louis' skin was looking too red heavy, so i wanted to reduce that! i start with balancing out the skin color with REDS & YELLOWS.

these are my settings for this gif! adjust them and observe the changes it makes on the person's skin. if you know color theory, it's helpful to see how it affects the colors on your gifs. putting the arrows more on the left side, adds more 'cool' tones, whilst putting the arrows to the right side, adds more 'warm' tones.

i like to deepen the blacks on my gifs further so, go to selective color's BLACKS and on the black scale, add more to the right! for this one, i added +10

add a new SELECTIVE COLOR adjustment layer. for this one, we'll make the surrounding colors pop more!

for these settings, i made the leaves more vivid while the teal(?) wall, i adjusted them made it more blue.

next, add a new adjustment layer > COLOR BALANCE this is where you can make further adjustments on the overall colors of your gif. you can also change the color tone of your gifs here if you want to make it more 'cool' tone or 'warm' tone looking.

earlier's color theory applies here as well!

6.5. OPTIONAL STEP: ADD TEXTURE/OVERLAYS after the last step, you can save your gif as is but again, i like adding textures to my gifs so we'll add one. i use the textures/overlays that i got from here :)

i like to use film, grainy textures! add the texture you want on top of all the layers.

then change the blending mode to LIGHTEN or SCREEN. adjust the opacity to 20-40%. for this gif i used screen with 40%.

7. EXPORT AND SAVE YOUR GIF time to save your gif! click FILE > EXPORT > SAVE FOR WEB

this is my default setting for my gifs. i also tick the interlaced option sometimes.

here's the finished gif:

there you go anon! :) if you have any more questions, just lmk or you can directly dm me off-anon if you want.

i also get inspo, guides, and other tutorials over at @usergif

[rannadylin]

So...who wants to knit some gloves? :-D

I started working on writing up a more user-friendly pattern for the Gloves of the Reunited Kingdom (and look how pretty it is!...desktop publishing my beloved; it's possible the real reason I wanted to publish the pattern was just to play around with designing the pages now that I'm done designing the gloves XD)

Then I thought I'd better try to figure out the math for sizing it up, so I went looking through other glove patterns in my library, only to find...most of them just have one size anyway? And most of them are women's S/M, 7-7.5" hand circumference, right about the same size as these gloves. So. Well. I guess I might not need to do that math after all? You could, I suppose, still knit them in a larger size by using a heavier yarn (sport-weight or DK instead of fingering) and larger needles; and I, with my rather short fingers, did add instructions to the pattern for how to use your own hand measurements to knit the fingers to fit you, however long your fingers may be, so that would work with the scaling-up-yarn-and-needles process too. :-D

That said, if anyone wants to test knit some double knit gloves, email me at rannaknits@gmail.com and I'll send you the pattern draft as soon as it's ready. If you're on Ravelry, I have a project tester code you can use when adding your project there.

Pattern details behind the cut:

The pattern includes written instructions for the cuff, fingers, and general procedure for the hand, but the double knitting colorwork on the hand is included only as a chart.

Size Women’s S/M: 7-7.5" around the hand, height 9.25" from cuff to tallest fingertip

The pattern is written for a 7-7.5" hand circumference, to fit a women's size small/medium. Larger gloves may be knit by working in a heavier yarn, e.g. sport or DK weight, on larger needles. While the hand size is determined by the double knitting chart, written instructions for the fingers include how to adjust the length for a custom fit.

Gauge The gauge is measured over the double knitted fabric on the palm/hand.

Materials Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Fingering (70% Merino Wool, 30% Silk): 1 skein (220 yd/50 g for dyed yarns, 440 yd/100 g for Bare) each of Harvest (MC), Bare (CC1), and Cranberry (CC2); or other fingering weight yarn: about 35g/155yd of MC; 35g/155yd of CC1; and 15g/66yd of CC2. Any sturdy fingering-weight sock yarn should produce durable gloves; those with some nylon fiber will add to the durability. Consider also the comfort of the fiber content next to your skin; e.g. use a non-wool yarn if you are allergic or find it itchy.

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch markers, measuring tape, cable needle or spare DPN for rearranging stitches, waste yarn for a stitch holder

Difficulty level

Advanced. Skills required: Knitting in the round (DPNs, magic loop, etc.) for small circumferences; corrugated ribbing; Latvian braid; double knitting including increases and decreases

[chaoticbreadcrumbs]

HOW OLD WOULD MK1 SHANG TSUNG BE IN HUMAN YEARS?

We all know that in most games Shang Tsung is 1,000 years old but keeps his youthful appearance by absorbing souls. As a result, he appears much younger than he actually is. In the new timeline, his age is unknown. All we know is that Liu Kang forged his destiny to be that of a common Outworlder and he most likely doesn't know how to use souls to make himself younger. ①

But how old do you think MK1 Shang would be if his life span were the same as that of a normal human from Earthrealm? Let’s analyze it.

EARLY MK GAMES:

Shang Tsung first appeared as an elderly man in his mid-eighties (Mortal Kombat 1992). Then he became a younger man in his late-twenties to early-thirties (Mortal Kombat II 1993). According to GamePro magazine in 1993(4), the Mortal Kombat II version of Shang Tsung was 19 years old. In Deadly Alliance, he is roughly 45. ②

MK1 2023:

Depending on the timeline, Shang Tsung resides from the Outworld or Earthrealm, making him either an Outworlder or a Titan, but his age remains consistent across both. He doesn't have a birthdate. ③

->

To determine his human age in MK1, we can either rely on our own speculations or seek assistance from AI. Please consider that Shang Tsung is a fictional character from a video game, and determining his precise age is going to be hard. Let's start by making an estimate. If I were to guess based on his physical and facial appearance, I would say he appears to be in his mid to late 30s. Despite his vitality, there are subtle hints of age lines and wrinkles. Analyzing how his wrinkles have developed, it would be fair to suggest an age range of 35-38.

He has a mature countenance, characterized by prominent facial features and a weathered complexion.

->

Now let’s have a look at what the AI has to offer. For that, I will be using the websites howolddoyoulook.com and age.toolpie.com to confirm if the two sites match the age analysis. Remember that things as light or different emotions can be detected by AI and decrease or increase the age.

Both AIs detect him to be in his early to mid-30s.

->

In addition, I asked ChatGPT:

ChatGPT agreed with my estimate and said Shang Tsung appears to be in his mid to late thirties.

->

I also tried to ask Redditors what they think:

WELL, I SAID I TRIED. After waiting 9 days that is the only coherent answer I got:

->

In conclusion, even though his exact age remains a subject of speculation and interpretation, a compelling case can be made for Shang Tsung being in his 30s in the events of Mortal Kombat 1 (2023), my opinion being that he is in his mid to late thirties.

And how old is Shang Tsung in your opinion?

Sources:

①-

https://www.reddit.com/r/MortalKombat/comments/1abh8g7/comment/kjndx27/?context=3

②-

https://mortalkombat.fandom.com/wiki/Shang_Tsung#cite_note-19

https://www.mortalkombatonline.com/t/mkx/getting-to-the-heart-soul-of-whether-shang-tsung-could-be-in-mkx/85p8VTL2YW7V

https://www.mksecrets.net/mk2/eng/mk2-bios.php

③-

https://www.thegamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-every-characters-age-height-birthday/#sektor

[notknickers]

könig's new haircut

this is for you, @kathy-ifnt ! (i feel like preemptively apologising for draggin gyou into this, but... it's done.) it's not a silly mini-comic, but sometimes i can put one word after the other in an order that almost means something. almost.

synopsis: in a comment section on tumblr, two unhinged individuals plot to make könig's life into a joke.

warnings: none apply

audiences: teen and up

word count: 1140

a/n: lots of silliness in this one. (don't get used to it, we'll be back with smuttier, slightly darker stuff soon.)

the lights blinded könig for a few seconds before his sight returned, annoying squiggles of static still dancing behind his eyelids as he quickly blinked.

the view in front of him caused such visceral dismay he had not known equal in his years as military contractor, during which he witnessed atrocities that sometimes plagued his dreams to this day.

nothing could have prepared the austrian soldier for this. not in a thousand years.

he instinctively tried to back away – perhaps it was not too late to leave – but he could not. he just could not.

knickers and kathy, his two civilian best friends who had insisted on a visit on his part as soon as he was back from deployment, were standing right behind him.

«do you know how many favours i had to call in to even get you on jean paul’s waiting list?», kathy scoffed, reminding könig that their sacrifices were not being met as a grateful friend would.

a quick glance in knicker’s direction and he knew he had lost this fight: no one in his corner against the afternoon of pampering the two had organised for the soldier.

«chop chop, darling! we don’t want to be late!», knickers hurried him with the same condescension one who’s never been around children would use on a five-year-old.

(and that, pretty much described knickers to a t.)

könig made a mental note never to accept an invitation at the friends’, unless they promised not to ambush him like that. there was nothing wrong with the way his hair looked and he should not have had to be here.

the red-headed giant reluctantly walked past the threshold, all eyes on him for a long moment of discomfort, until jean henri appeared.

«kathy! knickers! you’ve made it!»

«jean louis! mwah! mwah! of course!», the two intoned in unison as if they’d rehearsed, gesturing as if to kiss the empty hair in the iconic hair stylist’s direction, while he mirrored their contactless greeting.

könig observed the interaction, slightly aside. grateful to have been left to his own for a moment as he reflected on how mundane life and its trappings remained inscrutable to him, especially when he spent most of his existence training and not knowing whether he would come back in one piece – or at all – for the better part of the year.

reprieve did not endure. the allegedly famous hair dresser, a short, slight man with tan skin and white stripes of hair at his temples, turned to him with a staged expression of surprise and wonder.

«and this must be my lucky 15:30 appointment!», he clapped his hands in front of his chest, eyes contoured in black beaming in his direction, as he pretended to be incapable of fully seeing könig’s face, at more than 2m of height..

«that’s him!», kathy replied jovially, before turning towards könig, who wished he weren’t so large and noticeable, so he could sneak away in the commotion, «awwww, pookie! don’t worry, you’re in great hands!»

«yes, luv. now stop wasting the nice man’s time and do as he says, yes?», knickers remarked, before something else caught their attention and spared them from könig’s frozen glare.

«right this way!»

the miraculous jean jacques showed him to the shampoo station and könig, defeated, followed with heavy step and heavy heart.

bottomless champaign flutes appeared in the two harpies mutuals’ hands as they conspired giggled and chatted, in a worrisomely increasing state of inebriation, on a satin-lined faux vintage love seat the colour of their ruddy cheeks.

they kept refilling and refilling, to the point that when könig returned, face hidden under his mask and long, silky hair sprouting from the neck hole on top of his head, they almost didn’t notice.

«well, what do we think?», jean justin’s voice trilled.

the seated duo lifted their heads, training their gaze on the central european god in the corner like marksmen training the scope on their rifles on their target.

«is… is that the same hairdo as daenerys targaryen, down to the platinum blond hair?», kathy whispered in utter confusion towards knickers, who was, for once, speechless.

«well…»

kathy pinched the bridge of their nose as they suppressed a hiccup, suddenly feeling sober: «jean pierre, i’m sure someone like you can do batter than this…?»

«oh, you’re right! back we go…», the coiffeur took a könig with the incipience of the worst headache of his life back to the mirror.

«i mean», knickers, finally out of their shocked silence, interjected, «i would have happily been his cal drogo…»

kathy raised an eyebrow sarcastically and rebutted: «… or his horse!»

the two drunken and rumbunctuous mutuals began laughing loudly enough that the hanging crystal on the chandelier at the centre of the of the ceiling started vibrating.

there könig was, back to strut – well, more like sadly drag himself – back to show his new hairdo.

this time, he hadn’t even reached his friends, that knickers, prey of such furor fuelled by both alcohol on an empty stomach and outrage, had already hopped up from the love seat, animaniacs-style, to land in front of the hair stylist.

they grabbed the charlatan by the neck of their salmon shirt: «now listen here, old man! do you think that someone with a mullet – a. fucking. mullet – could ever be the personification of my every erotic dream, jean… jean… jean geneviève?»

kathy pulled knickers back, who still scowled in warning as the two men reluctantly returned to the station.

«i mean… i would still…», knickers gesticulated rather eloquently.

«oh, yeah, no. me, too!», kathy agreed.

the two burst out in laughter for a second time and, this once, it was not just the crystals of the chandelier that shook, but its wiring too…

when könig returned, hopefully for the last time, no more hair peeped through his mask.

Wary, the two mutuals started circling the pleasant-looking mountain of flesh they thought of as dearest friend (with benefits), masterful cunnilinguist, pain slut and obedient little pup, carefully inspecting: all they found, was a buzz cut.

«I… he… ran out of hair to work on…», the coiffeur wrung one hand in the other, intimidated by the unforgiving fury in both of the mutuals’ eyes.

The silky strands of titian red they both had delighted in running their fingers through, tangling, pulling, stroking, weaving in a plait to use as leash… gone.

The next step was nothing if not obvious.

And so it came to kathy holding the traitorous charlatan still, while knickers fed him handfuls of lovely, auburn silky flakes, collected off the floor and forced through the hair stylist’s mouth by the fistful.

König ignored the scene altogether, brushing a large palm across his fresh-shaven scalp in satisfaction: it would soon be time to be deployed again, anyway.

[booskwan]

hi! it's theo aka user worldoutlaw and for 500 followers i wanted to share my coloring/sharpening process ! i've been getting a few notes recently complimenting my coloring and sharpening lately (ty all so much they make me smile every time) and i thought some people might be curious in my process so here we are ! :3 this is just coloring and sharpening so if you're looking for a general gif tutorial i suggest you check out usergif! now without futher ado let's start (color coded for my fellow adhders/neurodivergents who find reading hard)

i do most of my process through actions; of which i have several for different gif dimensions ie 540 width (typically for fancams where i keep the width of the file the same but change the height), 540 height (which i use the most for gifs like the above), and 850 height which i use for my sets that have side by side gifs like my pinned

actions make the beginning of making a gif a lot faster and especially save time when you're rushing to make comeback gifs lmao

after i've converted to the video timeline and selected all of my frames and converted them to a smart object, i apply userdramas's camera raw filter action which can help gifs look higher quality and create the illusion of skin texture when there isn't any

after this i convert the layer into a smart object again and apply my sharpening as follows (partly from anyataylorjoy's action pack)

smart sharpen 1:

smart sharpen 2:

smart sharpen 3: (this one is optional)

smart sharpen 2 duplicated

gaussian blur:

and i click this button on the far right to change the opacity of the blur (usually i set it around 10-30)

it may look funky but noise at the end will always fix it :p

after i sharpen i start on coloring!

my coloring process starts with editing values with curves, brightness & contrast, and sometimes levels

this helps to achieve the high contrast look i really like on my gifs and below are my settings for this specific set

i find that the marker in the center of the curves graph can often help darken skin tones if the subject appears too light

after i have my values down i move on to the actual colors

i start with adding a selective color layer; adjusting the red values, followed by yellow, then black, white, and any other colors i would want prominent in the gif

for example, with this set i wanted the blues to look really nice so i increased the cyans and decreased the yellows to my liking

changing the black values adds to the dimension i like in my gifs; these are my settings

forgot magenta whoops

next i add a hue/sat layer where i mess with the red and yellow values which often adds extra help to skin tones (i also recently started using hue/sat on colors like the blues here)

now these gifs didn't need it thankfully, but if needed i will also do color balance and channel mixer layers

after all my coloring and sharpening is done and i'm satisfied with how a gif looks i will convert all layers to a smart object and add noise (typically 1.5-3)

then the gif is done and i save it! these are my save settings

and that's how i turn this

into this!

hope y'all enjoyed and found this helpful and thank you again for 500<3333

some tags for fun and also to thank my supportive lovely mutuals @solojihyo @twiceland @97chwe @jeonwonwoo @sanchelinz @applejongho @hwanswerland @kyubins @minchanz @seonghwasblr @get-lit @jjongho @userwoosan @strhwaberries @dqmeron (ty for looking over this for me 🫶)

[thoughtfullyrainynightmare]

I stumbled upon Fuegoleon slander today, so can I request comforting fluff with Fuelara, please?

We don't tolerate Fue slander in this house! So YES

I took my time, but this was very overly self-indulgent to write, and I just might make it be the most of a chapter of The Vows We Made once I get there. Anyways! I hope you enjoy! ^^

Pairing: Fuegoleon x Solara Fanfic type: Oneshot Genre: Fluff/romance Length: ~3.1k Contains: sleepy Fue, mentions of their twins, mentions of Salamander, maybe some possessive themes if you squint??? (The idea of "my family, I need to protect it", does that count??), just pure fluff, they're in love, and go to sleep There is a mention of "Ms. Rose", who is Briar Rose belonging to @/koneko-pi !

The long, quiet corridors of the castle that lead into an office, among a lot of things, which were lined by large windows that faced the courtyard. One could almost see the trees and the bushes, flowerbeds planted in there, but from this height, one would have needed to walk closer to the sheets of glass. And thus, it was only the faint light of the moon that could be seen coming from the outside. Just the sight of the dark blue autumn skies; the sunset had gone already.

Even the servants had gone home, or the bed, for the most parts already. Only the guards outside of the castle walls were awake to keep an eye; even though keeping an eye open was difficult both outside and inside of the castle walls.

Solara could swear that he steps must’ve wobbled ever so slightly as she made her way down the halls, lit by the light of the moon that cast shadows at her feet. The shadows she barely saw as she struggled to keep her eyes open from the state of fatigue she was feeling. The weight of it that she felt had increased exponentially over the last few years.

It’s only age, she told herself, though she was barely past 30, not yet closing in on 40, even if that decade in her life loomed somewhere in the horizon. Not that the number bothered her. It was more so just that she could feel herself getting tired more easily.

She couldn’t keep up with the kids, who wanted to stay up all night long. Or so they said, and still dozed off at 9 the latest. Which was good. They needed their rest.

It was only that the twins had been restless during the last couple of days. The last of the baby teeth would be coming out, which was the cause of the poorly slept nights lately. This night included.

But now they were finally asleep; in their rooms, safely tucked in with Salamander by their side. Or, Sal’s basket by them to be more precise.

The Great Spirit of Fire had assumed a smaller form while living in the castle, and preferred to sleep in his small little wicker basket nestled in a blanket. But the basket needed to be in the common room that joined the bedroom of the twins, so that it could be equally close to both of them.

Solara had reasoned to herself that it was partially a wish of Sal, and partially Fue’s wish amplified in the dragonic spirit. The wish to keep safe. To protect. Make sure that his family was being looked after. The sentiment of ‘my family’.

And it would allow Fue to stay up to date via Salamander, though their communication was what it was. Limited to kinds of hunches. Feelings. That was still the idea how Solara understood it. That it was a non-verbal connection, which didn’t allow for that complicated discussion as with some other spirits might. It was just the nature of Salamander. He was a non-verbal creature, and his methods of communication were limited.

But she didn’t mind. She didn’t think any of them minded. It was just how it was.

A way in which father could be with the family, while working; he could keep an eye on the kids, while having to perform his duty. Even if from behind a desk. And there was no reason to lock the kids, or the family, into a sitting room next to his office.

No... life was out there. It was in the blades of grass, in sunshine, the glimmering of stars, in the frost bites and sweet drinks and the smile of those you hold dear. Life was never meant to be confined within the walls of an office decorate with motifs of grandeur.

The things he says... she mused to herself with a slight shake of her head. And still he very much confines himself into that office... her eyes fell in a slow blink, as her gaze and attention were directed somewhere far, far away, but her steps knew the way nonetheless. It was inscribed into her bones by now; she didn’t need to think about it. All for the sake of the people, he says... she smiled to herself, even if the smile bore a veil of melancholy over it. While trying to make it into every little event, to be there during bed time, read to Leon and Cyra, even though he’ll need to go back to complete something more... always something more...

Her chin lifted as she thought about it. All those moments when he had emerged from the office, with eyes that seemed to bear the weight of the world. But as the kids would go running to him, the weight would subside, he’d pick them up, and tell them how much he missed them.

He doesn’t-, I know that he wouldn’t need to come to us while he’s still working. To take a break to do that. And most wouldn’t. They’d just... complete whatever is on their desk and come home when it’s time for it. And I know... I know that he tries *so hard*. To be everywhere. To come home for a while, chat to the kids, maybe play with them for a while during the busy work days, and then it’s “off to bed, I’ll read a story to you”, she smiled at the thought. The precious moments during the hardest days.

Because during the good days, those that he had off, as much as he can have them off, he’d spend more time with Cyra and Leon. Give them as much attention as he could. Be as good of a father as he could.

But... she couldn’t claim that it wouldn’t be hard for the two of them. Because between work and the kids, there was very little time for the two of them. Which... it just made things a bit difficult. Not that they could claim there to be a real problem, but sometimes they would have liked to just spend time with each other. Cuddle and kiss and... perform spousal activities... maybe sleep a little longer... all the things for which there didn’t seem to be time or energy.

All the things... well... maybe after some time... The first 2 years are the most difficult, or so they say. And then it’ll ease up on sleep at least.

She sighed to herself as she reached the door. The large wooden door which was decorated with some carvings and a golden handle. To signify that it wasn’t just any door. Or at least that it wasn’t a cleaning closet out of all the things. Not that she could imagine anyone mistaking it for one in the first place. Not in this part of the castle.

Her hand landed onto the cold metal surface, without a knock. After all these years, there was no knock.

She wasn’t sure how many times he had had to tell her that she was among the few people, who wouldn’t need to knock when it came to him. That she’d always be welcomed, no matter what.

And how many times had it taken that she hadn’t believed? That she had still knocked. Maybe not waited for a reply, but had still knocked.

During day time she still would.

A silly little thing. She deemed it with a smile.

Just a small thing that amused her. Perhaps amused him too. A kind of a game for them to play. As foolish as it might have sounded. Him having to tell her with a smirk that the door was open, and how it’d always be open for her. And how she’d argue back with a grin of her own, telling him that she couldn’t know what he was in the middle of. That it was courteous. A little game of cat and mouse. Or maybe just two cats play fighting.

Perhaps the latter would be more fitting.

Perhaps that was why when she opened the door, there was no sound. Quiet as a cat.

But when her eyes were granted an image of the room from behind the wooden surface of the door, she stopped.

Just stood there with her hand on the door handle, and looked at her husband. Sleeping over the desk. A single candle lighting the room on his desk.

His mana hand wasn’t manifested, but his left arm was under his head. His chest was rising and falling, and there was the sound of steady, heavy breathing flowing through the air. It wasn’t quite a snore, nor did it sound forced. Just a very... intent way of breathing. Maybe due to the position he was in.

A hum broke through the steady sound. It vibrated through the air, speaking of how it must’ve risen from his throat, as a faint frown appeared on his brows.

But it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

A small smile tugged up the corners of Solara’s lips as she looked at him. Poor thing... he must be exhausted...  

She took a few steps forward, closer to the table, with feather light steps, careful not to wake him.

Bed would be more comfortable... and if he stays in that position he’ll have a sore neck tomorrow. He’s bound to, even though his exercise routine keeps him in good shape and his muscles open. For the most part at least, she chuckled under her breath. But... since he is tired enough to have fallen asleep there, maybe I shouldn’t wake him up... at least for a while... Let him rest for some time and then... then wake him...

Her eyes turned to the door of the sitting room that was next to the office. There’d be a closet where there were blankets and a few extra pillows. Which might have been unconventional for a sitting room, but... they had deemed it better to have them, in case of such situations. An afternoon nap.

Perhaps there lied a danger too. Because since they had blankets and pillows close by, a nap would be more tempting.

A terrible danger, really.

Another amusing thought.

She looked at her husband, still sleeping over the desk with a neutral expression.

Stay there, she thought, joked to herself, before making her way to the sitting room and to the closet from where she found a blanket. A part of her was thankful that they oiled all the hinges of the doors so well, and made sure that no floorboards were creaking.

Yes, of course, it made sense to make sure that it all was in the best condition, but... sometimes such little things could me missed. Especially if you’re only moving around during daytime, when small sounds such as those didn’t seem quite so apparent. While during night time, they were as if amplified. Which was why she was mindful to close the closet, and the door, as silently as possible, before tip-toeing to him.

Don’t nap for too long, she thought while opening the blanket in her hands. You’ll get a sore neck if you do...

She placed the blanket over him, around his shoulders with as little movement as possible, and leaned over him.

But as soon as she did, his eyes begun cracking open and a groggy hum left him.

“Mm... What time is it?” He asked, while trying to gather his senses. His tone was quiet, nearly distant, like he was trying to grab onto reality while still being partially asleep.

“Almost two..” she whispered back before leaning closer and pressing a tender kiss onto his temple. One that was warm and comforting; that held a promise of a soft, warm bed where he might rest with a smile on his face. And the knowledge that he wasn’t alone in the world. That he had someone with whom he could share his smiles and his sorrows just the same.

“Mmm...” he hummed again before taking a deep breath and leaning back in his seat. “Maybe I should call it a night...”

“Maybe,” she half teased, half smiled before placing another kiss on top of his head.

“Did the kids fall asleep?” He asked as he pushed back his chair and stood up, making a dragging sound, wood scraping against would, break through the otherwise silent room.

“After a while,” she replied with a hushed tone, almost as if she was still trying to be careful not to wake him. “I have the monitor with me, just in case too.”

“The monitor?” He frowned while looking at her. “Oh yes, yes,” he continued before pinching the bridge of his nose. “The device Ms. Rose of the Research Department gave us...”

“Yes,” she gave a small nod, during which her eyelids fell in a slow blink. “She is a good friend.”

He hummed in agreement while pushing his chair under the desk.

His expression was neutral, as if there were no thoughts running through it. Which was probably true from his state of fatigue.

“Ready for bed?” She suggested, half asked, while reaching for his hand.

“Yes,” he uttered, while taking her hand into his, and giving it a squeeze. “I’ll take a quick shower first.”

She gave him a nod, while taking a step back to lead him towards the door.

“I’ll keep the bed warm meanwhile,” she assured him while squeezing his hand.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he smiled to himself as his steps followed hers, easy and natural, like the flow of a river.

Like this was the only course he should take. As if this, squeezing her hand and following her to rest, was just like drawing breath.

As if the way back to their room was no journey at all, despite the winding, twisting and turning corridors of the castle where one could get lost in. Plenty of people did. And even him, admittedly, sometimes needed to think what might be the quickest route from one place to another. Still, after all these years of living there, he still needed to think from time to time.

But these steps, over which the silvery moonlight cascaded; the way it reflected from her hair, and embraced her form, as if she was some divine being brought to him in sleep rather than a mortal just like him... It felt like no time passed, as he followed her.

Time didn’t exist.

It was just the two of them.

It was just him, trusting that she’d lead him to the sanctity of their bedroom, where it was soft, warm and safe.

As if he wouldn’t have known the way.

But perhaps he would have stumbled in his drowsy state.

Perhaps, perhaps not. None could tell. For it was left in the sea of possibilities.

The sea that wasn’t important; that lost all meaning as they reached their room, as if in a dream.

The door was closed behind them, and he stopped, but didn’t let go of her hand as she tried to continue further into the room. But the stop created a tug, and the tug made her turn around with raised brows and hum out a question. A simple: “Hm?”

It was only then that he took a step closer, as if to step into her embrace, and pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

“Go to sleep, my love,” he whispered against her skin, letting the words glide over her like a river of warmth and tender affection. Like something so soft and gentle he couldn’t name, even if given a millenium to describe it. “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” he promised.

He always promised, and he always kept that promise.

“I can’t promise to stay awake for ten minutes,” she partly teased, partly joked, but mostly she told the truth.

“I’m not expecting it,” he hummed with an amused smile while pressing his head against hers. “You should sleep, if you’re tired,” he told her. “I’ll find my way to you.”

She smiled to him with closed eyes, not making a move to make her way to the bed.

“I always will,” he promised again. Yet another promised he intended to keep. Another promise he had always intended to keep. One that felt like it was a promise that he had made so many times before that he couldn’t count.

But would he need to? Count them? He didn’t deem it necessary.

“Go on, my love, I’ll be there soon,” he nudged her head with his, before slipping into the bathroom. And she slipped into bed in the meantime.

The covers were soft. A bit cold, but they’d warm soon enough.

She rolled onto her side, towards his pillow, and resisted the urge to pull the pillow closer so that she might bury her nose into it and breathe in his scent. Just like she resisted the urge to shift onto his side of the bed. Just like she resisted the urge to gather his side of the covers into her arms, so that she might feel him close to herself again.

All the things she resisted. And yet she could feel her consciousness slipping away.

Little by little, she was drifting into a sea of dreams.

But then again, she hadn’t promised to wait for him to get to bed. She trusted that he’d some soon.

Within ten minutes.

Even if those minutes felt like an eternity.

Or maybe one fifth of it.

A fraction.

The bed shifted next to her.

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt heavy. Too heavy to open fully, but still her hand reached closer.

There was another kiss on her temple.

“Thank you for warming up the bed,” he whispered. But she could hear him loud and clear; his voice vibrated to her through her heartstrings, or perhaps the golden threads of fate that had spun into ropes. “I loved you,” he whispered again.

She smiled, must’ve smiled. Her hand took a hold if his. Fingers intwined together with his into a secure hold.

“[I love you],” he professed again, sounding a little more drowsy than a moment before.

“[And I love you,]” she replied with a hushed tone. “With all the days I have left,” she continued, not sure if he was still on the brink of the twilight zone, or already within a dream. “And even beyond it...”

She wasn’t sure if he’d hear, but she was sure that he knew. He knew, but still she needed to tell.

She’d always need to tell him. To remind him.

That she loved him too.

She’d always need to tell...

And through the darkness, her drowsy state, she could feel him squeeze her hand back.

[edgeanescence]

So originally this post was going to be part of a larger, more detailed post going into detail about Brassius’s pokemon and their relation to him through dex entries. Think something like my Cyrus analysis. However, Sudowoodo is incredibly in depth past just that, and it felt like a disservice to not include everything about it here. So I’ve decided to give Sudowoodo a separate post, especially because it comes off as the pokemon that is Brassius. What do I mean by that? Well..

Generally speaking, final pokemon are the trainer’s aces. They are the highest level and typically strongest members of their teams. Sudowoodo is definitely Brassius’s ace, especially seeing as it is on both of his teams. Sometimes ace pokemon will have their traits manifest into their trainer’s design, usually in an obvious visual sense. Brassius and Sudowoodo don’t share much visually, but especially conceptually, they are a pair.

While Brassius’s own smile is a far cry from the goofy one Sudowoodo typically displays, especially with how it's less constant, it's still a symbol of personal growth. Brassius nowadays can afford to smile, to be quirky and wild, to be true to himself and authentic, much like how Sudowoodo affords to smile because it no longer needs to cry after having evolved from a Bonsly.

Brassius also seems to take from Sudowoodo’s design in the sense of the spots on its body. There are five yellow marks going down the body toward the legs, staggering in an alternating pattern, with one irregularly shaped one off to the side.

Sudowoodo is the only pokemon of Brassius’s to know the move he hands out, Trailblaze. As such, he has special dialogue for using such a move. Said dialogue varies on when you fight him, but it is either "At times, art becomes a race against the clock! Let us increase the pace!" or "My dear grass… grow, I say! Heed my wishes and grow!".

The first line is the first one you hear in game, directly referencing the speed boost Sudowoodo gets from using it. If you were to play the game as intended, Sudowoodo has the potential to outspeed; Brassius’s ‘artwork’ is literally increasing the pace and racing against time. The second one sounds more encouraging, regarding Sudowoodo as a grass type now that it has terastallized into one. It could also be perceived as relating to how Brassius wishes for Sudowoodo to grow metaphorically. To spread life and wellness, to grow as a person, to blossom into something new instead of remaining in the past, to follow dreams.

The second line is further supplemented by what he says before sending out Sudowoodo; "This work’s concept is the deep-rooting nature of plants! A briar’s thorns are not easily removed!". Sudowoodo is once again acknowledged as a plant, a briar in particular. Brassius himself is rather thorny in design, especially in his vine-like hair. Metaphorically, Brassius has also had the thorns of hardship stuck in him, and it was a struggle to remove them and change his outlook in life. But now Brassius’s thorns are largely related to his battling, how he holds himself up in defense instead of how he tears himself down. He reflects himself onto his pokemon, his artwork, because he sees some element of relation to it.

The description for Trailblaze reads like so: The user attacks suddenly as if leaping out from tall grass. The user's nimble footwork boosts its Speed stat. Brassius sure does have nimble footwork if he’s able to take a fall from the height of that windmill with ease. Ironically, despite an actual low speed stat of 30, Sudowoodo is also extremely fast to run away from you when spotted. The actual definition of the word trailblaze is all about being the first to pave the way for something, to show that it is possible for others to do the same. In Japanese specifically, the move is referred to as Trailblazer, a noun form, which is far more fitting when describing what Brassius is. He gives an entire speech in Art 4 about being true to yourself and doing as your heart desires instead of making yourself out to be something you aren’t. He’s setting an example for the students in Hassel’s class, trailblazing the way to being a better person should they follow the moral. 

Brassius’s Sudowoodo is very offensive moveset wise, having only physical moves. Its attack stat is a nice 100, making full potential of the moves power. Brassius might not be a physical fighter himself, like how his Sudowoodo is, but if he is using his art as a statement against the world, sculpting is far from a job that doesn’t require much physical labor.

Trailblaze is on both team movesets, boosted by the Tera typing, a constant reminder of his personal beliefs in modern times. In the first battle, Sudowoodo has Rock Throw as the secondary move. Being a rock type, Rock Throw gains boosted damage even if it's a weaker move selected to go easier on the weaker trainers Brassius typically faces. In the second battle, Sudowoodo has Fire and Ice Punch, along with Stone Edge. Stone Edge is also subject to a type based damage boost, and has a high critical hit ratio. Ice Punch has a 10% chance to freeze, likewise with burn for Fire Punch.

Both rock type moves are an acknowledgement of what Sudowoodo ‘used to’ be; a pure rock type. While they carry their own weight in type damage boosting and supereffectiveness against most of grass’s weaknesses, it's obvious that Trailblaze is the true highlight move instead. Likewise, Brassius acknowledges just how bad he used to be in the past, even if he moved on from that period in his life. The punches are quite literally weaponizing grass type weaknesses, as the type is frail to fire and ice respectively, and both types are super effective against two of grass’s other weaknesses. Instead of letting his own moment of weakness fully consume him and tear him down, Brassius embraced it, his passions, his artistry, and used it as a strength.

Every move in Sudowoodo’s second battle moveset also has a secondary effect of some kind, matching with the seriousness Brassius has in the moment of facing you. His pokemon is stronger, and both Brassius and Sudowoodo are going to give it their all when going against you.

Sudowoodo is based more on defensive capabilities, having a high stat of 115 defense and 65 special defense. Its ability, Sturdy, is all about survival, effectively keeping Sudowoodo alive even when hit with a move that should’ve killed in one hit. Brassius survived his illness, despite hanging on by a thread, and he survived his lowest point mentally, reapproaching art with a new mindset.

Sudowoodo are often known in Johto for standing still and blocking paths while pretending to be a tree. Brassius has blocked his own path in the past, halting his progress as an artist because he was more focused with money than doing something he loved.

Sudowoodo is also one of the two pokemon that Brassius owns that is male.

Sudowoodo’s pokedex entries can also corroborate a chunk of the information deduced from above, further strengthening the connection between the pokemon and trainer (entries are displayed in bolded text):

Although it always pretends to be a tree, its composition appears more similar to rock than to vegetation. 

If a tree branch shakes when there is no wind, it's a Sudowoodo, not a tree. It hides from the rain. 

Sudowoodo is the only not grass type pokemon on Brassius’s team. Instead, it relies on terastallization to become a grass type and fit in. In fact, Sudowoodo is actually a rock type, a type weak to grass and water. Its tera type gives it resistances to both, effectively allowing Sudowoodo to go out into the water it despises so much. It also effectively weaponizes this weakness, given the boost to Trailblaze. Brassius has dialogue explicitly regarding the tera type, referring to Sudowoodo as ‘Truleewoodo’ upon crystallization twice. He treats it like an artwork for terastallizing, yet also recognizes the inner desire of Sudowoodo to be a plant. He’s allowing it to follow its dream, supporting it much like how Hassel supported Brassius. 

It's so popular with the elderly that there's a magazine devoted to this Pokémon. Fans obsess over the particular length and angle of its arms. 

Apparently, the larger the green parts of this Pokémon, the more collectors value it. It's a particular favorite among elderly people. 

Sudowoodo is valued by many as some sort of art piece, given certain parts of its body. Brassius certainly thinks of his pokemon as artworks, especially Sudowoodo given the lines directly about it. Brassius takes deep interest in its form as a result of that. It might not be a typical muse of his, considering it is not truly a grass type, but Brassius treats it indiscriminately. After all, to him it really is a grass type.

Sudowoodo camouflages itself as a tree to avoid being attacked by enemies. However, because the forelegs remain green throughout the year, the Pokémon is easily identified as a fake during the winter. 

Though it pretends to be a tree, it fails to fool even children. To the touch, its body feels more like rock than tree bark. Sudowoodo's extreme aversion to water merits special note. 

Sudowoodo is extremely meek, always hiding itself and camouflaging amongst trees even though it doesn’t quite fit in. It also runs from problems, like in cases it’s found out to be fake. This fits with how Brassius likely was in the past, because he wasn’t embracing his own boldness and lacked confidence in his work. His low confidence was terrifyingly noticeable, especially to Hassel. His mindset was rough and rocky, creating uninspired works to camouflage among artists deemed more profitable than himself.

The result of its holding the same pose all the time is arms that have become supple yet strong. 

Brassius has a renewed vitality in his body after recovering from the illness, both physically and mentally. He’s flexible and strong, perhaps not like a bodybuilder, but enough to have a windmill jump not phase him or be down in the dumps about his artwork. In fact, he even recognizes that art is both ‘creation and destruction’ during the first battle with him. His persistence has given him nothing but strength to carry on in the end. It’s honestly sort of scary just how much Sudowoodo ties into Brassius compared to his other pokemon, especially the ones that are more highly associated with him like Arboliva or Sunflora. But its fascinating seeing just how much these two tie into each other, even if its not that obvious on first glance.

[bopinion]

2024 / 14

Aperçu of the Week:

"If everyone wanted to help each other, everyone would be helped."

(Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian poet and psychologist in the 19th century)

Bad News of the Week:

The whole world fears for the well-being of the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza. Except Israel. The whole world is worried about the local conflict escalating into a full scale Middle East war. Except Israel. Lately, when someone asks me if I've heard "that" from Israel, I have to answer "what do you mean?". Because, as sarcastic as it sounds, there is something to tear your hair out about almost every day.

Take the example of the civilian population in Gaza. The circumstances that led to the deaths of seven World Central Kitchen employees clearly show that the Israeli military deliberately makes no distinction as to who or what it bombs. According to the motto: anyone who is not with us is against us. The fact that there are, of course, many more differentiated positions does not matter.

Take the example of the Middle East conflict. There is open talk of military operations across the country's northern border, i.e. on Lebanese territory. Regardless of the fact that Hezbollah can do whatever it wants in this failed state, Lebanon is a sovereign state. Incidentally, it currently has the highest proportion of refugees in the total population of any country in the world. But so was Syria when Israel effectively annexed the Golan Heights in the "Six-Day War" in 1967 (!). This is still the status quo after almost 60 years. The fact that this is almost universally not recognized by the international community does not matter.

As a German, I'm asked more and more often how Germany justifies being Israel's largest arms supplier after the USA, when these weapons are obviously not only used for defense (which Israel of course sees differently). The justification is simple: historical guilt. And this apparently prevents us from seeing what we don't want to see. Yes, the world would be easier to understand if we could divide it into black and white. That might still be possible with Israel and Iran. But not with Israel and Palestine.

PS: Next week I'll complain about something else - I promise!

Good News of the Week:

Following the successful agreement between the unions and our national train company Deutsche Bahn, there has now been arbitration achieved at the airports and our national air carrier Lufthansa. It should be noted that both will cost a lot of money. Both the generous wage increases and the compensation for reduced working hours through additional staff are expensive. And they will not be covered by coffee money, but by hefty price increases for the customers who (have to) use these means of transportation - in other words, all of us. At least I don't know anyone outside the vacation season who travels for fun but has to get between A and B somehow. Beam me up, Scotty!

Nevertheless, it is good to see that there is now a reasonably solid planning security again. And I'm not just talking about the usual commuters to work, of which I am one. But the logistics themselves. Of people and goods. After all, what I've seen in my environment alone in terms of missed meetings and broken supply chains is also a cost factor. If projects cannot be continued and production comes to a standstill, that costs money. Money from all of us. And very few of us have been asked if we agree. Not to be misunderstood: I don't want to question the great good of the right to strike. However, I am of the opinion that the proportionality of the means must not be lost sight of.

Personal happy moment of the week:

It was a summer weekend at the weekend - with temperatures of almost 30 degrees Celsius in southern Germany. We took advantage of this to kick off the cycling season. Of course, we started with a harmless route that we already knew, and of course to a nice country inn that we also already knew. And we were not disappointed. That will comfort us when the temperatures now drop back down to 2 degrees and it rains. Just a normal April. Good too. And nature is happy.

As I write this...

...I am delighted that we may soon have a fiber connection at home. It makes perfect sense for a household with adults working from the home office and teenagers on the internet. Especially if we usually stream music during the day and a series or movie in the evening. I find this astonishing because we live in a village with a maximum of 200 inhabitants. I hardly think that's profitable. It's more likely to be categorized as an infrastructural measure that a municipality implements for its population. It's nice that in this country we don't always just look at the money.

Post Scriptum

Employers' President Rainer Dulger is stunned by the German government's planned "Pension Package II", because it "now wants to massively increase pension spending once again, even though we are facing the biggest ageing spurt ever seen in Germany". Sounds logical. Especially because the pension system has long been financed not only by the contributions of the working population, but increasingly by subsidies from the tax pot. If fewer and fewer people are working and paying tax, while society is (over)ageing at the same time, this creates a gap. Who should pay for this? Especially when the burden of taxes and contributions is already so high - and not just by international standards?

On the other hand, many pensioners are already living at the limits of what is feasible in view of the constantly rising cost of living. In many cases, it is no longer possible to speak of "living", but rather of "existing". That is sad. Unfortunately, it is no bad joke that some people buy dog food without being able to afford a dog. It must be the task of every society to care for its weak, young and old when they can not do so themselves. Especially if they have done the best they can. But a woman, for example, who has raised several children and then cared for her sick parents is not taken into account by the system. After all, she has never paid into the system - at least not in monetary terms. Old-age poverty is an ugly word. But it is increasingly becoming the bitter reality.

[dylanndr]

TL;DR:

Trans Izzy headcanon is not universally accepted by all trans men and can be traumatizing to some of us (even us Izzy stans!), so don't assume that any given trans man is into it. Figure out where someone is before tagging them in to Trans Izzy stuff.

The long version:

[CN for frank discussion of gender dysphoria]

I understand that Trans Izzy is a popular headcanon, and I understand that a lot of trans guys feel affirmed and validated by that headcanon. This post is not about bursting that bubble. If it's working for you, fine. Do your thing.

I want to make clear, though, that it is NOT a universal headcanon that all trans guys are on board with. I keep getting tagged into Trans Izzy stuff by well-meaning people who assume I must be all about it, when what it actually does is trigger a massive dysphoria spiral that can flatten me for hours or days after.

I was sincerely hoping I could desensitize myself, but it turns out "have you simply tried not having dysphoria" isn't working any better this time than it did when that first therapist I ever went to offered that as a solution when I told him I thought I was trans.

So: Trans Izzy headcanon stuff is a SEVERE dysphoria trigger for me and I can't engage with it at all. I can't look at the art, I can't read the fics or meta. I don't click on Izzy tags or join Izzy groups because of it.

If you've read this blog at all, you know I love Izzy and I have spent a lot of time thinking about him. I have never encountered one single thing about him that gives me trans validation feels (no, not even his height relative to the other characters). I have encountered several things about him that are the polar opposite of my experience as a trans person. Obviously a lot of other trans guys are having a very different experience of the character, but for me, for my own experience there is N O T H I N G relatable about him from a trans perspective, and a number of things that feel actively wrong to me when put into a trans frame. It's like having my gender experience anti-validated.

In addition to the dysphoria, I'm just generally grossed out by the idea of a cis* actor playing a trans character. There's no excuse for that in our current era. [*AFAIK Con is cis, given that he self-labels as an ally when posting pro-trans content. He's clearly pretty chill about the HC. But either way he is not a trans man and should not be playing one on TV.]

So: I am asking people please do not tag me in any Trans Izzy stuff, and please don't make a blanket assumption that all trans guys are into Trans Izzy HC.

Final word: from the stuff I have seen, not a single one of you has the faintest clue how trans men on HRT experience menopause. That's not really your fault, since our culture barely acknowledges menopause in cis women as it is. Finding accurate info on trans man menopause is nigh impossible. So here are some basics:

If you've had a hysto before you would have hit menopause, you will not go through menopause. There's nothing to wind down.

If you haven't had a hysto but are on masculinizing levels of T, you are unlikely to experience any menopause symptoms at all. The T suppresses them. If you've been on HRT for a long time, your body will stop absorbing it as well as you get older, and you could experience some lessened symptoms if your levels drop low enough. But all you have to do is increase your dose and you're back to T overriding menopause symptoms. My doctor specializes in trans medicine, has been in practice for over 30 years, and has had almost none of her trans man patients complain of menopause symptoms in all that time.

As far as sex-in-the-front goes, T dries you out to some extent, menopause dries you out even more. You're almost certainly not going to be making puddles, and you're going to be running through a lot of lube. Get a few barrels of it and use them as ballast if you're going to be at sea for awhile.

[setaflow]

Get to Know Me

Thanks for the tag @ghostoffuturespast (please take me on a nature walk with you I'll bring granola bars)! In my decade of using this Tumblr I don't think I've ever done this tag prompt so it's nice to get some fresh answers. Let's see...

Are you named after anyone? Technically? My mom was considering a bunch of names for me when she was expecting, the name she would eventually choose being among them (I think the frontrunner at the time was Vanessa), When she went into labor, one of the nurses helping her was an older woman named [insert my name here] and she said "oh there hasn't been a baby named [insert my name here] born in this hospital in 30 years! :)" so my parents eventually picked that one instead of Vanessa. I get that I wasn't technically named after that nurse, but I was definitely named with her influence, and that has to count for something there lol.

When was the last time you cried? Within the last month, not really willing to get that personal here though. On average I'll cry like 3-4 times a year.

Do you have kids? Hell no, could you imagine?

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Only with people I'm close with. It used to be a running joke that I couldn't do sarcasm well-- still really can't, to be honest-- so I really use it sparingly and try to make it obvious if I do.

What sports do you play/have you played? Tons, surprisingly! I was a fairly active kid and dabbled in softball, ballet, soccer, basketball, and fencing at various points in my life. I swam competitively for 12 years, played lacrosse for nearly as long (first as a defender, then as a goalie), and played a little bit of field hockey as well through middle and early high school.

What's the first thing you notice about other people? Height, usually. Comes with having an egregiously tall 6'8 brother-- first thing I do is mentally check if they're taller than him or not.

Eye color? Blueish-gray. I have minor partial heterochromia as well: a streak of light brown in my right eye.

Scary movies or happy endings? I've been getting into scary movies lately! I binge the Dead Meat YouTube Channel at work for background noise and those videos have increased my interest in horror movies over the last few months. I always love that horror movies have interesting horror and trivia behind their productions and hearing the host James detail them all out has really given me a new appreciation for the kinds of work that go into them.

Any special talents? I can bend my elbows more than 180 degrees.

Where were you born? Northern New Jersey, about 15 minutes west of New York City.

What are your hobbies? Writing, reading, cooking/baking, hiking, running, swimming, video games, watching video essays about things I'm interested in, obsessing over New York sports teams.

Do you have any pets? I take care of my roommate's dog from time to time. He's not mine, but he's a sweetie and I'm basically his aunt, so sorta-kinda.

How tall are you? 5'8.

Fave subject in school? It cycled when I was still in school, but they tended to be History and English. I was a really good essay-writer and there are several periods of history I love learning about-- it's probably why I took to the Assassin's Creed series as much as I did-- so depending on the teacher it was usually one of those. I took a few media and film classes in college and I loved those as well-- I love media analysis with all of my heart.

Dream job? Used to be Olympic Swimmer, then Marine Biologist, then SportsCenter anchor. I came really close to achieving a few of those, but alas :P

Tagging @skippygiraffee @beammeupbroadway @trashcatsnark @seraphfighter @clusterfxckedbysirens and @shadesofchaoticenergy if you want to give this a swing!

[sadgirlmadgirlbadgirll]

Genshin OC

Name: Valentina, nicknamed Tina

Rarity: 4*

Pronouns: she/her

Age: 19

Nation: Mondstat

Vision: electro

Weapon: claymore

Substat: electro dmg

Meta role: Sub DPS

Background: Valentina was born in a small village just past the borders of Stormterror’s lair. In this village, everyone is like family. The habitants are all very focused on getting a vision, and a vast majority of them succeed. From a young age, kids start training hard and acquiring different skills (cooking, art, combat) to get noticed by the archons and eventually get blessed with a vision. Everyone wears colours according to their visions in the village, and also has corresponding tattoos. Receiving a vision is considered a “baptism” and comes with a whole ceremony.

Occupations: Substitut leader of her native village while her father is away, and general of defence, she makes sure her village is well protected. Since she will replace her father once he’s no longer in shape to operate the village, she goes to a lot of meetings. She prepares a lot for the day her father retires, training not only her body but also her mind. She often goes on outside missions, and has travelled to Liyue several times.

General appearance: tied up blonde hair, black eyes who are distinctive to her native village, tan skin, purple tattoos all over her body, average height, electro sigil on her forehead, wears armour over lights clothes

Personality: Determined, good strategist, cold in appearance but nice to her friends, intimidating, strong and agile, always stays on her guard

Hobbies: Pottery, sewing, marksmanship, running, forging her own armour

Fighting style: Heavily swings around her claymore with one hand

Signature Weapon: Call of the Thunder - a very shiny claymore with embedded amethyst in it; earned after completing an event that takes place in her village. Substat: Crit Rate / Passive: for every electro character in the party, gain 10% electro dmg bonus

Normal attack: Godly Guardian / perform 5 consecutive strikes

Elemental skill: Amethyst Judgment / summons an amethyst to the field, dealing AoE electro dmg. The amethyst will zap up to 5 nearby opponents, dealing electro dmg. Lasts 10s. Cool down of 15s.

Burst: Archon’s Mighty Favour / Changes normal attacks to electro dmg for 15s

Talents conferred after ascension: Increases the number of enemies that can be attacked by Amethyst Judgement to 6 / When gaining an electro particle, gain 5% electro dmg. Can be obtained every 6s, max 5 stacks.

Passive: When preparing a dish, Valentina has a 30% chance to refund some of the ingredients she used

Friends: Amber, Diluc, Yun Jin, and Collei. She would appreciate Cyno, Alhaitham, Dhya and Candace if they met. Her village operates in a similar way as the Sumeru desert and she would therefore feel a sense of familiarity towards the desert folks

Signature dish: Sweet and sour fish sticks (DEF boosting dish that requires fish, sweet flower, salt and apples)

Good morning: Suns up. What’s the plan today?

Good night: Sleep well. Don’t worry, i won’t let anyone harm you tonight.

When it rains: Let’s collect the rain to make dinner later. We always have to make the most of nature’s ressources.

When it’s sunny: Perfect weather to go fishing.

When it snows: Pretty but unpractical. Let’s find heat.

In a thunderstorm: Don’t worry, i know my way around lightning

Sprinting: No time for slacking / meetings about to start / let’s pick up our pace

Fallen: I… couldn’t protect you/ There was still more to do…/ What about my village…

Low HP: Let’s find shelter/ retreat can be a wise option sometimes

Hit taken: You’ll regret this / I won’t hold back anymore

Ascension: Let’s go test out these new skills! How about an adventure, just the two of us?/ I’ve really gotten used to fighting by your side. You’re one of the few people i trust, traveller./ This will serve greatly for my village duties. Thank you, traveller. I hope we can continue to partner up in the future.

Chatting: I think it’s fascinating you can control the elements without a vision. Everyone in my villages trains so hard to get noticed by the archons and receive such power; yet you merely gained it by touching a statue… Could it be because you’re from another world?

Adding to party: Let’s make it quick/ What do i need to deal with?

Favourite food: Fish and meat

Least favourite food: Yogurt and dairy products in general

Opening a chest: Better than i expected/ This was worth the chase

Idle chatting: Are you ready for the next meeting?/ Travelling truly is fulfilling… let’s do this more often

Idle animations: checking a map/ crossing arms/ creating an electro sphere between both hands

[indiana-b0nes]

day 29 & 30!!

day 29: i think beauty can mean anything. beauty is a social construct and i think it’s stupid. everybody can be beautiful, and it’s dumb that society tells people that they can’t.

day 30: 10 facts about me??

1. my safe f00ds are oatmeal, yogurt, tuna, konjac noodles, salad, rice cakes, seaweed, fruit & veg.

2. i love music??? i really enjoy like. most music & u will never see me without my headphones

3. i’ve had a fucked up relationship with f00d since i was a kid, but it didn’t get properly serious until i was like. 11 or 12?? maybe 13?? when i started “£@t1ng h€@lthy” and w0rk1ng 0ut a lot. and being jealous of how sk1nny my best friend was. she probably had an €d also because her period stopped ‘because of how much she was 3x£rc1s1ng’ and she said that it was normal for people in sports and it so could be, but that is totally also a textbook sign of st@rv@t10n so idk dude.

4. i love books!!! neil gaiman is probably my favourite author ever and his books were probably the only thing that got me through 10th grade. i used to be the type of person you would never see without a book in hand but i’ve been really busy lately and haven’t found anything good :(

5. my family is i think on the verge of discovering that i have an 3d. my grandmother (who had 4n0r€x1@ in her 20s) tried to buy me f00d & when i refused her offer, told me she didn’t want me “withering away” & made me take the oranges she had with her. (i’m terrified)

6. i’m in alt school?? it’s a really neat program and most of the people there are really chill. it’s weird cuz i used to be in like. a mainstream high school and this one only has like?? 40-50 students i think?? it’s really small

7. i also have a history with b1ng€ 3@t1ng!! my parents were very strict about sugar when i was a kid, and they always hid the cookies and ‘treats’ and i would always find them and like. climb on top of our fridge and like. £@t half a pack of mint oreos. or €@t seven chocolate dipped granola bars and then hide the wrapper in the couch. one time when i was like 3 or 4, i hid under our couch with a box of after eights from christmas and @t3 like?? pretty much the whole thing i think??

8. i have a pretty big friend group & they’re all really awesome and i would probably kill & die for every single one of them but especially my gf <3 also like??? my friends are cool???? like we’re all cool in the loser way but like. in the hot gay loser way yk?? like one of the newest additions to our group is basically the girl version of jesse pinkman but she’s also a 90’s dad rock nerd. my gf is a 60s/beatles nerd and loves nic cage & horror movies. like. we’re weird losers but in a cool way

9. this is soo gonna be more of a disclaimer than a fact about me but like. whatever. i started smoking/vaping bc i heard it was an @pp3t1t£ svppr€ss@nt and i figured it would make it easier to st@rv£. it doesn’t guys. it just increases your risk of lung diseases don’t smoke. the @pp£t1t3 svpr€ss1ng effect does not last that long, and it’s a lot of trouble to go through for not feeling as hvngry for like. two minutes. don’t do it guys

10. idk what else there is to say?? i’m a huge nerd, i love horror movies, i have horrible adhd & become super obsessive because of that sometimes, i’m a people pleaser, i hate my therapist, i LOVED fleabag, i get a different answer everytime i take the myers briggs personality test, but i know that i’m an extrovert and perceiving, idk???

stats!!

height: 5’6 1/2 ish???

hw: 170ish??

lw: 125 i think?

cw: 133.8

next gw: 130

ugw: 100

bmi: 21.3

[aprincessofthevoid]

CW imma be talking about my weight n health n shit under the cut.

Okay so I've been scrawny as FUCK like my whole life and as I've aged its gotten better.

Recently tho, like within the last year I've had some hormonal issues, ER doc said it looked like endometriosis from the scans when I went in cus I was feverish n sweaty but also cold n my back hurt n my stomach ached n I wanted to vomit but was also fighting sleep...

I basically got to to get fucked when I asked for the next step. Cus all they had for me was birth control (which caused this cus otherwise I'd have never known, it made this shit freak out n I felt like crap only after the hormones), or just take meds for the pain. Dr fr told me I can double up on ibuprofen and acetaminophen if one or the other wasn't enough... that's what they'd got for me...

For further context this shit is as of the last scan in Jan 2024 an 8x8x9cm mass... twisting what's left of my left ovary in two diff directions, glued to my uterus and has attached itself to the lower lumbar ligament of my spine n is trying to choke out my colon... the techs I've seen have all commented its fucking massive and have asked me how I'm even upright as I must be in immense amounts of pain (ironically it doesn't hurt much which, is horrifying because apparently lack of pain with similar symptoms to endo increases the chances of this actually being cancer?

Basically fuck my life rn I'm uncomfy all the time. Gained like 30lbs since mid lockdown n it's likely from this, still within the average weight range for my height so it's not too bad. Sat at 139 currently at like 5'3" but 10lbs in like 3 months when I spent most my life unable to even maintain my weight is wild.

If anyone has tips for hormonal fixes that isn't birth control, like, foods to eat or avoid, supplements that help them (I'm not allergic to much that I know of so I'm down to try most things at least once). If there's specific low impact workout routines (because I've been away from my day job mostly working from home n that's likely not helping), my body has been freaking the fuck out since I got covid like right out the gate when it hit n I've had pots symptoms but no dx, just enough that I wanna vomit if I get a Lil too aggressive with the up n down lmao.

TL:RD My body is falling appart cus burnout, cptsd and getting covid ruined my immune system and I'm pushing 30 and just now getting outta survival mode n shit has hit the fan. Help.

[etazhiiart]

Homebrew Wendigo D&D info:

If you are unfamiliar with Wendigos, they come from Native American culture. They are tall thin creatures with an undying craving for human flesh. Their hunger is never ending as the more human flesh they consume the larger they become so that their hunger can never be satisfied.

In some folklore wendigos are good at manipulating others to do their bidding, only to be eaten by the wendigo. This will be true for this charactor.

Strength and Charisma are going to be important stats here.

Race: Since Wendigos are created from one turning to cannibalism, not usually born, you'll need to pick a base race to start with.

Depending on how long your character has been a Wendigo will determine other stats, but ill show ya'll what I did for mine.

Race Features:

Natural claws on both hands and feet.

Often have deer skulls on or for a head.

Resistance to Necrotic Damage

Natural Armour: Equivalent of studded leather

Imitation of Human voices.

Height: Minimum of base race's height, and up to 15 ft. You can go taller if the base race was a taller creature, but that height will be a pain to play.

Keep in mind if your character in not fully devolved into a Wendigo you should keep the height on the shorter side as it will increase as time goes on.

Specific Features:

Within 30 ft of the Wendigo all sentient beings will experience a feeling of uneasiness and dread. Once within 15 ft this will only get more and more intense. Anyone within 30 ft will want to leave, disadvantage to being intimidated.

Smell of death within 10 ft

Take any other creatures, party members, etc will take 7 days to feel comfortable in close proximity to a Wendigo

Wendigo Psychosis: The extreme craving for "human" flesh. (The closer the creature is to the original race of the Wendigo the more they crave it)

it should be noted that if the character is not as devolved into a Wendigo, they will also be terrified of what cannibalism will do to them.

In Campaigns where food is tracked, Wendigos can eat anything, but only meat will satisfy any sort of hunger.

If you are playing a character where it will slowly devolve more and more into a Wendigo throughout the campaign. Here are your stats.

Height: Upon consuming "human" flesh, roll a D6 for a height increase. Your roll = height increase in Inches. Max of 15 ft.

Charisma: Upon consuming "human" flesh roll a D20, on a roll of 18+ you can add a +1 modifier to either deception, intimidation, or persuasion.

Strength: Upon consuming "human" flesh, roll a D20, on a roll of 19+ add a +1 modifier for strength.

VERY IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE:

YES THIS SEEMS OVER POWERED, BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT WENDIGO PSYCHOSIS MAKES YOU TERRIFIED OF DEVOLVING FURTHER.

The more flesh you consume the less afraid you are of consuming more, and the more you crave it.

After a certain point you will have a hard time not wanting to eat YOUR OWN PARTY MEMBERS

Up to your own discretion, but this can also lead to auto-cannibalism.

Obviously you can change things to suit your own campaign and whatever your DM thinks is reasonable. These are just the stats we went with for my campaign.

After about 5-6 sessions my character had only consumed human flesh once, so these increases have worked very well. Do tweak them with relation to how often your character will be eating others.

Let me know if you want more info, im happy to answer more questions.

[eazy-group]

Denise’s transformation story

New Post has been published on https://eazydiet.net/denises-transformation-story/

Denise’s transformation story

Transformation of the Day: Denise shared her fitness transformation story with us. Her journey began in 2018 and now she’s a Womens Wellness Coach helping women navigate Menopause. Check out how she changed her eating habits and her workout routine.

Social Media: Instagram: @dnyce_fitness www.dnycefitness.co.uk

I’m a 56-year-old mother of one. By day, I work as an IT Consultant. I also run a Women’s Wellness PT business, specialising in Menopause and tackling the issues around going through this transition.

What was your motivation? What inspired you to keep going, even when you wanted to give up? From a very young age, I had asthma and still have it. My illness is my motivation, as well as running alongside that my daughter. We only have one life, and today is not a dress rehearsal. We need to live and battle through any adversity. I hope I’m showing her that. 

So, with that said, I’ve always been into fitness of some sort – From martial arts and holding a 2nd Dan to being Ms. cardio queen. Then I discovered weightlifting. I noticed that my body composition was changing because of weight lifting.

How did you change your eating habits? 

I started to change from eating ‘dirty’ to eating ‘clean’. So, I began to look at what I ate and knew that processed foods were not the answer. I had a lot of bloat, I was tired, and I just looked flabby! I wanted my curves to be in the right places. 

I changed to clean eating after meeting my now coach, Tracy Eden Larby (Iron Ladies). I’m on a macro diet where I focus on very high protein, carbs, low fat, and plenty of water. I still eat chocolate and fried chicken once in a while. I was never a fizzy drinks fan or juice drinker, so that transition was easy for me.

What is your workout routine?  I go to the gym, focusing on my legs one day and my my upper body the next, with cardio twice a week. 

My plan is progressive overload and time under tension, which leads to muscle growth. I’m very conscious of my sleep. I find it hard to sleep, so my nighttime routine is early. I’m in bed by 10 pm, up at 5:10 am, and in the gym by 6 am. 

How often did you work out? I work out six times a week for 50 mins – so that’s 4 days in the gym and 2 doing cardio (rowing and elevated walking).

What was your starting weight? What is your current weight? Starting weight – 55kg (more body fat) 

Current weight – 59.9kg (increased muscle, less fat)

What is your height? I’m 5 ft, 2 inches tall.

When did you start your journey? I started in 2018.

How long did your transformation take? It took one year. When I started, I slipped my disc and was unable to train for six months. All I did during that time was stretch for 30 mins a day.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far? 80% food and 20% gym. What makes the difference is what you eat. You have one body, and you have to treat her well. 

What advice do you have for women who want to lose weight? Just do it! if you have no idea get a trainer and have a plan. You don’t want to go to the gym and not achieve your goals because you don’t know what to do or eat. A trainer will help you do that whether you want to train at home or in the gym. They can be in-person or online, as long as they are knowledgeable and accustomed to training women, hormones, peri-menopause our cycle etc

Is weight loss surgery part of your journey? No, it isn’t.

Note: I’m hosting a FREE 7 DAY Fitness Challenge to start the ultimate love-filled transformation. Ladies, it’s time to countdown to a Valentine-Ready You. Earn those romantic nights out and tackle those hidden calories right here. Learn How to Count Calories, Lose weight, Receive a Meal Plan, and much more!

Disclaimer: Reference or link to any specific product, weight loss plan, exercise/fitness plan or service mentioned in the weight loss stories we share is for the information of our readers, and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Black Women Losing Weight.

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