#a lot more nonsensical than what i normally do woops

[daily-roguefort]

Day 58 of posting Roguefort until they're added to kingdom!!

mod cobra doesn't know what to say about this one <3 i'm definitely gonna try to draw that outfit again though - i think i interpreted it wrong, and i was a bit too lazy to fix it ..... i shall remake it and remake it EVEN CUNTIER!!!!

[fictionerd]

Backlog Post: MG Spec-Ops Asuka Ep 4

Good to see you, friends!

I’m glad you stopped by. You see I think I’ve uncovered the secret as to why I’m so torn on this series, particularly in the writing department.

That’s right, Squeenix is involved. Don’t get me wrong I like a fair few of the Final Fantasy games. I really need to finish Bravely Default one day, and FMA is one of the godfathers of anime, but we all have to admit that Squeenix has a troubled history with good stories. Granted, they’re just the manga publishers so it’s not like they’re directly responsible for the writing, but the fact that their name is attached to a product where I’m iffy on the writing just makes too much sense to me.

Now at this point you may be wondering, “Fic, don’t you research the shows you plan to watch?”

To which I can only respond: “I’m a dragon living in an extra-dimensional library in need of occasional maintenance or else other realities start bleeding in,” followed swiftly by, “Of course I do research on the shows I want to watch. Would you like to see that research?”

And that’s how I came to watch Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka.

Synopsis: This episode is basically all about the world-plot all the time. Even in so far as the character plot is concerned so no extra synopsis this week. Essentially we pick up where we left off with Sporty having been kidnapped by the Babel Brigands. Things seem like they’re going to get right down to the action, but first we get a flash-back nightmare sequence!

[Cue Wayne’s World Flashback transition]

During the war Magical girl’s actually died. Including the original leader of the Magical Girl team who was named Francine. She actually died in Asuka’s arms since the group hadn’t found her in time for Stalker Nurse to do anything to help. She told Asuka to take over the team and remember that no matter how much horrible shit is in this world it also has beautiful things in it. It’s a really touching scene… Too bad the show doesn’t remember the “there are beautiful things too” bit.

[Flash forward]

So, you want to know what the response of the Police Brass’s response to the kidnapping of a high-ranking officer’s daughter happens to be? What with all the Magical nonsense going on and all you’d think maybe they’d have a response team for this sort of thing. Or maybe they’d open communication with the offending party and offer an exchange of hostages seeing as Mophead Mcterrorist is still kicking around. Or, you know, anything? They are Police even if they do have a different name. I presume they’re still there to protect and serve in some capacity even if that idea isn’t associated with the Japanese police the same way it is in the states. No, that’s not what happens at all.

When the concerned father comes to his superior about the situation concerning his kidnapped daughter what does she tell him?

Allow me to elaborate just a bit. Boss-lady here tells Sporty’s dad that they can’t go up against Mophead’s organization because of the risk they have more killer mascot kaiju which, fair enough, that makes sense. However, she then goes on to say that they can’t go running to the JSDF for help because this is too small an issue. BUT if they let this man’s DAUGHTER DIE then they can get a massive budget from the government which should somehow allow them to overcome giant killer plush-toys.

NO! BAD SHOW! You JUST got done telling us there was beauty in the world worth defending. Oh, right, my mistake you DIDN’T get done telling us that I skipped ahead a bit. No what really followed on the heels of the PTSDream was a scene of Sporty all trussed up while “I need Scissors 61” talks about ‘grilled meat’ a whole lot, and basically works to creep Sporty the fuck out.

Back to the failure of Bureaucracy: At the same time or very nearly to the meeting at the police headquarters, Asuka is being told about the situation and how the Police won’t be intervening. She asks what the super-special-magic combat squad for the SDF is going to do and Cyborg Dude’s all like, “Nothing we can’t act without a police request. BUT if a magical girl were to JUST HAPPEN to SHOW UP OF HER OWN VOLITION and a MAGICAL FIGHT were to break out then the incident might escalate to a point where we would be called on to intervene. HINT. HINT.”

So Asuka and Stalker Nurse say they’re going to head out and OH YEAH this is what I’m talking about. Give us half an epis-

What?

What!?

WHAT!?

Oh yes, friends, we get to spend 4-5 minutes of the episode in the basement with Heckel, Jeckel, “I need scissors 61”, while Sporty is tortured. I suppose I should be fair and say that a large portion of that time is filled with exposition on the villains. The most important tidbit being that this whole operation was aimed at luring out magical girls to take one captive in order to create what ‘I need scissors 61’ calls “A Girl of Mass Destruction”. HOWEVER, we’re still getting all this information while Sporty is stripped down to her… Sporty wear, tied to a wooden horse, and BEING FUCKING TORTURED! Even if it is in small bursts it’s still freaking chilling.

So yeah, we don’t get half an episode of the Magical Girls kicking terrorist ass to rescue their friend. Instead we get to see them take down a grand total of one doorknob, one wire trap, and three guards before they get to the trussed up Sporty.

‘I need scissors 61’ is all like, “Hello my dears I’ll be your transparently evil sadist for the evening. By the way I hope all the bondage and guro fetishists in the audience are getting off on what, for them, must amount to softcore.”

Asuka’s fires back with, “Okay, dirtbag, let our friend go and I won’t kill your ass then send the rest of you to kiss it in hell.”

“Let her go,” Says Scissor-bitch, “Why certainly.”

And she CUTS OFF SPORTY’S LEFT ARM! What grinds my gears the most is that she even makes the stupid fake-cutesy. “Woops I totally meant to cut the chains and missed. Tee-hee.”

So official psycho bitch orders the magical girls to put down their weapons or she’ll straight up decapitate the hostage, and at this point I’m SO happy that these are Magical Girls and not gritty Nineties military characters who would be like “go ahead, princess, make my day”. So Asuka makes a show of dropping her Karambit…. At which point the pair proceed to kick ass. Kurumi fires the massive needle-point on her primary weapon through ‘I need scissors 61’s shoulder pinning her to the wall and through a combination of swift action and a magical flashbang theys coop up Sporty sans one arm and make their getaway.

Naturally Runs-With-Scissors is pissed so she and the Ruski’s (Oh yeah the two people helping her torture an adolescent girl are Russian Mercenary Sorcerers) go and chase after the fleeing magical girls. Asuka stayed behind to try and hold them off, but of course Scissor-girl sics the Ruskis on her and chases after War Nurse on her own. We get a teensy bit more action and expository dialouge and that’s where the episode ends. Now I’ve got some serious…

Thoughts: Now to devil’s advocate it’s not wholly inappropriate that the torture scene take place. I’m bringing prejudice to the table based on what I expect out of a usual Magical Girl Show which is made for a MUCH DIFFERENT target demographic. Honestly along with more fanservice one should go into a Seinen show expecting more grim or edgy aspects to take the forefront. My problem is that those sorts of aspects don’t necessarily make a show more mature.

I guess I’ll never get over it, but Madoka was a perfectly mature take on the Magical Girl template that didn’t need a lot of edgy gory content or blatant spank material. This show seems to not know what the audience for it would want. I came into this thinking “Military Magical Girls in a series whose rating might allow them to actually show the horrors of war? That seems neat.” What I got was a post-war series that doesn’t seem to know if it wants to be about the trauma endured by what effectively child soldiers; a story about a war hero fighting to live a somewhat normal live while realizing the responsibility they have to keep fighting the good fight; pandering to the various circles who would find under-dressed young women attractive; softcore fetish porn; or any of a number of other things.

At the end of the day what did the torture scene serve? What purpose did it have? Was it important to the narrative that we see it? No… No it wasn’t. All it did was show us that one of the Ruski’s has a water Persona and the other likes to heat metal implements and is referred to as a chef. These are things that could have been exposited in combat, and I get that’s more a shounen thing but it doesn’t make the point any less valid. As for the explanation of what Babelfish wanted a Magical Girl for they could have moved that up to when Scissor-girl was tormenting Sporty with grilled meat earlier, or moved back to the classic villainous monologue after our heroes had arrived. If there had been even an iota of reason for the torture scene. Then I probably wouldn’t be this mad, because strong emotional reactions are what I look for to see if a piece of media is doing its job well. Getting angry at a story doesn’t immediately indicate that it’s bad. It’s when you’re mad for reasons other than those specifically written that we have a problem.

I didn’t see the torture scene this episode and think “Those monsters! I want to wring their necks!”

… Okay yes I did, but the problem is that I also asked a question: “Why is this here?”

Having a villain do an evil thing because they are wicked makes sense. SHOWING us them doing said evil thing has to have a narrative reason beyond just “Oh they’re the evil villain!”

Okay… I think I’m starting to repeat myself on that point so let’s talk about the other concern I have. The Flashback PTSDream implies that Asuka is driven to fight by the fact that despite how bad things can be there are still things worth protecting in the world. The problem, as I said in the synopsis, is that the show seems to have missed the memo on that. On the contrary the world is a place where young women get kidnapped and tortured, war heroes can’t get a good night’s sleep, and even the people who SHOULD be the good guys come across as evil schemers.

I know I skipped over the fact that the Police Lady and Cyborg-Scarface were actively manipulating Asuka and Stalker-Nurse into action, but so far as Sporty’s dad knows his boss is someone who’s willing to sacrifice a subordinate’s daughter to get a BUDGET BUMP!

If you’re going to stand on the premise that there are things worth protecting in the world you need to actually SHOW US THOSE THINGS!

“But, Fic, There’s Sporty and Bookish! They’re worth protecting!”

Yes, how very astute. Innocents ARE worth protecting. However, what about the WORLD makes it worth the Magical Girls’ efforts? Where is the beauty that Francine loved? We should have seen at least a sliver of it in this episode.

[Sigh] I stepped away from this post for a while to clear my head and I can’t come up with a positive note to end on. Oh well. I suppose we’ll just have to look forward to other things. Hopefully the future of this show will balance things out, but I know I’ll have fun digging my claws into it regardless.

That said: Until next post keep talking fiction, friends! I’ll see you soon.

P.S.: This week’s Spec-Ops will be posted later this evening. I need to take some time to myself first.

[mcl-danielle]

Episode 40 Spoilers

June 14th 2012, I made my MCL account and I do not regret it one bit. This game is like nothing I have ever seen out of the other dating games. It has it’s flaws,of course, but for my present 22-year-old self to still be active in this game I have been playing since I was 16 which is something not many games can do. I did not become part of this fandom until a little later into 2014 however I’m still glad I am still here after all this time. ((Even if I’m not as active as I wish I could be. :c )) Anyway, I’m just going be talking about some stuff below about episode 40 as well as the answers to get Nathaniel’s illustration. ((Since like many, I did not get it the first time lmao))

So, back when I made this account, I knew I wanted to make a character. I don’t really have fun playing these dating games just as myself. >w>’ Which is how I came up with my Candy, Danielle Ashton. Fun fact, her birthday is the same day I started playing MCL lolol Ending results with the boys was: Nathaniel (Boyfriend): 106 Castiel: -48 Lysander: 92 Armin: -58 Kentin: 100 I’m not saying I kept high LoM with Lysbaby and Kentin for the feelios I was hoping to come when they found out Dani was dating Nathaniel but I totally kept a high LoM with Lysbaby and Kentin for the feelios to come when they found out Dani was dating Nathaniel lmao~ And I’m really happy they did design a way for the other boys to at least say they wished they could have been with your Candy. I thought they would just throw it under the rug with no punishment for flirting or getting higher LoM with the other boys. But some of my favorite things was during the Lysander and Kentin arc where they admit to having a crush on you but respecting the fact you have a boyfriend. Even though Lysander is a little more...snippy about it. But that itself make the game more likable. They are not just cut out boys like most other games fall under.  Walking around and talking to your classmates before the ceremony was so cute. I’m excited to see how the game handles classmates that go to a different university or if they do go to your school what they end up taking as their majors. We all know now that Rosa is coming with you even though she is living off campus with Leigh. Which, thank god they are still together~  When you are doing Nathaniel’s playthrough, you get the chance to help him get some last minute things from his parents house. This was nice because you really got to see how his parents are now that he has moved out and become a better person.  Entering the house, Nathaniel’s Dad goes on about how he thinks Nathaniel isn’t responsible at all. Even for those who don’t do his playthrough know Nathaniel is so mature and organized. I know this is just his father lashing out on him but you would think after moving out an adult would learn to be an adult. Personally though, I am SO happy that Nathaniel’s mother likes Candy. You run into her as you go to leave the house. She tells Nathaniel that they should go out for lunch to celebrate graduation and even invites your Candy along. Nathaniel tells her that they will have to do it another time but it’s okay because she knows where he lives. Then before you, she takes you by the arm and says:

LIKE AHDFKasdlfksda df akldsfaj- She is certainly not the best mother. But at least she actually cares about her son enough to want to be a part of his life, regretted staying quiet and apologized to Nathaniel for his father’s abuse and is now trying to make an effort to talk to his girlfriend. Like. You go girl. I’d be down for you to see that grandkids ;3 Moving along, your Candy ends up getting invited to your boy toys house. Woop woop!~ You go to bed and wake up the next day to remember it’s your Dad’s birthday. But I really like how the game is handling your parents. Your parents have met your boy more than a couple times now. And sure, parents should be a little concerned with their kids when it comes to them staying the night but with your parents approval, it really shows how much they trust you and your boyfriend, which is how it should be.  Then you go and walk around. I had Dani tell both Rosa and Priya that she was worried that she wasn’t sure about tonight being her first time and they both responded well to it. It’s good to have supportive friends c: Then. You go to his place. And I’m not saying Danielle would probably play with White for an hour minimum...but she would lmao.  Now getting to the choices for the Illustration.  I choice: When he asks what you think of his place B) It’s very cozy. I feel like It’s very sober may have worked as well but not totally sure He gets you a drink and comes back to White cuddling on you. He says something about how that isn’t an easy thing since she is very picky. B) Oh really? This took me to 106. Which still isn’t bad but if you want to end with a 110, maybe wait for another walkthrough lol  Then he moves White out to the couch. And then things heat up real quick. You take his shirt off after making out when he tells you how he is insecure about his arms (which is why he is normally seen in long sleeves). A) What an idea! Which didn’t gain an LoM but also wasn’t negative. The First time around I chose C.) Nonsense and went down to 106 with him

Then boom, you both are in your undies. AND LET ME TELL YOU HIS BEDROOM EYES ARE JUST-

UNF!!~ Now, for those of you who don’t end up wanting to go through with it, I’m not really sure how that will mess with your LoM because when he asks if you are sure you want to go through with it I chose A. (Without a doubt in my mind) I’m sure you don’t get a negative but this is how I got the illustration. Then chose A.) (I press myself closer against him) You bang and there you go c: Cute af illustration

Sorry to make this post so long. This game really does mean a lot to me and I really can’t wait to see where it goes from here~ Thank you so much Chino and staff. It’s always a pleasure to see how much work y’all undergo making this game. <3

[turquoisedragonmaster]

((The trio gets sent to Necroworld on a job and woops here's Dying of the Light. AKA Fireflesh gets to cut loose again and Nera eats someone's hand. Also Blackjack gets found out and makes terrible choices.))

“Why are we just getting shot down instead of landing.”

Nera growled, wiggling in the harness that secured her to Turquoise. Blackjack with spinning his tires nervously, his plating up in a nervous way.

“Because whoever they want caught and dragged back might highjack the ship and escape and then we don't get money.”

That didn't seem to assure Nera, even as Turquoise shifted into her slightly larger, winged form and launched into the air, followed by Blackjack.

“If I had known then we wouldn't be here you…”

“If you say shitbucket I will go outside and drag Tarn in here so that he can kill you personally.”

Nera growled, tail lashing as Turquoise sized up Rodimus.

“Well I'm sorry, I didn't know they paid reptiles to come drag their wanted criminals back!”

The Cybertronian snarled, causing Nera’s spines to rise. Blackjack leaped down,  shoving the two apart.

“Okay, killing each other will do nothing. We need both of you if we're all going to get out of here.”

The black mech was almost ready to put Turquoise in a box and sit on it if it meant keeping her alive.

“Turquoise, you're a warrior. You can fight the DJD!”

“Not anymore. I'm retired from all that.”

“Oh, so you and Megatron have something in common.”

Rodimus sneered, making Nera puff up, hissing.

“I don't have to take this from you. If I had known it was Megatron I would have declined the job. I don't like getting mixed up in all your Autobot Decepticon nonsense. Not anymore.”

The shapeshifter turned away, talons clicking on the floor as Nera padded after her.

“You should tell them.”

Nera sat on her shoulder, using her tail to flick the collar of Turquoise's jacket down to expose the Wrecker insignia.

“They need a leader. Not a massacre causing monster. The real Wreckers are gone, Nera. You know that.”

The little dimetreodile hopped down, turning to glare up at Turquoise.

“Then make them real Wreckers. You have a chance again, to fight, do what you love.  I remember how you were at Luna 1, you loved that.”

Black scales creased as Turquoise looked down at her companion, blue eyes pale.

“And Blackjack almost got kidnapped.”

“No, he didn't. It was part of his plan. You're better than you think, so shape up! You think Springer is sitting around and moping?!”

Nera barked, tail lashing. She smiled when Turquoise stood up, cracking her knuckles.

“One bout won't hurt I suppose.”

As the final sliver of sun vanished, Turquoise crouched down, summoning up all her fire. The smoke cloud manifested itself slowly, as it had only been used once in a long period. Sharp horns, wings larger than a Seeker’s, a tail lined with razor sharp spines, and the red and tan scales that had earned her the nickname so long ago gleaned in the fading light. The turquoise edge of her ears and wings gleamed, the same color as the intelligent, firey eyes. Blackjack was gaping. Turquoise looked like a true beast, a dragon of ages long past.

“This is your true form?”

“No. Pray you never see that.”

She growled, a deep primordial sound. The dragon opened her wings, taking to the sky and letting out a bellowing roar as a rough shape appeared on the horizon. It was time.

Nera had never seen so many foes at once. And it was fun, she kept changing her shape, confusing them so that she could bite them in half or just knock them away. Eventually she settled back into her normal form, and the bot she had been fighting laughed.

“Big mistake, organic.”

He wasn't laughing when Nera latched onto his servo and ripped the entire thing clean off.

Blackjack had kept under Turquoise, it as the others had called her, Fireflesh. A jet of flame scorched its way through the enemy lines, and Blackjack ran through, looking for anything salvageable.

“If it isn't Tyrest’s treacherous heir.”

Those words made him freeze, the remaining part of his old altmode singing with electricity. The voice was creaky and almost elegant, but it couldn't fool him.

“I'm not his. I was never his. Don't call me his.”

Deathsaurus laughed, a hollow, mocking laugh.

“Once we're finished here, I suppose his little group would live to have you back. And the Queen of everything they stand against. The Autobot with no badge, the Maker Of Massacres, the one who smote Overlord himself. You've brought me Fireflesh.”

“Don't even talk about turning her in. Turquoise is twice the person you'll ever be.”

He gasped as talons curled around his neck cables, his servos going to the larger ones around his throat.

“Blackie!”

Nera.

“G..go.”

He choked out, earning another laugh from Deathsaurus.

“Yes. She's just a lab rat who got lucky. Nothing special.”

The sound of Nera snarling in anger only made him more frantic, trying to tell his friend to run, to escape.

“I'll let her go. Only because she's worthless to me. You, however, you're sire will be thrilled to have you back.”

“Dead. He's dead.”

Blackjack clawed at the servo holding him up, years selling at his optics.

“It takes more than that to kill Tyrest I'm afraid. You have quite the bounty on your helm.”

Nera was gone, and his spark lifted slightly at that. Buy there was no way…

“HEY ICE SUCKER!”

Blackjack was thrown to the ground when a round object hit Deathsaurus directly between the optics, sending him flying back and releasing Blackjack. Nera was sitting behind his helm, holding another hockey puck in her claws.

“That's a way to do it.”

“Shut up and run asshat.”

As soon as the panic bubble glowed  around them, Megatron sighed.

“This wasn't your fight.”

Turquoise laughed, her scales charred and blackened.

“I wouldn't want to die any other way, than like this. Impossible to escape and getting to kill something beforehand.”

Her eyes were brighter now, no longer holding the quiet melancholy she'd had before. The dark matter danced around them, it lurched away from Turquoise's smoking body each time it neared her. They were only waiting now.

“Were you really happy.”

The dragon said quietly, and Megatron nodded.

“I was too. I'm glad that I got to spend time with my… with my family.”

“Good, because you're gonna be stuck with us for a lot longer!”

Blackjack and Rodimus, clutching Brainstorm’s briefcase, were holding their servos out to the laur.

“Brainstorm’s pulling us back in five seconds! Come on!”

Megatron’s optics went sullen, and Rodimus’ faceplates went worried. But at the last moment, a fiery talon and a gray hand grabbed don, and suddenly Turquoise and Megatron, along with their rescuers, were back. Turquoise was smiling.

“You sure you have to go?”

Tailgate stood up to his maximum height, earning a smile from Turquoise. She had taken the form of a shuttle, large enough to get the trio offworld but not much else.

“Yeah, sorry. We're wanderers.”

“We don't stick around.”

Nera chimed in.

“Because we have so much more to do.”

Blackjack finished, his back straightening.

“They were nice. Hope everything goes okay for them.”

Nera was draped across the ship's copilot seat, tail twitching.

“I hope so too.”

Turquoise said, rubbing her hand over her friends back.

“I really do.”

[exitiumparit]

1, 13, 17, 24, 29 ( you choose the muse ! )

@flightlegacy || character development questions || selectively accepting

Does your character have siblings or family members in their age group? Which one are they closest with?

Of my gazillion muses, the only ones with siblings are: Diane, Anne, and Raoul. Diane’s sister is.....sigh. I take Diane being Janey-E’s sister as an actual truth, and I take it as canon and not tulpa fuckery that they cannot stand each other. But, of course, Cooper and/or Diane trusted Cooper’s tulpa Dougie with her. So. ?????? Hard to say and nonsense I’m still figuring out HCs for, tbh.

The real Anne of Austria had four siblings and was the eldest child to Phillip III, King of Spain. However, as Anne married Louis very young, she didn’t grow up significantly close to any of her siblings since she was moved to France and made Queen as a teenager. She was closest to her eldest brother, Philip IV King of Spain, but grew apart from him as they got older and Anne’s heart grew more attached to France.

Raoul was very close to his siblings--two sisters and a brother--all of whom practically raised him. He’s closest to Philipe, who is twice Raoul’s age, but this is very significant in how Philippe and Raoul interact. It’s much more similar of father and son than brother and brother.

Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Uh the only ones who I can imagine is any kind of really bothered are Raoul and Christine, but it’s not enough that they can’t swallow down the slight knife edge they get to their thoughts.

What was your character’s favorite toy as a child?

I’m actually going to answer this for Adiri only, because holy shit this would take forever otherwise woops--

But anyways Adiri didn’t have much of a childhood. The longest she spent in any one place was when she was a baby until she was about three. Chyla picked up on how lonely and transient her daughter felt, and while she couldn’t help a lot of it--scared to death that the Empire was going to pick up on her Force sensitive child--she tried to give Adiri fragments of a normal childhood when they could. She had a little, faceless cloth doll her mom made for her and it was everything to her. Somehow, she managed not to lose it all through her childhood, which she’s grateful for. 

How quick is your character to trust someone else?

Oh jeez. Uh.

Lol.

Christine (to a point), Chyla (to a point), Anne (to a point), AJ, Ethan, and Raoul (to a point), are all quick to trust. 

Rest of them are pretty much lock and sealed crypts.

The iffy ones, it kind of depends on where they are in canon and what the topic is. Like pre-canon Christine trusts everyone; post-canon Christine is still easy to trust, but doesn’t trust many with her story, for example.

What did your character dream of being or doing as a child? Did that dream come true?

Gonna answer this one as Christine because it’s the most heartbreaking, ahahaha.

She dreamed of nothing more than being with her dad, honestly. That’s all she wanted. Her father was her entire world; her dad and the Valeriuses had dreams for her to be a star, and while Christine loved music, she only saw her enjoying her life with her dad by her side.

Then he died and all of her dreams, her support system, her family, all were extinguished at the same time. She didn’t really dream of being a wife or mother, because she figured the one person that she could ever see herself wanting those things with was totally out of reach.

Then Erik came along and Christine genuinely could not see a future in which she was alive for several months, and with the span of one conversation, she had her freedom again. And she had Raoul, who she’d been in love with since she was fourteen, and she had choices and potential and she didn’t have her father, but she had a home. So her dreams didn’t come true, but they also did.

[soysaucevictim]

Woops, this got long... again.

-

July 16

Meant to get up earlier, but I hit the snooze button too many times and woke up to the van honking outside. I decided not to go to the facility, didn’t feel like rushing out.

Slept in until a bit after 11AM.

I spent a good deal of my day with the usual nonsense.

First, today’s DD. 20 windshield wipers with EC. Not much to really say other than I found that this was manageable.

(After getting royally distracted and getting the rest in way later than I should’ve... not helped by overeating. :I )

Second, Day 9 of the T10C. 10 sets of 2x20″ squats + 20″ of punches. Relatively breezy - found myself shortening the rest period to roughly half the specified time. I also tried to improve my squatting form a bit - perhaps minding whether my knees were angled valgus-like whilst doing them (youtuber orthopedic surgeon Chris Raynor got me interested in checking my form... especially since my knees have been a bit irritable in recent history). I think my knees liked how I was doing things... even if some hamstrings cramped a bit. :P

Last, Day 9 of the CCC. 40 torso twists in one go. Pretty straightforward.

-

July 17

I got up a little earlier than yesterday.

Not much to show for today other than doing dishes, making some brownies, and getting in my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 1′ tree pose with EC. Because I knew 30"/30" would be too easy for me, I decided to double it for 1'/1' instead! Yay, for all the balancing progress. Also, I always love how meditative this pose is! :D

(After many hours of distraction...)

Second, Day 10 of the T10C. 5 sets of 1′ climbers + 1′ flutter kicks. Let’s just say I was glad that I was able to rest 2′, because that was pretty brutal. Even if I had to do things at a deliberately slower pace for sustainability. I also decided to allow my feet to tap the floor and my head to rest for the flutter kicks. Too late and too tired to be dealing with over-exertion and strain. :P

Last, Day 10 of the CCC. 100 side legs raises in one go (50/50). This was very doable and fairly fun.

-

July 18

I got up a bit before 8AM.

Got to the facility, socialized, went to WRAP Group, and picked up some paperwork while I was out and about, today.

Shortly after getting home and doing some of the usual, I decided I needed a nap.

After I woke up and while watching YouTube and whatnot.... I  got some major anxiety from a possibly dire health-related realization. Threw me for a loop and took awhile before I decided I needed to reach into some coping tools.

One of them being the therapy HW and the other being exercise (a lot later than intended.)

First, today’s DD. 30 push-ups with EC. I debated on whether this was going to be a good idea for me, given the nature of what just lit my nerves on fire today. But I just wanted to get it over with. :P

Second, Day 11 of the T10C. 10′ non-stop punching. I counted 1074 punched thrown, but I may’ve made a counting error. I did enjoy this experience, as expected.

Last, Day 11 of the CCC. 40 torso twists. Breezy work.

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July 19

I woke up at around 9AM.

Went to an emergency eye appointment I made a bit later in the morning. Good news is I didn’t have signs of retinal tears. I’m relieved that the flashing disturbance was probably just mild PVD.

Not much else to show for my day outside of that, dishes, dinner, and exercise.

I pretty much only did the DD. 30 single leg deadlifts with EC. This was reasonably fun to do, especially after a few good and mixed things happened this morning. :P

(Also, looks like I didn’t get that job. But I have amicable feelings about how the news was made.)

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July 20

I got up a bit before noon.

I did mostly the usual, but also some music exploration and Twitter rambling for the downtime bit.

Only really productive thing I got around to doing was my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 50 prone reverse flies with EC. This got pretty tough in the last 20 or so reps, but was still quite doable and fun. :D

(After getting really distracted...)

Second, Day 12 of the T10C. 10 sets of 2x30″ high knees + 30″ jumping jacks. Did a warmup set of modded down exercises. Definitely got me right winded and regretting drinking so much damn coffee today... orz

Last, Day 12 of the CCC. 110 side leg raises, done in one go (55/55). Very doable, although it did take a bit of time to get the HR down after everything.

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July 21

I woke up around the same time as yesterday.

A lot of the same old, same old. But I did get around to catching up with my exercise.

First, today’s DD. 1′ raised leg elbow plank with EC (30″/30″). Tough, but still manageable. Steady breathing is key, yet again. :U

Second, Day 13 of the T10C. 7 sets of 30″ punches + 30″ shoulder taps, with 3′ of punches as a finisher. The shoulder taps were made more challenging by deliberately avoiding rocking. I did enjoy all the punching.

(After a bit of distractions and waffling...)

Third, Day 14 of the T10C. 5 sets of 1′ squats + 1′ flutter kicks. Again, glad I got 2′ of rest. But I did have to vary how I executed the flutter kicks, some durations with head held up, some down, some keeping the legs above the floor, and others where I allowed them to tap.

Last, Days 13+14 of the CCC. 40 torso twists + 120 side leg raises, done in one go. Got a bit dizzy with the former, but I did the latter pretty handily in 60/60.

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July 22

I woke up again around the same time in the morning.

A lot of the same, including exercise.

First, today’s DD. 50 crunches with EC. Tough, but still manageable. Steady breathing is key, yet again. :D

Second, Day 15 of the T10C. 10′ non-stop side-to-side leg raises. Was a bit too distracted to keep count, so I just dropped that and just focused on getting through the duration. Left hip complained more than the right, but it felt good to be able to manage this task.

Last, Day 15 of the CCC. Just 40 torso twists again. Breezy work.

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July 23

I woke up pretty much at 8AM.

The first thing I did while at the facility was the DD. 1′ chest squeeze with EC. Very doable, the trembling is an amusing consequence of holding this contraction. :,D

Went to Seeking Safety and did a bit of housekeeping with all the handouts I’ve collected from the course. I then spent the rest of my time there socializing and working on a drawing.

Spent some time at home doing dishes, making dinner, gaming, and watching Black Mirror with Pops.

I would have done my exercise, if the power didn’t go out before I could. I spent most of the outage talking with the family and playing a puzzle game (Brick by Brick, physical game pieces... didn’t want to drain my computer’s battery.)

By the time the power came on, it was too late to bother getting in my workout. *Shrugs.*

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July 24

I got just a bit earlier than yesterday.

I don’t normally go to the facility on Wednesdays. But I got an RSVP for a meeting there today. I spent my time leading up to that doing some socializing and drawing.

The meeting was with an organization aiming to assess how our county can use tech for wellbeing. Got a free sandwich and 25$ gift card out of it. Decided to buy a new cooling fan for my laptop. :,D (But for real, I actually do like the thought of getting involved and feeling valued for my contribution.)

Got home, did a lot of the usual before getting in my exercise for the day (despite sleep debt and feeling a bit overtired.)

First, today’s DD. 2′ wall-sit with EC. Oof, that felt a bit harder than usual. Doing this specific thing while watching something funny is just a smidge better than listening to music as a distraction from the burning quads. :,D

Second, Day 16 of the T10C. 4 sets of 1′ jumping jacks + 1′ punches, with a finisher of 2′ sit-ups. I liked all three exercises,  but I had to slow down the jacks and sit-ups because of my energy level (and kinda full stomach).

Last, Day 16 of the CCC. 130 side leg raises, done in one pop (65/65). Given PBs, this is still very doable.

With that... I ought to get some dishes taken care of and move toward winding down for the night.