#also I just wanna add in that I do NOT think Ratio is a perfect human being

[stormofdefiance]

True knowledge exists in knowing you know nothing || Dr. Ratio & Socrates

Okay, I legitimately laughed out loud writing that title, but listen. LISTEN.

Ratio's inspirations derive from many sources; from referencing Archimedes's brain-blast in the tub, to being doomed to have his head bonked by Newton's apple ad infinitum in his idle animation, to his ultimate line ('esse est percipi' / 'to be is to be perceived') a direct quote from Berkeley on Idealism - it's apparent that his design nods towards scholars across time periods rather than being a direct parallel to a singular academic.

Nevertheless, just for fun, I've been rotating Ratio and ancient greek philosophers around in my head and have had a great time chewing over how parallels Socrates in particular. I am in no way saying that Hoyo even thought about Socrates while they were designing Ratio, but I thought I'd share my thoughts. I think there are some worthwhile parallels to be drawn that touch on all aspects of Ratio's own philosophy regarding ignorance, the value of knowledge, and his deep appreciation of life. So, let's get into it.

Ratio is interested in humanity and curing 'ill minds with knowledge', that 'to turn a blind eye to the folly of others is not an etiquette, but a wicked worldly practice.' Ignorance is a disease - this is a concept that can be viewed through a Socratic lens. Socrates believed that that virtue and knowledge were impossible to separate from one another, and that virtue could be developed through acquiring knowledge and insight. If knowledge is virtue, then ignorance is vice. In Socrates's mind, no one would rationally choose to do something bad. People might choose to do bad things, but this is rooted in their own perception of the world - as in, someone would only choose to do something bad (for the world, or for themselves) because they believed (erroneously) that it was the right or good thing to do. To Socrates, the cure to this was knowledge: 'There are two kinds of disease of the soul, vice and ignorance.' & 'What does most harm in the world is not sinfulness but ignorance'.

To Ratio, 'If ignorance is an ailment, it is the duty of the scholars to weed it out and heal the universe'. He views his own ignorance as 'filth' that must be cleansed through methods such as reading. He also views knowledge as a method for humans to overcome their problems - 'Another day has passed. If your problem still hasn't been solved, is it possible the problem is you?' & 'You look distressed. Is something troubling you? if so, you can figure it out for yourself.' These statements sound harsh, but they also clue us into Ratio's philosophy - that through self-examination and improvement, one can overcome one's ailments.

Socrates was also known for being a trouble-maker, he was abrupt and tactless and did not care for someone's social standing nor decorum. He was also known for using what is now called the Socratic method, asking a series of questions that ultimately seek to show contradictions in the beliefs of those who posed them, and to move systematically towards a hypothesis free from contradiction. Socrates rarely made assertions himself - after all, he had no wisdom of his own. But he could interrogate others in order to expose their own foibles, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of those around him. He was once described as a 'gnat' chewing on the 'lazy horse of Athens', causing it to wake up and spring to life due to his persistent gnawing and prodding. Ratio also employs the Socratic method - 'I'm asking questions' - and also adopts sophist tactics such as playing devil's advocate and taking opposing sides (with both himself as seen a story quest, and with others as we see with his texts urging us to take up a side so he might debate us). Through questioning and interrogation, upsetting what we consider social convention and norms, we can dispel contradictions and thereby come closer to some form of truth.

To add to this - as highlighted in the replies below - Ratio’s skill ‘intellectual midwifery’ is a reference to the Socratic method. The idea being that Socrates helped those around him give birth to the knowledge that was already within them, rather than treating his students minds as empty vessels for him to fill with his own answers. Again this is beautifully echoed in Ratio - he doesn’t want to tell you how to live your life, he wants you to work out for yourself what it is you need, thus empowering oneself through self-examination and questioning.

Socrates did not believe in writing anything down. He believed that face-to-face communication was a far more effective way of communicating knowledge - which means, unfortunately, what we know of Socrates is primarily derived from secondary sources. Much of what we know about him today comes from Plato's dialogues, and Plato was known for liberally exercising artistic license.

Although Ratio is not dead, I find it interesting that his character story is told exclusively through secondary sources. To quote - '…There are no less than eight documentaries detailing his legendary exploits, and over a dozen memoirs about him. However, despite the plethora of commentaries, none of them seems to provide a compelling perspective.' It's as though there are no surviving fragments penned by Ratio's hand and all we have to go on is through the lenses of other people. This challenges us, perhaps, to try to think about our own interpretation of Ratio since secondary sources cannot be taken as a wholly unbiased account - and once again employing the Socratic method and empowering the reader to come to their own interpretation.

While Socrates left no writing behind, he was interested in spreading knowledge. Socrates spent most of his life in Athens, a city that was, during his lifetime (~470-399 BC), a hotpot of scholars, wisemen and philosophers. Athena, the Greek god of wisdom, was named after the city - her symbol the owl that is also appropriately perched on Ratio’s shoulder. Also in Athens at this time where the sophists. The sophists were a class of intellectuals who were known to teach courses in various subjects - but often for a high fee, and generally centred around the idea that persuasion and the use of knowledge as a tool was more important than wisdom or truth itself. There's some debate about whether Socrates could be characterised as a sophist himself, but, crucially, he is characterised as refusing to take payment for his teachings. He was born a plebeian (perhaps you might describe it as a mundane background.) He was known to dress in rags and go barefoot, speaking to and (often antagonising) people from all walks of life, preferring the marketplace as a center of debate than palaces or courtrooms. I can't help but think of the sophists as similar to the genius society (or at least Ratio's depiction of them in contrast to himself), cooped up in ivory towers and gatekeeping knowledge to the most privileged. He doubts if Herta's talent is always helpful to others, he compares Screwllum to a 'monarch'. Then again, the sophists may in fact be a bit of a parallel to the Intelligentsia Guild - from Ratio, 'when someone is willing to listen to knowledge that is being disseminated and circulated, a price is created'.

Socrates (or at least the Platonic depiction of Socrates) was at one time declared the wisest man in Athens by the Oracle of Delphi. Socrates balks at this assertion - how can he possibly be the wisest man in Athens when he in fact knows nothing at all? This was not a claim made of modesty - he truly believed that he had no wisdom, that he was unsure what 'wisdom' itself even was. Ultimately, Socrates concludes that the only way that the Oracle could be correct is that by actually acknowledging that he knows nothing he paradoxically is the wisest man in Athens. All wisdom, therefore, is rooted in wondering, with wondering only possible if one is open to admitting one's own ignorance.

What I love about all of this in relation to Ratio is that Ratio styles himself as a mundanite. The Intelligensia Guild advocates that 'all knowledge must be circulated like currency' and accepts 'all beings… who seek to learn'. Ratio has no time for the satisfied self-styling of intellectualism, he himself states that 'to speak knowledge, we must first make people realise their own folly.' No one is above criticism in this regard, even himself - again, to quote 'Whenever someone agrees with me, I feel like I must be wrong.' Again, I feel as though he would resonate with Socrates here: 'Smart people learn from everything and everyone, average people from their experiences, and stupid people already have all the answers'. With Aventurine, he is quick to mock his appearance as over-the-top and vapid - once again making it clear his distate for vanity and hollow displays of showiness (albeit he may have been acting for Sunday's sake here. Also, no comment about this coming from a man who runs around in a toga, lmao) Equally, with Aventurine, it is clear that Ratio is willing to learn from him - he apologises when he offends, he abhors his methodology and yet he still relies upon it and trusts in Aventurine's plan, he is drawn to him in some ways precisely because he is so different to himself. Aventurine (at least styles himself) as impulsive to Ratio's slow and steady methodology, Aventurine whose learning has been entirely self-made vs Ratio who has spent his life in classrooms, Ratio who scoffs at Aventurine's favourite games of chance yet adds slot machines to his simulated universe. And to Socrates, the experience of aporia – in all of its discomfort and disruption – is the very catalyst of wonder, and that wonder was not just the root of wisdom but also the way to live a good and happy life. There is something beautiful in this to me, and this extends to Ratio. Ratio fundamentally cares about life. For all his brashness, his lashing out against 'idiots', his harsh demeanour - he wants people to live good lives, he wants to contribute to the good of humanity - all people, even those he is annoyed by, he cares so profoundly and absolutely about life. The entire reason why he is obsessed with wisdom and learning is not to exalt or elevate himself, not as some kind of ritualistic expression of piety towards a deity, but it is instead an expression of devotion towards life itself. Ratio has a strict work out routine not so that he can show off his body, but because living healthily is living well and working out is a component of that. Even the way he fusses and worries about Aventurine, someone he is pointedly irritated by, reveals how deeply his care runs. So so much of his character is centered on caring for life, even if it is not immediately obvious.

Finally, I'd like to highlight some ways in which Ratio is not like Socrates. First of all, Socrates was repeatedly described as 'ugly' by fellow philosophers Plato and Xenophon - this is contrast to Ratio being repeatedly described as 'handsome'. This is an interesting subversion to me (albeit likely an indulgent one) as in both cases both men attempt to distance their physical appearance from the weight of their words. Ratio wears the bust for many reasons, but way to view it is that he is attempting to stop his appearance from bearing any influence in the subject of debate.

Socrates was also said to be blessed by a divine touch, and as we know, this is something that agonises Ratio as Nous has not yet turned THEIR gaze towards him.

Lastly, Ratio has - thankfully - not yet been ordered by the state to drink hemlock for all his trouble-making and blustering. Though perhaps he may someday be put on trial by the IPC if the theories that he is working alongside Aventurine to undermine the corporation are true - we will just have to wait and see.

Thanks for reading my little ramble. I'd be super interested in anyone's thoughts if they'd like to share, but regardless, I'll leave off on some of my favourite wee quotes from the Rat man:

'Even a life marked by failure is a life worth living - it is only in moments of solitude and despair, when help is absent, that fools grasp how to pick themselves up.'

'Do stay alive. I wish you the best of luck.'

[nomaishuttle]

comparison (new on left old on right)

[anothertimdrakestan]

Tongue Tied - Tim Drake x Reader

Words: 2.4k

Requested? Yes! From a lovely anon!

“Hello lovely author, may I please request a Tim x reader who start as nerd friends, then she finds out about him being Red Robin before he can tell her, and then Red Robin saves her one day and she lets slip that she knows it's Tim. With her smarts, she's able to help him with cases and missions, and the batfam is impressed by how smart she is. You can choose whether it's a romantic ending or not, that's up to you. I just feel like smart Tim needs to be seen more. Thanks😊”

LINK TO PROMPTS & MASTERLIST -> REQUESTS ARE STILL OPEN!

When I tell you I love me a smart reader I LOVE ME A SMART READER! Thank you so much for the wonderful request! Strap in dear anon you set me up for a long one and I really said “get in the car!” I hope you enjoy ; )

In the midst of a mental breakdown you let the flashbacks ensue, that’s the only correct way to lose your mind as everything you thought you knew crumbled around you right?

First you remembered “meeting” Tim Drake-Wayne for the first time. You always put meeting in quotes because you’d been in love with him for months and had sleuthed out his favorite coffee shop just to stumble into him. And because you’re you, nothing can really go as planned can it? Your plan to stumble into Tim was taken more literally when he caught you from tripping as you tried to enter the store, as you pulled yourself from his chest you felt your cheeks redden immediately. 

“Oh my gosh I am such a klutz I’m so sorry” he looked flustered himself, nervously fidgeting with his sweatshirt sleeve. “Oh uh, no problem, are you okay?” he up from his jacket to meet your eyes, and though he’d never tell you his heart melted on the spot, his brother Dick defined it as “love at first sight” but that seemed too cheesy. “I’m fine! You going in here too? This is my favorite spot!” you shook off the nerves, making your way into the cafe. Tim followed you in, and to your surprise paid for your drink. Sitting at a little bar you pulled out some of your college textbooks before you realized Tim and slipped into the seat next to you. 

“You in college?” his voice made you jump, your head jolting up. “Oh - no! I just think this kinda stuff is interesting. Math can predict everything ya know!” you slid your textbook between the two of you, feeling Tim’s shoulder lightly brush yours as he leaned in to read it. “Totally! Like even the golden ratio in nature!” Tim explained excitedly. 

That day turned into texting every single day and hanging out whenever Tim could, and it slowly developed into a best friendship. 

How did you not see the red flags like how Tim could rarely, almost never hangout at night? Or how he’d have strange bruises scattered across his body. Tim always looked dead tired but you knew he didn’t do any activities after school, to be honest the math just didn’t add up, so you took to investigating before making a conclusion - as any good scientist would. And because he’s a messy teenage boy investigation was easy.

While over at the manor Bruce had called Tim to W.E. for some sort of emergency press conference about his younger brother Damian biting a reporter, the interview was only supposed to be a half an hour. So, Tim left you with snacks and Youtube in his room while he threw on a suit and tie, which he looked like an absolute five course meal in - that wasn’t the point. You took the opportunity the riffle through his room, not exactly sure what you were looking for as you pawed through stacks of overdue assignments and dirty clothes. 

With deep breaths you relived the moment that hadn’t stopped playing in your head, finding his Red Robin suit. Throwing open his closet you stifled a laugh at his pajama pants and ratty t-shirts but you choked on air when a deep red and black suit fell from the top of his closet onto your face. Thinking it was some sort of halloween costume you held it up and realized what you were touching. It made sense, the late nights, bruises, frantic cancellations, it all added up except that Tim was the sweetest person you knew, the most loving soul you knew was kicking ass while you struggled through trigonometry. 

Unable to comprehend what was happening you put everything away and went home, shooting Tim some bullshit excuse about your family as your ran up to your room and began making a list - comparing Tim’s absences to Red Robin sightings, googling photos of Red Robin and drawing comparisons to the way he held himself like your best friend. There truly was no denying - Tim Drake was the Red Robin. Then it hit you like a truck - Bruce Wayne was Batman. And you assumed all of Tim’s adoptive family were vigilantes as well. You didn’t sleep that night, trying to make google searches that didn’t give anything away while trying to make a list of everything you discovered. 

Tim was Red Robin. You still couldn’t wrap your mind around it. So you sat in your room at 4am, crying. Because Tim was probably out risking his life for years without you knowing. Everytime you yelled at him for cancelling plans was probably because he was out saving lives and he took all your anger, he let you berate him for scrapping his knees when it was probably the fucking Joker whooping his ass. Is it right to apologize? To tell him what you found out and try to move on with the friendship. Is this like a “now that you know I have to kill you” kinda thing? You weren’t exactly ready to die. 

It seemed like Tim’s secret to keep, it was difficult at first to keep the facade that you didn’t know what he was doing at night, you just tried to always be understanding and appreciative of all the time he made for you. You fell back into the lull of best-friendship, Robin or not, Tim was the best person you knew.

“You’re in love with her Drake” Damian chided, almost annoyed with Tim’s ambivalence on the topic of his life long crush. “Am not, she’s my best friend. It’s not my fault you don’t understand friendships demon” Tim spat back, keeping his head down to hide his blush. “I’m with the demon, you practically worship the ground she walks on” Jason called, drinking straight from.a carton of milk as Dick cried out in disgust before adding his own opinion to the mess that was Tim’s love life. “Sorry kid it’s 3 to 1 which means you have to ask her out for real, remember last time?” Tim glared at the mention of his failed date proposal where you thought he was speaking in strictly hypotheticals. “You can’t out vote me on my own feelings” Tim groaned. “All in favor of allowing us to out vote Tim?” The three raised their hands again as Tim stomped up to his room, he planned on going on a peaceful patrol to plan his dream date for you.

A couple weeks into knowing Tim’s secret you learned that if you climbed to the roof of your apartment building you could see Batman and whomever he took out for patrol flipping around the city late at night. It had become a nightly routine and you’d grown to be able to identify the hero by their style of movement, your notebook filled with notes and sketches about each boy or girl. Then when you hungout with Tim you could match a vigilante’s mannerisms with one of his siblings, it was simple science really. Then you began taking down notes about whoever the Bats were fighting if it was public, discovering little facts and trying to slip Tim subconscious knowledge, it was the least you could do to help your favorite boy on earth. 

But that wasn’t enough, you wanted in on the excitement of crime fighting, to have more knowledge than was on broadcast TV. So you took to the streets of Gotham armed with pepper spray, a pocket knife, and a notepad. You learned tidbits of information that you poured over, working it together until you’d solved a case, then you’d slip hypothetical ideas to Tim throughout the hours of hanging out. You felt like a real life hero, and you were getting better by the day. 

“Jeez Tim it’s like you’ve been working double time! You’re solving cases before they’re even on B’s radar, what’s your secret kid genius?” Dick was stretching on the BatComputer while Tim feverishly typed in his newest solve. “Well I hangout with Y/N! She’s like a good luck charm dude I also get the best ideas when I’m with her! It’s pure magic bro I’m telling you” Tim explained as he frantically finished his report. “Lovers do have that effect! So when are you gonna tell her you’re in loveeeeee” Dick cooed as Tim shook his head. “Shut up Dickwing I’m working” was all he could give Dick without blushing or mixing up his words. He just had to plan something perfect.

But it never was perfect was it? 

Kill Croc was out in the sewer, and you’d taken it upon yourself to help Tim out, you knew people who knew some of the people that helped out Croc and you were determined to find him first at any cost. That’s how you accidentally ended up in a dirty drug deal. 

“Hey Timbers, you’re gonna wanna get to my location asap, I’m pretty sure your girlfriend is in trouble and it would be rude of me not to offer her saving to you” Jason heard a scramble from the other side of the comm as Tim confirmed he was on the way. He watched carefully as you searched for an escape from your capture, normally he would’ve busted the drug dealers for capturing teenagers by now but he was feeling magnanimous, deciding to give Tim the opportunity to save an unsuspecting but terrified Y/N. 

There were definitely no clear exits, you cursed yourself for getting too close. You were not Red Robin, you played the long game you didn’t rush into the arms of armed drug dealers in the name of the law. Your heart was beating out of your chest as they pointed a gun at you, forcing you to walk towards a sketchy delivery truck with the other kids. “Ooh totally not gonna happen!” a familiar voice cheered as glass windows shattered, none other than your best friend stood with a grin. He looked hot as fu- not the time, not the time. 

“Come any closer we’ll blow her brains out!” you felt a loaded pistol connect with the back of your head as you froze, begging to any god to live and promising not to be a field agent ever again. “That’ll be pretty hard without your gun dumbass” Tim called as four batarangs knocked the guns out of all the guy’s hands. Red Hood, who you knew was Jason Todd, burst through the back windows, guns raised. “I thought we had a deal you sorry bitches. Now let these kids go or I’ll show you what blowing brains out really looks like” the men froze, letting everyone escape. 

“Too late for us, but we’re taking the pretty girl with us!” one of the men had picked up their gun, aiming it straight between your eyes and firing. You screeched when a flash of red jumped in front of you. Almost in slomo you watched the bullet connect with Tim’s body. Your scream was deafened by Red Hood’s guns as he knocked all the men completely out. Rushing to Tim’s side you pulling his head into your lap. “Tim! Oh my god Tim are you okay!” you cried as Red Robin pulled off his domino mask to reveal a very confused Tim Drake. “Kevlar, I’m fine, bullets pack a punch but it just knocked the wind out of me, how did you know who I was?” Tim sat up, showing you the bullet sized dent in his suit. 

“We should go somewhere else and I can explain” you smiled sheepishly, letting Tim put his cowl back on as he loops his arm around your waist, pulling you to the top of the nearest building. 

“YOU’VE KNOWN FOR MONTHS” Tim looked shocked as you explained how you figured it out and how you’ve been helping him out for weeks. “Should I have told you? I’m really sorry I just didn’t know I felt like you’d tell me when you were ready” you flinched at Tim’s shout and he calmed down. “To be honest I don’t know, you’re one of few that know who I am, but I’m glad you know, makes this even better” Tim added the last part softly, placing his hand on your cheek to lift your lips to his. Your eyes widened in shock before fluttering closed, kissing him back. The build up of months detangled itself in a night, and kissing Tim was just as perfect as you’d imagined all those years ago. 

“So you’ve really been solving all those cases and you didn’t even tell me! You’re totally amazing at it!” Tim added, almost as if he’d been thinking during the kiss. “Yeah it’s pretty fun, you’re still gonna let me help right? I’m not stopping now!” you poked Tim’s chest while he thought. “I mean I’m pretty sure Babs needs a partner, but no ground work, you saw how well that went tonight, but it’ll be good to have a partner who finally knows everything” Tim exhaled, letting everything off his chest. 

“Partners!” you smiled, leaning in to seal the deal with a kiss. 

“This is totally epic” you stood stunned as the BatCave shined in all it’s glory. “I mean yeah it’s pretty cool, look this is my actual suit, I bet the one you saw was an older model!” Tim let you around the cave, showing off his favorite parts. You squeezed his hand trying to convey how excited you were. “I’m gonna be a better detective than you soon Timmy” you teased as Tim showed you the ropes of the BatComputer. “In your dreams babe” he rolled his eyes. “Babe huh? Didn’t realize you asked me out” you scrunched your nose at Tim while he blushed. “Oh uh, see I meant to, but yeah, I definitely should do that like-” you cut him off “yes Tim I’ll be your girlfriend you idiot” you laughed at how tongue tied the loveable boy was. You weren’t going to pretend like you didn’t get flustered around him either - you practically tripped on your own feet the first time you met him, but look how far you’d came from there. 

From friends to partners to lovers and probably everything in between, you were finally Tim’s in every way, working side by side was the best thing to ever happen to both of you. That’s not quite right. Tim Drake himself was just simply the best thing that’s ever happened to you. And you to him. And that’s truly love at it’s finest. 

[heyitssmiller]

Chop It Like It’s Hot

Chapter 3: Sun’s Out Buns Out

Chop It Like It’s Hot Masterlist

Let the pining begin.

@lumosinlove

“Oh my god, there’s ducks!” Finn said excitedly, pointing to the ducks swimming in the pond nearby. Their next challenge was taking place in a small park on the outskirts of the city, which made Logan a little nervous. He was just getting used to the setup of the kitchens, and now he had to deal with this. Finn let out an aww as a group of ducklings followed their mom. “Look at ‘em, they’re so cute.”

Logan looked warily at the setup of grills a few feet away. “I don’t think we’re here to look at ducks.”

“Good morning, recruits!” Dorcas called, waving them over. Leo stood beside her, hair turned golden in the sunlight. Logan blamed the reason he was suddenly too hot on the weather.

Ah, yes. That new development Logan refused to think about too hard.

He was happy with Finn. They’d been happy together for years now.

So why was he crushing on Leo like he did with Finn back in college?

Logan wasn’t blind – he knew the signs well enough after pining for Finn for five years. He just didn’t know what to do with these feelings. And they’d learned from all the miscommunication and wasted time in college – he and Finn told each other everything now.

He just wasn’t sure he could tell Finn this.

How would that conversation go? Hey I know we’ve been happily together for three years now but I also kind of want to kiss that tall blond guy who’s been teaching us how to cook. 

Yeah. That would go over well.

“Today we’re going to be testing your creativity by having you make your own burgers! We’ll both give you examples, but you’ll need to come up with your own original ideas for this challenge.” Leo stated, dumping ground beef into a bowl. “I’m going to make a jaeger schnitzel burger. So for the meat I’m using a mixture of different meats. Schnitzel is traditionally pork or veal, but you need the right ratio of lean meat to fatty meat to make a good burger, so I’m adding some additional fatty beef.” He formed patties out of the meat and placed them on the grill. “What really sets jaeger schnitzel from regular schnitzel is the mushroom gravy on top.”

He smiled, which Logan was quickly realizing was completely unfair. “Creating a gravy is a little hard on a grill, but I’ll do my best. Basically we’re going to melt butter in a pan and fry these onions until they begin to brown. Then add the garlic and cook it for another minute. Add the mushrooms and cook until they’re golden and some of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.”

Leo switched back to his burgers and flipped them before returning to his sauce. “To thicken this into a gravy. We’re going to add flour and stir. Then it’s just beef broth, vinegar, thyme, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Now the burgers are done, so we’re going to take all of this off the grill and plate it, making sure there’s plenty of gravy on this burger.” 

“And I’m going to make a burrito burger.” Dorcas took over. “First we’re going to take our meat and add some seasoning to it: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, and black pepper. Make sure to get the seasoning mixed in there thoroughly. Then we just throw these patties on the grill and let them cook. What really sets this burger apart are the toppings.”

She reached into a bag on her table and pulled out refried beans, salsa, pepper jack cheese, and lettuce. “I made the refried beans and salsa from scratch last night since we definitely don’t have time for that today. So once these burgers are cooked, we just add the toppings and we’re done. Easy enough, right?”

“This challenge is a blind taste test so that we can’t pick favorites.” Leo added. “Which means you guys are going to be on your own for this challenge – we can’t help you in this round.”

Everyone groaned.

“Just don’t burn yourselves and you’ll be fine. You have forty-five minutes and your time starts now!”

***

Mid-Episode Interview:

*Logan takes his hat off to run a hand through his hair with a sigh*

Logan: I… I might be going home today. *laughs* You know, I hate cooking. The only reason I went on this show was because of Finn. He seemed so excited about it, you know? So for the past seven weeks, I figured if I got eliminated I’d just stay in the city and spend time with him when they weren’t shooting the show. I haven’t really cared if I got eliminated or not. Now, though?

*His gaze loses focus for a few seconds, then he looks back at the camera*

Logan: I don’t think I’m ready to leave just yet.

***

Finn quickly glanced over at Logan as he dropped lamb chops into a hot pan. The brunet had come in second to last place in the earlier competition today and clearly wasn’t happy about it. There wasn’t much he could do right now, but he’d find something to cheer him up with after they were done filming for the day. Alex was in the city visiting their family – maybe the two of them could stop by the house and say hi, if it wasn’t too late.

“Non-stick pan, Lo!” He hissed as Logan grabbed a regular pan to put his potato cake in.

“What?”

“Use a non-stick pan. That way it won’t stick when you flip the cake over.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“How’s it going over here?”

Finn glanced up to see Leo at their shared station. “Good! I think. The lamb chops were a little hard to cut and my tapenade is kind of a mess, but I’m hoping it tastes ok.”

“And the potato cake?”

“The fact that I’m going to be flipping a potato cake is hilarious because I am not graceful at all.”

Leo laughed. “It’s not too bad, you’ll see. Logan, how about you?”

“Well, I’ve learned that I hate the taste of fennel.” Logan groused, sprinkling red pepper flakes on top of his fennel salad. “So I’m hoping to mask that flavor as much as I can.”

“It’s definitely not for everyone. Your chopping skills have really improved over the past couple of weeks, though – look at those potatoes!”

Logan looked up and smiled.

A smile Finn definitely recognized from college.

He glanced back and forth between the two, speculating. Maybe it wasn’t just Finn dealing with new feelings he wasn’t sure how to process yet.

After time ran out Finn glanced down at his two identical dishes – one for him, one for Leo – with a sigh of relief. It was still a little messy, but overall he felt pretty good about it. No matter what he was miles ahead of where he started, so he was happy with himself. He was still a little worried to be tasting his own dish, though. At the end of the day he was still a bad cook, after all.

When it was finally his turn to be judged, he grabbed both plates and placed them on the table before taking a seat opposite Leo.

“This feels like a really weird first date.” Finn teased, watching the faintest hint of a blush spread across Leo’s cheeks.

Oh my god, he’s adorable.

“I can definitely see some inconsistency in the cooking of your lamb chops.” He hurried to say, flipping one of the pieces of meat over for Finn to look at. “See, this one’s nice and brown while this one is undercooked. This boils down to variation of size in your meat. When you’ve got all kinds of different sizes, it’s hard to consistently cook them.” He cut up a piece of lamb and put it in his mouth. Finn probably stared at said mouth a bit too long before following suit.

“Well? What do you think?”

Finn shrugged, swallowing his bite. “I like it.”

Leo smiled. “You know what? Me too.”

 ***

Logan was up next. He sat down hesitantly across from Leo, looking down at his plate and hoping it was enough to save him from elimination.

“Your presentation is really good, Logan. The potatoes are nice and golden, the lamb looks perfect.” Leo said, and something about his words and calm demeanor soothed Logan instantly. He smiled. “Thanks, chef.”

“Ready to try this?”

“Let’s do it.” Logan stabbed his food with his fork, took a bite –

And instantly coughed.

It was so spicy. The kind of spicy that makes your throat close up and tears come to your eyes.

“Oh my god.” He gasped, making a mad dive towards his glass of water and downing it as fast as he could. “Jesus Christ, that’s so hot.”

Leo hummed, setting his fork down. He seemed completely unfazed. “Too much red pepper. You said earlier you were trying to mask fennel flavor, but I think you did too good a job at that.” He watched Logan with a small smile and pushed his own full glass of water towards him. “You ok?”

Logan gaped at him, but gladly accepted the water. “How are you not dying right now?”

“I literally have a show about cajun cooking; I’m used to spice. You should try ghost peppers sometime.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Don’t knock it until you try it.” Leo looked back down at his plate. “Overall, your dish was pretty good. Could’ve used a little less red pepper, but the rest of it was spot on.”

Logan felt his shoulders relax a little. “Thanks, chef.”

***

Logan was in the bottom two.

Fuck.

Finn’s heart had continued to drop as name after name of the safe contestants got announced, including his own, and Logan’s didn’t. He knew Logan didn’t really care if he got eliminated or not, but this had been so much fun to do with him. Finn didn’t want to see him go yet.

“And the recruit who will be leaving us today is…”

Finn honestly couldn’t name the person who got eliminated – all he knew was that Logan was staying. He let his tense shoulders relax and stepped forward to give him a hug. “That was close, Lo.”

“Yeah,” Logan’s voice was muffled in Finn’s shirt. “Guess I’ll have to try harder next week.”

Finn leaned back with a big smile on his face. “You wanna stay?”

“I mean, I’m a really bad cook,” Logan shrugged. “But I’ll stay as long as I can.”

“Logan?” Both boys turned at the voice. Leo stood off to the side, looking slightly awkward.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to talk to you about today’s challenges and ways to improve. I’ve got a few tips I can share, if you want.” He glanced at Finn. “Can I steal him for a second?”

“Go right ahead.”

Leo flashed him a smile before motioning for Logan to follow him.

Finn couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could read Logan’s body language like a book. When he fiddled with his hat, Finn knew he was nervous. When he met Leo’s eyes and didn’t look away as he spoke, he was serious about whatever he was saying. When his gaze flicked down to Leo’s lips, he wanted to kiss him. When he subconsciously leaned forwards and tilted his head up slightly, he was going to kiss him.

The strangest thing was… Finn wasn’t jealous. He should be, shouldn’t he?

But Logan didn’t kiss Leo.

He seemed to catch himself at the last second and he drew back sharply, refusing to look at Leo again. He muttered something and turned to walk away, catching Finn’s gaze as he did so. His eyes widened guiltily, steps slowing as he crossed the room to where Finn was waiting.

Finn gave him a small smile and grabbed his hand reassuringly.

“I think we need to talk.”

[nonbinary-octopus]

Secret Shifter

A gift for @cutetinyartist ​for the @secret-shifters ​gt gift exchange!

CuteTinyArtist gave three prompts to work with, and I tried to use bits from all of them, but this is mostly prompt three.

Prompt 1: Pretty much anything involving handheld fluff! Giants holding tinies (whether it's for the first time or the billionth time) is always a great trope.

Prompt 2: A giant finding a tiny and being really excited about it- possibly with accidental fearplay as the giant doesn't realize how scared the tiny is!

Prompt 3: Size-Shifter accidentally revealing their powers to a close friend who doesn't know about it (and the friend finding it absolutely adorable/amazing- possibly even leading to a confession of love? Fluffy romance in G/T is something that I absolutely adore)

Wordcount: 3.1 K

Summary: Sam has a secret. A big secret. Or maybe it's a really little secret...

[More of my writing]

~~~~~

It had been a perfect day. One of the odd days when Rose and Sam had had a day off in common, and they decided to spend it together. No plans, just hanging out and goofing around. They’d spent a large portion of the morning simply sitting together on Rose’s living room couch and watching cartoons, and now they were in her kitchen, doing their best to make lemonade from its base components.

Sam poured a small portion into his cup, taking a sip. He made a face.

“Still too sour?” Rose asked. Sam nodded.

“Put in like… twice as much sugar.” Sam put his cup down, picking up the sugar instead, and started pouring it into the pitcher. Rose stirred with their wooden spoon.

The falling sugar crystals were pretty. Sam got distracted watching them, and didn’t stop pouring until Rose said, “Uh, I think that’s probably plenty.”

Sam jolted, pulling the sugar away abruptly. “Oops.”

Rose laughed, still stirring. When the sugar had about dissolved, they asked, “Ready for another taste test?” Sam nodded, picking up his cup again. It still had some left in it from earlier, though, and he looked at the yellowish liquid for a few seconds. Then he shrugged a bit and tossed the whole thing into his mouth, trying to drink it all in one swallow.

It was… not a better way to get it down than just drinking it normally. When he’d finished his coughing fit, and Rose had finished laughing at him, they poured him another sample. Sam sipped it.

“Hm,” he said. He sipped it again.

“Well?”

“Well…” Sam considered, taking another sip. “It’s not too sour anymore?”

“Too sweet?” Rose guessed. Sam nodded.

“Very. You ever do that experiment as a kid where you grow sugar crystals? It’s like drinking that. A little flavor, but mostly just sugar water.”

“More lemons, then?”

“Maybe.” Sam ran his tongue across his teeth, which felt a bit grainy. “I don’t think the sugar all dissolved, actually. We should probably add more water.”

A little over an hour later, they finally had the ratios all right. They also had three pitchers full of lemonade.

“So…” Sam said. “Any idea how much of each ingredient we used?”

Rose laughed. “Not a clue.”

“Me neither.” Sam swirled what was left of his latest sample in the bottom of his cup. “Y’know… I think I’ve had enough lemonade for the day. Maybe even enough to last me for the rest of the year.”

“... same.”

“Put the rest in the fridge? Deal with it later?”

Rose nodded.

“So, what do you wanna do next?” Sam asked after they’d found lids for the pitchers and transferred them all to the fridge.

Rose shrugged. “More cartoons?”

“Yeah!”

During the theme song of their second episode, Sam felt a familiar prickle in the back of his brain. Oh no. Not now. Not here. Sam closed his eyes tightly, trying to will it away. It didn’t work. That never worked. The prickly sensation grew stronger. He had to get away, immediately.

“You okay?” Rose asked. Sam’s eyes shot open.

“Hm? Uh, yeah, I—” What excuse could he use? He didn’t want them to get worried, but at the same time, he couldn’t stay here. Sam fidgeted.

“Too much lemonade?” Rose guessed sympathetically.

“Yeah,” Sam breathed, relieved. “Yeah, too much, I gotta—”

Rose laughed, shoving his shoulder. “Go on, then. Get. You know where the bathroom is.”

“Thanks.” Sam shot to his feet, untangling himself from his blanket cocoon as quickly as he could. “Uh. Start without me. I’ve seen this one.” He ran from the room as fast as he could. This was okay. It would be okay. He could just lock himself in the bathroom until it was over, and Rose never needed to know. Yeah. Yeah, he could do this.

He made it halfway up the stairs before it hit.

Between one breath and the next, the prickles spread across his entire body, blurring his vision and disrupting his balance. Sam’s foot had been lifted for the next step, but the next step suddenly wasn’t there, and for a moment he was falling.

He landed flat on his face.

“Ow,” Sam said flatly into the carpet, and didn’t get up. The landing hadn’t actually hurt too much, but he still didn’t feel like moving yet. He lay there for several moments longer, waiting for the lingering tingles to fade and his bones to stop feeling like jello. It was always worse if he was moving when the shifts struck.

But he couldn’t lie there forever. When Sam felt like he could move without his vision spinning, he sat up, a little bit stiffly, then stood and brushed himself off. He was a little bit sore from faceplanting into the floor, but not so sore he thought it would leave a bruise.

And now there were the stairs to deal with. Normally, not a problem; they’re just stairs. Walk up, walk down. He’d been taking them three at a time just a minute ago. No biggie. But now? Yes biggie. Literally. Sam scowled up at the next step. At least these stairs were carpeted. He’d have handholds. But on the other hand, the top of each step had a lip that stuck out at least an inch or two, with an overhang underneath.

Maybe he should go down instead of up. Sam turned around, looking down the flight of stairs. It would certainly be easier; he could let gravity do most of the work. And sure, the drop was about twice his height, but he was surprisingly durable like this. He could probably jump down and it would still be more scary than painful or dangerous.

On the other hand, Rose thought he was in the bathroom, and the bathroom was upstairs, and it would be harder to pretend he’d actually been in the bathroom the whole time if he went down the stairs. Plus, if he shifted back without warning, Rose would be more likely to notice if they were on the same floor.

And staying put was definitely out of the question. There were worse places to be six inches tall, especially out in public, but just sitting on the stairs was still pretty bad. It was probably worse than out on a regular floor, actually, and not just because it was harder terrain to traverse. There was no clutter to hide behind, for one thing.

So up it was.

Sam nodded, lacing his fingers together and swinging his hands above his head to pop his knuckles and stretch his shoulders. Stepping up to the cliff face-like wall, Sam gripped one thick thread of the carpet at about shoulder height, and another over his head. He hauled himself upwards, trying to find purchase with his feet. There wasn’t really anything to stand on, but if he leaned back a bit, he could brace his feet against the wall so he wouldn’t have to rely entirely on his arm strength.

It helped that he didn’t weigh very much like this. Being small had a lot of disadvantages, but one thing it had going for it was the proportional strength. Sure, at this size Sam couldn’t open a jar or pick up even one of those pitchers of lemonade in the fridge, but he could lift his own body weight with surprising ease.

Getting over the lip of the step wasn’t as hard as he’d expected. Once he had climbed as high as he could, holding his arms in pull-up position so his hair brushed the underside of the overhang, Sam carefully shifted his weight onto one arm. With the other, he reached up and back, feeling across the ceiling until he found the forward edge. He made sure he had a good grip on a carpet strand, then let go with his first hand. As Sam swung back, he reached up and grabbed on beside his other hand.

Climbing was harder when he was dangling over open space, instead of having a solid wall in front of him to brace against. Sam hauled himself up, uselessly kicking at the air once or twice. His next reach gave him an anchor on the top of the step, and then he was squirming over the edge up onto it.

“There,” Sam said, puffing a bit. “One down…” He looked up, but from this angle, couldn’t see further than the next step, looming over him. “… several to go.”

This was going to take a while.

The step was three paces from front to back, and then Sam was climbing again. Getting over the overhang was a bit easier this time, since he’d had the practice of the first one, but he still had to stop for a breather after he’d dragged himself onto the top. After he had caught his breath, Sam started again.

As Sam was squirming over the overhang of his fourth step, things went from just tricky to downright bad.

“Oh! Hello there!”

Sam jerked in shock. He almost lost his grip and fell, but managed to grab onto another strand of carpet in time. For a few seconds, he dangled off the edge of the step, heart pounding. Then, slowly, he looked over his shoulder and up.

Yep, just as he’d feared… Rose had found him. She had an odd look on her face, a sort of frozen shock mixed with a wince.

“Sorry,” Rose said in a much softer voice. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Do you need some help?” They started leaning towards Sam, lifting their hand. Panic shot through Sam’s heart, and he started scrambling to get up and over the overhang again before they could reach him. Fear made him clumsy, and he had to grab at the carpet strands a few times before he had a good enough grip to pull himself up.

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel the grasping fingers of a human hand, even though Sam knew all too well that he stood no chance of winning any sort of race against a human at this size.

Once up on top of the step, Sam turned around, backing toward the next stair. To his surprise, Rose had pulled her hand back and was looking apologetic.

“Sorry,” she said again.

Sam shook himself. Why was he acting so scared? This was Rose. He knew Rose! They were an absolute sweetie, and they’d never hurt him, even if he was very small at the moment and his instincts were screaming at him to get away. Sheepishly, Sam lifted a hand in an awkward wave.

“Hi.”

Rose grinned a small grin. “Hi,” she echoed. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about how that would look from your end.”

Sam chuckled. “It’s okay. You meant well.”

“Good intentions don’t erase negative results,” Rose answered with a shrug. “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Sam said, flapping a hand dismissively. “I mean, besides that you weren’t supposed to see me, but that’s probably on me anyway.”

Rose laughed. “Yeah, not exactly the best hiding place,” she teased.

“No,” Sam agreed, shaking his head and laughing as well.

“I could pretend I never saw you?” Rose offered.

Sam considered it for a second before shaking his head. “Naw, that wouldn’t work. You know you saw me, and I know you saw me, so all we’d be doing is not talking about it, and that could get awkward fast.”

Rose looked surprised. “You sure?”

“Yeah. Just don’t tell my parents, alright? Or, like. Other humans. This—” He gestured at the all of himself— “is kind of extremely, very much a secret.”

Rose grinned. “Deal.”

Sam grinned back, leaning casually against the carpeted wall behind him.

“So,” Rose said. “What’s your name? I’m Rose.”

Sam blinked. “Wait, what? What’s my name?”

“Yeah. Is that— is that not okay?” Rose looked uncertain, rubbing the back of her head. “Is that too much?”

“No, it’s— seriously, Rose?”

Rose gave him a distressed look, and Sam realized she was absolutely serious.

“Hey, hey, Rose, it’s okay,” Sam said, lifting both hands soothingly and stepping towards her. “I just, I thought you recognized me.”

“Nooo,” Rose said. “I’ve never met, I mean, you’re the first, um. I don’t know anyone your… height.”

“So you really don’t know who I am?”

Rose shook their head.

“Sam,” Sam said.

“Oh, does he know you?” Rose asked. “Are you friends?”

Sam laughed. “No, Rose, you’re as bad as Dr. Doofenshmirtz. I don’t know Sam, I am Sam.”

Rose squinted at him. “No you’re not.”

“What? Yes I am.”

“No, Sam’s much taller than you. I may not be great with faces in unfamiliar contexts, but I do know that much.”

Sam paused for a moment, trying to figure out where they’d talked past each other. “Rose,” he said slowly, “what secret did you think I was asking you to keep?”

“Borrowers exist?” Rose said hesitantly. “… why, what was it really?”

“I’m a sizeshifter.”

Rose processed that. “You’re a sizeshifter.”

“Yep.”

“So borrowers don’t exist?”

“Not to my knowledge, no. Sorry.”

Rose was quiet for a few seconds more. “So, what, you just decided climbing my staircase like a mountain would be more fun than hanging out and watching cartoons?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “Not even a little bit.”

“Why, then? And if you’re really a sizeshifter and not a borrower, why not sizeshift back to normal and prove it? Is that the right way to say that?”

Sam nodded. “It is. I can’t do it on command.”

“You can’t?”

“I cannot.”

“So you can’t prove that you’re a sizeshifter?”

“Also no. At least, not at the moment.” Sam shrugged. “If you’re willing to wait an unspecified amount of time, I can prove it.”

Rose still looked doubtful. Sam wasn’t sure what else to tell her. Then he had an idea.

“One moment.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly tapped out a text.

“Okay, I didn’t expect borrowers to have tiny tech” Rose admitted.

“Yeah, and I bet you wouldn’t expect a borrower to have your number, either.”

Rose’s hand went to their hip, and then they started patting their pockets and looking around. “I do not have my phone.”

Sam sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Of course not. Did you leave it in the kitchen?”

“Maybe.”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Okay, let’s go find it. Mind giving me a lift? It’s a bit of a commute for someone with short little legs like me.”

Rose gave him a startled look. “What, you mean, like carry you?”

“Well, yeah. How else?”

“I dunno, I just. I didn’t think you’d wanna… you sure?”

Sam nodded. “ Course. I trust you. Just don’t drop me.”

“Okay, well.” Rose started to reach for him, hesitated, and pulled her hand back again. “Have you, um. Have you done this before?”

“I have not.”

Rose nodded. “Right. Me neither.” They still looked hesitant to touch him.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to,” Sam said, moving toward the edge of the step. “I can walk; you might have to wait up a bit though. Or go on ahead.” He leaned over the edge a bit, gauging the distance to the step below. Yeah, that was at least twice his height. Sam shrugged a bit, took two steps back for a running start, and jumped off the stair. Rose yelped.

Sam landed in a pair of cupped palms after far less falling than suited the drop.

“What were you thinking!?” Rose exclaimed. “You can’t just jump off of things! What if you got hurt?”

Sam looked up at her. He had to look pretty much straight up now, since she had lunged forward and her face was now directly above him. Sam shrugged. “I don’t take fall damage?”

“Don’t take— And you didn’t think to mention that first?”

Sam shrugged again, this time using his entire arms in the gesture. “Sorry?”

Rose opened her mouth to say something else, paused with it open, then shook her head and shut it again. She stood up. “Yeah, I’m giving you a ride.”

Sam grinned. “Great!”

Rose rolled her eyes at him.

The trip to the kitchen didn’t take as long as it would have if Sam had walked, but it was longer than if he’d been tall enough to walk normally, because Rose carried him like they had water cupped in their palms and didn’t want to spill it.

When they reached the kitchen, Rose stood just inside the doorway, looking around for their phone. Sam spotted it first. “There!” he said, pointing.

Rose walked over to it, then hesitated, looking down at him again. Sam chuckled, patting her thumb and looking right back up at her. “You can put me down, or you can hold me with just one hand. I’m okay with either.”

Rose nodded, biting her lip in concentration, and shifted him ever-so-delicately into her left hand. With her right, she picked up her phone, unlocked it, and read the text Sam had sent.

“‘How is a borrower trying to impersonate me more believable than me actually being a sizeshifter?’” A beat. “Yeah, okay, I believe you, you’re you.”

Sam grinned. “Great! Would you mind deleting that text, by the way?”

“But it’s my only proof I’m not dreaming or something,” Rose protested.

Sam gestured at the all of himself again, with both hands this time. “Secret,” he reminded them. “What if someone stole your phone data?”

Rose raised an eyebrow. “Do you honestly think this is the weirdest text you’ve sent me? Or even the weirdest text with zero context around it?”

Sam considered that. “Okay, yeah, you’ve got me there,” he admitted.

“So I’m guessing photographic evidence is out?”

“Extremely.”

Rose nodded. “I can live with that. Though you are pretty cute like that.”

Sam laughed happily. “I like to think I’m always cute.”

“You are. But you’re particularly cute when you’re itty bitty.”

Sam grinned, scrunching his eyes up in happiness.

“Itty bitty little Sammy,” Rose continued, patting him gently on the head.

Sam laughed again. “You just like being taller than me for once.”

“I mean, that is nice. But also you are small and cute.”

Sam put the back of his hand under his chin and grinned. “Aww, thanks.”

“You’re welcome!” Rose poked him in the shoulder. “Hey, so. You were going up the stairs when I found you… did you ever make it to the bathroom?”

“No… but I didn’t actually need to go,” Sam said with a shrug. “I just needed an excuse to get out of the room before I shrank.”

“Hm. Okay. Wanna watch more cartoons?”

Sam perked up. “Yeah!”

[stellar-alley]

•The One With The Cookies•

A Reddie Oneshot

Summary: Eddie comes back from a stressful day at work and just wants to bake cookies.

~

Pulling into the driveway, relief filling Eddie Kaspbrak as he parked his car. A breath he didn't know he was holding escaped his lips, resting his head against the steering wheel. Content to have a moment of peace after a stressful day at work.

This was Eddie's fifth day at his new job, he was an intern to some big fashion designer, and he isn't the nicest guy. Although the job kinda sucked, he needed the money. Living life as a 23-year-old who rents an apartment with his boyfriend isn't cheap. He rubbed his temples, trying to rid the memory from his mind before grabbing his bag and heading inside the apartment building.

The elevator in the lobby has been broken since forever so everyone is forced to take the stairs. Usually, he would plug his earbuds in and listen to music but today he was fine with listening to the rhythm of his own heartbeat and the sound of his feet hitting the steps as he made his way up to the fourth floor, where his apartment was situated.

Eddie stopped short of his apartment door, for a moment he was excited. The thought of the O Oreos he bought gave him a reason to bake, which always put the brunette in a good mood. Baking was his favourite hobby, he even had a website which he sold baked goods on. It was his favourite way of relieving stress, it was also the main thing he did when he was stressed.

Before another thought could cloud his mind, Eddie braced himself and opened the door, ready for a greeting from his roommate, his boyfriend. He entered the apartment and quickly shut it behind him.

He gave his apartment a once over, looking through the family room and the kitchen, then down the short hallway where 3 doorways lined the wall. Suddenly the door leading to his roommate room rapidly opened, revealing a boy of the same age as Eddie, with wild dark brown curls and thick glasses, he wore a red shirt under a white Hawaiian shirt. "EDUARDO" He exclaimed at the sight of his boyfriend.

A smile appeared on Eddie's face as he hugged his boyfriend, "Hey Rich". The words left his mouth sounding more like a sigh then actual words.

Richie suddenly pulled away from the hug, "Oh god, what's wrong?", tilting his head like a confused puppy.

"Work, It's tiring..." Eddie's voice trailed off. Richie slowly moved his hands up to cup Eddie's cheeks before he planted a kiss on his boyfriend's forehead. He let it linger for a moment before moving down, about to kiss Eddie's neck when he pulled away from Richie.

"Richie... I don't wanna do this right now" The shorter of the two said as the taller boy raised his hands up in defeat. "Whatever you say Eds", disappointment laced his voice as he slowly backed away from his boyfriend. He turned and made his way towards the kitchen where he opened the fridge, looking for something to eat.

Eddie took his time making his way into his room, slowly getting changed out of his work clothes and into something more comfortable. He grabbed a long-sleeve black shirt and his red shorts. He didn't spend much time choosing his clothes, he just wanted to bake the rest of the day away.

Walking back into the kitchen, he pulled up the recipe for the cookies on his phone. This was a new recipe for him, Eddie had been wanting to make them for a while, cheesecake oreo cookies. Even just the idea caused Eddie's mouth to fill with saliva as he pictured the cookies and the flavours and the textures.

Eddie looked over the ingredients one more time before making a mental list and padding around the kitchen for the things he needed, placing them on the counter as he collected them. Eddie opened up the cupboard which they kept all the cookies and sweets, searching for the Oreos he needed, but they were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Eds, wanna catch up on Runaways?" Richie asked from his place on the couch.

"Sorry Rich, I've got a new recipe I wanna try out. Hey by any chance have you seen the Oreos I bought on the weekend?" He asked.

"Oh... Shit, sorry Eds I thought those were just like... snacking foods" Richie's cheeks turned pink as he pivoted around in his seat to see Eddie's disappointed face. "Oh babe I'm sorry, want me to go run and grab some from the store? I'll be back before you can say cheesecake Oreo cook-".

"No. It's fine, it's fine! That'd take too long, I already have all of the ingredients out..." Eddie's voice trailed off, trying to think of what to use instead "I'll just use chocolate chips".

He quietly sighed before looking for the last thing on his list. The flour, which was on the highest shelf in the kitchen

I really need to move that

The brunette rolled his eyes as he weighed his options. Ask Richie who's peacefully watching TV, which would disturb his peace, or grab one of the table chairs to use as a stool.

Oh god that's so unsafe

He realized before going with the best option. He got on his tippy toes and reached as high as he could. It's not that he didn't want to talk to Richie or anything, Eddie just needed a little time to himself, and Richie can just be so much sometimes, it's tiring when he only wants peace.

Eddie's fingers brushed against the bag of flour, he tried reaching even higher. He was able to push it a little, slowly pushing it towards the edge. Just as he was about to get a grasp on the bag, he felt someone slap his ass. Eddie jumped back, hitting his hip against the cupboards beside him. The pain from the impact immediately shot through his hip, causing him to curl up a little and move his hands to put pressure over the area where there was the most pain.

"What the hell Richie?" Eddie snapped, his voice serious, which caught Richie off guard.

The trashmouth did what he usually did, played it off with humour, "How could I not? Your ass is so cute" He winked at Eddie. After a moment he realized Eddie was actually in pain, he went to go console him when Eddie shooed him away.

"No-No, god you always do this" Eddie closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

This is gonna bruise so bad

Richie's face changed, his smile faltered as he raised an eyebrow, "What? What do I always do?" he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Annoy the living shit out of me!" Eddie spat.

The taller boy rolled his eyes, "Here we go again... Cause it's almost my fault isn't it? And you're such a little angel, right? I'm always the annoying shit, when all I wanna do is touch the fucking love of my life. But guess what? I CAN'T EVEN DO THAT!" Richie raised his voice.

Eddie's face was heating up now, all of the emotions building up like a dark group of clouds on the verge of a thunderstorm. "Yeah and I'm always the bad guy? All I want is some peace and fucking quiet but I never get shit with your trashmouth always joking about some bullshit".

There was a moment of deadly before Richie broke it, "Fine, enjoy your fucking peace and quiet, Kraspbrak", the tone of his voice was filled with anger and disappointment as he pushed past Eddie and went into his room, slamming the door before locking it behind him.

The moment Richie pushed past him, Eddie felt his emotions begin to overflow as a tear that burned like lava as it rolled down his cheek.

"F-Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!" He whispers shouted as he thrusts his fits against his side, in an attempt to try to relieve some of the anger that's building up inside of him.

I always do this

I always have to put other people in bad moods the moment things even go mildly wrong. It's not his fault I'm in a bad mood, so why is he the one I always take it out on? He just wants to love me...

Eddie slid down to the ground against the cabinet under the sink. He sat on the floor of his kitchen for a while, allowing himself to calm down and gather his thoughts.

He might be annoying as hell, always sarcastic and a fucking trashmouth

But he's my trashmouth...

~

When the time came to add the chocolate chips into the batter, Eddie carefully removed the bowl from its place in the mixer and set it down on the counter. Not bothering to clean the beaters that were filled with cheesecake cookie dough as he had other plans for them. He measured out the chocolate chips and poured the exact amount into the bowl. He folded the dough back and forth with a spatula. Which mixed the chocolate chips into the dough, making it perfectly polka-dotted.

He smiled down at the dough for a moment before realizing he needed a taste tester to make sure the dough tasted alright without the Oreos. But his official taste tester, Richie, had yet to emerge from his room, even after 2 hours. He retrieved a clean spoon from the dishwasher and scooped up a hefty amount of cookie dough, making sure the cookie to chocolate chip ratio was correct before shovelling the whole thing into his mouth.

His smile grew wider, spreading even to his eyes as the sweet sensation filled his mouth. He finally understood why Richie loved eating the cookie dough so much. Usually, Eddie cleaned off the beaters and the bowl until there were barely any remnants left, but Richie always insisted on cleaning them off with his tongue. Which Eddie never did himself, as he found it really unsanitary, but he enjoyed watching the joy spread through his boyfriend's face when he told him there were beaters to clean.

Suddenly an idea popped into the brunette's head before quickly got to work. He made the dough into little balls and placed them onto the cookie sheet. Then making some by only scooping out the dough with a spoon, Richie always preferred the ones that looked more imperfect compared to the perfect little circle ones Eddie always ate.

Once the last batch went into the oven and the rest of the cookies were on a rake to dry. Eddie removed the beaters from the mixer and placed them inside the bowl that still had dough remnants inside, sprinkling some chocolate chips inside to sweeten the deal.

He smiled down at his little peace offering before carrying it to Richie's locked door. He could hear the muffled sound of a Sam and Colby video coming from Richie's laptop, as today was the day the YouTubers usually posted. So before Eddie could think anymore about outcomes, he placed the bowl with the beaters inside, on the floor in front of Richie's door, quickly knocked then bolted down the hallway. He hid behind the corner, waiting to hear the sound of Richie's door open. There was a minute where Eddie worried whether he knocked hard enough before the sound of the youtube video paused, followed by some shuffling and the sound of his boyfriend's door creaking open.

There was a huff of air that came from Richie's nose as he smirked down at the bowl before him. He snatched it off the floor and closed his door. Eddie peaked around the corner just in time to see his boyfriend smile before closing the door.

Eddie waited until the last batch of cookies finished baking. He removed them from the oven and let them cool on the rack for a minute. Still warm he carefully picked 6 cookies from the still-warm batch and placed them on a plate. He grabbed two cups, filling them with milk and set up his little display on a tray.

He balanced everything surprising well until he realized he needed a hand to knock on the door that stood before him. A hand which he didn't have. His mind started thinking about the different ways to get Richie's attention right before the door slowly opened.

Richie stood before him. He had a couple of inches on Eddie so he smiled down at him, the corner of his mouth had a little cookie dough remaining, indicating that he enjoyed the dough. He opened the door up wider and said "You know you're the loudest tip toe-er ever, right Eds?" and there he was, Eddie's trashmouth.

Eddie entered his boyfriend's room, Richie moved to stand before his window, where the blinds were open, making Richie a dark silhouette. The shorter boy placed the tray down on his desk, where his laptop sat with the paused Youtube video.

Eddie quickly turned to face Richie and said "I'm sorry", he let out a sigh before continuing, "I was so tired from work, and I just needed a moment. I didn't mean to lash out at you cause I know you only wanna make me happy and I'm-" But before Eddie could finish rambling at top speed, a pair of lips collided with his.

The brunette kissed his boyfriend back, slowly moving his hands up to play with Richie's hair. "God, I love you" He whispered to Richie as he felt his lips smile against his own.

"I know Eds"

~

After a little bit more making out, the two finally settled down on Richie's bed. The darker haired boy sat cross-legged, back against his headboard and his boyfriend's head against his chest. Eddie laid on Richie with the plate of cookies carefully balanced on his chest, making it easily assessable for both of them. They laid there, enjoying the others company while they watched one of their all-time favourite stupid movies, The Hangover.

The room had grown dark as the credits began to roll. Eddie moved the now empty plate off his chest as he flipped over onto his stomach to face Richie.

"I really am sorry, you know" His eyes showing his sincerity.

"I know spaghetti, I could never stay mad at you" Richie smiled warmly down at Eddie before leaning in and kissing his boyfriend on the forehead.

[three-course-fillorian-feast]

I saw on someone else's post that you offered to show them how to make gifs? I am super interested in making The Magicians gifs so I was wondering if you could teach me as well? Or even make a public post or tutorial or something? Thank you!!!!

Yeah, of course! There are a lot of ways to make gifs, some of them undoubtedly better than what I do. But, for me, I have a couple methods I generally use, one with Photoshop (when I want very specific control over the colors, composition, type styles, etc.), and the other with just a free tool (when I just want to make a gif that looks decent and not sink a ton of time into it). 

I’ll go over the free tool method here; it’s more straightforward and limited, but wayyyy friendlier for someone just starting out. Also, again: it’s free. (But lemme know if you wanna talk Photoshop and I’m always happy to open that giant can of worms.)

One nice thing about gifs becoming the one true currency of the web is that a lot of gif-oriented sites have built gif-making tools in the past couple years and made them free and easy to use, so we can all become gif-producing worker bees, constantly toiling to keep up with the internet’s insatiable demand for gifs.

I use Gif Brewery 3 for mac, built by Gfycat. (There’s also Giphy’s GIF Capture which I’ve used a few times and didn’t hate.) So for the purposes of this tutorial, Step 0: Download and install Gif Brewery 3

So! Now let’s make a gif. Let’s say I want to make some gifs of Margo taking her throne as high king. 

Step 1: Open Netflix in Google Chrome (i.e. not Safari because it blanks your screen if you try to record your screen while a video’s playing) or play a DVD on your computer, or pull up the scene you want on YouTube. Basically get a video of the scene you want playing on your computer screen in whatever fashion you prefer.

Step 2: Open Gif Brewery and select “Record Screen.” Resize the window that Gif Brewery then opens up so that it frames the video, hit record, and then play the part of the video you want to gif.

Step 3: When you’re done with video, click “Stop.” Gif Brewery will then open the video clip that you made in their interface. You can close your browser and the blue frame window. You can see the full clip you just recorded in Gif Brewery. Trim the extra bits off of the clip by dragging the green bar to define your start point and the red bar to define your end point.

Step 4: Resize! Tumblr’s main content box is 540 pixels wide. So if you’re making a gif that’s meant to be full width, you can size down to that width. Make sure “Maintain Aspect Ratio” is checked. (Now’s a good time to also crop if you want to, say, gif only Margo’s face without the space to her left and right.)

Step 5: So now we have something that’s the size and shape of a gif. If you want to add text, now’s a good time to do it. Use the “Text” button at the top of the window to open the Text box. Here you add your text, adjust the font weight, size, color, and border if you’re using one. I’m going to use a Billie Eilish lyric for this example because I’m cliche as hell. 

If you’re making a standard-style gif with a text caption, you’ll use a bold san serif font like Helvetica, with a black border around it to make sure it’s readable, and then keeping it small and centered at the bottom of your gif, like so:

But! if you’re feeling Artsy, go nuts with your font choice and placement. Find a font that captures the tone your message and clip are conveying. You can find a wide range of free fonts on Google Fonts or good old DaFont. I want that badass Margo ‘tude, so I’m using a grungy font and Margo’s signature bright fuschia. Drag the text box to move and resize it until you’re happy with it.

Step 6: Time to fix your colors! Screen captured images basically always look more dark and muted than they should. The fix is to fuss and fuss and fuss and then fuss some more over the colors. Gif Brewery has limited color controls, but as I’ve learned, you can still spend an inordinate amount of time fussing over them. The Magicians makes this an especially good exercise in finding the limits of your patience because they’re always backlighting scenes in a way that blow out your brightness when you try to make even small edits. (Which is why I’m switching over to a different shot that’s easier to work with for this example. Margo’s hella backlit in our gif.)

Exposure Adjust: Increase exposure to make your brights brighter

Gamma Adjust: Increase gamma to make your darks richer

Saturation: Increase to make the colors as rich as they can be

Vibrance: I also like increasing vibrance for even more of a pop of color

Hue Adjust: their hue controls are funky, but you can make some minor adjustments if at this point your gif looks weirdly too red or yellow.

Play around until you find what looks good to your eye. For a gif that’s meant to look like it’s colored normally, watch out for things like: the whole thing looks too dark and you have to squint to see the details; you overbrightened and now the white is blown out and blinding; or you oversaturated so much things look pixely and glitchy. 

Step 7: Open the Settings panel with the button at the top right. Time for more fussing to make sure the timing, frames, and settings are how you want them.

HERE’S THE THING: Tumblr does NOT let you upload gifs larger than 3mb. So everything you’re doing in this panel is a balancing game to keep your gif under 3mb without letting it look like trash. These are the settings you’ll fiddle with most often:

Speed is set to 100% by default. But you may want to slow it down, especially if your clip is only a couple seconds long. Slower means it’s easier to see the subtle changes in a character’s expressions and it makes the action look less jerky. The slower you set your speed, the more frames will be added to the gif, so keep an eye on that.

Frames per Second is what it sounds like. The lower you set this number, the fewer frames you’ll use, but the animation will look jerkier. You want enough frames per second that your animation looks as smooth as a hot knife sliding through butter. 12 is their default. I try to not go lower than 10. When I’m feeling particularly luxurious, I’ll set this to 15.

Color Count: Gifs can use as many as 256 colors and as few as 2, if you don’t care about your gif being an offense to nature. You can set it to the low 200s without compromising on quality, though, so that’s what I did here.

Step 8: Hit “Create” and wait an inordinate amount of time while your gif renders. When it finally, finally does, check the filesize on the bottom right. In the above gif, you’ll see my gif was 2.1mb. Perfect. So I can hit save and it’s done. But if it had said anything larger than 3mb, I’d have hit “Cancel” and then fiddled with the settings some more to get the number of frames down.

Alt-Step 6B: If I want to do anything fancier/artsy-ier/more unique than this kind of gif, this is when I’d usually crack open Photoshop. But there is some room for creativity within Gif Brewery. Let’s go back to Margo and look at some of our options:

In the Filters menu, you can see there are a number of bre-built Photo Effects to play with. Sometimes they look awesome; sometimes they look like trash. So experiment! There’s also rando filters like Halftone effects. And the Color Effects can give you options like adding a vignette, fading the colors to old-timey sepia tones, or creating a duotone like I ended up doing. 

Have fun with it and look for effects that will support the tone you’re setting with clip and text you chose. So like for this Margo example, going black and white, or dark and heavy, etc. would not have been tonally consistent with the badass vibe I’m going for.

And I… think that’s it? At least to get started. Hopefully that helps, let me know if you have any questions! Or want to talk about anything beyond the basics. I’m always happy to dive into the specifics of how a particular effect was made, or how to add more advanced refinements.

[mcjour]

ahhhhhhhhh

ok so i’ve been applying all over for jobs which is such a horrible process. hate writing cover letters and filling in employment history and then having to talk to strangers and bla bla bla

SO

anyway i had TWO interviews this week!

the first one was for the district in the next town over. i didn’t apply to any jobs that i wouldn’t be happy at, but honestly it’s probably a last choice in the sense that it pays significantly less than anywhere else in the area. Just $15/hr. which isn’t the WORST i’ve seen, but still... not great.. at all...

but i went and interviewed with an assistant principal and she was very nice and made her schools seem really great! like i walked away being like ok i kinda wanna work here LOL. 

i think the interview went well overall. but... in retrospect there are definitely some questions i could’ve answered a lot better than i did. maybe some cringey answers. BUT also nothing i would consider BAD either, if that makes sense. Like certainly not the best job I could’ve done, but overall felt satisifed. I mean, I also need to be fair to myself that this was my first interview in years, and after (well, during) a freaking pandemic, and after leaving my last job in such a traumatic way. And like just anxiety in general! So like, yes I definitely could have done a lot better, but considering I left feeling satisfied, like I am proud of myself for how it went really. 

Plus, she seemed responsive and interested in what I was saying, which seems like a good sign? But like she totally just could’ve been a nice lady with a poker face LOL

Do I think I will get an offer??? Ehhhhhh..... I guess it depends on how many other applicants/ open positions. Like, I could see it going either way. I definitely didn’t bomb the interview, so I wouldn’t say an automatic no. But I could definitely imagine other people could have interviewed much better than I did. And if they were only looking to fill one position, well, I’m out. 

And so, like I said, since they pay the least amount of money, like, I wouldn’t be super hurt if I didn’t get the offer. Like I hope to get a better position so like I’m hoping I wouldn’t end up there anyway! But, if I did get the offer, maybe I’d take it....

Anyway, the interview was Monday and she did say they were aiming for this week ~either way~ and now tomorrow (today) is Friday, so I wonder if I will hear back (either way) today

My second interview...... 

So after my first interview, I made sure to practice extra hard. I mean, I did practice for the first interview a lot too (meaning coming up with different stories/ scenarios for frequently asked questions), but after that one I was like “oh I could’ve said something better for that question” sort of a thing.

So I had all these great stories lined up and ready to go and I was so ready to use them and make me sound great

But.... she didn’t ask any questions like that!!!!!!! 

They were really such flat questions like “what do you do if 8 students need your help?” “you might be pulled to sub is that ok?” like HUH????????????

How am I supposed to make myself sound good with questions like that LMAOOOOOO

(and... how is she supposed to make a decision with questions like that LOL)

But honestly, I did do a good job, I think. Like I think I gave solid answers to every question, don’t think I said anything too cringey or anything. The pulled to sub question could easily have been a flop if I was just like “yeah” (LOL) but I told a story about how my partner teacher would disappear and i would take over the class on the fly. that kind of a thing. was proud of that.

so i walked out feeling pretty confident.

okay plus she started interviews on wednesday (mine was that day). she said she had two more the following day (which made it seem like mine was the last of the day). and then would hope to get back to people on friday. (AHHHHH! I FIND OUT TOMORROW/ TODAY).

and so i was kinda doing the math where i was like okay... my interview was at 1:30pm... she couldn’t have had TOO many before me....  she must’ve allowed herself a lunch break at some point, and when i got to the school she was finishing up a completely unrelated math meeting online. so she must’ve not just been doing interviews that whole time. i wanna say maybe max 6 other interviews that day if she started around 9, went to 12, one every half hour. but i am doubting that she packed them in like that, like i said. but that would make 9 applicants MAX, probably less. And she said there were 3 open positions across both her schools. and she asked if i wanted to be considered for both schools. So that gives me a 1 in 3 chance (or better depending on the actual number of applicants! maybe 1 in 2 chance lol. or if any of the applicants did not want to be considered for both jobs, but one vs the other). so i was feeling pretty good!!!! like decent ratio and a good interview things are looking good! (i mean you hear about jobs that get hundreds of applicants for a single position! these odds are p good!)

BUT still like i wish she asked me different questions. i don’t feel like i fully really expressed who i am to her. like if she had asked me more than i would’ve felt more confident that she would have seen more of my strengths and stuff. like i said, the questions she did ask were kinda flat, and while i think i answered them well, i wasn’t given a lot to work with. that said, i assume she asked the same questions to everyone, so i assume everyone else kinda had that issue, so idk how she is making a decision based off that!

especially given this: i gave her a copy of my resume and she said she really appreciated that because the website the district uses for the applications like is hard to use or messes things up or somehting. which, okay. that worries me a little bit... because i hope she can access my cover letter, my references, etc... because those add a LOT to the picture. like LMAO if she went off of my interview and resume alone...well...ew. i really hope she logs back in and reviews the WHOLE application.

So i’m kinda thinking ewwwwww maybe there was more I could’ve done somehow idk

LOL maybe print out my entire packet HAHA

jk would that have been weird? I would’ve felt weird. but maybe she would’ve liked that haha

the first interview lady actually had all of my stuff printed for the interview (i offered her a resume copy and she’s like oh i actually printed it myself and she had like this thick packet of ALL the stuff)

idk i really loved this school. like on paper it seemed perfect for many reasons, and then when i spoke to the principal it still seemed great, maybe even better than i thought. so like UGH this is my dream school. i want this job so bad! but like, i’m afraid to allow myself to get excited about it. like ... i don’t want to be disappointed. also like just in general there is no need for me to romanticize a JOB 

okay right after the interview i felt so confident like omg yes i am so excited and i am going to get this job!!!! but now the next day i am like... ugh... no way will i get this job... i never get anything i want, so the rejection is inevitable... like... can there really be no healthy middle thinking for me jfc. 

i will say there was one red flag in that i was like oh it seems like you have a very tight knit community here and shes like oh yes we are like a family! and like !!!! those are some red flag words honey!!!!! don’t say that. but like.... idk how to describe it. it felt genuine and not exploity? not that you can tell that from an interview. but like it seems like everyone has been working there forever and loves it kind of a thing. i mean, if i get the job, i won’t let my guard down on that shit. but it’s not concerning enough to stop me either.

one thing i am a LITTLE worried about is that idk when this lady planned on checking references (if at all). like did she do that thursday or is she planning on friday? because part of me secetly hoped that she would call my references today and they would’ve texted me being like omg! but they didn’t. and so that is kinda like “...oh.” But like i said, she very well could be calling tomorrow. ALSO worth considering is that two of my 3 references actually uploaded letters into the system. So she really doesn’t even ~need~ to call them unless she had specific questions (or wanted to talk to the 3rd reference LOL). so like... i really do not need to be stressing out about this specific thing at all... and yet....

also.... ugh... there are stuff that are just about me that i worry about. like ok, i am visibly queer with a shaved head. while i’d hope that an interviewer would not be prejudiced.... they easily could be. there really aren’t enough queer people in education, it’s a very homogenous field of straight, often wealthy, white women. i do have white privilege but otherwise i really don’t fit the image, so idk. also one of my references did use they/them pronouns in their reference letter and i feel like that could be a huge red flag to someone. granted i suppose i wouldn’t want to work for someone like that, and i also don’t care enough to asks my friend to misgender me, but still, it’s something i wonder about. another thing is that i talk with my hands a lot, and i am sure i did even more given that i was nervous......... i don’t think that is an issue necessarily but i was definitely self conscious about it like geez i hope i wasn’t waving my hands out of control LOL. and then another thing is that i HATE eye contact, like i just can’t do it. And I think I did a great job of holding eye contact, all things considered. but I definitely did look away a bit, particularly when i was thinking. I think it was fine and not an unreasonable amount of looking away, but now i am getting paranoid like oops maybe i looked away too much or something!!! i mean, i would hate if a job offer came down to something trivial like that, but... idk

another thing i wonder is the other applicants. like i said before.. it doesn’t really matter if i am a great applicant, it doesn’t guarantee anything if there was someone even slightly better. doesn’t mean i suck or anything. of course, that still wouldn’t take the sting off. ANYWAY the part i wonder most about though is where are these other people applying? by that i mean like what if my first choice school is actually someone else’s last choice school? do the other applicants also have other interviews and offers to weigh? So like, what if she offers someone a job but they are like sorry no thanks (for whatever reason, whether they accepted another position elsewhere, saw a red flag in the interview, or whatever it may be). like what if i was 4th choice for the 3 positions or something. would the job go to me?? when would i find this out? like, it’s weird to state that you will find out friday ~either way~ when i feel like you would need some time for the other people to accept (god forbid the call goes to voicemail even!). like i feel like most jobs wouldn’t be like “you’re waitlisted” LOL (i will say i did get a job off a waitlist once so i know it’s possible, but that doesn’t seem likely here LOL). maybe she didn’t say friday either way, and just ~friday~. maybe friday is for acceptances and flat out rejections and if you don’t hear friday you’re waitlisted LOL. or maybe she said she would make the decision fridayy but that doesn’t mean she’s actually reaching out friday? (ok i doubt she said that LOL)

plus are we talking like oh first thing friday she’s making the calls or is she gonna pull at 4:59pm thing like a lot of places do LOL. I don’t think that makes sense but maybe? I mean, when she offered me an interview, the time stamp on the email said like 8:39am or some shit, so i think this lady is on the ball in the mornings. but like i said, maybe she is still tying it all together friday morning, after all, she is moving through this very fast. 

hopefully i hear good news today but i guess we will just  wait and see.

if it’s only bad/no news, there are still some schools i haven’t heard from, and some more i can apply to. i just want to wrap this process up sooner rather than later.

lastly, i need to remember if worst comes to worse, i could always apply to my old school (meaning the one i worked at before, not the one i attended lol. although i guess i could also apply there, i just don’t like the position they have open right now). i am pretty dang sure they would take me (they always need somebody!) plus i know the ropes, know i would be happy and fit in there (not to mention my friends are there LOL). i hope it doesn’t come to that, after all the pay SUCKS lol. but it’s not world ending if i don’t get the jobs.

[julystorms]

(not to go into to much detail but i myself am a victim of sexual harrassement which is why i have even less patience than before for this kind of content. But i'll keep your advice in mind, sorry for this here long post)i agree wholeheartedly that there are bad het/gay ships that makes me want to puke, like virion/cherche noire/laurent gerome/inigo ESPECIALLY rinkah/jakob my god. those 2 ships were the first to come in my mind, and of course nothing is 100 perfect but my main issue is that it

doesnt take that much morality to make your gay characters not predetory nor should such beheviour be handwaved with an apology. It comes across as fetishizing to me when all it takes is for 2 people of the same gender to be a perfect couple when back then the fandom went from dispising male flirts simply sweet talking to sugarcoating soleils sexual harrasment of other women. Which is bizarre to me when there are tons of great interactions between 2 people of the same gender in fe main one beingbeing kagero/orochi seeing no reason to praise soleil and even then i doubt that most people ship kagero and orochi because of their interactions, Lot of the time there are more people that wanna jack off to gays/lesbians which disgusts me beyond words.

No worries about the long message. I don’t mind!

Like I said, I totally get where you’re coming from, and I suspected you weren’t harping on f/f ships in particular on purpose; it’s just something to keep in mind when you present a criticism: sometimes being vague is better to avoid writing yourself into a corner. I dislike all of the ships you’ve mentioned proobably for the same reason(s) you do, minus one: I haven’t read Noire and Laurent’s supports--and now I’m afraid to.

And I agree completely that it doesn’t take that much effort to create representation for people that isn’t an offensive stereotype. “Predatory gay” is honestly one of the worst things. It’s real, it exists (just like predatory straight people do), but the issue I take with it is that gay/bi/pan people have a hard enough time in this world as it is; I hate that Soleil exists to, I don’t know, almost perpetuate the idea that that’s how gay people act. And that can be harmful.

Fandom’s opinion of the “flirty male character” trope has changed a lot over the years. Sain was a well-liked character. Forde was well-liked, too. And then it fell out of favor and started to have an effect on the way these characters were written/portrayed. I remember fandom’s opinion re: Sain was mostly neutral/good and then suddenly everyone wrote him like he was a male cat surrounded by females in heat. It was jolting! (Not to mention OOC, but my point is that fandom’s view of the trope changed from being kinda meh toward it to outright despising it--which I understand. It’s never been my favorite trope and by the time FE13 hit I was hoping they’d drop it because I felt they couldn’t manage to write it as an ASPECT of a character instead of the whole character....if that makes sense.)

I’m honestly not sure why people like what they do. I agree, Kagero and Orochi have nice supports and I think they’re kind of casually shipped by most of the fandom...but there’s not a lot of meat in their supports to inspire people to do creating I think. They’re fun for amazing art, but as far as fanfiction goes...I honestly couldn’t write anything for them--not something engaging anyway. I think they seem like they’re good enough together that it’s just not necessary to add more...? Huh.

As far as your last part goes, I understand the frustration of fetishization and I’ve seen it, too, but sometimes it’s better to just let it go. Fandom is gonna ship whatever they want, and you have to remember that fandom isn’t just a haven for the socially awkward and anxious folks with mental and physical issues to work through/out/around, but also a lot of people who are looking for representation...and frankly a place to get their jollies, whatever those may be. The question I think people need to ask themselves is why they seek m/m things over f/f at a ratio of like, 50:1, especially considering women outnumber men in fandom by a large margin most of the time. And hey, why is fandom is so incredibly biphobic, not to mention acephobic? 

Anyway, your frustration with the source material makes a lot of sense to me, and your irritation with fandom for not also being overtly critical about what they’re consuming also resonates with me--just at the surface level, though. I think the first thing you have to teach yourself to not go crazy in fandom is that everyone consumes media differently and what you hate may still ring true/important for someone else, regardless of its status of “healthy” or “unhealthy.” You do you, let other people do them, and unfollow/block those whose words/justifications you don’t want to see. It’s worked out well for me so far. :)

[fortyanddeuce]

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It's Rugged And Ready for Anything The Wrangler has heavy-gauge steel skid plates protect its drivetrain from rocks and other obstacles, and there are front and rear tow hooks attached to the frame to help you and your friends get out of sticky situations. Jeep also offers the Wrangler with a winch-ready steel front bumper and rugged steel rear bumper. 2. Sooooooo Many Configurations Don't wanna wear sunscreen? The driver and passenger side windows for half doors can completely come off. The rear windows on the side can stay or come off as well.  Some tops, hard or soft, can come apart or fold in the front to give more of a sunroof exposure too. 3. Drop-top Goodness. Not much to say about this one. When it's time to hit the trails, an open top adds to the fun. 4. The Latest One Has The Classic Look With Modern Touches The latest Wrangler preserves the classic 7-bar grille, round headlights, flat fenders, and rugged styling, modernised with refinements that make it feel like a new car, like available LED reflector headlights and LED fog lights. 5. Easy Disassembly With just a few twists of the included Torx wrench, the hinge pins come off of the Wrangler's doors. Even my son could do it, and he only learned lefty-loosey, righty-tighty the other week. Simply disconnect each snap-off wiring harness, and the doors slide off. The windshield can easily be dropped with the removal of a few bolts too. The whole process takes just a couple of minutes, and you'll have a truly open-air off-roader. And that leas onto our next point... 6. Just like Your Wife, It Looks Great Naked! With the doors and top off, the Wrangler is ready for the greatest of outdoor drives, and doesn't it look good when it shows some skin? The tubular roof structure offers safety for occupants, while bringing the outdoors into the cabin like no other production street-legal vehicle. Except perhaps an Ariel Atom or a Caterham, but then they cant do this... 7. Its a Proper 4x4 Unlike most SUVs that only offer a full-time all-wheel drive system, the Wrangler's 4-wheel drive allows you to selectively engage all four wheels when you need them, and includes a proper two-speed transfer case, so you can switch into a lower gearing mode for the most challenging terrain. The new model also supports an automatic 4-high mode for everyday driving, so you get the best of both worlds. 8. It Loves to Get Dirty The Rubicon is especially happy in the sloppy stuff, with its ginormous 33" all-terrain tires, and front and rear locking differentials, which help evenly share traction between the wheels. The Rubicon also gets a 4:1 low-gear ratio, heavy duty transfer case, upgraded rear axle, rock rails, and a sway bar disconnect feature for improved wheel articulation blah blah etc. etc. But with all that in mind, you don't have to get the Rubicon, you can make any Jeep an off-road monster because of... 9. Modifications There's a lot of opinions about what's good for a Jeep and what looks better, but ultimately it's your vehicle, your choice. You don't HAVE to throw 33" tires and a 4" lift kit on it (But lets be real, why wouldn't you?) Some go classic and just keep them stock. The world is your oyster and there is perhaps TOO many options out there when it comes to modifying your own Jeep that sometimes the choice can be overwhelming, but I can think of worse problems to have. 10. The Jeep Wave  (Not unlike the Mini wave, the Miata wave, the JDM wave etc. etc.) "I have driven 65 mph down the highway and then I looked left to find a Jeep caught up with me and then they maintained their speed. We make eye contact and both of us nod and wave in brotherhood before going our seperate ways." A Jeep owner, on meeting another Jeep owner. This is just one example of the Jeep wave, "a common occurrence between humans that own Jeeps, whereupon meeting each other out on the open road, they share a nod and a slight wave, in quite acknowledgement and respect of each others car.” This wave is all good until the dick doesn’t return it and leaves you hanging, rejected and irrationally angry! This Jeep wave is all good until the dick coming towards you doesn’t return it and leaves you hanging, rejected and irrationally angry! So now it's time to buy! Go on, off you go.... ------------------------------------------------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Not only did I order one for Hubby, but put one in the basket for me too" 🛒 Bang One The Basket: http://ow.ly/IWHJ50rFXNo 💯 You’ll be glad you did … GUARANTEED! 💯 ------------------------------------------------------- Show your appreciation for this automotive icon and throw Yours in the Cart Today  ... Yeeeeha! This is the only place in the multiverse where you can get Forty&Deuce designs and we print them on a number of gifts. Once you've added the this to your cart take a look at the other designs This exclusive Forty&Deuce design is not only the perfect Tshirt but is also a great birthday gift or gift for any time of the year just to show your coolness! ------------------------------------------------------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I recently ordered my first T-shirt. Very comfortable, long wearing, and long enough to stay tucked in my jeans.  Keep up the great quality of your product and I will keep wearing them!!" 🛒 DON’T MISS THIS: http://ow.ly/IWHJ50rFXNo 💯 You’ll be glad you did … GUARANTEED! 💯 ------------------------------------------------------- 🔥 THIS ONE'S HOT! 🔥

[thatvideogamezoo]

Introduction of ThatZooooooooo

I like to repost this at the beginning of every month because I get some new followers with a frequency. It helps new people get to know me a little better. So if you’re interested, click the break below to find out more about me.

(Break for length, click if you want to find out more about me)

I am the one known as ThatZooooooooo across the internets. My blog is named ThatVideoGameZoo because somebody gave me the idea for a catchy blog name and I couldn’t pass it up.

And before we get into it, I will tell you some personal details about myself to help you identify me. I have this all publicly on my profiles on other places, no harm putting them here.

My real name is Douglas Carter, born on August 20, 1993. I currently live on the east coast of the United States of America, in the state of Pennsylvania, in the town of Waynesboro. I am currently a student at The Pennsylvania State University at the Mont Alto campus, working towards a degree in IST.

So yeah, there’s that I guess if you’re interested. Now on to the actual profile.

I like video games and video game accessories, I tell ya what.

You will see me talk about video games a lot, and I have a tendency to post a lot of music from video games, because I just really like listening to them. I also like to link to video game related videos like LPs or Speedruns or other nonsense periodically. I sometimes like to post screenshots of games I’m playing to show my progress and interact with people while I play or something, kinda like a Photo LP in progress I guess.

I like a lot of games, and I’m fine usually playing any game. I’ve probably played it or heard of it at some point; one of my many nicknames is “The Walking FAQ.” I can usually talk about any game at length.

Even though I play a lot of games, you will see me play certain games a lot more so than others. Some of my favorite games include Sonic The Hedgehog, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros, Mega Man, Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Star Fox, Metal Gear, OutRun, Daytona USA, Fortune Street, Culdcept, Advance Wars, Final Fantasy Tactics, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Perfect Dark, Castlevania, Banjo-Kazooie, and Street Fighter. This is just a short list though, there’s a lot more stuff I wanted to put here, but hopefully this will give a general idea of what I like to play.

My gaming habits also tend towards doing Speedruns or Challenge Runs of games more so than normal playthroughs. I still just play games normally, because that’s still fun, but I like to do weird stuff, like beat the first Resident Evil on Hard with only the Knife or do built in challenge runs like Lv 1 Critical Mode on Kingdom Hearts II. I like being challenged and doing hard things, you will always see me do the hardest difficulty when I play games, even on a normal playthrough, and even on games that I suck at. The way I see it, the best way to “get good” is to challenge yourself to play better.

I also play many games competitively. I’m a highly competitive person when it comes to games, and I have a lot of fun competing with people. I do play in competitive game tournaments, most notably Super Smash Bros, Street Fighter, Pokemon, Puyo Puyo, and Tetris, so you may see me play those games a lot because I need to keep my skills up. And hey, if you wanna throw down, I’ll thrown down with ya and not let up.

Despite my competitive nature, my favorite moments are Cooperative playthroughs. One of my favorite memories is playing through the PS1 port of Diablo in Co-op with a good friend at the time. I also like to do stuff like start playthroughs of single player games at the same time as people and we progress and play through the game together, for example playing through Pokemon together. I enjoy playing games with people, and even if it is a single player experience, I find my own way to share the experience with others.

Along with video games, I also play table top games like Pathfinder/D&D and board games too. You may see me talk about the occasional table top game I play.

I also play Trading Card Games too, mostly the Pokemon TCG. I will talk about the degenerate decks and shenanigans that happen there too.

I also tend to make a lot of Text Posts. I like to ramble on able nearly anything. Once I get started on something it usually takes me a while for it to stop. I usually talk about video games, but I like talking about other stuff a lot too. That’s why I tag text posts #ThatRamblingZoo, so you can blacklist them using xkit if you get tired of my yammering.

You will notice I tend to reblog or post arts/creative works from people too. I don’t know how, but I’ve made a lot of artist friends over the years, and I can barely draw a stick figure well. I like to support people I… well… like. The thing is, you probably won’t see most of them on this blog, because there’s a reason for that. If one of you is reading this, just know I still support you on this blog fully by at least liking and replying to posts, I can only post SFW stuff here.

You may notice my Reblog to “Original” content ratio is heavily in favor of “original” content, you probably won’t see a whole lot of reblogs from me. I tend to Like a lot of things, so you can always check out my Likes Page , but be warned, there is NSFW content in there. Only check those if you are prepared to handle some NSFW content.

Hey, I’m not also called “Captain Loophole” for nothing. Likes aren’t really easily accessible, so long as I don’t physically post sensitive content publicly with no warning, I’m not entirely at fault here. I’m not liable for what you see when you check my Likes, you have been warned before hand.

I also have a NSFW blog for NSFW reblogs if you’re interested. Again, be warned, there is a lot of NSFW content in there, and may contain things you may or may not agree with. This is what most of my artist friends draw, so this is where reblogs of their works go… along with any other interesting art I find. I urge you to read the blog description before you judge me too harshly. But hey, if you like what I post over there, I don’t mind talking about that stuff with ya too.

I also have a separate NSFW Ask blog for NSFW asks and stuff due to few friends wanting to have a place to ask me more NSFW question without the reblogs from my other cluttering them up. And hey, maybe it will also produce more dialogue.

And I have a VGM blog as well. I made it because I love VGM, so if you’re looking for some tunes, feel free to give it a look. It will mostly be songs from games I’ve played, but I just appreciate video game music. It’s special to me.

I’m a big sissy when it comes to talking to people, I’ll admit up front. I probably won’t talk to you a lot, and I’m sorry for that. It takes a while for me to open up and be willing to talk to you first. Even if it seems like I have no problem spouting whatever whenever, I don’t do more intimate interactions well. I’ll probably tend to be quiet and only respond stiffly and minimally when prompted at first, but as you talk to me, I’ll probably be more willing to elaborate or make stupid jokes, or offer to help with more complex tasks.

I do tend to like more of your posts the more I’m comfortable with you though if you want something to go by. I’m the “Passively Friendly” type I guess.

In short, don’t be afraid to talk to me! I’m a big sissy so you don’t have to be! I like talking with people that genuinely want to talk to me. I’m also honestly fine talking about anything you want, I just like hanging out with people. I like listening to you talk, especially if you’re passionate about the subject.

If you want me to see something or start a conversation with me, you can always send me an Ask , a Fanmail, tag me as @ ThatVideoGameZoo in a post, or shoot a post through by Submissions box.

If you want to talk to me elsewhere I’m on Twitter as @ ThatZooooooooo (which I usually prefer as I can send a quick response immediately, as Tumblr’s messaging system isn’t the greatest) and I’m available on Skype or QQ as ThatZooooooooo. I also have a Discord, which you can reach me at ThatZooooooooo#6564. If you want to look for me anywhere else, it’s a safe bet I’m probably ThatZooooooooo.

As for gaming stuff…

Nintendo Network ID: ThatZooooooooo

3DS Friend Code: 0963-4124-8485

Steam: psn_thatzooooooooo (yes, the psn_ part is needed)

Playstation Network: ThatZooooooooo

Xbox Live: ThatZooooooooo (I don’t have Gold, so I’m pretty limited use here)

If you want to add me, tell me so I can add you and not let the request expire.

So… yeah, that’s about all I can think of I guess. If I think of anything else, I’ll extend/alter this post the next time I think I should post it.

Thank you for checking me out, and I hope to have some pleasant interactions!

[jjamspace-blog]

Being Nice To Somebody For Once (AKA Myself)

I don’t consider myself to be a very nice person to others or myself. I can be sarcastic, uncaring and callous when I feel displeased or unhappy. There are times when I make mean jokes at another person’s expense. For example, I continuously keep track of the failed crushes that a high school friend has had. She currently studies at the same university as me and needless to say, she is not happy when I bring it up. I also determine her current rate via the equation for speed which distance over time. Distance being the total number of crushes and time being the years I have known her. 

Honestly, I’m surprised at how high my self compassion score was (at 78) as to myself, I can be critical and harsh, calling myself lazy and apathetic when I feel that I haven’t studied enough and/or when I get a low grade. I think that criticizing oneself is a skill in and of itself. It takes serious dedication and sharp reasoning to be able to be fair and critical of someone else, much less yourself simply because we are confined to ourselves. The same way we can never see how expansive Earth is from its surface, we also have difficulty seeing our own true breadth and depth as individuals when we have to look at ourselves. 

Like any skill, it require development and people possess their own strengths and weaknesses regarding this competency. Personally, I feel like my main strength is my ability to put things in perspective that boils my mistakes down to human flaw. Essentially, I can see things through the lens of common humanity, understanding that I can never be perfect and can never be completely happy with who I am. The best I can do is to simply be thankful for whatever I have, no matter how much that may really be. This actually leads to my weakness which is that while I understand that people make mistakes, I also believe that there are times when we shouldn’t and can’t mess up. If my strength is common humanity, then my weakness is self judgment. As I said before, I see myself as a layabout when this happens and tend to heap pain upon myself in some attempt to make penance with my mistakes. I think the best thing for me to do for myself would be to just relax and find time to really kick back instead of procrastinating because I feel anxiety thanks to schoolwork.

Of course, I would also like to be able to maintain a positive attitude and I wanna follow what it means to simply be positive to achieve this. It’s really been awhile since I’ve seen the silver lining in college and I think it’d really help me if I just actively sought it out. For every bad encounter I have this week, I’ll go over the event and look for a positive realization. For example, If I get a bad test result but still manage to pass. Every realization will then be added to a Friend Total and my Friend Total will be the number of friends I have to talk to by the end of that week. This means I’ll have a real conversation with them and not just a few messages over Facebook. This also means that not only will I be able to gain positivity from negativity but I’ll have a direct source of positivity in the form of my friends.

Overall, I believe I am good at seeing the common humanity in my mistakes but tend to self judge myself too harshly. This creates lots of negativity that I want to address by leveraging my positivity ratio through finding positive realizations in negative experiences. Then, I will add these realizations together in a Friend Total that shows how many real talks I will have with friends by the end of the week and have each conversation with a different friend.

[classycollectorartisanposts-blog]

Does an insurance consultant in Massachusetts need to be licensed?

"Does an insurance consultant in Massachusetts need to be licensed?

It is corporate insurance, not personal.

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://financeandcreditsolution.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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just about to start driving and would like to know the costs?

How do we get life insurance?

im 45 & my wife is 42 we have 2 kids one is 18 and one is 20 we never had life insurance before 1.how does it work? 2.is it expensive? 3. how much money can you get? 4. what company is the best to choose? 5. can we still get life insurance? please answer all my questions dont put stupid answers :)

How would limiting expenses in the health care sector assist with making health care affordable?

and increase accessibility to care, while reducing the need for insurance?""

Approximate insurance costs on cars?

I'm 16 and get a's and B's in school. I'm looking for approximates on the following models. they're all auto transmissions as well. Thanks! 2003 hundai Santa fe 2000 BMW 328i 2004 Mazda 6 2004 Honda civic 2003 vw jetta 2001 Mercedes c240 2002 vw passat

What does it take to fix a flooded car?

Last June, my town fell victim to river flooding. It's caused tons of damage and many cars to be flooded. I'm looking for a cheap car and I got on a rebuildable cars website. I found a newer car that is reasonable on gas and insurance, but is flooded. What would they have to do to fix it and about how much would it cost?""

What is the cheapest health insurance in California for Students?

I am a students planning to attend UC Davis this Fall. I just found out that all California Universities require students to have health insurance. What is the cheapest insurance out there?

Is credit used in determining health insurance rates?

I am licensed in GA for property & casualty insurance, so I know credit is used to help determine rates for auto & homeowners insurance, but it is considered in health insurance?""

What is the most affordable life and health ?

What is the most affordable life and health ?

Does an insurance consultant in Massachusetts need to be licensed?

It is corporate insurance, not personal.

How much would insurance be on a 2012 Porsche Carrera 4S?

My parents agreed to buy one for my first car (I'm 16), as long as insurance won't be too high. I know that insurance would cost a lot on a car like a porsche, so I'm just wondering: How much would a porsche insurance be?""

Different Types of car insurance?

i know of state farm progressive and Geico. what else is there?

What insurance plan would be best for a young family that has a 5 month old?

In my Advanced Functions class, we're doing a project about insurance plans mostly which plan, basic or premium, would be better for a certain situation like a single parent or something like that. My partner and I decided to use a young family (around the ages of 24 or 25) who has a 5 month baby girl. I was wondering would a basic plan or a premium plan be better suited for them?""

Health insurance question?

Had COBRA insurance, terminating, looking for health insurance. One health insurance has turned me down. Am on SSDI and have a condition that needs outpatient surgery monthly. Anyone have any suggestions?""

Will my insurance go up that much if I buy a Camaro?

I currently have a 96 Pontiac Sunfire and I have Erie insurance which through them I have liability only on my car and my rates are $60.00 a month....I am 18,19 years old next month and I found on craigslist a guy who is desperately wanting to get rid of his camaro and is willing to trade it straight up for my sunfire,as he and his gf are having a baby and she wants him to get rid of his toy....now this camaro is a 95,fully loaded automatic,t tops, leather interior etc...and my sunfire is the basic model,manual windows,locks etc....so obviously Id be making out very well in value....now I am on my own insurance and my mother chewed me out when I told her about me maybe trading for this camaro...will my insurance go up THAT much?""

Backdated car insurance?

A while back, my husband drove my moms car and totaled it. At the time, we had no car, so we werent carrying insurance. A telephone pole had to be replaced. ANYWAYS, my parents insurance said they are going to cover it. Since then, my husband and I bought our own car and our own insruance. NOW my parents insurance company keeps calling and they want our insurance info so they can bill OUR insurance. When he had the accident, we explained we had no car insurance. Then they called, and my husband had said we have insurance now, but i tihnk she thinks we had it then too (even though we've told them we didnt, which we didnt at the time). They keep wanting the information so they can backdate our insurance and have them pay for the accident. From everything ive read, this is fraud and is illegal. Is this true? They called again today wanting the information and we werent home, and my parents keep saying we never had insurance at the time, so tech. our insurance NOW has nothing to do with it, and it cant be covered by our insurance since we didnt have it at the time... im confused. can someone explain this to me please?""

Total loss and State farm auto insurance?

I had a collision a few weeks before and it is classified as collision damage. I received an estimate at a body shop who initially provided an estimate of $xxxxx/- and said that the insurance company has agreed to pay them and a delivery date was given. Now, things have changed in the middle and the body shop manager tells me a new stories of additional things that went wrong due to collision (all of a sudden) and that the insurance agent after inspection wants to call it a total loss based on this new estimate. My insurance company- State farm wants it to call a total loss which I doubt given the extent of repair it might take for the minor damage in the front fender alone. Now, here are my questions. I now have suspicion on the integrity of the body shop as well the trick palyed in declaring total loss. 1. Can I have a second opinion at a different body shop? Does State farm allow that? 2. If the repair cost is more than the ACV, and if I still wish to keep the car, can I negotiate for the max amount less deductible that State farm is willing to pay the body shop (xx% of the max amount that state farm is willing to pay before declaring total loss) and I take care of the remaining cost? Your input is appreciated. Thanks, NS""

""How do you purchase a car without insurance, and how do you get insuracnce with out a car?""

I left my insurace expire, and noe I need to get insurance, but I don't know what car i'm going to get, so which comes first, the insurance or the car?""

What is the cheapest car insurance company in orlando?

What is the cheapest car insurance company in orlando?

Health Insurance: Duplicate Coverage?

I have a job where my health insurance premiums as well as my spouse's are covered without cost to me. However, my wife is insurured through her work as well because she is requiried to be insured under her employers plan even though she is already covered under mine. She chose an HMO because it was the least cost to us because we would want to use my insurance (PPO) as the main provider, that way she can choose her own doctors. She recently went to the doctor using my plan, but now they will not cover the visit because of duplicate coverage. Can someone give me advice as to how I can rectify this situation. We would prefer not to even use the HMO because it is expensive and restrictive, but the PPO will not cover because of the HMO coverage""

Is medical payments coverage needed in auto insurance?

How important is medical payments coverage auto insurance coverage. I currently have at as $10,000 coverage. Is this over kill? I have health insurance (HSA) that has a $5000 deductible per year, after that it's covered 100%. thx""

I need health insurance. Should I get private insurance or Obamacare?

I am a 27 y/o healthy male non-smoker living in Arkansas with good income. Wife has employer insurance that is very expensive to add me, so that's a no-go. I'll be the only one on the plan. I am prescribed medication that requires a doc's visit once per 2 months to have it refilled (so need medication and decent office visit fees/co-pay). I know little to nothing about health insurance. I've always had it under mother's plan and through the university after that. So what's the best route to go? Private insurance even if its subject to a penalty? Or go with ObamaCare. I'd like to have my medication covered at least partially, doc's visits, protection for severe medical emergencies, and possibly dental. I don't want to pay an exorbitant amount, nor do I want to be locked into anything. Thanks for any help.""

What is the average time taken by an Insurance company to pay out on a car claim.?

I suppose it would depend on the nature of the damage to ones car and also who was at fault. However in my case, my car caught fire from what I believe may have been an electrical fault. It is now a total write off. I realise the insurance company has to carry out it's investigations but how long should this take and how soon would one expect to receive an offer. I made a claim 6 weeks ago and am still being fobbed off with the explanation that the investigations are on-going.""

""I am a college student I need a good car with low insurance (I have 25,000 to spend)?""

I have a decent amount of money to spend on a car, but I am still young, and in turn my insurance would be high if I got something like a mustang. I need something like looks sporty, is moderatly prestigious, sexy, etc but will have low insurance for someone who is 18. I love BMWs. I havn't ever been in an accident and I think age 24 is when my insurance will go down a lot. I guess I will have to wait to get a sports car then.""

What is a good insurance for a home recording studio?

A recording studio has been set up at home, all i need to know is which insurance will cover it.. and the websites?""

How much is a doctor visit without insurance?

My friend hasn't been feeling well for a few days now and needs to see a doctor. Does anyone know how much a doctor visit would be if she went to a walk in clinic? She doesn't have any insurance. By the way we live in Miami, Fl.""

Car insurance - does everyone that drives the car have to be included?

I've been driving my grandmother's car for about a year. She has insurance on the car, but my name is not on the insurance. I am wondering if I would be covered if an accident occurred. The insurance is liability and uninsured motorist if I remember correctly.""

Do I need to be insured to test drive cars I want to purchase?

I am looking to buy a new car, so far I have test drove 3 cars this week and my colleague at work has just notified me that I am probably breaking the law. I am buying a car either through auto trader or ebay (Fiat Stilo incase anyone is selling) so most the sellers are private, I currently drive a VW Polo fully comp, does that insurance not cover me to drive someone else's car even if they are in it ? What about their insurance, does that not cover me ? And if I'm not insured, what would I have to do to make sure I am not breaking the law ? A temporary insurance costs me nearly 100 as I am quite young, its an absurd amount to pay just to test the car (about 10%) and its completely ill advised to buy a car without first test driving it ? Regards Omar*""

Do you NEED insurance for a motorcycle?

meaning can you get arrested with no insurance?

Car insurance vs the law?

If I was driving at 100 mph in my car and a police officer caught me on radar and i started to pull over and then lost control and flipped and totaled the car would my insurance still cover it? I have the fullest of full coverage also, if I was still making payments and the car got impounded would the car be repossessed FROM the cops? thanks""

Is it legal for a car insurance company to do this?

I was in a no-fault wreck on Christmas Eve(slid into two cars on ice). The damages were about $3500 to my car. A buff job for the first car, and a chrome polish on the bumper of the old truck. They are not worried about making an insurance claim. There are not enough damages. First off, my car is fully insured with Progressive on my mother-in-laws insurance. The car is in mine and my spouse's name. I am not on the insurance because it was not allowing my mother-in-law to add me. It kept giving her an error. She was however able to add my spouse. I received a call on Saturday from a claims specialist. They told me that because I am not on the insurance, they may not cover the repairs. They are looking into whether or not she in fact did try to add me. If they can't find that she did try to add me, they said they will not cover it. Shouldn't they pay for it no matter what. Seeing how the car has comp. and collision? This is the first time I've had to deal with a claim on the insurance, so I really don't know anything about the process. I'm going in blindfolded. Everyone I've talked to has said that it doesn't matter who is driving it, if the car is insured, it's the insurance companies responsibility to cover the costs. It would be no different than you letting your neighbor borrow your car. Am I wrong??? If you have any comments or advice, please help me out. I need something to go off to work with them! Or more like against them. Thank you!""

California unemployment insurance?

Can I still receive unemployment benefits if I return to school? I know you have to be available to work full time. What if I don't tell them I'm going back to school? I know they have job training but I'd like to go to a fully accredited school. Please help. Thank you

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Life Insurance?

Just in general, what are the pro's and con's of investing in Life Insurance""

Temporary car auto insurance in California?

Hi guys, I thought of using my friend's car for a month and half since he will be out of station. I was wondering what would it take or rather how to address the insurance issue. Is it possible to get a temporary insurance for a month or is it possible to add my name on to his insurance for a short term? Either ways, how much would it cost ! Also would be great if you guys can enlighten me on some of the providers here.""

Survey - Are you in good hands?

Survey - Are you in good hands?

Does an insurance consultant in Massachusetts need to be licensed?

It is corporate insurance, not personal.

Is A Ford Mustang a good car for a 16 year old?

Im 16 and Im getting my license in a couple of months. Im looking for a car and I really like mustangs. Im thinking about buying a 2003 or 2004 mustang in sonic blue. But will getting a mustang raise my insurance a lot and how much more than a normal car? Also, what mileage is bad on a mustang?""

How much should I insure a 2 bedroom condo for?

I want to buy insurance for a 2 bedroom, 1150 square foot condo in Orange County, California. I am interested in knowing how much coverage to buy to cover inside damage due to a catastrophe like a fire for example. I don't care about coverage for personal belongings or outside of the building. I just need to know what it costs to restore the inside walls, floors, etc. in case they are ever destroyed.""

Safe to buy Insurance over the phone ?

I need car insurance , is it safe to give my credit card information over the phone ? What would they ask for ? Just the card number ? Will they want the expiration date and 3 digit code on the back ? Do they need my SSN number ? I know they will need an address , phone number and drivers license number. The people that answer (I have called 6 places for a quote) seem like the type you do not feel safe giving all this information too.""

Is it necessary to buy Rental Car Insurance even though i have my car insurance policy with me?

I have a car and have taken Auto insurance for it. Now my question is if i take a rental car, then my auto insurance policy for my car covers it or i need to take separate insurance for the rental car? When i took the auto insurance policy, they have taken my car details and its present in the insurance card also. If i need to take insurance for rental car, what type of insurance do i need to take excluding my auto insurance policy coverage that applies to all cars? Also if i am driving someone else car, will my insurance cover if there is any accident i have made?""

How much would my insurance cost? Or about how much. (Info listed in detail)?

Age: 17 Gender: Female Car type: 1984 chevy silverado side steps. Sitting on 35s. Jacked up. I HAVE taken Drivers Ed I will be added onto my dads insurance Any more info needed just ask.

Why is car insurance so high for a 30+ female with 10yrs ncd?

I'm just looking for a new/nearly new style Ford KA and looked at some insurance quotes and ive noticed that nothing comes in cheaper than 360. It's not what I'm driving as I've looked at smaller cars such as Peugeot 107's and Citroen C1's (both new and older cars). They all come out with nothing cheaper than 360! I had a brand new KA back in 2003 and that was only 260 for insurance (I do understand that insurance has gone up in 10 years!), but why cant I get anything cheaper? I'd see myself as a model driver as I've been driving for 11 years, never had an accident, never claimed on my insurance, never been booked or had any points and I'm now in the 'older' bracket! Please can someone explain, or reassure me that it's not just me this is happening to?""

Why is my car insurance so much cheaper than other companies?

i was looking around for auto insurance to see if there was anything cheaper than what im paying now. im a 20 year old male with a 2005 scion tc. i have been driving for about 2 years and currently use state farm. when i first insured my car 2 years ago, i was paying $148/mo. due to a speeding ticket, it has risen to $194/mo. i also have comprehensive and collision with a $500 deductible. $100,000/$300,000 coverage with full glass also. not complaining, i think this is great i looked at nationwide, allstate, geico, and progressive. these companies are supposed to be so great, but progressive quoted me at $485/mo for the same coverage! the other companies where all in that general area. progressives state minimum coverage plan for me was almost $300/mo. why do these other companies cost so much more? im not complaining about mine, obviously im not gonna switch, but i am curious as to the difference in price.""

What if im 18 and want to pay for my own auto insurance?

I'm thinking about moving out of my house cause it sucks. I'd have to buy my own car and I'm thinking an older civic, cause they're reliable. Anyone got any ideas on what a good but cheap way to insure would be?""

How much would insurance for a motorcycle cost for a 17 year old?

How much approximately for a 17 yr old with a 250 ninja? what about a 600cc bike? I do not have my drivers license yet, only my permit and I would get a learners permit on my bike. How much do you think it will cost?""

Will my wreck affect my dads insurance rates?

I'm on my step dads insurance on his buisness truck. If I got into a wreck would it affect his insurance rates or just mine.

Motorcycle Insurance?

I got into a car accident almost 2 years ago and I was wondering if it will effect me when I get insurance for my motorcycle?

""How is mortgage hazard insurance calculated? Rate in Houston, TX?""

How is mortgage hazard insurance (I don't mean PMI.) calculated? Does the rate depend on what insurance company I go with? I am buying a house in Houston, Texas.""

I need some legit cheap dental insurance..please help?

I have a upper wisdom tooth that needs to be emergency removed and I have no insurance and there is over 40 dentists in my area that will not take a payment plan and the one plan I applied for did not accept becuz I don't make enough money...heck im low income...but in major pain...anyone help? pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee

Cheap motorcycle insurance?

I am an 18 year old male in southern CA and I wanna know what is the cheapest motorcycle insurance for a 2006 yamaha r6 (crotch rocket) and where can i find it?

Has Tort reform had a beneficial impact on Health Insurance rates in California.?

California has had Tort reform in medical malpractice for 30 years. Has this kept Health Insurance affordable in California? Ask the parents ofNataline Sarkisyan how they feel about tort reform. Rather than pay for an expensive transplant and a lifetime of expensive care, her insurer simply denied the claim knowing they most her parents could get in punitive damages was $250,000. Seems to me that tort reform is another name for death panels!!!""

Car insurance advice needed for a 17 year old?

As I said in my previous question. I recently bought a Citroen AX 988cc for 500 and paid 2800 insurance for a year. I thought It was really good as all of my mates had paid well over 3000 for their Fiestas etc. I got alot of answers saying I had been ripped off. I would be so happy if you could tell me of a better deal. I called a total of 46 insurance companies, and used comparison websites on a variety of insurance group 1 cars. And this was the very cheapest I could find. Initially Iwanted a VW Golf. (Not the GTI Version) But I was quoted 9000 a year, not bad but I dont earn that much yet. I have 3 jobs but all are minumum wage. (6-10am, 10am-6pm, 7pm-11.20pm). Could you give me a better deal. Where to go, what other car would be cheaper, and general advice on getting it as cheap as olot of people in my previous question told me they got it. Thanks.""

Car insurance?

my car insurance is $1537 i dont know why im 18 years old have a kia spectra 03 drive 2 hours to school everyday can anyone pls help me

""I was caught driving with no insurance and in court they required me to have car insurance for 1 year,?""

ive been paying for car insurance for the past 6 monthsm, but I recently sold my car, and was wondering if I stil have to pay insurance when I have no car. what should i do?""

Cost of med insurance for a college student living on their own?

How much does individual health insurance cost for a college student out on their own? I realize its different for each person. Lets say the person is male and 18. No health related problems, no history of any either. How much? On average.""

Why is it that the Republicans Party Sucks up so much to the Insurance Companies?

???

How much would getting a cast cost me in the US with and without insurance?

I'm a US citizen studying in Canada. Sunday, I fractured my wrist playing football. I saw a sports medicine doctor on Monday, who sent me for x-rays and informed me I had a fracture. He told me to go to the hospital to get a proper cast. The fracture clinic there had closed for the day so I went to the ER, where they wrapped me up and took another x-ray. I saw an orthopedic specialist this morning who set my fracture (ideally I should have come in immediately after the incident and had it set then), after which they took another set of x-rays to check if the setting worked. The prognosis is good. I didn't pay a cent in all this, as I'm covered under the University Health Insurance Plan, which all international students in Ontario get, as the Ontario Health Insurance Plan only covers residents, anything under OHIP is covered with UHIP. I'm curious, what would the cost have been had this happened in the US, with and without insurance? Thank You""

Insurance Fraud?

I'm a 17 year old male living in Canada, and I just bought a car. Would it be insurance fraud to insure that car in my moms name, with her as the main driver and me as a casual driver, while she insures her own car with a seperate insurance company, not telling either company she technically owns 2 vehicles? Becuase she just wouldn't drive my car, and my car would be under her name but I would be listed as a casual driver and have much lower rates. If she insured her own car with another company and told them she only owns one car, I could have much lower insurance rates because I would be listed as a casual driver when really I'm the main driver. Is that insurance fraud? Is it legal? I've heard of people doing that...""

Life Insurance?

What is the best life insurance?

Question about car insurance and theft.?

lets say somebody that has an auto loan gets their vehicle stolen, the insurance will cover the rest of the loan but what happens to the funds the bank has already received for the vehicle?""

How can i get a german Health Insurance from outside of germany?

I need to have Health insurance accepted in before i go there. i will be staying there. I cannot find any way to sign up for health insurance from outiside of germany.

Does an insurance consultant in Massachusetts need to be licensed?

It is corporate insurance, not personal.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-motorcycle-insurance-so-expensive-savoie-santa"

[vivianrstuff-blog]

New Post has been published on Healthy Cooking Review

New Post has been published on http://healthcookingreview.com/how-to-make-vitamix-frozen-desserts/

How to Make Vitamix Frozen Desserts

The best part about dinner is dessert.

I'm here with Chef Adam in the Vitamix headquarters and he's gonna show me how to make a two-ingredient,dairy-free frozen dessert.

[music] Yes.

Excellent.

So big key about frozen dessertsis it's a ratio.

-The ratio!-The ratio.

One cup of liquid.

It could be almond milk,which we have here.

If you wanted yogurt, you could use yogurt.

If you wanted orange juice, you could useorange juice.

We were originally going to use yogurt.

And I'm like, Adam, dude, I don't eat anydairy, at all.

He's like, woah, you don't need to.

You canuse almond milk.

I'm like, are you serious? I didn't know that.

Perfect! -Almond milk.

-Almond milk.

And then, easiest way.

A pound of berries.

Frozen strawberries, right in there.

So two ingredients, you can keep that in there.

And then you have your milk.

Perfect.

So, tamper ready.

We're gonna use the frozendessert program so that it's nice and easy.

We're gonna use the tamper.

How you tamper, you might need less time.

So I tamper really well.

It's really quick.

I want to be done with it.

So probably less time.

If you don't use the tamper as effectively,then you could use the full time.

So, get it all ready.

Turn it on.

Start processing it through.

[blending] So going to the corners.

Works out perfectly.

In the corners, pushing it on the inside.

And you hear that gurgle, the grinding.

Perfect.

[blending] It sounds bad.

But it's actually good.

It'sa good sound.

Yes.

[blending] So as we are looking at it, it's pretty muchready.

I'm just making sure the seeds are processedthrough on the strawberries.

So we can go with that now.

Did we let the program run? I stopped it a little early because I canwatch it.

Cause you're good with the tamper.

You wanna do it over your head? Yeah! Okay, it's a god thing it worked cause wehave more work to do and I'm wearing a white shirt.

-Wow!-So nice and solid frozen.

-Works perfectly.

-Incredible.

Scoop it out.

Ready to go.

-That is beautiful.

-That is perfect.

If you're going to do this ahead of time,pre-portion them like that then set them in the freezer.

Don't put it in a container because it's notaerated enough.

So it will freeze solid in another container.

So then you won't be able to scoop it easilyor things like that.

So pre-portion them.

Set them out.

Then when you're ready to serve it after dinneror whatever, pull it out five or ten minutes early so it softens up.

-So you can eat this right now.

-Right.

And it would be delicious and frozen.

Yes, I want to eat this right now.

Yum! I can taste the insides of the strawberries.

And you could also add toppings to this ifyou want.

-Like chocolate.

-You could add chocolate.

You could add some sweeteners if you wantedto.

So honey is always a great sweetener.

Or vanilla extract, vanilla bean, things likethat.

Some people like it really sweet, they mightwant to add honey.

Yeah, this is just a great, simple dessert.

If you have the two ingredients, you can switch out whatever kind of berry you wanted also,as long as you have a pound of the berries, then you're good.

Amazing.

And, is any different if you havethe squat container like on a Pro 750? It will work with this ratio.

The one-to-one.

The one cup to one pound.

But, it doesn't funnel through and doesn'tprocess well.

So we go one and a half cup to one and a halfpound to make sure we're getting that flow.

The vortex coming through, getting the moundsgoing, things like that.

So, again, we're looking at it, one and ahalf cups vs pound and a half.

So this is where, like, if you have a largerfamily or something like that.

You know, you're like, okay, we're gonna eatthis all, or I'm going to pre-portion it.

-So, yeah, if you have a dinner party.

-Yeah.

This is the great last-second addition.

You know, you might be like, hey, you knowwhat, just pull this out, you're done in 20 seconds.

-Super simple.

-Yeah.

You're impressing all your friends.

Making it fresh.

You don't even need to haveit ready.

It's impressive just to do the demonstration for everyone.

Pull it out.

Put the berries right in, andyou're good to go.

-Aright.

-So.

Again.

We're using the frozen dessert program.

And so again, just processing it through.

The good thing about using frozen berries instead of ice is that it actually is creamierthan if you're using ice.

[blending] -So again, a little bit faster, nice and solid.

-Perfect.

So as you work with it, it's really simpleand easy to do.

Aright.

Frozen desserts with a Vitamix.

Twoingredients.

-Super easy.

-Super easy.

Non-dairy.

And if you're not doing it today, it's cool.

Because Life is NOYOKE.

That's it.

Let's eat.

[beep] -Don't give me that filthy look.

-He's processing.

That's my thinking face.

Yeah.

[beep] That was great.

Really good.

And this is delicious.

Source: Youtube

[thatvideogamezoo]

Introduction of ThatZooooooooo

It has been a few months since I reposted this. I like to do this periodically as I get new followers so they can get to know me better, so if you’re interested, click the break below.

(Break for length, click if you want to find out more about me)

I am the one known as ThatZooooooooo across the internets. My blog is named ThatVideoGameZoo because somebody gave me the idea for a catchy blog name and I couldn't pass it up.

And before we get into it, I will tell you some personal details about myself to help you identify me. I have this all publicly on my profiles on other places, no harm putting them here.

My real name is Douglas Carter, born on August 20, 1993. I currently live on the east coast of the United States of America, in the state of Pennsylvania, in the town of Waynesboro. I am currently a student at The Pennsylvania State University at the Mont Alto campus, working towards a degree in IST.

So yeah, there's that I guess if you're interested. Now on to the actual profile.

I like video games and video game accessories, I tell ya what.

You will see me talk about video games a lot, and I have a tendency to post a lot of music from video games, because I just really like listening to them. I also like to link to video game related videos like LPs or Speedruns or other nonsense periodically. I sometimes like to post screenshots of games I'm playing to show my progress and interact with people while I play or something, kinda like a Photo LP in progress I guess.

I like a lot of games, and I'm fine usually playing any game. I've probably played it or heard of it at some point; one of my many nicknames is "The Walking FAQ." I can usually talk about any game at length.

Even though I play a lot of games, you will see me play certain games a lot more so than others. Some of my favorite games include Sonic The Hedgehog, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros, Mega Man, Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Star Fox, OutRun, Daytona USA, Fortune Street, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and Street Fighter. This is just a short list though, there's a lot more stuff I wanted to put here, but hopefully this will give a general idea of what I like to play.

My gaming habits also tend towards doing Speedruns or Challenge Runs of games more so than normal playthroughs. I still just play games normally, because that's still fun, but I like to do weird stuff, like beat the first Resident Evil on Hard with only the Knife or do built in challenge runs like Lv 1 Critical Mode on Kingdom Hearts II. I like being challenged and doing hard things, you will always see me do the hardest difficulty when I play games, even on a normal playthrough, and even on games that I suck at. The way I see it, the best way to "get good" is to challenge yourself to play better.

I also play many games competitively. I'm a highly competitive person when it comes to games, and I have a lot of fun competing with people. I do play in competitive game tournaments, most notably Super Smash Bros, Street Fighter, Pokemon, Puyo Puyo, and Tetris, so you may see me play those games a lot because I need to keep my skills up. And hey, if you wanna throw down, I'll thrown down with ya and not let up.

Despite my competitive nature, my favorite moments are Cooperative playthroughs. One of my favorite memories is playing through the PS1 port of Diablo in Co-op with a good friend at the time. I also like to do stuff like start playthroughs of single player games at the same time as people and we progress and play through the game together, for example playing through Pokemon together. I enjoy playing games with people, and even if it is a single player experience, I find my own way to share the experience with others.

Along with video games, I also play table top games like Pathfinder/D&D and board games too. You may see me talk about the occasional table top game I play.

I also play Trading Card Games too, mostly the Pokemon TCG. I will talk about the degenerate decks and shenanigans that happen there too.

I also tend to make a lot of Text Posts. I like to ramble on able nearly anything. Once I get started on something it usually takes me a while for it to stop. I usually talk about video games, but I like talking about other stuff a lot too. That's why I tag text posts #ThatRamblingZoo, so you can blacklist them using xkit if you get tired of my yammering.

You will notice I tend to reblog or post arts/creative works from people too. I don't know how, but I've made a lot of artist friends over the years, and I can barely draw a stick figure well. I like to support people I... well... like. The thing is, you probably won't see most of them on this blog, because there's a reason for that. If one of you is reading this, just know I still support you on this blog fully by at least liking and replying to posts, I can only post SFW stuff here.

You may notice my Reblog to "Original" content ratio is heavily in favor of "original" content, you probably won't see a whole lot of reblogs from me. I tend to Like a lot of things, so you can always check out my Likes Page , but be warned, there is NSFW content in there. Only check those if you are prepared to handle some NSFW content.

Hey, I'm not also called "Captain Loophole" for nothing. Likes aren't really easily accessible, so long as I don't physically post sensitive content publicly with no warning, I'm not entirely at fault here. I'm not liable for what you see when you check my Likes, you have been warned before hand.

I also have a NSFW blog for NSFW reblogs if you’re interested. Again, be warned, there is a lot of NSFW content in there, and may contain things you may or may not agree with. This is what most of my artist friends draw, so this is where reblogs of their works go... along with any other interesting art I find. I urge you to read the blog description before you judge me too harshly. But hey, if you like what I post over there, I don't mind talking about that stuff with ya too.

I also have a separate NSFW Ask blog for NSFW asks and stuff due to few friends wanting to have a place to ask me more NSFW question without the reblogs from my other cluttering them up. And hey, maybe it will also produce more dialogue.

And I have a VGM blog as well. I made it because I love VGM, so if you’re looking for some tunes, feel free to give it a look. It will mostly be songs from games I've played, but I just appreciate video game music. It's special to me.

I'm a big sissy when it comes to talking to people, I'll admit up front. I probably won't talk to you a lot, and I'm sorry for that. It takes a while for me to open up and be willing to talk to you first. Even if it seems like I have no problem spouting whatever whenever, I don't do more intimate interactions well. I'll probably tend to be quiet and only respond stiffly and minimally when prompted at first, but as you talk to me, I'll probably be more willing to elaborate or make stupid jokes, or offer to help with more complex tasks.

I do tend to like more of your posts the more I'm comfortable with you though if you want something to go by. I'm the "Passively Friendly" type I guess.

In short, don't be afraid to talk to me! I'm a big sissy so you don't have to be! I like talking with people that genuinely want to talk to me. I'm also honestly fine talking about anything you want, I just like hanging out with people. I like listening to you talk, especially if you're passionate about the subject.

If you want me to see something or start a conversation with me, you can always send me an Ask , a Fanmail, tag me as @ ThatVideoGameZoo in a post, or shoot a post through by Submissions box.

If you want to talk to me elsewhere I'm on Twitter as @ ThatZooooooooo (which I usually prefer as I can send a quick response immediately, as Tumblr's messaging system isn't the greatest) and I'm available on Skype or QQ as ThatZooooooooo. I also have a Discord, which you can reach me at ThatZooooooooo#6564. If you want to look for me anywhere else, it's a safe bet I'm probably ThatZooooooooo.

As for gaming stuff...

Nintendo Network ID: ThatZooooooooo

3DS Friend Code: 0963-4124-8485

Steam: psn_thatzooooooooo (yes, the psn_ part is needed)

Playstation Network: ThatZooooooooo

Xbox Live: ThatZooooooooo (I don't have Gold, so I'm pretty limited use here)

If you want to add me, tell me so I can add you and not let the request expire.

So... yeah, that's about all I can think of I guess. If I think of anything else, I'll extend/alter this post the next time I think I should post it.

Thank you for checking me out, and I hope to have some pleasant interactions!

[thatvideogamezoo]

Introduction of ThatZooooooooo

It has been a few months since I reposted this. I like to do this periodically as I get new followers so they can get to know me better, so if you're interested, click the break below.

(Break for length, click if you want to find out more about me)

I am the one known as ThatZooooooooo across the internets. My blog is named ThatVideoGameZoo because somebody gave me the idea for a catchy blog name and I couldn't pass it up.

And before we get into it, I will tell you some personal details about myself to help you identify me. I have this all publicly on my profiles on other places, no harm putting them here.

My real name is Douglas Carter, born on August 20, 1993. I currently live on the east coast of the United States of America, in the state of Pennsylvania, in the town of Waynesboro. I am male and I am asexual. I am currently a student at The Pennsylvania State University at the Mont Alto campus, working towards a degree in IST.

So yeah, there's that I guess if you're interested. Now on to the actual profile.

I like video games and video game accessories, I tell ya what.

You will see me talk about video games a lot, and I have a tendency to post a lot of music from video games, because I just really like listening to them. I also like to link to video game related videos like LPs or Speedruns or other nonsense periodically. I sometimes like to post screenshots of games I'm playing to show my progress and interact with people while I play or something, kinda like a Photo LP in progress I guess.

I like a lot of games, and I'm fine usually playing any game. I've probably played it or heard of it at some point; one of my many nicknames is "The Walking FAQ." I can usually talk about any game at length.

Even though I play a lot of games, you will see me play certain games a lot more so than others. Some of my favorite games include Sonic The Hedgehog, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros, Mega Man, Tetris, Puyo Puyo, Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Star Fox, OutRun, Daytona USA, Fortune Street, Perfect Dark, Banjo-Kazooie, and Street Fighter. This is just a short list though, there's a lot more stuff I wanted to put here, but hopefully this will give a general idea of what I like to play.

My gaming habits also tend towards doing Speedruns or Challenge Runs of games more so than normal playthroughs. I still just play games normally, because that's still fun, but I like to do weird stuff, like beat the first Resident Evil on Hard with only the Knife or do built in challenge runs like Lv 1 Critical Mode on Kingdom Hearts II. I like being challenged and doing hard things, you will always see me do the hardest difficulty when I play games, even on a normal playthrough, and even on games that I suck at. The way I see it, the best way to "get good" is to challenge yourself to play better.

I also play many games competitively. I'm a highly competitive person when it comes to games, and I have a lot of fun competing with people. I do play in competitive game tournaments, most notably Super Smash Bros, Street Fighter, Pokemon, Puyo Puyo, and Tetris, so you may see me play those games a lot because I need to keep my skills up. And hey, if you wanna throw down, I'll thrown down with ya and not let up.

Despite my competitive nature, my favorite moments are Cooperative playthroughs. One of my favorite memories is playing through the PS1 port of Diablo in Co-op with a good friend at the time. I also like to do stuff like start playthroughs of single player games at the same time as people and we progress and play through the game together, for example playing through Pokemon together. I enjoy playing games with people, and even if it is a single player experience, I find my own way to share the experience with others.

Along with video games, I also play table top games like Pathfinder/D&D and board games too. You may see me talk about the occasional table top game I play.

I also play Trading Card Games too, mostly the Pokemon TCG. I will talk about the degenerate decks and shenanigans that happen there too.

I also tend to make a lot of Text Posts. I like to ramble on able nearly anything. Once I get started on something it usually takes me a while for it to stop. I usually talk about video games, but I like talking about other stuff a lot too. That's why I tag text posts #ThatRamblingZoo, so you can blacklist them using xkit if you get tired of my yammering.

You will notice I tend to reblog or post arts/creative works from people too. I don't know how, but I've made a lot of artist friends over the years, and I can barely draw a stick figure well. I like to support people I... well... like. The thing is, you probably won't see most of them on this blog, because there's a reason for that. If one of you is reading this, just know I still support you on this blog fully by at least liking and replying to posts, I can only post SFW stuff here.

You may notice my Reblog to "Original" content ratio is heavily in favor of "original" content, you probably won't see a whole lot of reblogs from me. I tend to Like a lot of things, so you can always check out my Likes Page , but be warned, there is NSFW content in there. Only check those if you are prepared to handle some NSFW content.

Hey, I'm not also called "Captain Loophole" for nothing. Likes aren't really easily accessible, so long as I don't physically post sensitive content publicly with no warning, I'm not entirely at fault here. I'm not liable for what you see when you check my Likes, you have been warned before hand.

I also have a NSFW blog for NSFW reblogs if you’re interested. Again, be warned, there is a lot of NSFW content in there, and may contain things you may or may not agree with. This is what most of my artist friends draw, so this is where reblogs of their works go... along with any other interesting art I find. I urge you to read the blog description before you judge me too harshly. But hey, if you like what I post over there, I don't mind talking about that stuff with ya too.

I also have a separate NSFW Ask blog for NSFW asks and stuff due to few friends wanting to have a place to ask me more NSFW question without the reblogs from my other cluttering them up. And hey, maybe it will also produce more dialogue.

And I have a VGM blog as well. I made it because I love VGM, so if you’re looking for some tunes, feel free to give it a look. It will mostly be songs from games I've played, but I just appreciate video game music. It's special to me.

I'm a big sissy when it comes to talking to people, I'll admit up front. I probably won't talk to you a lot, and I'm sorry for that. It takes a while for me to open up and be willing to talk to you first. Even if it seems like I have no problem spouting whatever whenever, I don't do more intimate interactions well. I'll probably tend to be quiet and only respond stiffly and minimally when prompted at first, but as you talk to me, I'll probably be more willing to elaborate or make stupid jokes, or offer to help with more complex tasks.

I do tend to like more of your posts the more I'm comfortable with you though if you want something to go by. I'm the "Passively Friendly" type I guess.

In short, don't be afraid to talk to me! I'm a big sissy so you don't have to be! I like talking with people that genuinely want to talk to me. I'm also honestly fine talking about anything you want, I just like hanging out with people. I like listening to you talk, especially if you're passionate about the subject.

If you want me to see something or start a conversation with me, you can always send me an Ask , a Fanmail, tag me as @ ThatVideoGameZoo in a post, or shoot a post through by Submissions box.

If you want to talk to me elsewhere I'm on Twitter as @ ThatZooooooooo (which I usually prefer as I can send a quick response immediately, as Tumblr's messaging system isn't the greatest) and I'm available on Skype or QQ as ThatZooooooooo. I also have a Discord, which you can reach me at ThatZooooooooo#6564. If you want to look for me anywhere else, it's a safe bet I'm probably ThatZooooooooo.

As for gaming stuff...

Nintendo Network ID: ThatZooooooooo

3DS Friend Code: 0963-4124-8485

Steam: psn_thatzooooooooo (yes, the psn_ part is needed)

Playstation Network: ThatZooooooooo

Xbox Live: ThatZooooooooo (I don't have Gold, so I'm pretty limited use here)

If you want to add me, tell me so I can add you and not let the request expire.

So... yeah, that's about all I can think of I guess. If I think of anything else, I'll extend/alter this post the next time I think I should post it.

Thank you for checking me out, and I hope to have some pleasant interactions!