#and because there's less ability to communicate between steps of the process

[caffeineandsociety]

"there is no such thing as unskilled labor" doesn't begin and end at people in "menial" jobs doing nifty little tricks for you to gawk at on tiktok fyi

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

Starlo's personality (in-depth)

Okay, this one took a LOT of thinking to decide on. Mainly because we see Starlo 100% in his persona for the majority of the time we spend with him. But now, I think I've had my boy figured out.

For a while now, I thought that he's either an ENTP or an ESTP with well-developed Fe, but eventually realized I had been looking at the image he put on, not the real him.

But before dwelling deeper into what his way of thinking actually is, I'd like to discuss why I don't think he's either ENTP or ESTP.

For ESTP, it's more obvious. Starlo… doesn't use Se at all, let alone as his dominant function. He lives in fantasy. He can come up with goofy ideas, and doesn't pay much attention to the "real world" (tries to escape from the real world instead)

fantasy, not reality (Ceroba is a true realist though)

Starlo only pretends to be this 'tough guy,' his recklessness (I always call it carelessness) is part of the persona. And while I do think some part of him enjoys the fake adventures, it's mostly for show, to lift himself and others around him up, particularly Ceroba, and to feel like someone else.

Now... the conclusion I came to was that Star had both Ne and Fe somewhere. The only question I had to ask myself was the order of these functions. In other words, is he dominant Ne/tertiary Fe or dominant Fe/tertiary Ne

The most important question here is: "What is his main motivation?"

Starlo cares a whole bunch about everyone around him. I feel like I've spoken about this so many times already, but he really is the 'papa bear' of the whole group. He makes sure to remind Mooch how they're not bandits, he gave the Four their own nap time, he organizes events, and overall tries to make the Wild East a comfortable place for everyone. Starlo really, REALLY wants to see everyone get along well with each other, and when that doesn't happen... he's deeply bothered by it.

he hates it when there's no harmony and good vibes

Put bluntly, Starlo wants to contribute to his community. He most definitely thought something like this: "If I'm just a farmer, then I can't do anything to help myself feel less worthless, and I can't help other monsters have more hope, either. So, the only thing left for me to do is change most of my personality and be more 'flashy' and 'cool."

Sure, he comes up with creative ideas, but it isn't his main motivation or how he normally acts when he's not 'North Star'. Being all 'extravagent' is the dominant trait of the character Starlo plays (and personally, I think it is a part of Starlo himself, the part he's too afraid to let out if he's his true nerdy self, without the costume and badge and all)

--------------------

ESFJ: thinks in terms of group dynamics, motivates others to get things done, makes decisions that benefit the largest number of people, natural ability to process and deal with their feelings. On the negative side, they can place so much emphasis on social dynamics / emotions that they find it hard to step back and analyze their motives and feelings; thus they can lack self-understanding and/or pressure others into social norms. They use their Ne to brainstorm and for humor purposes; often to entertain others, to think up solutions, and to hypothesize, but their natural ability is not competently and accurately reading between the lines.

--------------------

I'd like to break this down carefully because, holy hell, this is Starlo from A to Z

thinks in terms of group dynamics/makes decisions that benefit the largest number of people - clear as day, that's why he has his posse (although I think this trait of his was underdeveloped during the events of UTY as Star probably made most of the decisions himself without asking the others)

motivates others to get things done

pressure others into social norms - technically his own social norms, also the dress conditions he never used to overlook (I also heard ESFJs have style and care about how they appear to others, ENTPs don't; but maybe this is generalization)

find it hard to step back and analyze their motives and feelings - Star turns to the outside world instead, not inwards at all. That's what makes him an extrovert, NOT because he's friendly and social (although he is)

They use their Ne to brainstorm and for humor purposes; often to entertain others - when I read ENTERTAIN OTHERS it all became clear to me

their natural ability is not competently and accurately reading between the lines - he can't even do it and has to directly ask ⬇️

Extra thoughts

What I've also heard about the ESFJ type is that they really REALLY care about their social status/standing when unhealthy, which Star 120% did

It might seem weird that he's a sensor while also being super creative and into ideas, but that's his high tertiary Ne speaking (no wonder it's so high when he's been using it for years)

ESFJs are super charming too, but in a less 'agressive' way like ESTPs (I thought about Dina and Mo, I think they both share this type), or 'witty' way like ENTPs (Sans comes to mind). In others words, Starlo is the 'sweet nerd' kind of charming

ESFJs are bad at dealing with criticism

Can become workaholics (ESTPs and ENTPs are more procastinators; again, I don't mean to generalize)

They're clumsy, too (because of the tertiary Ne; unlike ESTPs, who are grounded in reality and most often aren't clumsy thanks to the dominant Se)

Popular people in leadership positions

Excellent planners (I know Star seems like a percieving type, but as I mentioned above, he actually organizes EVERYTHING)

this makes me think Star has a certain routine (judging over percieving)

He remembers little details about things that happened last month (in the past), making me think of his auxiliary Si (and he also remembers what Ed had said about Clover "being the problem")

So, what makes Starlo inferior Ti? The guy refuses to go inwards to solve his problems. He doesn't think that the most logical solution to the 'whole gang splitting up' situation is a simple apology, and is extremely self critical. Ti has the potential to disrupt or shatter one’s ego-image. Therefore, unhealthy or immature Fe-doms do their utmost to reject Ti in order to protect their ego-image. What this means for Starlo is that he wants to protect his persona in favor of what makes sense for him to do.

Starlo putting himself down™

Fe will use Ti to construct “rational” explanations to confirm poor judgments about people or relationships. In other words, Fe will develop a maladaptive tendency to misinterpret people’s intentions, see ulterior motives that do not exist, or project their own personal issues onto others. Starlo "logically" thinks that everything was Clover's fault, he's projecting his own insecurities into this situation (playing the victim) and twisting Ed's words (who meant to say that Starlo's favorism OF Clover is the problem, not Clover themself)

Not objective, but Starlo and Clover LOOK to me like the types I gave them (based on the offical trailers AND how Martlet describes them, that kid has this kind of a cute/warm/naive expression, I don't even know how to explain this but I'm throwing it in anyway 😅)

Then there's Starlo

I know the 'North Star' part of him probably wouldn't wanna hear this, but without the persona, Starlo looks and is... pretty normal. No flashiness, no overwhelming charm (it's still there, just more 'humble' & as Ed said, he can make his own fun in the little things). As much as Star might think otherwise thanks to those insecurities, this doesn't mean he ain't special, we all know he is

P.S. I can totally picture him treating everyone with Feisty Sliders & root beer after a long day, just like this guy (who somehow gives me the same cozy, kind vibe as Starlo???)

but in all seriousness though, these traits fit Star 💯

[talonabraxas]

June 2024 Capricorn Full Moon

June’s Capricorn Full Moon begins a two-step process of culmination. The first step is stirring issues that complicate feeling safe and secure. The second stage will bring some understanding of them, if not solidity as well.

The two parts come from this Full Moon taking place at the beginning of Capricorn – followed by a second Full Moon at the last degree of the sign in July.

Both Capricorn Full Moons are lighting up the sign’s dichotomy with the opposite sign of Cancer. This axis pits nurturing against providing and nesting against worldly striving. It raises questions of “Who’s the Mommy?” and “Who’s the Daddy?.” with the occasional blurting of “I want to be the baby!”

In this configuration, the seat of emotions, the Moon, is anything but soft and sweet. It’s hard-edged, often cold or calculating, with an eye on status or report cards or achievement and material security instead of hugs, security blankets and cookies. So this Full Moon has us looking at how stable and secure we feel.

In this first phase of that examination, the usually logical end of a Full Moon equation, the Sun, is especially hypersensitive and emotive. (It won’t be this raw in the next go-round.) That’s because it’s conjunct Venus and Mercury, beaming issues of nurturing, connections and communicating into the Moon.

We might be thinking about those issues more than we’re feeling them. Likely we’re measuring an intellectual construct of cozy, happy home and family (even if chosen) against a reality that is less than emotionally fulfilling.

That construct may have an element of fantasy or having fooled ourselves. The Moon’s out-of-sign square to Neptune is forcing out illusion, popping bubbles and parting fog. Neptune is parked at peak Pisces, the last degree of the sign and the zodiac. The square to him is eroding goals and situations that might have previously seemed rock solid. (The second phase will consolidate and firm some up.)

Adjustments in thinking are in order. The Moon is inconjunct Jupiter, early in his trip through Gemini, encouraging lightening up, exploring options and looking for security from many directions. (A surge in chosen families is imminent!)

Changing things up is a easy way out of an undercurrent of discomfort. The Moon’s semisextile to Pluto is needling us with reminders that old ways aren’t going to cut it in the emerging world. If you’ve focused on work, work, work expecting certain rewards and they don’t come through…this combo is arguing for revising those goals, and revising how you define emotional security. Maybe add a little fun to the equation?

You’ve got the incentive and ability to do something about your situation. Action hero Mars is trine the Moon, easily and efficiently working to pad your tangible security and well-being. (Snacks may be involved.) Interestingly, he will be in the same aspect with the Moon during phase two in July; dots may well connect between this Moon’s practical impact and what is coming.

Openings are all around for connections and conversations that sustain you. Mars is sextile the Venus/Mercury conjunction (exactly sextile Mercury, at that). Reach out; speak up; give and receive hugs. (And again, snacks may be involved). Warming up that Moon could be that simple. Try a little tenderness, and you won’t feel so out in the cold.

Art: Yui Sakamoto

[togglesbloggle]

Okie, here’s a slightly dangerous essay I’ve had rattling around for a while.  Dangerous because Discourse, which I usually avoid in this space, so I hope you’ll try not to reward it too much and provide weird incentives for me.  But it’s a pretty interesting little model, too handy to fully pass over in silence.

Expect mild gender-binary essentialism and heteronormativity for modeling purposes- invoking these things in an explanatory but not normative or ethical sense.

Aside from being aggressively horrible, the state of female beauty standards as a cultural force is also fiddly and interesting in a way that I can’t resist chewing on.  Naively, beauty ought to be a pretty idiosyncratic thing.  We understand differences in taste between Picasso and Rembrant, or a trip to the mountains and a trip to the beach.  But when it comes to human beauty, especially female beauty, we keep needing to reach for phrases like ‘traditionally attractive,’ and things in that vicinity.  It’s understood that this ‘traditionally attractive’ stuff has tremendous influence over how our society is ordered, but its origin seems… vague, at best?  And it clearly varies between cultures and times; it’s monotonic, not static.  And the further away you get from socially mainstream forms of sex, the more it breaks down.  Gay and kink communities seem to resist it somewhat, in the form of ‘types’ like bears and butches and whatnot, though it’s still lurking in the shadows a fair bit.  So, why?

I’ve arrived at a model that seems to have decent predictive utility, which is: (female) beauty standards are set principally by the ability to convince others that you can leverage male agency.

This is, notably, not exactly the same thing as actually leveraging male agency, or even actually being able to.  Male agency itself, though notably responsive to beautiful women in the general case, is of course a lot more complex when you start talking about individual men.  These may be asexual or gay, obviously, but even the ones attracted to women are going to have individual preferences, navigate those preferences in different ways, and be more or less responsive to leverage.  So to ‘be beautiful’ you’re attempting to land on a consensus, common-knowledge understanding of what everyone else thinks men are attracted to, one that’s anchored by the experiences and preferences of men, but because it’s women who try to achieve beauty in most cases, female-led social spaces are often where ‘beauty’ is processed and filtered from the complicated individual preferences of men and forged in to a coherent set of standards for women to work towards.  (Economic forces also play an important role, of course, and are gendered in different ways.)

That consensus, in turn, need not correspond to the preferences of any individual man, even though it’s still (in a removed sense) ‘about’ male preference.  An individual woman can even sometimes find more success in the dating market by deliberately stepping away from traditional beauty standards and finding something closer to the actual preferences of (a subset of) the men around her, though that means sacrificing real and important status in other circles.  Because as power, the concept of beauty depends on the state of common knowledge among people on both sides of the gender dynamic as much as it does on the behaviors and preferences of men.  This is part of what allows beauty standards to vary so widely in time and place (that is, they’re arbitrary to some degree), but be so strong wherever they appear- it’s a Schelling point that women can use to communicate both to men and to other women that they have some degree of influence over others.  Thus, one of the many tragedies that heterosexual romance has to navigate.  To achieve beauty as power, women have to get closer to that Schelling point, even though being ‘beautiful’ in that sense may actually make it harder to find a good partner that you like.  Beauty means the competition is tougher, you’re locked out of considering the preferences of individual men you care about, you’re locked in to fairly oppressive standards that sand off many of your own best qualities because they’re too rare to be included in the consensus, and you’re now filtering for men who date women generically for social prestige rather than having intrinsic interest in you as an individual.  But no human can opt out of the power game entirely; the consequences of ostracism in a social species are lethal.

Also, the old joke about ‘Woman Upset that Men are Staring at her Breast Implants’ is, in this model, a perfectly rational set of behaviors on the face of it- you don’t need to invoke either dysphoria or hypocrisy.  The woman in question is not interested in actually provoking male behavior, she’s interested in communicating to others, often and especially other women, that she could if she wanted to.  She wants enough social power to feel safe, which is a basic and sensible primate drive.  It also demonstrates how this particular form of power both promotes and benefits from restrictive male gender roles, particularly as regards when and how to respond to women.  The more restrictive the roles, the safer it is to accumulate power without being exposed to undue risk of unwanted (or unsanctioned?) male agency, and in turn the more power will be leveraged by beauty as a force.  Feedback loops.  Depending on the specifics of culture and local social networks, it’s quite possible for an individual woman to experience the benefits of beauty primarily as higher prestige in her interactions with heterosexual women, and for the dynamic between herself and men as a group to skew more and more negative as she achieves beauty, without beauty itself being net-negative.

(Aside: notice how increasingly restrictive standards of sexual decorum in men in the 21st century correspond to a leveling-off of female workforce participation rates.  Libertine attitudes from the 60’s through the 90’s correlate with an expansion of economic power among women as an alternative to gendered beauty.)

One of the reasons that I like this model is that it’s written in the same alphabet as displays of traditional (i.e. political, military) power within formal hierarchies, displays of wealth, or even physical prowess- using this framework, beauty, wealth, and hierarchical power are all measured roughly by the number of people that will do what you ask them to.  It makes sense that there would be commonalities between them, such as elements of a seemingly counterproductive red queen race, or brinksmanship in which neither side wants to actually deploy their power.  

The differences are also real, and significant- because of the intrinsic dynamics of heterosexuality, beauty-as-a-face-of-power is ‘flat’, without tesselating hierarchies, and it doesn’t scale up indefinitely.  This gives it a more limited scope than being a CEO or a president with control over employees, and a much more limited scope than you get through wealth in a tangled economic system.  It also means that beauty is much less winner-take-all, meaning that almost all women benefit at the margins from pursuing beauty.  It also peaks early and then degenerates over time.  All these together in a dynamic mix I think help explain a lot of the complicated relationships that many women have with their physical appearance.

For example, this model makes it pretty easy to talk about why both women and men would be averse to a woman asking a guy out, even in This, The 21th Century- a woman who takes the initiative is in a sense forfeiting a game in which women demonstrate how powerful they are, and making herself less interesting at the margins during a stage of courtship where nobody has much information about the other party.

It also, I think, makes a lot of the old Incel discourse more legible, though it’s probably wiser to leave that particular one as an exercise for the reader.  And it’s worth noting also that physical strength shares a surprising symmetry with female attractiveness in this sense, even if explicitly leveraging the social power of physical intimidation is taboo in a lot of modern urban cultures.

Anyway, it’s a good little model.  Like all models, it’s wrong, but I think the epicycles here are modest and it's a useful way to interrogate a wide variety of phenomena.

[red-umbrella-811]

Okay, so I wrote this on reddit to a depression doomer, but I want someone who might have an iota of openness to considering it to read it, so I'm posting it here. I assume there will be doomers here too, because depression is depressing. All of these things are things that I've tried, and all of them are things that have made my life better than it was before. All of them I have started in an incredibly janky way and they've still helped. If anyone is interested (or I receive the same combination of depression-based hostility and intense focus), I'll make separate posts on how to actually do the thing.

Things that might make a person's depression improve that don't involved going to a therapist:

Aerobic exercise 4x/week

Membership in a community/close relationships/human touch/human interaction. I'm bundling these together, because in a practical sense, you're making about the same decisions yourself, and the interactions with other people will follow. I recommend finding a "Third Place," such as a sports league or dance community (see exercise), game/knitting/metaphysical store, bar, cafe, meetup group, adult learning class, regular volunteering gig, music venue, RPG group, book club, brunch group...you get the idea. The best ones are open to the public if you're socially isolated or looking to date, because you'll meet a greater variety of people, but anywhere where the same amorphous or literal group of people shows up at a place and time will help you build relationships.

Omega 3 Fatty acids, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-complex, Magnesium: I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. They might give you energy and run your body more smoothly.

St. John's Wort: I'm giving this its own thing because the above are supplements that the body gets in its diet, this is a drug™, but you can purchase it over the counter. It inhibits the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, for which there is some evidence that it helps depression on a chemical level. It has mad drug interactions and PLEASE do your research before taking it.

A lot of things in the cognitive behavioral therapy realm. Gratitude practices, affirmations, I'm sure there are CBT workbooks for depression that one could find. The idea is to reframe your thoughts to make sure they are a) true and b) priming you to feel emotions and take actions that will make your life suck less.

Going outside. Living in a suboptimal space is depressing, and so many of us do it. We do better when we see and hear trees. We do better when we see and feel the sun. We process things when our brains run electricity back and forth between the two sides, as happens when walking (drumming is also good for this, or bilateral stimulation from something else).

Accomplish things. I know. This, even more than the many difficult things I've listed, probably feels impossible, but I'm writing it anyway, because it really does help. If you have small tasks you've been putting off, try and get one done. Break up big tasks into accomplishable steps. Not like "Clean the house" to "Clean the bathroom," like "Clean the house" to "throw all the trash on the couch in the trash can" or "get out all the products to clean the bathroom" (the second kind doesn't vibe with me but some people like it)

You'll notice none of this is going to fix the world, except for the shitty little corner the person doing it is sitting in. That's the point. There is so much wrong with the world, and it asks a lot of us to fix it: our labor, yes, and also our joy. And also, our ability to get out of bed in the morning, our ability to send emails, our ability to check in on each other, our ability to keep ourselves out of entanglements with the state and other institutions. I'm not saying this because it's fair, I'm saying it because it's the way out I see in front of us.

[clever-and-unique-name]

Oh. Something in me is snarling and snapping. Okay.

Sorry, most of you aren't going to have a lot of context for this because it would take far too long to explain and these feelings are melting my brain. The short story is I made a discord server 4 years ago for friends with OSDDID and just left it yesterday.

I still have a couple friends there still. So I've been kept abreast of the conversations that happened in the wake of me leaving. Because nothing can ever be discussed openly, to the face of who it's about, right? That's a big part of why I left in the first place.

So, some things, to recap, mostly for my sanity. Sorry, this is going to get extremely long, because I want to say all I need to say.

Initially, I made the server to foster a small, intimate community of people with OSDDID. One of those people is someone who groomed me as a teenager.

Over time, some of the people there helped me realize I was in a toxic relationship with that person. When things finally came to a head and that person left the server (2? years ago?), I was...very not okay. But I had people there supporting me through it, and we got closer through the fallout. I am genuinely thankful for their support through it. It would have been exponentially more rough without them.

Time passed. I went from being unemployed to working full time. I had less time to spend socializing online, partially due to the strict divide between our work-parts and home-parts. I began to neglect my friendships, and though we tried--god, we really did try--we just couldn't figure out how to talk more than maybe once a week, when the right alignment of parts were out to be Home and Social in the way we felt we needed to be. And it just dwindled from there.

At some point around there, I started talking to B. We bonded over our shared love of art and character creation. She was welcoming to all of my parts, insisted on talking to anyone who was present. A novelty for me, to be individually recognized and not have to hide anyone. She got me on my stressful days and rough nights--vulnerable times I didn't feel I could share with people previously. We have talked every day for two years.

Resentment began to grow from the people I'd previously been close to. Obviously...it hurts to be told that someone doesn't have space for you like they used to, while they're clearly engaging in a close and intimate friendship with another person. I tried to reassure that I still cared about people, and tried to reach out when I could, but it kept cropping up with different people in the server: you don't care about me anymore, we're clearly not friends anymore, well you can make room for her so why not me. It was almost like clockwork for a bit, once a month someone new would step forward and I would try to put out the fire again.

(The thing is, every single one of these people expressed that they completely understood and sympathized/empathized with my limited social ability. They insisted that our level of contact was fine, until it apparently wasn't and they confronted me about it. So as I was having a conversation with one person with them saying "No it's totally okay that we don't talk much, I still love and care about you sooo much!", I was fielding a convo from a different person who had said the same thing to me weeks/months ago, talking about how I had actually been horribly neglecting them and that we weren't friends anymore.)

Then around a year ago, that person I mentioned, the one I knew as a teenager, created a new account to bypass my blocks, and reached out to me again. Trying to "apologize" for something, the subject of which had me questioning if someone I knew was tipping them off to things I was processing semi-privately. Right at the crescendo of all the other social issues.

Lit match. Powder keg. Boom.

I withdrew hard. From absolutely everyone but B. I didn't know who to trust with their reassurances of "we're totally okay, love and care about you!" I didn't know who harbored resentments. I knew, from past experiences, that there were people in the server prone to gossiping with each other, and I had stepped on their toes by pulling away from them. I mean. That's how we had bonded in the first place--by us privately talking about the person I knew, among others. You know what they say about bad karma.

I all but disappeared from the server, owner in name only. I fought the urge to delete it, and instead promoted others to mods so I could further remove myself. Every time I attempted to talk there, I was overwhelmed with anxiety to the point of physical illness. I tried to convince myself that it was all in my head, that I was just having attachment trauma, that I could sit with my discomfort and everything would be fine. More and more, it felt like the only person I could truly trust to be emotionally attached to was B. Out of 20-odd people, 6 had heel-turned and told me I hurt them with my distance. I was just waiting on the rest to do the same. And waiting. And waiting.

And suddenly, a couple days ago, another server "friend" (I hesitate to call anyone that because it was impressed upon me, multiple times, that I was not being a friend to people) blocked me. I found out when I went to send them a meme and discovered I couldn't. I thought I was used to it, I thought I couldn't be blindsided anymore. But it had been a while since it had happened; I thought everyone who had a limit with me had reached it.

I checked our convo history. Yet again: us talking about how much we understood each other, how we're both prone to isolation, how we still cared about each other.

Upset, I told B, who was also friends with them. Who immediately found out she was blocked too.

So we both decided to leave the server. We announced it yesterday afternoon, and hung around to talk a bit, wanting to leave as little confusion as possible without outright calling anyone out. We knew there were people there who didn't know about any of this going on (I'm so sorry for all the drama that's been dumped on your feet, guys.) We also knew there were people there who had been talking about all this behind our backs--we just didn't know how many. Again, the suspicion and speculation and "when will it happen again" was really what was eating us alive.

We left amicably. And then as soon as the doors were closed, of course people stepped forward to talk about how I had just stopped caring about them to focus on B instead. As if it was that simple. As if they had stopped at any point to talk to me about it (and the ones who did vehemently denied that it was an issue of comparing our friendship to mine with B.)

Caring was never the issue. I cared about people until they blocked me, or outright told me I wasn't a friend to them anymore. I kept caring about people, against my fears that it would end like that again, because it's just my nature to care. But caring in silence doesn't feel like much of anything, does it? I know that. I'm sorry for the way I've made people feel from that. But connection is a two-way street--where the hell were you? B has talked to me every day for two years. When someone talks, I respond. If you wanted me there, where the hell were you?

[bambiraptorx]

Back in this poll I did, Wall of Handprints and gargoyle lore tied for an infodump. The Wall of Handprints info is here (it's basically a communal art piece in the Hidden City that's been continued for several centuries), now on to the gargoyle lore. (Gonna be completely honest, I forgot which of the seven different phone documents I use for writing fic stuff I originally wrote this in, so it took a while to find.)

Huginn and Muninn's species (which I've named pygmy gargoyles due to the fact that all other gargoyles we see are HUGE compared to them) live in large groups, called warrens or hives, usually anywhere between 50-200 members. As a species they reproduce asexually, basically through enchanting rocks to create a sentient lifeform, not unlike a homunculus. In fact, certain parts of the scientific community argue that pygmy gargoyles should be considered homunculi, but since classification as homunculi would seriously mess up their legal status as something of an independent colony not directly governed by the Council of Heads, most pygmy gargoyles don't like the term.

Doing the enchantments to create new gargoyles is actually a very intensive and complicated process, usually involving the whole warren, because enchanting rocks to bring them to life takes a lot of mystic energy (and since gargoyles are maintained as living beings purely through mystic energy, they don't have much to spare). They tend to do these enchantments in batches for the sake of energy efficiency, so the vast majority of gargoyles are automatically born with same age peers that they call hatchmates. Usually these groups are of about 4-7 new goyles at once, but they occasionally are larger for warrens that do the enchantments less frequently (usually ones that have a larger population).

After the goyles are 'born', a small handful of adults will take responsibility for raising them (this is determined before the enchantment is started so that only gargoyles interested in becoming parents will become parents). You have easily three to six direct caretakers--parents--and the rest of the community steps in as needed, something like uncles/aunts, grandparents, or cousins. Gargoyles are not born able to fly, and not all of them develop that ability. For the most part, though, it's a marker of development similar to puberty that they develop around their adolescent years. As a result, gargoyle children are most often called walklings, then flightlings as they start learning how to fly and gradually get better at it.

Pygmy gargoyles, as a rule, address the adults most involved in their upbringing with parental terms, and other less involved adults with familial terms. However, the exact titles are up to the individual kids. One might call someone 'Mama' and one of their hatch mates might call that same person 'Aunt'. Also, it's not uncommon for a kid to switch the terms the use for a given caretaker, so someone might be "Dad" one day, and "Uncle" another. Again, there's no biological connection, so the exact title isn't super important, but more or less indicates a level of closeness.

When gargoyles reach adulthood, they have a coming-of-age ceremony where they pick a new name for themselves. Hatchmates do not always have this ceremony together, as 'adulthood' is defined fairly nebulously based on several factors (flying strength/skill, educational level, social skills, etc), and in fact it's more common for them to have individual ceremonies over the course of several months or years. This ceremony is usually attended by a gargoyle's parents, hatchmates, and close friends. Huginn and Muninn had theirs together, so they picked matching names.

Some random facts: as inorganic beings, gargoyles don't have all the needs as organic ones. Yes, they can eat, but they don't need to. They also aren't capable of truly sleeping; it's more like napping, zoning out, or purposely ignoring the world around them. Most of them have a very good sense of direction (usually as a result of some magnetic material like magnetite or hematite being included during their creation). Also, they do have their own flight-based language, but this post is already massive so I won't go into that right now.

[ameliasstories]

Mars Chapter 7

“You’ve been around even less than I have and I’m actually in active combat,” Wolffe snapped finally. Cody could remember all too well what had started the argument between them. It was a near constant thing on their calls by now. One of them would indirectly accuse Fox of not visiting when they were on Coruscant, or not calling in at all and Fox would respond in turn with scathing remarks. For most of them, communication was sparse nowadays. The only reason they managed to call once a week at all was because Cody had applied for a check-in between their commanders regularly. Creating encrypted lines for open communication between Commanders, especially those off on assignment, was a difficult process requiring permission from someone high ranking than a Cody was, someone who wasn’t just a clone. But Cody had been prepared to fight tooth and nail for it. General Kenobi had signed off on it without batting an eye.

“You have no idea what it’s like here,” Fox was snapped right back at his brother, and Cody wished he could just leave. A few months ago he was always excited for his call with his batch. Even the General noticed, and had taken, at some point, to teasing him good-naturedly about it. In return, he poked fun at the near imperceptible skip in his step whenever their leave happened to coincide with General Skywalker and Commander Tano’s. But now the whole process was becoming tedious. He loved his batch, truly, but he loved the crew of The Negotiator as well, and their peace was usually undisturbed.

He’d been in a similarly good mood today, the broad grin on his face fading into a more concentrated one as he began working earlier that day, pursing his lips. Though the task of painting his new armor had required his full attention, it did not dampen the content radiating from him. Cody had been torn between leaving and staying once the time for his call had creeped closer and closer. But he refused to miss an appointment, even if it was usually more of a social call than not. He missed his batch and wanted to know that they were okay. Even if it caused the General to make those sad eyes at him, curved downwards with his brows. 

Their fight had faded into background noise to Cody, who was debating whether to just call it quits. Gree had gotten involved as well, trying to quell both sides, though he was struggling without the support of Bly, who was busy, and Cody, who’d entirely checked out.

“And look at Cody!” He snapped back into focus at the mention of his name from Fox. “His High General can’t do much of anything. They’re woefully incompetent and so light-hearted about it.”

Cody’s expression pulled into a frown instantly. “They’ve also been forced into this war, Fox.”

“No, they’re just here because their holier-than-thou attitude wouldn’t let them stay out of it!” Though the noise was not picked up by the projector, Fox had slammed his helmet down on the table, eyes narrowed with anger.

He’d pushed it too far this time, and Cody was already in a bad mood. There were few points to hit that would make Cody lash out. The General’s abilities were one of them, apparently. 

But it wasn’t enough to goad him into a fight with his brother. 

“We’re done here,” he declared instead and turned off his holoprojector.

Usually, Bly, Cody, and Gree managed to wrangle them back into order. Most times, that meant chewing them out for a minute and then changing the subject. Sometimes, it meant removing them from the call for a few minutes to let them both calm down. 

They had all changed so much. Bly, though still desperately in love with his General, felt more subdued now, less prone to outbursts of emotion whether joyous or sad or upset. Cody had met Aayla Secura briefly some time ago, and taken the opportunity to grill General Kenobi about her. Discreetly. Giving the shovel talk to a Jedi was both incredibly stupid and counterintuitive, but he could still dig up what information he could find. And by all accounts, she was wonderful. 

“She’s quite taken with her Commander too,” General Kenobi’s eyes had near twinkled, scrunching together at the edges with a mixture of mischief and mirth. “One smypathizes.” 

Cody had nearly missed the next step of the stairs while focused on his expression, his heel slipping off uncomfortably. “Careful there,” General Kenobi laughed, “you don’t know your way around here like I do.”

“It’s not that I don’t know my way around,” Cody grumbled, a tinge of red on his cheeks thankfully hidden by his helmet. “Your Force lets you see everything, it’s an unfair advantage.”

The General’s expression faltered a moment, the smile slipping from his face. Instead, his brows pulled together and upwards and his gaze shifted downward. “Not everything, dear.” Cody had immediately regretted bring up the Force. The General shook himself out of the mood quickly, moving on to show him the fountains and botanical gardens of the Temple. But the feeling stuck with him, the urge to pull that expression off his face and back into what it had been. 

Bly had moaned at them often, early on, about how amazing General Secura was. He didn’t say “and I’m not” but they all heard it. Now, he didn’t talk about it much, though anybody working with them could still see it plainly on his face. Gree had spent an entire post-mission debrief slyly jabbing at Bly’s infatuation as he became redder and redder until he finally shoved his bucket back on in defeat. 

The stresses of Command were getting to Fox more than any of them had thought they would. He was lovingly dubbed their youngest brother. Though he was faster on his feet than most of the other cadets, he was slowest out of the command batch. And he had been naive to boot, bright eyed and shiny and ignorant of everything Cody struggled to reconcile, especially about the Jedi. Each of them were protective of him, but there was little they could do to actually shield him. He should have been prepared, as each of them were. Stressed, yes, but not overwhelmed. 

Cody had a bad feeling something more was going on. But there was no one for him to turn to with his concerns for him.

-

much love to my incredible and patient beta @cassie-isms

[houstongolflesson1]

Private vs. Group Golf Lessons in Houston: Which to Choose?

Whether you're a seasoned golfer looking to refine your swing or a beginner stepping onto the green for the first time, the question of whether to take private or group golf lessons is a common one. At Houston Golf Lesson, we understand that the decision ultimately depends on your goals, budget, and learning style. Both private and group lessons have their distinct advantages, and finding the right fit can help you get the most out of your golfing experience. In this post, we'll break down the key differences between private and group lessons, so you can make an informed decision and start improving your game today.

1. What to Expect from Private Golf Lessons

Private golf lessons in Houston offer one-on-one coaching with a certified instructor. In this format, you'll receive the undivided attention of your coach, who can tailor each lesson to your specific needs and skill level. This personalized approach can be especially beneficial if you're looking to make rapid progress or address specific areas of your game.

Advantages of Private Golf Lessons:

Tailored Instruction: The most significant advantage of private lessons is the ability to customize your instruction. Your instructor can analyze your swing, stance, and technique in detail, providing you with feedback and drills that target your weaknesses. Whether you’re struggling with your driver, short game, or putting, the coach can pinpoint exactly what needs improvement.

Faster Progression: Because you’re receiving individualized attention, private lessons tend to accelerate your learning process. Your instructor can give you clear, focused guidance that directly addresses your goals, helping you build confidence and skill quickly.

Flexible Scheduling: Private lessons often offer more flexibility in scheduling. You can choose times that work best for you, and there is generally less wait time between lessons compared to group lessons.

No Distractions: With private lessons, you’re the sole focus of your instructor’s attention. This can create a more immersive learning experience and reduce distractions from other students. If you feel self-conscious or overwhelmed in a group setting, private lessons may be a more comfortable option.

Increased Accountability: With only yourself to answer to, private lessons often foster a stronger sense of accountability. You’re more likely to show up prepared, practice diligently, and stick to your improvement plan when you have a dedicated coach monitoring your progress.

Considerations for Private Lessons:

While private golf lessons in Houston offer numerous benefits, they come with a higher cost compared to group lessons. Additionally, they can sometimes feel more intense due to the one-on-one nature of the interaction, which may not be ideal for everyone, especially beginners who might benefit from a more relaxed, social atmosphere.

2. What to Expect from Group Golf Lessons

Group golf lessons involve learning alongside other students, typically in a small class setting with a coach overseeing the entire group. Group lessons provide the opportunity to interact with fellow golfers, learn from others, and enjoy a more social, community-oriented experience.

Advantages of Group Golf Lessons:

Cost-Effective: One of the most significant advantages of group lessons is the price. Since you’re sharing the instructor’s time with other students, the cost per lesson is typically much lower than that of private lessons. This can make group lessons an attractive option for those on a budget or those who want to take more frequent lessons without breaking the bank.

Social Interaction: If you enjoy a more social learning environment, group lessons are an excellent option. You’ll be able to meet new people, exchange tips, and motivate each other as you progress. Many golfers enjoy the camaraderie of learning alongside others who are at similar skill levels.

Diverse Learning Styles: In a group setting, you have the opportunity to observe how others approach the game. Watching fellow students and learning from their successes and mistakes can help you better understand the techniques being taught and provide additional insights you may not have considered.

Competition and Motivation: The group setting can also provide healthy competition. Being around others who are striving to improve their skills can inspire you to push harder and stay motivated. It’s also a great way to get feedback from multiple perspectives.

Flexible Class Times: Group lessons are typically offered at various times throughout the week, which provides a level of flexibility. Many facilities offer both daytime and evening options, making it easier to find a time that fits into your schedule.

Considerations for Group Lessons:

Less Personalized Instruction: One of the primary drawbacks of group lessons is the lack of individualized attention. While the instructor will provide general guidance, they may not have enough time to focus on each student’s unique needs. If you have specific areas of your game that need improvement, group lessons may not offer the level of detailed attention you require.

Pacing: In a group setting, the lesson will move at the pace of the group as a whole, which might not be ideal for every student. If you progress quickly, you may feel the lessons are too slow, while if you need more time to master a skill, you might struggle to keep up.

Distractions: While the social aspect of group lessons can be a lot of fun, it can also lead to distractions. You may find yourself paying more attention to what others are doing rather than focusing solely on your own game. If you're someone who prefers a quiet, distraction-free environment, group lessons may not be the best fit.

3. Which Option Is Right for You?

Choosing between private and group golf lessons depends on several factors, including your learning style, budget, and goals. Here's a quick breakdown of which option might be right for you:

Choose Private Lessons If:

You want personalized instruction tailored to your specific needs.

You have specific areas of your game you need to improve (e.g., putting, driving, or short game).

You prefer one-on-one attention from your instructor.

You have a flexible schedule and can invest in the cost of private lessons.

You’re looking for faster progression and more focused feedback.

Choose Group Lessons If:

You’re looking for a more affordable option.

You enjoy a social, community-oriented learning experience.

You prefer learning in a group setting with others of similar skill levels.

You don’t mind a slower pace or sharing the instructor’s attention with others.

You’re looking to supplement your practice with occasional lessons rather than intensive coaching.

4. Hybrid Option: Combining Private and Group Lessons

For some golfers, a hybrid approach can be the perfect solution. You might choose to start with a few private lessons to work on key areas of your game and then transition into group lessons to continue practicing and improving while benefiting from the social aspect. This combination allows you to get personalized coaching in the beginning and then enjoy the camaraderie and motivation of a group setting as you progress.

Conclusion

At Houston Golf Lesson, we’re committed to helping golfers of all skill levels improve their game. Whether you choose private or group lessons, the most important thing is that you’re actively working on your skills and enjoying the process. Both formats have their strengths, and the choice ultimately depends on your individual preferences, goals, and budget.

If you’re unsure which option is best for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team. We’d be happy to discuss your needs and recommend the ideal lesson plan to help you achieve your golfing goals.

#golf lessons in Houston #houston golf lessons #golf lessons Houston

[psquarecompany]

Bespoke Business Software Company in Dubai: A Game-Changer for Efficiency and Growth

In today’s fast-paced and highly competitive business environment, companies in Dubai are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance efficiency, improve operations, and stay ahead of their competition. One of the most effective solutions they’ve found is Bespoke Business Software. Unlike off-the-shelf software, bespoke software is tailor-made to meet the specific needs of a business, offering a personalized approach to operational challenges and growth opportunities.

Why Choose Bespoke Business Software?

Bespoke Business Software has gained significant traction in Dubai because it is designed to address the unique needs of individual companies. Whether a business is in real estate, logistics, finance, or hospitality, this type of software ensures that processes are optimized, workflows are streamlined, and overall efficiency is maximized.

The growing demand for bespoke solutions is not surprising when considering the benefits they provide:

Tailored to Unique Business Needs: Every business operates differently, with its own set of challenges, objectives, and processes. Generic software often fails to address these unique requirements, offering solutions that are too broad or overly complex. In contrast, bespoke software is developed with a company’s specific needs in mind, ensuring a perfect fit with existing operations. This means the software can simplify day-to-day tasks and solve problems that are particular to a business’s industry and structure.

Increased Productivity: Bespoke software is designed to eliminate unnecessary steps in business processes, reducing the time spent on routine tasks. By automating repetitive operations and integrating systems seamlessly, companies can significantly improve productivity. This efficiency boost allows employees to focus on more strategic and value-adding tasks, which is particularly important for growing companies in a bustling market like Dubai.

Scalability: One of the key advantages of Bespoke Business Software is its ability to grow alongside the business. As a company expands, its software needs will evolve, and bespoke solutions are built with this in mind. Features can be added or modified as needed, ensuring that the software remains relevant and functional no matter how large or complex the business becomes.

Enhanced Data Security: In today’s digital age, businesses must prioritize data security. Off-the-shelf software can often be more vulnerable to security breaches due to its widespread use and generic nature. Bespoke software, however, is built with a company’s specific security requirements in mind, providing a higher level of protection against potential threats. In addition, because the software is unique, it is less likely to be targeted by hackers.

The Importance of Custom Solutions for Dubai’s Diverse Business Landscape

Dubai is home to a wide variety of industries, each with its own set of operational requirements. This diversity makes Bespoke Business Software an essential tool for businesses looking to thrive in this competitive market. From multinational corporations to local startups, companies across Dubai are leveraging custom software solutions to enhance their efficiency and streamline their operations.

For example, a logistics company in Dubai may need software that integrates real-time tracking of shipments with inventory management. A real estate firm, on the other hand, might require a solution that enables seamless communication between agents, clients, and property managers. Whatever the industry, bespoke software ensures that a company’s unique needs are met with precision.

Psquare Company: Leading the Way in Bespoke Business Software

One of the most prominent players in the Dubai market is Psquare Company, known for its innovative approach to developing bespoke software solutions. Psquare Company understands the intricacies of Dubai’s business landscape and works closely with each client to deliver software that is not only efficient but also scalable and secure. Their ability to provide custom solutions for a wide range of industries has made them a trusted partner for businesses looking to optimize their operations.

Future-Proofing Businesses with Bespoke Software

As Dubai continues to grow as a global business hub, companies need to ensure they are equipped with the right tools to stay competitive. Bespoke Business Software offers businesses the flexibility, efficiency, and security needed to thrive in this dynamic market. With custom solutions designed specifically for their needs, companies can future-proof their operations, allowing them to adapt to changes in the market and continue their upward trajectory.

In the long run, investing in bespoke software is not just about improving efficiency—it’s about laying the foundation for sustained growth and success. With the ability to scale, enhance security, and provide tailored solutions, businesses that adopt bespoke software are positioning themselves for long-term competitiveness.

Conclusion

In summary, adopting Bespoke Business Software is a transformative decision for businesses in Dubai, offering long-term benefits beyond immediate operational improvements. Tailored software helps streamline processes, enhance productivity, and reduce inefficiencies while providing strengthened data security to protect sensitive information and ensure regulatory compliance. As businesses grow and evolve, the flexibility and scalability of bespoke solutions become even more crucial, allowing companies to adapt to changing market conditions and technological advancements. By investing in bespoke software, businesses are not only optimizing for the present but also laying a solid foundation for sustained growth, innovation, and competitive advantage in a dynamic business landscape.

[startmyhome]

Exploring Flexible Homeownership: Rent to Own and Seller Financing Solutions in Florida and Texas

Rent to Own Homes: A Flexible Pathway to Homeownership

In states like Florida, finding the right home might not always mean securing a mortgage immediately. Many potential buyers are turning to rent to own homes in Florida as a smart way to bridge the gap between renting and buying. With these agreements, a portion of your monthly rent is typically allocated toward the future purchase of the home. This provides renters with the opportunity to build equity, all while living in the rent to own homes in Florida they intend to own.

How Rent to Own Works:

In Florida, this is particularly valuable as the real estate market can fluctuate. Buyers benefit from the flexibility to live in the home and decide whether it’s the right long-term choice before making a full financial commitment.

Seller Financing: An Alternative to Traditional Mortgages

This is a popular option for those looking to avoid the stringent requirements set by mortgage companies. It’s also appealing because the terms can often be negotiated directly between buyer and seller, allowing for more flexible payment plans and interest rates.

Benefits of Seller Financing:

Rent to Own Homes in Texas: A Smart Homeownership Option

For many potential buyers, rent to own homes Texas offer a way to step into homeownership gradually. This is ideal for individuals who may not have the credit score or down payment required by traditional lenders but still want to purchase a home. Through these agreements, tenants live in a property with the option (but not the obligation) to buy it at the end of the lease term.

The ability to lock in a price when signing the contract, combined with the chance to save for a down payment, makes this a highly attractive option for many. The Texas real estate market, known for its variety of affordable homes, is a perfect place to explore rent-to-own opportunities.

What You Need to Know About Rent to Own Programs:

This method is particularly helpful for those who may be working on improving their credit score or saving for a larger down payment.

Seller Financing Properties for Sale: A Simple Buying Process

When looking for homes, seller financing properties for sale offer buyers an alternative to the traditional financing process. These properties bypass banks and lenders entirely, allowing buyers and sellers to negotiate terms directly. This can often lead to more personalized payment plans, quicker closings, and less stringent credit requirements.

The Advantages of Buying with Seller Financing:

Many homes for sale with seller financing are also listed at competitive prices, making this an ideal option for those looking to invest in property without jumping through the hoops of conventional lenders.

Finding Rent to Own Home Deals Near Me

If you’re searching for rent to own home deals near me, you’re likely to find many appealing options in both Florida and Texas. These deals not only provide flexibility but also offer the opportunity to secure a home without the immediate need for a mortgage. Whether you are located in an urban area or prefer a suburban community, rent-to-own deals are becoming more common and can be a practical solution for many potential homeowners.

Key Benefits of Rent to Own Deals:

Affordability: Rent to own deals can be more affordable upfront compared to traditional home purchases.

Test Before You Buy: This arrangement allows you to live in the property before making a long-term commitment, giving you time to assess the home’s condition and suitability.

Build Financial Stability: Rent to own options provide the chance to save for a down payment while locking in a purchase price, which is particularly useful in fluctuating markets like those in Florida and Texas.

Conclusion: Unlocking Your Path to Homeownership

Whether you’re interested in rent to own homes or exploring seller financing options, these alternatives provide flexibility and more accessible paths to homeownership. In both Florida and Texas, where housing markets can be competitive, these options allow individuals to work around traditional barriers like poor credit or lack of a down payment.

Choosing between rent to own homes in Texas, seller financing properties for sale, or other flexible home-buying programs depends on your personal circumstances. Both approaches offer unique benefits, such as building equity while renting or negotiating directly with a seller, making the journey to homeownership smoother for many.

[acrossplumbingau]

7 Reasons Why Water Sub-metering is Important for Townhouses

Water management is a crucial aspect of modern living, especially in shared residential spaces like townhouses. As environmental concerns like blocked drains Newcastle continue to rise and the cost of utilities increases, the need for efficient water use becomes ever more pressing. In such environments, water sub-metering presents a practical solution that benefits not only individual residents but also the broader community.

Water sub-metering, a system where individual units in a townhouse complex have their own water metres, has gained popularity for its ability to provide precise water usage data per household. This system contrasts with the traditional method of having a single metre for the entire complex, where water usage is divided equally among residents regardless of their actual consumption. Such a blanket approach often leads to unfair billing and wasteful water practices, prompting many property managers and owners to consider the advantages of sub-metering.

This guide explores some of the compelling reasons why water sub-metering is not just a modern convenience but a necessity for townhouse residents.

Fair Billing

One of the most significant benefits of water sub-metering is fair billing. Without sub-metering, all residents in a townhouse complex typically share the total water bill, often divided equally. This method can lead to disputes, as some households may use significantly more or less water than others. Water sub-metering ensures that each household pays only for the water they use, eliminating the inequities of shared billing. This fairer system fosters better relationships among neighbours, as there is less room for conflict over water consumption and costs.

Encourages Water Conservation

When residents are individually accountable for their water usage, they are more likely to adopt water-saving habits. Water sub-metering serves as a powerful motivator for conservation because it provides a direct link between usage and cost. Residents who might otherwise be indifferent to their water consumption patterns are more likely to take steps to reduce their water usage when they see how it affects their utility bill.

Detects Leaks and Prevents Water Waste

Water sub-metering allows for the early detection of leaks within individual units. In a shared billing system, a leak in one unit can go unnoticed for extended periods, leading to substantial water waste and high bills that affect all residents. With sub-metering, unusually high water usage in a specific unit can be quickly identified, alerting the resident and property management to a potential leak.

Enhances Property Value

Installing a water sub-metering system can enhance the market value of a townhouse property. Prospective buyers are increasingly aware of the importance of utility management in their purchasing decisions. A property equipped with sub-metering is likely to be viewed as more modern and efficient, appealing to environmentally conscious buyers who value sustainable living practices.

Reduces Financial Risk for Property Owners

For property owners and managers, water sub-metering reduces the financial risks associated with water billing. When water costs are divided equally among residents, any disputes or unpaid bills can become a complex issue to resolve, potentially leading to financial losses. Sub-metering simplifies the billing process by making each resident responsible for their own water usage, thereby reducing the likelihood of disputes.

Promotes Sustainability

Water sub-metering supports broader sustainability goals by encouraging responsible water usage. As environmental concerns become more prominent, many communities are seeking ways to reduce their ecological footprint. By promoting water conservation at the individual level, sub-metering contributes to the overall sustainability of a townhouse complex.

Improves Community Relations

Finally, water sub-metering can improve relations among residents in a townhouse complex. When everyone is accountable for their own water usage, there is less potential for conflict over shared bills and resources. Clear, individualised billing reduces misunderstandings and ensures that each resident is treated fairly.

Water sub-metering is not just a technological upgrade; it is a practical solution that addresses the growing need for fairness, sustainability, and financial accountability in townhouse living. As utility costs rise and environmental concerns deepen, the ability to monitor and manage water usage at the individual level becomes increasingly valuable. Sub-metering empowers residents to take control of their water consumption, leading to more equitable billing and a more sustainable lifestyle.

For property owners, sub-metering reduces financial risks and enhances property value, making it a worthwhile investment. Moreover, the system promotes better community relations by ensuring that everyone pays their fair share for the water they use. In a world where resource management is becoming ever more critical, water sub-metering offers a clear path to a more efficient and harmonious way of living. Implementing sub-metering in townhouse complexes is a step towards a more responsible and sustainable future.

[tutorial-in-study]

Revealing the Nature of Full-Stack Programming: Converging Frontend and Backend Development Domains

Within the dynamic field of software engineering, the phrase "full-stack development" has gained significant traction. It includes all of the extensive skill set needed to create web applications' front-end and back-end parts. Full-stack developers are the Swiss Army knives of the IT industry; they can handle every step of the development process and are skilled in a wide range of technologies.

Comprehending Full-Stack Development

The fundamental component of full-stack development is the ability to work with both frontend and backend technologies. The user-facing portion of a programme, where users interact with the interface, is referred to as the frontend. Using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, this entails creating aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly designs. To improve functionality and user experience, frameworks and libraries like React, Angular, or Vue.js are frequently used. The backend, on the other hand, is responsible for managing business logic, data retrieval, and storage on the server-side of the programme. Working with server-side languages like Node.js, Python, Ruby, or Java in conjunction with frameworks like Express, Django, or Flask is known as backend development. Additionally, efficient data management requires familiarity with databases like SQL, MongoDB, or Firebase.

Full-Stack Developers' Role 

Development teams rely heavily on full-stack engineers since they can easily switch between front-end and back-end duties. They can comprehend every aspect of the software stack, from database administration to user interface design, thanks to their adaptability. This all-encompassing method encourages teamwork and expedites the development process because full-stack engineers are able to interact with frontend and backend experts with ease. In addition, full-stack developers have a wider viewpoint that enables them to see the application as a whole instead of concentrating just on its individual parts. This all-encompassing approach is crucial for creating coherent designs and maximizing performance throughout the stack.

Benefits of Full-Stack Development 

Efficiency:-Development cycles are accelerated by having a single developer that is skilled in both frontend and backend technologies. Full-stack engineers can work independently on projects at any level of the stack, removing bottlenecks and dependencies. 

Flexibility:-As project requirements change, full-stack developers can easily transition between frontend and backend duties. With their limited resources, start-ups and small teams can benefit greatly from this flexibility.

 Expense-effectiveness:-It may be less expensive to hire full-stack developers than to put together separate frontend and backend teams. This lowers the overhead related to interdepartmental team collaboration and communication.

Solving Problems:-Full-stack developers can identify and fix problems more quickly because they have a thorough understanding of the whole software stack. Problem-solving is sped up by their proficiency with front-end and back-end debugging and troubleshooting.

Obstacles and Things to Think About

Full-stack development has many advantages, but it also has drawbacks. Acquiring proficiency in numerous technologies necessitates commitment and continuous education to keep up with developments. Furthermore, in comparison to professionals, the depth of knowledge needed might occasionally result in a superficial grasp of particular technology. Furthermore, because technology is developing so quickly, full-stack engineers need to keep their skill set up to date in order to stay relevant. Maintaining expertise in frontend and backend development requires being up to date with new developments in the field as well as industry best practices.

The combination of frontend and backend development skills is best represented by full-stack development, which enables programmers to design comprehensive solutions that slickly combine functionality and user experience. The need for adaptable full-stack developers is expected to rise as technology advances. Adopting this diverse approach to software engineering promotes creativity, effectiveness, and adaptability in addressing the ever-changing needs of the digital world.

[shraddhamatre]

Tips to Clear the PSU Exam: Crucial Success Strategies

A steady career, competitive pay, and a host of other perks are offered by renowned government employment in India, which may be obtained through the Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) test. Every year, hundreds of applicants are drawn to PSU posts by its attractiveness, creating fierce competition. This blog will explore the fundamentals of the PSU test, including its importance, eligibility, methods for preparation, and advantages. Importance of PSU Examinations For professionals and engineering graduates looking for work in state-owned businesses, PSU examinations are essential. A vast array of job prospects are provided by PSUs like as National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), and many more. These businesses are essential to India's economy since they support industries including manufacturing, infrastructure, energy, and more.

Qualifications In order to take PSU examinations, applicants need to fulfill certain requirements for eligibility: Qualifications for Education: Usually, one needs a bachelor's degree in engineering (B.E. or B.Tech). The degree needs to be from an accredited university with a focus on related subjects including communication, electronics, mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering, among others. GATE Score: A lot of PSUs use the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) score as their main selection factor. Being invited for interviews and other selection procedures might be greatly increased with a high GATE score. Age Restrictions: The age restrictions varied for each PSU. In general, it is between 21 and 30 years old, while there are exceptions for PwD, SC, ST, OBC, and reserved groups.

Pattern of Exams and Procedure for Selection The following steps are often involved in the hiring process for PSU positions: Written Exam: While some PSUs use GATE results, others administer their own written exams. The written exam often consists of portions on general awareness, reasoning, and quantitative aptitude in addition to technical questions pertaining to the candidate's engineering subject. Discussion in Groups (GD): Applicants are invited to the GD round if they pass the written test or have a high GATE score. During this phase, the candidate's teamwork abilities, leadership potential, and communication skills are evaluated.

Personal Interview (PI): The last round involves interviewing applicants one-on-one to assess their technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and general disposition. Strategies for Preparation Recognize the syllabus: Examine the course syllabus and format in detail for the particular PSU you are interested in. Concentrate on the fundamentals and go over key ideas frequently. GATE Preparation: It's critical to study hard for this test because a lot of PSUs accept GATE results. To determine your level of preparedness, work through past years' papers, take practice exams, and use recognized textbooks.

Keep Up with: Stay up to date on current events; GD and PI rounds frequently touch on issues pertaining to the economy, energy industry, and technological breakthroughs. Time management: To increase accuracy and speed, practice answering questions in the allotted amount of time. During the exam, time management skills are essential. Practice papers and mock exams should be taken often in order to pinpoint your strengths and shortcomings. This boosts self-assurance and enhances performance in test situations.

Advantages of PSU Employment: When compared to private sector employment, PSU positions give the highest level of job stability. Attractive Salary: PSUs provide attractive wages along with a range of benefits and allowances, such as housing, medical care, and more. Work-Life Balance: Because PSU employees have set work hours and experience less job pressure, they frequently have a better work-life balance. Career Growth: Through training programs, promotions, and other professional development initiatives, there are many prospects for career progression. Social standing: Gaining a job at a reputable PSU raises one's standing and gives one a sense of pride and achievement.

To sum up, mastering the PSU test takes commitment, forethought, and persistent work. Aspirants may obtain a fulfilling career in the public sector and make a substantial contribution to the growth of the country while taking advantage of the many perks that come with working for a PSU with the correct preparation and approach.

Start Your Preparation With: https://gameacademy.in/ / https://clppenny.page.link/cTBm 

Recomended: https://www.youtube.com/@gblions / https://www.youtube.com/@gblionsaeje

[nakimkcapstone]

Final Reflection

What were your thoughts about your research topic going into the first week of the semester?

My research topic going into the first week fo the semester was very optimistic. At that point I had an idea on which AI software I wanted to use, and where exactly I wanted to use them. As weeks went on though, I began to realize both how many AI tools there were, as well as how tedious some of them would be to implement into the project. That is when I decided to take a step back and look at the most basic tools in the most simplistic and logical ways.

We are quite literally watching a technological boom happen all around us with AI. I always had the understanding from the beginning that AI is both a tool and a weapon, so its up to me to figure out how can I utilize them to further narratives or open different techniques to filming.

What are your thoughts now about your research topic and your project/practicum?

I now have a better understanding of how I can utilize these AI tools in future projects moving forward, but to get to the end of this presentable in one piece took a physical and even mental tax on me. During the project I had my doubts about getting to the end, wondered if I would make it in time with how stressful the production aspect of things were coming along.

Not only was the production very hellish and grueling, but I even had ideas towards the end of the semester what I could have done for a presentable instead of finalizing everything into one single short film.

One idea that crossed my mind about 75% of the way through production was that I could have provided multiple shorter separate presentables (under 5 minutes) that would utilize AI in different ways. For instance, one presentable could have shown AI being used to create a storyboard, and having a comparison between the storyboard and the final product. Another presentable could have revolved around style transfers and AI's ability to stylize footage. Essentially things that would be easier and way less stressful than the final product I churned out would be.

In the end though, I was happy with the presentable I did. I wish the results turned out better than I was hoping, but the project forced me to push myself, and allowed me to meet a few amazing people that I want to continue working with in the future on other amazing ideas.

What did you learn about yourself as a creative through this journey?

I knew how people felt about this topic of AI, and how touchy it might be for people within this community, but I found a lot of support from many local filmmakers moving forward. HFC was one place that had members who definitely added to the optimism. It taught me that I am never alone in these ideas and that this passion to ask questions, be curious, and experiment with new technology should be something that I continue to do. Regardless if people agree or disagree with me, I should continue to stay curious and passionate about the things I'm interested in, because somewhere out there lies a huge group of people who wonder the same.

What did you learn about the creative and production process?

The creative process was hard. While pre-production was a breeze, having to work around volunteers schedules and even sometimes crew schedules meant that in the end we only had a limited amount of days, and even then weather was not a consistent factor. It taught me that I need to level my ambitions for what the semester can handle.

What advice would you give new senior capstone students?

Make sure that when you are venturing in uncharted territories, if you decide to dive into something new for you, make sure you don't set your standards so high, or make sure that your goal is obtainable under proper conditions.

Where to now?

My goal is to always improve my craft. This project to me was an experiment and I have other things that I want to experiment on outside of the AI realm (like infrared, or Canon Magic Lantern software). But I do think that playing around with things like AI, and even doing the research before hand helps me to better understand the whole controversy behind it, and fully understand what makes it a valuable tool or a dangerous weapon.

[lovepark]

˗ˏˋ ★ # VAMPIRISM 001. classifications

vampires can be used to label anything “that subsists by feeding on the vital essence of the living”, which includes a wide-variety of creatures— supernatural or otherwise. but for the intents of this post, the main focus will be on the “modern” or “european” vampire, which can be classified into six categories as follow.

TURNED VAMPIRE: what comes to mind when you hear the term “vampire”. majority of the vampire population is considered a turned vampire, i.e. those who were previously human and transitioned to this state while dying. this specific class of vampires have a two step process to transitioning which requires being poisoned by vampire venom and then healed with vampire blood. venom is first administered into the system through a bite, much like a virus and brings the body to a the brink of death. then vampire blood is consumed to counteract it and immortalize the physical body. they are often exposed to excruciating bodily pains, hunger, sensory overload, heightened emotions, fevers, etc. and the entire process can last anywhere between a few hours to days with only about a 30% chance of survival. because the process results in more deaths than successes, turning a human into a vampire is highly discouraged by the community as a whole.

LICHOI: refers to vampires who have fed on the blood of the dead or another vampire, which cause them to be driven to insanity and become mindless, feral monsters. lichoi are said to have lost complex cognitive functions and are solely driven by bloodlust and hunger. they still retain their abilities as vampires (supernatural strength, speed, healing, etc.) but do not feel pain or fear, making them a threat to anyone who comes across them. it is best to kill a lichoi immediately when spotted.

PSYCHIC VAMPIRES: these are humans that have died but was brought back to life by any means. they resemble humans for the most part, however, may have extended lifespans and healing abilities that is dependent on the consumption of living energy/aura/emotions/etc instead of feeding on blood or flesh. while they are technically considered vampires since they feed on a vital essence of the living, the traditional vampires do not consider them to be of the same species as they do not possess the same extent of supernatural conditions as the other vampires and psychic vampires are turned away in vampire communities.

DHAMPIR: an extremely rare species that are a product of vampire and human procreation. with an estimated count of less than 50 recorded instances of dhampir births in vampire history, they are usually between a human female and vampire male and as a result of the offspring feeding off the mother throughout the pregnancy, she dies during labor. after birth, dhampirs are, for the most part, similar to ordinary human. small differences such as minor enhanced conditions may be displayed during childhood but not to an alarming degree. because they are born with the vampire gene, once a dhampir dies for the first time, they will resurrect with a physiology close to a vampire and stop aging. blood is not needed to survive but without it, they will be weak in comparison and food is generally unappetizing and unfulfilling. the usual vampire weaknesses do not affect them and they can only be killed by decapitation or extracting their heart from their body.

FULLBLOOD: an offspring between two vampires is viable― however, the chances are near impossible and there have been no known instances in history of ones existence which is why an official term hasn’t been coined yet. that being said, a “full-blooded” vampire would be more akin to angels than any other classification of the species. the pregnancy would be much longer than the standard humans’ of 40 weeks, easily exceeding a year instead. just like dhampir, an infant fullblood will feed on their mother for sustenance before tearing its way out of the womb, however, due to the mother’s regenerative healing and immortality as a vampire, she survives childbirth instead. from then, a fullblood offspring will age, though slower than the average human, until a ritual to the celestials, is performed. some form of consumption of human bodies is essential to their survival, even at after birth, whether it be purely by blood or the actual flesh. a fullblood vampire will find that they are far more satisfied if they feed on the flesh of a human, most specifically human heart. the ritual involves a sacrifice of a vampire (usually a parent) and a human, which must be done on a total solar eclipse. after the ritual is complete, the fullblood offspring will be blessed with the strengths that exceed a turned vampire as well as other unique special abilities due to the magic that created them, such as telekinesis or pyrokinesis. they're virtually indestructible, with no manmade weapon capable to physically harm or destroy them, making it nearly impossible for one to kill with brute force. they are, however, still cursed with the similar weaknesses of a turned vampire including pure iron, aspen wood and holy objects. these things will inflict some damage and discomfort, but will not kill a fullblood vampire. the only thing powerful enough to permanently destroy this species is exposure from direct sunlight.

THE ANCIENT ONES: the origins of the modern day vampire began around the same time as humans first establish civilizations. the first vampires are simply called “the ancient ones” and they had no connections to humans whatsoever. they possessed forms that were similar to their creators, the fallen angels, in appearance and abilities but were also able to become more passably human and hide in plain sight in order to survive. over time, and as more vampires were created using humans, the connection between vampires and their original creators weakened more and more until the became the vampires we know today. as for the ancient ones, they are still alive to this day. unlike vampires seen today, the ancient ones are completely immortal, meaning they cannot die by any means at all but can be weakened and even incapacitated for an extended amount of time. all vampires in existence can be traced back to one of the three, with each tree of connections called a "sire lines". it's believed that the ancient ones have a certain degree of influence over the vampires within their sire line due to an empathetic mind link that all sires share with their fledging, however, no one has seen or heard of this being used in millenniums.