#and form the foundations for /more/ nasty qualities

[angorwhosebabyisthis]

me vibrating about albert meta while having my second coffee of the day, to the tune of shots: thoughts, thoughts, thoughts thoughts thoughts thoughts

[29pageshomestuckeveryday]

Homestuck, page 2,244

Vriska: Answer white text guy.

Author commentary:

It's already evident that Doc Scratch has been manipulating circumstances to help this gruesome series of events unfold. He's always there at the right moment to nudge people in the direction of doing the nasty thing that, deep down, they already know they want to do. Like any self-respecting devil figure would. A couple pages ago, you might have noticed Terezi and Aradia alluding to his presence, when Tavros was in the process of jumping off the cliff. He asked them for help, but they didn't answer. The reason apparently was that Doc was distracting them, to ensure Vriska had the time to get the job done. It also seems likely he egged her on too, given what he's saying to her here. Maybe he'd been inflaming her contempt for Tavros leading up to that moment as well? Whispering things in her ear about what a loser he is, how he'll never become strong without her "help." He'd surely know just what buttons to push.

One reading of Doc is as a manipulative devil-creep in the model of many fictional characters who fit this description; he's a fairly recognizable and traditional presence in the story, when viewed that way. A less traditional reading centers on his role on a metatextual level, as a nefarious, all-knowing, profoundly evil alt-author presence. A guy who has the full powers of the author, who essentially IS the author with certain dark authorial impulses greatly exaggerated, while functioning as a character in the story who can speak to and influence other characters in support of an evil agenda. (That is, the summoning of yet another, even more satanic alt-author being into the comic.) Viewed this way, his conversations with other characters take on a different quality. Normally, the author remains a disguised presence and influences the thoughts of characters with an unseen hand, simply by writing their thoughts directly into their heads, their words into their mouths. This alt-author is essentially doing the same thing, but as an actual character and a known presence to those he influences. He whispers in their ears, gets them to do the nasty, terrible things that are latent within their nature to do, which I as the unseen author easily could have done myself through a conventional writing process. But I outsourced that dark influence to this guy, thus establishing him as a narrative construct in the story on the same level as, but at odds with, the actual author. This surreptitiously lays the groundwork for a future point of tension: a narrative war between an Idiot God and a Genius Devil. Which, admittedly, when the shit finally hits the fan, mostly reads as one buffoon's struggle with a figment of his imagination, in the form of a wrestling match with a floppy, inanimate puppet. It's actually the perfect metaphor signifying the creative rocess behind this comic.

Doc here refers to the dark spots, the pockets of void on which his vision is built. These hint at limitations to his omniscience. As an alt-author figure, his omniscience makes sense, since the author has sweeping knowledge of story details as well. Because I "know everything," he "knows everything" too. Of course, as I write the story, there are plenty of things I don't know yet, and the "not knowing" is always an important part of the process in this largely improvisational medium. The known gaps are worked into the story, evaded through time skips and other tricks, filling out the surrounding narrative until certain answers become clearer, and then revealed at the right moment. The voids are built around, and in a real way, become foundational, almost load-bearing gaps in knowledge, just as he describes. Pillars of shadow. So his dark spots are not only a limitation to an otherwise ridiculously overpowered villain that can be exploited, they're a feature of a specific type of "authorial omniscience" copied into his profile.

[belit0]

Hey, can you write Indra + size kink + cockworship + nasty cum stuff ?? Sorry, i'm hungry for that man

Sorry this took me SO FUCKING LONG omfg

No need to be sorry, I’m as hungry as you. I haven’t written smut in a while, so bear with me, I’m getting back at it:,(

Tw: Indra knows nothing about communication

When Indra enters the house, the sun has already set. He looks drained, tired. It’s been days since he started wearing his hair loose, devoid of his usual ponytail, and it only helps to make him look more massive than he is.

His steps are heavy as he heads to the bedroom, and when he looks at you with those expressionless serious eyes, you know he won’t be eating dinner today either. That’s okay, you’re not used to spending time together as a normal couple anyway, and you know you’d feel weird if he actually sat down with you and joined you for a meal.

His form disappears down the corridor and you know he has found the way to bed, seeking comfort from the adversities of the day. His shadow is dragged across the walls by the candlelight, and for a moment, it looks like the demon everyone says he is.

But of course, you know better than to believe those ridiculous tales.

It’s been months since this man appeared in your village, a place led by a poor wretch who was trying his best to get his people ahead. Only a few enjoyed good fortune, privilege, and wealth, and you were not one of them. Life before Indra, here, was based on working hard for pennies, finding food wherever possible, wearing the same clothes repeatedly for lack of more garments. Poverty was rampant among almost the entire village population, and despite the leader’s best efforts, nothing seemed to work for the betterment of the situation.

But a mysterious man with long hair and thick shoulders, tattooed eyes, impressive physique compared to the famine-stricken people... left everyone captivated. With just a couple of suggestions and commands, things turned around, and the outlook brightened for everybody. This mysterious man quickly rose in the hierarchical power of the village, and the current leader ended up giving up his place.

Indra became their ruler overnight, and hopes for the future of the town seemed to grow stronger and stronger again.

Town expansion was inevitable, welcoming visitors and travelers intrigued by the legends of this man who brought fortune to a doomed place. Enemies were also unavoidable. The Otsutsuki defended and used all his power to prevent the destruction of the foundations he had built with so much effort, leaving everyone terrified in his steps.

His red eyes became stories used by mothers to frighten disobedient children, his violet beast traveled on the tongues of all the merchants and their incessant rumors.

Respect mingled with fear, yet Indra never wavered.

He looked imposing as he walked the streets of the town, staring at nothing in particular, an expression forged by iron and ice. His towering figure seemed to cast a gigantic shadow over every other man nearby, and all the women were dying to take the vacant place at his side.

Everyone thought as he became leader he would choose one of the few wealthy ladies of the village as his wife, but he did not.

It was months after his ascension to power before he communicated with a woman. And that turned out to be you.

Although the village prospered and grew bigger every day, your life remained the same, complicated. Money was scarce as well as food, and working hard every morning was necessary if you wanted to get a crumb of bread.

You tended the garden of a prosperous family, kneeling in the morning dew, your clothes covered in dirt from the work you had started just a few minutes ago.

Footsteps in front of you broke your concentration, and when you looked up, a tall figure was staring down at you. A flowing robe floated in the wind, and that frown was visible even from the floor. Indra was intimidating without uttering a word.

“You look thoroughly filthy.” He had said. “I’m sorry, my lord.” You had replied, bowing your head in respect.

You did not finish that day’s work, for offering you a wide hand, Indra Otsutsuki himself lifted you from the dirt and escorted you to get a fresh change of clothes. Not one of the worn-out ones you used to wear, but an expensive one, of excellent quality, full of exquisite details. A garment of high society, one of the kind he himself usually wore.

From that moment on, he did not leave your side. It was only a matter of time before you moved into his residence, an immense house in the middle of town. You became the envy of all women, no one being able to understand how their leader could choose a servant girl as his partner.

And despite the fear you felt towards him at first, although his haughty looks seemed to be empty initially, you eventually grew to understand him. Dread turned into respect, affection, love.

After all, he saved you from that life of misery to give you one of luxury and privilege, asking for nothing in return. Even though you slept in the same bed every night, he never touched a single hair on your head, never came near you, never took the initiative you feared he may take.

“Why me?” you asked once, the blush on your face shielded by nighttime darkness inside the room. A large space lay between you both on the bed, and Indra, while you couldn’t see him, probably had his back to you. “You are the prettiest.” He replied simply, and you caught a note of amusement in his voice.

During the day it was rare for you to see him, but at sunset, you would both be in the bedroom. No lustful touches in the middle were necessary to make the night complete, for the silences which at first were awkward eventually were filled with chatter.

That intimidating look, that wide-backed warrior with blood-colored eyes, became a companion, a pleasant person to spend time with. Never smiled, never laughed, but you know he is calm, that he enjoys the moment as much as you do. You’ve seen him interact with other people, how his muscles tense when someone is way too close for his comfort, how his brow furrows when anyone speaks to him. You know you’re the only person he tolerates, appreciates, and loves around him.

That’s why seeing him arrive like this is something uncomfortable in your chest. Slowly following in his footsteps, you find his clothes lost all the way back to the room. You pick up garment by garment, and there is a certain satisfaction as you smell his clothes and feel his perfume. As you reach the doorway, he is already tucked into bed, buried under sheets. One of his arms supports his head and acts as a pillow while his other hand scratches his chest, which is slightly uncovered. One of his legs is bent, and covers slip off his skin, revealing a thigh and worked muscles. His eyes are closed, but he knows you are there.

Leaving his clothing on a chair, you approach him and sit on the edge of the bed, hands clasped in your lap. Rarely have you seen this scene, where he relaxes with all his rights in his own bed. Sex has never been addressed between the two of you, and it’s something you’re grateful for. Rumors travel faster than the wind, and many a woman has walked around claiming to have spent time in the bed of the mighty Indra. Whether that’s true, you don’t know, and you’ve never asked either.

If true, your experience is undoubtedly unparalleled.

Still, seeing him like this, becoming one with the bed and stretching out, getting a taste of his toned chest and his thick thigh... Curiosity suddenly demands more.

“You’re staring.” His eyes are still closed, but to be put on display is still just as humiliating. “I’m sorry...” You’re not sure if get up and leave at that moment, but it’s his voice that clears the uncertainty. “Why? I’m your partner, naturally.”

It feels like confirmation of your actions, and you become brave all at once.

“Can I help you... To feel better?....” Your voice is full of hesitation, yet one end of his lips lifts, revealing a wickedly tinged smirk.

“Be my guest.”

Climbing on top of him, your hands tremble with anxiety and anticipation. His eyes flutter open and he watches you intently, analyzing where your actions lead. The man really is huge, and being partially on top of him, the size difference is even greater. Indra seems to rejoice in your stupor, picking up on your intentions and stirring the sheets covering him as you settle between his legs.

Whatever nervousness you felt about what was to come only grows worse at the sight of his size, as even half-hard, his cock’s intimidatingly enormous length.

“Already frightened?” The teasing tone sliding across his tongue fills you with new determination, and with both hands, you hold his shaft. One at the base and one at the head. Your tongue timidly explores that unfamiliar surface, feeling in your grip how hardness invades his dick second after second.

Your lips wrap carefully around it, and pushing gently, inch by inch, his length finds its way into the pleasantly warm depths of your mouth. One of your hands slowly slides down, dragging skin in its wake.

Fixing your eyes on Indra while trying to deal with the raw, inexperienced situation and size, you notice impatience and need, lust swimming in red eyes dominates his expression.

From an instant to the next, your shoulders are enveloped by two gigantic hands, and position is turned around, a vast body hovering over you and trapping you underneath it.

“You teasing little fucker...”

Being handled like that awakens something on the inside that you rarely felt before, some sort of tingling urgently needing to be soothed. A broad palm grasps your chin, which moves your face in the direction Indra desires as he suddenly engulfed your lips.

You have never kissed this man before, and to be making out with him for the first time in these circumstances should feel wrong... but it only builds up more sensations in your lower belly, a treacherous emptiness, and an almost unfamiliar fire.

Your hands awkwardly find his back, and the need to press him against your face, to demand more, to extract more from those luscious lips is interesting. There is no more distance to close between the two of you, but you want to crush yourself against his labored chest until becoming one.

The moment ends quickly as you gasp for air, and trying to recover, a sultry Indra, who grins viciously seductive overpowers your gaze.

“I’ll introduce you to a thing or two...”

Before you comprehend what his words mean, the position changes again, and his two knees are one on either side of your head. He looks even more terrifying from this angle than in everyday life, and you don’t venture to peek at his dick. Two of his fingers slide across your lower lip, caressing your cheek, and suddenly squeeze your face harshly. Your mouth is forced open, but when his cock slides over your tongue and you understand the functionality of the pose, you ease back.

Your lack of experience was driving him crazy, and rather than loosening him up, you were upsetting him further. Managing the matter with his own hands, or rather with his own hips, Indra finds peace again.

Rising to height, one of his palms cradles your face, while the other supports himself against the wall. You try to find stability by holding onto his thighs, and as he buries himself lower in your mouth, sensations in your body become almost unbearable, coupled with his movements.

Indra is kind at first, gradually pushing into your inexperienced cavity slowly, closing his eyes tightly and fighting the urge to destroy your mouth.

Yet when your jaw relaxes completely, grasping the rhythm and feel of the situation, he lets go. The beast is finally released, and the Otsutsuki fucks your lips with abandon, hitting the end of your throat with each thrust. His hips move with agility, and imagining him between your legs with the same surrender and strength makes you hold on.

Tears decorate your cheeks and eyelashes, blending with the saliva dripping from your mouth every time that cock lunges at your face. Indra becomes completely abstracted, tilting his head back as deep growls rise from deep within his chest.

When air is inevitably needed and you can no longer avoid gagging, you repeatedly slap his thighs, drawing his attention. He leans his forehead against the wall and holds your face with both hands, withdrawing his dick from your throat and catching his breath with difficulty. His gaze is fixed on you, and although you could probably look better, you feel really appreciated under those red eyes.

The fluids from your mouth completely soaked your chest and cheeks, your clothes are soaked, and at the sight, the Otsutsuki slides his fingers across your wet skin, then strokes his shaft twice.

When you catch your breath, you place a kiss on the head which has been hitting the back of your throat for minutes, showing he may continue.

Without a second thought, he burrows deeply into your mouth, reaching a depth he hadn’t hit before. The grunt he exhales makes your skin crawl, and you really want to see him enjoy you like this for the rest of your life.

He gives you time to breathe again, and his thrusts become more shallow, seeking more contact with the softness of your tongue and the warmth of your cheeks. It isn’t long before his length is completely out of your cavity and he works it rapidly, seeking the longed-for finish. You’re not sure what you should do, so you simply watch him, amazed at the size of his hands.

After a few seconds, several white shots paint your face, staining your hair and chest, leaving practically nowhere without even a drop. It’s unexpected, but satisfying.

[empressofdiamonds]

What makeup do you wear daily

Brown mascara, brown khôl around the top eyelid, barely there, a dash of highlighter on eyelid, inner corner of eye, and the remains on nose. Brown eyeshadow on eyebrows, just to fill them in a bit. Lip tint + lip gloss on lips if I go unmasked.

If I want some more uniform skin tone, I just apply some loose powder on top of my moisturizer. It settle downs and forms a slight tint that doesn't looks cakey.

Brands I like: Burt's bees (mascara, lip), Clinique (lips, mascara), Rimmel (matte powder, theirs is the best imho and works for almost paperwhite skin, their other products are meh), Cetaphil (skincare! I use their sensitive skin moisturizer for my face and body), Estate (dew me baked highlighter), Marcelle (khôl, hypoallergenic, works really well for my hypersensitive eyes) Roche Posay (rétinol). I like Etude House Dear Darling series for their lip tints, but wasn't able to get some recently. Soon!

I tend to work heavily on high-quality skincare, washing and applying cream daily, sunscreen if necessary (I hate the scent of sunscreens so I try to wear hats, stay out the sun etc). I went to several derms for assertions of skin issues, too.

That way, my skin is shiny and healthy and no further foundation/concealer/whatever is necessary and I think my skin is better because of that. No occluded pores, no nasty chemicals applied on skin, etc. A natural look is in my honest opinion, the best way to look as attractive as possible 💎

[askfnafcast]

I'm genuinely curious to hear about your design process for your designs! What inspirations you use, sources you pull from, ect!!! Can you give us some examples with some of your funkier cast mates? Maybe how you translate others designs too?

((OOC: Hmm hmm hmm well, the basis is a theme. All of my later designs are derived from my first four. I’ll take that foundation and start playing. My reasoning for that is I want to show that in the end- they are in a way a product line. For characters like the Rockstars- they initially were slight modifications on the original four but after looking more into 80s fashion I started to pull inspiration to jazz them up. Toy Chica wasn’t ever fully based on the OG Chica, I just went right for 80s with her, though her design evolved from shorts to a unitard outfit. 

In some cases I just went with “hey you know what would look good-” and kinda just go from there. I may start off just thinking on what I find aesthetically pleasing and then start to evolve it the more I draw it (Examples of this is Orville and Mr.Hippo).

For the funkier cast mates eh? Nightmares, Twisted and Glitchtrap I’d say fit that bill! The Nightmares and Twisted were literally sketched initially over the OG cast to match their features, but I built up over it to bring in the unique qualities they have (The original designs less so, but for the newer ones a lot). So details like Nightmare Foxy’s missing nose plate became a flat out missing nose, or Twisted Bonnie’s jaws. I wanted to keep the essence of their designs but in a human sense. Mangle fits this too- I subtracted the ‘skin’ from the human form but tried to blend a human skeleton with the FNAF endo design. I also wanted to utilize the extra pieces and limbs they have, which I didn’t at first (trying to keep them ‘pretty’ but hey, they still are!). Glitchtrap falls into the family of taking the base design (Springbonnie) and warping the crap out of him. The suit has some weird features, such as the nasty teeth, bug eyes, weird proportions and padded tummy. I wanted him to be just off enough to be like “….um”. I use pinterest for inspiration, I have a board just for blog stuff. I gather things I want to keep in mind from hairstyles, clothes styles and even makeup (more so for the Glamrocks). However for my unimportant humans I derive a lot of inspiration from people in my life

[thoughtsofanexcitedspacechild]

Writing Tips (Pt. 3): Writing Believable and shippable relationships in literature.

Hello friends! First of all, let me say a HUGE thank you for the support on the Kataang post! I worked really hard on it and it means so much to me all the little notes you give it and reblog it! I know it’s not at a huge number of notes, but I like knowing that people took time to read through the endless rant and reblog it! I’m planning on doing another full analysis on Zutara and why specifically it doesn’t work. I’ll make it respectful though as I know that a lot of Kataang fans are REALLY defensive and anti-zutara. I promise I’m not one of those people, and believe that no matter who you ship, your opinions on fictional characters are your opinions and you are FULLY entitled to ship and like whatever you want (as long as it’s not incest or a huge age gap. PLEASE don’t ship that stuff lol. U nasty mfs know who u are.) Speaking of ships, let’s talk about writing them. Writing ships for movies, books, shows, etc. can be surprisingly hard. Writing characters themselves can be hard enough as it is, but writing a pair of characters that fit together like a puzzle piece can feel impossible. Nevertheless, I’m here to make that process a little bit easier. When I’m trying to set up a relationship that’s going to happen, here are some things that I keep in mind to make sure that I and the audience of my writing  ship the characters I have end up together. 

DISCLAIMER before I get a’rantin: I am by NO means telling you how or what to write and am by NO means a professional writer of any sorts. I’m doing this mostly because I write a lot and speak from my own personal experiences with writing and because these are just the things that I found work best when writing my own stories. I also read and analyze a lot of others work on my own personal time, and these are just the details that I pick up on that I find makes a piece of writing effective. With that in mind, remember that writing is and art form, and the beauty of that is that there’s no one right way to do it. Ever. You can read the same thing as another person and interpret it in a completely different and unique way. 

1. Complementary Characters usually work out best. 

This is more than the classic “opposite’s attract” theory, and characters don’t necessarily have to be opposite to be complementary. Some things to think about when thinking of and writing complementary characters:

-Complementary doesn’t necessarily mean complete opposite in every single way. Often times I find it much more helpful to have characters share a common interest in hobbies, upbringing, childhood trauma (that one’s a bit overdone these days), etc. so that they’re not butting heads all the time. Just like yin and yang, theres a bit of darkness in the light and vice versa. To keep the balance harmonious, you can’t have characters be polar opposites and have no common ground. That leads to what many people consider a toxic ship, and will either lead to an unrealistic balance that inevitably leads your characters to be fighting all the time. 

-Keeping common interests in mind, often times the paces where character’s contrast is in their personalities. (Shy and bold, heart and head, bubbly and brooding, quiet and gregarious, etc.) Different personalities often are able to balance each other out and hold each other accountable for their weaknesses.

-Going off of that, one character’s strength is another’s weakness, and all traits are both. A character’s empathy can lead them to be loved by many, but may cause them to starve themselves and drain their cup so there’s none left to take care of themselves. A character’s logic may lend them top of class or calm in stressful situations, but can lead them to be insensitive to others and even their own emotions. Your characters should balance each other out and work well together, and part of this is helping each other grow from their weakness. 

-This one isn't as important, but what I also find super compelling, especially in film and tv shows is when the authors/writers deliberately choose to give the characters complementary color palettes. (I dove more into this on my Kataang analysis so go read that if you’re super interested.) If the character’s look ascetically pleasing together, it makes shipping them a whole lot easier. Focus on orange and blue, yellow and purple, red and green, and any variation of those colors together. 

2. Buildup

Often times one of the biggest critiques of ships that just don’t work out is that there’s not enough buildup or foundation to have a romantic relationship. It seems obvious, but if you’re going to have them end up together, there’s going to need to be some buildup or else the entire relationship will feel wrong and contrived no matter how pleasant you make it. 

Some tips for increasing and establishing buildup:

-Have your otp spend time together as friends first. I personally find that the healthiest and most successful ships are friends before they’re lovers. This is why Kataang specifically works so well, but Korrasami, Romionie, and Liesel and Rudy from the Book Thief are all good examples. If you observe these ships, all of these characters spend time together as friends first. Korra and Asami were able to bond and become friends over a toxic guy (cough cough MAKO) and eventually developed feelings for one another. Ron and Hermione weren’t romantically interested in other people and were friends until they started seeing other people and found out they liked each other. Liesel and Rudy were best friends before anything else and Liesel didn’t realize her feelings until it was too late. 

-Time together. When your otp spends time together, make sure that whatever time is being spent together is time that they both enjoy. No, the activity itself doesn’t have to be enjoyable to both characters, but the time spent together should be. If the characters really aren’t enjoying the time spent together, then it’s never gonna work out. I’ll use the ship that I’m writing as an example. Currently, I’m in the process of writing a third atlas series and we’ll use my characters Liang and Hana. (Yea I used my own name for one of my characters. I think it suits her bc she’s basically my clone, just, she’s the avatar. I’m going to change both of their names once I do more research and can find culturally and historically accurate names.) Liang REALLY loves pro-bending matches. Hana, not so much. She still goes with him to see matches and attends his matches when she can. On the flip side, Hana really loves going to her favorite tea shop. Liang vastly prefers a strong cup of coffee, but he goes with her anyways. Why would they choose to do something that they don’t necessarily like? Because that’s more quality time spent with each other and doing something for the other person. 

3. Romantic Gestures

Going off of my last point, we have the art of romantic gestures. These can range to things anywhere from a hug, to an elaborate firework display, to a locket with both of their pictures in it. Make sure that the romantic gestures are there! It’s gotta be clear that both characters are thinking about one another and consciously choose to do something for the other person. Here are some fun ways to do it:

-Remembering a gift the other character wanted. This one’s cliche but it works, because often times the best way to show affection is through physical gifts and objects. Think coffee from a favorite shop, handwritten notes, that piece of clothing the other has been eyeing, etc. 

-~symbolism~ *add chime here* By that I mean have an object to symbolize their relationship with, like Korrasami’s iconic hair pin or Liesel’s book that Rudy retrieved for her. This way, the readers not only have a visual representation of their favorite ships, but the object can physically link characters together and make a vague relationship full cannon. (I know for sure that someday when I get a tattoo, I want the hairpin tattooed on my wrist, ankle or side of my body.) 

-PDAs. Works best in film and visual stuff, but still applies for everything. I’m talking cuddles, kisses, falling asleep in each other’s arms, the whole shebang. I mean how much clearer can you make it than a pda?

-Love languages. Each person loves in their own unique way. Have characters figure out and learn each other’s love language. It really shows and adds a whole other layer to the cake. This one can make a ship that feels a little bland have more depth and realism, because in the real world, healthy relationships are formed and aided by learning and applying each other’s love language. 

4. Dialogue. This one can be hard to master, but once you do, it’s a breeze. First off, I recommend getting all your ideas out, and editing. DON’T EDIT AS YOU GO! This is often tedious and super annoying, so get everything out first, and go from there once you have a decent amount to work with. Dialogue is tricky, because dialogue in and of itself is meant to communicate and express feelings. Here are some tips and steps to at least get a start: 

a. Know EXACTLY how your characters feel about one another, and make that evident through communication. It seems obvious (again) but this really helps and I find that putting myself in the character’s shoes for a second and really thinking about it helps to decide exactly what they would say in a given situation, especially if the scene you’re writing involves confrontation about feelings for one another. 

b. Dialogue is more than just talking. Body language, tone, facial expressions, etc. are all part of dialogue too and are SUPER important! In the real world, humans communicate through more than just words, and sometimes a playful grin, grimace, crossed arms, or pout is much more effective than a character outright saying something. 

c. Once you’ve written the dialogue out, be concise and smart about your dialogue and pare it down as much as you can. Often times, adding too much dialogue can make a scene boring and flat. Use your words sparingly! The purpose of writing is to covey a story or message and often times this can be done effectively with less words rather than more. The main point in dialogue itself is to provide necessary context and information. Otherwise, don’t use it.

d. Make sure the conversation is two sided. This (say it with me now) SEEMS OBVIOUS, but make sure that both people are talking/communicating. it’s a conversation, not a speech. (Unless it is a speech or declaration of some sort.)

Before I go: A QUICK (Long) PSA ON TOXIC SHIPS: 

The concept of a toxic ship is very common in a lot of literature. Often times writers choose to include elements that may be toxic to heighten romantic tension in a story. While I do recognize that this sometimes may be a stylistic choice, there are MUCH better and effective ways to create tension that having something be toxic. Toxic relationships in my opinion share one purpose, and that is to establish a relationship’s toxicity and ineffectiveness. I don’t recommend writing these into a story unless it’s an obstacle for your characters to overcome, and having a character forgive the toxic actions of another character and still end up with them isn’t the right move because it completely disregards and diminishes the effects of what happened previously.

One of the best examples I can think of is Reylo from the new sw trilogy. I did touch on this briefly in a couple of my earlier posts (The Effect Of Modern Day SW characters and My Tips for Writing (In General) which I highly suggest you go read bc they both took me a bit of time and state the purpose more in depth) but I think I’ll quick reiterate and say that it wasn’t a good choice on the writer’s part to have some of the dialogue be so intense and vicious and then have them end up together. I still like the idea of Ben Solo and Rey together and ship them together out of cannon, but in cannon, it’s the perfect example of an ineffective ship. There was little to no build up, the dialogue was often spiteful and sharp, and it escalated a bit too quickly. I would’ve liked to see more of Ben Solo (NOT Kylo) and him feeling sorry for and repenting for the bad that he’s done before he and Rey end up together. Yes, we’re all suckers for the enemies to lovers trope, but PLEASE make sure to filter out the toxins before boarding your ships and watching them sail. 

That’s it for now! I hope this helps a little when writing shippable characters! I’m always free to rant to and to critique. I’m going to start posting as much as I can, because these guides help me too! Check out my other ones if you’d like to know tips for writing in general and I made another one on how to write characters. 

[notecosmetics]

Modern cosmetics: Cruelty-free and Vegan

A vegan diet is where no animal products are consumed in any form. No meat, milk, cheese, or butter is eaten. Veganism can be more than just a diet; it is a lifestyle choice. Many vegans look for clothes, shoes, and skincare products that don’t contain any animal by-products or ingredients.  

What goes into vegan skincare products? 

Vegan cosmetics and skincare products don’t contain honey, beeswax, lanolin, gelatin, or any other compounds derived from animals. Vegan products are likely to be mild and typically have very few nasty ingredients. They use natural ingredients that are wholesome and good for people with sensitive skin. A commonly used element is sweet almond oil with anti-inflammatory properties and an emollient (improves skin tone and prevents moisture loss.). Another is macadamia oil with excellent anti-aging properties to repair damaged skin and reduce wrinkles and fine lines. Aloe vera extracts contain antioxidants as well as Vitamins A and C. It reduces acne scars and blemishes.

Are vegan products tested on animals? 

When we think of creams and makeup to look after ourselves, it doesn’t come to mind that many of the products we use every day are tested on mice, rabbits, and guinea pigs. They are injected and rubbed with ingredients that burn their skin and cause immense pain. The good news is that most vegan brands have cruelty-free cosmetics, which aren’t tested on animals.

Can vegan and cruelty-free products produce high-quality cosmetics?

Yes, they can. An example is a luminous moisturizing foundation It can give radiance to the complexion and even the skin tone. It is available in several shades that are perfect for almost any complexion. SPF 15 for sun protection ensures that the skin is protected from the effects of UV rays. When enriched with sweet almond oil and macadamia oil, the foundation will give the perfect balance between skincare and makeup.

 For Original Post: https://notecosmeticsmakeup.blogspot.com/2021/03/modern-cosmetics-cruelty-free-and-vegan.html

[imuktadul-blog]

The Next Big Thing in Health Care Reform - Why Are People So Worked Up?

Why are Americans so aroused about health care reform? Statements like "don't touch my Medicare" or "everyone should have access to state of the art health care regardless of cost" are in my opinion uninformed and visceral responses that indicate a poor understanding of our health care system's history, its current and future resources and therefore the funding challenges that America faces going forward. While we all wonder how the health care system has reached what some ask as a crisis stage. Let's attempt to take a number of the emotion out of the talk by briefly examining how health care during this country emerged and the way that has formed our thinking and culture about health care. thereupon as a foundation let's check out the pros and cons of the Obama administration health care reform proposals and let's check out the concepts put forth by the Republicans?

Access to state of the art health care services are some things we will all agree would be an honest thing for this country. Experiencing a significant illness is one among life's major challenges and to face it without the means to buy it's positively frightening. But as we shall see, once we all know the facts, we'll find that achieving this goal won't be easy without our individual contribution.

These are the themes i will be able to touch on to undertake to form some sense out of what's happening to American health care and therefore the steps we will personally fancy make things better.

A recent history of yank health care - what has driven the prices so high? Key elements of the Obama health care plan The Republican view of health care - free market competition Universal access to state of the art health care - a worthy goal but tough to realize what can we do? First, let's get a touch historical perspective on American health care. this is often not intended to be an exhausted check out that history but it'll give us an appreciation of how the health care system and our expectations for it developed. What drove costs higher and higher?

To begin, let's address the American war . therein war, dated tactics and therefore the carnage inflicted by modern weapons of the age combined to cause ghastly results. Not generally known is that the majority of the deaths on each side of that war weren't the results of actual combat but to what happened after a battlefield wound was inflicted. to start with, evacuation of the wounded moved at a snail's pace and this caused severe delays in treating the wounded. Secondly, many wounds were subjected to wound care, related surgeries and/or amputations of the affected limbs and this often resulted within the onset of massive infection. So you would possibly survive a battle wound only to die at the hands of medical aid providers who although well-intentioned, their interventions were often quite lethal. High death tolls also can be ascribed to everyday sicknesses and diseases during a time when no antibiotics existed. In total something like 600,000 deaths occurred from all causes, over 2% of the U.S. population at the time!

Let's skip to the primary half the 20th century for a few additional perspective and to bring us up to more times . After the war there have been steady improvements in American medicine in both the understanding and treatment of certain diseases, new surgical techniques and in physician education and training. except for the foremost part the simplest that doctors could offer their patients was a "wait and see" approach. Medicine could handle bone fractures and increasingly attempt risky surgeries (now largely performed in sterile surgical environments) but medicines weren't yet available to handle serious illnesses. the bulk of deaths remained the results of untreatable conditions like tuberculosis, pneumonia, scarlatina and measles and/or related complications. Doctors were increasingly conscious of heart and vascular conditions, and cancer but that they had almost nothing with which to treat these conditions.

This very basic review of yank medical record helps us to know that until quite recently (around the 1950's) we had virtually no technologies with which to treat serious or maybe minor ailments. Here may be a juncture we'd like to understand; "nothing to treat you with means visits to the doctor if in the least were relegated to emergencies so in such a scenario costs are curtailed. the straightforward fact is that there was little for doctors to supply and thus virtually nothing to drive health care spending. A second factor holding down costs was that medical treatments that were provided were purchased out-of-pocket, meaning by way of an individuals personal resources. There was no such thing as insurance and positively not insurance paid by an employer. apart from the very destitute who were lucky to seek out their way into a charity hospital, health care costs were the responsibility of the individual.

What does health care insurance need to do with health care costs? Its impact on health care costs has been, and remains to the present day, absolutely enormous. When insurance for people and families emerged as a way for companies to flee wage freezes and to draw in and retain employees after war II, almost overnight an excellent pool of cash became available to buy health care. Money, as a results of the supply of billions of dollars from insurance pools, encouraged an innovative America to extend medical research efforts. More Americans became insured not only through private, employer sponsored insurance but through increased government funding that created Medicare and Medicaid (1965). additionally funding became available for expanded veterans health care benefits. Finding a cure for nearly anything has consequently become very lucrative. this is often also the first reason for the vast array of treatments we've available today.

I don't wish to convey that medical innovations are a nasty thing. consider the tens of many lives that are saved, extended, enhanced and made more productive as a result. But with a funding source grown to its current magnitude (hundreds of billions of dollars annually) upward pressure on health care costs are inevitable. Doctor's offer and most folks demand and obtain access to the newest available health care technology within the sort of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostic tools and surgical procedures. therefore the result's that there's more health care to spend our money on and until very recently most folks were insured and therefore the costs were largely covered by a third-party (government, employers). Add an insatiable and unrealistic public demand for access and treatment and that we have the "perfect storm" for higher and better health care costs. And by and enormous the storm is merely intensifying.

At now , let's address the key questions which will lead us into a review and hopefully a far better understanding of the health care reform proposals within the news today. is that the current trajectory of U.S. health care spending sustainable? Can America maintain its world competitiveness when 16%, heading for 20% of our gross national product is being spent on health care? What are the opposite industrialized countries spending on health care and is it even on the brink of these numbers? once we add politics and an election year to the talk , information to assist us answer these questions become critical. we'd like to spend some effort in understanding health care and checking out how we expect about it. Properly armed we will more intelligently determine whether certain health care proposals might solve or worsen a number of these problems. What are often done about the challenges? How can we as individuals contribute to the solutions?

The Obama health care plan is complex needless to say - I even have never seen a health care plan that may not . But through a spread of programs his plan attempts to affect a) increasing the amount of yank that are covered by adequate insurance (almost 50 million are not), and b) managing costs in such a fashion that quality and our access to health care isn't adversely affected. Republicans seek to realize these same basic and broad goals, but their approach is proposed as being more market driven than government driven. Let's check out what the Obama plan does to accomplish the 2 objectives above. Remember, by the way, that his plan was gone by congress, and begins to significantly kick-in starting in 2014. So this is often the direction we are currently taking as we plan to reform health care.

Through insurance exchanges and an expansion of Medicaid,the Obama plan dramatically expands the amount of usa citizens which will be covered by insurance .

To cover the value of this expansion the plan requires everyone to possess insurance with a penalty to be paid if we do not comply. it'll purportedly send money to the states to hide those individuals added to state-based Medicaid programs.

To cover the added costs there have been variety of latest taxes introduced, one being a 2.5% tax on new medical technologies and another increases taxes on interest and dividend income for wealthier Americans.

The Obama plan also uses concepts like evidence-based medicine, accountable care organizations, comparative effectiveness research and reduced reimbursement to health care providers (doctors and hospitals) to regulate costs. The insurance mandate covered by points 1 and a couple of above may be a worthy goal and most industrialized countries outside of the U.S. provide "free" (paid for by rather high individual and company taxes) health care to most if not all of their citizens. it's important to notice , however, that there are variety of restrictions that many Americans would be culturally unprepared. Here is that the primary controversial aspect of the Obama plan, the insurance mandate. The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided to listen to arguments on the constitutionality of the insurance mandate as a results of a petition by 26 states attorney's general that congress exceeded its authority under the commerce clause of the U.S. constitution by passing this element of the plan. the matter is that if the Supreme Court should rule against the mandate, it's generally believed that the Obama plan as we all know it's doomed. this is often because its major goal of providing insurance to all or any would be severely limited if not terminated altogether by such a choice .

As you'd guess, the taxes covered by point 3 above are rather unpopular with those entities and individuals that need to pay them. Medical device companies, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, doctors and insurance companies all had to "give up" something that might either create new revenue or would scale back costs within their spheres of control. As an example, Stryker Corporation, an outsized medical device company, recently announced a minimum of a 1,000 employee reduction partially to hide these new fees. this is often being experienced by other medical device companies and pharmaceutical companies also . The reduction in good paying jobs within the se sectors and in the hospital sector may rise as former cost structures will need to be addressed so as to accommodate the reduced rate of reimbursement to hospitals. Over subsequent ten years some estimates put the value reductions to hospitals and physicians at half a trillion dollars and this may flow on to and affect the businesses that provide hospitals and doctors with the newest medical technologies. None of this is often to mention that efficiencies won't be realized by these changes or that other jobs will successively be created but this may represent painful change for a short time . It helps us to know that health care reform does have an impact both positive and negative.

[happymetalgirl]

Cattle Decapitation - Death Atlas

No vocalist this decade has been more innovative for extreme metal as Travis Ryan has with his diversity of snarls, growls, and screams stretching into uncharted melodic territory on the past few Cattle Decapitation albums, and no other band has been more vital and consistently creative for deathgrind as Cattle Decapitation has been for a long time now. The band have always taken a particularly uncomfortably gnarly and confrontational approach to the dicey topics of human mistreatment of animals in the food industry and the many despicable facets of species exceptionalism that humankind has operated under since the advent of mass industrialization, and their gratuitously grotesque and brutal musical and lyrical approach to such disgusting topics honestly couldn’t be more fitting for each other. I just recently picked up a physical copy of the band’s third LP, Humanure, and, looking at the lyrics, holy shit do they fit all too disgustingly well with the now-iconic cover art.

As the band’s sound has become grander since then, more stylistically unique, more polished, yet no less brutal than the goregrind on which they built their foundations, Cattle Decapitation have shifted their lyrical focus to the grander scope of self-driven environmental catastrophe and the worst case scenario of human extinction as a result of humankind’s own ecological carelessness. The band took a tremendous leap forward from the already tight and deathly goregrind of The Harvest Floor on 2012’s Monolith of Inhumanity, with Travis Ryan’s expansion of his harsh melodic range being a huge factor in that growth. But the rest of the band grew tighter and more capable of dishing out extremely intricate and technical agression at frightening speeds, and both Monolith of Inhumanity and the band’s 2015 follow-up, The Anthropocene Extinction, showed just how unbelievably versatile Cattle Decapitation could be with this style of music. I don’t want to get too hung up on reminiscing on the quality of old work with more of that quality packed into the band’s longest album to date to discuss at hand, but I don’t want to simply brush over and understate how immense the band’s past two albums have been for them and for extreme metal in general.

With Monolith of Inhumanity, Cattle Decapitation put on an absolutely baffling exhibition of a wide array of compositional protocols and instrumental and vocal techniques that broadened not only their horizons, but the horizons of deathgrind as a genre, of melody without compromising on brutality, especially on the vocal front. The band took their sickening brand of goregrind to its classically brutal extreme on the increasingly slow churn of “Forced Gender Reassignment” and the nasty grinding of “Projectile Ovulation”, but the band really pushed the boundaries of melodic terror on the vocal front on songs like “A Living, Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat”, “Your Disposal”, and “Kingdom of Tyrants”. The song with which the band really shattered the genre’s ceiling on melody was the strangely, astonishingly beautiful “Lifestalker”, on which Travis Ryan harnesses his filthy blackened snarl into a melody so emotive it’s hard to believe a band so focused on powerfully merciless brutality penned it. The album was a huge progression for Cattle Decapitation and for deathgrind, undoubtedly my favorite of the genre.

The band sought to refine their frenzied and newly dynamic grind on The Anthropocene Extinction with generally longer and more grandiose compositions like the monumental “Manufactured Extinct” and the gloriously grinding “Plagueborne” and “Pacific Grim”, while staying true to their gory roots all throughout and making sure to deliver more directly deadly blackened grinders like “The Prophets of Loss” and “Mutual Assured Destruction”. And the band did indeed give their already impressive and elevated sound an even more magnificent and grandious edge that generally isn’t associated with Cattle Decapitation or grindcore. As its title suggests, The Anthropocene Extinction marked an increase in the band’s urgency about the consequences of humanity’s careless abuse of resources and destruction of crucial ecosystems through industrial overconsumption. The band on their most recent past album sounded at least panicked and eager to call for whatever possible to mitigate the disastrous effects of humankind’s mistakes. Four years later, however, Cattle Decapitation are far less optimistic about the outcome of mankind’s abuse of its planetary home and certainly not any more sympathetic towards our species’ continued heedlessness in the face of scientific consensus on the forthcoming destruction and collapse of civilization as we know it.

As grim and forthrightly convicting as Cattle Decapitation have been in the past about how much needs to change to avoid disaster, the band sound more pessimistic than ever on Death Atlas, forecasting more than forewarning of the impending deathly consequences of our species’ prolonged malignant negligence. They play with a distinguishable air of numbness to sorrow as though the long foreseen end has already begun and that humanity is too late. Travis Ryan dips into melodic harshness more on this album than he did on even Monolith of Inhumanity, offering up eulogy after merciless eulogy for a dying species and a slowly (but not so slowly) burning world.

Indeed, Travis Ryan meditates harshly on the inevitability of the universe’s snuffing out of life grown out of control on the blackened melodic doomsday prophetics of  “The Geocide” on which he ominously sings “The universe it always find a way to purge / the sustainably inappropriate numbers that once surged”, and he is even more hopeless on the following track, “Be Still Our Bleeding Hearts”, which he opens with the line, “Every new life is a tragedy in waiting” and on which he breaks out another nastily sung/snarled melodic chorus of apocalyptic embrace over blackened deathgrind that reaches for the upper echelons of the band’s widely encompassing sound. Ryan had stated before the album’s release in a promotional interview that he wasn’t going to focus so much on overpopulation as much on this album being that he has said his piece thoroughly on albums past and that the valid ecological problem is being misdirected by modern eugenicists, yet here he calls (probably in defeated exaggeration) for mass human death, stating “Every new death is a step toward preservation”. He once again concludes in dismal defeat that “Human life is simply not sustainable”.

Ryan continues on his frustrated raging over humanity’s exponentiating population on the following song, “Vulturous”, on which it becomes clearer that he is not taking the warped, racist approach to this topic and is rather eulogizing the willful and self-inflicted destruction of so-called advanced cultures by their short-sighted capitalist urges, as evidenced by the lines “A horrible ghastly proclamation / That profits dominate what’s right” and the painfully and intentionally ironic “Living for ourselves / Anything at any time / as of tomorrow we will die”. Clearly these lines are not pinning the blame for catastrophic climate change on the usual, lower-consuming scapegoats of fascist eugenics, but rather the capitalism that exploits them and those doing the scapegoating and those who keep it in place because they have something to gain from it. Musically, the track is one of the more demonically sinister cuts on the album, with Ryan giving a particularly eerie, menacing, death-summoning vocal performance.

Indeed, while I am talking a lot about Travis Ryan’s lyrical contributions and one-of-a-kind vocal performances, I would hate to overlook the solid and vibrant instrumental foundation the rest of the band continue to provide him and Cattle Decapitation. Longtime drummer David McGraw’s jaw-droppingly lightning-injected performances continue to shine as one of the band’s major instrumental attractions as he absolutely punishes his kit at ungodly speeds with awe-inspiring technicality. Similarly fast-paced and technical strong-work continues to flow like a gushing torrent of hail from storied lead guitarist Josh Elmore and newly arrived rhythm guitar supporter Belisario Dimuzio, who together drive the album’s (and the band’s) likely under-appreciated emotional dynamic through their interplay between colossal eruptions of infernal guitar distortion and ashen atmospheric dissonance with cleaner tones when the time is right. And new bassist Olivier Pinard provides the essential foundational accents to meticulously track and support the maddeningly technical rhythms above him in the mix, and even surging up to the forefront of the mix when the rest of the band is at a lower instance of acceleration to provide his own moments of spotlighted technical brilliance as well. Together the band have continued to hone the already highly perfected form of epic deathgrind that they and no one else can channel.

Backed by particularly vicious grinding instrumentation, Travis Ryan continues to count down to calamity on “One Day Closer to the End of the World”, at first seemingly welcoming with open arms “the end of all life of this fucking planet” in a storm of hardcore-influenced guitar work, but clearly lamenting, as the song progresses, mankind’s seeming “Lust for dying” and the terrible, suffering-filled end it has set up for itself, as he closes the thundering instrumental chaos by characterizing humanity as “Out of breath, out of time - a species out of its mind”. This bend toward self-destruction is further examined throughout the more direct, technical blackened death metal of “Absolute Destitute”, which is mostly spare of the previous tracks’ melodic niceties and summed up nicely and poetically by the lines “A life in love with despair / in a world beyond repair / A global consensus that the powers that be are against us”, and Ryan essentially calls time on humanity’s soured reign over planet Earth on the fittingly apocalyptic-sounding melodic vocal and guitar dissonance and rhythmic crashing of “Time’s Cruel Curtain”, whose tragically cathartic and enigmatically beautiful sonic hideousness as a result of is truly a tough thing to describe, probably best likened to a fire-scarred martyr desperately sacrificing themselves one last time to no avail.

Travis Ryan shifts his mournful tone to a more critical one on the ruthlessly rapid-fire “Finish Them” as he concludes that “Now we see that the true evil has a face / Now we know the devil is the human race” as David McGraw’s dynamic playing shines at the track’s particularly fast pace, and Ryan subsequently imparts, furthermore, a stern warning to the opulent elites that those whose world they’ve ruined will be coming for their hides on the similarly high-octane percussive hurricane and roller coaster riff-fest of “With All Disrespect”.

Ryan does return to his more usual classically colorful beckoning of death on the surprisingly infectiously hook-laced, old-school (for the band), and darkly comedic “Bring Back the Plague”, which is an exaggerated call at wits end for exactly what the title implies, but musically one of the band’s most unique songs and a certain standout on an album filled with impressive tracks.

The band also includes a few shorter interludes to break up the relentless deathgrind, “The Great Dying”, “The Great Dying II”, and “The Unerasable Past”, which are strung with excerpts detailing the sequences of events that have led to humanity’s current predicament, including “55 Languages of Planet Earth” from NASA’s Voyager Space Probe on the intro track, “Anthropogenic: End Transmission”.

On the titular closing track, Travis Ryan offers his last sorrowless dirge for humanity as he screams “We deserve everything that’s coming” across the epic nine-minute firestorm of crunchy guitar riffage, furiously firing double-bass, and biblically monolithic death howls that wrap the album up in cinematically grand fashion without sacrificing any of the brutality of the band’s grind. And while the song’s second half isn’t quite the dizzying crush the first half is, the gradual fade out into an operatic lamentation for a biosphere’s graceless end is a fitting one for the image of the Earth humanity’s last days careening away into the void of space in abject meaninglessness to the rest of the universe and whatever may fill humankind’s empty place at square one of rebuilding a new civilization.

Given how greatly I still admire Monolith of Inhumanity and the Anthropocene Extinction obviously my expectations for death Atlas were pretty high. Yet Cattle decapitation still managed to surprise and around me with melodicism greater than even that which characterized Monolith of Inhumanity, incredibly surprisingly infectious hooks, and gripping, terrifyingly bleak prophetic lyricism amid consistently thrilling instrumental performances that continue to prove what a tremendous force to be reckoned with and what an important band Cattle Decapitation is and has been. While Cattle Decapitation are far from the only band addressing the huge, overbearing impending doom of environmental Armageddon, and while the novelty of the melodicism of the band’s terrifying assault and nauseating goring has worn off since Monolith of Inhumanity, Cattle Decapitation has expanded it to further elevate the grandiosity they cultivated on The Anthropocene Extinction to produce a swan song for the planet unlike any other. Truly, there are few bands more important today for metal than Cattle Decapitation is, and there is no situation more dire than humanity’s arrogant and self-assured loitering on the brink of civilizational downfall. And while a deathgrind album probably isn’t the kind of art piece that will pull humankind back from the edge, the uncompromisingly ugly and truly hellish portrayal of the world’s collapse on it makes Death Atlas the album the world needs and humanity deserves for its compounded failures. And I also suppose it’s quite fitting that the band releases this album on America’s frustratingly ironically times national holiday of celebrating capitalist consumerism after a day of supposed giving thanks whose tradition is warped to hide its ugly genocidal historical origin. Undoubtedly one of the most crucial albums of its time, one of the year’s, one of the decade’s, and Cattle Decapitation’s best.

And I count the days ‘til we expire for always/10

[galoots]

Caught in a life-threatening escapade, drugged, and facing a possible deranged foe, Scrooge does what anyone else would in this situation: Talk about how much he loves his nephew, duh.

The day had been a day like any other: Scrooge and Donald at the Money Bin, going about their daily business. Donald had been filing taxes for his uncle like he had promised prior. The task was fairly mundane, lulling Donald into a meditative trance. His focus had been so absorbed, in fact, that he failed to notice that the nigh constant hum of Scrooge’s security system had ceased. The eerie quiet was broken by the dull, heavy sound of a solid object striking a surface. Fearing the worst, Donald burst into his uncle’s office to find Scrooge face-down on his desk. For a brief, terrifying moment, Donald thought that his uncle had all of a sudden dropped dead. The panic that had gripped his heart in an icy clutch subsided when he saw the gentle rise and fall of Scrooge’s chest. Still breathing. Relieved but concerned, Donald moved closer to examine him. The last thing he could remember was the sight of a dart sticking out of his uncle’s neck when a brawny hand clamped over his beak. Briefly, he struggled wildly against that hand until he felt the sharp prick of a needle in his flesh. Everything after that was blank.

When Donald finally came to, he was bound to a pillar by thick, hemp rope around his wrists. He took stock of his situation. In dire straits, one should only worry about the immediate circumstances one could control. Nothing else mattered. Everything else were details. He tested the strength of his bindings. Tight. Competent knots tied by a skilled hand. Not much he could do there. He was unhurt, but his movement was constrained. His feet, however, had been left free. He turned his attention to his surroundings. The room he was in was unadorned, sparse with no windows, cement floors, and stucco walls. A warehouse perhaps?

           A steel operating table, bolted to the floor, with a prone figure upon it. A second look revealed the figure being held in place by leather restraints. Closer examination revealed this figure to be his Uncle Scrooge, awake and similarly confused.

           They’d clearly been abducted by one of the old man’s enemies. Not flashy enough for Rockerduck, too cruel for Glomgold. The criminal quality of the situation spoke to the Beagle boys, but they were far too bumbling to pull off such a flawless ambush. Magica? Seemed unlikely, witchery and deceit were her calling cards, but she’d been known to hire third-parties in the past.

           The door to the room opened and in walked a man carrying a vintage-styled medical bag. He was tall and stocky, nondescript looking but threatening all the same. Placing his bag upon the ground, he clapped his hands together once and rubbed them together eagerly. “Good afternoon, gentleman.”

Oh good, Donald thought, a monologuer. He despised a villain who like to monologue.

Regardless of his disdain, the man continued his well-rehearsed introduction. “You do not know me yet, but I intimately know you. I am Dr. Hogel. You are in quite the predicament gentlemen, as I am sure you are aware, but give me your full cooperation and I assure you your time spent here will not be overly unpleasant.”

           The harsh, clinical light shining down from the fixtures above cast a sinister shadow over the self-proclaimed Doctor Hogel. Opening his satchel, Dr. Hogel extracted a vial of clear liquid and a hypodermic needle. He filled the syringe, plunging the needle into the bottle, and removing it after he’d double-checked the dosage. The needle, held high, glinted sickeningly in the light. With a practiced flick, Dr. Hogel dispelled any air bubbles possibly within.

           Scrooge, bound and gagged on the table, felt a cold trickle of fear spread through him. He could hear Donald, in the corner of the room, straining against his ropes, attempting to break free and save him.

           “Do you know what Sodium Pentathol is?” Dr. Hogel asked, before reciting didactically. “Medically speaking, it’s a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate, often used for anesthetic purposes. By those more inclined to fanciful worldviews, it’s often referred to as truth serum.” The doctor swabbed Scrooge’s arm, readying the needle for insertion. “Of course, there is no such thing as a drug that can force one to tell the truth. Such things belong solely to the realm of spy novels and other dime store pulp.” The doctor carefully emptied the contents of the syringe into Scrooge’s vein. “However, the drug has been found to make a subject of interrogation more… loquacious. Lowers his guard. Boosts his willingness to comply.” The doctor strolled over to his bag, pulling a thick towel from it to wrap the used needle in. He placed it to the side, turning back to Scrooge, leaving the black bag hanging open.

           Craning his neck, Donald could see a host of other tools within. The bag’s handle faced towards him and while his hands were tied, his feet were not. He wasn’t exactly overly dexterous with his feet, but with some effort, he could manage to grab the handle and spill the bag’s contents. There had to be something useful within to enable his escape. A scalpel to cut his ropes, a communication device to call for help, anything at all. His course of action was clear. This Dr. Hogel was methodical, but not methodical enough.

           The doctor examined Scrooge’s muscles untense, his eyelids droop, and his respiration slow to a relaxed rhythm. He began to loosen the restraints holding Scrooge and removed his gag. “I see no reason for you to suffer any discomfort during this little chat of ours. And I doubt you’ll be in a sporting mood to put up a fight after the dose I gave you.” Scrooge’s head lolled on his shoulders as he was released.

           “Let’s begin the interrogation, shall we?” The doctor smiled a wolfish, predatory grin. “Mr. McDuck, I’d like you to tell me the location of your most precious possession.”

           Scrooge smiled a hazy, lopsided grin before he answered in a voice thickly garbled by sedation. “He’s right over there!”

           “He?” Dr. Hogel repeated incredulously.

           “Him.” Scrooge pointed limply to Donald in the corner, who hastily pulled back his extended leg.

           The doctor turned to look at him. “Your nephew has your number one dime?”

           “No, silly.” Scrooge laughed blithely. “He is my most precious possession.” His face looked dazed and loopy.

           With the deadly speed of a guillotine’s blade, the doctor’s smile dropped into a scowl. Donald affected a sheepish grin in return, hoping to pacify the man. He couldn’t risk his head being chopped off.

           Dr. Hogel’s affected charm had been dropped as soon as he met resistance. He’d been courteous to his guest, up front, forthright, even attentive to his comfort, yet it seemed Scrooge McDuck would rather obfuscate and play games. “I’m not talking about your witless, slow-minded nephew, Mr. McDuck. I am referring to the first dime you ever made.”

           Scrooge stared at the doctor with a glazed expression.

           “The foundational artifact of your financial empire?”

            Not a smidgeon of recognition in the old codger’s expression.

            “The single most important physical possession you own. The coin that made you the man you are today!” The doctor’s voice dropped to a threatening growl, clearly losing his patience with this noncompliance.

           “Dimes?” Scrooge slurred, “I got loads of them. Stacked to the tippy-top of my Money Bin. Donald polishes them for me. Isn’t that sweet? Working for his old unkie-dunkie when he could be out there doing whatever he’d please. Such a good boy.”

           “U-uncle Scrooge,” Donald warned in a hushed tone; he needed time to enact his plan, but the old man had to stay on topic enough not to make the Doctor blow his lid.

           “Shut up.” The doctor pinned him with a furious glare, spinning back to his uncle to continue his line of questioning. “I’m not looking for just any dime, McDuck.” He gripped Scrooge’s face in a punishing vise. “Focus. Listen to me carefully. I need to know the exact whereabouts of your so-called lucky dime.”

           Donald started to sweat nervously as he slowly extended his foot towards the bag. Scrooge’s drugged mind sluggishly processed the request. “I used to keep it on a velvet pillow in a special pedestal in the Money Bin.”

           “Good.” The doctor relaxed his grip slightly. “’Used to’ meaning you moved it at some point. Where to?”

           “Well one day, back when Donnie was still a babe, I let him wade through the Money Bin. I loved a daily dip so much, I thought, heck, why not let the boy experience his first swim. A formative experience! I love to dive in it like a dolphin, burrow through it like a gopher, and toss it up and let it hit me on the head!” Scrooge drawled with a dreamy air, trying to scratch his beak against his shoulder to relieve an itch.

           Scrooge cleared his throat with difficulty. “’Course you can’t be that rough with an infant. So, I outfitted him in little floaties just in case and let him wade in like it were a kiddie pool. I suppose his McDuck genes kicked in because phew!” Scrooge whistled a descending tune, “he took off like a shot from my arms. Paddled right over to the pedestal.” He mimed a look of shocked panic, effecting the expression he’d warn during the event.

           “I was immediately terrified, instant panic, because what if he drowned? Or hurt himself? You can get some nasty papercuts from the greenbacks. And a baby’s head! Bit like a mushy melon, you know? One solid knock from a diamond to that soft spot babies have… er, what are they called?”

           “A fontanelle.” The doctor supplied, hoping it’d lead the rambling old man to his point.

           “Yes, that’s right. A frontapelle.” Scrooge nodded with a sage manner, as if he’d known the answer all along. “Well one solid knock to his frapachelle, and I thought he’d be a goner! So, I’m rushing towards him, trying to coax him back into my arms, when WHAM!” Scrooge slammed a hand against the table. “The little dickens knocked over the pedestal! He waddled right over to the pillow with the dime and—you’ll never guess what he did next.”

           Scrooge waited for his captive host wager his best guess. He smiled with eager expectation like he was a comedian about to drop a killer punchline rather than a hostage in a dangerous situation. The doctor’s knuckles were clenched tight, growing frustrated with McDuck’s rambling. “What.”

           “He popped it into his mouth,” Scrooge clicked his tongue, “and swallowed it.”

           A vein on the doctor’s forehead pulsed, looking fit to burst.

           “Then. What.”

           “Let’s see…” Scrooge narrowed his eyes as he tried to recall the details under the fog of medication. “I picked him up. He was giggling like nothing had happened. I was relieved at first to see him hale and hearty, then I was furious when I realized what he’d done. Ach! I couldn’t be made at the wee bonny thing for very long though. I took one look at those sweet baby blue eyes of his and the anger melted away. He was an infant after all, he didn’t know what he was doing. I certainly learned my lesson alright! Spending the next few days sifting through an infant’s diapers was no fun t’all, I assure you. After that… well, I moved it!”

           The doctor took a measured break, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Where to.”

           Donald soaked with sweat, making it difficult to get a solid grasp on the doctor’s bag. His foot kept slipping off as he tried to grip the handle with his toes. He hoped his uncle’s drugged prattle would keep him occupied long enough for him to secure some handy little tool that’d allow him to break free.

           “Where did I move it to? Let’s see.” Scrooge pondered the question for a moment. “I started keeping it on a chain around my neck. But—”

           The doctor pulled the collar of Scrooge’s coat open with a sharp, hasty motion but found nothing underneath.

           “Rude.” Scrooge huffed.

           “Rude? I’m being rude?” The doctor was yelling now, inches away from Scrooge’s face. “Listen to me, you pathetic, pedantic old man. The witch did not contract me to listen to your blithering inane patter! I have a job to carry out, and I did not ensure a professional reputation of brutal efficiency by babysitting escapees from the old home. I do not care about how much you love your nephew, or the ‘darling’ little anecdotes you have about his childhood, or whatever other nonsense you’d care to spout. All I want to know is where do you keep your di—"

The doctor, wearing a look of utter confusion, reached up to his neck to pull the dart that had just struck him. He drunkenly swung around towards his other hostage who’d he had forgotten about in his agitation. The old man’s nephew was grinning back at him, the contents of his bag spilled out on the floor next to him, and the ballistic dart gun he’d used to initially abduct them underneath his foot. It had taken a good deal of fumbling for Donald to drag the device towards him and accurately aim it at the doctor. But once he did, all it took was a press of a button to fire a shot which Donald had done with his big toe. Dr. Hogel stumbled, then fell to the floor, unconscious, his head hitting the concrete with a nasty thwack upon impact. He cheered himself for saving the day, especially under duress and with less than ideal limitations.

           Scrooge pulled out from his loosened restraints and slide off the operating table. “Pity,” he mumbled, “I was just getting to the good part.” Stumbling over the doctor’s prostrate body, wobbling to and fro, Scrooge made his unsteady way over to Donald.

           Donald leaned against his bonds in anticipation of being freed. “Great job distracting him, Uncle Scrooge! You played the part of a doting old man perfectly. It was genius! Now untie me and let’s get out of here!”  

           Scrooge plopped down next to him. Donald waited for him to pull apart the ropes that bound him, but he felt no tug to set him free.

           “Uncle Scrooge?”

           Scrooge let loose a yawn. “I’m rather tired, sweetie… I think I’ll take a little nap first.”

           “No, no, no!” Donald struggled against the ropes. “Uncle Scrooge, don’t go gentle into that good night, alright?”

           Scrooge got down on all fours and crawled closer to Donald. He placed his head in Donald’s lap and, with a contented smack of his beak, nestled into a cozy position and promptly fell asleep. The drugs in the old boy’s system must have finally caught up with him for he was happily snoozing away in his nephew’s lap. The familiar feeling of embarrassment settled in Donald’s stomach as he belatedly realized that his uncle’s spiel hadn’t been the clever machination of a man accustomed to escaping harrowing situations, but the drugged prattle of a nostalgic old man. Which meant, everything he had said had been genuine, not part of some ruse. The anecdote, the compliments, his uncle’s adoration, even his misidentification of his nephew as his most precious object—all true. Donald blushed, feeling self-aware despite the fact he was the only one still conscious in this room.

           He jostled Scrooge with his knees, trying to wake him up from his slumber, but the duck barely stirred. Before he’d wanted to escape from the dangerous and seemingly criminally insane man who’d trapped them. Now? Now he just wanted to run away before he had to face the utter mortification of being found like this. It wouldn’t take long for someone to realize they were missing or to locate their current position. He couldn’t bear having to tell the newspapers the tale of how they escaped, broadcasting Scrooge’s nostalgia to the entire city. He wiggled futilely against his bonds before slumping forward in defeat. In his mind, he could see the front page of the Duckburg Daily—a large photo, front and center, of Donald ducking his head, trying to hide his face while surrounded by rescue workers. All while a softly snoozing Scrooge cuddled up with him in his lap.

           He’d never live it down. Surely, he’d have to skip town.

           Christ, couldn’t this doctor have just killed him instead and saved him the embarrassment?

[praphiteyes]

Doctrine made simple (I hope:)

HI! :)

This will be a quick overview of what I believe to be the basics of Christianity. I say this while also acknowledging that there are many ways to view one’s path with Christ. I am not saying that this is the only way to view it, but if someone wants to know what my personal (Praphit Productions) views on the matter are, or if you'd like a clear start for your own beginning with Christ, here it will be, plainly laid-out for you:

Two parts! #1 Belief and #2 carrying it out.

We'll start with "Belief" as if it were a book, and roll with chapter one (of 4) - "God, baby!"

Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Hebrews 11:6 -

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Everything starts with faith. No matter what it is that you believe, it starts there. Obviously, when dealing with religion, we're talking about the very foundation of your motivation for life.

God --- Belief -

1) The Trinity - there are plenty of scriptures referencing the Godhead. Jesus refers to "The Father" as well as "The Spirit" within the gospels. Understand that we can not understand this, we can only continue to gain understanding on this subject. I'm simplifying (perhaps even oversimplifying) in order to keep this as quick as possible, plus it's better for you to study for yourself.

FATHER = The Plan SON = the words of that plan SPIRIT = the power behind that plan

Yep, definitely oversimplifying:) As you walk with the Lord, you will understand what I’m talking about.

All three are "God" - the holy one, the creator of all, the ruler of all, the alpha, the omega, love itself, our joy, our wisdom, our peace, healing, Savior, King, righteousness, wrath, judgment, forgiveness, grace, mercy, the almighty, I could go on and on and on throughout eternity, if what's swells up within me as I think of God could be expressed in words.

They are one and yet different, as we are to be ("made in His image").

This life thing is God's house. The earth, the universe, the multiverse (if you'd like to take it there:) EVERYTHING! All people, the laws of life, the fabric of life, EVERYTHING IS BY HIM, THROUGH HIM, AND FOR HIM.

He shouldn't even really be seen as "he" as we think of a "he". Doing so actually tarnishes the "He". God is not a gender. God is not a race. God is light.

In the story of EVERYTHING, God is the main character. This is all about Him; I can't stress that enough:)

Sin --- Belief - 

2) Sin is damning.

I can remember talking with an atheist about sin. He told me that he does not believe in sin. I retorted with "What do you call all of this nonsense we see in the news everyday?" He replied "That's just people being evil." I said "Yeah, sin." We all know what sin is, no matter how we choose to say it. Sin is not only "evil" actions, but on a spiritual level, it's like a prison. For example, lying will always lead to more lying. 

Sin can also be psychological, and lead to destructive, generational patterns. Sin is erring from God's purpose for our lives. If you turn to Genesis, in the bible (Adam & Eve), you can read all about sin and the effects thereof, and you can see how it damages our relationships. You can see how it'll have us hiding from God, ourselves, and each other. You can see the curse that it brings. Call it what you will, but sin is a virus that we're all susceptible to. It's all over the place, and it's sticky, smelly, and nasty.

Blood --- Belief - 

3) What does the blood of Jesus mean for us?

Before I can answer this question, I must remind you that the belief in God and in the concept of sin are foundational. This is literally God's world, and to sin is when we act contrary to His plan and the rules of His world - with this in mind, let us look at that famous scripture John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Let's break down this statement:

1) “God” - Think of what we covered in the section about God.

2) 'loved the world' - Don't think of 'love' as you have experienced it, because that's probably screwed up. I don't say that as anything against you; it's screwed up for most of us. Few people (or no one) live (and have always lived) in a community, where ALL of the people  are all in on you; exhibiting the natures of this scripture  - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8  

"4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails."

Even our view of what we'd like love to be is flawed, because we haven't always been covered in a powerful, nurturing, and guiding environment. I'm not even talking about some fanciful, never-ending fountain of good vibes either. Our God, our Father, our Friend is also our King. I used the word "guiding" above. This word comes with it discipline and sometimes, unpleasantness.

I've given you enough here on God's love to help you begin to see the surface of His love. If I try to frame it for you more than that at this time, it would be a disservice.

Now take the word "world" from that scripture and think of us - ALL OF US, no matter our backgrounds or where we come from.

3) 'He gave His one and only Son'

This is sacrifice (what true love is) from God the Father and God the Son. It is spoken this way in scripture for the benefit of our understanding. We can grasp sacrificing for those we love. The "only" is also important for us to capture the tone of this event on the cross.

4) Now the Blood - "that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

We choose to believe in what Jesus was/is about or not. The prerequisite of following God is His sacrifice, which is His blood poured out for us at the cross. This being God's world, He calls for offerings in repentance of sin (which included the blood of animals for quite some time). This is also a glimpse into how God views life in general (blood being a God-given life force). The blood of approved animals was good enough only to delay the wrath/effects of sin. There needed to be a pure offering - not from animals or even humans, but from God Himself. There's a lot to believe there, which is why you must first believe in God and sin.

But, I think it is logical to believe in God. Even if you go with the Big Bang theory, there are still unanswered questions as to where everything came from and why. There are still things that scientists argue over and still have questions over. We'll acknowledge that there are wonders of the world (or universes) that we haven't even began to look into. Science itself is based off of what can be proven. If you are to live only by what is proven, then scientifically speaking, you must accept that there are things not yet proven. Therefore, God should at least be considered a possibility. Which is more silly - to believe in God or to believe that everything just kinda formed on its own with no real reason why?

All of the human elements to how the bible was formed, how we interpret it, and a whole lot of things going on with the Church are very much flawed - agreed. But, if we separate all of that mess from the notion of God, it's quite believable, I think.

And as for "sin", we may use different names for it, but the evil going on in this world is very real.

This step is simply believing that God would make a way for us to follow Him. Or at least... this is half of the step to following Him - believing in His ways and what Jesus did on the cross for us. The second half is what we'll cover next - The Resurrection.

4) Resurrection --- Belief - 

Some may say that believing a person can be raised from the dead is crazy. Again, without taking into consideration of the beliefs above, I'd understand them saying that. But, if we're already believing in the powerful creator who fuels life as we know it, then all of the rules of logic change.

Jesus' resurrection is a banner of victory - against our sin (that put Him in the grave), against the curses of sin (which includes physical death), and against Satan (who if you read through the scriptures, has been manipulating things behind the scenes). No, the devil never makes you do anything, but he's certainly cheering you on towards all of the wrong directions.

The resurrection is the second half of following Christ, because this victory that I'm speaking of is the new life for the believer.

A life with hope to leave your past (and the effects thereof). A life of hope to live with power (by the Holy Spirit's guidance) over sin, curse, and the devil. A life with a relationship with God, and an eventual home with Him for eternity.

I know, that's all very spiritual, so allow me to explain in broader terms (stay with me:)

We believe that God is the pure form of things like love, joy, peace, wisdom, etc. A belief to walk in those traits/ideals is enough to lead many out of their own darkness. Many people feel a sense of condemnation/shame/insecurity in their place in life. A belief in this new life with God can lead one away from the effects from that type of negativity (and the cycle of destruction that it can bring) and lead to transformation into those pure qualities. Like I said earlier, people are flawed, so churches can use this in all kinds of cultish ways, but that doesn't make what I'm saying any less pure. I'll get into how to avoid those cultish dangers later.

The cross/blood offers forgiveness and redemption and a power to look ahead, and the resurrection/our belief and new life with God offers power. A power of all of those pure Godly qualities being poured over your life, and hopefully into the lives of those that you encounter.

But, it's all a matter of belief (going back to John 3:16 - "those who believe in Him"). Believing in the ways/ministry of Christ, believing in His sacrifice at the cross (and its effects), and believing that He rose again, ascended into Heaven (not being covered in this post - you'll have to do some reading:), and that by His victory we have access to a relationship with Him (through the Holy Spirit) - a life of power, love, and hope.

The simplest way I can put the Holy Spirit's involvement is that He's our connection. He's like our WiFi to the goodness of God.

I know all of this is a lot. I'll speak in more practical terms in the next part, but this is all foundational. Think of it like that movie "The Matrix". You have a choice to believe and go as far down the rabbit hole as you'd like, or the choice to ignore everything I'm saying, and continue on with your life as usual.

Now, onto some practical principles to end this post - this stuff is also crucial for a productive Christian walk...  and so that the Christian doesn't become a bigot or flat out weirdo:)

5 Keys to church action (”:carrying it out”)

1 - WORD

Jesus is The Word of God. If you want to hang out with Jesus, just hang out with the Bible. I think that the problem that Christians run into is relying solely on knowledge of God; and honestly, we don't believe that we need too much of that either. Walking with God is very much like getting to know any of person. Yes, you require knowledge to know them, but doing life with them to gain an understanding of them is crucial. There are those who have been married for decades, and will still tell others that they're still trying to get to know their spouse. Imagine trying to get to know God. But, there are two extremes (and most are somewhere in-between):

Those who believe knowledge alone is enough, and those who only rely on a little bit of knowledge to make their judgment. Again, let's go back to getting to know a person. I could read about many people, but that wouldn’t mean that I know them. The information that I read is limited, and there's a lot of interpretation to merely hope that you'd get right. And if you're not even willing to go the mile for the knowledge, then there's really no hope that you'll ever know the person, right??

A lot of Christians that I meet are not truly hungry for knowledge, wisdom, and understanding of God. They'll be content with having the Sunday preacher feed them a little bit, once a week; this makes another point, that The Word is our food. How healthy do you think you'd be if you only ate once a week??

Lastly, as if with any type of book club (church is more than a book club, but in this context it works), everyone gets a chance to add their two cents. Everyone gets to participate in the conversation of understanding what they've all been reading.

Where a lot of churches mess up, is not allowing certain topics to come up, not allowing certain stances to be challenged or at least disagreed with, and not allowing for different perspectives.

When churches shutdown conversation (or limit it), then it can easily become a cult; it can easily become a place of discrimination. The Church can and should know where it stands on certain issues, but disagreements and different perspectives are paramount for our development as a whole. Talking things out is what human beings do in communities. Shutting down and limiting conversation is unnatural; that's how you end up with Christians who feel like robots.

Now, if someone is saying something totally crazy or harmful, then yes, of course, that gets shut down. People also need a sense of authority. But, it has to be an authority who cares for the people, and the people need to feel as though they may freely express themselves.

Three things:

a) We are all called to be students of The Word.

b) Daily meals of the Word will keep us healthy, as Christians.

c) Creating a culture of open, safe, non-judgmental conversation in a church should be seen as foundational.

2 - WORSHIP

When I use the word "worship", I do not mean simply singing songs together or the latest gospel album that was just released. Music is obviously part of worship, but the true meaning of worship is that we are lifting up every aspect of our lives to Christ. It all comes down to what our motivations are as individuals and definitely as a congregation.

You can usually get a sense of a church's motivation by watching what's happening on the stage, on Sunday mornings.

There's a whole lot of false purity going on, on the stage. Sometimes, people are motivated by pride, or greed, or insecurity, or power, etc. If incorrect motives of worship are in the leadership, then those same motives will creep into the congregation as well.

The leadership should all being living lives that lift up Christ (leaving room for grace, of course). The leadership should be producing a congregation that lifts up Christ. And the time of worship/word (even in the events and small groups through the week) should be all about lifting up Christ. Remember what I said about God - it's all about Him. He's really the only One who should be elevated on that stage.

Now, there's a dangerous flip side to what I am saying. What a life of worship looks like can become a mold in the congregation. This mold can be used for self-righteousness, condemnation towards others, and insecurity for others. This mold can be used to manipulate. But, again, what's the motivation in the church. The motivation shouldn't be to create a place that makes any one people group feel comfortable. The motivation shouldn't be to get everyone acting and thinking exactly the same (not in this context - in this context that's a cult). God created all of us differently, and these differences should be celebrated and honored. Within worship there is love. There's love for God, love for what He has called us to do, love for life, and love for each other. If any of that love is lacking, then I question if there's any pure worship going on.

3 - Evangelism -

Wow, that's an old-timey word, that could not be more Christianese. What I, personally mean by that word is broadcasting the goodness of God; this can be done in a variety of ways (here are only some):

a) faithfully performing the job/career that you believe God has called you to b) preaching the Word c) raising a family in the Word and in the way you believe God has called you to d) enduring trials of life in a Godly manner e) discipleship (which I'll talk about next) f) encouraging other believers in faith g) serving the needs of the community h) praying for others i) sharing your stories of faith with others

and so many more.

It used to be believed by many, that you must beat people over the head with the bible in order to be considered to be one who evangelizes, but to keep it simple, it's just sharing with others what God has blessed you with.

4 - Discipleship -

Here is another churchy word (and we've got one more after this to cover). This word simply means “to train”. Back in the day, it was a training that came along with living life with a teacher for a period of time. We are used to going to a scheduled class and then going back to our lives, where we'll study hard or not (probably "not" right??). But, discipleship, back then, was more like consuming a certain subject. In the religious realm, it was seeing the teachings lived-out firsthand. The 12 disciples (and other students of Jesus) got to follow Jesus around and experience not only His teachings, but His life for 3 years.

We obviously live in too busy of times to disciple people like that now. Discipleship, today, looks more like a community of people pouring out their life experiences into one another. At any church, you've got people who have great experience in all kinds of helpful areas - from the bible to stuff around the house to mechanics to economics to science to arts - there is so much that we can learn from one another.

Being a Christian is not simply staying in your room praying, reading your bible, and singing songs. Being a Christian is about living the life that God has designed us to live. I know that statement can rub people the wrong way, but that's because we are so used to corruption. Our default is cynicism. We can't fathom someone completely having our best interest in mind. We can't comprehend going in, fully in servitude to anyone, because we know people in general to be jerks. We assume that following God means that we have to give up our dreams and desires (which is not true btw) So, we're taking all of that skepticism, fear, insecurity, and resentment, and pointing them in the direction of God. It's ok to question the motives of people. It's ok to work towards trust when it comes towards people. And it's also very human to work our way towards trust in God.

The difference between building up trust in people and trust in God is that people are always going to let us down; even people who love us dearly will let us down. God will never let us down. God has literally designed us, so following God will never be a let down; difficult for sure, but not a let down in certainty.

For example, I am a creative person. I believe God wants me using my creative ability in every day life to serve and nurture people. I do this and I feel fulfilled. It's not a burden for me to be creative. Now, to be clear, my overall path with God will definitely lead me down some areas of discomfort and trials and tragedy. But, those things come mainly from living in this screwed up world we have, and not due to doing the things God has designed me to do.

Discipleship is being open to receive training as well as offer it to those in need. We all have areas in which we're strong and areas in which we are weak. The way that discipleship is supposed to work is that we all feed each other, and so all are fed.

5 - Fellowship -

All that this fancy word means is to build community. I put emphasis on the word "build", because as you should know, relationships take work. Think of the amount of work, energy, and even money that go into keeping your family together, healthy (in all ways), and focused. How much more effort do you think it should take to build and keep a whole community; that's what fellowship means - that effort put in.

You won't see any thoughts on typical church arguments written about in this post:

homosexuality, abortion, sex before marriage, drugs, music, money, etc.

I view most of these as secondary to one's walk with Christ and with each other. A lot of these issues, and others come down to how one interprets scripture. We argue over context, intent, translations, and Lord knows what else, and all the while people (and their needs) in congregations and communities are going unnoticed. True worship, in the midst of our nonsense does not happen. People aren't properly fed the word. People aren't properly trained in Christ. Religion can become a lot like politics, where we fight each other while a larger enemy is destroying us all. Like I said earlier, a healthy church is one that is open to talking about all of the important issues, viewing all different perspectives, and seeking to grow in understanding.

Regardless on how all of that shakes out (if it's happening at all), our main mission as a church is to love. We love God, which is to consume His word, obey as best we can (in grace of course), and continue to grow in the knowledge of Him. And to love one another is to truly pursue to serve, honor and get to know one another; that we would put the effort in to building and sustaining our communities.

[tinyscratches]

Isamu Rat Diet

I’ve seen too many good web pages disappear (and photobucket is nasty) so I’m reposting the good bits of this RatForum thread here. It’s obviously more pertinent to UK rat owners but can help inform rat owners in other countries, as well. 

02-18-2013

Isamurat: Making your own mix – how I do it (picture guide)

I have seen that several people are thinking of starting to make their own mix, or are just starting out feeding one. I thought it might be useful to see how I go about my mix, with photos and info on the kind of ingredients I use as well as the steps I take. I’ve been feeding a homemade mix for years now (started in 2006) and get on very well with it. I do tend to evolve my mix fairly steadily depending on how the rats are doing and new ideas I see. This is one of my mixes, they are all slightly different, but the basic balance stays the same. It is very much my take on a Shunamite style mix, given that I started out on that diet, and have learnt and adapted my mix along the way with a good amount of help from its author over the years. Base (50% by volume) First off I start by assembling the base of the mix, this is predominantly minimally processed grains, it forms about half my total mix and is aimed at giving a solid foundation of carbs, that aren’t too easy to digest (leads to fat rats) and contain plenty of whole grains, but not too much that are high in phosphorous (harsh on the kidneys, one of a rats weak points). I like to include a decent amount of grains still in their husks here too, as it adds an element of enrichment, and keeps the rats busy during the day doing what they are meant to do, peel open little seeds and grains. This means that I generally use animal quality grains (or at least a good number of them) as for some reason us humans are rubbish at, or too lazy to getting grains out of there husks so strip them off. I’ve used a lot of different bases in the past, sometimes entirely mixed grains, sometimes entirely a rat suitable commercial rabbit food. My current balance involves a mix of the two and works well, they get the variety with the backup of the enriched rabbit food. To make my base I add the following (note I’ve tried to photo these all in the same container for people to see the size of the bits) • 6 scoops Banana brunch - this is a lovely rabbit mix with the following ingredients (in order of volume); cooked flaked peas, cooked flaked barley, oats, cooked flaked maize, cooked flaked beans, mixed wheat discs (with vitamins), banana chips, flaked carrot, banana essence, vitamins + minerals. Its nutritional analysis is; protein 14%, fat 2%, fibre 5%, Vitamin A 5000 iu/kg, Vitamin E 26 iu/kg, copper (cupric sulphate) 5mg/kg . I break up the banana pieces into smaller chunks, otherwise it looks like this

• 6 Scoops Marshams Mixed flakes - this is a nice mix of micronize flakes, micronizing is essentially heating and squishing, the heating helps ensure that the fungus issue you sometimes see with dried corn/maize isn’t an issue. It’s 60% flaked barely, 20% flakes peas and 20% flaked corn and smells lovely and pea flavoured. I use this to help bulk out my mix and up the barley content (this is my fave rat kidney friendly grain, closely followed by rice)

• 4 scoops Versa Laga Junior Dark Plus Pigeon mix – I add this as it’s a good way of getting lots of variety of seeds and grains in without having to have many little packets of them. Its ingredients are as follows: extra french cribs maize 16%, dari white 14%, paddy rice 12%, extra wheat 8%, safflower seed 8%, extra small french cribs maize 6%, milocorn 4%, extra barley 4%, yellow peas 4%, green peas 4%, small green peas 4%, yellow millet 2%, toasted soya beans 2%, mungbeans 2%, maple peas 2%, striped sunflower seeds 1%, brown linseed 1%, junior pellet I.C. 6%. Its major nutritional values are; protein 12.5%, fat 7%, fibre 7.5%, carbohydrates 54%. The higher fat helps combat the low fat of the banana brunch and mixed flakes. It’s a lovely interesting mix and goes down well.

• 2 scoops Paddy rice – there’s already some in the pigeon food, however I add more as it’s such a good grain, and my preferred mixes major on barely and rice. Paddy rice is a nice form of rice, it’s still inside it’s husk, meaning to get at the grain the rats need to peel it before they reveal the brown rice inside.

• 1 scoop Pearl Barley – I add this as an alternative form of barley, it’s a different shape and texture so nice for them, this is human quality so unfortunately doesn’t have its husk on, I’ll get hold of some that are husky at some point.

• 1 scoop Millet seeds – this is another good grain, and as it’s around 11% protein it helps make up for the fact that most grains are very low in protein. I get a mixture of red and white millet still in their husks

• 2 x Millet spray broken up – another form/texture of millet. I take a millet spray and just run my fingers along the stalk backwards, giving my lots of mini millet tufts. These are a little easier for rats to find in there substrate, though mine can find even individual seeds now.

When mixed together this gives me my base mix which is approximately 20-21 scoops

Protein (5-10%)

As I use a base that works out relatively low protein in need to add extra protein to top it up. Rats need a diet around 12-14% protein for normal adults, more for growing youngsters. The best protein sources for being kind to the kidneys are egg, soya and fish (in that order). All have their strengths and weaknesses so I do a mix, which also adds variety balancing there weaknesses. It also helps make sure that the rats get ‘complete’ protein, proteins are made up of different amino acids, you need a full range of them to fully use the protein, mixing the type of protein you use helps this. • ½ scoop dried shrimps, mealworms, fish, tubifex, bloodworm and krill. Crustatians are really handy as there high in copper, they are also a great form of protein in that they have a high protein:fat ratio. Mealworms are a little high in fat but I include them because they’re quite a natural foodstuff for rats, and there isn’t loads of them. These are all very light, as I mix by volume it means by weight I don’t add loads, but given there around 60% protein this is good as you don’t want to boost the overall values too much.

• ½ scoop Soya flakes – this is micronized soya, the cooking part of the process makes it safe for the rats to eat, as uncooked soya beans are not good for them (much like any bean). Soya is a bit controversial for some people, it reduces the chance of some forms of cancer, and increases the chances of others, however pretty much all studies are done at high levels of soya, feeding as a small part of the diet can be quite beneficial and it’s a good kidney kind protein and one of the few proteins which are complete. I’ve also fed it as the dried beans soaked for 12 hours, then roasted in the oven, this also makes them safe to eat (and are a nice treat for humans and rats too).

• ½ scoop Egg biscuit– this is essentially floury biscuit soaked in egg then dried. It is often sold for birds as egg food, this one is particularly nice as its in bigger chunks, meaning the rats can find it in their substrate when I scatter feed. It seems a little high in sugar (smells cakey), so I wouldn’t use it as all their protein, but it’s a very handy way of adding dried egg.

• ½ scoop Fish for dogs Salmon small bite kibble. This is by far my fave dog kibble to use in my rats diet, its really high quality and the ingredients list says it all. Ingredients; Salmon (27%), Pea Flour (22%), Potato (23%), Fishmeal (8.7%), Salmon Oil (9.3%), Beet Pulp (6.6%), Brewers Yeast, Minerals. Nutrition: Protein 26%, Fat 12%, Crude Fibres 7.5%, Omega-3 Fatty Acids 1%, Vitamins: Vitamin D3 1,800 IU; Copper Chelate Of Amino Acid Hydrate 80mg; Calcium Iodate Anhydrous 2.5mg Antioxidants (Stabilised With Rosemary And Tocopherol-Rich Extracts). Effectively it has a good proportion of named meat, and that’s an oily fish, which is a sign of good quality. Also by going for fish you avoid the heavily farmed poultry or beef, which are far more likely to have poor care standards and contain lots of chemicals. The other ingredients are also named and aside from the fishmeal (which I would prefer over most other meat meals) all are whole. The protein is quite high for a dog kibble but as I don’t add loads it works well, plus the size of the pieces is tiny, which means it spreads well in the mix. I mainly add it because of the added vitamins it contains, particularly vit d and copper. Both are naturally low in a grain based mix, and with the rabbit food I add being low copper I need to boost it. This helps a fair bit and as an added bonus the rats love it too

Here’s a shot of the mix with protein element added to the base

Processed Carbohydrates 20-25%

This section is there to up the amount of carbs the rat can get from the food, as well as adding in vitamins and minerals. A diet entirely devoid of more processed carbs can mean that some of the nutrition is not so available. Too high and you get rats that get fat easily. This balance seems to work well, as long as you keep the sugar content of the carbs down below 5% (in most cases) and try and select for wholegrain products unless you have old rats (when white grains, and upping the overall percentage can be useful). • 1 scoop Denes wholegrain mixer – this is a mixer for dogs, it’s a wheat based biscuit, which I normally don’t prefer, but has good vitamin content, especially copper, calcium and vitamin D, so it is very useful. Ingredients: Cereals (Wholegrain Wheat), Derivatives of vegetable origin (herbs include Seaweed), Grassmeal, Minerals. Nutrition: Protein 11%, Oil 2%, Fibre 4%, Calcium 1.4%, Copper (Cupric Sulphate) 15mg/kg, Vitamin A 5,000iu/kg, Vitamin D3 500iu/kg, Vitamin E 50mg/kg. I break these in half of thirds as on their own they are a bit too big to properly divide up in a mix.

• 1 scoop Rice crispies – one of my preferred grains, I normally go for a value or own brand ranges as they are generally lower in sugar, as a breakfast cereal its enriched with plenty of vitamins and minerals.

   • 1 scoop Mixed puffs – These are a mix of different grains including spelt, rice, millet, etc. These offer a nice easily digestible addition to the diet and add a variety of grains

• ½ scoop Shredded wheat bitesize – this is the lowest phosphorous form of wheat, I break them up a bit and use them as my main wheat element of the mix.

• ½ scoop Cornflakes - similar to rice crispies, I use own or value brands, whatever is lowest sugar content. They are enriched which is handy and corn isn’t a bad grain to have in terms of phosphorous.

• 1 rice cracker broken up – mainly added for a little more variety, I break into small pieces At this stage the mix looks like this

Herbs – 5%

This part of the mix offers extra flavours and textures, as well as a change to exploit some of the lovely properties many herbs have. I vary this one every time and try and add a couple of different types in. I generally use herbs sold for rabbits as they come in decent sized chunks, human herbs are chopped too finely and easily get lost in the mix. • ½ scoop Herb Plus – this is my fave rabbit herb mix, it smells lovely and has good variety in it

• ½ scoop Echinacea – This apparently has immune boosting properties (at least in the tincture form, I doubt it adds much in its herb form, but I feed it anyway), it’s a little big so I chop it up smaller, the rats eat it though it’s not there fave bit.

• 2-3 sheets Shredded Nori – seaweed is full of lots of minerals and is very useful to have in a mix, I find that cutting up dried nori sheets sold for sushi goes down well and is easy to get hold of, seaweed powder just gets lost in a mix.

Veg – 5%

This also adds some variety and extra flavours, vits and minerals. • ½ scoop Dried mixed veg – this is a mix typically sold for human soups, its leek, carrot, potato and peas. I sometimes get it in cubes, sometimes chopped for variety of texture.

• ¼ scoop Beetroot flakes – beetroot is a super food, full of all sorts of good stuff, its also a natural way to add colour to the mix (from an entirely human view lol). The rats seem to like it as it’s one of the first things to go. If it gets wet though it turns things near it pink.

• ¼ scoop Mixed pepper flakes – A nice mix of chopped, dried sweet peppers (capsicum), both red and green, colourful veg is packed full of vitamin C and it goes down well too.

At this stage the mix looks like this

Seeds – 5%

This is the final element of my mix, it ups the fat content, as aside from the protein section everything else is a fair bit lower in fat than the rats need. It also makes sure that these fats are good fats, in particular omega 3 and 6. It’s easy to cut out the good fats when your rat is overweight but don’t, the overall calories make a far bigger difference and a decent amount of good quality fats keeps there skin and coat healthy. This section also adds a bit of additional protein to the mix and can have other advantages if you choose your seeds well. • 1 scoop Mixed Seeds and pine nuts – This is a mix of good seeds I’ve made up, I always try and get them in their shells or husks to add to the task of getting in to them, it also slows down there scoffing slightly. This mix includes hemp (one of the few complete protein sources out there), linseed (otherwise known as flax, great for the kidneys), pumpkin seeds in their shells (full of nice omega oils), Pine nuts (there shells are really tough which is a great challenge to the rats), mixed meadow seeds (typically edible grass and flower seeds), fennel seeds (gives them a lovely smell) and cumin seeds. The main ones are the first few oily seeds, with the others adding variety and interest, as well as the challenge of finding them in there bedding.

• 6 Chopped brazil nuts - I add these because here in the UK, and in Europe in general, our grains are low in the mineral selenium, brazils are really high in it, so the rats don’t need much. About 1 brazil will do 4-6 rats there selenium intake for a week. I chop them up small so everyone gets a bit of them.

When everything is mixed together it looks like this

The above mix is fed in the mornings, they get about 10-20g of this mix each a day. Importantly to me it’s scatter fed, which means they have to forage for it in there substrate. It’s not just about what you feed, it’s also how you feed it. They don’t leave anything apart from husks, as I’m mean and don’t feed loads. Supplements, Veg and Fresh Food On its own it is not this mix is not 100% complete, it’s still a bit low on some vitamins and minerals, however I feed it alongside a daily mix of Veg. I also give them vitamin supplements in there water once to twice a week. These are important as the offer a safety net in terms of vitamins and help to make sure everything is covered. Even with all the balancing above, and feeding daily veg the mix is a little weak on copper, vit d and calcium. Without this the rats could become deficient, you can balance it to some extent by fresh, but I would strongly advise anyone who feeds this kind of diet to consider some supplements, having had rats with vit D deficiency in the past when I didn’t add the kibble, rabbit food etc. The following are my normal ‘extra’s • Dr Squiggles Daily Essentials 1 – this has a nice wide range of vitamins and minerals, the main ones I use it for are topping up there copper and vit D. It goes in there water 1-2 days a week, or up to 6 days a week for babies or pregnant mums

• Dr Squiggles Calcivet – this contains calcium and vitamin D, they get this alongside there daily essentials, I don’t feed this daily, even in youngsters, as the rats need time to process the calcium, so need at least a day off a week, plus too much and they can get calcium stones. 1-3 days a week is plenty for an adult, up to 6 for a baby. • Bones and egg shells – a great source of calcium, my rats always get my left over bones, they get lots of iron out of the marrow , the bones are full of calcium too. Egg shells are the same, they might get 1-2 shells a week, which they sometimes eat. If they get some of these, especially bones, I only do calcivet one day a week • Vegetable – this is fed daily, it’s a mixture of veg I make up then freeze in daily portions. It’s 50% dark green leafy veg such as kale, 20% colourful veg such as carrots, tomatoes or peppers, 20% other veg such as peas, sweetcorn, courgettes etc, 5% berries and 5%raw coconut chopped up. They adore this mix

• Cooked meal – about 1-2 times a fortnight the rats get a balanced cooked meal, this is typically carbs, protein and veg, like eggy rice with peas. It’s a bit of a treat, though a healthy one, and replaces there dry mix for the day. I use it to hide other supplements in and give them a bit of a boost. Typically it has a multivitamin powder in, some salmon or linseed oil and anything else that may be appropriate for their age and conditions (such as extra vit b and glucosamine for oldies, and phosphate binder for those with kidney issues).

Its easy enough to create your own diet based on this kind of principles, a lot is about what ingredients you can get hold of and understanding what the words mean on the ingredients list of things you find in pet shops and supermarkets, but really it’s doable for anyone. I would say that unless you really know how to judge your rats condition make sure you feed a good proportion of enriched foods (like most pet foods and human breakfast cereals) and ideally a good vitamin supplement too, and if your not sure whats wrong talk about it and don’t be afraid to change the balance a little. Someone I massively respect in the rat world once said that feeding rats is part science and part art, and from my experience that is very true. I started out relying on spread sheet and meeting the scientific requirements of my rats, but never got them beyond ‘good enough’ condition, then I relaxed a bit and started doing it more by feel and now my lads are in the best condition they’ve been, which was also verified by others at the show I went to this weekend. Its really nice when it all comes together.

Here’s a list of where you can find them in the UK (I tend to get mine all from online shops, the local farm shop or the supermarket), as well as some info on how to choose alternative brands, as I doubt the same brands are available over there Base • Banana brunch – You can get this from some pet shops, online petshops and online small holder / farm suppliers in the UK. When looking for alternatives try and find a rabbit muesli which is higher in peas/barley/beans than wheat and ideally has no alfalfa, wheatfeed or strawfeed added (or these are low down the ingredients list). Don’t just limit yourself to rabbit food, some rat, horse and guinea pig food isn’t bad as a base over here (though it might not be great for a normal meal). If you cant find any you can drop this element of the base, its just a nice cover all. Aiming for around 10-14% protein and 2-5% fat works well • Marshams Mixed flakes – Animal feed stores, online farm/small holding stores, farm and equine supply shops. Its normally easier to get hold of each product individually but that’s not massively practical with only a small number of rats. There are a variety of mixes sold here, the ones higher in barley are better, some come with added soya flakes too, which is handy. This could be replaced to some extent by more processed grains sold in health stores, less enrichment for the rats but easier to get hold of. Can work out quite expensive though and you need to get a range of grains • Versa Laga Junior Dark Plus Pigeon mix – Animal feed stores, online farm/small holding stores, bird feed specialists. if picking an alternative aim for one with a large range of grains and not too high or low protein, most pigeon feeds are predominantly corn, avoid these unless you don’t have much if any corn elsewhere in the mix. Some parrot / bird seed my make a good alternative • Paddy rice – Online bird feed stores, im sure it must be available elsewhere but that’s the only place I’ve found it here, oh and rat rations but as that started out life as an online bird feed store until the rat world got hold of it that doesn’t count. • Pearl Barley – supermarket, health food shop • Millet seeds – bird feed shops, could replace with processed millet if needed or entirely with broken up millet sprays if wanted • Millet spray broken up – pet shops, very commonly sold over here. Protein • dried shrimps, mealworms, fish, tubifex, bloodworm and krill. – sold for turtle/terrapin/fish food here in specialist exotics shops (mainly sourced online). Mealworms are very easy to get hold of and sold for wild birds. • Soya flakes – Animal feed stores, farm shops, online small holder ranges etc., can replace with roasted soya nuts (salt free) which you can make yourself by soaking dried soya beans for 12 hours and roasting for about 20-30 mins at 180 deg C. Chickpeas are another alternative (also need soaking and roasting) as is dried soya mince or similar often sold in health shops • Egg biscuit– sold as bird egg food or similar in some pet shops and bird food specialists. Could be removed and just feed fresh egg once a week. • Fish for dogs Salmon small bite kibble. – found in online petshops and their website, not sure if this brand is available in the US. Look for high end ‘natural ingredients’ dog food, aiming for fish based where possible as its higher quality. High copper content and small bite is a bonus. Can be missed out but you need to up the supplements relatively Processed Carbohydrates • Denes wholegrain mixer – Available from online pet shops, it’s a natural vegetarian mixer. Aim for high end ranges again, look for high vitamin content, especially copper. An alternative is barley rings, sold as animal feed in farm shops, small holder places etc. If your missing this out you will have to up supplements in other forms. • Rice crispies – supermarket • Mixed puffs – health food shops, rat rations (who stock pretty much everything here in the uk) • Shredded wheat bitesize – supermarket • Cornflakes - supermarket • rice cracker broken up – supermarket Herbs • Herb Plus and Echinacea – pet shops, sold as rabbit treats, alternatives is to aim for a nice mix of herbs and edible plants, can do this yourself easily enough, just get a load of fresh herbs, hang to dry on a cooling rack in somewhere warm and dry, break them up. Good herbs and plants to try are; dandelion leaves, current leaves and your commonly available human edible herbs like basil, tarragon, mint etc, Growing your own is easy to do as well. • Shredded Nori – supermarkets, Asian food shops Veg • Dried mixed veg – some supermarkets, online human food shops (sold as soup ingredients, loads of choice out there) • Beetroot flakes and pepper flakes – as above but more specialist so not in most supermarkets, there’s a vast range of options out there, some interesting ones are; kale, cabbage, mushrooms, carrot, berries, tomato etc Seeds • Mixed Seeds and pine nuts – Bird seed specialists online stock a good range of seeds still in there husks, I get pumpkin, hemp, pinenuts and linseed from them, for the others (which are a nice to have) they are sold as a special mix by versalaga for wild birds in the uk (meadow mix) or from Indian / spices suppliers (cumin and fennel), I’ve found them in my local supermarket too. If you’re struggling a human quality seed mix sold by supermarkets is a good option, or look at some of the parrot foods out there, though try and avoid those too heavy in sunflower seeds and peanuts. • brazil nuts - supermarkets (probably not needed in the US) Supplements, Veg and Fresh Food • Dr Squiggles Daily Essentials 1 and Dr Squiggles Calcivet – - bird suppliers, pet shops, mainly online. There are a lot of alternatives out there, though bird supplements seem best for calcium and vitamin d in particular. You can also use those sold for humans, such as vitamin A extracted cod liver oil (here in the Uk the brand seven seas does a good one that does several rat doses when fed once a week in a wet meal) for both of those. Copper is easily fixed by feeding liver regularly, you can make liver treats which make a good way of topping rats up (let me know if you want the recipe). I also add ground up human supplements for vitamin d and calcium to these, baking destroys some of the nutrients but not all. Its always worth looking at other animals supplements too, some are very useful for rats, some of the senior dog ones are very handy for old rats in particular for example. • Bones and egg shells – left overs, alternatively here in the UK butchers will often give you free or very cheap bones for dogs, you can roast these or even feed raw in many cases. • Vegetables – supermarket, some fresh, some ready frozen, • Cooked meal – whatever’s in the house, mainly carb with some healthy protein, bit of oil and any veg I’ve got or some natural wet dog food, fish for dogs do a nice salmon mousse that’s great as a treat for the boys. I’m sure you can find similar quality stuff in the US, the trick is read the ingredients, if there’s any you don’t recognise then it’s probably not great quality. If anyones not sure of anything then if you can get it's ingredients and nutrition and bung it on here myself or someone else thats spent a bit of time on rat nutrition will probably be able to help.

It probably works out around £2.50per kg, which is cheaper than anything decent here in the uk. My rats get about 60g a day (I have 5 boys) so it works out roughly £5 a month, then theres veg and such on top. That is down to buying some stuff in bulk from farm shoos though, as I have sone local friends I split it with.

Oh and it keeps pretty well in a good container, as long as the oldest ingredient. Normally I make up monthly batches and keep the unmixed stuff in a sealed box in my shed. This lasts typically 6 months

It evolved over the years. Next time you make yours just try adding a couple ingredients or changing a few whilst keeping the balance the same. over time your mix will develop to. To be honest mine had changed since this again lol, I've found a bit more banana brunch seemed to improve my boys coat, and oddly less veg to (though they still get it a couple times a week). out just goes to show that you can play around to find the right food for your rats if you know how to judge condition

[starcrystal-healing]

What’s the herb you know with the most protective qualities?

Hi there! This is a hard pick since plants have their own unique flavor of protection. If I want protection help from a plant I am looking for:

Something to help me be aware of when I need to be protected or when there is something fishy going on

Something that helps me be more aware of my boundaries and when there is a boundary breach

Something that is calming as well because I am already always on edge and I don’t need huge alarms going off 

Something that can help me say yes to more of what I want and no to what I don’t want so that I don’t end up in nasty situations

So based off of these criteria the winner is..... rose! I love rose because it teaches so much about boundaries and love. I know it might be weird to bring that up instead of protection but a lot of the time if you have issues with protection (whether with humans or spirits) you most likely do not take good care of yourself and your boundaries. Protection starts there and if you have that good foundation of saying no when you need to then everything else falls into place. I used to constantly feel like I needed more protection from spirits but then I realized I really needed to work on the way I treated and handled myself first. 

My second pick is rosemary. I include rosemary in almost everything in my house lol. Even my household cleaning products. If are looking for long-term protective ally from the plant kingdom I recommend trying to start a relationship with a plant - especially a local one or one that your ancestry has connections to. Research the plants folklore and then try to form connections. It is a much nicer experience in my opinion to call on the aid of a plant you have spoken with before or at least know a little about.

My crystal pick would be blue calcite!

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*Ask me herb questions*

[lovequransecrets]

 إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ۚ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ " تَذَكَّرُونَ (90" 

▪قال ابن العربي: العدل بين العبد وربه: إيثار حقه- تعالى- على حظ نفسه، وتقديم رضاه على هواه، والاجتناب للزواجر والامتثال للأوامر. وأما العدل بينه وبين نفسه فمنعه ما فيه هلاكها.. وأما العدل بينه وبين غيره فبذل النصيحة، وترك الخيانة فيما قل أو كثر، والإنصاف من نفسك لهم بكل وجه.

▪ ان العدل هو أن يلتزم الإنسان جانب الحق والقسط في كل أقواله وأعماله، وان الإحسان يشمل إحسان الشيء في ذاته سواء أكان هذا الشيء يتعلق بالعقائد أم بالعبادات أم بغيرهما، كما يشمل إحسان المسلم إلى غيره.

▪ فالإحسان أوسع مدلولا من العدل: لأنه إذا كان العدل معناه: أن تعطى كل ذي حق حقه، بدون إفراط أو تفريط، فإن الإحسان يندرج تحته أن تضيف إلى ذلك: العفو عمن أساء إليك، والصلة لمن قطعك، والعطاء لمن حرمك.

▪ وإيثار صيغة المضارع في قوله: إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ ... لإفادة التجدد والاستمرار. ولم يذكر- سبحانه- متعلقات العدل والإحسان ليعم الأمر جميع ما يعدل فيه، وجميع ما يجب إحسانه وإتقانه من أقوال وأعمال، وجميع ما ينبغي أن تحسن إليه من إنسان أو حيوان أو غيرهما.

▪وقوله- تعالى-: وَإِيتاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبى فضيلة ثالثة معطوفة على ما قبلها من عطف الخاص على العام، إذ هي مندرجة في العدل والإحسان. وخصها- سبحانه- بالذكر اهتماما بأمرها، وتنويها بشأنها، وتعظيما لقدرها.

▪والإيتاء: مصدر بمعنى الإعطاء، وهو هنا مصدر مضاف لمفعوله.والمعنى: إن الله- تعالى- يأمركم- أيها المسلمون- أمرا دائما وواجبا، أن تلتزموا الحق والإنصاف في كل أقوالكم وأفعالكم وأحكامكم، وأن تلتزموا التسامح والعفو والمراقبة لله- تعالى- في كل أحوالكم.

📄 كما يأمركم أن تقدموا لأقاربكم على سبيل المعاونة والمساعدة، ما تستطيعون تقديمه لهم من خير وبر..لأن هذه الفضائل متى سرت بينكم، نلتم السعادة في دينكم ودنياكم، إذ بالعدل ينال كل صاحب حق حقه، وبالإحسان يكون التحاب والتواد والتراحم، وبصلة الأقارب يكون التكافل والتعاون ...

▪ وبعد أن أمر- سبحانه- بأمهات الفضائل، نهى عن رءوس الرذائل فقال- تعالى وَيَنْهى عَنِ الْفَحْشاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ ...

💫 والفحشاء: كل ما اشتد قبحه من قول أو فعل. وخصها بعضهم بالزنا. 💫والمنكر: كل ما أنكره الشرع بالنهى عنه، فيعم جميع المعاصي والرذائل والدناءات على اختلاف أنواعها.

💫 والبغي: هو تجاوز الحد في كل شيء يقال: بغى فلان على غيره، إذا ظلمه وتطاول عليه.وأصله من بغى الجرح إذا ترامى إليه الفساد ...

📄 أى: كما أمركم- سبحانه- بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى، فإنه- تعالى- ينهاكم عن كل قبيح وعن كل منكر، وعن كل تجاوز لما شرعه الله- عز وجل-. وذلك لأن هذه الرذائل ما شاعت في أمة إلا وكانت عاقبتها خسرا، وأمرها فرطا، والفطرة البشرية النقية تأبى الوقوع أو الاقتراب من هذه الرذائل، لأنها تتنافى مع العقول السليمة، ومع الطباع القويمة. ومهما روج الذين لم ينبتوا نباتا حسنا لتلك الرذائل، فإن النفوس الطاهرة، تلفظها بعيدا عنها، كما يلفظ الجسم الأشياء الغريبة التي تصل إليه. ثم ختم- سبحانه- الآية الكريمة بقوله: يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ أى: ينبهكم- سبحانه- أكمل تنبيه وأحكمه إلى ما يصلحكم عن طريق اتباع ما أمركم به وما نهاكم عنه، لعلكم بذلك تحسنون التذكر لما ينفعكم، وتعملون بمقتضى ما علمكم- سبحانه.

تفسير الوسيط لطنطاوي

.......................

Quran (16:90):

 " Allah enjoins justice, generosity and kind treatment with kindred, (*)

 and forbids indecency, wickedness and oppression. (**) 

 He admonishes you so that you may learn a lesson."

(*) In this brief sentence Allah has enjoined three most important things on which alone depends the establishment of a sound and healthy society: 

▪ The first of these is justice which has two aspects. To make such arrangements as may enable everyone to get one's due rights without stint. Justice does not, however, mean equal distribution of rights, for that would be absolutely unnatural. In fact, justice means equitable dispensation of rights which in certain cases may mean equality. For example, aII citizens should have equal rights of citizenship but in other cases equality in rights would be injustice. For instance, equality in social status and rights between parents and their children will obviously be wrong. Likewise those who render services of superior and inferior types cannot be equal in regard to wages and salaries. What AIIah enjoins is that the full rights of everyone should be honestly rendered whether those be moral, social, economic legal or political in accordance with what one justly deserves. 

▪ The second thing enjoined is "ihsan" which has no equivalent in English. This means to be good, generous, sympathetic, tolerant, forgiving, polite, cooperative, selfless, etc. In collective life this is even more important than justice; for justice is the foundation of a sound society but ihsan is its perfection. On the one hand, justice protects society from bitterness and violation of rights: on the other, ihsan makes it sweet and joyful and worth living. It is obvious that no society can flourish if every individual insists on exacting his pound of flesh. At best such a society might be free from conflict but there cannot be love, gratitude, generosity, sacrifice, sincerity, sympathy and such humane qualities as produce sweetness in life and develop high values. 

▪ The third thing which has been enjoined is good treatment towards one's relatives which in fact is a specific form of ihsan. It means that one should not only treat one's relatives well, share their sorrows and pleasures and help them within lawful limits but should also share one's wealth with them according to one's means and the need of each relative. This enjoins on everyone who possesses ample means to acknowledge the share of one's deserving relatives along with the rights of one's own person and family. The Divine Law holds every well-to-do person in a family to be responsible for fulfilling the needs of aII his needy kith and kin. The Law considers it a great evil that one person should enjoy the pleasures of life while his own kith and kin are starving. As it considers the family to be an important part of society, it lays down that the first right of needy individuals is on its well-to-do members and then on the others. Likewise it is the first duty of the well-to-do members of the family to fulfil the needs of their own near relatives and then those of others. The Holy Prophet has emphasized this fact in many Traditions, according to which a person owes rights to his parents, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, other relatives, etc. , in accordance with the nearness of their relationships. On the basis of this fundamental principle, Caliph Umar made it obligatory on the first cousins of an orphan to support him. In the case of another orphan he declared that if he had no first cousins he would have made it obligatory on distant cousins to support him. Just imagine the happy condition of the society every unit of which supports its every needy individual in this way-most surely that society will become high and pure economically, socially, and morally. 

(**) In contrast to the above-mentioned three virtues, Allah prohibits three vices which ruin individuals and the society as a whole: 

(1) The Arabic word fahsha applies to all those things that are immodest, immoral or obscene or nasty or dirty or vulgar, not fit to be seen or heard, because they offend against recognized standards of propriety or good taste, e.g., adultery, fornication, homo-sexuality, nakedness, nudity, theft, robbery, drinking, gambling, begging, abusive language and the like. Likewise it is indecent to indulge in giving publicity to any of these evils and to spread them, e.g., false propaganda, calumny, publicity of crimes, indecent stories, dramas, films, naked pictures, public appearance of womenfolk with indecent make-ups, free mixing of sexes, dancing and the like. 

(2) Munkar applies to all those evils which have always been universally regarded as evils and have been forbidden by all divine systems of law. 

(3) Baghy applies to those vices that transgress the proper limits of decency and violate the rights of others, whether those of the Creator or His Creation. 

-Holy Quran explication-

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The day has finally come in which all of the prompts are completed! To make things easier for you all, I’ve placed each of the skeletons’ prompts below, so that you’d save yourself the energy having to seek each individual one out. These have been a long-while in the making, so I truly hope they help, even the smallest bit, in your application process. I bid you all good luck!

RUFESCENT.

 001.  Honestly, while writing Rufescent I was just giggly the entire time (hopefully nottoo obvious to you guys), so I’d love to read a para sample that is completely filled to the brim with quirks and jokes, if only for the laugh. It would be a nice nod to the circumstances of their birth into the group, and a firm representation of one of their main facets. Moreover, it doesn’t have to be entirely silly, and it’d be lovely to read a scene in which they manage to incorporate their blazing wit and comicality into a situation in which it might be uncalled for or inappropriate, which makes it all the better. Surprise me, shock me, make me bite my lip hard enough because I have to hold back vicious laughter ⏤ that’s how the rufescent rolls.

 002.  Another detail that I implanted in their skeleton is the “you know, when they ask for silence in a library, they don’t exactly mean your kind of locked lips” line, and I absolutely adore it. The subsequent para doesn’t necessarily have to fall into this scenario, but this blunt, rebellious cheekiness is one of my favorite aspects of the rufescent, and I’d be a fan to witness a situation where this quality of theirs is magnified and shining brighter than a lumos. They’re just someone that you can’t help but snort at, really.

003.  Something that I feel would be overlook in the rufescent is their absolute, uncannily sharp wit. They are charming, they are hilarious, they are outspoken, they are a flirt to a fault, but they are also perceptive and clever beyond belief, which is how they get by. Write something that zeroes in on this, and how they use this to their benefit, or on the opposite spectrum, how perhaps it’s a “loss of potential”. In the same vein, maybe write about the cowardice they may be rooted in, the “carefully crafted bush” of theirs and how they “just wouldn’t fly away” from their current setting. Write about why! Write about pressure, and shedding personas, and just everything. I’d love to see your take.

NEMESIS.

001.  As stated explicitly and dramatically several times within their skeleton, nemesis is what I would call a double-edged dagger, a dichotomy if there ever was one. It may prove difficult narrowing this down into tangible words, or elucidating this into a specific scene where it can be properly captured, but I urge you to try. They are the extremities you wish you hadn’t touched, miraculously burnt and frozen over from simple contact, be it flesh, words, a look. Then again, fire is always mesmerizing before you get burned and ice is stunning before it pierces your heart ⏤ a vicious, beautiful cycle, one a healing charm can’t magically cure. They are fatally complex, and it’s a noble cause to attempt to corral them into mere words ⏤ an honorable challenge!

002.  I’m personally quite attached to the “cursing one parent while clinging onto the other” line, so I definitely wouldn’t object to seeing this sentiment portrayed in some form or another. Which parent did you pick; how do the dynamics differ; how do you suppose the parents react? All questions that can be carefully weaved and crafted into a passage of a scene, and my curiosity is certainly peaked.

003.  The biggest question you can ask when faced with nemesis is why ⏤ why are they the way they are? How do they cope without turning to ashes inside out? I want intimacy, an inside look into the labyrinth that they sheathe. Who are they? A clear answer, a stark analysis. I need to be shown an understanding and development of what exactly they have become and will continue to be. The five W’s and H would be a fun tactic with nemesis, if I’m being honest, because I want to see that transparency that proves you know them inside and out, even the mangled, molten parts that nobody else can define. “What’s it all for anyway?” You tell me.

THRASONICAL.

001.  One of my favorite little snippets about the thrasonical was making them a history-loving fool! I’d love to see how this obsession began, how it coiled into the very core of who they are. Perhaps a scene where we see them in the middle of a particularly vigorous session where they just went deep, completely encompassed within their own world of the past and its greats ⏤ the thought process, certain mannerisms, anything and everything that just embeds you into the world with them. Moreover, reveal some of their favorite pieces and periods of history! Strictly magical (here, you can really have fun and make up some lore on your own) or do they have a soft spot for muggle history as well, and how do the two mix, if so? How does the study and love of history complete them, and why?

002.  Now, I wouldn’t be hyperbolizing if I said they were fuck-all, one hundred percent, tits-up charming, so much so it’s nasty. In fact, you could accuse me of understating it. Capture this in action. The suaveness, the delicately tempered eyebrows that can throw the strongest wills into frustration, the quirk of lips that can shake foundations. Please ⏤ this is their arena, and I’d pay to watch, so make the show worth an audience.

003.  So, I kind of threw that line of “balling up fists and growling deep in your throat and calming the temper of a furious forest fire (sometimes it’s too late, sometimes you burn)” abruptly into the end, but that certainly doesn’t lessen it’s impact; perhaps it creates an emphasis, even, and I want to see that notion explored, abused, and taken advantage of. This is a bomb, and I want to see it detonated. Write an instance where they did allow the temper to catch fire and burn, and the consequences and clean-up of such a disaster. Or perhaps detail a moment when they could have, were so close to blowing up, but reined it in at the last second; capture the strength and will that it took, and how they blew off the steam in the aftermath. Go crazy together.

ACHILLES HEEL.

001.  One of the funnest qualities of the skeletons was coming up with the names for each and every one of them, and how exactly they would be molded to fit their titles. For achilles heel, there’s a lot of weight behind their name, for it’s perhaps the most well known out of all of the skeletons. I know why I picked it, but I want to know why youthink it’s well-suited. How do you tie it into your character? Do you prioritize the myth, the biology, or the general meaning behind it the most? Maybe show me a scene where the name just clicks so perfectly with who your character is. It’s a classic that has survived centuries, and I’d love to witness the clash between old and new ⏤ your interpretation against the very own Achilles.

002.  I instilled somewhat of a religious aspect within their skeleton ⏤ “analyzing scripture with your father in the italian countryside to fill up endless summer days, screaming at the top of your lungs blasphemy the next” ⏤ and it’s something I’d dearly love to see emboldened. I genuinely didn’t have any details in mind for this other than what I wrote, so I’d love to see any take on it whatsoever; it was a very impulsive inclusion, but one that I knew I couldn’t replace, simply because there’s so much that you can fabricate from that one line. Moreover, the Italian countryside is mentioned, and I’m curious to see how you would pave a subsequent path from there. This is where you can build up on the idea of their childhood (religion, family, residence), and there are so many roads to explore, it’s difficult to choose just one. The constant of achilles heel is their back-and-forth dance that is embedded into every facet of their existence, and it’s again apparent here. How did they go from point A to B? What is their relationship with religion and how does it affect them in their daily life? It’s a very boundless arena, but one that can only declare a single champion.

003.  To me, one of the most gut-wrenching pulls of the achilles heel is their complete ability for self-destruction, not to mention adeptness as self-deception. It’s like a demented game of whack-a-mole, and it’s fair to say there’s no winner. I want to see this underlined, magnified in the harsh and bright light that it deserves. This is the most imperative facet of who I introduced them as, and it’s something I’m beyond thrilled to see come to life. I want to see how they face this in their daily life; paint an instance where “playing peek-a-boo with feelings” radiates from a passage or dialogue, where it can be seen without being explicitly told. To pull achilles heel off, a tender and clever portrayal is needed, and I’m excited to see what you can pull out of the bag. Moreover, your interpretation on the unrequited torture aching within their bones is a particular desire of mine, and I want to see it exploited and dissected. Do with this what you will!

ACCISMUS.

001.  The driving force behind accismus is their undying and fervent passion. Beyond all else, they are like the unyielding embers in a stark winter; if you were to strike their bones together, a flame would appear. However, it’s almost as if this is lost on them. There is a certain desperation that trails their every breath, and every moment of their existence is spent trying to coax something deeper, something more, out of themselves. There are several lines within their skeleton that touch upon this, but “visiting the forbidden forest just to feel the thrum of explicit life around you, reminding you of your own blood pumping in your veins” works wonders to accentuate this point, and I want to see your own rendition of the meaning behind this. In order to wholly portray accismus, you must have a strong grip onto who they are, what their mindset is, the core understanding beneath it all. It’s complex to untangle and pinpoint, but I want to be shown that you know every single centimeter of the map of who they are.

002.  Truly, it wouldn’t be unfair to call them a mess. They really, really are. In their skeleton, it’s touched upon that they nearly gave up the honor of head student, and I want to tour the thought process behind this. There’s a subtle tragedy that lurks beneath the surface, and it needs to be exploited. Perhaps it’d be interesting to see the snapshot of when they found out they landed the position, and how they news shot through them. Who did they tell? Did they keep it to themselves for a while? Did they laugh, cry, go numb? It might be difficult to capture, but that’s exactly why I want to see it. I want them to be empathically, appallingly human ⏤ after all, so they do.

003.  For me, accismus is the rare introvert-extrovert type. It’s hinted at several times throughout the skeleton, such as “knowing the answer in class and waiting for the professor to call on you as a last salvation, drawling response and shy smirk at the ready.” They’re a beloved fixture within Hogwarts, despite not trying to call attention to themselves, especially in any boisterous or rowdy way. One of my main excitements relies on interactions, and so I’d love to see any dialogue between accismus and others. How do they react around others, what is their general temperament, if they were interrupted in a thrilling part of a book, how would they lash out, if at all? Really try to dig into their very essence.

GORDIAN KNOT.

001.  The inspiration behind gordian was clearly the old legend, and the very idea has been a tug at both my mind and heart for a while. The character concept was one of the first that I came up with, and this core of tangled ties, of a mangled and impenetrable mess, is the center of this skeleton that truly draws you in. Of course, it’s nice and complex on paper, but I am eager to see how you can enact this through dialogue and a realistic and meaty characterization, in which I can truly envision your muse coming to life. I want you to make this hidden and intricately tortuous character utterly transparent to me, to prove that you know them inside and out, knotted soul and all. They may be a complete riddle to everyone else, but you must be inside that sphere, right inside their head. I want to be excited to figure each facet of them out, bit by agonizing bit.

002.  One of my favorite injections within their skeleton was this idea of existentialism and their own curiosity with it. I was quite vague with the concept, for I wanted this to be the field where you can totally go off the tracks. What does this mean, specifically to your muse? How far and creatively wild can you go with this route? To me, gordian is a weird one, and I’m truly so excited to gather your interpretation of their mindset and how this idea became rooted in them. There’s a huge well of opportunity here, and I want to see how deep you’re willing to go.

003.  There are some gothic themes implanted within the group, and gordian is one of the tiers in that aspect. Within the line “chasing (my bad ⏤ walking, casually, slowly, always on the disinterested front) fulfillment in empty corridors tense with brimming old souls of centuries past ; what is it that deceiving emptiness can lend you that a breathing, talking human can’t? is it the breathing or the talking part ; or both?” there is plenty to uncover and explore with, and I want to this notion to somehow, in some (obscure or not) way, be addressed. I mean, just dissecting that part of the skeleton can lead you in so many directions, with a plethora of insanely delicious storylines to trek into. I want to see you blossom in this element, and really run with it. Give me something to sink my teeth into and groan in appreciation. Moreover, take into account their three words: stoic, precarious, nomadic. How do they fit your version of gordian? Do you disagree with them? Really show me your vision, in whatever capacity you deem best.

PROCRUSTEAN.

001.  The procrustean is quite the heavy character, and it’ll take a bit of skill to maneuver their characterization into something legible. The main notion attached to their skeleton, the very core of who they are, is this gilded cage that is shackled to their bones. The definition of procrustean reads “enforcing uniformity or conformity without regard to natural variation or individuality,” and it’s a perfect exposition of the center of the character. That latter part rings especially true, and truly emphasizes that not only are they weighed down by familial (or whichever direction you took) pressure in their future, but also their soul, their heart. They are clearly affected, but how? Strip every shackle off and reveal to me who they are underneath. Even more, show me who they could have been, had they not been born into a cage. Have they ever wondered this themselves? What is their mindset? Divulge these possibilities, these truths.

002.  A section of their skeleton focuses on that “if anything, you own the distinct talent of fabricating an escape in any pleasure or pain, tiny crevices or eyebrow-raising reaches alike, you can find, seeking out with a desperate vengeance that momentarily grants you a shortly saccharine fantasy, even if the tang of blood is more bitter than sweet ( can you even tell? )” line, and my, does it pack a punch. This introduces a whole realm of possibility, and I’m keen to see what kind of vices you have affixed to their character. It even hints at delusional fantasies and lapses of desperation that may be all too disastrous for them. How dark are you willing to go, and how do you interpret the direction of the last few words within the line? Include a scene or snippet of how cavernous this vein really runs.

003.  A regal mien is somewhat embedded into the flesh of their skeleton, and it doesn’t necessarily conclude that they’re born with a silver spoon in hand. They just naturally exude this palatial air that bears an imprint on anyone who crosses their path. I’m somewhat desperate to see procrustean in action, to be given a diagram of their mind, soul, and everything more. What are their interactions with others like; how do they react and how are they reacted to? The cloak of a coward conceals them, but how is this a player in the game of their life? How gracefully do they fit into their predestined box?

LOTUS EATER.

001.  The very concept of lotus is derived from the greek myths and legends in which, “as a result of eating the fruit of the lotus plant, a group of people were stuck living in a state of idleness and dreamy forgetfulness.” This is one of the more interestingly based skeletons, and there’s so much that you can do with this. I wanted to pack in everything I could into this concept, and I want to see all possible fronts exhausted. This notion of laziness beautified and an extravagant stupor is etched into the very fragrance that islotus eater, and I want to see this grand sloth reverberate a heartbeat. Perhaps even weave a tale that compares them to their namesake, how they would bear in such a mythological tragedy (or peace?). Hearten me to their lethargic existence.

002.  Moreover, an idea that can be warred within your application is the question of: how much of their soul is true, embedded laziness, and how much is clouded with the fear of change; of achieving the bare minimum so that perfection is the lowest bar to attain? Lotus is truly a tricky one, for their intentions are up in the air, floating in bliss among sunsets and daydream clouds. Take this line: “layering jewels upon jewels as they catch a shimmer and shine, layering shadows upon shadows of a girl, catching personas like light on diamonds” and wholeheartedly rip into it. You can take so much from those words, and I’m excited to witness your interpretations. As for scenes in which you can enwrap this into dialogue and interaction, perhaps a piece of synergy in which you highlight the conversation happening both inside and outside of their head. You do what feels most comfortable, as well as what can portray your enriched understanding of their character.

003.  There are several hints of a rather rough exterior inside the skeleton, such as “running idle circles barefoot in an orchard, playing hide and seek within the groove of trees and healing scrapes and bruises on knees with the soft caress of emerald grass and blooming flowers” and the only foul word (“shit”) found within any of the skeletons, battled against a delicate, mortal softness that begs to be damaged: “careful, don’t prick your delicate veins on a rose’s thorns ; your flesh is too brittle.” I want to see this played out brilliantly, in a bright, sunshine gold light that catches the eye. With lotus specifically, I think the childhood facet is an important one to explore, for a section of the skeleton directly refers to it, and how they evolved from there to here. Thrill me with tender and bittersweet nostalgia!

PRESCIENT.

001.  The prescient is a funky one, and I’m gearing for this to be played out spectacularly. Off the bat, you are drowned in this Alice in Wonderland swirl of an identity ⏤ except darker, funner, and snarkier. Truly, their skeleton holds some of my favorite lines, and one of them is this introduced notion of a holier-than-thou attitude regarding Divination, reminiscent of our favorite Brightest Witch of Her Age, while desperately gripping with both hands tight onto their own eyebrow-raising “prophecies”: “coughing bitterly on the dense fumes that cloud the divination classroom ( a roll of your eyes here, a barely disguised scoff there ), but clinging tightly onto the prophecies designed by your leftover tea leaves from that morning’s cuppa.” It’s honestly just so like them, and I want you to attain your own comfortability with the lunacy raging inside their head: not simply understand who they are, but sacrifice a piece of yourself to adopt their madness; Alice, meet your Mad Hatter.

002.  I don’t typically like to reveal certain fictional characters who have played a role in the initial, loose characterization of the skeletons, but in this case, I don’t see it deterring you from your own interpretation, but rather pinpointing some new perspectives to get your mind turning where it may have not been. That said, particularly in the Harry Potter universe itself, I drew some influence from Luna Lovegood, Lavender Brown, Hermione Granger, and even Tom Riddle. They each lent something to the building of the skeleton diagram, and from there, I expanded it and fluffed it with a lot of my own twists from how these “seer-esque” characters are usually done ⏤ it’s safe to say I had a little too much fun with prescient. They are truly different at every turn, and mangle expectations inside out: thus, I want you to shock me with your application; surprise even (and especially) me.

003.  One of the three words I included for prescient was meddlesome, and boy, oh boy, is that the truest thing I’ve written. This, mixed with their fatal curiosity, is a disaster brewing in the horizon. A large section of their skeleton reads: “everything and everyone has a rhyme or reason and oh, oh, oh, you’re too curious for your own good ⏤ what do you exist for if not for prodding and poking into a semblance of understanding / after all, one can be pushed down the rabbit hole or jump ; what difference does it make in the end if you’re the one to prod them off the ledge, as long as wonderland is reached at the crash of the fall?” and if anything, this is what you must pick up on in your interpretation. They can almost be suffocating in their ways, and that makes for some nasty interactions; or perhaps not? Detail their relationships across the sphere, or highlight a scene or dialogue in which their meddling ways are magnified for my viewing. Is the cat killed, or brought back?

FAVONIAN.

001.  The tug of favonian is this grand, old-fashioned fairytale hook, which cloaks you in its worn, mysteriously-shadowed aura (I generally get more descriptive the longer I write for periods at a time, my sorrowful, regretful bad). Their skeleton is actually one of my shorter ones, but I believe it to be more within less. This idea of a desperation to find oneself magically within the pages of a storybook leads to a more grandiose and perhaps even tragic analysis, for who must you be ⏤ what life must you live ⏤ to wish to exchange your reality for fiction (says I, the hypocrite)? Moreover, the line: “worn copies of beedle the bard graining your fingertips as age-old excitement pulls you to turn the page, again and again” hints that this pull has seized favonian since childhood, and what can you twist and weave with this piece of news? Is this fascination like the roots of a tree, growing sturdier and stronger with each passing day, until oh!: an evermore, majestic oak? In a world of magic, with goblins, and spells, and wheezes ‘til the eye can see, what more can you long for?

002.  I’ve been asked about this in the past, but allow me to reiterate and truly expand on my answer: a darkness clings in between the lines of favonian, and it’s hinted at through the “at least try and shave that hairy heart of yours, before they catch onto you” line. Like I said before, this is referring to the short story within The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and it’s perhaps the short story that reeks the most of the gothic theme, a thread that is most definitely deliberate. How you choose to incorporate or address this vein is up to you, but I suggest you get clever with it ⏤ if you’re having fun with it, I assure you that the same elation will radiate to me. Not all enchanted forests have a Tinker Bell, so run with it; after all, Hogwarts does have its very own forbidden forest to venture. A dark seed must always first be tainted.

003.  An extremely vital part to favonian is the “plucking your way through your garden, dismembering one flower at a time, chanting childish demands of ‘will they love me … love me not’ ( try : will i love me, will i not? pity, my dear : not )” line, which is why it was chosen as the crucial sentence to highlight within the masterlist. Here, darker themes are also underlined, for the innocent children’s act of plucking petals from a flowers is twisted into a literal, crippling action, maiming what was once sweet into something pungent. Even further, an insecurity is introduced in the parenthesis, sharp enough to prick your finger on. It’s truly key to at least talk about this in some capacity, so search for that dark, deep crevice within yourself and channel it.

PHAETON.

001.  The phaeton was a concept that was very original in the entire premise and creation of the roleplay, and I’m elated to see them finally flapping their wings out in the wild. Like essentially all of the skeletons, there is a soft dichotomy edged between the lines: arrogance versus inherent destruction. They are a very difficult concept to skillfully grasp, and can only be achieved with an exquisite and keen hand. They are wholly based upon the greek phaethon, and the myth instantly affords the skeleton depth where it may be hidden within the text: “inexperience proved fatal” is the theme that strikes severely, the chord that must be struck. However, legends may not be whole reality, and thus, I urge you to create a new picture rather than coloring within the lines.

002.  Following that same vein, arrogance is a key factor that is deeply implanted within the bones of the skeleton. Moreover, you can play on the “inexperience” and conceit by meshing them to attack the Head Student position that has been gifted to phaeton. “Arrogance is a certain type of breed, but are you a perfect design or a mangled mutation?”: where can this lead them? What part does this line play in their future / potential storyline? How will this fail them or uplift them? You can address these questions in whichever format you may wish to use, as long as the grip you have on their mind, heart, and soul is stable and obvious to my own eyes.

003.  A clever little input within the skeleton was “smirking dimples into fruition ; narrowing twinkling eyes into slits” and this truly warps what you thought the skeleton was into something else. This introduces a mischief to the concept, a fun gist and flowing wind that injects an acrid jest that you simply can’t help but inhale until you’re sneezing to the nines. Moreover, phaeton is perhaps the skeleton with the most singular lines, in which each new fraction amounts to a different meaning, and so much like the previous line, “heavy hearts weigh on the heaviest minds” is one that speaks thousands, and opens dozens of doors, without revealing much within the direct words themselves. Expand on these notions, and how they affect the vision of your own character; how they coil and root to encapsulate the core of your muse. Really wrap your fist around the center of their stem and tug.

[yourfavaccountant]

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

Article Source: Deevra Norling

Financial expert, Suze Orman states that fear, shame and anger are the most common emotions surrounding money.

We all think that money is about our bank balance. Yes, of course, it is that too, but money is also strongly connected to emotions. And before you think that you are exempt from an emotional attachment to money, think again.

How do you feel when you realize you are down to your last penny? Fear, panic, depression and even anger?

Sometimes our feelings towards money are so strong that we start to hate money because we believe that it is the cause of all of our problems. Hate is a strong emotion.

Money has even been the reason some people have attempted suicide.

On the flip side, tell me how you will feel if you suddenly got news that you won the lottery, or inherited a vast sum of money? Elated, right? Relief -- end of my money problems. I'm free! Or so you think.

A sudden large lump sum of money even changes people. Money gives them status and makes them feel powerful. Suddenly an air of arrogance sets in.

Money also influences how people treat you. A homeless person walks into a high-end retail store and gets shooed out with contempt. A well-dressed man pulls up in a BMW and has the welcome mat rolled out for him. People have more respect for wealthy people. Sad but true.

That's the power of money.

What Drives Our Beliefs About Money?

It's clear that money evokes strong emotions and everyone has deeply-held and often subconscious beliefs about money. But where do our feelings about money come from?

Our thoughts about money often stem from childhood. How our parents handled money provides the foundation for how we may handle money. This is reason generational poverty and generational wealth exists. Poor people impart bad money habits and beliefs to their children. On the other hand, wealthy people tend to impart their philosophies and strategies on wealth creation to the children. Coupled with that is the inability of poor people to fund further education for their children and the advantage children from wealthy homes have right from the start, and so the cycle continues.

Add to that the fact that formal schooling does not include financial education, and so we go forth into the world with little or no financial roadmap and soon we are making bad financial decisions, running up debt and have ourselves entangled in a financial mess in next to no time.

Financial psychologists Bradley Klontz and Ted Klontz refer to the term "money script" to describe our core beliefs about money. They say that "money scripts are typically unconscious, developed in childhood, passed down from generation to generation within families and cultures, contextually bound, and often only partial truths".

To find out which money script you have running through your head, read the article What did your parents REALLY teach you about money?

The Truth About Money

The truth is that the problem isn't money. The problem is how we approach money, how we think about money and how we handle money. People who constantly think negatively about money, tend to be plagued by money problems their whole life. People who believe that money is something within their control, are the ones who become more successful and ultimately increase their money. Those are the people who instead of complaining about their lack of money, educate themselves about money. Financial intelligence is the basis for growing wealth.

Danielle LaPorte wrote in article Getting Emotional About Money, "I tend to think of money in the same way I regard time. It's a form of energy. It comes and goes according to my intentions. The clearer my intentions, the more the money flows."

A change in our financial situation starts with a change in how we think about money. Clearing out the negative thoughts about money will remove the blockages that are preventing money from flowing to us.

The Disastrous Pursuit of Money

While we should examine our feelings towards money and strive to manage money better, we should not allow it to consume us.

We all need money to live and money does make life easier and more comfortable and gives us access to better services.

Sadly, in today's world, money is the center of many people's lives, to the detriment of their health, family, and quality of life. Materialism and consumerism are driving people. Everyone is trying to keep up with everyone else with the best gadgets, cars, and houses. So deep is the need to impress that we feel embarrassed to tell our friends we can't join them at that expensive restaurant when we don't have money.

Again, what is driving this? It's our emotions. We feel better about ourselves when we have the latest iPhone or walk around in designer labels. We want to impress people with how much money we have. Money validates us. Money makes us feel we are somebody.

If this is your relationship to money, you are on a slippery slope. These are the wrong reasons for chasing money. Money should enhance our lives, not run it.

There's nothing wrong with these things per se. They're nice to have. However, if your world revolves around this, then you've lost sight of what's really important in life. What many fail to realize is that there are worse things in life than not having money. Having no loved ones, having poor health, having no friends to offer support during tough times, having no spiritual connection, having no purpose in life.

Changing Our Attitudes Towards Money

What we should be striving for is to develop a healthier relationship with money.

Money has such a powerful impact on people that a sudden gain or loss in money can have a profound effect on some people's personalities and attitudes. It can turn a nice person nasty or a happy person miserable. It can inspire greed and selfishness. More money can actually be a bad thing for some people.

But in most cases, money will not fundamentally change who you are or what you believe. At your core, you will still be the same person with or without money. Similarly, if you are bad at handling a little money, you'll be bad at handling a lot of money.

That initial elation at the sudden abundance of money quickly fades and you go right back to being the way you always were. That's why the saying "money can't buy you happiness" was coined. That initial joy is fleeting. There are many unhappy rich people.

The key is to find peace and contentment with or without lots of money. For once we have our focus in life clear and stop allowing money to have so much power over us, any changes in our financial situation will have a less devastating impact on our emotions.

Financial guru Suze Orman sums it up best. "People really do not have a clue at all," she says with deep conviction. "They think the reason they are miserable -- that they are an emotional wreck -- is because they have absolutely no money. They honestly think that if they had more money they would have fewer problems. The problem is that it's not true! The reason they don't have more money is because of how they feel about their life and who they are. Who you are determines what you have and get to keep. You define your money. You define the things around you. But money and the things around you can never truthfully define who you are."

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Original Article: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/money-is-not-about-financ_b_7579746

To learn more about the effects that money has on your emotions, click here !