#but I'm also re-giving every option a proper chance to go

[lowkeyclueless5137]

welp... I am having doubtssssssss

So... regarding this poll, I figured that some of you wanted to vote for something else by the time you already chose.

And also I got a block regarding how I'm gonna handle that au in a series.

Ultimately, I decided on this next course: Re-do the poll for a week and IF there's a different winner, the om x twst au will join the NRSSAB in the permanent ask event category.(I guess i should also count the ben 10 au????)

it's the exact same poll, with a minor chage to the mlb option, bcs now there are 2 variants of it :'3

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

Hey again Sex Witch!

Thank you so much for your help! I’m the gay guy from the other day whose ask re: sexual attraction you’d answered. You really got to the heart of the matter, and I truly appreciate that.

This might sound silly but… Are you sure it’s really not weird, gross or… otherwise wrong of me to just randomly initiate a conversation with someone in a bar like that? I’m sorry - even if the worst that could happen in theory is just a few awkward seconds, a part of me still thinks that an unsolicited “hey I like your necklace” Is too… forward. lol even if there’s a guy in a jockstrap gyrating two yards away.

Again, sorry for the weird asks. And thank you for all your help!!!

hello again, anon! I'm very glad to hear that I could tap into something resonant for you. doing this kind of work without being able to have a proper one-on-one convo means I sometimes I sometimes have to guess at exactly what the best advice for someone will be, but luckily I've been doing this long enough that I've gotten to be a pretty good guesser :)

I'm 100% certain that it's not weird, and certainly not gross, to approach someone that way, as long as what you're saying is appropriate for the context. for instance, I'd broadly advise against walking up to someone who's, say, sitting in a coffee shop minding their own business and opening with "you have a gorgeous mouth, I want to see my dick in it." there are absolutely people out there that it would work on, sure, but you shouldn't assume that, because the potential to guess wrong and become an instant sex pest are wayyyy too high.

but even that's not wrong in every setting! that guy gyrating in a jockstrap probably wouldn't mind someone being a bit sexually forward; indeed, there's a very good chance that he's doing what he's doing specifically to encourage that.

but there's also a HUGE world of other, much less risque ways to open up a conversation. let's talk about your example with a necklace, and complimenting details about someone's appearance in general:

"hey, I really like [aspect of person's appearance.]" many people (wisely) recommend sticking to things that people pick and have control over - for instance, makeup, piercings, jewelry, tattoos, hairstyles, and clothing, rather than focusing on specific facial features or body parts. there are also a lot of ways to take that one further if you want to go for a more substantial conversation, including the following:

"I like that tattoo/piercing, did you get that done around here?" or "I like that [article of clothing], where did you get it?" gives them the option to provide as much or as little information as they like, potentially tell personal stories you can respond to, etc.

alternatively, if there's an identifiable common interest in their outfit: "hey, is that [thing] a reference to [whatever]? I love [whatever]!" great, now you can talk about d&d/comics/a movie/a band/an anime/literally whatever for as long as you want as a way to get to know each other

or, alternatively: "hey, that looks really cool. is it from something?" again, gives them plenty of options about how much they want to respond, which you can play off accordingly, and honestly? letting people explain a thing to you can be VERY fun, not to mention people LOOOOOVE having an excuse to talk about shit they like.

also, hey, if someone is just wearing an outfit that's really fun overall? something that they clearly took effort putting together to look nice? man, they WANT you to compliment that. they want you to compliment that so bad.

"but Makenzie how do you know?" because I dress like a loud-ass fruit 7 days a week. and I'm not doing specifically because I want people to compliment me, duh, I'm doing it because it's fun, but it's nice when people say something kind about my outfit! it's nice to be noticed! the other day I wore a pair of bright pink overalls and a student passing by me stopped to say that seeing them made her happy because pink is her favorite color! that's a great interaction, nothing unpleasant about it! I've also recently dyed my hair a shade of yellow that can be best described as "highlighter," and a LOT of people have been stopping me wherever I go to let me know how much they like it. that's nice! feels good! I also wear a lot of huge earrings, especially when I'm working at events where I get to meet prospective students for the university where I work, because it gives nervous teenagers something easy to start a conversation with! they say "I like your lego mermaid Batman earrings" and I say "thank you, I wear them so gay people will talk to me!" and then they get to say "whoa, I'M gay!" and then we're off to the races.

obviously it's presumptuous to assume people are dressing to be alluring to you specifically, but there are also very few people in the world who will be upset at being told that their hair looks nice and their outfit is cool and you think their tattoos are awesome.

people are also generally pretty stoked to hear something like "you're a really good dancer!" or "that food/drink looks good, what did you order?" or "sorry, but did I hear you talking about x? I love x! what did you think of xyz?"

statistically most people love to think that they have good taste and hate being the one to make a first move, so if you do both of those things you're already off to a GREAT start.

also, another fun reminder: even if complimenting that necklace doesn't lead to a romantic or sexual connection every time, it does serve as good practice for talking to people and makes you someone who gives compliments easily - and hopefully someone who's good at receiving them back, because many people love to repay a compliment immediately in kind! and it's never bad to be known as somebody who's generous with saying nice things :)

just give it a try; I promise you'll like it once you see how warmly people can respond to even casual praise!

[roominthecastle]

I can't help but think you're being a bit too hard on Eleanor because of ship bias. I mean, why would you called her 'her worst self' and 'selfish' when she's always been one to throw stuff to get in heaven (even with the character development)? But suddenly she's being sappy and depending on someone who isn't Michael and the whole M/E fandom is at her throat. I'm as unconfortable as the next shipper with all the C/E scenes but is it really Eleanor and her characterization that's at fault?

Yes, of course I am biased (to a certain degree). When the show caters to my preferences, I’m more docile and much less likely to nitpick and complain, when it doesn’t and it drops the ball to boot, I get grumpy. So I’m your garden variety fan, basically. But I don’t believe I’m “at Eleanor’s throat”. Her and Chidi being together doesn’t make me uncomfortable bc it’s her and Chidi and not her and Michael (+ I often see things popping up in the C/E dynamic that can have potentially interesting implications for Michael’s development and for M/E, too. Generally speaking, the three of them make up a curious whole for me).

I know the chances of (2-sided) M/E happening are somewhere btw zero and never, so I’m not exactly eyeballing C/E as some kind of obstacle to my personal shipper nirvana, jumping at any chance to “punish” Eleanor for choosing the “wrong” partner. But I do feel uncomfortable with the way the C/E romance is written this season. “They are sidelining my no. 1 dynamic”, while frustrating, is not the reason for this, it’s not why I’m not crazy about Eleanor’s behavior and Chidi’s OOC-ness.

Eleanor + character development always resulted in stuff like her being emotional and vulnerable w/o getting aggressive and demanding, her accepting it when Chidi turned her down w/ dignity despite feeling heartbroken, and her being considerate of others to the point of volunteering to go to the Bad Place to save them. This is where she was a year ago and the year before that at the end of each season. This is not where she is now. I’m not saying being selfish and throwing stuff is not in her character make up or her problem-solving toolbox. Her overcoming these impulses, however, is the very point of her character development (made blindingly obvious last season when she lied about passing the Judge’s test and refused to go through the portal to TGP). What we have (currently! so it can change any time) in S3 is the opposite (see the in-your-face door to TGP that won’t open for her), it’s her completely giving in to these impulses to the point of seriously endangering everyone, meaning that she has, in fact, regressed. I suspect it is a point the show is trying to make but we’ll have to wait and see.

In “Janets”, all Janet asks is that they stay put until she and Michael deal w/ accounting. Eleanor works herself into a state over Chidi not opening up to her on command, putting Janet through hell and almost erasing her friends from existence while her own self is also disintegrating. Despite the serious consequences, this harmful behavior carries right over into the next ep where all Michael asks is that they lay low bc folks in TGP are so rule obsessed, they can send all of them right back to TBP. Eleanor immediately smashes stuff at the door to TGP bc it doesn’t open up for her when she demands it. It’s her bullying of Chidi from the previous ep all over again, only in a vase-meets-door form. Even Chidi has to be all about her now as he magically turns into a grossly idealized version of himself (see in S2 how she rejected a similar “fake Chidi”), spending the entire ep trying to prevent her from blowing up again while the rest of the team is cleaning up the mess in the mail room and Michael is away trying to fix the calculation issue. Despite the crazy-intense circumstances, everybody is trying to do something for somebody else except her - she is still hyper-focused on herself and it stands out to me bc this is a version of her I’ve never seen before and it’s def not the best one.

Again, it’s not because she is w/ Chidi but the issues become especially apparent within that dynamic since the second Michael showed her those memories, she just latched onto Chidi, expecting him to fill the void left by her screwed up upbringing that’s been freshly dredged up thanks to her not-dead mother. They made her lurch from “I’m incapable of love” to “I’m madly in love and nothing else matters”, hand-waving determinism while failing to provide any other reason why these 2 are suddenly together again. They are trying to play it as romantic/funny but it’s not romantic when someone’s whole identity has to be propped up by another person and it’s not funny how that other person has to repress his own identity/issues to be able to do this. It’s a suffocating, unsustainable interplay. Or if it’s meant to be interpreted as “love cures mental illness and erases every character flaw in 5 minutes, so you can finally be the proper romantic partner”, then it’s even worse. You don’t have to be a shipper of another ship or look too deep into this story to see these (imo) legitimate problems (but it helps, yes, since it’s natural to be more critical of sth you’re not emotionally invested in and gloss over stuff to preserve the fun potential when it’s your OTP or sth, I do give you that).

Eleanor having to coerce love and attention out of Chidi will never be cute, either, or proof that those feelings were there all along. People pushed some quotes from WJH into my face about how Chidi calms down bc he finally has what he always wanted - interesting choice of words, btw, given the pin Michael gave Eleanor - but 1) an actor’s opinion will not automatically replace my own (no, not even if it’s Ted’s or some other big fave’s) and 2) how exactly were we supposed to glean that Chidi wanted to be with her so much in this reboot? Was it when he went steady w/ another woman despite Eleanor being an option all along? was it when he refused to give private lessons to her bc he was just too busy? or was it when he - despite witnessing her meltdown - sent her packing bc they already had enough material for his study? For some reason the writers missed every opportunity to build this up properly and make this extremely syrupy display stick, but I’ve already said everything about that in another post.

This whole idea of “he felt this way all along, he just didn’t actually show it, so we can skip actual development” is a lazy, corner-cutting approach which reminds me of the worst kind of fanservice attempts I’ve had the misfortune of experiencing with several of my favorite shows recently. I have very low tolerance for that stuff now bc it never ends well. I did not expect to see this particular brand on this particular show, but here we are, I guess. Or if it’s a case of creative exhaustion/boredom where this billion times rebooted couple is concerned, then maybe it’s time to park them and give a not yet over-explored dynamic some attention instead to keep things fresh and fluid as opposed to stale and forced - again, not an unreasonable request, even if it comes from someone who is invested in another dynamic, given the lack of care that was apparently put into developing C/E this season.

I don’t like not liking things on this show (and it’s not Eleanor I don’t like, it’s the way they deconstructed her in order to write her back into a relationship as if she couldn’t exist w/o it), and I am sorry if I disappointed or offended bc it was not my intention. I hope they flip things or introduce a new angle that will make me re-evaluate. I am always open to that whenever new material arrives and I honestly hope they will make me eat my words soon. I will merrily absorb the suckerpuches. But for now, this is my opinion and “you just don’t like that she is not with your fave” - while a natural factor - is not the main reason why I made my comments.

[mbti-notes]

Hi mbti notes, thanks for all your help. Lately I've been stressed in the presence of my family. After living alone away from them for quite a while, I've become more independent and sure of myself but now that they are back I realized some of my family members are very controlling and critical of everything I do. I didn’t recognize just how much their berating affected me before, but now I do. Any small action could warrant a tirade about what I'm doing wrong, how I’m disrespectful, etc. (1/4)

[con’t: I know I’m not a bad person but it used to make me feel like one and give me low self-esteem. I know better now, but it has been hard to not have my anxiety act up because I am with them in a pretty tight space for a couple of days. I’ve been reverting in little ways to my old patterns of thinking and acting. I’ve been tired and eating a lot more than usual and getting anxious about my social interactions with people. I felt very low energy at work and felt like my unhappiness showed on my face (which made me more anxious; I didn’t want to bring others down). For the most part I know this will pass, and that I just need to adjust, but I am not sure how. I recently had a small interaction with a person I’ve wanted to be friends with, and I was happy they reached out to me first, but my head started telling me they might change their mind about liking me. I started thinking thoughts like, “I didn’t say something cool enough to push the convo forward. I’ll mess it up/already have.” I am not sure how to think about it in a rational way so I’m coming to you for help on reframing those kinds of thoughts, but also on help with how to deal with toxic family members you can’t get away from who tear you down constantly. It’s been very exhausting.]

I think this question is very relevant this time of year when people are getting together with old friends and family. Family dynamics are very difficult to navigate because 1) they are so ingrained through many years of repetition, and 2) one’s sense of self-worth is naturally tied to family member’s judgments. Each member of the family has an image of the other members as well as a well-worn emotional pattern of interaction. Why? Reinforcing “shared knowledge” is one method of keeping a family bonded over time, though most of this knowledge plays out unconsciously. 

When you spend a long time away from family, those images and patterns stay as they were when you left because your family no longer has the opportunity to closely witness your life and the ways in which you change and evolve. In dysfunctional families, the underlying drive to remain emotionally bonded can manifest as a refusal to accept new images and new patterns of interaction, because doing so usually entails that everyone involved has to change in some way, which people tend to assume will end up breaking the old bonds, not to mention that change is scary when your deep feelings and sense of self-worth are on the line. With this in mind, there are two different approaches one can take to handling old family dynamics. 

1) Emotionally distance yourself for the sake of self-care. Be realistic about what you’re capable of; don’t expect more of yourself than you can handle. If you’re not emotionally strong enough to withstand toxic patterns and change them, there’s no shame in distancing or employing a defense mechanism to keep yourself sane. This is probably not the ideal option because it doesn’t actually resolve anything, but it might be your best option at the moment. Growth happens in stages and maybe you’re not quite there yet, and that’s okay. Keep working on yourself in a more supportive environment and, hopefully, one day you can face up to your family with more inner strength.

2) Use the opportunity to challenge yourself. Remind yourself of how much you’ve grown and take this chance to practice being the kind of person you want to be. If you’ve learned independence, then exercise that independence of mind and stand up for yourself. If you’ve learned how to communicate better with people, then do some “advanced level practice”. If you’ve learned how to evaluate criticism more impartially, then exercise that skill with every comment that’s thrown at you. Become the influencer instead of being the influenced. I used to have a running joke with a good friend: every time one of us seemed to make some progress in personal growth, the other would say, “Now go try it with your family!” There is the sting of truth in humor.

Family relationships carry more baggage, so it’s important to remember that it takes a long time to implement change and also lots of effort to dismantle unconscious habits. However, real change in a relationship doesn’t happen if only one person is “adjusting themselves” and nothing is actually being done to change the old dynamic. A proper relationship requires two people to participate. If one person breaks the old dynamic, the other person is forced to respond; it’s normal that the first response is a bad reaction because change is scary. However, over time, as the new pattern is built, things might slowly improve and old wounds eventually resolved. Conflict is sometimes a necessary step to re-balancing relationships and re-negotiating a new way of being with each other. Sometimes you have to be the “bad guy” and initiate the change and handle the ensuing conflict. But when the other person is too set in their ways and stubbornly refuses to change and acknowledge the person you are today, there’s nothing for you to do but disengage, because the wall is insurmountable. Most importantly, there’s no negotiating with abusive people who only want power over you; if this is the case for your family, walking away is the best thing for you to do. Use your best judgment.

[janiedean]

Hi Lavi :) I need your help! cause I'm moving to Roma soon for 2 months and I don't really know anything about the city :/// First, I would need advice for the place I'll stay in, I have 3 options basically : Trastevere, Aventino, or near the basilica santa maria maggiore. Knowing that I would need to be in the city center (next to the palazzo colonna) every day?? And general advices about living in Roma would be awesome too! Grazie

hey!

okay so first thing I REALLY HOPE YOU HAVE A GOOD TIME HERE rn the administration is... terrible but hopefully it won’t deter you from enjoying it. in order:

palazzo colonna is right in the city center but in theory all three options are good because aventino is behind the coliseum which is within walking distance, santa maria maggiore is near the main station but it’s also within walking distance and trastevere is a bit farther but you can get to piazza venezia quickly with the tram which is like the one public transport that works. in theory aventino is more quiet and has a lot of green and it’s not that filled with tourists but it should be less cheap (if you’re renting) but like if you can afford it maybe it’s the best choice, but it also has the least choice of like, shops and restaurants and so on. trastevere has all the typical restaurants and is a lot more lively and is full of nice shops, but it’s also stock-full of tourists and unless you find a secluded place good luck sleeping during the weekends. santa maria maggiore depends on where you are because in between the church and the station it’s cheaper but it’s basically the multicultural area which is not as well kept as the others - sadly - and on the other side instead there’s monti which is a very nice and actually not too touristy neighborhood which has also good public transportation so it depends on what are your specific needs, but all three are good picks also because you can get to piazza venezia by foot anyway if everything else fails. I’d say weigh your specific needs (if you want to party in your free time trastevere or s. maria maggiore is better, if you want quiet and calm aventino would be better) and see but all those choices are good;

as far as general advice goes, in order, PUBLIC TRANSPORT AND SHIT and then WHAT YOU CAN DO:

know it from the get-go - public transport is shitty. if you can walk, WALK. if you can’t, get an app on your phone - the best are probus, citymapper and muoviroma - which tells you when the bus is coming if it’s coming - sometimes they fuck up but it’s better that you do. really, GET AN APP, because otherwise waiting for the bus will be hell. the metro is more reliable but taken in the morning or at 5-7 PM it’s hell - you’ll get people in your face and pressed up to you like sardines most of the time. the only good public transport is the tram and it’s not everywhere. do not expect it to work properly. there’s a strike about every other friday (I KNOW) so be prepared to walk. if you’re here for two months you can get the monthly card - at least it’s cheap, even if the service is shitty. 80% of the time the bus driver won’t speak very good english. anyway, do not expect good public transport. ever;

don't use taxis or try not to. the prices are some of the highest in the country and they'll rob you in any case. clearly if you need to get someplace at 3 AM then you don't have much choice, but the number for calling one is just in Italian I think, so you'd have to stop one unless you learn enough italian or you know it well enough to navigate it. especially, try don't take one from the airport because it'll cost you around 70 euros tops unless you want to spend them, of course. or you can try the private taxi companies - the one everyone recommends me is samarcanda, they also accept credit cards while regular taxis might not; (in case, go on ONLY THE WHITE ONES)

if you need directions, beware that a good 50% of the people here either speak English pretty badly. So in case you do need to ask, I'd suggest asking at a newsstand or bar or shop - at the center there's probably more of a chance that they actually do speak English. If you learn the basic Italian for directions it might help a lot, but if you ask random people they might be crap at communication;

if you need to buy food, we have a few supermarket chains. todis has the best price/quality ratio, conad is okay, carrefour is good but pricey, coop is good if you find one, the rest can be good or not but those are the most popular supermarket chains;

alf of the people who drive around here should have their license removed. (personal experience.) pay extra attention while crossing any road and try to mind noisy traffic. that might seem kind of stupid, but there's a bunch of people passing with red lights or starting the car as soon as it's green and stuff like that which never happens when I go outside Italy (most times). oh, and pay attention to motorcycles because 75% of people driving one should have their license removed instead of just half and they tend to break rules more than car drivers do;

if you want to rent a car or try to get one while you’re here you can but I would advise strongly against it because parking is a bitch and *I* hate driving in this city I can’t imagine someone not adjusted to it;

now, since it’s long, under the cut you get food/tourism advice/tourist traps and stuff. :)

Tourist traps and stuff that is advisable to avoid

There aren't many tourist traps in the strict sense since pretty much everything is worth visiting, but here are the ones I'm aware of, plus a few tips.

- Don't get on the top of St. Peter's. I don't know why it's apparently a great thing to do but it's totally not worth it. They charge you, there's always a line that can go from mid-long to long as fuck and the view isn't anything that special either. You can get a better one for free if you take a walk up the Gianicolo hill or the Pincio gardens just to say two. Or you can take the elevator on the Altare della patria.

When you go to the Coliseum/Roman forum, avoid fake gladiators before they throw an arm around your shoulder and take a picture with you because then they'll want to get paid for it even if you didn't ask. Unless you want one but it’s like ROBBERY. XD

When eating, avoid restaurants in the center offering you tourist menus or pasta/pizza menus. They'll tell you that you can have any pasta or pizza you want and stuff to drink for seven euros, but then looking at the menu since most pastas cost more than that, they'll mostly give you just one or two choices for either. Also 99% of the times it's frozen and re-heated, and at that point you can spend ten euros and go to a proper cheap pizza place. Also beware generally of places that offer pasta and pizza at the same time anyway - most proper pizza restaurants have a pasta/meat/vegetables/etc. choice anyway even if they don't advertise it, and whatever offers stuff like pasta/pizza/Italian typical food at once is usually not a good choice. If they sport an Italian flag or the Coliseum or St. Peter's on the menu outside then it's probably not a good place. XD

Generally eating cheap

Since I scared you off the cheap kind of restaurant, some eating cheaply advice. Now, unless you go to very fancy places and/or renomated restaurants and/or smack in the center, it's easy-ish enough to eat with no more than 12 euros per person in regular restaurants/pizza places. Also most Chinese restaurants are pretty cheap. But if you just want something quick for lunch or anything, there are a lot of places that sell pizza by the weight. You can just go in and say that you want three euros of that kind of pizza and that's all you'll pay, and they also sell appetizers to go with it (like, idk, arancini or supplìs, google them XD) and you'll get out of there having spent five euros at most. Most ice cream places are good by default so that's a good option as well. Or most bars have a kitchen and offer pasta/meat/vegetables at lunch and you pay less than what you'd get in a restaurant. Also if you want to try typical local stuff (though if you're vegetarian Roman food might not be your cup of tea) you can just go to Trastevere and there virtually each restaurant is good. Actually if you want to try pizza there, this is my favorite place; the pizza is excellent, everything else is, prices are reasonable and you don't pay for the service, just for the food. (Anyway, check for pizzas. There's Neapolitan and Roman - most places do it the Roman way but if you check they might do it the Roman way as well. The difference is that the former is the real pizza, the second is very thin rather than tall. They usually specify it, if it's Neapolitan. /end rant)

If you're into Jewish food then you could go to the ghetto, which is the second-oldest ghetto in the world (nothing to be proud but it's info) and where they have a bunch of great places to eat typical Jewish/Roman stuff, but I can't guarantee about the cheapness. TRY THE ARTICHOKES FOR THE LOVE OF GOD;

Other random tips before the to-see list

From what I gathered, if you need euros it's better to get them at a bank/ATM rather than at any change shop or at airports. They don't rob you that much on it, but it's still more convenient not to get money in there.

Use tap water. Rome is full of fountains and all the water is good to drink. It's actually very good water objectively XD and rather than getting charged two euros for half a liter you can just buy a bottle once and fill it in at your hotel or at the first random fountain you see in the street. It's all safe.

Any place that charges you more than one euro for one coffee that isn't strictly in the center or in Via Veneto (except for my favorite place in the center - Sant’Eustachio - which is totally worth every penny) is best left alone. Today a lot of places offer American coffee too but I’d advise trying the espresso ;)

- Don't try to rent a bicycle. High chance is that someone will hit you.

Or: come with jackets or a huge scarf with you even if it's nice hot weather because otherwise they won't let you inside churches. especially at St. Peter's they're strict like hell -- they won't let you in with one-quarter sleeves, you need to have at least half of your arms covered. And once I brought a friend to a crypt which I'll list in the to-see things which isn't inside the church, it's under it, and the guardian was looking in obvious disapproval at a bunch of Germans going inside in shorts and tank tops, so anyway if you want to get inside churches don't do it with your shoulders uncovered.

The shiny list of things you absolutely need to see, or try to if you don't have time

1. Coliseum + Roman Forum. Or, well, come on, we were awesome before popes re-built this city. Okay, with all seriousness, I'm not going to play tourist guide here because that'd be redundant, but you really should go see them.

Aaand advice in order to go quicker: usually lines at the Coliseum are huge. Depends on day/time, but unless you're going very early or very late it'll take you a while. So, either you can book your ticket (with at least one day of advance, they won't let you otherwise) or you go the sneaky way. Which is: you can get a ticket for Coliseum & Roman forum together as well, at both Coliseum and the forum. Since the forum usually has like 1/10 of the line, you go to the forum first, visit there and then go to the Coliseum, be like 'I HAVE MY TICKET ALREADY' and skip the line.

2. The center! Which means like twenty things together, but they're all close-ish to each other so in theory if you spend one day walking (or two half days walking) you can totes manage it. What you should go see in the center, not including the churches because I'll make a list out of those in another point:

a) The Pantheon;

b) Piazza di Spagna (where, if you're English lit nerds, you can go visit Keats' house - they say it's the Keats/Shelley museum but just Keats lived in there. Anyway, it's at the right of the stairs and apparently 90% of the visiting people are English and the people there go like 'OMGWHUT' when Italians go in, but however, it's a little cool museum and if you have some time it could be worth a visit);

c) Fontana di Trevi;

d) Via del Corso (where you go buy stuff if you're cool and have a lot of money);

e) Piazza Venezia ---> the Campidoglio hill (where there's a square and a palace by Michelangelo and the Capitolini museums - more on those later) --> the Trajan column;

f) Piazza Barberini (Bernini fountains!);

g) Piazza Navona (Bernini fountain + Borromini church + the square was actually a stadium in Roman times);

h) Campo dei fiori aka my favorite place and one of the best places to eat so YOU NEED TO GO SEE IT AND THAT'S THE END OF IT;

i) Piazza del popolo;

l) Porta Pia + imperial walls surrounding it;

m) all the roads in between that + the churches that I'll list in a short while.

n) ETA BECAUSE FOR SOME REASON I FORGOT: Piazza Argentina, where there's a colony of 300 cats in the Roman ruins there and you can pet them for free. Well obv not 300 at a time but yeah they totally want to be petted and there's a volunteer association taking care of them so they're clean and everything and so basically it's just a huge free petting zoo.

3. The churches!

Okay, telling you to go to all the churches in Rome would be insane as there's one every three buildings, so I'll give you a run down of the places that are worth checking out because of a) the architects, b) the paintings inside, c) other stuff of importance.

a) Basilicas first, obviously:

a1 -> St. Paul's. (No, I didn't list St. Peter's first. *cough*) it’s my favorite of the basilicas, especially because it's way older than St. Peter's and still has some Byzantine mosaics as well. Disadvantage: since it was built outside the Roman walls back then (VERY MUCH outside) it's smack down in the middle of suburbs, so you need to go there with the subway and there's nothing else around to see UNLESS YOU GO TO THE NOT-CATHOLIC CEMETERY to visit keats and shelley, it’s the previous metro stop;

a2 -> St. Peter's obviously. If only because Michelangelo's Pietà is in there and you -have- to see that, no discussions. XD No well obviously you have to go. I'm probably just sick of it because I've been there so many times that I barely notice anything else anymore

a3 -> St. John's, which is also quite worth visiting, and it's next to San Giovanni which is a pretty lively zone where you can totally go to have a drink or something to eat

a4 -> santa maria maggiore ;) 

There are three others as well but those four are the most important ones. Now, other churches:

b) San Luigi dei Francesi, Sant'Agostino and Santa Maria del popolo

have a considerable advantage that makes them VERY much worthy to be visited: all of them have Caravaggio paintings inside. Actually, the first has three, the second one, the third two, and they're all masterpieces, so those are totally worth visiting.

c) Sant'Andrea al Quirinale and San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane

are two churches near the Quirinale (where the President of the Republic lives -- NOT the PM, thanks XD), the first was designed by Bernini and the second by Borromini, which are both pretty much encompassing what you want to see about Baroque in Rome. They're both absolutely wonderful though I like Borromini's better. Regarding Borromini, it's his also the one in Piazza Navona.

d) Bernini speaking, in Santa Maria della Vittoria you will find the Ecstasy of St. Theresa sculpture - it's kind of fun that when I bring people there without telling them what's inside everyone is like 'OMG IS THAT IN HERE' because it's not the kind of church you notice.

e) Chiesa di Santa Maria Immacolata a Via Veneto  or where the crypt I was talking to you before is. Major point of interest: said crypt is made of human bones. Warning: since human bones/skeletons creep me out like nothing else I've never set foot inside or I'd have ended up with a major case of WANTING TO GET THE SHIT OUT OF THERE, but people with less problems with it assure me that it's amazing. Your pick. xD

f) San Clemente aka a minor basilica which is also one of our oldest churches and is definitely worth a visit, if only because you can sort of see how it's two churches one built over the other. It also has some catacombs (thankfully skeletons-free) which are pretty much worth a visit as I think they're the only ones that remained here in pretty good condition.

Obviously there's a bunch of other churches but those are the ones I wouldn't miss.

4. Museums:

4a: Vatican museums. Or, if you need to pick ONE then I'd go here even if clearly it's the most pricey and it'll take you half a day to see it. BUT, it has the Sistine Chapel and Raphael's chambers and pretty much some of the best things you can see here so yeah, totally recommending it. Other recommendation: either book tickets online (you'll pay like 3 euros more) or go there at lunch time around 12.30/1 PM because otherwise high chances are that you'll queue for hours. Also if you're a student and have a card or a document from your school bring it along because you can pay 8 euros instead of 14 to get in.

4b: Galleria Barberini: they have a lot of Reinassance/Baroque paintings, Caravaggio included, and they're much cheaper.

4c: Galleria Borghese: probably the besty out of said public museums. It has sculptures/paintings/everything from a lot of artists and also contains famous things as well but a) you have to book, b) they'll kick you out after two hours regardless of the point you reached, so while being there try to go as quick as possible. If you finish you can always go back.

4d: Musei Capitolini: or, the oldest public museums in the world! (Really.) They have a lot of ancient Roman statues/ruins/etc along with the Marcus Aurelius statue which is the only original Roman bronze around, so it's totally worth a visit. Their paintings are great as well.

4e: if you're into it, next to Galleria Borghese there's a pretty good modern art gallery, but I haven't been there in ages and I'm not that much into very modern art anyway so you should probably check before listening to me.

5. I’d also go to Trastevere/the isola tiberina if you don’t go LIVE there of course XD

6. Also if you have time take a train at ostiense and go to the ruins at Ostia Antica. then take a train from any regular station and go see Villa Adriana in Tivoli ;)

feel free to ask for any other advice!

[kosmicdream]

So wait... kings usually get at least 1 seed. I'm guessing for the most part, giving that kings seem to be mostly self centered, kings will preserve this seed for their own sake as another life. But if they decide to use it to make a new species are there limitations to what they can do? Did the different hekas come from 1 seed or multiple seeds? It's becoming more clear as to why queens want to kill kings every time something about them is revealed.

The first nest of all 5 Hekatons were made from 1 single seed. But their king was incredibly powerful. He was born with a very rare and mighty 5 seeds. (This was considered to bet he maximum at the time, before his son Canary was born with twice the amount.) So sparing one to create the Hekatons was not an issue. The seeds borrow from the strength of the worm that made them, so after the worm used this seed he definitely sacrificed a lot of his own strength. He prepared for this, however, and was eating and slowly restoring his strength when Leadman killed him. If he had fully recovered Leadman would not have stood a chance, as his physical strength (and size) basically rivaled Velns. The remaining seeds were removed from his body before he was able to revive himself after his death. (usually this is too difficult to do in time, but leadman the worm fighting expert prepared for it.) His powerful body was later .. re-purposed? for other uses. i wonder what happened to it..

Kings usually just save the seed for themselves as a back up in case they are slain. But if they feel they are protected suitably by their knights, they will create a new species. The new species they make depend on a lot of factors, but its usually revolves around:1) How strong/developed the king worm is (how many things has it eaten, how smart is it, ect.)2) How creative/well thought out of an idea the new species is and what its purpose will be.

If a Created Species is very well thought out and comes from a strong enough king, they can certainly do a lot of incredible things and possibly change the world, as we’ve seen happen with the hekatons. But it is also somewhat common for a created species to be short lived and not survive due to proper planning/management skills of the king worm. (Imagine making a species that needs fresh water to survive and then realizing the oceans are polluted? lol good job there buddy you wasted ur seed.)

Created species will vary on how many individuals are made. Its usually based on how many are required to continue a species, so that will usually be two. Hekatons are actually quite unusual for having 5 ‘origin’ parents, but thats likely because the worm that made them was so strong themselves they were able to give them such a diverse range of skills even in their own species. Hekatons were truly born to be great!

Queens hunt and kill kings before they can ruin the balance of nature with their new species, and often they will do their best to also kill the new species as well.

Partly why Knights are considered special types of worms as they are eligible to be revived via King Seeds if they die. So this is why being chosen to become one is such a big deal, its somewhat of a promise of “if I lose you i will bring you back because you’re such a good wormy.” (And yes, Aeschylus was eventually made into a Knight.)

To back track tho, a king cannot just make anything. If a king makes a new species and is like THEYRE THE STRONGEST AND ARE INVINCIBLE AND CANNOT DIE that is not going to just work out without some consideration involving what that means. How are they strong, what do they do? How are they able to be immortal, what do they feed on? How do they reproduce? A curious worm who has collected a lot of data, that has considered many options and is able to implement a plan for growth and flexibility in their creation, is a worm that will make a very strong species.

[rocheburnham62-blog]

Is Digital TV The Identical Factor As HD TV? I'm Confused About The Digital Transition

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