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thecreaturecodex · 6 years ago

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Great Old One, Kyuss

“Dungeon 135 Cover” by Wayne Reynolds, © Paizo Publishing.

[Kyuss here is a milestone in a number of ways. He’s the last of my Age of Worms conversions. He’s my first CR 30 monster, which is as high as CRs get in Pathfinder RPG. And he’s my 650th unique entry in the Creature Codex!

These statistics are based primarily on the Dungeon Magazine version of Kyuss, but toned down. Kyuss didn’t need four different spell lists. The spell stowaway ability is a feat from the 3.0 Epic Level handbook, which I gave to Kyuss since in my game, one of the PCs loved to abuse time stop. The resultant battle, in which a PC soloed the Wormgod for 4 rounds and survived, is still talked about around my table more than a decade later.]

Great Old One, Kyuss CR 30 NE Aberration This immense giant is composed of thousands of writhing worms woven together in a mockery of the humanoid form. It cloaks its form in a ragged gray robe, and immense orange eyes glow hatefully under its hood. It carries a bladed mace in its hands.

Kyuss The Wormgod, the Worm that Walks, the Parasite Divine NE male Great Old One of decay, undeath and apocalypse Domains Death, Destruction, Evil, Magic Subdomains Catastrophe, Decay*, Divine, Undead Worshipers avolakias, nihilists, the duped Minions wormtouched undead, overworms, Kyuss wormswarms Unholy Symbol A human skull with green worms pouring from the eyes and mouth Favored Weapon executioner’s mace *Clerics of Kyuss can use the Decay subdomain to modify the Death domain

Kyuss, the Wormgod, is the architect of apocalypse and the creator of a panoply of undead. His ultimate goals are to usher in the Age of Worms, an era in which all mortals are converted into undead and the world is a writhing nightmare. He has very nearly succeeded in these goals, but was thwarted by great heroes and cast once more into imprisonment. But Kyuss stirs in his tomb, and the Age of Worms may begin in a far-away planet or plane.

Kyuss is perhaps unique among the Great Old Ones in that he was once a mortal. An executioner of a jungle city in a cruel theocracy, he clawed his way to the role of high priest and then priest-king. Obsessed with immortality and despising the frailties of flesh, he experimented with spell weaver magic and the green worms which now bear his name. In a mythic ritual, he stripped the life force of an entire empire and poured it into his own body, hoping to achieve godhood. Kyuss failed by inches, achieving eternal life but becoming a writhing thing instead of an ascendant deity, trapped in a shard of indestructible black stone. It is this shard that is both Kyuss’ sanctuary and prison, and from which he emerges to wreak ruin on the world.

In his millennia of study and plotting, the Parasite Divine has discovered a pernicious way of increasing his power. Rather than gain worship directly, he does so mostly through fear and deception. A number of cults founded by his monstrous minions or his few true humanoid believers shroud Kyuss’ true nature in layers of lies, allowing him to sip from the power of belief provided by the unknowing. Even knowing Kyuss’ true nature and that of his plots is not enough, for Kyuss draws energy from creatures fearing him as surely as he does from those worshiping him. If Kyuss were to achieve his goals and achieve true divinity, he would be a powerful and dangerous god indeed.

In combat, Kyuss is nothing short of ruinous. He combines a variety of necromantic spells with blows from an immense black mace. Even if disarmed, his physical attacks are horrific—he can engulf a foe and strip the flesh from them in seconds, returning them to a hideous parody of life as one of his scions. Kyuss rarely fights alone, calling on broodfiends, wormdrakes and powerful undead of many kinds to serve as distractions and cannon fodder.

Kyuss CR 30 XP 9,830,400 NE Huge aberration (Great Old One) Init +22; Senses blindsight 300 ft., darkvision 120 ft., Perception +53, true seeing Aura unspeakable presence (300 ft, DC 42), zone of desecration (120 ft.) Defense AC 45, touch 45, flat-footed 23 (-2 size, +12 Dex, +25 insight) hp 752 (35d8+595); fast healing 30 Fort +28, Ref +25, Will +34 DR 20/-; Immune ability damage, ability drain, acid, aging, cold, critical hits, death effects, disease, energy drain, mind-affecting effects, paralysis, petrification, single-target spells, sneak attack, stunning; SR 41; 46 vs. divinations Defensive Abilities amorphous, immortality, insanity (DC 42), negative energy affinity, spell stowaway Offense Speed 50 ft., burrow 50 ft., climb 50 ft., swim 50 ft. Melee Mace of Kyuss +43/+38/+33/+28 (4d6+27/19-20x3) or 2 slams +40 (2d8+16 plus grab) Space 15 ft; Reach 15 ft. Special Abilities channel negative energy (25/day, 10d6, DC 42), create spawn, devastation beam, engulf, mythic power (10/day, surge +1d12), thanatoic nightmares Spell-like Abilities CL 30th, concentration +45 (+49 casting defensively) Constant—freedom of movement, nondetection, tongues, true seeing At will— create undead, create greater undead, greater dispel magic, greater teleport, harm M (DC 31), nightmare M (DC 30) 3/day— control undead (DC 31), disintegrate M (DC 31), finger of death M (DC 32), quickened greater dispel magic, quickened harm M (DC 31), empowered horrid wilting (DC 33) 1/day—mage’s disjunction (DC 34), power word kill M, summon (level 9th, 2d4 broodfiends or wormdrakes, 100%), wail of the banshee (DC 34), wish M Spells CL 20th, concentration +35 (+39 casting defensively) 9th—astral projection, energy drain (DC 36), gate, miracle, overwhelming presence (DC 34), quickened slay living (DC 32) 8th—antimagic field M, quickened divine power, fire storm M (DC 33), greater spell immunity, quickened inflict critical wounds M (DC 31, x2) 7th—blasphemy M (DC 32), destruction (DC 34), ethereal jaunt, mass inflict serious wounds (DC 34), quickened prayer, quickened protection from energy, repulsion 6th—blade barrier M (DC 31), forbiddance (DC 31), harm M (DC 33), mass eagle’s splendor, plague storm (DC 33), quickened spiritual weapon M, word of recall 5th—dispel good (DC 30), flame strike (DC 30), greater command (DC 30), scrying (DC 30), quickened shield of faith, slay living (DC 32), unhallow 4th—air walk (x2), dimensional anchor, inflict critical wounds M (DC 31), sending, terrible remorse, unholy blight M (DC 29) 3rd—bestow curse (DC 30), blindness/deafness (DC 30), contagion (DC 30), inflict serious wounds (DC 32), invisibility purge, magic circle vs. good (DC 30), prayer M, speak with dead (DC 32) 2nd—bull’s strength, darkness, death knell (DC 31), hold person (DC 29), make whole, resist energy, silence (DC 29), spiritual weapon M 1st—bane (DC 30), deathwatch, detect undead, divine favor, entropic shield, protection from good (DC 28), sanctuary (DC 28), shield of faith M 0th—bleed (DC 29), detect magic, guidance, read magic Statistics Str 42, Dex 34, Con 45, Int 38, Wis 41, Cha 41 Base Atk +26; CMB +44 (+48 grappling); CMD 76 Feats Combat Casting, Command Undead, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Wondrous Item, Empower SLA (horrid wilting), Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (executioner’s mace), Improved Vital Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Mythic Spell Power, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (greater dispel magic, heal) Quicken Spell, Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Penetration, Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +50, Bluff +50, Climb +62, Diplomacy +50, Escape Artist +50, Intimidate +53, Knowledge (arcana) +52, Knowledge (dungeoneering, nature, planes, religion) +49, Perception +53, Sense Motive +53, Spellcraft +52, Stealth +42, Survival +53, Swim +62, Use Magic Device +50 Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Avolakia, Draconic, Infernal, telepathy 300 ft. SQ compression, otherworldly insight Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization unique Treasure double standard (Mace of Kyuss [+3 unholy vorpal executioner’s mace], other treasure) Special Abilities Channel Negative Energy (Su) Kyuss can channel negative energy as per a 20th level cleric. Create Spawn (Su) Any creature reduced to 0 Int by Kyuss rises as a scion of Kyuss under Kyuss’ control immediately. Devastation Beam (Su) As a standard action, Kyuss can fire destructive energy in a 600 foot line. All creatures and objects in the line take 17d12 points of damage that ignore all hardness, damage reduction or energy resistance (Reflex DC 42 half). A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this blast is destroyed utterly and can only be returned to life with a miracle, true resurrection or wish spell. The save DC is Charisma based. Engulf (Ex) If Kyuss grapples a foe, as a swift action, it can cause a swarm of worms to squirm over the grappled creature. These worms deal 5d6+24 points of damage and 3d6 points of Intelligence drain and the creature is nauseated for 1 round. A successful DC 44 Fortitude save negates the nausea and halves the Intelligence drain. Kyuss can only have one embraced target at a time, but it does not have to continue grappling in order to maintain the embrace. If Kyuss moves more than 5 feet from the swarm or dismisses the swarm (a free action), the swarm dies. Any area attack that damages the swarm or any severe or stronger wind effect that affects the swarm's target kills it. Immortality (Ex) If Kyuss is slain, he explodes in a fountain of worms—all creatures within 30 feet take damage as if exposed to his engulf ability (Fort DC 44 halves). Any scions of Kyuss created by this effect are free willed. Kyuss then reforms on another planet or plane over the course of 1000 years, trapped in a monolith of black stone until the time is right to reemerge. Spells Kyuss casts spells as a 20th level cleric. He does not gain access to domain spells or domain abilities. Spell Stowaway (Su) Whenever a creature within 60 feet of Kyuss uses time stop, he can act normally within the duration of the time stop, as if he had cast it himself. As neither he nor the caster are frozen in time with respect to each other, each can target and affect the other with attacks, spells, or other effects they create, though they cannot affect other creatures within the duration of the time stop. This ability functions even if Kyuss is flat-footed or unaware of his opponent. Thanatoic Nightmares (Su) Kyuss can use his nightmare spell-like ability on any creature that has ever taken ability damage or drain from an undead creature, or been infected with a disease by an undead. In addition to the effects of the nightmare, the target must succeed a DC 42 Will save or become infected with the seed of undeath. It takes a -4 penalty to all saves against necromancy spells, negative energy effects or the special attacks of the undead. If slain by an undead creature with the create spawn ability, it rises as a scion of Kyuss instead. This effect is permanent unless removed by remove curse or a similar effect. The save DC is Charisma based. Unspeakable Presence (Su) Failing a DC 42 Will save against Kyuss’ unspeakable presence causes the victim to be overwhelmed by a sense of doom—it takes a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks and weapon damage rolls while it remains in the area. Zone of Desecration (Su) Kyuss emits a 120 foot aura that duplicates the effects of a desecrate spell. He counts as a shrine to an evil religion for the purposes of the spell.

#kyuss #age of worms #D&D #pathfinder rpg #milestones

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katewillaert · 6 years ago

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My Secret Origin (Part 1): How To Fail At Comics

[Above: Art from 20 years ago, when I was in High School.]

What do you want to be when you grow up?

When I was four I said “mad scientist.” It was 1987 and I was a big fan of The Real Ghostbusters and Doc Brown. My mom insisted “mad scientist” wasn’t a profession. And weren’t those characters are inventors? What did I want to invent?

Clearly I hadn’t thought this through.

My mom also informed me that all those cartoons I watch were made by people. Those were drawings, and there are people whose job it was to draw those.

This blew my mind. From that point on I decided I was going to be an animator.

Discovering Art

I don’t remember when I first started drawing. It seems like something I always did growing up. As far as my memory is concerned, I came out of the womb holding a pencil and began drawing before I said my first words.

In reality, I probably started in preschool when I was four, just before I discovered what an animator was. I remember my favorite subject to draw was the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters. I must’ve drawn it something like 10 or 20 times.

My mom kept almost all of my childhood art, so in theory I could figure out when I started drawing from that...except the earliest drawings were ruined when the basement flooded.

After the flooding, my mom was condensing what was left, and I saw something surprising: a box filled with Ecto-1 drawings. I hadn’t drawn it 10 or 20 times, I’d drawn it 100 or 200 times. Repetitively, over and over, without consciously thinking about what I was doing.

It was practice without realizing I was practicing. I guess that’s how my art “leveled up” so quickly?

Later I discovered other details about my early development. There was a time around age 2 where I stopped talking. There were times when I liked to line up toys. My obsession before art was Legos, building complex shapes and stairs.

Today these might be recognized as possible indicators of autism, but this was the ‘80s.

Because I was shy and lacking in social skills, a teacher suggested to my parents that I might benefit from being held back a grade. I had a summer birthday, so holding me back would make me one of the oldest rather than the youngest.

Thankfully my parents didn’t take that advice. I would’ve been miserable. Despite being the youngest in my class, I surpassed everyone in terms of scores. A CAT test says I scored “higher than 99% of all 3rd grade student in the nation in total language.” 91% in reading. 90% in math. My reading comprehension was 98% in the nation, but was brought down by my reading vocabulary which was only 72%.

Yet this new information called into question a things about myself I’d never considered. Maybe certain things suddenly made more sense? In particular, the way I don’t have interests so much as obsessions. Any time I take an interest in a topic, it leads to an obsessive amount of research.

Discovering Comics

I think the first comic I ever saw was a Chick Tract some kid showed me in Sunday School. He was surprised I’d never seen one. It must’ve hadan impact on me, because I attempted to draw a tract-style comic starring C.O.P.S. (“Fighting Crime In A Future Time”).

I didn’t discover REAL comic books until a few years later. In 1991, Terminator 2: Judgement Day marketing was in full force and I thought it looked so cool. But it was Rated R, and I was only seven. My mom spotted a couple issues of a Marvel comic adaptation (drawn by Klaus Janson), and I guess that was the compromise until it was out on video.

I attempted to illustrate a comic imitating Janson’s cram-packed panel-per-page ratio. It was an epic crossover where Michael Keaton Batman encounters a Delorean driven by a T-1000, then the Ninja Turtles show up, and maybe the Ghostbusters? I knew how to introduce characters but not how to finish a story.

At this point I was still imagining becoming an animator, even though I barely knew anything about what it involved beyond some flip books I’d done. But all that changed when I discovered the X-Men.

X-Men and Batman: The Animated Series both debuted on FOX during the fall of 1992. I was a huge fan of the Tim Burton Batman movies and I’d seen every episode of the ‘60s show when it was revived in reruns, but I didn’t know the comics existed? I didn’t even know where to find comics.

My brother and I were both really into this new X-Men thing, and my brother was given a set of X-Men comics for his birthday. I borrowed them of course, and wanted to see how the story continued. My mom showed us a book store in the mall that had comics, and then we discovered the local comic store. That started my monthly addiction.

Now age 10, I decided I no longer wanted to be an animator. Comics were my true calling. And my dream was to break in at age 16.

Learning Comics

Age 11: I went from reading just Uncanny X-Men to buying the entire X-line, thanks to and event called Age Of Apocalypse.

Age 12: I started buying Wizard magazine. The first two issues I bought included life-changing information, like that you get hired by building a portfolio and showing it to editors. There was industry news, and art tutorials by Greg Capullo. I added the magazine to my monthly buy list. An X-Men 30th anniversary special gave me the entire history of the characters, and a run-down of the key artists and writers with examples of their work. It was like a Rosetta Stone before Wikipedia.

Age 13: I started buying most of Marvel’s output thanks to an event called Heroes Reborn. I never got into the Batbooks, I guess because the art didn’t look as cool? Comics contained ads for the Joe Kubert School, which became my backup plan if I didn’t break into comics on my own. I also discovered the internet around this time.

Age 14: My first year of high school. I spent every lunch hour in the library browsing the internet, since we didn’t have a computer at home yet. I discovered several comic art forums where pros and amateurs traded tips. During the summer I attended a week long art session taught at a local college by a professor who grew up on ‘60s Marvel. There I learned I’d been using paper that was much too thin to ink on, and I learned about the importance of Jack Kirby.

Age 15: I started buying Comic Book Artist magazine. I thought it’d be about drawing tips, but instead it was filled with fascinating comics history, which became an obsession of its own.

Age 16: A year of disappointment. I knew I wasn’t at the level I needed to be to get pro work, but wasn’t sure how to get to the next level. Nowadays there are all sorts of resources I could’ve used, but back then there was no Youtube, no social media, and few books about the craft of comics.

I was now certain the Joe Kubert School was the way to go.

Changing Plans

My family took a trip to Dover, NJ to visit the Joe Kubert School campus, and it was pretty disappointing. The town didn’t feel super friendly, and the school wasn’t accredited, which raised issues in regards to getting student aid. Plus the idea of spending so much money on a non-degree.

The guy showing me around tried to sell me by pointing out that comic companies don’t care about whether you went to college, they just want to see the portfolio.

I took this to heart and decided not to go to college. I was pretty crushed at first, because I’d had this dream plan for so long, and now I was plan-less. But eventually a new plan began to form.

It was time to start doing conventions.

A startup called CrossGen had a sample script and were taking submissions at SDCC 2000, so I went there. I still felt like my work wasn’t quite ready for prime time, but i was worth a shot.

And nothing came of it, other than a cool Crossgen rejection letter in a box somewhere. None of the other publishers could be bothered to even send that.

In hindsight, I was trying to enter at maybe the worst possible time in comics history. When I first started reading comics, they were at their peak during a boom period. When the bubble burst, the industry experienced year-over-year plummeting sales with no bottom in sight. No one was hiring.

But I kept at it, hoping for a lucky break. Top Cow was impressed that I did backgrounds (lol), and suggested I send in “background samples,” but I didn’t want to go down that route. But maybe that’s what a lucky break looks like? (On the other hand, many aspiring pencillers who start as inkers or colorists get stuck there.)

The next summer I went to Chicago with a Marvel sample script. I’d just graduated from high school, so I was really hoping. This time I got a critique from an editor who had actual advice to offer, and I learned a few things. But still no one was hiring.

I thought if I just stayed home and worked on art for a year, I’d eventually come up with pages so impressive that they’d HAVE to hire me. And if it didn’t work out after a year, I’d start looking for a college.

But now I was struggling with a new problem. I suddenly hated my art. I’d heard about a few professional artists who didn’t like looking at their own art, but I was certain this was different. After all, they’re actually good.

The year passed and I accomplished nothing. Based on things I’d heard, I was nervous that college might actually price me out of comics entirely. But I didn’t know that for sure, and I was super inexperienced when it came to money, since I’d never lived on my own before.

But I kept hearing how so many people have gone to college and they all turned out okay (this was before social media and before student debt became a crisis). I was clearly having trouble moving forward on my own, and Youtube still didn’t exist, so what choice did I have?

Choosing Schools

There were only a few colleges with comic art programs back then (maybe three total?), but one of them just happened to be over here in Minnesota. Art school appealed to me because all the classes were art-focused, so I wouldn’t have to waste my time with math and other BS.

And as I humble-bragged earlier, I’m good at math. But I hated it. At one point some kids from Math League asked if I’d join the team. “‘MATH LEAGUE?’ You mean you do math for FUN??”

I hated math so much, I took harder, accelerated math courses via a local college, just so I could finish math early and spend my last years of high school wonderfully mathless. If there’d been a similar way to graduate from high school earlier, I would’ve taken it. When I realized we were all graduating regardless of how much work we put in, I stopped caring so much about grades and let an occasional B+ slip in.

When I would see classmates busy studying for their SATs or ACTs, I was so glad I didn’t have to bother with that.

But the joke was on me. Because this art school didn’t just require a portfolio review (which I was more than ready for). It also wanted ACT test results.

I remember wondering if I should study before I take it, since everyone took it so seriously in high school. But I didn’t even know how to study. It’s not a skill I’d learned, because I never needed to. So I decided to wing it.

You’ll hate me, but without studying I scored in the top 96% for English, the top 94% for Reading, the top 96% for Science...but only top 87% for Math, because I hadn’t taken a math class in three years. That brought my total down 90%..

(Later, I had to learn to study in order to pass some horrifically-taught art history classes. That teacher made me hate art history, which is ironic given how much of my own writing is focused on history.)

So I got into the school, only to discover that even structured teaching wasn’t going to solve my new art problem. During my first year I told my mom that I don’t enjoy art anymore, and she thought it might be depression. I mean, that’s plausible, losing interest in your passions?

In hindsight, I now have enough experience with real depression that I can definitively say it wasn’t that. I mean, I was occasionally depressed back then, but hating my art was unrelated. It took me years to figure out the actual problem.

Dunning Kruger

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is named after a study which found that:

1) People who aren’t knowledgeable about a skill tend to think they’re better at it than they are, because they don’t know enough to know what they don’t know.

2) Conversely, people who ARE knowledgeable about a skill tend to think they’re worse at it than they are.

My problem went one level deeper. I’d learned a shit ton about every skill related to comic art, but I hadn’t put in as much time actually practicing. And now practicing was tough, because I was hyper-aware of how bad every line was as I laid it down.

In other words, the exact reverse of when I was four and drew repetitively on auto-pilot. Back then I was oblivious that I was practicing anything at all. Now I had the benefit and detriment of a critical mind.

But this realization came later. At the time I was just miserable and didn’t know what was wrong with me.

Halfway through art school, I realized I’d likely already priced myself out of comics, and I needed a real degree that would function back-up plan. So I switched majors. Instead of a Comics major filling my electives with design classes, I became a Design major filling my electives with comics classes.

In order to change my major, I had to explain it to the head of the school. This was awkward because it partly involved explaining how the comics industry worked, and he didn’t want to believe it. He told me I was being cynical.

I tried doing comic samples one last time after college, for a convention in 2006, but couldn’t even finish a page. Then sometime around 2008, I gave up drawing entirely.

How I got started again is another story.

You can also find me on:

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/katewillaert/?hl=en

Twitter - https://twitter.com/katewillaert

Art Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/katewillaert

History Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/acriticalhit

#comics #comic art #x-men #marvel comics

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mrultra100 · 6 years ago

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1000th Post Y’all!

Well how ‘bout that? 1000 posts of my random and ridiculous shenanigans! It’s been a wild ride folks, and I couldn’t be more happy for all of your support! (And to this, that I started this blog for fun back last summer) To celebrate, here are my top 10 favorite posts!

10. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/177268053221/diosmiles (by @diosmiles)

This mash-up of “Interior Crocodile, Alligator” and the SSBU version of “Gangplank Galleon” was made when King K. Rool was revealed as one of the game’s newcomers. When it may be short, it does have a nice rhyme to it. Seriously thou, the updated version of the Kremling King’s theme is fitting for his long awaited return in Smash Ultimate.

9. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/178806537791/amtrax-squigglydigg-new-bendy-and-the-ink (by both @squigglydigg and @amtrax)

Another music one. Out of all the fan-made BATIM songs out there, “Welcome Home” might be my all time favorite of the bunch, with the lyrics, voice acting, etc, Hailey, Austin, and the gang really outdid themselves with this one, especially at the last verse of the song.

8.https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/175851041991/cookievampiress-mrultra100-asked-me-to-draw (By @cookievampiress)

Behold ladies and gents (If you remember this one) the very first art request I ever sent! (And also the first V-Twin request at that) Since the first time I since “Fangs a Lot Johnny” (A Johnny Test season 5 episode), the Vampire Twins (Especially Vampire Mary) have climbed onto the ranks of my all time favorite characters. There’s just something I love about evil goth-like versions of certain cartoon characters, and since I love vampires, this ain’t no exception.

Though I don’t like to share personal info or complain, for some reason, Cookie decided to block me shortly after the request was done. I could have upsetted her over something, and I wish in the near future, I can speak with her again to see what happened. Again tho, I’m not big on controversy, but I wanted to point that out. Let’s move on!

7. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/179708341611/mexican64-so-two-major-things-happened (By @mexican64)

This piece was made towards Piranha Plant’s reveal as a fighter in Smash, and our first meeting with Alastor in Hazbin Hotel. If there’s something that the 2 have is common, that would be those sharp smiles they have. More points for adding the visual elements of the Radio Demon onto the carnivorous flora, Especially the ears!

6. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/178498693031/bogleech-i-didnt-even-give-gooseworx-any (Made for @bogleech by Gooseworx)

As you may know, “Awful Hospital” happens to be my favorite web-comic, and that’s coming from a guy, who’s not big on stuff like “Homestuck” and all that. Nonetheless, AH could always used it’s own theme that captures the twisted and bizarre feel of the series, and what other that the extremely talented Gooseworx? (Goose also does music for the aforementioned Hazbin Hotel btw) As Bog stated, this this also count as Dr. Phage’s personal theme, very fitting for him as he is my favorite AH character.

5. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/182018074106/seriously-tho-its-been-lil-more-than-2-years-at (By yours truely!)

Outdated meme aside,not to be rude, Did anyone noticed the similarities at all? Guzzlord basically what happen if you feed Vaka-Waka some experimental steroids and throw him in a another dimension. And to make this more loco-crazy, the Mixel came a little more than a year before the Pokemon (Mixels Series 6 was released on October 1, 2015, and Pokemon Sun and Moon was released on Novenber 18, 2016), weird, right?

4. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/180606173256/retrograde64-art-request-for-mrultra100-heres (By @retrograde64)

At the time of this one, I was getting a lil’ tired of sending V-Twin art requests, since there’s now so many of ‘em, so I figured, why not “stretch” (I ain’t sorry for that pun) the boundaries of what I sent as art requests, and try new ideas? If you’re wondering, my favorite of the Flexers (and the Mixels in general) is Tentro.

3. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/182991618561/here-is-it-the-favorite-character-bingo-that-no (By me again, of course, and this was created by @ trash--senpai )

This was created by a good friend of mine (@trash--senpai) and might count as the weirdest request I ever sent. When I asked her to create this one, she was a bit confused by it, considering that she’s a artist, this was strange to her, nonethless, she not only got mine done, she also made one for herself. (I told her that she can make one for herself when she worked on mine)

2. https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/182810505846/kirby-after-the-events-of-world-of-light-this (Done by me, based on @terminalmontage)

This is the only drawing of mine on this list, cuz let’s face it, my art skills suck donkey dongs! (More on that later tho) This one was made for Valentine’s Day, and as well all know, celebrating Valentines is killing world-destroying gods together with your loved ones. Sigh... Kirby makes that part too easy!

https://mrultra100.tumblr.com/post/175498459271/draculabrides-fangs-a-lot-johnny-you-can (By @draculabrides)

To finish this list, let’s go back to where it all began. One summer night on July 3, 2018, a certain fella in his mid-teens (I.E, me!) want to create a fandom based blog on a website notorious for feminazis whining about Steven Universe and “political correctness”, Eugh. Anyways, the first post (Or reblog if you will) was a collection of gifs featuring a certain sparkly undead duo who went on to becoming the mascots of said blog.

Welp, guess that all of them, and that’s only 10 posts out of 1000 posts and reblog that I made in almost the last year. To all of my friends and the followers who were crazy enough to follow a fella who’s obsessed with cartoon vampire girls like me ( @good-guy-is-alive , @naty-js , @odreiwa , @captain-animatordreamer ,etc) thanks for everything! Also, I plan to start digital art sometime in the near future, and I might leave this blog to start anew after some practice (and with a whole new name AND look to boot) Don’t get me wrong, I’m not leaving here, I might keep this blog as a memory. I’m Mr. Ultra, the Fandom Jacka** of the Digital Blue Hills of Hell, and I hope you have a nice day. See you later, and “Stay Ultra Folks!”

#@mrultra100 #Ultra Ramblings #1000th post special #future plans #stay tuned

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pxiao · 6 years ago

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My thoughts on Y_saku

So I have been keeping up on Vr, I hate myself for it by the way, but kept it quiet here because I have nothing good to say about it. BUT episode 69 finally pushed my limit on the protagonist so let’s finally get on why I hate this ass and consider him the most pathetically written main character thus far. If you’re a fan of Y_saku, don’t read cause you know what you’re getting into.

First let me state what I hate about him on a personal level aka this is just my personal opinion which are, PM is a huge asshole, his voice annoys me and his design tries too hard to be dark and edgy that it hurts to see every time. I like protagonists that are nice or at least have good intentions. Ego has always pissed me off and for better or for worse Y_saku has a lot of ego. It was fine at first but 60+ episodes plus it’s annoying how he acts like he’s the best around and the SHOW AGREES WITH HIM. I LOATHE his VR design, it’s too much. His hair looks stupid and yes I know this is YGO but there are limits like with Zxl, VR pushed it too far. His body suit is ugly to look at and they try TOO hard to make him look muscular. I get it, you’re trying to get the fangirls BUT I’M SICK OF LOOKING AT IT. His voice is the worst, it doesn’t sound natural at all. He always has the same forced, deadpan voice. You can tell how forced it sounds compared to the Va’s original voice, it hurts to hear as I can feel how badly the va is trying. Overall Y_saku as a character annoys my senses from my vision and hearing.

Now for the objective analysis. Y_saku has no character. Wait that’s wrong, he has only one character trait, he has PTSD and that’s it. I’m serious all of season 1 kept stating, “HE WANT REVENGE AND HE WILL GET IT!” Everything we learn about him is related to his torture. His three things tick? He learned it when he was tortured. He wants revenge? He was tortured and wants to know why. He’s a good duelist? He was tortured to win. AND THAT’S ALL. His stoic nature is due to his ptsd and well what you see HE GOT THAT CAUSE HE WAS TORTURED! Try to define Y_saku without saying their role in the story, what they look like or what they do. All you get is quiet, stoic guy. That’s not a functional personality at all, it’s just an attitude. That is the description to EVERY CLICHE ANTIHERO EVER. What are his dreams, his desires? What does he like? What does he dislike outside of the KOH? Does he even like the hot dogs he keeps eating cause he sure as hell doesn’t seem to enjoy it! His goals and dislikes are focused on his past and thus season 2 when he’s past his revenge, he’s just there. We have not learned a single thing about him for the 20+ episodes that Season 2 has been going on. He’s just focused on saving his acquaintance’s brother’s soul thing. Y_saku is a blank slate with some traits grafted on which you can tell, HE HAS NO BACKSTORY cause he “lost his memories” how conveniently. But we have the backstory of every nearly other “major” character. Go said his backstory in his duel against SB, SB had an entire mini arc about his backstory, Kus_ngai had his backstory in another flashback arc right after SB had his, Re_olver got to tell his when Y_saku confronted him at the end of season 1 and Spe_tre, Ak_ra and A_i got their backstories revealed in their duels against Y_saku. Y_saku and GG alone don’t have a backstory. Y_saku is the MAIN CHARACTER and it’s not like his goal is to get his memories back, he doesn’t care. So if we do get his backstory is a mystery! Y_saku is bland and it annoys me that people love him anyway.

His plot armor. I know YGO has HORRIBLE plot armor BUT Y_saku deserve mention BECAUSE OF HOW THICK IT IS. Y_saku winning all of his duels is annoying but that can passed if they’re fun. They aren’t due to two reasons. His SKILL and his monotonous dueling. SKILL is not the same as his skills, they are different, his SKILL being Storm Access. Storm Access is the most blatant asspull so far and is more annoying than Shining Draw because Y_SAKU USES IT NEARLY EVERY DUEL. And the only reason he doesn’t use it every duel is because HE CAN’T due to the master duels prevent skills from being used. But speed duels? HE ALWAYS ABUSES IT which makes us question how good is Y_saku if everytime he gets in a corner his first reaction is, well time to make a random card to get out of this situation. The other protagonists minus Y_ma would use whatever cards they have on hand to solve their situation. PM? NOOOOO, HIS REACTION IS TO CHEAT! There is nothing to root for. I’m not praising his skill nor his cunning, I’m praising his luck! And because of his dependence on this his dueling is roughly the same thing. I’ll get my lifepoints below 1000 to use it and then use thousands of link summons to get to the final one. Every single one of this duels are like this with season 2 adding BUT NOW THE LINKS SEARCH TO SUMMON THE OTHER METHODS! YAY. His dueling is the same damn thing and we know he’s going to win. There isn’t any reason to watch him. And it gets better when he learn that his deck WASN’T EVEN BUILT BY HIM! Dueling is 90% deck building and then 10% using it right. Since Y_saku was given the “best deck”, honestly it isn’t cause his cards are pure shit except Firewall but he barely uses HIS ACE but in-universe they’re considered the best, that essentially means he was HANDED THE BEST WEAPON IN THE SERIES and we’re expected to consider him good for being ok with it.

Y_saku is loved BY EVERYONE, the show included, especially the show. EVERYONE WORSHIPS THE GUY, he’s considered the hero of Link Vr_ins by episode 3 BY BEATING A MOOK which also has a net show openly say he’s good looking. The makes a point to show he’s hyper popular with Go’s orphanage LOVING HIM, we cut from A_i’s duel with Sp_ctre to show a kid copying Y_saku’s vr avatar and saying he’ll defend Link Vr_ins and we get gratuitous shot of PM protecting the kid and saying I’ll protect whatever the setting is all in A_I’S FOCUS EPISODE! GG’s focus episodes ends with her saying PM is INVINCIBLE! And K_sangai says PM is invincible. EVEN THE KOH SAY WOW PM IS SUCH A BADASS THAT HE KICKED OUT ASSES LAST SEASON, AI who was HIS SLAVE now worships the guy. The only character that dislikes him is a one-off cocky bully aka we’re meant to hate him cause he dares to hate the PERFECT YU_AKU. The show bends over backwards to make us love him but they jumped the gun. It’s obvious we’re supposed to love him because of how “cool” he is and it REFUSES TO STOP. Nearly every episode has at least one character talk about how smart, how strong or how amazing PM is when he has done really nothing to deserve it and no personality to justify us liking him.

Y_saku is HORRIBLE representation for mental illness. I don’t mean his PTSD is unrealistic, a therapist friend of mine says it’s actually realistic. IT’S HOW THE SHOW TREATS IT. Y_saku states he went through therapy for his PTSD and it didn’t work so he went to REVENGE. As someone that has a mental disorder that plague me for year and at the worst of it, I considered suicide and later got therapy. THAT’S NOT HOW THERAPY WORKS. Therapy isn’t a magic thing that will magically fix you, it depends on how much the patent wants to get better. You can take as many therapy sessions as you want and if you don’t TRY to get better, you’re wasting your time and money. I’m not saying all therapy or therapists are effective BUT you can’t just say well this one didn’t work, therapy doesn’t work at all. Therapy is about FIGHTING your mental disorder to try to fix it, it’s not as simple as going through your memories and finding the reason you’re messed up. Honestly this suggest that Y_saku is a wimp that couldn’t fight his disorder and is instead RUNNING FROM IT. The show even has the GALL to say his PSTD makes PM better. A_ira has said PM’s issues means he finds himself in victory and thus when he duels, he tries as hard as he can to win. That’s BULLSHIT. If he really did have PSTD, anytime he was in danger of losing then he would freak out that he would get shocked and make a lot of mistakes to make sure it doesn’t happen. Anxiety isn’t the same as being worried, it’s all consuming. It makes it hard to think, eat or sleep. You can’t think of anything but what you’re scared of happening and that takes over your mind. You can’t do anything, it doesn’t make you try real hard, it messes with you. But not PM, NOPE IT MAKES HIM BETTER KIDS.

Finally the reason for this post. His hypocrisy. Episode 69 has him DARE TO say REVENGE WON’T LET YOU MOVE ON. HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU FUJO BAIT BLANK SLATE! You see when he dueled A_ira, A_ira made a point of saying maybe they shouldn’t let a teen send his youth fighting terrorists and try to be happy while he, an adult whose company had been the focus on said terrorist attacks, deals with them. PM BLOWS HIS FUCKING LID AND SAYS, “YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT ME” and essentially has a temper tantrum about how HE HAS TO GET revenge and wins with A_ira giving on trying to convince PM so the show is essentially agreeing with PM that he needs his revenge. And now that PM has got it, HE DARES TO SAY THAT TO SOMEONE ELSE. Which is laughable as he got cured because he was in a tough spot and thought maybe it would be nice to have friends, not that he ever tried to make them when A_ described his friends. That’s not development as by this point PM had already GOT his revenge. PM wanted to know why he was tortured, which he learned BECAUSE HE KEPT OBSESSING ABOUT HIS REVENGE. His revenge let him meet Re_olver which result in Dr. Kog_mi, the man who TORTURED him, to die. And due to said revenge, he got to meet A_ who helped him “develop”. Overall he could only get better BECAUSE HE CARED FOR REVENGE. HE HAS NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT EVER.

Overall Y_saku is an inconsistent sloppy written character. In fact watch this video and try to not think about Y_saku when watching, I couldn’t.

#vr damn it #I HATE HIM SO MUCH #but I hate his fans more #all 12 of them

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theinsanecrayonbox · 7 years ago

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the great FOP review mega dump

ok so apparently the rest of s10 was aired at the end of June through July of this year. now granted, i do not get NickToons and used a friend’s DVR to record it, so there’s a margin for error, but i don’t recall any of these episodes ever getting recorded. i could be wrong, my memory sucks, BUT TVGuide is stupid and has a habit of putting the wrong names/numbers on things and if the guide doesn’t list the episode as new because half of it already aired, then it wouldn’t get recorded. so again, huge margin for error.

basically, i hadn’t posted these yet because i didn’t realize they’d aired; i was trying to avoid spoiling anything for people. Nick sucks at their programming schedule. these first viewing reviews are nearly a year old in some cases, since it was about a year ago that i was given links to watch some of these online after they’d aired in other countries. so yeah, probably a little dated, might not hold up, but here they are so we can be done with this.

Which is Wish:

Chloe is a vegetarian??? Has this been said before??

I feel like everything in the garage there was in the attic when Dad made Timmy clean that out before…not that that isn’t plausible, since that’d be one way to “clean” the attic lol. Just thought it was a neat commentary.

But yes Chloe, unleash your organizational skills. Color coded labels are awesome! Cleaning sucks, but labels lol

And yes, switching bodies always works so well doesn’t it Timmy…but heehee he called Chloe pretty XD though in fairness…doesn’t this mean Chloe is still eating the meat, because Tim’s in her body…or do they just *look* like one another? See, that’s the gray area…

Ok I do not like all these moments of Dad seeing Cosmo and Wanda; they’re glossed over yes, but still. That should break Da Rules though, because they’ve been revealed (not to mention Crocker knows about them a million times over I know). it just seems like a cheap gag that they don’t need, and it’s annoying.

“Chlimmy Turnermicheal” lol, I need to draw a fusion of my Opals now XD;;;

Ok yes, they’ve body swapped, not glamoured, so Chloe *did* eat the meat after all, thank you for explaining that

Seriously, it’s Cosmo loosing the wands (for the umpteenth time) that is going to cause the problems here -.-

Yay more Chloe parents! They aren’t 1 or 2 offs! Though…why were they absent up until this point? Did they decide to take a sabbatical from work after the booby incident? That’d be nice

OMR Danny, Vlad (wait nasty Dan? Hu oh well), and Dudley puppets. That is too cute for words!!

And a Little Shop joke. Eeeeeeee!!! I know they’ve done man-eating plants before, but still!

Chloe’s dad faints at failure? Hm, that could be useful.

Tim admitting he’d miss Chloe is sweet, especially since it wasn’t with any mention of loosing his fairies

Hahahaha dressing up as each other/themselves, that’s great. Cosmo’s head blowing up is getting old though.

All in all I give this episode a huge A+. It is a cliché trope of a plot, but I feel it was executed really really well!! Nice balance of magical aspects with non-magical ones I thought, and gave development to both kids and their families.

Fairy Con:

Ok first of all, I thought Fairy conventions were held every thousand years or so, and was actually just for the fairies. Granted, this “Fairy con” could be a different event OR they changed the event after Timmy’s bathroom one, since that could’ve been the first time a godchild was involved? Also, Timmy is you go “every year” that shows that this is at least 2 years after you got your fairies (because you had Cosmo Con, then assume one after that, then at minimum this one), so why are you still 10?????? (and don’t go saying “the time stopping wish in secret wish” because uhg)

Crocker in the fridge….ok…but adding in Crocker to crash the Con…yeah this is a complete plot reusing of Cosmo Con, just updating it a bit

Look Girlfriend the cat isn’t dead!!

If you’ve had their hair samples for that long why haven’t you cloned them before?? But “off brand cloning machine” is sorta funny. Also, Kenny G? that a Spongebob shout out or not?

Ok if it merged the cat DNA with the fairy why didn’t it merge the fairy DNA together too? Also, missed your mark to have a real “fairy cat” show up (though no Sparky so we don’t need it anymore I guess)

Oh but Chloe’s enthusiasm over her first con, I am so happy at that ^^ I just had my first comic con, and I was spazzing like that too when I wasn’t freaking out over being ditched and lost.

Ok that is yet ANOTHER unique birthday for Timmy. He’s up to what, 5 now since the series started? (Boys in the Band, Birthday Bashed, Birthday Battle, the one mentioned in Birthday Battle about the dinosaurs) the kid is at least 14 now, he has to be!

I like all the backgrounders. Some look super squashed, but still neat.

Tooth fairy returns! Yay! We had mentions of Cupid and Mother Nature before, so it’s nice to see the magical celebrities are still around and not forgotten.

Ahhh! The return of the Crocker Pot which captures fairies!! Ok I am giving this writing team an A- on doing their lore homework because they are getting so many things right (though the Fairy Con being thrown off is still deducting points sorry)

There was a blonde fairy that looked like Samantha in the background O.o

“Chloe Carmichael, any normal person would give up right now. But you are NOT normal!” - omr Chloe I love you and your “never quit” song was good and humorous, I still love you

Timmy how can you not know what Crocker is up to? He’s always up to the same exact thing. If he’s in Fairy World, I’m fairly sure there is a 1000% chance he’s there to capture fairies. Geeze.

OMR Princess Morebucks was in the seats at Cosmo’s panel, I’m not joking.

All in all, it wasn’t a giant impacting story, but it was a good one, even though it was a total reusing of a plot. I feel like the writing team did their homework pretty decently (for the most part). Plus, the magic of cons ^^

The Hungry Games:

This is the B-Story to Fairy Con…interesting choice…more fangirl!Chloe…

I love her “Katniss hair”, heck I just love seeing alternate hair on her

Heh “Ketchup Everdream”, wow, ok, sure

That might be the wrong movie, but it sounds interesting. What movie was that Cosmo?

Aw Chloe lost…but yay call back to screaming in her closet

Lol Crocker is once again, king of dystopian world. That is perfect. This is all perfect. Maybe it’s because I liked the Hunger Games movie that I can thoroughly enjoy this parody, idk. But this is great. I am loving this episode.

And cue the pointless Dad part…wait Mr Bickles?? Where have you been?? Why are you here???

I like the blonde/pink haired backgrounder

I really loved this episode! It was so nice how Timmy did this for Chloe and stuck with it even when it was bad for him, then she turns around and does something nice for him at the end. It let Chloe fly her freaky fangirl flag on so many levels. Like I said, I liked Hunger Games, so this was a great parody that was loads of fun. I really really enjoyed all of it.

As a whole episode, these two really show us what a geeky girl Chloe is I think. She’s not just the over achieving little Ms Perfect she was at first, she’s got her weird hobbies and obsessions too. And the fact that she was so into Fair Bears AND dystopian doomy future really says a lot about her, and really speaks to me on many levels. It’s just solidified my love of Chloe even more.

Dimmsdale Daze:

And we start off with jokes about barfing…well it is a roller coaster so I can let it slide…just don’t spiral out of control with them…

Heehee “vines” joke, that’s great. Because it highlights their age AND that they are more naturalist

Oooo Connie said “shyster”, that’s pretty borderline…

Chaining yourself to the tree in town…wouldn’t that be the same tree that Tootie did the same thing to in the first live action movie? I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing…

Did Chloe’s middle name change? O.o but lol to the “when you’re a parent you can make the decisions” because I head canon them meddling after Chloe’s divorce, but I know that line is the plot fodder, so I’ll just push the head canons away for now

Lookit that adult!Chloe though!! I’m not that far off the mark with my design (plus you know, there are several older!Timmy designs and none are more true than the other, so my older!Chloe being short and bustier is still plausible). And hey lookit! Cameo of the adult!Timmy from Big Problem AND confirmation that if one of the godkids breaks Da Rules they both loose the fairies TOGETHER

Neither Clark nor Connie really look too much like Chloe as children (ok Connie *does* but when you consider they made child Dad look exactly like Timmy before, it’s not quite enough)…just another tick in my adopted column, just saying…

Why did that child in the bounce house have lipstick O.o

Chloe’s earring is like, in the wrong place and it’s bothering me…

“But I have the mind if a child” “It’s true, he’s been tested” – I…wow, just…yes?

And of course Connie and Clark get assigned Cosmo and Wanda, I don’t know why I didn’t see that coming honestly ^^;;

You know, even though this is sort of a rehash of Big Problem and The Switch Glitch I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Single mom!Chloe was great, it feeds my future headcanons. It proved that Tim and Chloe do share the negative effects of the fairies. And it was just a really good Chloe episode that Timmy was just a supporting character in. I really did like it. A+

As a whole, I think both parts (this is meant to be paired with Spring Breakup) work nicely together. It’s a lot of Chloe and her family, so if you want some serious Carmichael development, do for this set most definitely.

Chip off the Old Crock:

Ok before getting into this one, I just gotta state that since I read the description for it, I’ve been ITCHING to see this. How does Crocker have a nephew if he has no siblings? (*current thoughts: i’ve since this review come up with a plausible scenario*) What would this child be like? How could I use him for Superverse conveniently?? And then I saw screencaps and saw that he was a mini Crocker and got disappointed…

But now we are to watch so let us see how that unfolds…

What’s with that redheaded backgrounder?? He looks like a Lebowitz!! *files that away for layer usage*

Still laughing that he’s named Kevin since that is a “name of evil” in our games and what not ever since my brother used it as a placeholder name for a badguy in a storyline; ever since then “Kevin” had been the badguys who are sorta pointless lol

But still…”study abroad” um…you still could’ve used that since Crocker obviously has family in Canada; studying in California would then be considered “abroad” if he was Canadian. And that way, he wouldn’t have to be his literal nephew, but his 2nd cousin, but they just call each other uncle/nephew because it’s easier. That might sound confusing, but at least it makes more sense then just randomly implying he has siblings when he never has. I’m gonna headcanon this from now on, and no one can convince me otherwise. (*current thoughts: again, i’ve figured it out since writing this; i’ve left the original thoughts though to prove my though process from point A to point B*) Plus you miss out on Canada jokes this way…

Awww Kevin, I’m starting to love you…that’s weird…

Everyone pick a partner-no one pick Kevin, classic. However…redhead boy had 2 partners, why didn’t Crocker notice and stop that? There’s no reason why Chloe and Tim needed to pair up with him aside from plot relevance…

Ah sweet Chloe, standing up for the misunderstood and outcast, trying to find the good in them and make others see it too. I love you sweetheart ^^ go make friends with Francis now please

Why isn’t Dolores fawning over Kevin? You’d think she wouldn’t let her *grandson* out of her sight, considering the coddling we’ve seen her give Denzel at times. Unless she’s busy with her *other child* I guess…but in that case why isn’t she belittling Denzel for not being like *his sibling* and having kids and not living in her basement? I’d love to see Denzel look like a looser compared to this *sibling* he suddenly has, and it suits the family dynamic as we know it. Or perhaps the *sibling* is more of a looser, but Dolores still sings their praises because they did move out and have a kid, unlike Denzel who has a steady job and whatnot because *sibling* is a total bum. I mean, I get that it would only slow down the storyline, but it just feels out of character, plus the sudden introduction of a *sibling* just is wrong too…I should stop analyzing the Crocker family and just go back to the actual plot

Kevin wants to be a dentist??? O.o are you related to Dr Bender??? That…would explain nothing honestly, idk why I went there

“Sorry I’m too busy being a loner” haha that’s a good one

Hey callback to Crocker wearing ladies clothes. Nice.

“It’s a blueprint so shouldn’t it be blue?” hahaha that was funny

Chloe how did you get to the top of the rock wall without a rope?? Did you boulder your way yup there?? And Tim! You should never rock climb without a belier(sp?) geeze, rock climbing 101 there dude

And toilet joke…but I will let it slide because I am actually enjoying Kevin

“Unleash your inner looser” omr yes best line

Ah the build up to the betrayal “aw you guys actually like me” “well yeah you’re not evil” *does the evil thing* “we hate you now because you are evil after all”

Unsuspecting Van is back whoot!

Ninja!Chloe and Tim with a light saber; nice, but what a missed opportunity…also Chloe has a ninja suit…she really is replacing Tootie isn’t she…

And Kevin saves the day by wishing none of this ever happened…just like Chester did in Fairy Idol hm…

But at the end of it, I’m actually very surprised how much I liked this despite all its flaws. It’s riddled with clichés and huge plot holes/continuity errors, but I genuinely liked Kevin (and whole heartedly look forward to writing him into Superverse…also would it be too weird if he was Kyler’s father? I think it’d be weird…). I think it’s a nice B-story to Cat and Mouse and together they make a pretty good episode.

Space Ca-Dad:

Off topic a moment here; rewatching the theme and it just dawned on me…maybe there’s a “fairy shortage” because no one’s enforcing the rules over fairies being revealed/discovered. I mean, if everyone Timmy knows knows about his fairies and yet he keeps them, then other kids must be doing that too you know. Just saying Jorgen, you caused this problem yourself man…and honestly, why not outsource the fairy jobs then to other magical creatures, since Fairy Idol proved any magical creature can be converted to a fairy godparent. It’d be a great way to bring Norm back if you stop and think about it, or a way to get the Pixies back in there too. I’m just saying, the “fairy shortage” story is pretty weak…still think Jorgen just did this to them because they’re good for each other…

Ok back to the episode itself

Yay Chloe is still a Squirrely Scout, good for continuity! And you love food puns? i love you more Chloe, you so are a Catman related heroine aren’t you ^^;

Did he say “Mrs Lipshitz” or “Mrs Libwitz”? it was really hard to tell, so idk if that’s a Rugrats shout out or someone I have to add to my Lebowitz family tree (cause slurred sound…and the witch/mental thing does suit the family…)

Dad you had the rank of “flying squirrel” why is this confusing??

Ok there are “Pickles” living on the street, I’m going with Lipshitz. So many Rurgrats shout outs.

Whinny kid, Kid with issues (aren’t you Kevin?), and Stuart…so we are going with the latest (and suckier) Squirrel Scout troop line up. Kay.

Chloe as a jr. astronaut though and knowing how to fly space ships ^^

Heehee “Space Jam” how many more thinly veiled references can we have XD;;

(maybe Squirrely Kevin is Kyler’s father…that’s doable…)

Ah yes, Dad throwing the fairies out just when the kid/s need them. Yup, never seen that plot device used before nope. And how can rocket fuel destroy magical wands? They’re fairy magic, why are they so easy to ruin??

How did you find a planetoid when you were heading towards the sun??? I don’t…right, why put logic into things, my bad

The Glorg. Florgatron-5. Hm…*files that way for layer usage* Bakersfield???

I loved all the aliens at the restaurant though.

Over all, this episode was…meh. I didn’t dislike it, but it was a very pointless Dad episode. Seriously, you could’ve had them go to the Planet of the Dads and do pretty much the same thing, but at least keep that storyline going (since I think it’s the longest running one now). I’m unimpressed, but I’m not disappointed. So lets see if the B-story can save the episode as a whole.

Summer Bummer:

“The looks of psychotic anticipation” lol, well we’re starting off with some good

Also it’s summer vacation yet again. Mk…this makes it at least the 4th summer vacation Tim’s had, what with School’s Out, Shelf Life, and Microphony being the others I can easily site off the top of my head. So again, these children should be like 14-16 now

It’s the return of Dad in short-shorts. Oh man, run and hide now.

Chloe getting a summer internship/scientific program is very her. Must always be learn…wait did she say the corner of a basement?? O.o that’s concerning child…

Oh hey that pink clad teacher is from s1 I think. Wasn’t she in Timvisible at the water cooler?? That is a very nice and wow throwback guys. Major points to you.

Chloe is 10 and a half???? So she actually IS a year younger than Timmy, since he was already 10 when he had his birthday (and we ignore the previous like 5 birthdays he’s had >>) and they share a birthday…but wait, your birthday is in March…summer vacation starts in June/July, that isn’t 6 months later…ok so on the one hand, your math is all wrong, but on the other my headcanon that Chloe is a year younger seems to be proven fact. I don’t know what to do with this information!!

Oh this is the sleep wishing episode I heard about! Wow took a while for the plot to show up…but you know, even though this has been used before, I feel like this is being used in a different context and for a different character, so I’m allowing the reuse of the plot idea. Let’s see how twisted up Chloe’s subconscious is…

“Gender neutral Jesse” is sorta weird…I like the fact that Chloe did play with baby dolls though…

Timmy you can’t unwish Chloe’s wish! We’ve been over this-we had a whole episode dedicated to it!! URG!! Did they just throw that out because it’s easier for them to just fix each other’s mistakes that way? I mean, if this was the only time, I could buy that since she didn’t *consciously* make this wish, it could be undone by Tim, but the other times they’ve pulled this she’s been in her full faculties. So uhg! You can’t even keep your own continuity you establish in the same season >> (but…you guys have been doing better than expected, so…it’s not *as* negative points as I’d usually give…or maybe it is but you’ve just racked up enough positive ones to be at the standard by now I guess)

Hey Dr Rip Studwell, long time no see XD and…you made a manscaping joke…wow, I…wow

And a poop joke…but you have a pirate ship…but still…

“Took one to the crow’s nest” is that a crotch shot joke? Wow this episode is just…wow

Omr the mini shoulder Chloes are adorable! I love valley girl!Chloe and german science!Chloe. Didn’t like the second poop joke in a minute, especially since Dad really *shouldn’t* have heard science!Chloe say that…

She wished the doll big again…I think Chloe’s repressed feelings are about not wanting to grow up

And look Da Rules FINALLY decide to kick…oh no, Chloe wished it to be unwishable...yeah, because that’s the only way to stop Tim from fixing it >> and yet at the same time, he did wish the monster to stay until he stopped lying about who set Chompy free, so…formula…

“There’s free ice cream all over the street! It’s like delicious roadkill!” ok that is the best line ever

Wait, you’re wishing yourself into Chloe’s mind?? Because that worked so well when you went into your own…and why does it remind me of Mabel’s dreamworld/mind? I expected less pink, more purple honestly. Preschool!Chloe is so adorable!! Totally called the plot though, not that it’s hard.

Cosmo confirmed as queer, because even when he thought Wanda was “Weird Dude” he still had a crush on him. Wow, I am floored they did that, good for you

And we end it by promoting cannibalism? Oh wait no; we scratch the 4th wall instead. Ahha. Yeah. You totally missed the opportunity to have “Kids just being Kids” playing somewhere-possibly remixed-because I feel the message suited Chloe’s mentality too right now.

Over all, I’m glad it was Chloe centric but…I feel like this could’be been done in half the time maybe? They ignore their own continuity, but they do tackle real stuff in a minimal magical way. I guess like the A-story, I’m unimpressed but not disappointed. I feel like both of these should not have been paired together because as a whole the entire episode is lacking; they both needed a stronger story to counter balance them. It’s a good watch once through, but I doubt it’s an episode you’ll want to rewatch.

Dimmsdale’s Got Tallent:

Ok…I feel like this plot has been used before…and not necessarily thinking Fairy Idol either, but I just can’t place which episode I’m thin king of…

TOOTIE!!!! THEY DIDN’T SHIP YOU OFF TO BOARDING SCHOOL OR WHATEVER!! OMR!!! Sadly you were just a backgrounder cameo, but still…now I just need to find Francis then my main favs will have all appeared to be not dead (*spoiler: Francis does not appear anywhere*)

More Bickles…huh…

Mom’s stage name is “Madame Sasha”…is that a hint that her first name is Sasha?? Most times when you make up “magic names” they’re either your real name in between “the” and “magnificent” or they’re some super exotic/fake/fantastical sounding thing like how Dad was “Dadracadabra”

And more about Chloe’s one-woman show. That’s so neat that this is something that they’re developing for her, instead of using as a toss away one shot gag.

Kevin!! Dressed as a dummy for a comedy act lol. It’s an old and over used plot idea, but I’ll run with it. I like it. Cause Crocker now has 24 hour access to a child, he of course has to think of other ways to use it. “I’m telling my mom you made me do this” because that is Denzel’s sister so it is a legitimate threat…though you’d think Dolores would object to this too…why have we not had any interaction of Kevin with his grandmother yet??? I’d love to see Denzel get jealous over the attention his mother is giving Kevin that he never received

Haha Dad stealing Chloe’s idea, and still breaking the gender norms, nice. Where did Bickles get the coconut bikini top and grass skirt though?

Oh baaaaaad lesson to be teaching kids there guys. If the authority figure won’t give you want you want, you shouldn’t do them favors to try to bribe them into giving it to. Especially in the entertainment industry. That’s how bad situations happen….

Um those remote control tap shoes shouldn’t work because they would be helping Tim to win a competition, which is against Da Rules…not that Da Rules seem to matter anymore…

Ok Mom, you claimed to be a “Pet Psycho” yet you’re using only wild/non-pet animals. I think that’s probably the easiest way to point out that you’re doing this wrong

“I love me some snake and mongoose” ok…lets go see if that’s a euphemism on google…hm, nope, just a drag racing movie. That’s nice…wasn’t Bickles a race car driver at some point??

Doug Dimmadome returns! And “curious life partner”??? the Mayor and Chompy are a thing??? O.o???

Good boy Kevin, stand up to Crocker ^^

“That was a Dimma-dud” so simple and stupid, but probably the most fulfilling line thus far ^^;

love Chloe’s gold gown

ok I lied, “Dimma-dope” is now the most fulfilling line in this

heehee Dudley Puppy and Crimson Chin balloons in the parade. So headcanoning that TUFF Puppy was a show on tv in FOPverse

so this episode was….well just really pointless filler too. We got like minimal focus on any of our main characters. Have they forgotten how to write Timmy and Chloe?

Together these two (this was paired with Knitt-witts) were not a good match. Both were pointless filler with not a strong plot in either of them. Too many guest cameos, no character development. It was just barely enjoyable enough to not hate it, but just barely honestly. Weak episode all around.

Goldie Crocks and the three Fair Bears:

Ok I’ve been looking forward to the return of the Fair Bears since the episode titles were released.

Interesting to see the Squirrely Scout troop back again, still the same B-team line up including Chloe. Thought you already had that patch…but then again that could’ve been with the A-team troop lineup, so…the records were all destroyed when it was disbanded maybe?

Thanks Tim, we all were asking that. But how does using Mom’s shampoo make your hair blonde? Luscious and even longer I could buy without complaint, but blonde??

More over achieving Chloe lol (poor girl is gonna crash when she burns out). But wow, she fought King Neptuna…so why didn’t he remember her? Is Supergal now enemy to the merfolk??? Though that plays into the Merfolk vs Glamazons wouldn’t it…

And now we turn into the clichéd camping storyline where Character A decides to go use non-wilderness to camp in luxury. But Tim, you used to like camping??? Also, still not seeing how the episode title plays into this plot yet…

Cosmo has been right/made sense on more than one occasion though, why is it that surprising?

Ok now we get the title…Crocker’s mother has a cabin in the woods? Buyable, sure. Crocker somehow brought the Fair Bears back into reality??? Uh…what now? Wait, they weren’t sent back to TVLand?? And Crocker knows all about their origin?? HOW does that not break Da Rules huh? Is it because he doesn’t know who wished them up, so it’s not against Da Rules?? Why wouldn’t they tell him that; wouldn’t that be a fair thing to do?? He’s in a blonde wig because they’re going to be Goldielocks at a theme park, yeah sure, ok I can buy that. But HOW did he get the bears in the first place???

And Dad is blonde to be Goldielocks…wow…

Chloe breaking the 4th wall a little there

Gah even more middle names! Chloe how many do you even have????

NO! YOU CAN’T UNDO THE OTHER’S WISHES! URGH!!! You established this rule right off the bat, yet you keep breaking it and they let you keep breaking it. Timmy wished for the camping stuff-Chloe should not be able to wish it away. Yes the plot is stalled, but really, what is the plot at this point??? If you’re only going to enforce the rules when it suits you, well, anarchy for all then please

And you wished away the magic…yeah, that’s going to go super well

“Mr Crocker’s unsightly twin sister” ok on the one hand, that works because of Kevin granted (even though she’s not a twin persay, but he has suddenly got a sister), but on the other…this is all saying that guys can’t have long hair and I don’t like that. I love guys with long hair. Between that comment on Crocker, and the comments earlier about Dad, why is long hair automatically girl now?

Dolores dated Shaggy??? O.o i…I am very unnerved by that…wasn’t she already a full blown adult with a 10 year old child when Shaggy was a teenager roaming in the van with the Mystery Inc crew?? O.o

Omr yes. Referencing the “original German version” as a darker one. Talking about basting and eating people. This turned dark super fast and I love that. why TrollLOL’s face is on the oven idk, but I’m rolling with it because I love this part.

“I’ve already got 2 strikes from the school board” uh…yeah that’s the wrong side of dark I think…but it’s Crocker, it was probably the fork in Waxelplax’s fanny, and the flour incident or something fairly similar.

Yes Tim, yell at Chloe that this is all her fault. We know it is, but pointing it out won’t help. But it totally is; you wished for no magic and you got into trouble-not surprising.

HOW is it nearly midnight??? It was like, what, noon at the latest when this started?? You have not been out in the woods-in the daylight-for 12 hours-of daylight. Chloe hunny, you’re the smart one, why are you failing telling time??? I know its dark outside the house now, but it wasn’t in the scene before. Cosmo I think your clock is right. And how is “poof us out of here” bring you to a spot where it is, once again daylight; that seemed to suggest instant teleporting so you’re at the same time. Unless this next scene is a cut away to hours later BUT STILL! It should not be midnight.

Oh Dad, yes, I’m sure no one cares about your troop anymore.

“let’s send the Fair Bears back” uh you should have done that the first time and this whole mess would have been avoided. It’s like leaving the door to the comic book world open all over again.

And yes, cause unnecessary harm to Crocker, why not. Not to mention all the innocent patrons at the theme park…

Also why has no one mentioned Dimmsdale had a theme park before now?

All in all, not a good episode. I was looking forward to the return of the Fair Bears, and it felt like they weren’t even in half of the episode. The rest was another boring camping storyline, which these two seem to do a lot of huh?

Paired with Fancy Schmancy, as the production order says, I think the whole 30 min episode is completely weak and not great. This one was bad, the other was filler, so together they are just not meshing well at all.

#Fairly Odd Parents #Fairly Oddparents #fop #kp talks fop #review #mega dump

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randomationmedia · 7 years ago

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It's already been 10 years since I first created the Randomation Pictures YouTube channel. I feel the need to share this story because it’s cathartic for me.

I remember how excited I was at age 11 when I first began using Pivot Stickfigure Animator during 2006. Going from sketching stickmen in notebooks to making them come to life on the screen ignited a passion that would eventually carry me into game development. I wanted to be just like the “famous” animators on YouTube. I wanted to create the same kind of fluid and funny scenarios that would draw in hundreds of thousands of viewers and propel me into the spotlight of this rapidly growing platform for sharing videos.

As time went on, I managed to animate a number of videos of gradually increasing quality, but nothing spectacular. I also dabbled in game development with early versions of Game Maker, but didn't achieve much as I struggled to wrap my head around the process of designing software.

Eventually my passion for animation transformed into passion for game development. This was accompanied by decreasing motivation and an inability to finish any videos worth watching. During 2012 I started using the Unity engine for the first time, enthralled by the opportunity to create interactive 3D worlds of my own creation. Now the goal was to create a successful indie game published on a platform like Steam.

After learning the basics of Unity, I embarked on a journey to create an open world stunt-driving game not unlike Burnout Paradise (the game most responsible for inspiring me to develop). With my lack of foresight in how to build stable software that isn't drenched in technical debt and the degree of inexperience required to believe the idea was even feasible in the first place, it's easy to see how that turned out.

The project was dead in the water and I didn't know what I was going to do next, or if I even wanted to do anything. That was until someone showed interest in purchasing the vehicle physics of the project. Despite the code being objectively awful, the core driving physics were very satisfying to interact with and were robust in how they reacted to environmental geometry. Out of all of the things I can do, I feel that game physics has always been the skill I'm most adept with and is the only aspect of game development I still actually enjoy working with.

The situation of seeing value in my vehicle physics led me to strip down the project and sell it as Randomation Vehicle Physics on the Unity Asset Store. This was my first source of income ever, and having anywhere from $300 to almost $1000 coming in each month as an 18-year-old still living at home was incredible. My will to develop was in full force again, but now I chose to dial things back a bit in terms of ambition and create a 2D platformer that would become Waffles (And Then Some).

The game was originally going to be based on an unfinished Game Maker project of mine that was about running across trains and shooting. The characters in this new project were going to be small and square, and the movement mechanics felt unintentionally similar to Super Meat Boy. However, the levels and theme were still unique enough to differentiate it. That is, until the level design started to feel boring and I had to redirect it. For whatever reason I decided to make the main character a waffle and make the theme about breakfast (old YouTube videos and LittleBigPlanet levels have reflected a strange affinity for this theme). Now the game was about a square-shaped food character that could sprint and wall-jump through punishingly difficult levels. To my chagrin, the Steam Greenlight comments were exactly what I expected them to be.

I chose not to publish the game on Steam because I didn't think it was worth selling anymore by the time it was greenlit out of the blue some 7 months after I originally posted it there. I also managed to get somewhat burnt out again by the time I finished it despite its relative simplicity.

Shortly after Waffles (And Then Some) was finished I began working on a kart racer known as The Fastest Meal of the Day. Mario Kart 8 came out shortly before that and inspired me to make a kart racer with the same caliber of graphics, but with the mechanics of Crash Team Racing. That might have been too ambitious (spoiler: it was). The same kind of development process followed, with the same kind of results as before. Grandiose ideas and world-building that will never come to fruition with nothing but an undercooked project and some work-in-progress videos to show for it.

I released the unfinished build and called it a day while feeling burnt-out yet again. However, I still had work to do as Unity 5 was around the corner and I knew I would have to update my vehicle physics for it. The problem with this is that the new version of Unity broke the behavior of wheel colliders from Unity 4 projects, so my vehicle physics could not function correctly in it.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do about this, until I started experimenting with making rigidbodies levitate in a balanced way using only raycasts and pure additions of force. I figured out how to do this by adding not just a basic floating force (upward constant), but by limiting this force with dampening (subtracting current velocity of point where force is applied on rigidbody). With this I had a crude model for vehicle suspensions, and thus a stable floating rigidbody. With that I knew I could write my own wheel and suspension models without the use of Unity's wheel colliders.

Over the course of a few months I developed Randomation Vehicle Physics 2.0 and launched it just a week or two after Unity 5 launched. It was a relative hit and I was over the moon “raking in” anywhere from $1000 to $1700 a month and still living at home. This was the peak of my happiness, fulfillment, and confidence out of my whole body of work over the past decade. The feeling of having that much disposable income at my fingertips and having people praise and find value in my work was overwhelming in the best of ways. Queue overzealous amiibo collecting.

With my reborn zest (I was feeling very doubtful and anxious before releasing RVP 2) I started working on the kart racer project from scratch again. The old code was abysmal (the main kart script was 3 or 4 thousand lines long and handled everything from physics to particles and audio) and the physics were not too good, even though they looked great on video. I chose to take an approach where the rotation of the karts is completely controlled by scripting and not the physics engine, leading to much more consistent behavior along with suspension based on RVP 2. I continued to work on it while occasionally stumbling over the aesthetic direction of the project and taking a month-long break to make Stickman Catapult 3D.

The good feelings ended a few months later when someone let me know RVP 2 was being “shared.” My heart sank as I tried to have the project taken down, only to see it reuploaded to another torrent site. Today I understand piracy as a legitimate way to see if software actually does what it claims to do in a world rife with early-access shovelware and DRM'd pre-order day-one DLC hotfix-patch-that-makes-things-worse culture. I also understand piracy is not truly theft because nothing is being stolen, just copied, and people who pirate might never purchase the asset anyways. At the time, however, I took it very personally and saw it as disrespecting my terms. It didn't help reading forums of people thanking each other for sharing it rather than thanking me for creating it in the first place, but I digress. I should have been grateful that something I made was valuable enough for people to take the “risk” of pirating in the first place.

Rather quickly, the butthurt brought on by piracy led to depression. I have had periodic bouts of depression prior to this, but the subsequent one was bad. Combined with my complete lack of a social life thanks to not bothering to keep in touch with high school friends, my obsession with game development hinging my entire self worth on my projects, and family issues I don't need to talk about, I was the most depressed I have ever been. RVP 2 was grossing less as well, but I don't believe this was directly correlated with the piracy. Sooner or later it had to slow down regardless of sharing.

I continued to work on The Fastest Meal of the Day even though it felt like a death march. I still consider it to be the hardest thing I have ever done. Making the characters was one of the last things I did through a tedious process of model, texture, rig, and animate. Verne and Castper were already put together from other prototype projects, but I still had 6 characters to create from scratch. Each one only took a few days but at that point I was waist-deep in a many months-long habit of spending most of my time every day working on the game.

I knew I wasn't going to sell the game. I knew it was only going to have 8 characters, 1 track, 1 mode, and no multiplayer, but I was ridiculously attached to the idea of creating some kind of polished 3D game that I can confidently show the world. All I did when I was done was throw it up on IndieDB and call it a day. I had already let go of the idea of publishing a successful game by myself and getting to be on the level of someone like the developers of Undertale or Stardew Valley. Someone who made a game mostly by theirself and gets to see thousands (millions?) of fans take in the virtual world you crafted and fill up forums discussing the characters, story, and game mechanics.

I still feel a pang in my chest when I read about how a game similar to those two is being ported to a new platform to be experienced by a new audience. I have had to work through feelings of envy and annoyance in order to try and feel happy for them. I am not entitled to success just because I put in a lot of effort, especially when my efforts have been so misguided. Trying to learn modeling, rigging, animation, texturing, foley, music composition, and programming mean nothing if I still haven't been able to produce a game worth selling. It’s just not-invented-here syndrome turned up to 11.

After finishing The Fastest Meal of the Day, I figured I should at least apply for game developer jobs. Surely having a game like that in my portfolio and being able to point to everything but the font and say, “I made that,” would be enough to land me a job at a studio that uses Unity? Not if my resume has no job experience or degree to speak of and I have no industry connections.

Depressed, burnt-out, and living at home with no degree and with no visible way to break into the game industry despite my hard work, I started applying for the same kind of jobs most 21-year-olds are qualified for. I found myself working full-time in retail and feeling mostly okay about it, because at least I was interacting with people on a regular basis, getting paid, and not “having” to develop games every day. I was at a point where getting to sit at home developing games all day seemed like hell, even though just a few years earlier in high school that is all I could dream about.

For at least several months I had absolutely no desire to develop anything. I truly believed I had put the nail in the coffin on the career of software engineering in general, not just games. I was content working in retail for almost 2 months and realized I don't want to do it for very long. (Who'da thunk it?) I chose to go to college full-time in pursuit of a bachelor's degree in computer science because I was beginning to warm up to the idea of programming again, but not so much game development.

Even with my hesitance toward game development I decided to start working on a mobile game in my free time, a basic multiplayer game where you play as a penguin and try to bump other penguins off of an ice berg. The game is still unfinished to this day and has been in development for about a year. School is not the only thing getting in the way of developing it. The other factors are my motivation and planning what exactly my free time should go into. The game and the process of realizing it just don't entice me. I don't really want to model everything, record sound effects, and write the music. I don't want to collaborate with someone either because I have a very clear idea of how those things should be, and I can't afford to pay people who would be able to do the jobs well. I haven't looked at the code in a while which makes it harder to work on that aspect and there is no monetary incentive because I was planning on making it free.

School has been eating up my savings from RVP and I need to work on things that make money. I'm considering going back into the asset business, maybe developing a kart racer kit or something else. Developing assets is not so hard, because they are essentially unfinished games. I may even pursue contract work if I have to. Plus, if I'm going to go into a more traditional software engineering role, I need to learn frameworks and work on projects that don't depend on Unity.

The only way I would pursue a career in game development is if I could work in my preferred role as a gameplay programmer at a company that doesn't depend on unpaid crunch time, doesn't lay off employees after a game ships, and offers decent benefits. As far as I'm concerned, that job does not exist, or is the kind of job that's immediately filled internally by someone in the network of connections.

I just want to get paid to write software and have a healthy work-life balance. This is not a defeatist attitude, but a realistic one. The dream I sought after in the game industry is so difficult to obtain that I would not even enjoy it after putting in the work to get there. It was and is an unhealthy obsession that I still struggle with, where even today I feel uncomfortable if I don't have some vague game idea bouncing around in my head that I want to work on at an unspecified time in the future.

One thing that stuck out to me while reflecting is the fact Randomation Vehicle Physics is the most successful thing I've ever made, and that's because it provides real value to other people. It was a catalyst for other aspiring developers' dreams of making some kind of driving game, or maybe just a product that can enhance a professional team's workflow. Either way, it helped other people much more than my own “selfish” projects have, which only served to express my own ideas. Developing assets from here on out makes the most sense because it requires less work than developing full games, is more likely to earn money, and can help others develop the games they want to make.

I am now 22 and look forward to finishing school in a few years and have mostly overcome my depression. Closing myself off from the world in pursuit of an attachment to a grandiose fantasy is no way to live. I wonder where I'll be in 2027.

#decade #10 years #randomation #story #my life #depression #game development #indie

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karack1871 · 8 years ago

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For my train family and anyone wants to know more about me Some random facts, be careful its very long 1. Im Asian, female, 20, bisexual 2. Im in college, 4th year, studying accounting. I reaaally dont like my major :P I chose it only to make my family happy but now I feel regret, so never choose things you dont like, and dont bother too much by others opinions. 3. I draw stuffs and Im self taught. Ive always been dreaming of becoming a professional artist since 4 years old I think... but my parents just dont agree ;^; I did fight for what I want I really did but sometimes things just dont work and shits happen. AND I LIKE DRAWING PORNS, NSFW IS LIFE IS EVERYTHING IM A DIRTY EVIL WOMAN BITE ME 4. I HATE SCHOOL and I dont fit in my class. My classmates are typical business students, very active, outgoing, eloquent, highly sociable, and successful. Im extremely quite in front of strangers and my social skills are rubbish :P Also I dye my hair pink and purple and wear weird clothes and thick makeup, so some of my classmates dont like me and always talked shit behind me. I used to work VERY HARD on changing myself to be someone like my successful classmate to make my family proud, but I gave up I JUST CANT. WTF this one is so long, can you guys feel my desperation, see, I really hate school. 5. Although I dont talk much with people who Im not familiar with, when you get close to me, you will notice that Im a pandora box of nonsense and porns and random shits XD I TALKED TOO MUCH TO MY CLOSE FRIENDS IM AN ANNOYING HUMAN 6. I have two dogs at my parents home, and one cat at my own place. They are super fat and fluffy and cuddly :3 My dogs are like 40kg each and my cat is almost 1m long. 7. Two years ago I almost lost 2/3 of my hair due to school pressure, but I grow them back, now I have decent volume of hair. 8. I like to stay at home in my spare time, give me wifi and food and my computer I can stay inside for a month without stepping out my room. 9. I watch horror films A LOT and enjoy them very much 10. I spend way too much money on buying cosmetics and I love makeup XD If I cant be an artist in the future maybe I can be a makeup youtuber or something 11. I used to be in bad relationships and those experiences still haunt me, and due to this I dont really read sad stories because Im already a sad person I need fluff and smut 12. I have unhealthy obsessions with people that have beautiful eyebrows :))) Maybe because I dont have eyebrows, they are too thin almost invisible and I have to put mascara on them to make them look better 13. I collect leather jackets, the more spikes on them the better 14. I also collect memes, there are like 1000 or more of them in my computer THATS ALL MY LONG SHIT IF YOU CAN FINISH READING THIS I WILL SEND MY HEART TO YOU

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kyreniacommentator · 5 years ago

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By Ismail Veli…….

Many people go through life working hard, trying to enjoy themselves and save up for a comfortable retirement.

Nothing wrong with that, BUT and it’s a big BUT, sadly once the pension age knocks on their door many find that with so much time on their hands they simply start getting bored, don’t know what to do and often return to work just to pass the time. The reason is that all through their life the idea of having a real hobby to concentrate their time and relax simply did not exist. So why is having hobbies so important? Firstly a hobby is only acquired out of a love to create and doing what one really enjoys and free from the stress of real life. It can be time consuming but unlike work it’s something that an individual enjoys doing. I consider myself lucky that having come to the UK from Cyprus in 1962 as a 6 year old, the value of creative and fun hobbies was impressed upon children long before the advent of computers and other electronic games which though good in themselves can hold back the ability to be creative on different levels.

I never forget when my parents brought home packs of cereals which we had never seen in the Lurucina of 1962. To my delight out popped small packets of miniature 72ml figures of cowboys and Indians. Though I wasn’t particularly keen on this new found breakfast alternative to the Cypriot Olives and bread, I lost no time in eating as much cereals as possible in order to expand my collection of figures. It wasn’t long before I watched Western films (Rawhide was the craze in those days) to learn what I could and the Library was only 10 minutes walk away for some amazing books. I soon realised that if I collected matchboxes, plastacene, pebbles and larger boxes I could create a small diorama with wagons, small hills and rockery. This caused me to spend hours in my bedroom simply creating and experimenting with whatever I could. Books were a fantastic addition as it gave me a great insight into the past way of life.

When I was 11 years old I was interviewed by a local secondary school ‘Highbury Boy’s School’, the interview went badly as I was immensely shy. I was accepted to Islington Green (or Tudor Rose as it was formerly called) which was about 2 miles away. It was one of the best things that happened in my life. I made a friend named Gary Deemer who lived around the corner in Duncan Terrace and the street was full of air-fix model shops, lead figures, paints, brushes and scenery for the figures. I had found my paradise. At the time I was given 2 shillings (10p in today’s money) a day school money. half a shilling each way and one shilling for my school dinner. Nothing left to buy a box of 40-50 figures which if I remember correctly cost 2 and a half shillings. I was not about to give up. I decided that walking to and back the 4 mile round trip from school was actually fun and most afternoons the local chip shop only cost half a shilling for a portion of chips which I loved anyway. That gave me a whole 75% of my pocket money to invest in my hobby.

I soon diversified into Napoleonic’s, US Marines, Japanese, British Commandos, Paratroopers, Desert Rats (the 8th Army) Germans, Russians, US Cavalry, Indians and my favourites Ancient Romans and Celts. No sooner was I home from school then I would rush to the library for my quota of 4 books (which was the limit in those days) in order to study all aspects of the history of these historic people. Frankly I think my parents were a little worried, not that they allowed me to run out and play in the streets which I had little interest for, but for the fact that I was alone in my room for hours until it was bedtime. My food had to be brought to my bedroom and only when relatives came for a visit did I venture out so as not to be rude. It was not until I grew up and started work when many adults started to take the micky that I was still playing with ‘toy soldiers’, sadly many Cypriots in those days considered this as childish. This forced me to go a bit discreet. But I more than made up for this by reading, jigsaw puzzles, drawing and whatever I could find to pass my time. In fact adults in the family thought I was so quiet that I would never meet anyone to marry (another obsession with Cypriots was that if you weren’t married at 20 there was something wrong). That was until July 1974 when I was due to visit my grandparents around the 22-24 July .

With the war in Cyprus the travel agent asked if I wanted an alternative booking. I picked up a brochure for California but knew my father would oppose that. At 18 and the USA so far away he simply thought I would run into trouble. My uncle was ill in bed at the time but he stepped in and told my father off, ”Let the young man go, it may open his eyes a bit or your stuck with him”. This turned things around for me. Sadly My uncle died on 10 September 1974 due to a brain tumour at the tender age of only 29. It was a traumatic experience which taught me the value of life even further. I did actually go to Los Angeles, California and then onto Las Vegas in Nevada. It was three weeks that completely changed my life. I became much more chatty with adults, and my newfound skills and experience gave me confidence in debating world issues.

When I married in 1977 my first priority was to buy a house and have a family. The economic turmoil of the late 1970s and 1980s were tough but when my wife and I had 2 lovely boys in 1981 and 1983 I was determined to help encourage them to have hobbies and always took them to the library. Like most children they enjoyed puzzles and Legos which I spent lots of time helping them with. In 1989 we decided to take a well earned holiday of 3 weeks to Hawaii. The boys were 8 & 6 respectively. On our visit to the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbour we naturally visited the gift shop in order to buy something for the lads. They both wanted model ships of the USS Arizona and USS Missouri, plus a book each. My wife and I both agreed to give them a little extra treat and buy them figures of US Marines and Japanese soldiers to add to their little reward. Coming back to the UK I was very happy that they both relished the idea of building the models. As usual dad was asked to help. I soon added paints, brushes and scenic material to add to their enthusiasm. It brought back fantastic memories of where I left of in 1971-2. I decided ‘sod what people thought’ and began to buy figures and start my life’s favourite hobby yet again. Emptying my garage and fixing the walls with good clean melamine boards, I then began to build benches all round. My enthusiasm and pent up frustration at lost years meant that I began to paint figures in droves. initially they were plastic Airfix, but a friend introduced me to a lead figure moulder who after I requested certain types of Republican Romans, Carthaginians, Celts, Spanish and Roman Latin allies he said he was just starting off and to make so many moulds would be costly as he was not certain if he could sell at least 1000 figures. I smiled, I responded ”Mr Sean Pereira if I order 2000 now and another 2000 for 3 months would you be interested”.

His jaw dropped and we shook hands. He offered me a 20% discount and within a year these figures became his best sellers even packing figures off to Italy to other enthusiasts who loved the quality and variety of his figures. His business took off and becoming good friends he began to offer me 25% discounts. Building the dioramas is another fantastic form of relaxation. Gravel, pebbles, sand, match sticks, mini nails, dustsheets, Balsa wood, old rugs for dry bushes. lacquer to preserve some mini plants as trees, PVA glue for rivers, thin MDF for basing the figures, Thick 6×4 MDFs for building the scenic bases and even grape stems to build vineyards and trees were not spared. to reduce the cost of hundreds of different paints and brushes, cleaners, thinners etc I contacted The Revel Model company, opened an account on my business and simply bought them all at wholesale price.

To avoid ignoring time with my family I simply bought large work trays, organised the figures or whatever I was doing and placed them on the tray. So while the boys and I were all spending time in our sitting room I would just get on with my hobby talking and exchanging ideas and even watching our favourite films together. We all took turns in picking what each wanted to watch so we could instil in our children a sense of fairness. Strangely we all seemed to enjoy the same subjects and interest. My wife was never left out. In the summer months I would be the first to wake up, which meant that I could go into the garage and spend time arranging what I had prepared before everyone woke up.

After 25 years and 40.000 figures later my garage is now absolutely packed with many in storage. In the meantime my collection of books and other bi-product hobbies have kept me busy. In the last 3-4 years with no more space I turned my attention to collecting illustrated books on old photos from the mid 1850s to the 1960s. Cyprus, rural England, Cyprus and old postcards became my passion. In the meantime 8 years ago my wife and I became grandparents which again changed my outlook on life.

Having come to the UK in 1962 and a great lover of my adopted country the UK, I still always had a passion to learn of my roots. Our grandson became the inspiration. If I did not start while my ageing parents were still of sound mind it may be too late to begin a solid foundation. The information from other Cypriots was that no archive materials were worth searching for in Cyprus, which made me all the more determined to start recording everything my parents told me. I then decided to travel all over London visiting old relatives to learn of their families. Within 2 years I managed to record about 2000 people over 6-7 generations which actually encompassed the extended family trees of my village of Lurucina. It was early in 2011 when another breakthrough came. a distant relative Alper Mehmet who happened to be the first ethnic ambassador for the UK Government to Iceland approached me after interviewing his family who showed great support for my project. It turned out that his family had records of an old tax collector Ibrahim Tahsildar (born 1898) from Lurucina who just happened to have records of many 1st 2nd and 3rd generations of our roots in Lurucina. He offered me the hand written information on condition that I would return it when finished. I was absolutely over the moon. My first aim was to buy a copier machine and copy every single page ASAP.

My aim was to get the documents back to Alper in quick time so as to honour my promise. after going through every single name I found that some of the writing was hard to read but going over and over I soon began to recognise the more scribbly names and the pattern of reading became easier. Typing them was of course a priority. I began to consider setting up a website in order to share my findings while making constant announcements for people to come forward and share any information at their disposal. The cost of setting up a website (I was not the most savvy of computer users) and having someone download the information was astronomical, in addition how would a stranger know how to arrange all the 4-5 thousand names now on my list. It became a dilemma, until In July 2011 a good friend Ersu Ekrem asked if I wanted his son Ekrem who was studying Computer IT in University to help and advise. They came to visit me on a Sunday and within 5-6 hours after listening and experimenting the young Ekrem came up with a website from Moonfruit that seemed to fit my needs, and user friendly. He taught me how to create pages, photo galleries etc etc. After a couple of short meetings I was finally beginning to download the information in a manner that suited my limited computer skills, and Ekrem and Ersu refused to accept any money for the time and effort they put into helping me. Though not from Lurucina they considered the project as important and fully supported my efforts. I launched the site on 14th August 2011 and the call out for help on Facebook, telephones, emails to every Lurucinali I could find met with an enthusiastic support that I had not even dreamed of. Soon more names, dates, village stories were pouring in.

Finally In November 2013 I decided to travel to Cyprus and search for any existing Ottoman archives. Many had told me not to waste my time but I had to try. It turned out to be the icing on the cake. I visited the national archives and research institute Milli Arşiv and asked if there was anything available on Lurucina. After calling for the Ottoman Translator Mrs Esin Fatma Dogac and explaining what I wanted she came back within ten minutes and gave me the records of the 1879-82 census which had people registered from 1796-1882. On my return to The UK Esin hanim translated the Ottoman script into modern Turkish, the details on age, year of marriage, female names which were missing on the first 3 generations, ownership of land, animals, tax paid, army service were all included, in addition for the first time all the Greek Orthodox population was now added to all the Turkish Muslim family trees. To date I believe there are at least 8.000 people of 11 generations on the website. In addition, historic, folk lore, 400 family nicknames, thousands of family photos, poems, Tsiattista Biimada (these are Greek poems or limericks for want of a better word) which the people of Lurucina excelled in) plus many other features have now been added. all this would not have been possible without the generous and massive support of the people of Lurucina and many friends who are not even from the village. I and my family are forever in their debt.

In the final analysis going back to hobbies and interests I believe it’s important for people to have a variety of interests that can occupy them. With so much fun and education in life retirement should be about enjoying every minute in doing what one enjoys. Life is far too precious to be bored. I refuse to allow a single second for negative boredom. Ultimately we may not be responsible on when we die, but we are responsible on how we live. My work life has been long and hard but I have learned to channel my energy into making the most of my life outside my work. Many people ask how do I find so much time? My simple response is we all have 24 hours in a day, it’s how we use those hours that really counts. Frankly I live every second of it which helps me to remain focused, contented, and need I say I still feel younger then my 58 years. I really cannot wait to retire. I still have a lot of fun ahead. With a lovely supporting wife, children, grandchildren and family I consider myself to be a very fortunate individual. That’s really as rich as one can get.

To visit my website Families of Lurucina please click here

Western town

An imaginary marching camp in ancient times

Battle of Cannae 216 BC Numidian cavalry in front facing Roman allies in classic chequer board formation

Battle of Cannae 216 BC Numidian cavalry

Battle of Cannae 216 BC. The Roman legionaries in classic chequer-board formation

Battle of Cannae 216 BC. Spanish and Celtic infantry

Ottoman cavalry during the Crusader wars

American war of Independence. late 1700s

French Napoleonic army camp and cavalry

Ancient Greeks at the battle of Plataea 479 BC

Ancient Greeks at Plataea 479 BC

Napoleonic wars 1805-15

Wagon train going west 1800s

Post card collection. Posted from Finchley 7.15pm on Oct 16 1908 to Holloway Rd.

Birthday cards were printed in black and white at this period. Its dated April 1908

Oct 28 1905 Posted to the two miss Goodings to Felixstowe, from 288 Seven Sisters

A card to W. A Thatcher, West Peckham dated April 28 1904

If you are Self Isolating to avoid Coronavirus do you have a hobby to keep you sane? .......Ismail Veli tells us about his and if you want to share yours with others do send details to CyprusScene By Ismail Veli....... Many people go through life working hard, trying to enjoy themselves and save up for a comfortable retirement.

#Familiesoflurucina #Cyprus #Hobbies #Ismail Veli #London #Lurucina

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jobsinthefuture-blog · 7 years ago

Text

5 Habits You Must Eliminate to Save $407 Per Month, Lose Weight, and Boost Productivity!

New Post has been published on http://jobsinthefuture.com/index.php/2017/12/14/5-habits-you-must-eliminate-to-save-407-per-month-lose-weight-and-boost-productivity/

5 Habits You Must Eliminate to Save $407 Per Month, Lose Weight, and Boost Productivity!

Updated December 14th, 2017

In order to boost our productivity it is necessary to get rid of some habits in order to make room for new ones! Sometimes it is best to look at what you need to stop doing before you can look at what you need to start doing.

Today I want to address 5 habits that are keeping you from saving money, losing weight, and boosting your productivity.

1 ) Get rid of monthly subscriptions

When I took the time to look at the un-useful monthly subscriptions that many people leave on their expenses each month I was quite shocked. Here are a few that you should kick in order to save big!

Cable Bill (Average Cost: $55-$120 per mo. = $660 – $1,440 per yr.)

Gym Membership (Average Cost: $20 – $50 per mo. = $240 – $600 per yr.)

Get a set of dumbbells, a workout mat, and some reputable online instruction to save big and stay fit.

Yoga Mat ($18)

15 LB Dumbbells ($20)

Online Instruction (Can be found for free)

Your Daily Coffee Run (Average Cost)

$2.50 – $5 per day > $12.50 – $25 per 5 day work wk. > $50 – $100 per mo. > $600 – $1000 per yr.

Switch to 1 – 2 pounds of coffee at home per mo. $10 – $25 per mo. > $120 – $300 per yr.

Internet Bill ($30 – $65 per mo. = $360 – $780 per yr.)

Head down to your local public library. This will not only cut down your monthly bill, but also get you away from the distractions of your home.

Soda/Pop/Coke/etc… (Average consumption per wk: 12 pack $5.50 > $22 per mo. > $264 per yr.

Not only will this save you money but it will also increase your ability to lose some pounds.

Pack Your Lunch (Average Cost for Lunch out: $10 per day > $50 per wk. $200 per mo. > $2,400 per yr.

I bet you could pack a better lunch for $5 per day.

Also, when you know what you are packing you can pack a lighter fare and lose weight as well!

Total Saving per month: $229 – $407 (and I am sure you could find some more ways as well!)

A few ideas on the money saving tips??? If you have other tips on saving money each month. Please post a comment below!

2 ) Quit Staying Up Late

There are some exceptions to this rule. I know a few “night-owls” that get A LOT of productivity in the late hours of the night. But from inquiry I have found that this is not a sustainable habit, and will ultimately decrease your productivity. Also a study performed by Berkeley shows that weight gain has been found in correlation with staying up late.

Berkeley researchers analyzed longitudinal data from a nationally representative cohort of more than 3,300 youths and adults, and found that for every hour of sleep they lost, they gained 2.1 points on the BMI index. This gain occurred roughly over a five-year period.

Berkley News

Why are the night owls more inclined to gain wait?

The later you stay up the more opportunities you have to hit the snack cabinet

This will not only cause weight gain, but it will also cost you more money! by grabbing a few “low-cost” snacks in the evening you could be adding $3-$5 per day to your spending. Thats $84 – $140 per mo.!

Slamming energy drinks is a sure way to gain weight and mess up good quality sleeping patterns.

By going to bed “on time” say around 10pm you will cut out those night time snacking hours. If you want to wake up early, and you think, “Won’t I be hungry and eat when I wake up” Personally I can’t remember the last time a bag of Skittles, pretzels, or Doritos sounded good at 5:30am…

Staying up late can drain your productivity

Distractions, Distraction, Distractions… The predicament you slide into with staying up late, rather than waking up early, is the amount of distractions you encounter.

More people are awake in the night hours than in the morning hours.

Whether in your house, online, or out on the town there are many temptations to draw you away from the important work you are trying to accomplish.

When you get to bed early and get up early you are beating the rush, getting ahead of the pack, and intentionally placing yourself into a distraction free environment.

Consistency is the ultimate boost to your productivity.

I have found that most of the time I stayed up late it was to finish a project last minute. It was not a planned circumstance. Staying up late was a response to a situation. I HAD TO FINISH!

If you wake up early everyday at 5:30am you are guaranteed roughly 1.5 hours of quality work every weekday. Now, if you leave you productivity up to the whims of an evening that could be dangerous. How often do you get a text from a friend asking you to get coffee, swing by the bar, or go to a movie? If you have your set time in the morning. NO PROBLEM… I’ll be right over. But if you were hoping to use that time to be productive, you are now in a predicament.

*I know that I will get some comments about how you stay up late and you get sooooooo much done. If that’s you, awesome, keep it up. But I am trying to help those struggling with productivity to get a solid plan of action. I have found in my 9 years as a graphic designer, nothing quality comes after 10pm. So, I wake up early everyday and this is the one thing that has boosted my productivity through the years!

This leads me right into the next point…

3 ) Quit Failing to Plan Your Work Time

Insert Cliche quote NOW!…

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”

Benjamin Franklin

You have to stop failing to plan you work time. Freelance work is extremely important to me. It allows me to stretch my skills and grow my income. I take intentional steps in order to accomplish freelance work every single day. By the end of the week, I can look back and see a great portion of work accomplished. I don’t feel the pressure of work bingeing all weekend, pulling “all-nighters”, trying to play catch up.

Set a time that works for you. Stated previously in the asterisk above, some people find great productivity in the night hours. Great! If that works for you, keep it up. But I have found that my clearest thinking, least distracting and highest quality productivity comes in the morning hours. So I capitalize on these hours by planning a 4:25am wake up 6 days per week. (Learn how I mastered this routine here)

4 ) Stop following a makeshift plan

This is why Jobs in the Future exists.

We want to see you Get Motivated, Get Educated, and Get Deregulated. Unlock the regulation on your future opportunities. I have done this by placing my self intentional in positions where I can work hard, learn from the best, and grow in my craft. The most instrumental piece to my productivity has been to learn from the best. I don’t spend my time piecing together my education.

I find someone who is good at what I want to be good at and I learn from that person. I talked to friends, college pupils, and teachers, but since I graduated and now work a full time career I am unable to just sit down with some friends and learn new skills.

I needed a place I could go that would guarantee professionals in the industry ready and available to help me. Lynda.com has given me the ability to follow a plan of action that ends in the acquisition of new skills. The skills you will learn at lynda.com will increase your value and open doors to new opportunities.

And now that you are saving $229 – $407 per month you can invest that money into something that will truly change your life. Better yourself and your craft!

5 ) Quit Waiting to Be Inspired

When I first started pursuing a career in graphic design I thought great work came from some divine revelation. All the legendary artists, designers, and creatives alike were just struck with a lightening bolt of inspiration and they became masters at their craft. Wow, I was so wrong. I would wait and wait for inspiration to come, but it would never come. Thomas Edison said it perfectly,

“Creativity is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration”

Stop waiting for that perfect moment of inspiration or a divine passion to overcome you. It will never come! If you want to know what it takes to become great at your craft I would recommend reading two books that changed my perspective and work ethic forever!

So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

Mastery by Robert Greene

Becoming a master is about developing a true obsession with your craft. By becoming so insatiably curious about discovering more, working harder, and being willing to be bad until you become great.

Intentional Practice

Consistent Dedication

Quality Education (Lynda.com)

Get Motivated, Get Educated, Get Deregulated!

Thanks for Reading,

-Ben Kaiser

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literary-potato · 8 years ago

Text

tagged by @mademoisellesarcasme

1. When was the last time you went grocery shopping? And I mean a little more than a “we’re out of milk” run.

Yesterday? I had some people over for a movie, so I grabbed stuffs to make dinner.

2. Are you a hat person? If so, describe your favourite hat(s). If not, do you want to be? What kind of hats do you like? On you? on others?

No. I do not wear hats. The only time I’ve ever worn a hat was when I had a bad haircut with bangs, and wearing certain knit hats (with the bangs sticking out, rest of my hair tucked in) was the only way to make it look cute. And that was a cute look, to be fair, all my pictures from that ‘era’ are pretty adorbs. But I wouldn’t do it again. It was very much a high school look.

3. What is the most heartfelt gift you’ve received?

I receive dozens of random drawings and doodles and “cards” from the tiny humans in my family. All of them are heartfelt. I keep almost all of them

4. You work at a coffeeshop for 8 hours a day, 3-6 days a week. What songs do you definitely want to have on the in-store playlist?

The Benny Hill theme. The Rains of Castamere. That one track on Mouth Moods that’s a mashup of 1000 Miles and Back in Black. All the random cabaret punk I used to listen to in high school (the more circus-y and obnoxious the better).

5. If you could acquire any particular skill without actually putting in the work, what would it be?

Understanding quantum physics and quantum computing.

6. Surprise! you can go back in time with your camera and take pictures of one historic location to bring back to the present. What would it be and why?

A Shakespeare play, ideally Othello or a Midsummer Night’s Dream. I love Shakespeare. The reasons for those two plays are because I have fond personal memories associated with them. Seeing them live, the original versions, would probably reduce me to tears.

7. What is the shortcut to friendship with you – the sequence of words or references or other things which indicate to you that This Person Is A Friend?

Liking Pat Rothfuss and Neil Gaiman books. Having an obsession with dank memes. Making terrible (TERRIBLE) puns. Referencing classic literature or philosophy, but in a dank meme-y way not a pretentious hipster way. Being a person who LARPS, plays DND, or knows how to use a sword/shoot arrows/make armor or swords/etc.

8. Do you notice other peoples’ handwriting?

Yes. There was a time in my life when I forged peoples’ signatures on occasion, so I still notice them in that way.

9. What are your opinions on writing utensils? Favourites? least favourites?

I like black pens that write smoothly. I also like really sharp pencils or those Japanese mechanical pencils with really tiny lead. I despise Sharpies, cheap ballpoints that clump up, and pencils that do The Thing when you try to sharpen them.

10. There’s a conference coming up and you’ve been asked to speak at it, and you are super-duper excited about both the conference and your talk. What’s the focus of the conference, and what’s your presentation on?

Probably cybersecurity related. It’d have to be that I figured out how to attack something in novel, dramatic way that I actually feel good about and think is worthy of presenting.

Alternatively (and these are conferences I have actually done), it’d be related to classics or the great books or whatever you want to call them, and I’d probably be reading an essay I wrote. (This I have done more than once. It’s quite fun. Less fun when the people attending don’t “”get”” your perspective because they’ve never met a sane Catholic before.)

11. What is your primary use for index cards?

Mostly they sit around my desk after I bought them, fully intending to use them and organize my notes like a Responsible Student (TM) only to abandon the effort a fraction of the way through the deck. Actually I did use index cards to study for the interview that got me my current job. But beyond that, I can’t think of a single time I successfully used them to do anything other than clutter my desk.

0 notes

jobsinthefuture-blog · 7 years ago

Text

5 Habits You Must Eliminate to Save $407 Per Month, Lose Weight, and Boost Productivity!

New Post has been published on http://jobsinthefuture.com/index.php/2017/12/14/5-habits-you-must-eliminate-to-save-407-per-month-lose-weight-and-boost-productivity/

5 Habits You Must Eliminate to Save $407 Per Month, Lose Weight, and Boost Productivity!

Updated December 14th, 2017

Today I want to address 5 habits that are keeping you from saving money, losing weight, and boosting your productivity.

1 ) Get rid of monthly subscriptions

When I took the time to look at the un-useful monthly subscriptions that many people leave on their expenses each month I was quite shocked. Here are a few that you should kick in order to save big!

Cable Bill (Average Cost: $55-$120 per mo. = $660 – $1,440 per yr.)

Gym Membership (Average Cost: $20 – $50 per mo. = $240 – $600 per yr.)

Get a set of dumbbells, a workout mat, and some reputable online instruction to save big and stay fit.

Yoga Mat ($18)

15 LB Dumbbells ($20)

Online Instruction (Can be found for free)

Your Daily Coffee Run (Average Cost)

$2.50 – $5 per day > $12.50 – $25 per 5 day work wk. > $50 – $100 per mo. > $600 – $1000 per yr.

Switch to 1 – 2 pounds of coffee at home per mo. $10 – $25 per mo. > $120 – $300 per yr.

Internet Bill ($30 – $65 per mo. = $360 – $780 per yr.)

Head down to your local public library. This will not only cut down your monthly bill, but also get you away from the distractions of your home.

Soda/Pop/Coke/etc… (Average consumption per wk: 12 pack $5.50 > $22 per mo. > $264 per yr.

Not only will this save you money but it will also increase your ability to lose some pounds.

Pack Your Lunch (Average Cost for Lunch out: $10 per day > $50 per wk. $200 per mo. > $2,400 per yr.

I bet you could pack a better lunch for $5 per day.

Also, when you know what you are packing you can pack a lighter fare and lose weight as well!

Total Saving per month: $229 – $407 (and I am sure you could find some more ways as well!)

A few ideas on the money saving tips??? If you have other tips on saving money each month. Please post a comment below!

2 ) Quit Staying Up Late

Berkley News

Why are the night owls more inclined to gain wait?

The later you stay up the more opportunities you have to hit the snack cabinet

Slamming energy drinks is a sure way to gain weight and mess up good quality sleeping patterns.

Staying up late can drain your productivity

Distractions, Distraction, Distractions… The predicament you slide into with staying up late, rather than waking up early, is the amount of distractions you encounter.

More people are awake in the night hours than in the morning hours.

Whether in your house, online, or out on the town there are many temptations to draw you away from the important work you are trying to accomplish.

When you get to bed early and get up early you are beating the rush, getting ahead of the pack, and intentionally placing yourself into a distraction free environment.

Consistency is the ultimate boost to your productivity.

I have found that most of the time I stayed up late it was to finish a project last minute. It was not a planned circumstance. Staying up late was a response to a situation. I HAD TO FINISH!

This leads me right into the next point…

3 ) Quit Failing to Plan Your Work Time

Insert Cliche quote NOW!…

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”

Benjamin Franklin

4 ) Stop following a makeshift plan

This is why Jobs in the Future exists.

And now that you are saving $229 – $407 per month you can invest that money into something that will truly change your life. Better yourself and your craft!

5 ) Quit Waiting to Be Inspired

“Creativity is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration”

So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport

Mastery by Robert Greene

Becoming a master is about developing a true obsession with your craft. By becoming so insatiably curious about discovering more, working harder, and being willing to be bad until you become great.

Intentional Practice

Consistent Dedication

Quality Education (Lynda.com)

Get Motivated, Get Educated, Get Deregulated!

Thanks for Reading,

-Ben Kaiser

0 notes