#elliptical reviews

[terpsichoracle]

Maybe it's not that Misto intentionally refuses to give Tugger attention just to rile him up

(like, he super does sometimes but In the way that makes Tugger like, get mega over terroritorial over him, rawr)

But Misto is such an attention whore too- genuinely, he's up in everyone's shit 99% of the time (all percentages are made up and not to be trusted), he's busy filling his own attention whore needs elsewhere

Which means they're just two attention whore-y peas in a pod.

he sat out all of Tugger's dance to watch and that's probably better for Tugger's ego than him joining in. They're both admiring each other in mutually appreciable ways --

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Endurance 1

Warnings: this fic will include obsessive behaviour, possible non/ducbon, bullying, and other elements which may not be specifically triggered. Please be cautious in continuing on to the story.

Character: Walter Marshall

Summary: A fellow gym go makes your workouts even more taxing.

Please reblog and leave some feedback, preferably in a reblog but you can always drop by my asks. I always love working in y'alls ideas with these AUs so I am so excited to hear from you.

As always, take care of yourself <3 be kind and be patient. Love you.

No tag lists. Please review my pinned and bio for guidelines.

You come out of the changing room and peek at the wall mirror as you pass. You admire your new bubblegum pink leggings and polka dot top. It’s a bit out there but you’ve seen neons in this place that make your retinas burn. Besides, you’ve never been shy when it comes to fashion. It’s not just your passion, it’s your job. 

It’s late enough that the bodies there are far and few between. You prefer the nights when the gym feels like a ghost town. The air is quiet but not stagnant.  

Your water bottle swings on its handle from your hand as your bouncy steps keep in time with the boppy music thrumming in your earbuds. Your workout mix is a nice blend of retro and contemporary bass hits. You catch yourself humming and stamp it down. Sometimes, you forget other people can perceive you, not that there’s many around to so.  

You find an empty mat. They all are. You put your bottle down and start your stretches. Your late night sessions help clear your mind though it never really stops. In your mind, you’re seeing pleats, seams, and ruffles. 

Your body moves without thinking. It’s all muscle memory. You’re no gym rat, you don’t go that hard, just enough to loosen up your muscles. Your note overly swoll as the young ones call it. You’re fit enough for a light jog and the stairs don’t leave you winded like they used to. 

After your stretches, you slurp loudly from the straw of your water bottle, walking with it still between your lips as you head for an elliptical. You can just let the repetitive motion take over. You pop your lips off the tub and slip the bottle into the little plastic holder on the side of the machine. 

As you climb up, you see another figure across the floor. The man sits on the end of a weight bench. For a moment, it looks, even feels, like he’s watching you. From there, you can’t see very well. You don’t wear your glasses in the gym since you lost a pair to a hungry leg press. 

You can make out dark hair and his burly form. Hazy but wide enough to clock. Most people around here are stacked. You’re too casual for all that. And you like a piece of tiramisu with your Friday lattes. 

You pick your speed and start to climb. You cling to the machine and rock your head to the music. Once more, your throat vibrates and you have to remind yourself to stop. You can’t help it, you love Destiny’s child. Does that date you? For someone working in fashion, you can’t ever risk that. 

You zone out, vision blurring as you let your body do the work. The sweat speckles and slicks across your skin. Damn, you might just be bootylicious after this work out. 

Your fitbit rumbles and you look down. You’re in the zone. You keep going until you hit thirty minutes and slow down. You cool off for ten minutes and swipe up your bottle, sucking on it greedily as you head back to the mats. 

You swing out your arms and stretch your legs in slowly lunges. You bend forward, touching each toe with opposite hand, lingering with your ass up as you brace your hips. A sudden clang has you standing straight so fast you nearly topple onto your butt. 

You throw out your arms to catch your balance as you let out a pathetic, ‘woah-oh-oh'. You look over at the man as begins reps with the heavy dumbbells. You’ve never gotten above the tens. His blue eyes flash in your direction and you give a sheepish smile. 

You don’t want to seem weird so you return to your stretches. Arms up, lean to one side, then the other. You hear a strange rumble, like thunder, and look over at the man as he continues to work his traps, staring at you. You could even call it a glare. 

You tap your ear bud as you face him, “sorry?” 

“Do you have to make that noise?” He snarls. 

Your brows pop up. We’re you humming again? Oops. 

“Sorry, I didn’t realise I was,” you smile and before you can tap play, he scoffs.  

“Typical,” he grumbles as alternates to biceps. 

He’s built. He’s arms are bigger than your head. Probably. You don’t think he’d let you compare for scale. You drop your hand without tapping. 

You get down and extend your legs in front of you. His breaths underline your movement as you bend one leg over the other and push your straight arm against it as you twist. As you do the other side, facing him, his gaze flicks over again. 

“You put more time into choosing that outfit than you do working out,” he shakes his head. 

You blanch. Oh wow. You must have been really out of tune if he’s that grumpy. You give a tight-lipped smile and keep going. He’s not the first grouch you’ve dealt with. Your editor is a chronic miser. 

You straight arms and legs and bend to touch your toes. You then pull your arms back and plant your hands. You lift your pelvis and torso and lean your head back, raising yourself in a straight line as you hang your head back. 

“Form is off,” he mutters. 

You lower back down and look at him again. 

“Oh, uh, do you have any tips?” You ask curiously. He grimaces. You push your shoulders up and tilt your head, “well, if you think of any, I'd be happy to work on it. I’d hate to hurt myself.” 

You get to your knees and groan as you push yourself to your feet. He tuts as gets down to plank, still gripping the weights. He lifts the left and puts it back down, then the right. You watch him for a minute, impressed by his strength. Your wary of lifting too much, you don’t trust yourself. 

“You think your cute,” he sneers under his breath. 

“Um, sometimes,” you hover across from him, “I just thought you might know more than me--” 

“Of course I do,” he puffs between lifts. 

“Mm, okay, well, I’d love to learn--” 

“They got trainers for that,” he snips as he finishes his reps and puts his knees down. 

“Right, um, sorry to bother then. I was only... asking,” you turn and grab your bottle. 

You flip the top up again and slurp. You get to the bottom, sucking air loudly up before giving up. He huffs and stands with the weights, slamming them back on the rack. 

“Do you have to make so much goddamn noise?” He stands straight and turns to you, crossing his thick arms. You stop short and part your lips. 

“It’s empty, I didn’t--” 

“It’s not the only thing’s that empty,” he taps his skull, “go back to the mall, girl.” 

You scrunch your nose, “you don’t have to be rude, mister.” 

“Honesty is a gift,” he snorts. 

You pull your chin back. You didn’t mean to annoy him and you apologised already. You’re a nice person but you don’t appreciate his tone. 

“Well, if I’m being honest,” you put your hands on your hips, “you’re not very nice.” 

He chortles as a crease forms in his forehead, “and you’re not as cute as you think.” 

“What does it matter what I think I am?” You challenge, “I didn’t ask you.” 

“No, you just float around like some airhead and disturb everyone else,” he accuses. 

You peer around, “there’s no one here.” 

He drops his arms and lifts his chin. He steps forward and you waver, just a bit, put off by his size.  

“I’m here,” he says. 

You blink. What does that mean? 

He takes another step and you stare at him, necks and cheek burning. His words strike an epiphany. It’s just you and him. He’s a lot stronger than you. 

Another step and you put your hands up, “mister, you better not come any closer.” 

He scoffs again, “or what? Are you going to cry?” 

You pout and shake your head, “no, but I... I could scream. Or bite.” 

He shakes his head, “what do you think I’m gonna do, girl? That’s what you do, isn’t it? Make yourself the victim. You need the attention to make you feel special.” 

He’s getting closer. 

“I said stay away,” you project your voice as best you can, “I’m not afraid of you, mister.” 

He chuckles and tilts his head. He stops, just a step away from you, “aren’t you?’ 

Your eyes meet his and you stand trapped in the snare of his glower. His blue eyes are deep and fiery, his chiseled face is framed by dark curls and a thick beard, and his chin is cleft handsomely. He’s fearsome, a bear in man’s flesh. You’re no more than helpless hare. 

You back away and his mouth slants in triumph. He’s won. You turn and gulp, gripping tight your bottle as your sneaker squeaks loudly. You scurry away, buzzing with adrenaline. 

“That’s right, you run away, girl, run as fast as you can,” he calls after you, “not very, I’m sure.” 

You keep a brisk walk as you hurry towards the locker room and push inside. Your heart is hammering and your breathless as you reach your locker. You put the bottle on the bench and clutch the sides of your head. You’re dizzy as you try to get a rein on your frazzled nerves. 

You thought you left the bullies behind in high school, over a decade ago. In that second, you’re right back in your teenage years. Your eyes sting with tears and your stomach churns with humiliation. That glimmer of insecurity creeps back into you. 

No, no. You’re an adult. You’re a grown woman. You have a job and a life you love. You’re nothing they said you were. You proved them all wrong and you will prove that butthead wrong too. 

[regexkind]

Every day I take my sewing measuring tape with me in my purse. And every day I go into hardware stores restaurants massage parlors DMV offices courthouses and I measure. I measure the major and minor elliptical axes of the toilets. And if they fall below a certain critical pair of thresholds in either direction I write a scathing review on Google. I have to let the world know that the mind that furnished this building cannot be trusted with any task that requires attention to detail

[canmom]

Exordia - advance review

So. I finished the book!

This is not everything I will write about Exordia. That will come when the book is like, officially out, and I feel comfy spelling out the ending and quoting passages at length.

This 'advance review' is split into two parts. The first part is quite abstract, so I'll copy it here.

If Baru took an elliptical path towards its subject matter, by defamiliarising and rearranging the material of history… Exordia just gets straight in there.

How to describe Exordia? Maybe you could call it philosophy-driven science fiction, a thought experiment about ethics. Maybe you could compare it to Arrival, but shot up with black humour (it’s a book that could make me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time) and real tragedy (at the core is the genocide of the Kurds in the late 80s, and the many betrayals and failures of American imperialism). It’s got a lot of action and military details, with a good few spies and soldiers as central characters, but broadly it’s one of the sharpest eviscerations of the US military and its role in the world I’ve encountered in Western science fiction.

The first two thirds or so lay out the driving, fascinating ‘what the hell is this thing’ mystery lined with all manner of juicy body horror and drama—yet the core high-concept premise is laid out almost immediately, you know what's at stake. The last third… escalates.

It’s full of the usual meaty Seth themes, iterating on the ideas first laid out in Baru. But it’s a distinct flavour of its own. That escalation is… well, I can’t describe in detail, not while the book isn’t even out, but it’s nuts. Not just for the scale, but for how convincingly it sells concepts that if I described them straightforwardly would sound completely ridiculous.

Equally, it’s a study of a markedly diverse group of characters thrown together from all over the world, each constructed with very evident care and nuance. It goes places that so many writers would probably feel ‘damn, that’s probably way too thorny for someone like me to write about’—and yet somehow, it manages to handle it gracefully each time. Certainly, you can perhaps inevitably tell when Seth is writing from direct experience and when they are (as they used to say back in the ’10s) Writing The Other, if only through what they assume you know and what they need to explain as much as everything—and yet there are always all these telling details (the scientist cursing out R) that make these characters come alive with convincing presence and humour.

(Of course the autistic-ass lesbians are my faves. It’s not as overtly a Lesbian Book as Baru was, but there’s a strong current of gay shit.)

A few other reviewers mention Crichton, but I haven’t read Crichton, so… I’ll have to make other comparisons. But then the thing is it’s very self-aware about existing in the fabric of science fiction. This book is set in our world, not in the near future but the recent past, in the late Obama administration. A lot of the things you might compare it to (including a couple I’ve mentioned, Arrival, Crichton) will be invoked as explicit, in-character allusions as these very sharp, funny, modern people try to make sense of their crazy situation. Sometimes it feels like Tamsyn’s use of memes as texture, but it never gets overbearing. The rhythms of Seth’s prose have been refined by Baru into a powerful suite of devices to make you cackle and go, noooo, Seetttthhhhh…

It’s a fascinating blend of hard-ish scifi, with the big ideas carried by surprisingly accurate higher-mathematical technobabble, and what you could probably best call occultism: narrative and ethics and gods and mythology. Seth always tends to deflect when praised for their ability to hop between a dozen different disciplines and pull them together into one unifying story, saying that they’re just good at looking up summaries, or that they had help from the right people. Maybe so, but it works, it passes the smell test, and Seth’s real genius is their remarkable ability to tie all these big grand ideas back into the world of character and emotion.

Since this is an advance review… I gotta be careful how much I say! Usually I assume you’ve read it if you’re going to and dive straight into the spoilers and long quotes, but here I feel like I should take a little care to avoid describing too precisely the exact beats of the story. (Rest assured I will give it the thorough treatment when it comes out in full).

But, I feel like I want to say something a little more substantial. So here’s a description of the mechanism. If all you want to know is whether you should read this book, hopefully I’ve given you plenty of reasons that the answer is god, yes, do it. If you want to know more, read on.

[crimeronan]

kitkat's dirt-cheap writing and editing services!

hello all! i'm kitkat, i'm a professional writer and editor who's been professionally writing and editing for well over ten years. as far as tumblr audiences go, though, i'm better known for my work over at ao3 elliptical.

the vast majority of my prior clients have dropped me for AI, and i need to build my freelancing base up again. so i've created a fiverr profile.

however, in order to get work on fiverr, you need good reviews. and before you have good reviews, you need to offer your services cheaply enough for people to take a chance on you.

so! i have some dirt-cheap offerings at the moment (11/14/23):

writing 500 words for $5

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transcribing audio/video (price starts at $5 and depends on length)

my MAIN ask if you take advantage of the offer is to give me a five-star rating and nice review. if just a couple people here buy my stuff, i can show fiverr that i actually am good at my job. and then they'll show my profile to more people, and i can work up to a living wage!

quick faqs:

can i buy fanfic from you?

i cannot legally write fanfic for money. however, if there's a certain AU, relationship, character, prompt, etc., that you want to see, you can tell me (there should be a free-write space to explain what you're looking for when you order). then i can write you something that's "like" that, just with original names.

can i pay for you to edit/beta my fanfic or original fiction?

ABSOLUTELY, yes. just keep in mind that only the $15 tier currently includes in-depth comments and constructive feedback. with the $5 and $10 tiers, i'll happily proofread and check your grammar, but i won't have a ton of actionable feedback to give!

what's the copyright situation on this stuff?

you have the full rights to anything you buy from me on fiverr, forever. more in-depth explanation here!

i can't buy anything right now but want to support you. how can i do that?

it is 100% okay if you don't have money to spend (or simply don't wanna buy my writing)! one helpful thing you can do is favorite my profile, if you have a fiverr account. you can also make a fiverr account pretty fast if you have a gmail, but it is completely reasonable not to want to do that.

you can also reblog this post if you want! i think most of my potential audience for this already follows me..... but if anyone wants to sing my praises in reblogs, i definitely won't say no, LOL

[dkmh-news]

'Went Up The Hill' review:

Vicky Krieps and Dacre Montgomery Are Dazzling in a Poetic Ghost Story | Hollywood Reporter

Vicky Krieps and Dacre Montgomery are a captivating and haunted couple in Went Up the Hill. Actually haunted, as in possessed by a ghost. But Samuel Van Grinsven’s elliptical, poetic, technically stunning film is a ghost story that rarely does more than nod at horror tropes. The film pointedly uses that ghost as a means of exploring grief, abandonment and the emotional chaos the dead woman caused even while she was still alive. Van Grinsven was highly praised as a promising director for his first film, Sequin in a Blue Room (2019), made when he was still a film student. Went Up the Hill demonstrates that praise wasn’t misplaced.

The setting is an atmospheric, isolated part of New Zealand. Jack (Montgomery) shows up at a wake for Elizabeth, who committed suicide. The wake takes place at her large, austere house, where light flows through the windows but the walls are cement and the emotional chill is inescapable. He is certain that the dead woman’s widow, Jill (Krieps), has called and invited him to come. Yes, their names are Jack and Jill, as in the pair who went up the hill in the nursery rhyme that gives the film its title. That may sound playful, but there is nothing playful about the film’s tone. The Mother Goose title is a sign that while things might look normal, the fantastic informs this story.

Jill has not phoned Jack, and wasn’t aware he existed, even though he is Elizabeth’s son, but she invites him to stay. At night, as in a kind of dream, they discover that Elizabeth can possess each of them in turn, speaking through them. She called Jack to come. In other hands that would be spooky, but Van Grinsven goes in a different direction. Jack is unnerved while Jill is torn between shock and joy at being able to hear from Elizabeth again, but they matter-of-factly accept that she can channel her presence. And there is nothing creepy about Elizabeth’s voice: Krieps and Montgomery sound like themselves, as the ghost takes over their words but not their physical voices.

Both actors are wonderfully understated. Krieps, of course, has given powerful, measured performances before, notably in The Phantom Thread. Here she looks slightly fiercer when Elizabeth speaks through her. Montgomery, best known as Billy on Stranger Things, looks sterner when Elizabeth speaks through him. With such small touches, they establish what is happening without overdramatizing.

Van Grinsven’s aesthetic choices mirror the mood of the story, and the eeriness comes as much from his technique as it does from any plot turn. At the start, the sound effects by Robert Mackenzie might be wind but also might double as a moan or howl. Especially at the beginning, the cinematographer, Tyson Perkins, plays with focus. The foreground and background shift at times to create a sense of disorientation. And Sherree Philips’ production design is understated and effective.

Jack and Jill rarely interact with other people, as the film stays focused on the pair in that lonely house. But Sarah Peirse makes a strong impact in a small role as Elizabeth’s sister, whose manner suggests severe judgment, and whose conversations with Jack reveal that anyone close to Elizabeth ended up in pain. When both Jack and Jill appear with bruises on their bodies, we understand that Elizabeth had been physically abusive as well as manipulative.

As Elizabeth’s widow and son ask her questions, the answers are more unsettling than her presence. Jack was taken away by social services and put into foster care as a child. He wants to know why. Jill says to Elizabeth, accusingly, “You left me.” But the ghost isn’t there to give comforting answers. Inevitably, it seems, Jack and Jill have sex as Elizabeth channels herself through Jack, which is head-spinning and pretty much as overwrought a situation as it sounds. It’s not exactly incestuous, although Jill has sex with her dead wife’s son and Jack with his stepmother. Jack hardly knows what’s happening during that time and bolts out into the cold night when he comes out of his trance. But in a film this original, Van Grinsven can get away with some outlandish choices.

Near the end, the film does turn toward genre horror, with a single jump scare and a suspenseful conclusion. Went Up a Hill is, after all, a ghost story, but one shaped in a fresh and artful way by a director who, in his second film, already has the control of a master.

[alittlefrenchtree]

Come on now, what kind of critique is saying it was unrealistic? What were them supposed to do, a 20 minutes scene only about that or a *20 minutes later* spongebob style thing? Also they didn't sponsor it like that, it was just mention in an interview with so many other things and sometimes that's what made the title. This is a romcom and everyone is reviewing it like it's an oscar movie. It was never this serious. I guess at least you wrote your personal opinion and stopped there, hopefully you are not engaging with people making fun of nick like some other "fans" of his, the same that were not gonna watch this movie and end up following every step of the press tour and were first in line to watch it the day it came out.

You're right, nobody in the history of cinema has ever used elliptical narration. Never happened EXCEPT with spongebob who found the only way to show that time has passed on screen. My bad.

But that wasn't even my point. I don't care how long is the foreplay on screen. If they hadn't been loud about selling a movie the way they did, that would have been perfectly fine, a nice surprise even. I care about someone selling me a red dress and me buying it only to find out that it's a green dress. The green dress is totally fine but I bought the red one so it's a problem, right? And that isn't the only thing that what mis-soldi n the promo.

So I don't know which promo tour you saw but I think I saw like more or less 50% of it and I've already heard enough about female pleasure and women taking back their freedom and not being dead at 40 or whatever and I've seen very very little of that in the movie. I could argue that I've seen as much as the opposite as this, actually. So yeah, if there isn't going to be a red dress, don't tell me that you wanted to show a red dress. Talk to me about the green one, I'm sure there is nice things to say about it.

"Somehow that what's made the title", the somehow is most likely because that was in the talking points written by the pr team of the movie sooo my point still stands I guess. It's not that hard to pinpoint each one of them after a few typical interviews. Chemistry (leading to the casting story). Boysband boot camp. Feminism stuff. Not Harry Styles (Hayes is his own character). So in my book that wasn't really a unfortunate hasard. They lead themselves there and they didn't live up to it, so that's on them.

And oh darling, if I had reviewed this movie like an oscar movie, I would have burnt the thing to the ground and left no ashes with oh so many words. The only reason the first half made it in my eyes, is because I took it like a unserious romcom. The problem is that the second half didn't even meet this unserious expectations.

And I'm not going to even acknowledge the last part of your message since it does sound a lot like you're fandom police and since fandom police doesn't exist, I'm pretty sure I've hallucinated your words 😘

[nic-mharta]

Just a little more Potential for 2024

Every so often the latest version of this comes around on my dash, and gives me a great reminder to check in on myself and my habits. It started with @shrinkingblonde's “Full Potential Challenge”: a list of self-care checkpoints for every day, broken down by morning, afternoon and evening. Alas, working on that many habits at once woke my “Monster From The Id”’, who immediately panicked. The Monster thinks that, given that my current bad self-care habits correlate with being currently alive, the best chance of staying alive is to change nothing. The Monster isn’t very bright, but it’s powerful.

So I made a minimal list, and took as long as it took to change (three years!), and I made some nice new habits! A year later I rebooted with seven habits to maintain and three new habits to work on. It's now a year and a half after that. Things are changing: I've been diagnosed with ADHD and have medication for that. I've been laid off (again) and am about to start receiving Old Age Security so I guess that counts as "retired". The problematic pastor at our church has been resigned (no, not *that* type of "problematic", but still a problem) so there's more demands from that corner of life.

Changes mean some of the habits I've been working on aren't relevant any more.

EVERY MORNING

Stretch. First thing. Really give your body enough time to wake up. Touch your toes. Roll out your shoulders. Do not hit snooze! (Doing okay!)

Brush your teeth (Doing great!) and floss (well, better than not at all and my dental hygienist is happy)

Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!! (Doing better but still needs focus)

Cleanse and moisturize your skin and do at least minimal makeup (Doing great -- and I like the effect)

Minimal Morning Prayer: Urnuigh an Tighearna, Guidhe airson Sith, Guidhe airson Grais (I've struggled with my prayer life for decades. Still struggling. The minimal approach worked with skin care and makeup; maybe it will work here)

EVERY AFTERNOON

Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!! (Such a hard habit!)

At least once around the virtual track on the elliptical, one pushup, and 20 situps. (I will not apologize for how wimpy that is. Injuries, age, and undiagnosed but chronic post-exertion malaise mean one must be gentle with oneself. Maybe I can do 21 situps the next time this post comes around.)

EVERY EVENING

mentally review what needs to be done tomorrow, and identify (or find a way to insert) something fun. (doing okay-ish)

Brush, floss, cleanse, moisturize (doing good!)

Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Drink water!!!!! (See above!)

Crawl into bed at least 7 hours before the alarm is set for.

Eat and drink lightly and stop well before bedtime (coming along).

WEEKENDS are just like weekdays, now that I'm retired.

"Be friendly to friends and strangers. A smile goes a long way" is off the list because it has truly become a habit: I don't even need to think about it. Yay!

Ninety days from today is nothing particularly special, but 89 days from today our local agricultural fair starts (which is a big deal around these parts) so that's the target date for this iteration.

[ralphlanyon]

Laurie, 7 and 8 for the ask meme!

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I appreciate how the TC fandom has obsessively analyzed to bits every interaction Laurie has ever had with Ralph, no matter how vague or elliptical! Fans are very good at sleuthing out all those stealth kisses and sex scenes. 🔎

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I'm not a fan of the opinion I've seen from time to time (which sometimes comes up in reviews and summaries for the book) that physical/sexual attraction is the primary (or sole) basis of Laurie's connection with Ralph. Like yes, sex is one part of what draws him to Ralph, but Ralph offers him so much more than that! He provides Laurie emotional support, comfort, understanding, and intimacy, and Laurie can be truly honest and vulnerable when he is with Ralph, in a way that he can't be with other people. They have shared values and attitudes, shared experiences, and a similar sense of (bitchy) humor. They can laugh and have fun together. Through Ralph Laurie also has the opportunity to live as openly as one could as a queer man in those days, to be part of a community and to have his identity and relationship be recognized (and affirmed) by others. Those are not minor or negligible things, imo.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

✨ 𝕋𝕨𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕪 𝕠𝕓𝕤𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 ✨

🦇 Happy Friday, bookish bats! You've made it through another week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of new books, cuddles with your fur babies, and real relaxation. We have a jam-packed weekend full of adulting, which isn't fun, but we're sure to find a few moments for rest and joy once we're done. I'm currently slow-cooking my spin on tikka masala, sipping an oatmilk honey cinnamon latte, reading Ruthless Vows, and staring at the reviews I need to write. How are you spending your weekend?

✨ I've seen this trend the past few weeks and finally got around to writing my own list. Here are a few things I'm currently obsessed with:💜

💜 The smell of that first cup of coffee before the crack of dawn ✨ Finding new ways to make bae laugh 💜 Hugging CleoCatra until she squeals like King from The Owl House ✨ The Bear 💜 Waking up to Luna tucked into a ball on my legs ✨ Books that pull you in instantaneously 💜 Learning more about myself through the characters I write ✨ Discovering new authors through their debut books 💜 All the sapphic books. All of them. ✨ My new bookshelf (pictures to come) 💜 Making messes learning new recipes ✨ My little desk elliptical/the thrill of hitting 10k steps a day 💜 A new era of Marianas Trench music ✨ Being intentional with my mornings 💜 Maintaining my boundaries ✨ Spending one-on-one time with amazing women 💜 Knitting ✨ Chappell Roan

✨ Tell me one of the things you’re obsessed with!

[indignantlemur]

Did a thinky think while on the elliptical- now I gotta know if Andorians have any awards like our Nobel or Pulitzer.

-Horta-in-Charge

This is a fascinating question! Thank you!

Alright, to set the baseline I'll define what the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes are actually awarded for.

The Nobel Prize is granted to individuals and organizations that have made contributions toward the improvement of human welfare, such as chemistry, medicine and physics. This is an international prize. The Pulitzer Prize acknowledges journalism that has best exhibited “distinguished journalism, outstanding writing and photography. This is specific to the United States, though there are international equivalents.

Or, to really render it down to bare bones: the Nobel is for improvements and advancements for our entire species, through science, while the Pulitzer (and its international equivalents) is for contributions to culture in the form of art and writing, including journalism.

So, looking at the purpose of the awards, I think it would be reasonable to assume that Andorians would have something in the same vein, if not necessarily exactly the same. Since Emigre takes place at the beginning of the Federation, however, I imagine that there's still some significant separation between Andorian awards and ceremonies and everyone else's. The Federation is still in its infancy, and while I think eventually everyone will be on the same page it's not quite reasonable to me to assume that Andoria would just dump it's old and familiar ways of doing things and adopt a whole new system right away. In fact, I can't see Andorians as I've envisioned them ever really getting rid of their original versions of anything.

So, what would prestigious awards for Andorians look like?

In previous asks, we've established that Andoria is run by the civil government, the Imperial Guard, and the Guilds, all of which function under the umbrella of the Emperor. Thus, it makes sense to me that the most prestigious and sought-after awards stem from these four sources.

Let's start with the Guilds. Guild awards would be primarily for lifetime excellence and contributions to Andorian culture, I think, and would be selected by a council of senior members from each Guild. To prevent any corruption or internal politicking, no one from the same Guild as a nominee would be permitted to vote on their selection, and generally the council members voting would be required to remain segregated from the others until the voting was complete. It's not fool-proof, and there have been scandals in the past where it was discovered that so-and-so gave 'incentives' for someone to vote a particular way, which usually had everyone else up in arms about it for weeks afterwards while the whole thing was investigated by a neutral third party.

The civil government has very little to do with awards. In the past they used to present awards to individuals who, through their position, introduced revolutionary laws or worked to shape the future of Andoria, but the general populace actually protested the idea. It felt, to many, to be too much like a bunch of politicians patting themselves on the back for the work of their underlings. The awards were very quickly declared defunct, and most Clans who have these awards in their family history find them a little embarrassing.

The Imperial Guard is less about awards and more about medals and merits, and individuals are recognized for their accomplishments based on performance reviews, recommendations by superiors, and quite often by recommendations from their peers as well. It's very common for a Guardsman to be recognized by their peers and put forward for a commendation, often with the thought that what benefits the individual is to the benefit of all. The highest possible commendation is given directly from the Emperor (and/or his proxy) for exceptional service to Andoria and her people, though it should be noted that this award is often given posthumously. The last military award given by the Emperor was given to Thy'lek Shran alongside a promotion to the rank of General for his accomplishments in the field in service to Andoria.

And now, we look at the Imperial Family. Very, very rarely will the Emperor (or Empress, as the case may be) give out any kind of commendation or award himself or via a proxy, but when it happens it's a big deal. Most often, it's for a Hero of Andoria (who is almost always a Guardsman, and usually a deceased one at that) but now and then someone contributes something so fundamentally valuable to the culture of Andoria that the Emperor recognizes them. The last cultural contribution that warranted such an award was the work of an Andorian woman who personally lead a small team to excavate and translated ancient texts carved into the ice surrounding an extinct Clan's holdings describing the roots of early Andorian civilization.

Hopefully this covers everything, but feel free to ask for clarification on any points I might have been a bit vague on!

[kickthecan-revolution]

Sleepy Sunday. It was lovely.

For several weeks, I had a dry, hacking cough that wouldn’t stop. One morning in particular I woke up and I was so lightheaded and dizzy, I stumbled walking down the hall. Both really scared me. I started reading about the 75 hard challenge where for 75 days straight, people do two 45 minute  workouts a day. One has to be outside and you can’t break them up. You drink a gallon of water you follow some kind of diet and you read 10 pages of a nonfiction book a day. If you don’t follow one of those things, you start over until you get to 75 days in a row.

That kind of stuff typically doesn’t motivate me, but I was intrigued, so for the last few days I’ve done the exercise part and water part of the challenge. I pop up out of bed and use the elliptical, then I take a long walk at night.  The difference already in my energy and my mental well-being is pretty incredible. My cough is totally gone, I’m not sure if that’s the water or the exercise but I really hope I keep it up. Today was kind of a tough test, I couldn’t fall asleep so I only got about five hours, but popped up. Did the elliptical and I’m feeling really good. 

The kittens had their that visit on Friday and I’m expecting their labs to come back today. I’m pretty concerned about Minnie’s kidneys but I’ll deal with it when it comes. I remember being so terrified every single year that Bud’s feline leukemia comes back as active but she’s so healthy and full of energy, I’m not worried about it.

I had an early morning meeting that I set up to review a pretty big plan that’s not quite done yet. I tried to get up early to spend a couple of hours on it and then I thought to myself, why am I putting myself through this? Just shift the meeting to later on in the week.  I love my boss not being here, I have more autonomy over my schedule. 

[itsbenedict]

Last year, rather than pick a new years' resolution, I made over a dozen new years' resolutions and tried to get them all done. I paced myself with the objective of fitting them all into the year, but... ran into an unexpected obstacle where I kind of didn't have an October, November, or December due to my company abruptly getting sold and my life turning into a nonstop living hell. With that in mind... how'd I do?

get star seeker sequel adventure thing up and running and through the first case

Didn't finish this one! I did start it in September, and I was making good progress and probably would've had it done by the end of the year if I'd had three months to work on it.

get datasouls combat toy complete up to the first miniboss combat

Did it! Tutorial section combat toy is playable on the site.

catch up on TFJ recap logs

Didn't do it! There were a lot of them, and I kind of got bottlenecked on one where I wanted to wait for an art commission to come in that got put off for most of the year. I got sixteen of them done, but more sessions than that happened during the year, so overall I'm behind. Womp womp.

become an accredited AWS Certified Solutions Architect and get that raise my boss has been talking about for ages

Ha ha ha ha did it technically. I did get certified, and I did get the raise, but the raise was more a product of aggressive salary negotiation when the company got sold and my boss got fired. Also accomplishing the second part of that one resulted in me losing a quarter of my year to nightmarish IT bullshit. Oops.

get an adjustable standing desk and under-desk elliptical thingy, and otherwise get an ergonomic workstation set up

Kinda did it. I did, technically, get both things, but the elliptical I got turns out isn't rated for standing use, so I couldn't combine them into a standing workflow the way I wanted. Gotta get a new one and actually put this into practice.

fix the light situation in the bathroom

Yeah just had to call an electrician. Did it no problem.

get through The Sekimeiya and really go to town on that mystery until it’s solved

Nope! Again, probably would've managed it if I'd had time, but I put it off till last since I figured it'd be an easy thing I could fit in around the busy holidays, and it turned out there was a lot worse than just the holidays going on at that time.

also finally play Disco Elysium

This one though- did it, that game is fucking phenomenal.

finish TFTBN character portraits

Did it! Proud of how those turned out.

get a beatrice portrait for my poster wall

run some TPIVW games

Didn't do it, mainly because of an awkward social situation with one of the server participants involving my role as a mod on a different server. Still working that one out. It's rough.

badger the condo association landlady until she does something about the junk clogging up that basement storage room i’m supposed to own, and clean unused bulky stuff out of my house

Did it! Mostly. Still need to get rid of this huge elliptical- it's not selling on craigslist for some reason.

clearly this waitlist thing isn’t working out so take some steps to see an actual doctor for the first time in like three years (and maybe get a cancer screening, or do something about that closed sinus)

Did it! Didn't get the cancer screening mainly because my doctor insisted it'd be unnecessary until I was at least 40, which sounds fake but I don't know enough about cancer to dispute it. I tried various nasal sprays for the sinus thing but I'm pretty sure mucus overproduction is not the issue and I'm gonna need to get surgery, which I didn't get yet. But I did see a doctor finally!

get through the remaining 7 WaniKani levels

Did it! Still need to finish off the remainder of the reviews and do a practice pass and get back on the horse with grammar, but I'm pretty happy about that accomplishment.

Overall, despite a weak finish due to factors mainly outside of my control, I think I did pretty well, and I think having the big list meant I had a much more productive 2023 than I would've had otherwise. Probably gonna make this a recurring thing!

[mmatigers2023]

mmatigers Boxing club All Rule/Technic.

बॉक्सिंग, जिसे मुक्केबाज़ी भी कहा जाता है, एक प्रतिस्पर्धी खेल है जिसमें दो प्रतिभागी एक दूसरे के खिलाफ मुक्कों का प्रयोग करते हैं। यह खेल विशिष्ट नियमों के अधीन होता है, जिन्हें खेल की निष्पक्षता और सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित करने के लिए बनाया गया है। यहाँ बॉक्सिंग के कुछ प्रमुख नियम दिए गए हैं:

रिंग:- बॉक्सिंग मुकाबले एक चौकोर रिंग में होते हैं, जिसकी माप 16 से 20 फीट के बीच होती है।

राउंड्स:- बॉक्सिंग मुकाबले आमतौर पर 3 मिनट के राउंड्स में विभाजित होते हैं, जिनके बीच 1 मिनट का आराम होता है। प्रोफेशनल बॉक्सिंग में राउंड्स की संख्या 4 से 12 के बीच हो सकती है।

पॉइंट सिस्टम-: मुक्केबाज़ों को उनके द्वारा दिए गए प्रभावी पंचों के आधार पर अंक दिए जाते हैं। इसके अतिरिक्त, डिफेंस और रिंग के नियंत्रण को भी महत्व दिया जाता है।

अवैध चालें:-

सिर के पीछे या गर्दन पर मुक्का मारना

कमर के नीचे पंच करना

पकड़ना और मारना

कंधों का उपयोग करके धक्का देना

पैर या घुटनों का उपयोग करना

नॉकडाउन:- जब एक मुक्केबाज़ जमीन पर गिर जाता है और 10 सेकंड के भीतर उठने में असमर्थ होता है, तो उसे नॉकआउट (KO) कहा जाता है। अगर किसी मुक्केबाज़ को बार-ब���र गिराया जाता है और रेफरी को लगता है कि वह मुकाबला जारी रखने के लिए अयोग्य है, तो इसे तकनीकी नॉकआउट (TKO) कहा जाता है।

ग्लव्स:- मुक्केबाज़ों को विशेष प्रकार के ग्लव्स पहनने होते हैं जो उनके हाथों और प्रतिद्वंद्वी के चेहरे की सुरक्षा के लिए होते हैं।

फाउल्स:- यदि कोई मुक्केबाज़ जानबूझकर अवैध चालें करता है, तो उसे चेतावनी दी जाती है और बार-बार उल्लंघन करने पर अंक काटे जा सकते हैं या मुकाबले से अयोग्य घोषित किया जा सकता है।

रेफरी:- मुकाबले के दौरान रिंग में एक रेफरी होता है, जो नियमों का पालन सुनिश्चित करता है और मुक्केबाज़ों की सुरक्षा को प्राथमिकता देता है।

जज:- मुकाबले के अंत में यदि नॉकआउट नहीं होता है, तो तीन जज अंक के आधार पर विजेता का निर्णय करते हैं।

कॉर्नर:- प्रत्येक मुक्केबाज़ के पास एक कोच और सहायक होते हैं, जो मुकाबले के बीच उन्हें सलाह और चिकित्सा सहायता प्रदान करते हैं।

बॉक्सिंग की यह संरचना इसे एक सुसंगठित और सुरक्षित खेल बनाती है, जहाँ प्रतिस्पर्धा के साथ-साथ खिलाड़ियों की सुरक्षा को भी महत्व दिया जाता है। 10 Best Massage Guns under 100 – Best Picks for 2024! 10 Best Tennis Stringing Machine: Elevate Your Game with Top Picks 8 Best Elliptical Machines for Home – Top Reviews and Picks! 11 Best CrossFit Grips: Maximizing Comfort and Efficiency in Your Training Routine 10 Best Rebounders and Trampolines of 2024 – Jump to Fitness Success! Boxing Rules: Fouls, Disqualification, Outcomes, and More! Heorhii Rysak 2023-06-30 Boxing rules serve as the foundation for organizing and regulating the sport. They provide a structured framework that ensures fair play, safety, and consistency during matches.

These rules dictate various aspects of the sport, including permissible techniques, equipment requirements, scoring systems, and the role of referees and judges. By establishing a standardized set of rules, boxing can maintain its integrity as a competitive sport and protect the well-being of the fighters. Rules play a pivotal role in boxing, serving as the bedrock for organizing and regulating the sport. They ensure fair competition by providing a structured framework that establishes boundaries and guidelines for boxers. Moreover, rules prioritize the safety of the fighters, setting standards to minimize the risk of severe injuries and long-term damage. By upholding these rules, boxing maintains its integrity, promotes fair play, and protects the well-being of its participants. Table of Contents [hide]

1 How Does Boxing Work: Summary of Rules 2 What are the Rules of Boxing for Amateurs and Professionals 3 Fouls in Boxing 4 Rules of Professional Boxing 5 How to Win a Boxing Match? 6 Can a Professional Boxing Match End in a Draw? 7 Can Boxers Be Disqualified During a Fight? 8 Can you Kick in Boxing? 9 Conclusion 10 FAQ How Does Boxing Work: Summary of Rules The primary objective in boxing is to defeat the opponent by landing legal punches while avoiding being hit. The goal is to outscore or incapacitate the opponent within the designated rounds of the match.

A boxing match typically involves two participants, known as boxers, competing in a defined weight class. Each boxer must wear appropriate protective gear, including gloves, mouthguards, and in professional matches, a groin protector. Amateur boxers may also wear headgear.

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Remember My Name

In the hands of most Hollywood directors, the tale of a prison parolee out for revenge on the ex-husband whose behavior led to a 12-year sentence would be a straight-up thriller. In the hands of Alan Rudolph, REMEMBER MY NAME (1978, TCM, Plex, Prime) is a moody character study, a deconstruction of personality as a series of masks.

Geraldine Chaplin stars as Emily, who did time for running down then-husband Anthony Perkins’ mistress. She’s come to the small town where he’s reinvented himself as a construction worker living with his younger wife (Berry Berenson, Perkins’ off-screen wife). She cons her way into a job at their local thrift store (run by a young Jeff Goldblum and Alfre Woodard), seduces her building’s super (Moses Gunn) into adding special touches to her threadbare apartment and starts stalking her ex. Little pranks — ruining a flower bed, late-night calls, a broken window — escalate until she simply walks in and confronts Berenson. This is all told elliptically. You get to assemble hints about how Chaplin ended up in prison, why Perkins, the least working-class of Hollywood actors, is working a blue-collar job and the nature of his current marriage. Tak Fujimoto shoots it all fluently, moving through the mundane world as if it were an alien landscape, and Rudolph scores it all effectively to songs performed by blues singer Alberta Hunter. It all gives the film a seductive air.

Robert Altman produced the film, and his influence on Rudolph is clear in the snippets of strange conversations overheard in the background, quirky supporting characters and unconventional casting. But it all works. Chaplin knows how to modulate her little-girl face and light voice to put on the various masks the character adopts to survive. There are scenes where her transitions from flirtatious to pleading to vicious are almost breath-taking. And Perkins performs with a furtive air, as if even before he becomes aware of Chaplin’s presence, he were waiting for his past to catch up with him. He even pulls off the macho persona required for his job and his casual dominance of his wife. Berenson isn’t really an actress. Her line readings are flat and often unconvincing. But Rudolph uses her face beautifully to write her character’s psychology on screen. People looking for a conventional revenge thriller will be disappointed, and the film was met with mixed reviews and poor box office. But if you go in looking for an exploration of characters fighting to adjust to a hostile world, you’ll find a lot to love.

[madame-mongoose]

I posted 5,272 times in 2022

That's 1,847 more posts than 2021!

1,441 posts created (27%)

3,831 posts reblogged (73%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@correct-vampire-opinions

@madame-mongoose

@paper-lilypie

@spaciebabie

@thedemonsurfer

I tagged 3,365 of my posts in 2022

Only 36% of my posts had no tags

#monnie answers - 789 posts

#monnie rambles - 306 posts

#ooie - 151 posts

#our orbit is elliptical - 148 posts

#my art - 145 posts

#oc stuff - 137 posts

#self reblog - 85 posts

#the librarian - 59 posts

#fnaf sun - 54 posts

#sobs - 51 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#i mean honestly if you existed solely in the fantasy i have of toxic girl lovers who hate each other with zeki and cass then yeah go for it

I sent 2 gifts in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

@erikakensuke this request spoke to my very soul

2,971 notes - Posted August 11, 2022

#4

Okay here's the official color and design ref for Sun n Moon in Our Orbit is Elliptical!!!

3,587 notes - Posted September 3, 2022

#3

ignore that im calling myself out rn

4,053 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#2

Got the idea for a theme park au so!!! Here it is :D

Sun and Moon are the featured characters in the Superstar Square, an area targeted to kids 3 and up!! The square is split into two sections, Moon's on the left and Sun's on the right!! Moon themed rides are targeted to older kids (ages 6-10) with his featured ride being an inverted family coaster. Sun themed rides are targeted towards younger kids (ages 3+) and his featured attraction is a massive indoor play area/funhouse!!

They both tour their respective areas, acting as mascots to greet children and take pictures!! While Sun actively engages with anyone who will have him, Moon prefers to stick to the shadows. Only those really looking can find him.

4,378 notes - Posted July 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Hi if you're here looking at the original post, know this is about her not your dream smp minecraft white boys or whatever it's about HER

35,891 notes - Posted August 7, 2022

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