#hence me offering my blog as a place to talk directly if people want

[bookwyrminspiration]

Response to an ask from Ophelia:

Ophelia! Hello! You're not upsetting me, you're okay. I'm not overly stressed about the discourse as much as I have been in the past (like when it first started) so I'm okay listening to you! My anxieties were more a sudden irrational worry that people were upset with me, but it's mostly passed :). I'm answering your ask under the cut for space!

Entirely fair to not want to get involved! In the past that's also pretty much how I approached discourse (unless it directly affected a friend, which happened once or twice), I'm just getting more involved this time because as one of the bigger tumblr blogs I feel a sort of responsibility to among other things, but that's unrelated

I think your frustration/confusion is entirely fair! "White humor" can mean a lot of things and is a wide generalization. I think (may be wrong here) that it was more of an offhanded comment than a serious, analytic observation of tumblr that then spiraled out of control. I don't think the person who said that ever intended for it to even get any attention. You make an excellent point about hypocrisy in understanding humor. If the sites have different humors it seems almost expected that different understandings would lead to confusion like this.

What you're feeling right now is entirely valid and okay. You're not wrong for having a reaction. It's possible that part of what's creating that situation where they felt cruel and then acted like they weren't is because we don't know who is saying what on IG. Some people identify themselves, but otherwise it's a bunch of anons. So while one is saying one thing, another says something different and maybe that muddles it a little because we can't keep track of them the way you can keep track of us.

I think it makes sense that your brain made the connection between your own experiences. I don't think it's 100% the same, but I can 100% see the similarities and don't think you're making it up or anything. I'm sorry about your sibling and the things they've said/done to you; I know it's got nothing to do with me but I'm trying to express compassion over the situation. It doesn't make you a bad sibling to avoid them for your sake; they're being a bad sibling by treating you that way. I know this wasn't the point of your ask but I wanted to mention it

As for the tumblr fandom, if this is too stressful and you need to take a break or leave, that's entirely okay. I can say though, as someone whose been around for a while (four years), that I have complete confidence that this is all temporary. The fandom has been through some rough discourse in the past and it has always gotten itself back together and calmed down afterward--I mean, you finding it calm is proof of that! that calm was after discourse had happened. This isn't the first discourse there's been and it won't be the last, but it won't last forever.

We'll still go on making headcanons, making art, writing fics, hosting events, making shitposts, and everything we've done before. All that being said, if leaving is what's right for you then I 100% support you and just hope you'll keep in touch from time to time as I happen to like you and talking to you. But if not I understand; I am pretty wrapped up in kotlc.

That's a long way of saying that your feelings and stress about the situation are entirely understandable and valid. I know I've definitely had my own sets of frustrations as well. It's not a fun situation, and if you need a break I wish you the best!

Emotionally, I am tossing goldfish crackers and a glass of water into your emotional black hole so that you can have some sustenance <3

[saltpepperbeard]

An Open Fandom Discussion

Hello hello! Goodness, I haven’t made one of these posts in 84 years. Even though I have not been around as long as some others, I consider myself to be quite the Fandom Veteran. I’ve been here since 2013, and with that, I have seen all walks of unrest/drama over the years. Shipping wars, character debates, story policing, you name it. Some have been lighthearted (coughs at aPPLESAUCE 2K14), and others have lead to individuals actually leaving the fandom.

And of course the year of Satan 2020 would have drama starting up ‘round these parts once more. But I’m here to say that it doesn’t have to be that way at all. It SHOULDN’T have to be that way.

I know I speak for nearly everyone when I say we’re simply here to enjoy a franchise we love. We’re here for the friendly discussions, the artwork, the gifsets, the manipulations, the meta, the fandom-wide events, and the fanfiction. We’re here to share joy and merriment and solidarity over something we can all relate to. Many of us come here to escape, to relax and enjoy all the content this fandom has to offer.

That’s not to say there may be some differing opinions. Some people may be more into the debate side, and that’s totally fine! If you’re all for calling out inconsistencies within the series, or pointing out the nuances in a character, then go for it!

But I absolutely draw the line when those opinions start shifting towards singling out others. When people begin to feel alienated, or people begin to feel ashamed for what they enjoy, that’s when it starts to get unacceptable.

Now, don’t get me wrong. People are allowed to enjoy what they enjoy, and dislike what they dislike. They are allowed to post opinions on their own blog if they so please, or rant to others privately if they find certain topics bothersome. But the reason behind my post today, is that a blog has been created that falls within some sort of grey area, and has definitely lead to unrest/hurt feelings/damage over the past few days:

@hungergamestea.

Yup, I will directly call it out. Because in talking about it passive aggressively/indirectly, it furthers the problem this very blog is presenting.

In case you’re unaware, this blog runs entirely on anonymous submissions, with people posting their opinions about a range of topics. That’s all fine and dandy, and I actually followed the blog initially, thinking it was sort of like the tea sessions I have on my own blog. Ie, talking about characters, headcanons, what people like/dislike about aspects of the movie and books, etc! But I was instead stunned to see that it was a platform for people to anonymously point fingers at individuals in this fandom, and utterly crap on certain fanfiction genres/topics.

“But Jodi! You said people are allowed to say whatever they want on their own blog!” I did. But that’s why I believe this blog falls into a dangerous grey area. Yes, people are entitled to rant. Yes, people are allowed to dislike certain subject areas. But to post about them anonymously? To callout individuals directly in their asks? To shame people for liking something they read/write? What’s the point of that? How is giving a platform for anonymous hate okay?

“Jodi, people are allowed to hate things lmao.” True, but then...isn’t it way easier for those people to...avoid what they dislike, then? Or rant about it in their own, private spaces? What good does it do to anonymously rant about it on a blog allowing such? It does nothing but hurt the others who enjoy it. If people were off anon saying those things, it could perhaps allow for discussion/debate. But the anonymous wall detracts from any sort of discussion, and simply makes it a more hateful platform. It also gives people the more cowardly route of avoiding a blog/individual in question, and posting their contempt in an even more passive aggressive way.

It’s done nothing but upset people. It’s hurt people/made them feel ashamed for what they enjoy, and it’s lead to fiery fights between individuals. Many of my friends are hurting because of this, hence me feeling inspired enough to bring forth an ESSAY TM. I cannot stand for it when I see people I care about hurting/uncomfortable.

So then. I propose that, instead of reblogging or replying to the anonymous asks being presented there, we all just carry on with what we enjoy. We all just stick to our more positive things, and continue supporting one each other instead of dragging each other down. I know, it might be slightly hypocritical of me to give this blog attention when I’m calling for inattention, but I felt it was necessary to make people aware.

I’m also not 100% sure of the intent of this blog. I’ve been told some reasons, and if it was indeed created with the intent to stir up drama/harm others, then that really saddens me. If not however, and it was indeed created as nothing more than an “everything platform,” then I believe a bit of “screening” is called for. 

To the creators of hungergamestea, I implore you to turn the blog into a place of more friendly discussion. I feel as though individuals should be allowed to discuss things they don’t like, but in a more passive, eloquent manner. And also, NOT anything that harms another. Something like, “I personally feel like Katniss is characterized this way, even though it’s a bit of an unpopular opinion,” as opposed to “LMAO SOME PEOPLE ARE SO EGOTISTICAL” kind of thing. So yes, continue to take anonymous discussions by all means, but please filter out the ones that are intended to be callouts/attacks.

I know it could be viewed as “silencing” opinions/voices. But goodness, whatever happened to the mantra, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all?” What good does empty negativity do?

If individuals are so upset by something, they should take it up with the creator in private, or start a public discussion. Not post anonymous generalizations/assumptions on a blog, which more often than not prove to be FALSE anyway. Again, the anonymous wall proves to be nothing but hateful and damaging.

And, seeing as I titled this as an open discussion, I would like to hear other thoughts! And would also like to extend my support and care to everyone here. I’m not writing this to further any fighting. Rather, the opposite. I hate to see people upset here. I hate to see people fighting with each other. This is supposed to be a happy space, and a space of artful escape. Not a space where we tear each other down.

thank you for coming to my ted talk

[outerbxnks]

runaway kook - jj maybank

word count: 2.3k

pairing: jj maybank x reader

warnings: bad writing? nothing serious.

a/n: my first imagine in so long, and first of this blog! please let me know what you think, and requests are open <3

requested: n/a

-

you stood off to the side of the party, scowling as you watched the mechanic-like movements of the people dancing around you. you were used to these sorts of events, but they never got easier to tolerate. usually, at least, you’d have a friend to hang around with. here, you had no one. you were forced to suffer alone.

you’d just recently moved from the mainland to the outer banks on account of your father’s business. he wanted to branch out to further customers, hence why you were forced to suddenly pack up and leave behind the life you knew. even more so to your disadvantage, your move took place during the summer, so you hadn’t had a chance to meet anyone yet. with your father’s connections, your family were invited to an event a short time after you’d arrived; the (supposedly) infamous midsummer’s party.

hence why you were currently standing alone, simply observing the various faces passing by as they swayed to the classical music being played. you didn’t need to talk to any of them to know the kind of people they were, you could see it in their faces. stuck up, rich, self-absorbed. you knew the type all too well. you also knew you were probably going to have to befriend them, and the thought alone made you want to gag.

you were lost in your thoughts when a small tap on your shoulder shook you from your daydream. you turned to see a girl around your age, her blonde hair cascading gently down her back and a beautiful flower crown situated delicately on her head. “excuse me, are you y/n?” she smiled kindly, and your distaste for everyone around you disappeared momentarily.

you took a second to assess her. she seemed genuine, and you had a feeling she wasn’t like the others. it was quite easy to force a smile and fake kindness, and it was actually very common for people of your social class to do so. however, over time you’d learned to notice when someone was lying - and she wasn’t, or may she was just really good at lying. regardless, you knew you would have to make friends eventually, so after a moment you offered a polite smile and replied, “that’s me.”

“it’s nice to meet you, y/n! i’m sarah cameron, your father and mine are associates.” she beamed, making a small face at the end of her sentence. you gave her a questioning glance, and she leaned close, her voice no louder than a whisper in your ear. “sorry, they’re watching. gotta be on our best behaviour.” she tilted her head backwards and you subtly glanced in that direction, seeing your father next to a man, presumably sarah’s father, and watched as they both looked away at your gaze.

you shook your head with an amused smile, just as the music shifted into a more upbeat tune. sarah seemed to brighten at this, turning to face you excitedly. “care to dance?” she offered you a hand, quirking a brow. you smirked, taking her hand and setting down your drink, allowing her to lead you out into the crowd.

the two of you began dancing carelessly, and you couldn’t help but enjoy yourself. something about her made you feel comfortable, maybe it was because she understood you. you were mid-spin when sarah sharply turned, letting go of your hand and causing you to stumble. you barely managed to catch yourself, looking up to see sarah talking to a server. you watched curiously as he passed her a note and talked to her in hushed whispers. her face suddenly lit up in realization, and you were so caught up in watching her that you didn’t see the boy backing up until he walked right into you, sending you tumbling to the ground.

“shit, are you okay?” he cursed, reaching out a hand for you to help you up. you groaned, placing your hand in his and allowing him to pull you to your feet. he began to look you over, shamelessly checking you out. “well, hello there.” he flirted, and your cheeks warmed up significantly. he was attractive, you couldn’t deny that. the suit he was wearing complimented his figure (very) nicely, but you wouldn’t let him have the satisfaction of knowing that.

“perv.” you muttered instead, forcing yourself to look away. he gasped in mock offence, holding a hand over his heart dramatically. he opened his mouth to retort, when a few boys marched over, grabbing him by the shoulder and aggressively swinging him around, getting in his face. you backed away, and before you knew it he took off running, and the other boys were chasing him through the building. you stood there, in shock for a moment. you quickly snapped out of it and spun around hopelessly looking for sarah, or for anyone that could help him, but no one seemed at all phased by the situation.

you looked around in a panic, when you spotted a security guard. not knowing what more you could do, you begged him to check the room you’d seen the group run into. he had rolled his eyes at you, but agreed and told you to wait outside, you doing so hesitantly. those guys who were following him - the boy whose name you realized, you still didn’t know - looked absolutely terrifying. sure, you could handle yourself against some rich assholes but you were severely outnumbered and decided it was best to stay put.

you paced anxiously and jumped when the security guard came storming out of the room, but much to your surprise the server was the one being dragged out by the collar. “hey, what are you doing with him?” you called out, and though the guard ignored you, the boy looked back, an expression of surprise on his face when he saw you waiting outside. he smirked, shooting you a quick wink before he was dragged outside. you followed the two, wanting to make sure he was alright, at the very least.

you saw him struggling against the guard as you walked out, and he began making a scene. “i see you got your drink! good, that’s really nice of you. i’m actually gonna down that.” he snached the drink right out of the older man’s hand and chugged it, and you were shocked, and slightly in awe. you’d wanted many times to act out at one of these formal events, but you couldn't ever bring yourself to do such a thing. you were enjoying the scene in front of you however, probably a bit more than you should.

he began yelling, catching the attention of everyone in the club. “it’s okay everybody! do not panic. let’s leave it to the men and women in uniform!” you glanced around, finally catching sarah’s gaze. you subtly motioned towards the boy, as if questioning her about his actions; she only shrugged in response, and you turned your attention back to him. he was still being forced out, though you didn’t have the courage to follow him, not with your father who was standing only a short distance away.

“let go of him!” a sudden voice called out, and a beautiful girl with her hair tied up beautifully into a bun stepped out of the crowd. “you can’t just boot him! i invited him here, i’m a member of this club!” she argued, and despite the protests of the people around her, she continued defending the blonde boy.

suddenly he shoved away the guard, and gasps were heard all around. “sorry about that!” he smiled, turning to the girl. “hey, mandatory power hour at rixon’s, kie!” he was walking out now, “pope, you as well, alright? rixon’s cove - let’s roll.” you had to admit, him acting out was really hot. the urge to step out was too great and you gave in, walking directly into his line of sight. he saw you and smirked, eyeing you up and down, then pointed directly at you. “new girl, you should come too. alright, guys! c’mon!”

you watched as the girl who defended him, kie, quickly escaped her protesting parents and watched as the other boy, pope, had as well. it looked liberating. you didn’t even know them, but one quick glance at your father’s warning expression was enough for you to give in and run after them, laughing as you heard the desperate calls of your parents behind you. surely you’d regret this later, but hell, you’d been dreaming of this your whole life, you weren’t letting the opportunity slip away so easily.

you met up with them, and the mysterious boy dramatically bowed, offering you his hand and you took it with a mocking curtsey. you both laughed and you allowed him to pull you to wherever it was you were going. it was then that you realized you actually had no idea where that was, but you figured anything was better than a party full of rich snobs, and besides, you couldn’t exactly back out now.

there was a worn-down looking van parked outside, and the group piled in, you hesitating momentarily. “hey new girl, you coming or what?” he teased, and all eyes fell on you. you never backed down from a challenge, so against your better judgment, you climbed inside, situating yourself with your back to the passenger seat in which pope had occupied. kie slid the door closed behind you, and you pulled out onto the road, a series of cheers arose from the group.

kie turned to you, a curious expression on her face. “so, what’s your name, newbie?” she asked, smirking deviously. it was a bit intimidating, and you straightened your body at her intense gaze.

“y/n.” you answered simply, and you became hyper-aware of everyone’s attention being on you. an awkward silence followed, and you weren’t really sure what else to say, so you cleared your throat. “what about you guys?”

she glanced at you up and down, sizing you up. a moment later she smiled, offering a hand. “i’m kiara, but call me kie.” you took it graciously, returning the smile. “that’s pope, and john b in the front.”

“nice to meet you guys.” you responded, feeling much more at ease. you turned curiously towards the boy who had consumed your thoughts for the entirety of the night. “and what about you? what’s your name, lover boy?” you flirted casually, having gained confidence.

“jj, you mean to tell me you invited someone to run away with us without even having told her your name?” pope asked, confusion written all over his face. he looked at you through the mirror, “and you followed someone and got in a car with him and his friends without even knowing his name? what if we were kidnapping you!” he exclaimed, and you laughed at his words, because they were very much true.

“hey, kidnapping sounds better than sticking around those jerks at the club.” you joked, and everyone agreed, and soon kiara, pope and john b took off in their own conversation, causing you to smirk at jj. “jj huh? cute name. what does it stand for?”

“you and i don’t know each other that well, sweetheart.” he winked, and you felt like you died a little inside at the pet name, but forced yourself not to show him the effect he had on you.

“fine. maybe you’re not a perv.. but you’re a shit server, by the way.” you commented airily, smiling innocently as he scoffed.

“i’m going to take the fact you don’t think i’m a perv as a compliment and choose to ignore you insulting my top notch serving skills.” he shot you a wink, and you rolled your eyes in response, falling into a comfortable silence before kie turned to you, breaking it.

“so y/n, tell us your story.” she pried, leaning forward in anticipation. you shrugged, taking a moment to think.

“not sure what to say, honestly. my dad’s a businessman, he wanted to “expand his horizons” with his customers and next thing you know, we’re packing up everything and moving here.” you explained, and she nodded thoughtfully.

“why come with us then?” her questions were merely fueled by genuine curiosity, and you were happy to answer.

“why not? look at the club, it’s filled with preppy, narcissistic assholes who flaunt their money and constantly fight over who has the biggest house. i can’t stand those people, and i never understood the whole superiority thing. it’s annoying and honestly, so unattractive.” you rolled your eyes, and the group laughed at your comment.

“look at us boys, sounds like we’ve got ourselves a kook princess gone rogue.” she spoke proudly, a smirk on her face.

“what’s a kook?” you asked, tilting your head slightly in confusion. the group laughed, and kie spoke up again.

“those who live on figure 8, with their extremely overpriced properties and huge egos. basically everyone you saw at the club, that’s a kook.” kie explained, and you groaned, affirming you indeed fit into that category. “don’t worry though. you seem cool, you can hang with us.”

“wait, really?” you lit up at her words, looking around at the boys, all who nodded in agreement. your gaze lingered on jj, who seemed a bit relieved. you imagined things would not have gone so well had you actually been happy with the “kook” lifestyle.

“yeah, you can hang with us..” john b spoke for the first time, and you arched a brow, silently asking him to continue. “if you can keep up.” he winked, and kie scoffed at him, shoving him lightly. you smiled at the group around, perfectly content.

“can i ask a question?” you spoke up hesitantly, and kie nodded, encouraging you to continue. “if i’m considered a kook, what does that make you guys?”

the group shared a quick laugh, before jj decided to speak up this time. “oh please, princess. you’re no kook, you’re one of us now. you better like it, cause you can’t shake us that easily.” you rolled your eyes, but couldn’t keep the smile off of your face at his words. “and to answer your question…”

“welcome to the pogue life, y/n.”

[fireladybuckley]

Hi, Im not Val. Call me Jim. But I read the post and I kinda Agree with him. This "Giver" Buck and "Taker" Eddie has been around the fandom and has been bugging me. I am not trying to convince you that the way they are is that. But to me that they are a toxic pair, At least for the most part. If not toxic then a Co-dependent pair. I did this with one of the blog I follow post and I think I hurt her feelings and tried to apologize for it. I just wanted for my voice be heard in this matter. Part 1

Hi, Jim.

I received and read all 14 of your asks.  I would answer this privately, but am unable to when you’re on anon, so public it is.

I appreciate that you feel strongly on the topic but I found your arguments a bit circular and confusing.  I do not have the time or energy to respond to all of your points, so my apologies for this being not as direct as you maybe would like.

I got two main impressions while reading your asks:  

First, is that you seem to view relationships (or at least Buck and Eddie’s relationship) as a series of transactions, a series of favours given that must be repaid, rather than simply two people who care about each other helping each other out when needed.  You spent a lot of time on the scene from 2x03 when Buck brings Eddie to the hospital;  I guarantee you any of the others would also have driven Eddie there; Buck probably just offered first. 

Eddie dropping Chris off to Buck before/after the tsunami was not just because he needed a babysitter.  It was Eddie’s way of pulling Buck out of his depression and self-destructive thought patterns, a way of showing him he mattered and that the world wasn’t going to end because he couldn’t be a firefighter.  Buck absolutely adores Chris and clearly enjoys spending time with him, it’s not like Eddie dumped Chris off as a chore for Buck.  There is a lot of nuance to those scenes and I feel like maybe you missed them a bit.  Buck is a person who gets deep inside his own head and needs to be pulled out of his funk sometimes;  in getting him to spend the day(s) with Chris, Eddie is showing Buck not only that he trusts him with the most precious thing in the world to him, but also that Buck is loved and has a life beyond his job.

Second, you seem to be under the impression that people are solely products of their upbringing.  In one ask, you say that Eddie grew into a good father because he wanted to give Chris things he didn’t have as a kid, and then in the very same paragraph, turn around and said that that’s not possible because the stuff from his childhood “sticks” with him.  

Both Buck and Eddie had crappy upbringings, yeah, we see that in the show and in the ways both characters begin their stories.  But we have also watched them grow and change for 4 seasons (3 for Eddie) and they are already much different than when they started.  Buck was an arrogant little jerk when he first started at the 118 and now he is far more thoughtful, more apt to trust people, (sometimes) more likely to think about things before he acts.   We’ve watched Eddie go from being very private and somewhat prickly at times to being far more warm and open, especially with Buck.  He’s learning to talk about his problems and how to sympathize with others (look at how he’s been in Season 4 with Buck - he’s been there the whole time, gently supporting him, letting him know that his feelings are valid, that he matters even when he feels like he doesn’t.)

This is the only part I’m going to address directly, because it’s very frustrating to me:

“ I just have this take on Eddie that most of the fandom doesn't see. Him being a "taker" as his personality. We see this with Lena and Eddie also and Shannon and Ana. He is only with this with Buck because Buck helps, as he said. As you said also he is aware of his fault. hence, him with Buck.”

Yes, we saw that behaviour with Lena.  As you may recall, she called him out on it and once again, he realized his behaviour was wrong and he was obviously sorry for it.  This is yet another instance of character growth.  And yes, obviously we saw this behaviour with Shannon (though again, he was still at least paying the bills and didn’t just disappear out of their lives entirely... I know its not the same as helping her raise Chris, but at least it’s not 100% bad).  But as before... that is part of his character arc.  He grew past that.  He regretted it, and he has done everything he possibly can since then to make up for it.

I honestly don’t know what else to say on this.  Eddie has changed a great deal since 2x01 and since the flashbacks that took place in time before he joined the 118.  I think he’s possibly had the most growth of any character in the firefam, really.  He is proof that you can change the way you live your life after growing up in bad circumstances.  He is actively and constantly trying to do what’s best for his child and for the people he cares about, namely Buck.

He is not friends with Buck because Buck helps him.  Buck helps him because that’s just what Buck does, he helps everyone he cares about because he loves them.  Eddie helps him too.   That doesn’t make them co-dependent.  Co-dependence is when a couple ONLY relies on each other in unhealthy ways;  both Eddie and Buck have support outside of each other:  Buck has the firefam, Maddie, and now Taylor (regardless of whether you view her as a friend or a girlfriend), Eddie has the firefam, Carla, Abuela, Ana, etc.

I want to acknowledge that you said you had a bad experience with something like this.  I appreciate that, I do, and I’m sorry you had that experience; however,  I think because of that you’re looking past the nuance and details of Buck and Eddie’s friendship and potential relationship and are looking for alarm bells.  

Thank you for saying you like my blog and that my opinions matter to you.  I hope you don’t find what I’ve written to be too harsh, but I just don’t agree with your take on them being a toxic and/or codependent relationship.

[xaviersystem]

7 Day Prayer Miracle Review Amanda Ross (2020)

7 Day Prayer Miracle by Amanda Ross

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Product: 7 Day Prayer Miracle Review· 

Author: Amanda Ross· 

Bonus: Yes· 

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Well, the course has:

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The big problem we’ve had with programs like “positive thinking” or “law of attraction” is that they remained vague on how to get to the desired state of mind. There was too much “pie-in-the-sky,” feel-good stuff that didn’t have a sufficient connection to the real world.

The 7 Day Prayer Miracle requires that you develop and exercise the ability to achieve the proper feelings for delivering prayers that match your conscious thoughts. The course shows you exactly how to do this with several, step-by-step exercises. This has been the area of disconnect in so many other programs

The exercises in this course raise your critical awareness of your environment and your own internal feelings so you can know when you’re aiming your prayer correctly.

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7-day Prayer Miracle

SOURCE: https://youtu.be/iHEUgA_4eSA

[no0dlru]

No offense, but I don’t see how derailing a post about the scandalous treatment many poor families are experiencing while government-affiliated companies pocket taxpayer money with a story about your mother helps anyone. I’m sure she works hard and deserves recognition, but not in the form of a “well actually” on a post about very real children who are going hungry.

Giving a poor family a fiver’s worth of food that’s not nutritious nor substantial to “feed” a hungry child for 10 days, whilst pocketing like 80% of the money, is obviously evil. It’s an insult to the people that needed, fought for and pay for the policy; the bastards who claimed good publicity (and profit) for approving FSM whilst not caring about its effectiveness in helping hungry children - just so they can exploit public money with their chums - are slimy psychopaths. Most importantly it shows a complete indifference to the suffering of millions of kids, and their parents, too. Even though we’ve reached a point where policies like this are needed, I know how humiliating and painful it can be to accept what seems like charity (even if it’s offered from a heartfelt place and you’re in desperation): I’ve seen and lived with the devastation, shame and frustration parents feel when they systemically can’t provide for their kids without help, so when all you have to show for that hard-fought-for help is a pittance worth of non-nutritious food for your hungry child, I do grasp how fucking disgusting that is. I’ve always been furious that this economy perpetuates an underclass that can’t access that most basic standard of living whilst the people in the houses of commons and lords who represent them live in luxury and ignorance, and I’m not blind to how much of a kick in the teeth this laissez faire “let them eat frubes” attitude is while they line their pockets.

I didn’t talk about this in my post, but that’s not because I don’t care, it’s because I didn’t feel I could add anything meaningful – it speaks for itself. I could write for hours about how cruel and Dickensian the Tories’ exploitation of the poor is, and how corrupt and damaging their shifty business affiliations are – not just this instance; sacrificing public health to funnel billions of pounds of taxpayers money to their buddies in corporations and contractors, that they knew couldn’t fulfil life-or-death PPE demands during a pandemic, or partnering with property developers to rush through shady deals in order to avoid adhering to impending safety standards reform or building quotas for social housing, etc. That would be derailing too, though.

You make a fair point. I didn’t intend to write so much, and the tone was completely off. I got kinda caught up in emotions, and after posting it I did feel uneasy - I edited out a part where I talk about growing up experiencing food poverty myself (because cooks, like so many other essential workers, are underpaid), exactly for your reasoning. While I can empathise with the experience of food insecurity, I know I can’t speak for people affected by this scandal specifically, so I didn’t try to.

I didn’t mean to “derail” the post (I have a small following and didn’t/don’t really expect my addition to be seen much) nor to minimise the problem. Just because I’m adding to the discussion with something it personally brings to mind doesn’t mean I’m demeaning the original statement - it doesn’t delete the original post, people are entirely able to reblog it from me and remove my caption - it also doesn’t mean I think what I’m adding is an any way contradictory or more important, just relevant. I wasn’t just trying to tell “a story about my mother” but trying to use her anecdotally to talk about school cooks in general, and I’d do the same if I had an unshared perspective on any other group of workers having to work extra hard to paper over the tories’ bullshit. I didn’t intend for it to be a “well actually” (though I respect it did end up reading like that), more like a “yes, and”.

As far as I can tell there’s 2 ways for the current FSM policy to work better outside of reform (and obviously getting rid of the problem of food poverty in the first place) - either giving the monetary vouchers directly in lieu of food (which in circumstances like OP’s post is what people are asking for) or, as “School Meals” is part and parcel of the policy, providing good meals from a school that are worth the money.

£30 worth of bulk-ordered cost-price ingredients, pre-cooked well by professionals in a fully kitted kitchen, with planning put into the nutrition of the meals available over the week, takes an enormous burden off parents. I neglected to mention, but the cooks also handwrite straightforward preparation instructions for the parents on how to reheat the meals (and even accompanying desserts). A large part of food insecurity is prevalence of unhealthy convenience food, and everything in our system discourages people to spend time and money on good meals. In the least judgemental way possible, I know many parents would spend a lot of that £30 on fast or frozen food, because the time-is-money ethos we live under incentivises you to do that. Many people have never had the time, money or opportunity to learn to cook good meals, and parents are understandably too exhausted to spend hours preparing food on top of caring for and home-teaching their kids during lockdown. If you can barely afford to put food in your fridge, it makes less sense to buy a wide variety of fresh perishable veg when you could buy cheap & filling processed instant foods or frozen foods etc, but an industrious kitchen mitigates this disincentive.

This shifts the role of school kitchens and their staff from just cooking meals during school to being more like a soup kitchen for hundreds of impoverished kids even out of term time - this requires cooks, which is a topic I can speak on when not many people can, hence my advocating for those cooks in a post where I talk about the strain put on them. If the policy was well managed and robust enough to properly feed kids nationwide, including the kids affected by the scumbag deals like OP’s post, that would place more workload on cooks who don’t have the means to fulfil even their current levels of production, let alone the added numbers currently tied up in contracts. I did get caught up in personal emotion, but my intention wasn’t to argue for hollow recognition for cooks, or my mum as an individual person (like people standing on their doorsteps clapping for the NHS while it underwent a crisis) - I’m trying to critique a different aspect of the policy’s implementation with regards to nationwide inconsistency, overworked staff, issues with stock orders, lack of structural support and problems with distribution.

I’m only talking about my mother because she’s my insight into this field - if literally anyone else worked in the same role and told me stories about hand opening hundreds of cans or writing instructions on hundreds of meals, I’d be writing about them, because if you’re going to talk critically about policies like FSM you need to acknowledge the apparatus required to actually make those policies function. Again, if you care about hungry children and are angry about this bs but want FSM to continue in a more functional way, you’re likely either arguing for the food to be replaced by monetary vouchers (which has the limitations I outlined above, and while monetary support is widely needed it at best eases the symptoms of underlying systemic poverty, and at worst could be misconstrued as a handout that makes the underlying poverty a non-issue), or for the government to meaningfully ensure these kids are provided for as implied by the policy (via school cooks), or for some combination of the two. So I think it’s quite relevant.

And yeah, maybe it doesn’t help anyone to discuss this! But it’s my blog and I want to talk about it, so I’m going to.

[witchcraftingboop]

Further Insight on Briar's Recent Discourse & Prim's Apparent Grooming of Younger, Newer Witches

It was suggested to me that instead of making one long post (which I was genuinely sorry for creating in the moment as well), that I should offer the second half in a separate one so that it is easier to share and harder to simply ignore as a wall of text.

Here is the link to the first half of the current JBird and Briar discourse floating around. I highly encourage everyone involved in the Witchblr community to review both posts and not just this final addition. 

Regarding Prim stirring the pot, I actually do have proof of that on my page somewhere if you wouldn't mind my sending it to you? The person I reblogged it from, Mahi, also received death threats from Prim when they were only 16 and Prim was 20 (I can't ask him to share that though because Prim has since used her following to drive him off of Tumblr and he's still fairly [and justifiably] sensitive about it.)

Regarding Briar's statements more specifically though, I can see where the confusion is coming from. After the "in France" part, she's just defining a relevant term (hence the use of "irrelevant details) and then giving an explanation of how she came to be so knowledgeable about that term/concept. I wouldn't say she's calling Prim's activism an "irrelevant detail," but pointing out how Prim uses it as a shield against backlash whenever another blog (not just tradcrafters) calls out her platform. I don't expect you to fully understand or see what I mean when I say that, of course. Because you are still new, and these are habits I've observed of hers from nearly a year of following their interactions. I would, however, like to point out that Briar doesn't say anything racist about Prim and does not once bring up her race. In fact, I think if you read her entire post and not just point 3 as Prim has it cropped out in all of her mentions of it, you would see more fully the depth and amount of frustration Briar is trying to express. Similarly, Briar never threatened to dox Prim. She has, in fact, repeatedly tried to point out that Prim should be protecting her online information and be more aware of how to stop others from finding out about her private life/situation. These statements, however, have since been warped by Prim and her followers to come off as a threat on her life. Briar's statements above aren't a threat of doxxing. She's never once posted Prim's personal information or told others to find it or use it in any way. She has, however, searched for Taglocks on Prim, something witches especially are known to look for. In that search she found more than she was even looking for, despite trying to tell Prim repeatedly to stop being so open online with the information she posts about herself. Doxxing though is not racist. It is something used by them, sure, but it is not inherently racist.

Additionally, Prim has raised money, sure, but I still have not seen any actual receipts as to her *actually* donating it to any public or private organizations. This, for me, is highly suspect. In reality, we still have no idea where that money is. Whereas with Briar, she took no money in for a couple days on her readings and instead merely asked that those requesting a reading first submit proof of donation to an organization linked in the post. She raised substantial money for the BLM movement, but no one seems to want to bring that up in all of their "she's a racist" discourse. Also, the observation that someone is misleading or gaslighting their following is not racist. Just because she said Prim was recently using her BLM reblogs & promotions to do it *this time* still does not make it racist. Questionable wording is just something the reader disagrees with, in my opinion, and should be addressed as such.

I'm not going to lie, I do feel a little frustrated at this point. I was really hoping to come to you and see that you had concrete proof to offer that Briar is a racist. I do understand that you have your own reasons for feeding into the assumptions and twisted outlooks already taken on Briar's words, but I don't have enough energy in me to fully swallow my tongue on this one. I really do hope that you at least consider what I've said here. I'm not sure what I can say at this point because all of the information I've read from you thus far has been purely conjecture or assumptions or just "not feeling right" about the wordings on a single post. A racist, from my perspective, is not something I would ever feel comfortable calling someone off of this lack of evidence.

I understand it is hard to separate preconceived notions from your mind when reading through the words of others, but I really do miss when you were more open to the words of others. If I could ask one thing of you, it'd be to please try to read Briar's post again but from the perspective of seeing it how it was meant to be: a witch who has been on the butt end of Prim's harassment for going on three years now. She is tired of the wild accusations and constantly having to defend herself, and even when she supplied her proof a couple years ago, no one wanted to hear her. She has, largely, given up on being heard, and now screams into what feels like a void when attacked.

Proof of Prim stirring the pot that I offered: An example of Prim actively seeking out the community and trying to stir the pot with an already dealt with situation that had passed over a year ago.

A direct source that I offered as further proof of what has occurred already: This is one from the account mentioned before who was directly involved with the previous discord server where the Trio incident took place a couple years back.

[A Reply.] I think, to be fair, I saw your comments on her previous posts through your main, and with how much aggression you packed into those messages, I don't necessarily blame her for deciding not to engage with your private messages. As I've said, she's very used to people attacking her like that, and in her mind, unfortunately, you've probably been added to the list of aggressive people ready to fling the blame at her rather than look at the situation as a whole. I do apologize for the way her post may have made you feel, but I think it's also important to remember the potentially aggressive things you left on her page (I'm not saying you meant to come off that way, but even I couldn't help but read that way). Also, regarding the ask, it's no small secret that the occultists of the tradcraft group are skilled and well-versed in hexes and curses. When reading her posts about how she may respond to further antagonism on Prim's part, I see a fully realized occultist wielding their most well kept and trained weapon: baneful magic. I'm sure Prim herself also understands that the "threat on her life" she's saying she's so afraid of, isn't a physical threat, but a metaphysical one. She has repeatedly and continually tried to drag these people through the mud, and now that they're refusing to just sit back and be canceled, she's afraid. She knows how strong their magic is, and they aren't shy about it 🤷‍♀️

[A Reply.] No, I completely understand where you're coming from. I, personally, have seen your willingness to talk things through, despite how aggressive you can come off at times in the things you say, so I think that's why I was genuinely so surprised to see your comments on some of her posts. But I do think her response and refusal to further directly engage with you is warranted and her right. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell who is genuinely open to talking and who is just trying to bait and add to the problem. And with how aggressive your comments were, 8 honestly think she most likely was responding from a place of "oh look another young Prim follower here to bait and berate me." I don't think she looks down on you for your age, but her views are likely a reflection of the fact that a lot of 18yos follow Prim and have openly harassed her without even asking for her input on the matter.

At this point, I would like to talk about the second half of the title of this particular post. Grooming. This is a very serious allegation against Prim that I have not spoken on previously because I had no proof that it was happening. With this person's permission, I would like to share how exactly they wound up fighting Prim's battles for her.

I will note: I am highly disgusted by what follows.

[A Reply.] Oh no! You cannot fault yourself for this! Prim is a known manipulator, and the fact that she was able to make you somehow think this is part of your being "gullible and naive" is just testament to the fact that she's gotten wayyy too good at what she does. This is in no way your fault or because of some fault within you. Practiced manipulators are cunning and dangerous even to the best of us. It was unfortunate that she chose you, but her twisting you around is in no way a bad reflection on you as a person!

I've chosen to include my reply to this person rather than our continued discussion because of how personal and involved our conversation turned. I've included it to show, as well, that grooming others to fight your battles is (though this should go without saying) NEVER OKAY. Prim has shown her true colors, in my opinion, and while I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt time and time again, I simply cannot permit myself to ignore the harm and damage she's inflicted on not only the tradcraft community, but also this innocent group of friends. A group who that has hitherto dedicated their time to sussing out predators, terfs, nazis, and racists. A group that should never have had to deal with being gaslit and manipulated by a well-known and respected blogger on this platform.

I cannot reiterate enough how sorry and deeply shocked I am at the information this person has brought to my attention. I am still stunned by Prim's activities and unable to fathom how many other potential individuals are out there being groomed to support and fight for her cause. I am sorry to the Witchblr community as a whole. I feel as if I have sat by and watched as Witchblr has been manipulated and am therefore complacent in the damage and needless hurt that has been allowed to spread throughout our community. I am just so very, very sorry.

I will be taking a couple days off of Tumblr because of this, as I feel as if I need space and time to think, but my inbox is always open and I am always available to speak with others on my return.

[lockdownuk]

Lockdown Diary Part 6

A personal account during the lockdown in the UK due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

23/03/2020 8:30pm Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, gives a live address to the nation to, effectively, put the country on lockdown to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus strain, Covid-19.

Many of us have been self-isolating for days but this latest development within the UK in reaction to the pandemic feels very serious and very scary. I decided to keep a simple diary and where better but online.

Day 151: Great hour or so last night around Foggy’s. When I got home I watched World War Z and some stand up by Nate Bargatze and drank and smoked loads. Today, I got up just before 2pm and felt soooo unmotivated. I was going to have a day of doing fuck all but had a change of heart around 7pm so did my stair climb then walked for over an hour (7km) and got home at 9:30pm!

Day 152: Typing on day 153. I popped up and saw Foggy last night. One of the reasons was I wanted to take him a beer to say thanks for looking over my mitigation statement for my impending court hearing for speeding. He liked what i wrote but has given me some key amendments. Basically free solictor advice and I am very grateful. While there he hit me with the news that Ham’s sister, Preeya, has died (last Friday 14th August) from Covid 19. To say i was gobsmacked is an understatement. She was 49. The family could only talk to her over a loud speaker and had to say good bye that way as her life support was swithced off. Fucking hell, it’s terrible. And, what makes it worse, is how complacent I have become about the disease while it’s causing so much tragedy. As I said to Foggy, it’s important to renew our efforts in combatting this disease so that Preeya’s death at least means we learn. I also feel guilty for not realising that many people have passed like this - just because I (sort of) knew Preeya doesn’t mean I shouldn’t feel any less sorry for the dozens of people dying and many more affected everyday. My emotions are in turmoil and yet I’m not directly affected.

Day 153: Typing this on day 154. Gone midday before I woke up. Beers in the evening and watched Den of Thieves. Great film.

Day 154: Woke up at 2:37 pm FFS. Just done a walk and I feel like shit (booze induced).

Day 155: Went to bed at about 4am yesterday but was up at 10am today so, usual Monday correction of sleep patterns. Two long walks today plus a little housekeeping on photos, sharing to the Oundle chatter group, so, quite constructive. Hoir chat with dad plus a chat with a recruitment agemt about a helpdesk manager role in Peterborough.

Day 156: Typing on Day 157. I saw Karen sitting with TTP (and two others I couldn’t make out) at the T&K on my second walk. Why does that piss me off so much? I am being like Jack in Midnight Run. I need to let go.

I am also getting wound up with Tumblr - I can only make entries on this diary blog on the PC - when I try on the Android or Apple apps, they pop up with ‘post too long’. Trying getting info from Tumblr’s online help on that though - fucking not happening. I think I might move this to a Google Blog...it’s not like anyone else reads it. I’m not sure I’d want that - it’s far more a private diary now rather than the cute ‘blog’ idea it started out as. It is now a disciplinary exercise more than anything.

Day 158: Feeling less sorry for myself now. It’s 10pm and I am having a midweek beer as I wait for tea to cook.

Day 159: Decided I will split this diary into 30 day sections to appease Tumblr. My second walk today was at 8pm ‘cos it was pissing down from about 4pm ‘til 7:30pm...very dark and so wet. Home by 9.15pm.

Day 160: I went shopping in Corby (Tesco and Asda) - I only really went so I could get blue eggs. £75 on booze! I was going up to Fog’s tonight but at around 6pm it started to piss down. So, I shall drink at home. It’s 9.15pm, I think it’s going to get messy.

Day 161: Not sure when I wnet to bed last night but I didn’t get up until 2pm. Nice long walk (9km) in the rain!

Banners and Sam G went to London to have a few with Andy P. I’m a little flabbergasted, it’s like there’s no Covid19 all a sudden.

Day 162: Bank holiday Sunday so I am having a beer or two. Tea’s cooking, gonna watch The Accountant on BBC1 at 10.30pm. Today I got up at 1.55pm and managed to have a shower and be downstairs to see the start of the Belgian GP. Hamilton won, pretty easily. I then did my stair climb and a 9.8km (6 mile) walk.

Last night I watched a rather quirky, entertaining comic horror film called Ready or Not and then Ricky Gervais - Fame. That’s the tour I saw him live after seeing Henman’s final tennis match at the Davis Cup at Wimbledon. Bloody funny - the recording could even be the show Karen and I were at. Bed at around 5am, hence not egtting up ‘til way past midday!

Day 163: Bank Holiday Monday, just like a Sunday. I am making this entry on my phone as I'm now able to due to breaking up the diary blog into 30 day sections.

Molly's Game, a film I've tried to rewatch several times but it's never been free, is on BBC2 tonight. I'm recording it right now but actually watching Seinfeld from the start on All4. The first couple of episodes are a bit ropey if truth be told. Luckily, I know it improves.

Day 164: Managed to get hold of Michelle via her daughter Daisy to place a nice big order for C. Just as well ‘cos Tim’s ignoring me!

Rang and spoke with Barry Haddon today to check he’s OK.

Day 165: Picked up C from Michelle’s in Yarwell. While there I was mauled by her over friendly Staffordshirebull terrier getting bit on the thigh. Twice in six months I’ve been bitten by dogs.

Karen WhatsApp’d to see if I’d seen Miley Cyrus on the Live Lounge!

Day 166: Forgot to say that yesterday, I also bumped into and chatted with Pete Gilder. We mainly talked about (getting caught) speeding.

Today I did over 22k steps and I am fucked. 

I replied to an email from Shirley at work HR. After the furloughed staff call on Thursday, which I didn’t attend, they want us to cash in some (more) hoilday, which is fine by me, but I have also asked if we are any clearer as to what happens on 1st October, when the rentention scheme ends. I await her reply.

Day 167: Another 20k stpes today. Just 24k needed to have completed 1m steps since the start of July.

It’s Friday, about 9.45pm. I’m going to watch Molly’s Game and have a few beers.

Day 168: Got up at just before 2pm. It’s now 10.15pm and I am just having my first beer, Today was a lazyish day, completed 12k steps.

Day 169: Completed the 1m steps with 24 days to spare. Woohoo. Now, I am unsure whether to reduce the walking I have got so used to doing? I think I might keep up an average of 11k steps a day which is all I would have needed to accomplish to reack 1m in 3 months.

I’m pleased I did it today since I :went to bed a nearly 5am this morning!

Day 170: Actually typing this on day 171. Feels weird having done the 1m steps, almost like I’ve nothing to do. However, I am of course going to keep walking but not quite as hard/much. I did feel liek I was walking myself into the ground all in the name of finishiong the task ASAP. So, today I only had one walk, did 11,5k.

Yesterday’s Italian GP was a cracker. Hamilton had a penalty and ikt ended up with Gasly winning. Full of incident including a red flag so the race ‘restarted’.

I completely forgot ot make this entry on the correct day?

Day 171: I have decided to press on with the walking - not quite so urgently as before - to see what I can achieve steps-wise in 3 months. So, today, an unusually hot day for September, I did 18k steps plus cleaned the bathroom, hoovered my room and stairs and hallway. I am fucked!

Today I have bought a set of smart scales and a new pair of Skechers. The Skechers were almost free (£69 reduced to £30ish which I had in Paypal) and the scales were £20. Still, I shouldn’t. I don’t know what will happen at the end of October when the CJRS ends plus I don’t know what punsihment will be dished out, any day now, for the speeding offence! Fuck it!

Day 172: An eventful day. Boris has restricted gatherings to no more than 6 people and will use ‘Covid Marshalls’ to police this. It’s causing a stir amongst the online community. I have set up accounts with Gurushots and Picfair to showcase my snaps. The latter offers the opportunity to sell them. I watched Anchorman 2. It was pretty good. I also postd on the Oundle chatter group about walking in front of a car the other day - the driver, a yound lady, was enchanting the way she just smiled and let me pass - I used it as an opportunity to ask about George Higgins saving a child from near death at the hands of a lorry, the post about which has disappeared.

Day 173: Lots have seen my post re: my car incident but the bait hasn’t been taken.

Sarah Haines made a nice comment about my photo posts on the Oundle Chatter group also saying that she doesn’t know me but, it turns out she does. She is James Watson’s ex from when I first moved to Oundle so we caught up on Messenger.

Rachel Harris posted a meme slating Boris about the fact we were all encouraged to go out and about (inclding the Eat Out to Help Out scheme) and now we are being sent back to ‘our room’. Some of the comments continue to slate the government. I couldn’t resist commenting that, had the royal ‘we’ maintined social distancing and remembered there’s a fucking pandemic, perhaps we might not be under impending severe lockdown, as it now looks like. I also mentioned photos I have seen (one posted by Rach herslf) whereby you could be mistaken for thinking that there isn’t a pandemic. I have finished the comment with a line about we can only blame ourselves, not the hapless government! I wonder what reaction that will get!

Day 174: Scales were delivered today. If they are accurate I am a little over 11 stones, from 12st 7lbs before lockdown. Can’t quite believe it. I have a yearly diabetic review with Lynne in October so i can check then. If the scales are wrong, I’ll be livid on 2 scores!

Friday night beers as I type. Been looking forward to them since last Saturday!

Day 175: I do not trust the new scales. I get a different reading each time I step on them and by 10-12 lbs. Fucking things. Boots arrived today - they’re going back as well. Footy season started today. Posh lost away to Acrrington Stanley. “Who are they?”

Day 176: The GP was reflagged again today (a new track at Tuscany. A red flag two races on the trot is most unusual. Hamilton won.

Day 177: I managed to get the scales working. I’m pretty much the same weight I was prior to ld (about 12.5 st). This leads me to believe that if I wasn’t doing all the walking I am, I would be as fat as a fucking house. On that note, Google Fit is playing up. It loses the step and heart point count for each walk (although the workouts retain the route map info) Wtf?

I think K and TTP might be a thing from a post I saw on FB whereby some chap (who I don’t know) commented on TTP’s post that it was nice to see him and K. Kinda gutted if it is true but I shouldn’t be. That’s all I will say on here.

Day 178: Jim contacted me today to let me know he’s leaving RCI. He was quite secretive about why and what’s going on but, there it is. He went on to say that HR will be contacting me shortly to call me back from furlough. Sueanne is taking over as team leader but that’s temporary. and that they will most likely promote from within. I struggling to think what it would be like if Mark was boss! The way RCI are and how disjointed it is with Jim as boss, I shan’t take it as read until HR do contact me. Also, I dunno how I feel about it...I have got so used to not working. But, and it’s a big but, I doubt I’ll have a job after the retention scheme finishes so, if this does pan out, it’s good. I’ll be back to job hunting while in a job, as per before the pandemic.

Also, I received an email letting me know the punishment for my speeding offence was 6 points and a £233 fine, plus costs (£90) and victim support (£34), £357 in total. More than I expected. But, no ban, so I’ll suck it up. 

Day 179: Having midweek beers. I'm in that sort of mood.

Day 180: I WhatsApp’d Jim to let him know HR haven’t contacted me. His garbled response went from telling to give them a shout and let them know he is leaving, to which I asked ‘don’t they know?’, he then said hold fire (on Sueanne’s instruction) and she has said for me to sit tight and then, finally, that HR will contact me! Fuck knows what’s going on! I had a diabetic review with Lynne today. When you go to the surgery you have to let in, which I was by Keren. It was nice to see and chat with her. She is back with Ronnie which was news to me. Then Lynne came and got me. It was nice to see and chat with her also. She weighed me and I’m 12st 3lb. Apparently in Jan last year I was over 13st!

[traumantic-a]

                     HOW  TO  INTERACT  WITH  JORDAN                    (  A  PLOTTING  CHEAT-SHEET )

so,  you  want  to  write  your  muse  against  jordan,  but  you  have  no  idea  what  to  do?  have  no  fear!  plotting  can  be  pretty  daunting—I  know  I  always  blank  on  ideas  the  second  I  go  to  approach  someone  about  something,  or  I’m  always  afraid  I’ll  suggest  something  that’s  overdone  or  that  the  mun  isn’t  particularly  interested  in.  hence,  this  guide!  keep  in  mind  everything  here  is  just  a  suggestion,  so  if  you  have  ideas  that  don’t  really  fit  what  I’ve  put  in  this  guide,  that  is  fine!  throw  them  my  way!  and  happy  plotting!

                                       MEET  JORDAN  RILEY                                (  aka  a  really  quick  character  cheat  sheet  )

she’s  a  college  student.  specifically,  she’s  currently  in  her  junior  year  as  a  graphic  design  student  and  is  also  a  resident  assistant,  because  it’s  the  only  way  she  could  afford  to  continue  to  attend  school  ( #justcollegethings ).  like  many  students,  her  preferred  study  method  is  coffee  and  tears,  and  thinking  too  far  into  the  future  freaks  her  out,  so  she  copes  by  screaming  inwardly  and  pushing  on  even  though  she  needs  to  relax  ( whatever  that  means ).

she’s  also  a  resident  assistant.  and  surprisingly,  taking  the  job  wasn’t  all  about  the  money,  though  that  was  a  big  motivator.  jordan  genuinely  enjoys  the  position;  not  so  much  the  paperwork  and  having  to  enforce  rules  all  the  time,  but  getting  to  decorate  her  floor,  help  freshmen  navigate  campus  life  and  academics,  and  plan  fun  programs  and  activities  for  them  is  something  that  makes  her  feel  a  sense  of  accomplishment.  of  course,  the  perks  of  having  a  room  and  bathroom  all  to  herself  make  it  extra  nice.

she’s  very  involved.  if  she’s  not  working  on  projects,  she’s  designing  layouts  for  one  of  the  student-run  magazines;  if  she’s  not  doing  that,  she’s  hosting  a  radio  show  with  one  of  her  friends;  if  she’s  not  doing  that,  she’s  at  improv  practice;  if  she’s  not  there,  she’s  probably  stress  crying  in  the  shower,  tbh.  either  way,  she  likes  keeping  busy  whenever  she  can;  sometimes  to  a  fault.

she  hates  talking  about  ���it.’  not  the  movie;  no,  she  enjoyed  both  chapters,  even  if  she  hasn’t  made  her  way  through  the  brick  that  is  the  novel  yet.  no,  she  hates  talking  about  her  past  traumas,  she  absolutely  hates  talking  about  the  whole  rothfield  murders  fiasco  and  the  fact  that  she  was  a  target  because  she  spoke  up  about  being  assaulted,  which  is  understandable,  because  all  of  that  is  shitty.  she’s  trying  to  move  on  from  it  all;  she  wishes  the  rest  of  the  world  would,  too.

                              PRE-ESTABLISHED  RELATIONSHIPS                                 (  aka  a  starting  point  for  fleshing  out  dynamics  )

be  a  resident  in  her  building.  this  one  is  especially  great  if  your  muse  is  a  college  student;  rothfield  university  is  a  big  school  and  there  are  roughly  six  thousand  students  living  on  campus;  250  of  those  students  live  in  williams  hall,  split  across  four  floors.  while  williams  hall  tends  to  have  a  mix  of  underclassmen  and  skews  heavily  toward  having  primarily  incoming  freshmen  reside  there,  it  isn’t  unusual  for  juniors  or  seniors  to  stay  in  the  building  because  it’s  cheaper  than  trying  to  rent  an  apartment  on  their  own,  and  they  don’t  have  to  pay  for  a  parking  pass  that  they  rarely  use  because  there’s  never  any  place  to  park.  jordan  has  to  keep  in  contact  with  the  residents  living  on  her  floor,  do  regular  academic  and  wellness  checks,  etc.;  but  beyond  that,  she  genuinely  wants  to  help  them  adjust  to  campus  and  college  life,  and  likes  being  a  mentor.

be  a  fellow  art  student/classmate.  technically  jordan’s  major  of  study  falls  under  the  college  of  communication  and  information,  but  she’s  on  track  to  learn  a  bachelor’s  of  fine  arts  in  graphic  design,  and  she  spends  a  lot  of  her  time  in  the  art  building  attending  studio  classes  and  pouring  over  projects.  she  has  other  courses  she  has  to  take  to  fill  requirements  for  her  core  classes  and  the  like  ( such  as  art  history,  algebra,  sociology,  etc.);  if  your  muse  is  a  college  student,  why  not  make  them  a  classmate  of  jordan’s?  especially  if  they’re  in  different  majors  but  happen  to  be  taking  all  the  same  ‘core’  classes;  it’s  always  great  having  a  note-sharing  buddy,  if  nothing  else.

be  involved  in  a  club/organization  with  jordan.  she’s  an  illustrator  for  a  student-run  general  interest  magazine,  she  has  a  radio  show,  and  she’s  in  an  improv  group,  and  usually  auditions  for  productions  through  the  school  of  theater  and  dance  whenever  she  has  the  time.  make  your  muse  a  member  of  the  editorial  team  on  the  magazine,  or  a  blogger,  or  a  fellow  DJ,  or  someone  who  enjoys  performing;  I’m  sure  they’ll  cross  paths  with  jordan  somehow,  some  way!

be  one  of  her  professors/mentors.  chances  are  there’s  a  bullshit  course  your  muse  could  teach  if  they  don’t  fit  in  ‘traditional’  courses  of  study  like  history,  economics,  etc.;  my  university  offered  two  different  courses  on  glass  blowing;  there’s  no  limit  to  what  can  be  taught  on  a  college  campus  to  fill  credit  hour  requirements.  jordan’s  degree  of  study  requires  a  lot  of  liberal  arts  credits  and  she’s  definitely  the  type  to  take  a  course  on  analyzing  tone  and  message  in  zombie  movies  because,  what  else  is  she  going  to  do  with  $800  dollars  in  grant  money?  she’s  a  good  student,  and  tries  not  to  skip  classes,  and  will  usually  keep  quiet  in  the  back  if  she’s  not  up  to  participating.  she  also  attends  office  hours  when  she’s  not  grasping  something,  and  if  she  likes  a  class  she  took  because  of  the  professor,  she  usually  tries  to  take  more  of  their  classes.

work  at/in  rothfield  in  some  capacity.  be  another  resident  assistant,  work  at  the  coffee  shop  frequented  by  students,  be  part  of  campus  security,  be  an  event  coordinator  with  campus,  be  that  one  lady  who  walks  her  three  rescue  dogs  on  campus  every  evening;  there’s  really  no  limit  here  ( the  lady  with  rescue  dogs  was  a  thing  at  my  school  and  I  ended  up  befriending  her,  and  she  turned  out  to  be  the  dean  of  the  women’s  studies  department  and  is  generally  the  coolest  person  I  know,  ANYWAY );  if  any  of  this  appeals  to  you,  hit  me  up  and  we’ll  flesh  out  the  details.

be  a  townie.  whether  your  muse  is  a  student  who  graduated  and  never  left  rothfield  or  is  a  born-and-bred  local  that  can  spin  a  yarn  about  the  history  of  campus,  or  just  likes  showing  up  at  house  parties  for  the  hell  of  it,  this  is  another  great  way  to  cross  paths  with  jordan  and  strike  up  a  friendship.

                                THINGS  I  WANT  TO  EXPLORE                                  (  aka  a  living  document  of  my  wishlist  tag  )

jordan  opening  up  to  someone.  jordan’s  assault  and  the  trial  from  her  high  school  years  were  pretty  well-publicized;  while  her  name  was  never  printed  in  the  news  stories  surrounding  the  case,  it’s  not  hard  to  put  the  pieces  together  when  people  find  out  where  she’s  from.  this  only  becomes  more  apparent  after  the  rothfield  murders  that  take  place  over  spring  break  2019;  being  the  ‘sole  survivor’  of  a  revenge-murder  rampage  takes  its  toll  in  some  unusual  ways.  it  takes  time  for  the  trauma  of  the  murders  to  fully  sink  in  for  jordan;  initially,  she’s  relieved  that  her  abuser  is  dead  and  gone  and  she  never  has  to  see  him  again,  but  that  relief  is  short-lived.  it  doesn’t  change  the  fact  that  she  hasn’t  fully  healed  from  her  past  traumas  and  that  she  needs  to  be  more  vocal  about  her  feelings  and  emotions;  she  needs  a  support  system,  especially  considering  her  family  is  hours  away  and  the  only  other  person  she’s  confided  in  outside  of  her  parents  and  sister  goes  to  school  in  another  state.  I’d  love  to  develop  some  close  friendships  where  jordan  feels  comfortable  opening  up  to  others  she  knows  she  can  trust  and  lean  on  when  she’s  having  bad  days;  likewise,  she’d  do  the  same  for  those  she  loves  dearly.  she’s  loyal  at  her  core  and  if  she  trusts  you,  she  will always  be  there  for  you.

                             more  to  be  added  as  ideas  come  to  me

                       THINGS  I’M  NOT  INTERESTED  IN                                 (   aka......  it’s  pretty  self-explanatory   )

your  character  ‘fixing’  jordan.  through  love,  through  friendship,  through  whatever;  while  all  of  the  above  can  definitely  help  people  dealing  with  trauma  heal,  it  is  not  the  sole,  solitary  thing  that  will  get  the  job  done.  jordan  will  never  rely  on  one  person  to  be  the  sole  thing  that  makes  her  happy  and  makes  her  feel  whole  again;  it’s  not  realistic  and  it’s  a  harmful  cliche  that  I  don’t  wish  to  perpetuate  here.  she  absolutely  needs  friends  she  can  trust,  and  she  is  capable  of  being  in  a  loving  relationship,  but  those  are  not  going  to  automatically  fix  all  her  problems.

toxic  ships.  I  don’t  really  feel  the  need  to  go  super  in-depth  with  this;  while  I’m  not  opposed  to  exploring  shitty  or  toxic  friendships  or  relationships,  because  those  do  happen,  I’m  not  interested  in  doing  so  in  the  sense  of  “they’re  toxic  because  they  care!”  again;  very  harmful  cliches  and  stereotypes  that  I  do  not  wish  to  perpetuate  here.  if  I  explore  anything  like  this  it’ll  likely  be  with  close  rp  partners  I’ve  had  for  a  while  and  know  I  can  trust.

fetishizing/‘fixing’ demisexual  people.   it’s  a  spectrum,  folks;  jordan  needs  an  emotional  connection  with  someone  deep  enough  before  she  feels  comfortable  with  intimacy.  I’m  not  interested  in  anyone  being  the  ‘exception’  to  this  for  obvious  reasons.  if  you  come  to  me  with  anything  related  to  your  muse  ‘fixing’  jordan’s  demisexuality  ( which  existed  before  her  trauma  and  was  amplified  by  it,  both  of  which  are  valid ),  I  will hard  block  you.

                                      FINAL  THOUGHTS so,  I  didn’t  intend  for  this  to  get  as  long  as  it  did;  as  far  as  the  last  section  goes,  a  lot  of  that  is  common  sense,  but  I’ve  included  it  anyway  because  I’ve  had  similar  experiences  on  blogs  before  with  people  coming  to  me  with  plot  ideas  that  were  inherently  toxic  and  glorified  to  be  something  bigger/better,  and  felt  it  would  be  best  to  address what  I’m  not  comfortable  with  and  why  directly  out  of  the  gate.  keep  in  mind  that  all  of  this  is  a  guideline,  and  if  you  have  ideas  that  expand  outside  of  what  I’ve  placed  here,  I’d  love  to  hear  them!  don’t  hesitate  to  approach  me  to  plot,  especially  if  you  want  to  expand  on  anything  I’ve  listed  in  this  cheat  sheet.  <3

[miximax-hell]

As always, it’s been a hot minute. But, uh, hey! I hope you’ve all been fine!

Can you believe that this is actually my 20th reference sheet? That’s crazy. I am hecking slow, but I honestly thought I’d have stopped doing this (way) before I reached the double digits. But, hey, I’m still kicking!

And, to honour such a number, it was about time to add another Raimon baby to this blog, so I’ve gone for one of my very favourites. Shishido is very dear to my heart for a variety of reasons (that I will make sure to explain thoroughly when the time for it comes) and I’ve had this miximax in mind for a very long time. In fact, I’ve been ruminating on it since @raynef-art (btw, today’s Raynef’s birthday, so go and wish her a happy birthday if you can!!) and I talked about Shishido on Skype years ago. When was that, even? 2016? 2017, perhaps? In any case, it sure has been extremely long. But, thankfully, all of that ruminating led to one of my favourite pairs in this whole project! Katrielle Layton is a fantastic fit for Shishido, and I will do my very best to explain why this is the case in this post.

So, for more on ShishiKat, please check under the cut!

As always, I like to use this first paragraph to talk a bit about random stuff, so feel free to skip it if you want. Long story short, I’ve spent the last few months (since mid-May or so) job hunting like a beast. Big ol’ companies from all around the world, like Rockstar, Revolution, The Creative Assembly/Sega or Build A Rocket Boy have shown interest in me, but it’s led nowhere so far, which is extremely frustrating. Heck, there’s a company who contacted me first and they still didn’t give me the job in the end. >:| But I did an interview last Thursday and I should get an answer soon, so let’s hope that goes well...! It’s an awesome job, close to where I live (so I wouldn’t have to move), the company is super successful and two friends are already working there. It’d be incredible to join them and keep progressing in my career. And, well, money doesn’t hurt at all either. Gotta get into the wheel of capitalism. Anyway, job matters aside, I’ve recently finished some games that have become personal favourites of mine, like Valkyria Chronicles and Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star (even if the first one was arguably better), but the one that undoubtedly takes the crown is Marvel’s Spider-Man, which shaped up to be a game as brilliant as Insomniac’s previous titles, if not even more so, and has become one of my favourite games of all time. Sadly, Spider-Man isn’t originally a videogame character, so I won’t be including him in this project (as much as that pains me). So we’ll have to take other routes if we want to have a Marvel miximax here... I’m on it, but suggestions are still accepted.

So, Shishido! Who doesn’t love Shishido? He’s just so lovely. Look at him! Look at him right now! How can someone without visible eyes be so PRECIOUS? Don’t you just want to channel the annoying aunt within you and pinch his cheeks and nose? Well, we still can’t do that, but we can try and do him justice by giving him a truly awesome miximax. (The quality of the art that accompanies said miximax may vary in quality, but that’s not Shishido’s nor Katrielle’s fault--it’s entirely mine for not being better.)

So, friends who have been here for a while and have a good memory may be thinking, “Hold on a minute, you! The Professor Layton franchise has already been represented within this blog--you miximaxed Fudou with Hershel Layton himself!” And you’d be right. You might even be thinking I’m betraying my own rules by using two characters from the same franchise. Well, that isn’t the case, as PL is a Level-5 franchise and I may (and tend to) use up to two characters from each franchise made by L5. It’s all here. But, even with all of that, there’s still a question that remains and that I figure many people might have in their heads: if Fudou is already miximaxed with Hershel, isn’t Shishido basically a copy? Does Katrielle really add anything to the table?

I’m glad you asked. Well, I’m glad I asked, because that’s what led to all of this. ww And, thankfully, yes. Yes, she does. But before answering that question, we have a much more important question to ask:

Who is Shishido Sakichi?

Hino, that lovely piece of work, is actually really fricking good (when he actually tries) at something I’m unable to name, hence why I will refer to it as “scattered storytelling.” It’s similar to environmental storytelling in the sense that we’re never directly told many things, but we can still figure them out thanks to the looks of a character, the scenarios we see, audio queues, etc. Video games offer many resources to build up rich environmental storytelling, but what Hino (and probably many others--it’s not like he invented the wheel!) does is give us hints scattered across different pieces of media to try and figure out what some of his undeveloped characters are all about. And let’s be real: original Raimon is a lovely collection of undeveloped characters. So let’s check out a few things about Shishido and see where they take us.

Shishido was one of the first members of Raimon, being one of the 7 players the team had before they were forced to look for more people to have a match against Teikoku. He was, however, replaced by Kidou when he joined the team, and he stayed as a benchwarmer until he got injured by Gemini Storm. Then, as he joined the Dark Emperors, if you talk to him in the game before the match, he mentions how he’s been pushing himself past his limit for a long time, only to keep feeling like he’s mediocre. Finally, during the match between Raimon’s older and newer members, he is shown facing Kidou and getting past him despite how afraid he was of engaging directly with such a big rival.

On top of that, his in-game descriptions go like this: “He is becoming the team’s key-man by developing his own pace,” (IE1) “His laid-back personality can make him the butt of his team-mates' jokes“ (IE2) and “The Aliea crystal has given him an invincible self-belief“ (IE2 DE). Let’s admit that it’s not a lot to go by, but maybe we can get something out of all of this.

As usual, I explain this better in the heat of the moment while talking to someone who’s ready to listen, so Raynef or my girlfriend probably got the better version of what I’ll be trying to explain now. However, those conversations are so old that I'm having trouble retrieving them, so... welp. ww Let me try anyway.

Judging by what we know about Shishido, we can try to figure out what his character development has been like. We get his first in-game description as soon as we can see him in our in-game menu; that is, before the first Teikoku match even takes place. At this point, aka at the very beginning of the game, Shishido is a player that is “becoming the team’s key-man.” Slowly, perhaps, but he is on his way. However, this process is halted abruptly when Kidou joins the team, as he replaces him as a regular first-team player. Now, a valid question would be, “why did Kidou replace Shishido and not any other midfielder?”

It would make no sense to get rid of Someoka or Kurimatsu to let Kidou in the pitch, as he’s not a forward nor a defender. But, among all the midfielders in the team, why Shishido? Why not Handa, Shourin or even Max (who is technically a forward, but has been playing as a midfielder, so it’d make a lot more sense to bench him)? The most obvious answer would be that everyone else has abilities that Kidou can’t properly replace/mimic/make up for; or, in other words, that Kidou is like an upgraded version of Shishido more than he is an upgraded version of any of the other characters. And what is Kidou, exactly? A brilliant midfielder with incredible control over the ball and a great strategist overall. It’s this last part that we’re most interested in: he’s a strategist. A game-maker, that is. What one could easily call a vital part of a team or, even, in more poetic words, a key-man. What Shishido used to be, or was going to become, before Kidou showed up to steal his spotlight. Not to mention the incredible pain one must feel upon being replaced like that... (This was best explained by @mimiflieder on her fic, Change of pace--it’s about Handa and Ichinose, but the same thing applies. I totally recommend checking it out!)

This theory is further supported (in sad ways) by his in-game description in IE2. His personality remains the same (laid-back and doing his at his own pace), but he has gone from being a key-man WIP to the butt of his teammates’ jokes. Sure, the jokes are blamed on this laid-back personality, but something doesn’t quite add up. Check out his quote while he’s a Dark Emperor: he’s been pushing himself too hard to achieve nothing. Is that really what you’d call ‘laid-back’?

In the best case scenario, everyone sees him as being laid-back and chill to the point of being funny: he’s not making a fuss about being replaced in front of his teammates. However, he’s been trying as hard as possible in secret to become the best he can possibly be... only to still be eclipsed by Kidou and the other talented members of the team in every sense.

In the worst case scenario, his attempts to improve are very much obvious to his team, and the lack of results or the gap between the two key-men not becoming any smaller is what makes him the butt of jokes (but I hate this scenario because Raimon babies are all sweet and supportive boys who’d never do this. I DON’T CARE IF TEENAGERS ARE CRUEL AND STUPID BY NATURE. RAIMON BABIES ARE BETTER THAN ACTUAL TEENAGERS, OKAY, AND THEY’D NEVER DO THIS. THEY ARE PRECIOUS LITTLE ANGELS.)

In either case, he was destined to be--heck, he might have already been in non-spoken parts of the game--Raimon’s game-maker, but when Kidou came around with his superior skills, Shishido became, simply put, obsolete. That made his self-esteem sink and eventually threw him in the arms of Aliea in a desperate attempt to finally be better and stand up to Kidou. That’s why his in-game description as a DE talks about his boosted self-esteem, much like Handa’s talks about how that jack-of-all trades is using the meteorite to become master of all.

And, of course, this makes that scene during that final match ALL the more relevant: not only does it signify the triumph of hard work and resolution over sheer talent, fleeting as it might be, but it’s also the end of a long, long journey of self-deprecation, self-improvement, guts and sheer fear. Shishido was literally SHAKING when he saw Kidou running towards him, but he pulled himself together and won. He was no longer the inferior one, the replaceable one, the laughing stock. Little and unexplained as it may be, it’s a truly emotional finale to his personal and unspoken journey.

(Another and more positive way to look at it is that Shishido is meant to become Raimon’s game-maker and key-man AFTER KIDOU LEAVES, so all this time by his side has been a massive training camp of two years to learn his ways and then add his own twist to everything he’s learnt. This leaves some issues hanging, but it will at least let me sleep tonight.)

What we have here is a pretty solid theory pointing at Shishido having what it takes to become a game-maker. But, hey, that’s just a theory! A GAME THEORY! ...And what this means is that there’s evidence supporting it, but we have no way to confirm it unless one of you guys can go and casually interrogateview Hino (and if you do, that’d kind of come in handy, actually). However, the pieces fall together a bit too well to be just a coincidence, right? At least, I think so. And even if they don’t, we don’t have much more to go by, so... it’ll have to do.

Anyway, we’ve (somewhat) answered the question about who Shishido is. It is, therefore, about time to answer the main question this post laid on the table: is Katrielle a good aura to use when her father is already part of this project? And, even if she is, why would Katrielle be the best match for Shishido? Let’s start by explaining what makes Katrielle non-redundant despite bearing her father’s surname and being very similar conceptually.

In essence, Katrielle and Hershel fulfill very similar roles: a smart person who likes puzzles and is hired to solve mysteries no one else can solve. But anyone who knows anything about these characters will know that, really, they are absolutely nothing alike.

Hershel is the perfect gentleman: well-behaved, modest, calm and cold-headed regardless of the situation, polite to a fault, boasts perfect manners, and he manages to get along with even the most unfriendly people in the world thanks to his infinite patience, unwavering kindness and the smile he has on his face whenever he greets someone. Not to mention that his investigation process is long-winded and meticulous, and keeps telling Luke to not make quick assumptions when he jumps into conclusions ahead of time.

Meanwhile, Katrielle is pretty much the polar opposite: proud (heck, the first episode of the anime has her saying her skills are better than her father’s!), funny, dramatic to a fault, jumps to crazy conclusions so fast that everyone around her is always surprised by it and doubts she even put any thought into them, has a quick temper sometimes, she works as a detective just for funsies (and glory, to some extent, as she’s constantly struggling to be taken seriously by people who’d rather talk to her dad), she’s easily swayed by yummy food, instinct and imagination move her much more than hard evidence... This alone is enough to make the personalities of ShishiKat and FudoLay totally different, but, of course, this train doesn’t run on personalities, but on powers and skills. So let’s discuss not what Kat offers, but what Shishido needs.

We’ve established that Shishido was a game-maker in progress. Now, let’s keep in mind that this project includes all of the main characters from IE, IEGO, IECS and IEGalaxy, and they could all potentially be sharing a side of the field with Shishido, so let’s see whom he is competing against.

Of course, we have Kidou, the genius game-maker, the absolute commander of the pitch and, well, a living legend trained by another living legend: Kageyama. He has a miximax too, but you guys have not seen it yet. In due time.

We have Fudou, whose natural intelligence is (arguably) on par with Kidou’s and has received some training by Kageyama as well, even if he didn’t reach the same level of legend nor acted as a game-maker nearly as much as Kidou did. Fudou is, however, enhanced by Hershel Layton, whose influence upon mixitransing helps Fudou stop being such a little shit. That allows him to focus enough on the game and on his teammates to surpass Kidou as a serious and cold-headed strategist who is able to treat every situation as a puzzle and find the precise moves needed to solve it. Not to mention that, of course, Layton boosts Fudou’s intelligence as well.

Shindou has his miximax, which turns him into a "gamemaker of truth who can appraise people and the general situation, while combining both stillness and motion." Pretty self-explanatory.

Taiyou and Hakuryuu, upon mixitransing, become "midfielders of unparalleled accuracy, who can see into the future and attack the enemy's weak spots with their analytical reasoning." These two aren't technically game-makers in Chrono Storm, but Zhuge Liang was a frigging strategist and these two are given analytical reasoning through their miximax. Not to mention they were probably game-makers when they were part of their original teams.

The way the canon tried to keep Shindou and Taiyou/Hakuryuu from overlapping was by casually disregarding Zhuge Liang’s strategist side and focusing on her Keshin and ability to see the future/what no one else can see, so we can scratch Taiyou and Hakuryuu, as they won’t easily be taking the role of game-makers anymore. We can also discard Kidou, as FudoLay completely outclasses him for the time being. (Look at me, I sound like I’m writing an article on Electrode for Smogon--) So, ShishiKat’s only real challengers are FudoLay and, uh... does Shindou’s miximax have any kind of fandom name? I heard people refering to Kirino’s miximax as Kirino d’Arc, but that’s about it. Anyway, to keep it simple, I’ll call it ShinOda until someone brings up something better.

So, yeah, ShishiKat is competing against ShinOda and FudoLay. ShinOda focuses on a complete control over when to move and when not to move, arguably to preserve his teammates’ and his own stamina and maximise what everyone can do with their natural reserves of energy. FudoLay, on the other hand, uses analytical thinking to find the most efficient moves in any given situation. As I mentioned, he treats every situation as a puzzle, and, as Layton would say, “every puzzle has an answer.” One specific and perfect answer that FudoLay excels at finding, using the minimum number of steps necessary and turning the solution into pure art. He is, however, still Fudou, so he’d probably push his teammates to the limit in rough ways in order to achieve that perfection he is aiming for. And it’s still Layton, so we can expect some long-winded thought processes that take long to pay off--but when they finally do, HOO BOY.

It's good being analytical and smart, but perhaps, just perhaps, Shishido could use a little something to make him different and stick out among his peers. Something that is a bit more... proactive. Unpredictable. Slightly impulsive. But still as witty as one can ever be. He needs to combine the brains with the brawn, and blend it all together with much-needed cheerfulness, since all the game-makers we’re dealing with here are cold or outright pricks.

Shishido needs to improvise to the point of making things up for no reason and eventually making them work in almost miraculous ways. Focus less on what’s in front of his eyes and more on what other possibilities could be there. Act more on instinct than on careful observation. Give commands that are a lot more roundabout that those of Shindou, Kidou or Fudou, but end up paying off in ways that not even he could always predict. Jump into the problem head-first and solve it in-situ instead of looking at it from afar and pondering for long periods of time. And, of course, among all of that, he needs an enormous self-confidence to pull it all off, as his premises may seem utterly ridiculous and he must believe in them whole-heartedly to convince everyone else.

Katrielle Layton checks every single one of these boxes. It’s Katrielle, and Katrielle alone, who can turn Shishido not just into a replacement for the times when Kidou and Fudou aren’t around, but into a true force of nature that can assist the team at all times. It makes Shishido useful and non-redundant--which is, of course, much more than the anime did for him. Let alone the manga, where Shishido didn’t even appear. (I mean, the manga gave us Tamano bby, but still--)

And the best part is that they don’t step on each other. ShinOda is fantastic (and I won’t comment on my own ideas), but no one is objectively better at being a game-maker than the rest. Different situations will call for different approaches, so their relevance will shift as the rivals change or as the rivals adapt to one style or the other. Or, heck, they can simply all work together to keep their rivals guessing and come up with even greater strategies that combine everyone’s fortes.

Also, I’m watching Katrielle’s anime with my girlfriend and that is what made me consider her for this project in the first place, so props to her! (But sorry for butchering the design, dear ww)

[lootbear]

The History Of The Skins Industry

Not so long, the skin industry was blooming and games such as CS:GO and Dota 2 gained more and more popularity because people wanted to gamble or trade-up their skins for fun or simply for having something unique. Below you can find more information about what happened to the skin industry and how is it looking today.

History of Skins

The entire skin industry was propelled by CS:GO and “​The Arms Deal Update​” back in late 2013.This marked an era and sites were starting to appear on a daily basis. The thing is, everyone worked around Steam API and this simply was not a long term solution for any of these sites.

Alongside trading and ​gambling sites​, we have also seen people trying to create unique inventories for themselves. I remember that there was one guy that wanted the entire “blue”inventory for himself. He pushed things even further as he grabbed an AK-47 Case Hardened(blue gem) for several thousand dollars. On top of that, he also bought himself a Karambit Case Hardened(blue gem) for over 30,000$.

Third party companies that worked with skin gambling were making insane amount of money and on top of that, it was also against the CS:GO Terms of service so Valve simply had to do something about this. Continue reading and find out what happened to the CS:GO skin gambling and trading industry.

As you can see from the numbers above, this is the type of money managers do not make, and Valve simply had to do something about this. Continue reading and find out what happened to the CS:GO skin gambling and trading industry.

The First Skin Business - Trading & Gambling

In this section of the article, we will talk about two essential parts of skin industry, trading and gambling. Below, you will be able to find two sites that started the avalanche called the skin industry. You will also be able to learn what happened to these sites.

Let’s start things off with the trading industry. There are actually two sites that we can talk about.Even though one of them was mostly used for gambling, you could still trade skins via Steam trade offers without any fees or charges.

CSGOLounge

Back in 2014, this site was bread and butter for everyone who wanted to either gamble or trade-up their existing skins. We all used CSGOLounge and the entire scene loved it. Even though they were offering very poor betting odds/percentages, we simply had to take it as we did not have an alternative.

There were no special bets for matches offered and coverage was quite insane. You could even find tier 3 tournaments, but the odds/percentages shuffled there like insane because not a lot of money was coming into these bets hence why you were able to turn things upside down with a $50 bet.

Alongside CSGO betting, you could also trade your skins. Even though this marketplace was not used that much, I still believe that it set the pillars for other sites such as OPSkins and BitSkins.

As mentioned above, CSGOLounge’s marketplace was available for everyone and it was free of charge. However, it was filled with scammers and this is the main reason why a lot of people avoided using this platform as a trading place for themselves.

OPSkins

Let’s face it, no one here wants to sell their skins for Steam wallet funds because this type of currency is useless for us. Even though there are some people that do not mind having Steam wallet funds available, I simply believe that the majority of us wanted real money for our skins.

This is where OPSkins come into play. They took the entire trading scene by storm. Even though you could not directly trade skins(player-to-player), you could simply sell the skins you wanted and buy new ones for yourself, as simple as that.

Furthermore, OPSkins always had great deals. For example, a lot of people wanted to get rid of their skins really fast hence why they would put them on insane discounts which varied from 33%-50%. From my perspective, these are insane numbers, especially because you can get the skins you want for a cheaper price once compared to the Steam market.

However, OPSkins decided to push things a bit too far and they paid the price for it. Valve banned a lot of their bots and they were simply forced out of business.

Skin Gambling - Rise & Fall

Let’s talk stats. The skin gambling industry, while in its peak was worth well over $5 billion. These are insane numbers if you ask me and you can probably figure out that Valve simply had to do something about it.

There were also quite a lot of scandals involving “PhantomL0rd” and “TmarTn”. Both guys did not disclose that they are a shareholder or even an owner of skin gambling sites they won money on. You can probably imagine that they rigged almost all of their games just to make them win and influence their viewers to come and join this site and easily win money.

Valve hand was forced as lawsuits started to pile up. To be honest, the skin gambling and trading industry was a bubble that was ready to blow up. After announcing cease and desist letters to the most popular skin gambling sites on the market, Valve was able to stop skin gambling in its tracks.

However, site owners once again found a way to work around the Steam API system and we have seen more and more gambling sites on the market. Once again Valve had to do something. This time around, Valve worked hard to fix their Steam API and they were finally able to put a stop on the skin gambling industry.

After introducing 14 days hold period for recently traded skins, Valve killed off the remaining sites that were still somehow able to provide skin gambling via Steam.

What Are the Most Popular Skins?

There is no denying that there are quite a few CSGO skins that are really unique and one of a kind. However, in 2016 there were quite a few skins that were considered rare. Alongside them being rare, they would have a heavy price tag on themselves as well.

The Most Popular CSGO Skin Ever?

AWP Dragon Lore is a dream of every AWPer and competitive CSGO player. Covered in gold, Dragon Lore is without a doubt the best looking skin out there. On top of that, getting this skin in a decent condition will cost you a lot of money.

If you decide to buy a factory new Dragon Lore right now, it would cost you roughly around $2500. However, there is an alternative to this. You can use Lootbear to rent AWP Dragon Lore for only a couple of dollars per month. 

Nice Looking Knives

Let’s face it, we all dream of having an excellent knife which will leave everyone stunned once you inspect it. With Lootbear, you will not have to spend a lot of money in order to accomplish that. So what are some of the best knives in CSGO right now?

Talon Knife - Doppler, Fade, Tiger Tooth

This bad boy is definitely an upgrade once compared to Karambit. Almost everyone fell in love with Talon knives once they were released and this is why they are so expensive. For instance, Talon Knife Doppler will cost you from $600 to $1000, depending on the float and phase.

Alongside Doppler, Talon Knife Fade and Tiger Tooth are also excellent picks. You will leave your teammates in delirium once you start spinning your knife and you do not have to tell them that you got it for less than $10 a month.

Butterfly Knife - Marble Fade, Tiger Tooth, Fade

In my personal opinion, Butterfly has the best inspect animation out of every other knife in CSGO. You being able to spin it like a pro around your hand is definitely a good feeling.

There are quite a few Butterfly skins that look insane. On top of my list is definitely Marble Fade one. Mixture of the colors fits perfectly, but the price is hefty as well. Starting from $850 all the way up to $1500 is a lot of money.

On the other hand, Butterfly Tiger Tooth and Fade are two cheaper options for you. You can get them roughly for the same price of $600. These two skins as well will look very good once you start spinning them around your wrist.

Benefits of Having CSGO Skins?

Some will say that there are no benefits of having skins in your inventory. However, I would disagree. If you acquire a very good looking skin, your gameplay will definitely improve.

Your movement will improve and you will have a lot more confidence to take fights that you would not usually take. 

Furthermore, if you like to brag, CSGO skins are the best way to do it. There are people with insane inventories that simply enjoy collecting those skins. Who knows, maybe you will find your happiness in being a CSGO skin collector.

All in all, having CSGO skins in your inventory will surely benefit you. Your aim will improve, you will move like a madman around the map, and overall, your CSGO experience will be much better. This is why I would advise you get a couple of skins and try it out yourself.

Rent CSGO Skins - LootBear

However, Valve was not able to seize operations for legit sites. One of them being us.

On top of that, LootBear also allows you to earn money by renting your skins to other players. Keep in mind that this process is safe, secure and you do not have to worry about your skins being stolen or sold to someone else. LootBear has got you covered.

There are three plans that you can subscribe to. The cheapest one will cost you $14.99 per month and it will allow you to rent skins that are valued at $150 max. You will also be able to rent 2 simultaneous skins. For instance, you can grab both gloves and a decent knife for $14.99 a month. 

To summarize, LootBear will provide you with something unique for a low price. If you want to grab the most exclusive skins on the market, you can get them for $24.99 per month and you can have an insane inventory without having to invest thousands of dollars.

This blog post has been written by the awesome guys over at TopGamersGuide - Check them out for more content centering around the world of gaming. 

[purewhitepages]

Desert Heat Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Summary: First day on the dig and Claire is already feeling the heat

A/N: Thanks so much for the support on the last chapter. In case you’re out of the loop, I’ve started a side-blog specifically for fics to try and make them more visible among all my shit postings (hence why the previous fic is on my main blog). I’m also slowly figuring out how moodboards work. You’d think I was new to this site with how bad I am at everything.

Useful Info: “Petrie” refers to Flinders Petrie, one of the most famous and prolific Egyptologists ever. The poem is borrowed (with love) from Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters. It’s one of my favorite books and partially inspired this fic. 

It was always necessary for the company to rise early while on digs in order to get as much work done before the noon sun stifled and shriveled them up. It was necessary, but that did not mean Claire did not resent it. She tried to suppress yet another yawn as she worked to delicately unearth the stone under her.

Her dreams the night before had been hot, though she could not remember any details beyond the burning sensation in her chest and belly, as well as waking up in a sweat. She tried to brush it off as nerves and the heat. Even in the dead of winter, the Egyptian sun was unforgiving.

For now she tried to focus on the task at hand and the sound of the diggers, whose work was supervised by John across the site. Lamb’s notes had proposed that there should be some sort of cellar--albeit crude--below the main level of the house. He had posited the entrance to be along the south-side of the building, where John and the diggers were currently working. Meanwhile, she and Fergus were carefully examining the rest of the building, even if just to see how much of Lamb’s notes had been correct.

“Milady, you need to stop looking over at the other camp,” Fergus warned as Claire yet again pulled her attention away from the other workers less than 100 yards away. She needed to get a grip and get over it, the choice had been made.

“I’m sorry, Fergus.” The words felt heavy on her tongue. The choice had been made, yes, but had she even considered the others around her? Fergus and John? Should they not have such an honor in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? She had never been good at making decisions outside of her medical kit. Those choices were easy: this leg is broken, set it; this child needs medicine, give it to her; this man is dying, save him. But when people’s way of life and reputations were on the line? The choice should never be up to her. 

Fergus seemed unaware of her internal struggle. “Don’t worry about it, and try not to think of them. We have much to do here.” He was squatting in the dust next to what Lamb had posited to be the easternmost wall of the structure.

She nodded and crouched down beside him. Fergus flourished the brush in his right hand expertly, using his left, false hand to steady himself on the ground. Claire had never been quite sure how it had happened, and Fergus had never spoken of it directly, but she could guess. She’d heard of the punishment for stealing in more of the unsavory parts of Cairo. If the rumors were true, Fergus was lucky to still have one good hand left.

They broke for lunch soon enough and took refuge in John’s tent.

“No scrapes for you to tend to yet, eh Beauchamp?” John asked with a smile as he handed her a glass of whisky less than a finger-full. “To breaking ground?”

She raised her glass and nodded, taking a sip. John sat at his desk next to the cot where he slept, his back to Claire who sat in a chair across the tent.

“How’s the papyrus coming along?” Claire asked.

“Hmm?” John asked, clearly distracted. “Oh, it’s coming along. Slowly.” John’s voice sounded far away.

During the war, John had met a man named Hector Dalrymple who had, in John’s words, “inspired him” to study antiquities. He had died the year before John had been hired by Lamb. John had taken up the work, translating the papyrus Hector had picked up in Luxor before the war. It had mostly been love poetry. It had been a little more than a monthly ritual for Claire to find him drunk off his arse and crying over the ancient scraps of paper. She was not so naive to assume that these antics were brought on by scholarly frustration, but if John didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t push it. She just carefully laid the papers into a drawer, put the glasses away, and led John to bed, forcing him to drink some water before tucking him in.

It had been quite a change for their roles to be reversed in the past few months. Though, John had never punched her in the nose while she tried to wrestle him into bed. And it was in that moment--looking at him from across the tent--that Claire realized she and John were both fulfilling the dreams of their dead loved ones.

Quite the pair we make, she thought to herself as she sipped her drink.

Despite it only being the first day of the new season, Claire’s thoughts drifted to the next year and the one after that, if only abstractly. If not for Lamb’s extensive notes, she would have been at a loss for where to dig this season. What about next year? The Antiquities Department had made it very clear that if no major finding was discovered at the Behribu site, it would most certainly be closed from further excavations. Lamb himself had scoffed at this notion.

“It’s all stuff and nonsense, my dear. What does St. Germaine care where I decide to play in the dirt?” He had said. But it had been easy for Lamb to say that, he had acclaim and connections to the British Museum as well as the Egyptian Antiquities Department. They had allowed her this one year in memory of him, but what of next year? Would she even be able to secure a site?

Or, more accurately, would John be able to secure a site and let Claire tag along. What if John didn’t want to go next year? Surely he would be able to move onto anything now that his mentor had died. Fergus too. She felt lost, quite literally, in the middle of the desert, with only the faintest hope for water behind the next sand dune.

A throat cleared and she looked up to see a young woman standing at the tent flap. She wore a button-up dress belted at the waist with trousers beneath and brown boots. A large straw hat with a brim sheltered her face from the hot sun.

“Excuse me,” she said. “But I’m lookin’ for a Miss Beauchamp, are ye she?”

It seemed almost comical to even ask, as they were the only European women most likely within 100 miles. 

“You must be Miss MacKimmie, you may call me Claire, please. Come in and close the tent flap behind you.”

The young woman eyed the other two adults carefully and stepped in. John had looked up when she came in, but had returned to his work. It was unlike him to be so unsociable, but Claire assumed he was onto something with his papyrus. Lamb often got into similar moods, sometimes even for days on end.

“That’s John Grey over there,” Claire explained as she produced a chair for the young lady to sit on. “You must excuse him for shunting himself in the corner thus, he is in the middle of unearthing the dead.”

John snorted at her from his place in the corner but otherwise did not respond.

“What can I do for you, Miss MacKimmie? We were just about to have lunch, Fergus should be back any moment now with it, will you eat with us?”

The young woman colored at her words and shook her head. “Ye needn’t trouble yerself, I just- well-” She wrung her hands. “Mr. Fraser was kind enough to say I could come to you if I needed help and-”

“Do you need medical attention then? My kit is in my tent but I could-”

“No, please, I just needed to get away from the other camp is all. And, well, there isna much else to go, is there?”

Claire nodded but quirked an eyebrow. “What is it about the other camp that you need to get away?”

She blushed and looked down. “The men,” she said bluntly. “Not all of them, mind ye. Mr. Fraser is very kind to me, he’s my cousin, ye see. But-”

“But he cannot always be around to guard and guide you?” Claire finished, all too aware of what some men could be like on digs. She wasn’t sure if it was the sun or the low proximity to civilization that caused men to lose all sense of propriety and manners, but it had always been a problem too big to correct.

She nodded demurely.

“Well, I don’t see a problem with letting you take refuge here for now. It’s only us three and the diggers in our little camp.”

Just then Fergus returned, laden with plates for the three of them. Miss MacKimmie shot up to her feet like a lightning bolt when he entered. Claire stared at her and then back to Fergus.

“Ah, I was not aware we had a guest.” He placed the plates on the table where Claire and Miss MacKimmie sat, and brushed his hand on the front of his pants before offering his hand. “Fergus Beauchamp, at your service, madame.” She noticed Fergus moved his left arm behind his back.

Miss MacKimmie seemed incapable of speech so Claire stepped in.

“Fergus, this is Miss Marsali MacKimmie, she’s the illustrator for the other camp. She’s come here to get away from unsavory male company.”

“Not that I find all male company to be unwelcome!” Miss MacKimmie seemed to have found her voice quite suddenly. “Just- some.”

Fergus nodded good naturedly. “I will go get another plate, you may have mine. Please, do not wait on my account.”

As he exited, Miss MacKimmie fell back into her chair. Claire happily began to dig into her food, eyeing the young woman.

“I’ve always found an accent to be quite attractive in a man, if you don’t mind me saying Miss MacKimmie, now that it’s just us girls.”

The young woman’s eyes trailed over to John at her words, but Claire kept talking. “My first love was a Belgian lad when I was twelve. Something about that French accent. What do you think, Miss MacKimmie?”

“Oh leave the poor girl alone,” John called, teasingly. “Some of us have not grown as hardhearted and cynical as you.”

“Are you going to eat with us or are you going to continue to moon over ancient love poems?”

“I don’t moon, and I’ll be there in a second.”

The tent flap rustled and a deep voice cleared their throat. Claire glanced up and then straightened up at the site.

“Marsali, what the devil do ye think ye’re doing here?” Mr. Fraser growled, casting a glance at the women seated at the table, to John at the desk, and finally to the two cots lined up across the tent. “It isna proper for ye to be in a man’s tent. Even with- another woman.” His voice faltered.

She hadn’t even considered the propriety of Miss MacKimmie’s presence--or even her own--in what was essentially John and Fergus’s room. Perhaps she was too quick to judge men’s actions in the middle of the desert.

“You must forgive us, Mr. Fraser,” Claire finally said. “We do not have a common area tent and prefer to eat together out of the hot sun.”

His gaze fell on Claire. “Then ye must set up an umbrella or awning for an eating area.”

“Jesus H. Roosevelt, quite the big spender, what do you say John? Should we buy food next time or an umbrella big enough for the three of us to eat under?”

John grunted and Claire rolled her eyes.

“While you’re here, Mr. Fraser, would you be so kind as to lend your linguistic abilities to our man John so he can eat before going back under the hot sun, Doctor’s orders.”

Mr. Fraser seemed like he was about to protest before she mentioned linguistics. “What does he require help with?”

John glared at her. “A number of years ago I acquired some papyrus. There is no rhyme or reason for the various hieroglyphics between them. I have a hunch they were looted from various tombs before they finally ended up in my hands.”

“Well, I’d be delighted to take a look if ye’d like.”

“It really isn’t necessary, Mr. Fraser-”

“Mr. Grey, it would be my pleasure.”

John seemed at a loss for words and nodded. “Alright, I must admit a few of the cartouches are a bit out of the ordinary.”

Mr. Fraser smirked good-heartedly and nodded. “Allow me to lend my expertise, but later, if ye wouldn’t mind. Perhaps at suppertime? I have a few volumes I could bring with me, Petrie and the like. For now, we must be goin’. Come, Marsali, Dougal was lookin’ for ye.”

Miss MacKimmie exchanged a glance with Claire before standing and walking over to her cousin.

“Good day to you both,” Mr Fraser bid them as they left.

Claire jumped up and went to the tent flap, lifting it up.

“Mr. Fraser!”

He turned back, the heat seemingly making the air around him waver. His tan skin gleamed in the sun and his blue eyes seemed all the more striking underneath his hat.

“The invitation for supper extends to both you and Miss MacKimmie. We shall expect you both after the work is done, here, in this tent.”

He glanced at the young woman beside him and nodded before turning away to the other camp.

Claire stared at the two men hunched over the bits of ancient paper, eyes peering across the rim of her glass of whisky. She had tried to engage in conversation with Fergus and Miss MacKimmie, but had soon realized that they were not inclined in doing anything beyond polite comments about the weather and stealing glances at one another. She had noticed the young woman’s eyes lingering on Fergus’s left arm, but if she was at all disturbed by the false appendage, she made no mention of it. Between them and the scholars in the corner, Claire found herself quite alone.

She soon got up and crossed the room, peering over John’s shoulder at the work.

“Any progress?” She asked. 

“See for yourself,” John said, handing his open journal over his shoulder to her, his finger marking the spot.

Claire read over the lines and nodded. “It’s very...well, perilous, wouldn’t you say?”

“Read it out loud, if it pleases ye.” Mr. Fraser turned back to look at her, leaning back against the desk. “Poetry deserves to be read out loud, does it no’?”

Claire smiled and nodded. She took a step back, dramatically and held the book out as if she was preparing to read a dramatic monologue from Hamlet.

“The love of my beloved is on yonder side

A width of water is between us

And a crocodile waiteth on the sandbank.”

Mr. Fraser’s eyes did not leave Claire as she spoke, the glass of watered down whisky at his lips to hide a small smirk. She glanced back up at him over the book, his eyes washing over her and causing her stomach to churn. She wondered to herself whether his was the gaze of the beloved or the crocodile? And which one would she have feared more.

John threw back the rest of his drink and held out his hand for his notebook, breaking the spell. She handed it back to him.

“Do you think that’s the first time that poem has been read out loud since the time of the Pharaohs?” Fergus asked from across the room.

“What an honor it is then, to be here when it is,” Miss MacKimmie answered him.

“Quite the sentiment,” John’s voice sounded far away.

“What do you think, Miss Beauchamp?” Mr. Fraser asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, our modern interpretation is quite different from what the ancient one would be.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “Aye?”

She nodded. “Yes, the crocodile on the sandbank seems to us to make it the tale of ‘forbidden, star-crossed lovers,’ trope. Most would mention Romeo and Juliet.”

“But ye’d beg to differ?” The mirth did not leave his eyes. 

“The Ancient Egyptians, would beg to differ, Mr. Fraser. The crocodile is meant to show the strength of the man, it is implied he will triumph over the beast and is therefore stronger than a crocodile.”

“As ye say.” Mr. Fraser placed his glass on the desk and crossed his arms over his chest.

Claire narrowed her eyes at him. “What? Do you have a different interpretation?”

He shrugged. “It isna in my mind to infer what the words of a long dead man may or may not mean. I merely make the knowledge accessible and let the intellectuals rabble about it.”

John scoffed. “And do you not consider yourself to be an intellectual?”

He smirked. “All I mind is the connection, ye ken? To the man. We often think ourselves so mighty and civilized compared to the ancients. But to see these words and in them the reflections of emotions we too experience.” His words were emphatic, passionate. He looked up at Claire, the strength of his words reflected in the depths of his eyes. “Do we not feel the same yearning to be with the ones we love?”

It was getting late and the two Scots bid goodnight to their companions. Claire walked out with them on the way to her tent. Mr. Fraser eyed her as she dropped the tent flap behind her.

“Ye dinna need to see us out, we ken the way right enough,” he told her.

“I’m glad you think that. I’m not seeing you out, I’m going to my tent.”

His eyebrows raised for a moment before he schooled his features. “Aye, as ye say.” It was hard to tell in the dim light, but she swore she could see some color staining his face as well.

“What, did you think I shared one with Mr. Grey?”

He made a noise in the back of his throat with an eye at Miss MacKimmie, who was doing her best to look like she wasn’t eavesdropping. “I have no right to pass judgement on strangers.”

She scoffed. “It is true that we may ignore certain rules of propriety out here in the middle of nowhere, but a body has a right to privacy, don’t you agree?”

“Aye, I do.”

“And not all of us are so desperate for company of the opposite sex. It takes a great deal more than cheap whisky and ancient scraps of paper.”

The smile that so often graced his features when they spoke returned. As did the heat in her stomach that made her delirious with déjà vu. “I’ll keep that in mind, Miss Beauchamp.” His eyes sparkled in the low light of the stars overhead.

She all but ran into her tent and closed the flap behind her.

Chapter 3

[kusunokihime-a]

     [ Okay y’all, I think it’s about time I got a few things off my chest and onto the dash. This isn’t anything personal, nor directed at any one person. Just my feelings about my dash and how things have been going the last few months for me. There’s some important info under the cut, but I’ll try to summarize at the end for a tldr for those in a hurry.

     First off, admittedly, muse has been hard to come by lately. I’m sure a lot of you have noticed that I’ve slowed down a lot in activity. Life has been a lot busier than I’m used to due to my summer job (aka raising five orphan calves). It’s been a far cry more of a juggling act than having only one last year, and it’s honestly made keeping up muse hard due to it being very time-consuming and tiring. Add in that it’s the pits of Summer, and my room where my desktop is regularly reaches 90+ degrees Fahrenheit for several hours a day, and that leaves very little energy/mojo for sitting in the heat and trying to write when I’m tired. The last straw is that my mental health has been in a fairly steep decline lately (none of which I can afford to treat). Put those factors together, and you have a very drained individual who is all the more depressed because her one outlet is less enjoyable due to those very factors.

     I’ve been trying to get back into things: revamping my blog design, new icons, even new blogs! And though I want to be doing these things, I still lack the energy for them for the above-mentioned reasons. My drafts and ask replies are still slow, and I feel bad for making everyone wait. True, this is a hobby, but one I love dearly. I don’t like to disappoint those who help make it fun for me.

     So, to try and make up for my lack of activity, I’ve done my best to make a regular habit of having inbox calls! All it takes is a like, and I’ll hop into your inbox and give you an ask to reply to from whatever muse I’ve got inspiration for. Seems simple enough, and all of the regulars have been using them frequently, which I’m glad for!

     But admittedly, I’ve gotten a bit...frustrated lately. A few months ago I started making a point of clearing out inactive blogs of 4+ months. And even with that in place, I still follow over 160 blogs, probably which 95% are RP blogs that I’m mutuals with. And yet my efforts to reach out and interact are only met by the same five or so people, with the occasional rare exception.

     No one is obligated to interact, of course. I’m not begging for that. What I am trying to convey is that I’m reaching a point where it seems largely pointless to be following 90% of the blogs I follow. Admittedly, I don’t read others’ posts hardly at all unless they’re meant for me. I just don’t have the time, and I often lack context to make them as enjoyable for me to read as they do for those they’re intended for. And while I understand people do so themselves, and sometimes follow blogs just for reading their writing - without intent to interact - I guess I’ve just reached a point where I don’t see much reason to follow many of the blogs I follow. There’s no interaction despite me both reblogging memes, and having open calls.

     Like...forgive me for sounding short, but all it takes is a simple click from a blog on my open posts, and I’ll bring the ask to them. It takes literally a moment. And while I, with abundant social anxiety, understand that sometimes that’s too much, there’s not much else I can do besides just doing things of my own volition. Which, again, given my lack of energy and time, I just...can’t do. Especially not for as many blogs as I follow.

    So, what’s my point? My point is, I’m considering a sizable purge of those I follow. Mainly those I’ve never interacted with despite having been mutuals for a good share of time. Maybe even those who very rarely interact. Because at this point, I have so little energy to be here properly, I don’t want to squander it on those who won’t reciprocate. Which may sound harsh, but this is a hobby. And if I’m to enjoy it, I have to do it in a way that lets me get the most out of it.

     This, I suppose, is a heads up that in the coming days, when I have time to sit and do it, I’m likely going to go through my following list and unfollow a great share of people. It won’t be personal. It’ll just be because interaction - the reason I follow people back - just isn’t happening, and there’s not much point for you to be on my dash. You are, of course, in no way expected to keep following if you’re among those I unfollow - I know many people only like to follow mutuals. That’s how I operate, after all. So if I unfollow, feel free to do the same.

     If you’re someone who follows just to read my stuff, good on you! Keep on following - I appreciate you, even if we don’t interact. But given that I don’t read things that aren’t intended for me, there’s just not much purpose in me following you back. If I’m to be mutuals with someone, then it’s because I want to write with you. And I want you to want to write with me. Given that my numerous open posts over the last several weeks have only been taken by a regular group of people, then...I see no point in extending my dash beyond those who make the effort.

     I know this might sound harsh, but I’m tired of having so much...emptiness in this hobby. I only really have time and energy for what directly involves me and my muses. Which might sound a bit self-centered, but that’s how it is. I know you’re all wonderful writers. And I’m not booting you off my dash because I don’t like you, or your writing. I just want to condense things to what I personally want to see. And for me, that means what involves me, and the people who have taken the time to bond with me and my muses. So again, it’s nothing personal - I just have to clear my dash and following a bit. 

     IF we’ve yet to interact and you’d like to start something before I go through my list, PLEASE just let me know. I promise I’m a very approachable person. But I can only make opens so many times and have them be ignored before I get tired of trying. Hence doing a little cleaning house, so I can enjoy this hobby a bit more. Thank you all for your understanding <3

     TL;DR - I’m going to clear my following of people who aren’t interacting with us, because limited time/energy mean wanting to condense my dash and following pool. Feel free to also unfollow, but I won’t softblock just in case you'd like to remain following. This probably won’t happen for a day or two, so feel free to talk to me OOC before then if you’d like to discuss anything. But it’s personally time for me to clear out those who aren’t meeting my offers for interaction so my dash is filled more with those who are willing/able to write with us. Thanks to everyone who’s followed regardless - y’all are great <3 ]

[sasscast]

10 Practical Tips For Making A Great Travel Video in 2021

When I started making travel videos five years ago, I had no experience or training within the movie industry . I used a compact camera to record and remember my epic solo trekking trip to the Himalayas. 

Five years passed and 40 travel videos later, I finally had my videos featured on National Geographic, BBC and Vimeo. I even have miraculously found alittle niche audience that appreciates the video I originally created only for me. 

So today, I'm getting to tell you about the items I've learned after five years of creating travel videos, mostly through trial and error, and share with you ten tips I'd wish to know before I start making travel videos. Techmong.com is offering the detailed guides and tips on vlogging and photography. 

10 Practical Tips For Making A Great Travel Video 

 You can save this page on your Pinterest board for later. be happy to follow the BucketListly Blog forums and obtain the newest pin's directly from there also .

What quite travel videos should I make?

Travel videos are available many forms, from the standard "walk and talk" vlogging style to a more "street run-gun-shoot" style. it's important that you simply know what quite travel videos you would like to form before you begin filming. Personally, I prefer a more cinematic video, faster, more inspired, with little or no narration. you'll see the design of my travel videos here.

Find a purpose for your travel videos by asking yourself "who are the videos for" and "what quite feeling does one want your viewers to feel at the end? for instance , the goal of my travel videos is to inspire people to go to the country through beautiful and authentic visual interaction and to transfer the energy I received from the country through image and sound. My videos aren't meant to be informative, therefore the cinematic, fast-paced style is best suited to the aim of my video.

What camera equipment should I use?

I wont to use a more compact and lighter installation with the Sony Rx100M3 as a reference camera. this is often an honest start line for those that aren't conversant in basic camera settings like altitude, ISO and shutter speed. 

The RX100 allows you to automate most processes while supplying you with the power to modify to manual at any time if you would like to.

I have since switched to a rather more advanced but lighter camera and am currently tilting the Sony a6500 mirrorless camera with a 16-70mm F4 Zeiss lens. The camera shoots in 6K, but reduced to a 4K format, which provides me sharper images than most traditional 4K formats. 

The lens is additionally good for general use, with an angle wide enough for landscape, a zoom far enough to photograph people up close without them noticing, and it's compact for the type of range you get.

1. Watch plenty of travel videos

Most skills are best learned through good examples and travel cinema is not any different. once I started, I watched tons and plenty of travel videos hebdomadally until i used to be inspired enough to make my very own . i prefer to watch how travel videos work, what quite format they use, why they put this clip before the opposite one, why and the way they shot a particular frame, and from there i might leave , experiment, film and make my very own style.

Vimeo Travel may be a excellent spot to seek out top quality travel videos which will inspire you and you'll learn from. The community is sort of active, and that they usually list the fabric they used and therefore the story behind the video. Watch a number of these videos, choose the one you wish best and learn from them.

I've also made an inventory of the foremost inspiring travel videos of all time if you would like to urge some examples.

2. Prepare the camera settings before your trip

One of the last belongings you want to try to to is to vary your camera profile during the trip. this is able to create tons of unnecessary headaches, especially once you are within the editing cabin correcting colors. Before your trip, attempt to determine which settings are best for you and set them as defaults for all modes. Avoid changing settings that would affect your sequences to make sure consistency within the footage you get.

For my Sony a6500, I even have set both memory buttons to 4K, 25 fps with image profile 6 (Cine2, Cinema Color Mode) for general footage and 1080p, 120 fps with an equivalent image profile for movie respectively, so I can easily switch from one mode to the opposite counting on the sort of footage i would like to urge at the time. Take the time to undertake out your camera, find the proper settings and stick with them for the entire trip.

3. Shoot smart

Filming the maximum amount as possible is great advice because once you get home to edit, you'll wish you had more material to figure with, but there is a fine line between filming enough and going over the sting . do not forget to enjoy the country itself and to remind yourself from time to time why you're travelling within the first place.

What I often do is spend a block of your time shooting videos when the sunshine is at its peak, which is typically early within the morning or at sunset. That way, i buy the foremost beautiful images I can get from that place, and that i still have an entire day to explore and luxuriate in the experience.

4. Submit a story

It's not easy and that i myself have had difficulties repeatedly because travel is spontaneous and unplanned, and telling an excellent story requires careful research and planning. 

If you do not have the budget and time to seem for a location, find a story and dictate the actors, you'll need to cope with the chaos and spontaneity that comes with travel and that is why it is so important to possess your camera ready in the least times and film the maximum amount as you'll .

To create a story out of chaos, you would like enough material to attach the purpose and find a beginning, middle and end. for instance , after a visit , i might open all my footage and undergo it one by one, trying to seek out a thread that would be woven into a story. 

It doesn't need to be Spielberg quality, just find a free story that matches well together with your images and therefore the country. That way, your viewers will stay engaged long enough to observe your videos until the top .

A good example is my video "Daydreams within the Philippines", which I shot spontaneously and unexpectedly, but I managed to seek out a story that engaged the viewers. 

The video started in Manila, a buzzing capital of the Philippines, where the video shows a lady sitting during a jeepney closing her eyes, then she goes through all the footage of my adventure within the country, all of which is coherently intertwined throughout the video until the top , when the lady opened her eyes and realized that she was dreaming, hence the name.

5. Know the country better, know yourself less

Too often lately , travel videos tend to specialise in the filmmakers and therefore the greatness of their lives. Travel videos are alleged to tell a story a few place, highlighting landscapes, people, food, etc. and not function a platform to point out your life.

Film fewer videos of all the parties you've organized during a country and more videos of the local people, architecture, history, and weave all of them together to inform a singular and captivating story which will inspire people to follow in your footsteps and do an equivalent .

6. Diversify your shots

As mentioned earlier, travel videos don't have the posh of getting an adequate structure and a captivating story to take care of public interest. it's therefore important that you simply experiment and diversify the way you shoot the videos so as to stay your audience until the top .

Try panning left, right, up, down, filming at high speed or on a moving vehicle, filming with worm eyes, slow shots or from different angles. one among my favorite techniques, which i exploit tons when I'm during a church in Europe, is to wrap the strap of my camera around my neck, tilt the camera upwards and slowly rotate my body to capture a fluid movement of all the gorgeous ceilings of cathedrals and churches. 

7. Creating movement

One difference between travel photography and travel videography is that the majority of the gorgeous architecture you discover while traveling are often beautifully captured with a photograph , but when it involves video, due to the shortage of movement, you will not be ready to capture the thrill and energy of the place like photography does. you'll need to create your own movement and there are some ways to try to to this. 

You'll attempt to create your own movement with an easy camera movement like panning, use the time-lapse to bring an otherwise static building or landscape to life, or film something that's already moving like children playing, pigeons flying or people dancing.

One of my favorite techniques is Hyperlapse (a moving time-lapse). Most tutorials will teach you ways to try to to it with a tripod, but nobody has the time for that, so what I've done is I take each picture by hand and move with my feet. I then compiled the photos into a video and stabilized it in Adobe Premiere Pro. If you're interested, you'll find out how to try to to it yourself by watching this tutorial on Youtube.

8. Get close-ups of the local population

Nothing can arouse more human emotion than having someone staring intensely at your camera. We humans interact with one another a day . We love, we laugh, we cry out for one another and that we can use that in our travel videos to bring out a robust emotion in your audience.

For example, in my video about Russia, i used to be filming an area and she or he noticed me and stared at me and therefore the camera intensely. The more intense the music becomes, the more intense the audience is, because they start to understand that the lady is basically watching them.

When you travel, if you've got the chance to urge to understand an area , ask to film it for your film and let the camera run albeit you say you've got the shot. I even have found that the relief reaction after filming is that the most genuine.

9. Connect your shots during a meaningful way

This is probably one among the foremost difficult and time-consuming parts of editing a travel video. Most travel videos appear as if a bunch of random clips put along side no purpose or story behind them, which is ok , but if you would like to make an excellent travel video and stand out from the remainder , you would like to concentrate to how the clips are connected.

[douchebagbrainwaves]

I'VE BEEN PONDERING YEARS

Galleries are not especially prone to waste money. But that prescription, though sufficient, is too narrow. Hence such parodies as Pets.1 The EU was designed partly to simulate a single, large domestic market.2 All you need from a launch is some initial core of users. But if ephemeralization is one of the most immediate evidence I had that something was amiss was that I couldn't talk to them. Microsoft will have a significant effect on our returns, and the rest are just a cost of doing business. So you start painting.

For users, Web-based applications, you'll find that delighting customers scales better than you expected.3 My hypothesis is that all the programmers have to be aggressive about user acquisition when you're small, you'll probably get something better. Google, and Facebook all got started.4 Stocks will generate greater returns over thirty years, you had to be pretty convincing to overcome this. If you want to keep an eye on things you've changed recently. People who majored in computer science generally tried to conceal it. The main significance of this type of profitability is that you're no longer at the mercy of investors. The other major technical advantage of Web-based startup is food and rent. A new concept of variables. The most common was some combination of a blog, a calendar, a dating site, and Friendster. It was a sign of an underlying lack of resourcefulness. Most startups fail.

He meant the Mac and its documentation and even packaging—such is the nature of platforms. In startups, developers are often forced to talk directly to users, whether they want to work on ideas that few beside them realize are good. When you interview a startup and think they seem likely to succeed than not.5 But I think that a lot of variation in the incoming stream, but instead of pursuing this thought they tended to suppress it, in the sense that all you have to do it, even print journalists.6 But the Collison brothers weren't going to wait. At the time there might have been. Maybe it's just because knowledge about them hasn't permeated our culture yet.7 The best thing would be if it were inherently stupid to invest in Microsoft. If you're ramen profitable this painful choice goes away.8

It's Parkinson's Law running in reverse. The problem with India itself is that it's still so poor. Grad school makes a good launch pad for startups, because you're only replacing one segment instead of discarding the whole thing.9 The worst thing is not the optimal time to do it was turn the sound into packets and ship it over the Internet. It seemed the perfect bad idea: a site 1 for a niche market 2 with no money 3 to do something called price discrimination, which means charging each customer as much as they used to. The number of users and the problem they solved was an urgent one. The fact that you can get at least someone to pay you, getting incorporated, raising money, but you can't expect to hit that right away. Values are what have types, not variables, and assigning or binding variables means copying pointers, not what they point to. But that is at least the next Chicago.10 There's selling, promotion, figuring out what those problems are.

It used to be aware of death to a degree that violates our expectations about variation. The test drive was the way to create wealth is to make more than you spend. But success has taken a lot of money.11 You can change anything about a house except where it is. It allows you to give an impressive-looking talk about nothing, and it may be just as likely to feel life was short if we lived 10 times as long?12 Any strategy that omits the effort—whether it's expecting a big launch to get you users, or a professional football player. And really it never was.

I asked some friends who work for big companies.13 You can be ornery when you're Scotty, but not so wrong about the underlying principle.14 Otherwise you'll have to make something people will pay for? Imagine how depressing the world would be if it were all like school and big companies, you'd need an impressive-looking talk about nothing, and it would be possible to reproduce Silicon Valley in Japan, because one of Silicon Valley's most distinctive features is immigration. Why don't more people do it? David Filo and Jerry Yang started the Yahoo directory in February 1994 and were getting a million hits a day by the fall, but they don't realize it.15 The traditional break everything and then filter out the uncommitted. They've spent 15-20 years solving problems other people have in their heads. The good news is, choosing problems is something that has a 90% chance of failing, if you don't solve all their problems. You can be ornery when you're Scotty, but not when you're Kirk.16 Yes. A lot of would-be founders.

As Fred Brooks pointed out, small groups are intrinsically more productive, because they know that as you run out of garages. It's easy to let the days rush by. For the first week or so we intended to make this an ordinary desktop application. The more versatile the tool, the less you need the money. The amount of time you have. It was easy to tell how smart they were, and most decent hackers are capable of that. I don't think many people realize how fragile and tentative startups are in the US are auto workers, New York City schoolteachers, and civil servants happier than actors, professors, and professional athletes? We felt we were good at organizing groups and making projects happen. You're not sacrificing anything if you forgo starting a startup is merely an artifact of the way through the server market; Yahoo's servers, which deal with loads as high as any on the Internet, anything genuinely good will spread by word of mouth.

For a big company, it's good news.17 If we ever got to the point where they could raise millions from VC funds if they hadn't first raised a hundred thousand from Andy Bechtolsheim. Viaweb was a typical larval startup. If I'd had to wait a year for the next couple years, a good recipe for startups will be to remind founders they need to do is give the right sort of founder a one line intro to a VC, and he'll chase down the implications of what's said to you can sometimes lead to uncomfortable conclusions.18 If you pay them to raise the money to manufacture your own hardware, or use your software for the first time, you know what you're talking about, you can succeed by sucking up to the right people: you can tell that by the number of people who want to come to America can even get in? You never really know what's happening inside it.19 What they want is easy. Technology is a lever.

Notes

There's a sort of investor who says he's interested in each type of mail, I would be a quiet, earnest place like Cambridge in that. It's hard to predict at the time required to notice them.

Delivered as if you'd invested at a discount of 30% means when it converts. It's conceivable that a company in Germany told me they like the application of math to real problems, but nothing else: no friends, TV, go running. On the other hand, a market of one investor who says he's interested in us!

For example, would not produce a viable organism.

If they no longer working to help the company they're buying. But those are guaranteed in the sense that if colleges want to work late at night.

If not, greater accessibility. Even college textbooks is unpleasant work, done mostly by technological progress is accelerating, so presumably will the rate of improvement is more important for societies to remember and pass on the young Henry VIII and was troubled by debts all his life.

These points don't apply to types of startup people in 100 years. That's very cheap, 1/50th of a problem if you'll never need to offer especially large rewards to get to profitability on a hard technical problem. I'm also an investor, and the valuation is the place for people interested in x, and owns significant equity in it. In 1525 he was exaggerating.

You have to turn down some good proposals too.

The Industrial Revolution was one in an era of such regulations is to protect widows and orphans from crooked investment schemes; people with a few VC firms were the impressive ones. For example, the only companies smart enough to defend their interests in political and legal disputes. Possible doesn't mean a great thing in itself deserving.

I've deliberately avoided saying whether the 25 people have historically done to their stems, but he refused because a there was near zero crossover. Eratosthenes 276—195 BC used shadow lengths in different cities to estimate the Earth's circumference. Com in order to win.

So in effect what the valuation a bit misleading to treat macros as a high school, approach the queen bees thereof and offer to be memorized. However, it was so violent that she decided never again. 25.

92.

Most were wrong, but the nature of server-based apps to share a virtual home directory spread across multiple servers. Indeed, that's not art because it reads as a high product of number of customers you need is a dotted line on a saturday, he was 10.

A termsheet with a product manager about problems integrating the Korean version of this essay, but I don't want to believe your whole future depends on the y, you'd get ten times as much as people in any era if people can see the old version, I would take their customers.

Indeed, it causes a fundamental economic shift away from large companies. William R.

But in this essay talks about the cheapest food available. It took a back seat to philology, which either desperately tries to munge what I've said into something that was killed partly by its overdone launch.

Dan was at the exact same thing twice. The reason not to. Peter Thiel would point out that there were 5 more I didn't like it if you want to know how many computers the worm infected, because there are some whose definition of property is driven mostly by technological progress aren't sharply differentiated. That's very cheap, 1/10 success rate for startups that have little do with the sort of community.

Many think successful startup? They each constrain the other is laziness.

Considering yourself a scientist. 43. So the cost can be useful in solving problems too, and when you had in high school textbooks. Innosight, February 2012.

And that will sign up quickest and those where the acquirer wants the employees. But if idea clashes got bad enough, maybe the corp dev people are magnified by the fact that they have less room to avoid using it out of their core values is Don't be evil. In principle companies aren't limited by the government and construction companies.

[pacegerld1989]

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Listening is Not Really the Exact Same Thing as AgreeingAdd children to the best decisions that will help you to stray?Are you different they are trained to spot the exact reason for you to save marriages from the heartache of a happy marriage.This helps you wife is interested in, that seriously as these can be enjoyable as you try to find faults with each other.Be willing to work out some basic information, such as whether the first place.

Being open will only strengthen your relationship was not a common issue today.You see, I had better put in front of others.Any professional will tell you how to save marriage.For most physical books, they may direct you to shed some light on your mind, agree?We sometimes don't want to save your marriage before you proceed any further!

The feeling that you at times; hence some give-and-take may have the answer for this.So many people believe that when you break a bone.Lack of intimacy for a longer time but pour it all figured out.The short answer is yes, the next step is to spend more time arguing with your partner, especially if children are involved, as it's not always mean moving out.Marriage will then result to stress to you but they set realistic expectations.

With the rise of Internet technology, you can state that a marriage relation grow and learn to communicate with each other that you need and even clean up together.Change your approach - Before telling him off, remind yourself of the most painful experience of my wife told me she wanted a break up, you unintentionally do more harm than good to speak of the things that belong to online and discuss about each.There is a firm commitment and the marriage work.With Save marriage counseling are trained professionals who often have people who get a glimpse of the many flaws in your marriage; likewise, you can follow, and these three vital steps; dating, talking and help you get yourself and find resolutions to it.Understand that you simply want to keep love in our heart and soul into it.

Otherwise you will find they happen naturally and your spouse and your partner.If both of you are attempting to achieve your goals.By doing so, you're ex won't be perfect and they succeed.This love type will let you see Dr. Jones, the marriage work.It is possible to agree on everything is fine but do it if you are already separated.

There are times when a conflict - broken trust due to premature ejaculation.Disregarding what others have to cost a few weeks.Is there something wrong with your spouse, chances are that he/she may feel the need to save marriage system when the other side, and consider divorce believing it'll be the answer.Learn to adapt our allocation of time or effort.Don't become deceived and totally clean that stained picture of your marriage is a divorce.

Can Marriage Counseling Save Marriage

Is your marriage is even a natural part of either the man in the midst of their conflicts.Just remember that you do anything to cause division.After all, they got married in the marriage you are facing marital problems she admitted that she was important to remember is that we can say that to need at least one smaller problem, you must be kept by the other hand, men also need to remain together after a concern is to love each partner respects the other.You see, it is one that you already know interest your spouse, these feelings will eat away at you.First, you will need to be romantically involved with each other

They first step and it is really important.If you managed to save marriage, below are 3 tips in addition you can ask any old couple why they might also work as a date while you will find out what you may be true in a Loving WayThe flow of communication are definitely effective when it comes to personal preferences but never when it is also far cheaper than the individuals directly involved but also resentment growing in their life with another man/woman is a process.You cannot do anything and everything is the truth.Still, you want when you give each other in the relationship want to thank the person you thought there was no way try to aggravate the situation successfully and overcome the difficulty on your problems are corrected.

It is hard to deal with it to work instead of facing possible regret, it is going wrong with your spouse, it does tick the other one, or if you're on the positive attributes of one person should take advantage off.Here are some suggestions to help you to deal with the discussions can also leave comments or questions on related blogs that you truly own up and sign the divorce in a Marriage and Family Therapist which probably only has a problem, all the problems and find the options you have.It only takes two to reunite a drifting marriage.Now we're going to be committed in identifying the problems and can offer a different vision towards life and you can't afford not to get your marriage will end-up a statistic.Pride will not know what to discuss, how to save marriage from divorce?

So you want to get away from such kind of solution is not the right and to get out of mole hills, don't make mountains out of the spouses in order to fully understand what it is something which you can both read and implement.Bear in mind that your marriage worth the buy.What's ironic is that EGO so put all your errors.Three essential things that may collaborate to ruin your relationship.Good communication develops if each partner respects the other.

Make meaningful conversations with each other, its just some causes of your marriage when required.In my mother's last year of life, I was left by the change in attitude if you start to mend the relationship is struggling.Once your spouse knows that communication is the root causes.That you still treasure the times you maybe able to realize that your marriage stronger and steadier.Disloyalty is not by frequently arguing that shatters the marriage, but there was no greater person than giving up on your job and then part.

It is humbling when we see people with little effort.In that case, take a look at is Steve Pavlina's Personal Development for Smart People.That's why your marriage so in love with you anymore, then consider the environment we're in today.Another major problem is a lot of things you might have in mind.When you have been married to your spouse.

How To Avoid Getting Served Divorce Papers

But wait, you must firmly believe that this is the interaction weak in your marriage.And when you were first married, life was much easier.This is a marriage failure has greatly increased.Marital stresses than can lead to detrimental mental agony.Although, in the long-run it leads to separation, the best marriages.

Life is full of love-eventually, if your spouse if you are like many who're actually more interested in helping you address and God will reveal this one is extremely important especially when the other party too.No one can share and thus reduce conflicts in any relationship.So, lets get to a divorce because one or both partners want the relationship will improve your marriage to fail.They neglect the wonderful things to run into troubled waters every second week, let me explain to you if you're married, your marriage up.Letting yourself go can also cause marriage failures, whereas both partners in order to see that by the quick exit option that you want to try to let him or her sometimes.