#i don’t think the hobby enthusiasm system will make a return

[aorticsims]

kinda on brand for the sims team to create a hobbies pack and only show off two of them.

edit: three of them.

[andypantsx3]

hi andie!! 🥺 i have a few lil questions for you, if you don’t mind 🥺 (you may choose to answer this publicly or privately, whichever is more comfortable for you!)

would you have any tips/advice for writing/posting on a schedule? 🥺 how do you manage to stay on top of releasing/writing parts of your series consistently? do you keep daily goals? internal deadlines? a system? 🥺

i’ve always adored how organised you are with your fics!! and how regularly you write and update too 🥺 i am currently ~~trying to write and post more regularly (esp the ones for ficsforgaza!) but am stuck on how/where to start 🥺

Hi Sellie my love!! Omg yeah of course I'm happy to answer!! Idk that my system will work for you because everyone is different but I'm happy to explain my process!

These days I do not have much time or large stores of the right kind of focused energy it takes to write, mostly due to work and other personal life things I have going on right now. So I'm all about keeping goals microscopic as hell, removing blockers that distract me, and removing any pressure to write, actually lmao. I find that I'm most enthusiastic and productive when I don't feel like it's another obligation to deliver on, in the midst of all the other thousands of things I am responsible for in my day-to-day, if that makes sense?

In terms of goals, I have a loose one of writing just 100 words a day, but I cannot emphasize enough how loose it is. I do not ever try to make up for days I missed because that just adds more pressure. I do not try to push myself into doing it if I'm not feeling it because the last thing I want is for writing to feel like anything but a fun hobby. If you intend to take the Andie approach, I would advise you to set a goal that you think is so small you could achieve it by sneezing on your keyboard. Meeting goals is like, proven to release dopamine & boost your mindset, so it's more important overall to meet any goal than it is to have an impressive one.

Relatedly, I only promise things on a schedule when I know 100% I have the enthusiasm to meet it. I don't set deadlines to motivate myself, rather I let the deadlines be motivated by me, if that also makes sense? And if I have competing fics, I will prioritize working on whichever one has an actual deadline (like I set aside all my other fics to work on the one for Lore's a/b/o collab) because I know the boost I'm going to get from delivering on that is going to help me write the other ones after anyway.

I also try to remove as many blockers as I can so that writing is easy as pie. I write when I know I can control most of the factors that would sabotage me—early in the morning. If I can help it, I usually try to write first thing before I log on to any of my socials in case there's some spicy discourse I'm going to be absorbed by. It's also essential for me to do before work because work sucks the absolute life out of me right now, and I am almost never in the right headspace when I get home. Also no one ever tries to call or text me first thing in the morning so there are fewer distractions at play and it's quick work to just sit down and bang a few lines out.

I also set up my fics so that it's easy for me personally to work through them. They are all planned in advance so I know where I have to go with my writing and I'm not stuck waiting for an idea. But they're also not planned down to the detail, so that I don't feel like there's nothing left for me to explore mentally when writing!! That helps keep things directed but still interesting to me, so I feel motivated to keep returning to them.

It's really all about finding what works for you! Reflecting on what you've written already, when did you feel most motivated to write? What time of day was it, most often? What fic was it and how had you planned that/what was the subject material? Was it when you'd had a deadline to work against, or when no one knew you were working on it? Recreating those conditions to the best of your ability is what I think will help you stay engaged.

And again I cannot emphasize how much more important it is to stay motivated than it is to deliver anything regularly or on an impressive timeline. The motivation is the key to helping you to keep delivering long term. If you write something regularly for 2-3 months but then burn out, that's not gonna help you!! And honestly, meeting small goals and feeling good is actually going to motivate you to write more and faster anyway, so it's a win-win lol.

[loopy777]

RE: WIPs game: do I even want to know what Dicebenders is is it another scam how many times are the Gaang gonna get arrested for scamming

No, this time it's me scamming people. XD The dice in question are the RPG Dungeons & Dragons kind.

For a while I was doing a screencap webcomic in the style of "DM of the Rings" and "Darths & Droids" with another creative fan named Captain Boomerang. I was the scriptwriter and selected the screenshots for each panel, and Capt-BA would assemble the comics and improve my scripts (a process that did frustrate me a little, as I felt locked out of the revision process, but I did like the results. I just felt like I wasn't holding up my end of the partnership a bit). I wrote a story bible explaining the characters and storytelling rules, planned out the adaptation of the entire AtLA premiere, and had less detailed plans for the rest of the series, but we only got 6 comics in before Capt-BA went on a trip and never returned to the internet. I did manage to re-establish contact with her long enough to get permission to continue the comic, but the problem is that I have no image-editing skills whatsoever.

If I could find comic-making software that I know would do what I want and be easy to use, I wouldn't mind dropping some money on it, but everything I've looked at is trying to do lots of things I don't need. I only want a way to import existing pictures into comic grids, and then easily add dialogue bubbles. That's it. But the stuff I've found is more about image-editing than comic assembly, and it takes me an hour to put together a dialogue bubble that looks good. So I have 3 scripts that were never produced, which along with the planning docs are what's in that WIP folder, and I don't ever see myself going beyond that.

Besides, someone else already managed to complete something like this, and while I'm not a fan, I don't need to be. At this point, Dicebenders is dead. I'm glad I tried it, and it's a shame it didn't work out, but I'm happy with the other projects I've done instead.

I am squatting on an empty Tumblr for it, though.

Anyway, to share something new, here's the first section of the Story Bible I wrote to make sure Capt-BA and I were on the same page in terms of characterization. The rest of the bible details the plotlines for full series.

AVATAR: THE LAST DICEBENDER

BIBLE

Premise- A small group of players attempt to run a fantasy martial arts RPG that winds up essentially becoming the Avatar saga, or something very close. The main point of the series is comedy, based mostly on ridiculous links between Avatar and RPG's. Sometimes the humor will be in the vast difference between what happens in the comic, and what happens in the cartoon with the same screenshots. Other times, the funny will come from the unexpected ways they converge.

SPIRITUAL PREDECESSORS

DM of the Rings- The original, and my personal favorite. It's a good showcase of how to run a single quest together, while using narrative jumps to skip to the good bits.

Darths & Droids- A similar project, this stands out from its predecessor in two main ways. The players and GM are more friendly with each other, and are more or less having fun with each other. There is also a running, coherent storyline in both the game and in the lives of the players.

Benders & Brawlers- This is actually an existing attempt to do Darths & Droids with Avatar. This is helpful as an example of what we DON'T want to do, retell the Avatar story in a completely straightforward manner, with RPG players behind the characters.

CHARACTERS

None of the characters will be given real names. The players shall always be referred to by their character names, although this can be done in a teasing, ironic manner. When the characters are speaking, their dialogue bubble must always be attached to an image of the character.

The Gamemaster- The GM is a female in her early teens. She is a geek, and a bit of a social outcast for it. Nevertheless, she's trying to make that work for her, although she's not quite mature enough to make it happen yet. She has just discovered RPG's, and in her enthusiasm has gone all out in starting her own campaign. The only problem is that she doesn't know how to recruit players, so she ropes her best friend and little brother into playing with her. This is the GM's first campaign, so she'll a little in over her head. She knows the mechanics of play, and what she's supposed to be doing as GM, but doesn't have the fine skill in crafting an engaging RPG experience. Still, she wants to do her best, is willing to learn, and has a positive attitude about the whole thing. The GM has a strong crush on the Sokka player, but the only way she can express it is by having all the female NPC's flirt with the Sokka character.

Katara- Female in early teens, and the GM's best friend. Katara's player was friends with the GM from when they were both in grammar school, so while they have grown up into wildly different personality types, they are fully loyal to each other. Katara is popular, and outgoing, and doesn't care or know about geek stuff at all. She's only playing the game because the GM begged her to. At first, Katara is clueless about RPG's, and frequently questions or ridicules the mechanics of the game. She never quite gets into the idea of role-playing, but quickly takes to the idea of meta-gaming. She'll have her character act like a righteous do-gooder, because completing missions and fighting bad guys earns XP. She hoards items that will boost her stats. She'll advocate abandoning a mission/plot if it doesn't pay out enough rewards. Katara's player also can tend towards trying to Mary Sue her character, but this is inconsistent and usually shot down by everyone else.

Aang- Male in junior high, and the GM's little brother. He plays simply because his sister has cajoled him into it, and there are hints that he's getting some kind of reward or payment for it. He abuses his position by forcing the GM to give him what he wants in the game, even if it breaks the rules- access to the restricted Airbender class, the ability to bend all four elements, overloaded stats, an Avatar State that protects him from dying, a magic super flying cow ride, etc. However, it's important to note that Aang's player isn't a jerk. He's just immature, and like all kids, just always goes for what he wants via the easiest path, and doesn't realize that he may be causing trouble or hurting feelings. He's enthusiastic about trying out this RPG thing, but he has trouble coming up with any action beyond attacking or retreating. He's also hyper aware that the GM and Katara are girls. He is too old for cootie concerns, but thinks that girls are fundamentally different creatures with their own incomprehensible concerns. Having a big sister, he doesn't find this a big deal, just part of life. Aang's player is too young to be a geek. He likes cartoons and sports and fantasy and school-dramas. He also tends to follow whatever his sister likes.

Sokka- Male in late teens. This guy is your quintessential RPG player. He has is own top-quality dice, he's played campaigns and systems of all kinds, and knows the tropes of the hobby cold. He's a huge geek for all things geeky, but roleplay is easily his favorite. He's a social outcast, but he's made friends among his fellow geeks, and thinks life is just fine. Sokka's player joins when he meets the GM at the comic/games shop they both frequent. The GM was buying some sourcebooks and material to support the fantasy martial arts game she's running, and Sokka noticed, asked about it, liked what he heard, and got permission to join the game. What Sokka doesn't realize, because he is a geek and neither has experience with it or realizes it's even possible, is that the GM is sweet on him. This manifests in the character Sokka's canon luck with the ladies, only kicked up a notch. *Every single* female NPC flirts with him, whether it's appropriate or not. Sometimes player Sokka notices and tries to roleplay it, and sometimes he's just plain confused. Sokka has a few quirks. His best set of dice are his Lucky Red Dice, which always roll high when he needs it, but have been tested and proven to be fair dice. He also mandates that every character he plays use a boomerang; he was turned into a geek by the first video game he ever played, a Legend of Zelda title, and his favorite weapon from those games are the boomerang. Each of his characters has a unique, named boomerang.

Zuko- The GM's favorite NPC. She created him to be a compelling, dramatic character, with a complicated back story, moral struggles, badass loner personality, angst about his existence, a darkly noble quality, and a cool scar. The GM intended Katara to get to know Zuko, for her to try to woo him away from the side of evil, and perhaps to even have a romance with him. The PC's, however, couldn't care less about him. To them, he's just another mini-boss, and the fact that most of his character development is happening "off screen" means they don't realize that he's recruitable. A frequent gag is Zuko delivering a stirring monologue while no one pays attention.

Iroh- Background NPC. The GM tries to use him to give (ignored) hints to the players.

Toph- (tentative) A male munchkin gamer who picked a long list of weaknesses in order to get superbending. Toph's player is a friend of Sokka's player, brought in after an "incident" with his old group, and causes some initial resentment in the group when tries to show the n00bs how its done. Cowing Toph's player is a major victory for the GM.

Momo- NPC, but maybe make him a talking sidekick who gives the players hints when the GM is really exasperated?

Azula- the GM's best favorite villain. Azula is the GM unleashed, letting her take out frustrations on the players in both combat and harsh taunting. Eventually the GM comes to like the character so much, she retcons mental health issues into the character's backstory, and has her pet NPC, Zuko, spare her.

[the-eve-codes]

see ya later, alligator.

i’ve spent ages thinking how to write this without sounding like a whiny miserable brat looking for attention or sympathy or even a “but omg you’re so talented” (lol idc if that’s narcissistic hear me out here) but hey, this is my blog, if i want to make it my personal diary of shit i can’t talk to my rl friends about who don’t know about jcink i will. but im not that mean to make everyone read it if you don’t want to, so the rest is below the cut

i keep telling myself to come back off my so called hiatus, and i’ve made a few codes that i’ve posted somewhere even, and i lurk around on the resource sites but i just can’t bring myself to properly come back. i can’t even make myself go on discord (so sorry to anyone i sorta just....ghosted...). i don’t even remember the last time i enjoyed writing rp related content ffs. i can get semi hype but as soon as it gets to actually mucking in my enthusiasm just disappears. my creative streak feels as though its waned; the idea of writing new characters feels like a stretch my brain can’t make anymore, and replaying my existing characters feels boring at this stage.

as for my coding, i just....feel like i’m plugging away for no reason. there’s no point of the codes i make outside of a very limited niche, and even within jcink most sites have in house codes so they’re not even looking externally so much these days. i start making a template and 90% of the time just close the tab because i think well what’s the point of doing this?

it’s like, why am i doing this when i don’t actually think i want to be? why am i not learning how to make my coding more applicable to the real world, and im instead coding for a community i’d rather not even tell my rl friends about? why do i want to post codes for a community where highkey i actually hate most “jcink aesthetics”? (im going to say it lol. rl sites look gaudy as shit and are semi unusable most of the time, supernatural/hp site gothic type sites usually look like depression if it were html/css). hey don’t worry though if i personally offended your entire portfolio though -- i looked through all of my own work today and realised i actually hate 80%+ of it over the years.

letting go of this hobby feels incredibly hard though; i think if i leave, will it even be here if i come back in say one year, two years, three years? if i ever want to return, will i just be disappointed by what i return to? rp followed me through my formative adult years, from finishing school, to university, to a bout of glandular fever that messed up my immune system for nearly 2 years, to moving across the country multiple times, to a horrifying and protracted near long breakdown which im still surprised to this day i came out of alive.

i don’t have that turbulence in life though anymore, despite the horrors of the world we live in right now -- 2020 was for some bizarre reasons one of my better ones. i have a job i enjoy and a partner whom i adore, im away from the people and things that fuel much of my misery and in turn my toxic side, i’m opening a fucking small business on the side soon and going back to school in the fall. i think i used jcink as a community for so long when i didn’t really have one rl for myself, that now i’ve got people in my life that i care about and who care about me, i don’t need the escapism that roleplaying and coding allowed me. 

my last major depression session was last summer (it was 2020 after all, it wasn’t perfect) and i found myself going through years of stuff that i’d collected, going peak marie kondo and asking myself do i really need this, does this pen or tenth notepad or pair of shoes i hadn’t worn for 2 years really spark any joy? now i ask myself, does this spark joy? even in times where i was deeply deeply unhappy on here for whatever reason i could still at least say yeah, it does spark joy to me. but now it doesn’t, and in 2021 we shouldn’t be hanging on to things that feel like a chore, an obligation, that don’t make us happy anymore. 

i’m not saying “lol im quitting forever” because in 6 months i might change my mind, but as we get into the spring and summer i want to feel the sun on my face without the niggling thought that you haven’t made a code in a while, or you need to get those posts done. and yes, i know i could have just disappeared silently but i just wanted to get my own thoughts out somewhere, and having it tucked away in a google doc forever more felt...more depressing somehow.

anyway, while this may not be goodbye forever, it’s certainly goodbye for now jcink. stay safe and carry on making this community the one of a kind place it is in the world, even if it’s not for me just now.

eve <3

[lgcrp]

GREETINGS, LGC SUPERSTARS!

we are officially ONE ! to celebrate the occasion we come bearing gifts !!! everyone who is in the roleplay as of today will receive freebie points as follows:

ACTOR / MUSICAL ACTOR MUSES : +20 ACTING ; +6 NOTORIETY

BAND MUSES : +20 PRIMARY INSTRUMENT ; +6 NOTORIETY

ENTERTAINER MUSES : +10 HOSTING / MCING ; +10 VARIETY ; +6 NOTORIETY

MODEL MUSES : +20 MODELING ; +6 NOTORIETY

PRODUCER MUSES : +10 COMP ( MUSIC ) ; +10 COMP ( LYRICS ) ; +6 NOTORIETY

ALL OTHERS : +20 PERFORMING ; +6 NOTORIETY

if you’re confused about what your muse has received, you can also check out the spreadsheet here. please let us know if there are any errors ! and also, you can link directly to this post or the linked spreadsheet as proof of points in your own spreadsheets !

below the cut we have messages from each of our admod staff !!! thank you all again for a wonderful first year ! we love you !!!

from admin l (el):

her message will come in the next post !!!

from admin * (kristin):

“wow! one year! funny how time passes so fast, huh? so much has happened in this past year: i graduated college, landed my first full-time job—not to forget the whole pandemic, too. but lgc’s always been the constant throughout these big changes in my life, and i’ve never been more grateful. i think i speak for a lot of people when i say that roleplaying, like any other hobby, is less about the actual roleplaying and more about the community—i mean, don’t get me wrong, i love my characters and the development i’ve had with them since their creation, but there’s just something about lgc that’s the reason i’m excited to log onto this terrible website everyday: and it’s you guys. i’ve been in the krp community since 2012, and it’s sad to see that it’s devolved into having more downs than ups throughout the years. i can’t remember that last time i stayed in a roleplay for more than a month or two, nor the last time i’ve created online friendships and connections as strong as i have here. i’ve been a member longer than i’ve been an admod, so believe me when i say: so whether you’ve just joined us or you’ve been here since the beginning, thank you. thank you so much for fostering such a welcoming and fun environment for everyone here. thank you to always bring such love and creativity to the dash, and thank you for constantly inspiring me. thank you for the excitement and the commitment, and thank you for understanding when i spend more than two months replying to a thread (lol). thank you for giving me and the rest of the admod your trust to ensure that our atmosphere’s only further expanded upon, not erased, and thank you for all the suggestions on how to make lgc a better place. it’s important to remember that lgc wouldn’t be what it is today without our members, so this anniversary is as much of achievement for us as it is for y’all. we have so much in store for this group—we promise, we’re not going anywhere!—and i personally want to honor the torch leo and ori have passed onto me as the new graphics admin. expect bigger and better things, lgc. it’s only the beginning!”

from admin g (grace):

"how has it already been one year since we’ve opened??? it feels like just yesterday when the three of us decided that we wanted to go through with opening up a new roleplay. i’ve admined many roleplays in the past, but usually, that initial lull of getting apps or the disinterest that ends up plaguing many roleplays in the early months has always left me disenchanted at the whole thing that i give up even before the six month mark so to hit such a milestone is really something remarkable for me. needless to say, it’s also just been amazing for me to be working with such a dream team who really fill in the areas in which i lack. however, at the end of the day, we also wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for all of you members. without you, lgc simply wouldn’t exist. thank you for helping this place thrive. thank you for always being excited about the events that we plan. thank you for being so willing to share your thoughts and ideas ( we’ve had so many wonderful events come to life because of our members’ suggestions and we’re always excited to receive more of those that we can incorporate ). from the moment we started brainstorming about this place, our vision has been for lgc to be an interactive community that would be shaped by its members and less by us as admins. we hope you’re able to see that vision come to life, and we know that we might be lacking still, but we hope to continue to refine our systems so that we can allow for more of that. finally, thank you all for loving my muses as well and for being so willing to plot with them. i know i’ve also been personally overwhelmed lately that i haven’t been able to plot with everyone, but i hope one day that my muses will get to meet all of yours. thank you again to all of you ( and also to all of those who have passed through lgc in this last year! ). love you all!”

from mod a ( cloud ):

one year already?? i’ve been in this rp for almost half of that and a lot has changed in those months! from joining the rp around march to becoming a mod, i have to say that it has been a pretty crazy journey! during my time in lgc, the one thing that always impresses me time and time again is the community that has been created and developed during the past twelve months. from a mun standpoint, it warms my heart knowing that the community is so welcoming towards each other. every time a new ( or returning ) muse is being brought to this lovely community, i love seeing how engaging and friendly the members are. not only that but there are also the posts that i see on the dash and while it can be a lot to go through sometimes, it’s reassuring knowing that people are willing to take the time to participate in these events and develop their muses! to me, these elements are what makes lgc what it is today and i hope that this continues in the future as well! i know that there are a lot of people i want to thank for but at the end of the day, there are two groups that i want to give my shoutouts to. the first is the admod team because they have entrusted me with this role and even though it’s only been a few weeks since i was appointed as a mod, i can attest to the amount of passion and hard work the whole team has with making sure that everyone has the best experience possible! i know that we can’t be a perfect rp, but we really do appreciate all of the feedback that has been given to us since that is what motivates us to become better. and ofc my second shoutout is to all of the members ( both past and present )! thank you for the support and effort you have given to the admod team! whether it’s posting on the dash to reading your reactions to the events, we appreciate all of that! i hope that this rp continues to prosper for many more years and once again, HAPPY ONE YEAR, LGC! 🎉

from admin c ( marie ):

“one year. it might not seem like a lot to some of you guys but when we created this project we didn’t even expect to last until christmas and that’s if we even got enough members to open. even though we’ve always planned for the long haul we didn’t think we’d be writing a first anniversary message in 2020. what a year, right? so many events happened both within our small community and in the outside world. i won’t lie, legacy requires a lot of work, organization and dedication. but we’re proud when we see you guys participate in everything with so much enthusiasm. i wanted to write a long and touching message but i can’t really find the proper words right now so i’ll just leave it as simple as possible. thank you for trusting us, for investing time and energy in your wonderful character, for choosing us and sticking around, for sending suggestions on events you’d like to see, for being respectful of us and the other members too. we could work our hardest and none of this would be possible without you guys interacting with it and being excited about it. thank you for being patient and understanding with us, and for taking minutes of your time each week to read all of the new events because we truly don’t give you any rest i’ll admit that LMAO. we’ve always wanted for lgc to be a peaceful, fun and stimulating writing environment for everyone and we hope we were able to be that for some of you. we’re still lacking and by no means perfect but we’ve always tried our best and will keep doing so for as long as you guys are on board with us ( or until we get a life maybe idk hghgjfdk ). i don’t know what the future holds but no matter what, i can say i’m proud of this project and how it turned out, not only with the admod team ( past and present ) but with every single person who helped build this place by just becoming a part of our community. i love you all and look forward to see your muses grow in the upcoming year!”

from mod y ( lissa ):

“thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all. thank you for putting your faith in us. words can never describe how much we appreciate you guys. ily all.“

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #437

Top Ten Predictions for the Xbox Games Showcase

So I wasn’t going to do this. I had my “Games Month” in June; that was supposed to be me getting it out of my system whilst the various publishers and platform holders held their Not-E3 video livestreams. That was supposed to take the place of my usual semi-serious lists of E3 predictions; a variety of more generalised run-downs of Stuff To Do With Videogames rather than me saying “A New Perfect Dark” ten times.

But then Microsoft’s “Showcase” event turned out to be the back-end of July, the videos and livestreams kept on pouring in, and I found myself ever devouring more salacious rumours of what games were upcoming, especially for the Xbox Series X. I have even found myself reading – shudder – Reddit.

I know.

Anyway, from being a simple thought experiment of “I wonder what games will be out when the Series X launches?” through to me imagining a blow-by-blow runthrough of the July 23rd event, I guess you could say that I am excited despite my better judgement. I think my problem with videogaming as a hobby is that I retain my fanboy enthusiasm from when I was a ten-year-old eagerly awaiting the next issue of The One Amiga, frantically swapping all eleven disks of Monkey Island 2, but I’m a grown-ass man with a mortgage and two kids and I just don’t have the time. I love reading websites like Eurogamer, and going on forums and checking out Twitter threads and all that, devouring news and titbits about all manner of gaming ephemera, and I often think when do these people have the time?!

Now look, I know hobbies, if you commit to them, can be expensive in terms of money and time. I have friends who collect Transformers toys, and let me tell you, that shit ain’t cheap. But daisy-chaining triple-A RPGs together feels like a lifetime commitment. I’m still playing Mass Effect Andromeda and Titanfall 2. I’ve just started Breath of the Wild and I’m waiting to kick off The Witcher III once I complete something else. I operate about two to three years behind the curve, and with work and kids and other commitments I struggle to find space for the oodles of games I do have, especially because most of the time I just end up on Civilization VI again. And yet…

The lure of the new still excites me. I really want to play all those Sony games on a Sony console that I don’t even own. I’m fascinated by the divergent next-gen philosophies of the big three platform holders. I can’t wait to see what the games I already own will look like embiggened on a 4K TV thanks to a suitable next-gen console. And so I keep consuming this stuff, keep wanting to try the latest thing, keep wanting to be part of the narrative. I’m still excited.

Therefore I’ve decided, against my better judgement, to offer up a prediction list like I usually do at E3 time. This one is just focussed on the upcoming Xbox Showcase on July 23rd. I doubt I’ll do one for the two remaining big showcases in August – I believe both Sony and Microsoft are doing one apiece, where we might finally hear prices of these damn things – because I think by the end of the month all the big game news might finally be out there. Aside from guessing how far off £500 both machines land, I think we’ve probably heard all the major announcements. Maybe I’m wrong! I’m wrong quite a lot! But that’s part of the fun.

So here we go: ten things that probably aren’t going to be announced next Thursday!

Halo Infinite opens the show – and is playable: we know that Halo Infinite will debut some campaign gameplay. As more-or-less a known quantity (even if we don’t know exactly what it’ll look like or how it’ll play), kicking things off with Xbox’s biggest star makes sense and won’t deflate any surprises. What I think might happen, though, is the announcement of some kind of multiplayer demo or closed beta, maybe only for Game Pass subscribers or something. They’ve done it before with Halo, so it’d be nice to get a chance to play one of the year’s biggest games early.  

Hellblade 2 in-engine trailer: Senua’s Saga looks amazing so far, with a phenomenal launch trailer that displayed vast landscapes, intense detail, and some truly awesome facial animation. There’s a lot of speculation that, whilst the trailer was apparently in-engine and running in realtime, it was a fancy cut-scene with “hero assets”. I might have missed a memo somewhere, but I don’t think Hellblade 2 has been confirmed as a “launch window” title; as such, I think it will end up a Series X exclusive (as in, not appearing on Xbox One) and be out Christmas 2021. As such we won’t see a considerable gameplay chunk as with Halo, but we will see some proper in-engine footage – not a cutscene – running on Series X hardware.

Fable IV is out next year: is it an open secret at this point that Playground Games is making a Fable game? I guess maybe they’re not. Maybe there’s not even a new Fable at all. But I think there is, and I think Playground are making it, and I think we’ll see it next week. I guess it probably won’t be coming too soon; maybe Christmas 2021? So I think there’ll be a launch trailer of some kind – hopefully a Hellblade-style in-engine one rather than a rendered movie – but it’ll be a pretty big to-do to close out the show (unless there’s some other surprise “…and one more thing”).

Minecraft ray-tracing: we’ve seen it before, and I’m not sure how much time it’ll take up in the run of things, but I think Microsoft will confirm that there will be a ray-tracing graphics update for Minecraft on Series X. It’ll be part of some other line-wide update, of course – maybe the fabled “Super Duper Graphics” update that was cancelled once before – but Series X owners (or PC owners with the right hardware) will get lots of lovely rays to trace.

Gears Tactics on Xbox this Christmas: the Coalition said their piece about Gears 5 on Series X this week, so I don’t expect them to have a huge presence on Thursday (Gears 6 presumably being too far off), but I think we’ll get a trailer for the excellent Gears Tactics running on Xbox, and confirmation of a Christmas release for one of my favourite PC games of 2020.

Cyberpunk 2077 on Series X: all the footage we’ve seen of Cyberpunk thus far has been – I do believe – running on high-end PCs. CD Projekt Red should have a presence on Thursday, and I think they’ll debut footage – actual proper gameplay – of Cyberpunk running on a Series X. I think we’ll also see further evidence of a cosy relationship with Microsoft, as they announce something – maybe exclusive DLC – as well as just maybe some Cyberpunk-themed Series X hardware. I also think they’ll announce a Series X update for The Witcher III: Wild Hunt.

Big Double Fine blowout: Microsoft’s purchase of Double Fine really excited me, because I’ve been a big Tim Schafer fan for decades. Aside from Psychonauts 2, we don’t know a great deal about what they’re up to. So I think we’ll see a lot of Psychonauts, as well as confirmation of a Christmas release. We’ll also get confirmation of classic LucasArts remasters – Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango – as well as something else. I’m not sure what. A remaster of the first Psychonauts? Brütal Legend 2? Scurvy Scallywags Series X? what I don’t think it’ll be, however, is any kind of Banjo Kazooie game, because I don’t really think Microsoft bought them to work on existing IP. I think we’ll see something new.

Third-party shenanigans: aside from Cyberpunk, I think we’ll get at least one other extended third-party trailer. Maybe Destiny 2, given the first game’s apparent preference for PlayStation? Maybe one of those military shooters everybody likes but me? Splinter Cell, which is becoming the perennial white elephant during Ubisoft presentations (and obviously has prior as an OG Xbox exclusive)? Or maybe we’ll see something like the announcement of Red Dead Redemption 2 as a Smart Delivery title. That would be pretty cool.

Japanese presence: I’m not sure what exactly, but I think Microsoft will make moves to entice the Japanese market. Perhaps it’ll be like the early days of the Xbox 360, when they published the likes of Blue Dragon. Maybe we’ll see a Western release of some venerated Japanese franchise. Or maybe some other sequel or reboot. Maybe it’ll even be the rumoured announcement of some kind of exclusive partnership with Sega? Who knows? Regardless I think we’ll see evidence of Microsoft making more of an effort in Japan; I think this will be part of a strategy to encourage Japanese gamers to subscribe to Game Pass/xCloud rather than buy more consoles.

One last thing: there’ll be a surprise. Everyone’s predicting everything, but I still think there’ll be a surprise. After the dust settles, good old Phil Spencer (t-shirt prediction: Viva Pinata) will leave us with a little something… a tease, a subtle tease, maybe even just a logo or character reveal. It could be a returning franchise, it could be The Initiative’s debut game, but I’d wager it’s something unexpected, something we’ve never heard anything about. It’s something that’s a long way off, but it’ll have a style or a hook or a brand that instantly makes everyone excited, and will bring the curtain down. Microsoft has largely done a good job establishing itself as a solid platform the last three or four years, but it’s sorely been lacking in mic-drop moments as hardware news is teased and studio acquisitions have taken time to bed in. So whether it’s Joanna Dark, a Mech, Banjo, or something I can’t fathom, we’ll leave on a high.

There we go: ten relatively reasonable, moderately level-headed predictions. I don’t think there’s anything too crazy there. I’ve not gone all-in on a huge Perfect Dark blowout, or Viva Pinata returning, or Microsoft buying Sega or Warner Bros or whatever else could be dreamed up. I’m sure there’s other stuff too; probably some gameplay from previously-announced titles like The Medium or (hopefully) Scorn, that really show off Series X capabilities; no doubt a montage or two, probably of some ID@Xbox games; Forza Motorsport 8, I guess, and I’d wager some info on Flight Simulator on Xbox. I do hope they make the whole presentation look nice though; Sony’s one, where they finally revealed the PS5 hardware, was excellent, with just enough talking-head developer stuff and those lovely idents that served to whet the appetite and tease the eventual look of the machine. We know there’ll be no new hardware or discussion about evolving services, so really all we’ve got to look forward to are games, games, games, which makes a nice change from the reveal of the Xbox One all those moons ago.

Okay, so my absolute crazy just-for-me wish? Well, things are getting thin on the ground now, as the big things I always want from Microsoft – Fable, Crackdown, Perfect Dark – have either happened or are strongly rumoured. Viva Pinata is next on that list, but beyond that? How does Black and White Infinite sound? That’s right, baby, next on my list – Lionhead rebooted!

[myfurbfriends]

In regards to Furbology

Important screenshots: Furbology confirming the furbys I bought from her would be working Furbology stating she does not believe in MSA (The rest of the screenshots are here, read the rest of this post for context)

Hey. So I was planning on making this post for a while but wasn't sure how to go about it, since I'm pretty much a nobody in the fandom and I admit I'm afraid of retaliation. I bought two 1998 furbys, a church mouse and an elephant furby, from Furbology on tumblr. These were going to be my first furbys, my introduction to the fandom. Being friends with @kcfurby​, I had seen his enthusiasm and had started looking into the fandom. At first I was creeped out by both their movements and their voices, uncanny valley style, but I watched videos of various furbys and eventually got over my fear, first of the furbys themselves, and eventually getting used to their voices as well. One of the videos I watched was of Furbology's "quiet furby" Mafish, who is mute and the video helped me get used to their movements. I believe Mafish was actually briefly up for sale, but at that point I was still unsure of whether I actually wanted to buy a furby, so that never happened and eventually I guess Mafish wasn't up for sale anymore? (which is fine, that's not the problem I have)

Anyway, in the middle of this summer, I contacted Furbology about possibly buying a furby to take with me on a vacation I was planning for mid-august (though by the time the transaction was decided on, I was too close to leaving for vacation so we decided to wait until after I got back). She initially didn't reply, and I was worried that the price I suggested (she has stated she can work with people's budgets), $15-20 for a single furby, was too low. After I asked her about this, she responded, saying she hadn't seen my message. We began discussing which furby I wanted; there was a bit of confusion since I didn't know the names. I remember feeling like I had to take charge of getting the info I needed, like pricing and whether they were working or not. In retrospect, maybe this was a red flag, but at that point I felt I had already committed to buying a furby from her and that to back out then would be bad, although I was having misgivings and had heard about some of the other issues people had had with her. Anyway, I had to ask her 3 times if the furbys were working before she gave me an answer, which was that the church mouse worked and so did the blue one (the elephant one) (see screenshots). This was when we decided to wait to do the transaction until I came back from vacation, since I would not have reliable internet access where I was staying.

When I returned from vacation it took a bit to get things moving with the transaction, mainly because again I had to press her for information, or so it felt, to actually get a number for shipping cost. I was still new and unsure to negotiating transactions, other than things done through something like ebay or etsy where everything was automatic. So I was uncertain about a lot of stuff but eventually I paid and there was a bit there where I think she got mad at me for rushing her? IDK for sure if that's what it was, but I replied to let her know I didn't mean to rush her and whatnot, and she replied with her paypal link. So I figured, maybe she just isn't as talkative as I am? Like I thought that was just how she was. Maybe I was talking(well, typing) too much. I don't really know.

Anyway, after I paid there were lots of times where she said she'd ship the furbys "next Monday", but it never happened. She provided excuses, such as driving tests and college and such, and I wasn't really very impatient; I had kind of resigned myself at that point that it would take a while. The dolls I collect in another of my hobbies take 3-8 months to make/arrive after ordering, so I'm used to having to wait a while for things I order. That said, I wasn't happy about it, but I just wanted the furbys to arrive at this point so I could have them and not have to worry about this transaction any longer, since it was stressing me out and I wanted to get it done with.

The furbys arrived, around October 8th I think? There are dates on the screenshots but the arrival post is marked as "Yesterday" due to the way tumblr works, so I have to go by the computer clock date on my screenshots. I'm trying to get in the habit of keeping track of dates for purchases and arrivals, but I'm not quite there yet. Still, I ordered these furbys from Furbology in August, and they arrived in October. At this point I wanted to be done with everything but I still had to put batteries in to make sure they worked, since at this point it would be dumb not to test them in a timely manner what with the issues that I was already having with this transaction.

Oh, and the church mouse came with an eyelash missing, and when I asked Furbology about it, she said that it was "posted with only one eyelash". I hadn't looked at any actual posts on her blog about the furbys, since the transaction was through messaging, but I guess that's my fault for expecting her to disclose everything. If there was a post, I should have looked for it, but I had assumed that everything I needed to know I would be told. I never asked for a picture of the church mouse since I figured they all looked mostly the same and that I would be sent one in good condition, since the seller was experienced in selling furbys and I assumed she would send her best, or at least be honest about it. But I should have done more looking around or asked her for a picture. I guess it was a newbie mistake...

Anyway, when I put batteries in, it turned out the elephant furby has MSA. I had been told it was working! I'm pretty sure "working" is generally equated with "fully functional" but maybe I was just assumign too much again. I still let Furbology know, and then she dropped this bombshell:

Furbology "does not believe" in MSA, a known glitch with furbys, and as far as I have been told, one that lowers the afflicted furby's value. She said it would turn on eventually, and that sometime it takes 20 or so tries. I haven't attempted this, but in my eyes, a furby that takes 20 tries to start up normally is still not "fully functional".

The church mouse furby started up fine as far as I could tell, but my hand slipped closing the battery case and I accidentially dropped it 6 inches onto the table. It has not responded since. I take full blame for this.

Furbology said she would find and show me a video of the furbys working, which seems to me to imply that she did not believe me or just wanted to get out of the blame. She has so many furbys, I believe she could and would just take video of a different one that looks like mine. Either way, the fact that she says she does not believe in MSA is a giant red flag. I told her I just wanted this to be over, and tried to imply that I didn't want to hear from he again, though I did not block her at the time.

On the 6th of October I believe (again, tumblr's messaging system confuses me with dates, so refer to my screenshots and the dates on my computer when I took them), Furbology sent a message saying "I made horrible mistake and I apologize." I don't know what prompted this, perhaps something on furbyconfessions, but I didn't know what to do. I was still upset, and still planning on posting a beware like this one, but now I had to enter a verbal (well, textual) interaction with her again, and I had now realized that I felt really uncomfortable doing so, as I worried that I would say the wrong thing and she would take advantage of it and use it against me. So I asked what she planned to do about her mistake, hoping, though I did not say it because I did not want to demand it, for a partial refund to make up for the MSA. She told me to send the furby back and she would refund me. I realized I did not trust her to refund me if I sent it and I did not want to send the furby back, at my expense, and I had already honestly become attached to the furby and so I did not want this. I also did not want to give her the opportunity to scam someone else with the MSA-affected furby. I told her so and thought that was the end of it.

She responded that she would send me another furby for free, "for the hassle", which she could not guarantee would work. I did not want to talk to her and I had thought I made that clear, and it seemed like she was trying to bribe me into not making a post or something, and I didn't want to accept because then she could say, well I gave you a free furby so everything's fine, when it was not. Also, since there was no guarantee it would work, and I already had two broken furbys, I had no desire for another when I had initially only planned to own one or two, and I had three (my third furby actually arrived first, from a very nice person on discord, while I was still waiting for the ones from Furbology to ship. Neither it or the person I bought it from is involved in this issue at all). She also seemed to imply again that I was making the issue up. I had been away from my computer so she posted "So just a furby will be sent" and I did worry that she would send one regardless to try to get an advantage over me as she could say that she was being generous or something.

Knowing that I could not expect her to refrain from continuing to pester me, I told her I did not want it, nor to talk to her, and blocked her, though I had not wanted to because I did enjoy her content and posts on her blog. At this point it was my only real option.

Now I have 2 broken furbys along with my working one, and the burden of having to make a post about this when I truly want to avoid drama. Furbology, who I thought was cool and nice because she is popular and well-known, has shown her true colors to me and I feel like I cannot interact with the community as much or post as much about my furbys because I worry about interacting with her or her posts. I feel as if I cannot be in the furby fandom. I know my furbys love me, but I cannot enjoy them as much due to the issue hanging over them. I was hoping to have 3 furbys that could talk to each other and that I could give one to my little brother perhaps, as he likes the one I have that works, but instead I have 1 fully functional furby, 1 with MSA, and 1 that does not function at all. I feel like I cannot be enthusiastic online about the ones I bought from Furbology because I would either have to mention the issue, which would lead to drama, or ignore the issue entirely when it truly does affect how I feel about them.

I feel like this has basically driven me out of the fandom before I even got started.

I am making this post to tell my story and warn others. I believe Furbology took advantage of me because I was new to furbys, and because I seemed like an easy target because of that. I am lucky to have a friend in the fandom who was able to give me advice all this time and help me emotionally as well.

Here are the rest of the screenshots. I'm done here.

[kashmiresims]

Technical Issues

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Alanna propped her head up with her hand and looked out the passenger seat window as Reggie drove them to the engineering building where the robotics program met at Sim State University. Evening had descended on the land as they drove from Isla Del Kashmire and through Scandalica City, the nights were getting shorter now that autumn had come.  

She was still trying to place what Franz was inferring when he told her to be careful earlier. She was worried about him, and felt like maybe she shouldn't have left him so soon after the bake sale. She did want to see what Reggie was working on thoguh, at least it sounded interesting—something about a spybot—he'd explained a bit on the drive over. Alanna had always been influenced by her brother's interest in mechanics and it drove her to tinker around with everyday objects when she was younger to figure out how they were built. There was something fascinating and thrilling in discovering how objects worked.  

The only thing of note she ever built was a weather changing device. It was a prototype and only affected a small local area. She won the science fair when she was a senior in high school with it but didn't much do anything with it afterward. As far as he knew it was still in her parent's garage. She made a mental note to check on its whereabouts when she returned home.

She was surprised that Reggie had taken an interest in building robots; he must have been too busy to explore the hobby in high school since she couldn't recall him ever entering anything in the science fair. She knew he had been busy with debate and school council, since he held class offices over the years. She figured he was trying to follow in his family's political footsteps and ready himself for the future.

She glanced at him. He was sitting rather stiffly, as a new driver's ed student would behind the wheel. He used to be so at ease around her when they had been acquaintances at school. At one point it seemed like they could have been more, but fate just didn't work out that way.

She no longer felt that prick of infatuation she once had for him, but she was willing to give him a chance at being a friend since he wanted to start over.  She had so little friends, it seemed. It didn't help she was always studying and hardly had time to spare. Though through some slick time management she was able to hang out with Franz and it was very nice to have spent the last two days in his company for the bake sale project. She hoped they had made enough to cover some cost of treatment for his mother. That brought her thoughts back to how she was worried about Franz and she hoped she could see him again soon.

"What are you thinking about?" Reggie asked and she jumped slightly since he had been sitting silently since he had stopped explaining the robot he was working on.

"Friends," she replied.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, thinking about how I'm always so busy. I wish I had more time to spend with friends."

"Well you have time now," he pointed out, "You're spending time with me, a friend."

"You're right, and thanks again for inviting me to see what you've been working on. Will you enter any of the competitions?" Alanna wondered. Antoine had entered about every year and won championships. He was kind of a prodigy though.

"If our advisor thinks I should, I will."

"But you wouldn't otherwise?"  

Reggie's shoulders seemed to slump a little, "What if it's not good enough?"

"Don't be afraid to try, Reggie! Even if there's better entries out there, at least you know you did the best you could and where it stands," Alanna encouraged him and he smiled once more.

They parked and then entered the engineering building, which was a brick building with a large room filled with work stations, tables, and counters for a multitude of building and testing activities.

There was hardly a soul in the room but for them, what she assumed to be the adviser, and a then familiar redhead messing with a robot on one of the tables.

"Reginald, good to see you. It seems only you and Mr. Calhoun here didn't rush off into any Fall Break plans," the advisor greeted them. "Who is your friend?"

"Professor Carr, this is Alanna Thackery," Reggie said but saw Alanna was busy considering Shane, the guy at the table, who seemed to be all but ignoring her.  Reggie hadn't talked to Shane since his father, Elm Calhoun had publicly announced he was running against Reggie's own father for mayor in the upcoming election. Reggie nudged Alanna to get her attention and greet professor Carr in return. Professor Carr's eyes lit up at hearing her last name.  

"Hello," she said and stuck out her hand with her usual friendly smile.

"Are you related to Antoine Thackery?"

"Yeah, he's my brother," she said and then understood why this robotics adviser looked so keen, even if she wanted to, she didn't have time to dedicate to any student organizations, "but I just tagged along to see what Reggie was working on."

"I see," disappointment in the professor's tone was evident, "Well maybe you will like what you see and be inspired to join our program."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have a lot on my plate already," Alanna explained and then looked around the room as if she were trying to avoid any more offers from the advisor, "Reggie where's your robot?"

Reggie led Alanna to the farthest table where some parts and tools were spread across the surface and a green machine with propellers was off its power station.

"So this is my spybot," Reggie said gesturing out to it.

"Aww, it's so cute! Look at its little eyes," she gushed and then noted the hovering propulsion system, "So is it like a drone?".

"Yeah, it could be classified as one. I built in a photo-capturing system. On command it can snap 10 frame rates per second out of each eye and load them into any server I program it to. Neato huh?"

"That is really neat!" She said, "Is it all manual though? Could you set it for automatic recording or have it adapted to any algorithms so it knows what to look for and record?"

This was why he had the slightest hesitation in showing Alanna his work. Her suggestions were great but they were beyond Reggie's skill at programming and he didn't want to come off as an inadequate builder. The twisted dilemma in his facial expression must have been evident because Alanna's look softened, "It's a great concept and I think you could push it to be more unique."

"Like A.I.?" Reggie guessed.

It was what her brother would have done, but Reggie was not Antoine.

"Or you could also put an audio component into the recording mechanism" She said, with her hand on her chin with consideration. "A picture is worth a thousand words they say, but if this bot is meant to spy, then audio would surely be helpful in interpreting what images you capture."

Reggie thought about it as he lifted his bot off the table and carried it over to a work station, "That's a good idea. I'd just have to open it back up and add some wires to the microcontroller and leave some kind of opening for a microphone. The programming might take a bit though."

"And once it's tested out and polished, I'm positive you could take it to the university competitions," Alanna smiled with encouragement. She was so perfect. Reggie could feel his heart doing somersaults in his chest as he opened a series of drawers looking for the tools needed to take his robot apart. How could he have ever believed the lies about her? He could still feel a prick of fury deep down at his sister for orchestrating them.  

Reggie found a screwdriver and began to unfasten the screws that held the frame of his spybot together.

"Don't forget this one," Alanna stood by and pointed to a screw underneath the extended propeller of the chassis. He wasn't going to but did that one next since she had pointed it out.

"So how long will it take you to program audio in?" she asked.

"I don't know, I've never done that part before. I will at least install the microphone tonight—I can do that much," Reggie replied as he unspooled some of the yellow wire off the work station's wire rolls and promptly cut it with the wire clippers.

"Why the yellow wire?" Alanna asked.

He didn't know if she was testing him because she knew more about wire than him or if she was genuinely curious, either way he replied, "For power conduction."

"Where will the microphone exit the frame?" She wondered.

"I'll make a hole at the top," he said, though hadn't thought about the positioning until she had asked.

"Wouldn't it pick up more accurate audio if it were at the bottom?" She pointed to the underside of the chassis. "Since it's hard for sound to travel over an obstacle? It's why the mouthpieces in our phones are at the bottom."

Reggie felt a wave of something unpleasant—perhaps it was him being overwhelmed at her questions and suggestions. He still had yet to take all the screws out. She wasn't doing it to be mean or demeaning but it was highly distracting.

"I'll figure it out," he snapped but didn't mean for it to sound so snide. He could tell by her sudden abashed expression that he had come off as rude. Of course, he appreciated her enthusiasm and encouragement in his hobby but she was too eager to add her commentary and it flustered him. No girls ever did that around him.

"Okay," she responded and bit her lip, backing out of his workstation space, "I'll just...leave you to it then."

He could have kicked himself. He had wanted to impress her and his awkwardness had ruined it. He quietly undid the remainder of the screws in the chassis while thinking of what to say to get back to her good side. He watched in regret as she retreated toward Shane Calhoun.

Unbeknownst to Reggie, the Calhouns had lived a few houses down from Alanna, and Shane, their middle son was in most of her classes throughout school. Shane usually kept to himself though, and often spent recesses doing extra studying. He was somewhat of a rival of Alanna's when the science fair came around every spring.

Professor Carr stood from the desk at the head of the room and said he was taking a five-minute break before walking out. There wasn't much for him to oversee since only two members of the program were present.

"What are you working on?" Alanna approached Shane and asked casually as if she had just seen him yesterday, when in reality she probably hadn't spoken to him since before graduation. He'd grown a lot taller.

From the looks of it, he was building a robot frame with wheels and had a bright red chassis.

He seemed startled at being addressed by her—being interrupted from a highly concentrated state and took a deep breath, "It's an automatic plant enhancement aide."

Alanna chortled, "Say it in Simlish please?"

Shane's expression took on a somewhat smug grin and he lifted his foot into the chair seat, gesturing at his work, "It's a gardening robot."

She'd seen gardening robots before. Antoine had had been making them since he was in junior high. Was Shane not even challenging himself anymore? She was somewhat disappointed. In school, they had tried one-upping each other each year at the science fair. Alanna usually came in second place to Shane's projects except senior year when her weather changing device got all the blue ribbons in every category. She had never seen the redhead so livid when he hadn't won first place and for once, had to face the feeling of being only second best.

"How is that any different than a hydrobot kit you can get online?" Alanna asked.

Shane crossed his arms with indignance, and faced her "It also trims bushes and hedges in addition to watering the plants. It has all-terrain wheels so it can move across lawns, even ones with steep hills and can check a plant's stats by analyzing the leaves."

Alanna raised a brow with scrutiny. How in the world was he able install and program an analytic component? Either he had really stepped up his game since high school or he was lying.

"What does it scan for to determine the plant's stats?"

"Exposure to the sun and current water capacity," Shane answered, seeming more and more prickled by her questions.

"And you coded that yourself?" she asked doubtfully and crossed her arms as well.

"What are you getting at Alanna? Look I didn't invite you over here to start interrogating me about my project so why don't you back off? Not everyone can have a genius brother help them build their machines."

"What are you getting at?" she threw her hands down with offense.

"Everyone knows you were tired of being in second place all the time at the science fair and so had your brother build you a weather changing machine so you could take first for once."

"I did not! I kicked your behiney fair and square!" Alanna all but shouted with a deep frown setting into her usual pleasant expression. How dare he accuse her of cheating! Couldn't he just get over losing already? That was two years ago! She built the contraption all on her own and she didn't even let Antoine see it because she didn't want his help and wanted to do it herself!  

Her shout got Reggie's attention, pulling him out of his brooding because he'd heard that word before, or rather, had read it in a chat box recently. He didn't think it was that common of a saying.

No. It couldn't be...Alanna didn't seem the type to even have an interest in video games. He had a hard time believing she was the person behind the competitive and sassy violet_fire handle in the Rush Hour tournaments. It must have just been a coincidence that Alanna used the same unique figure of speech violet_fire had in their last message.

"It doesn't matter if I got pieces of the code from the internet, at least I'm doing a lot of the work myself," Shane ignored her protesting and kept insinuating she had cheated to win. It made her blood boil. "Even if the watering mechanism isn't wholly responsive to the stat data yet."

Alanna grabbed a screwdriver and wrench off the table and began to undo the bolts in Shane's robot. He let out a shout of protest and Reggie looked a bit horrified at her sudden actions. What had possessed her to start tearing someone's robot apart? She vigorously pulled the screws out and Shane yelled, "By the great green diamond, what are you doing?!"

"You can't fix your water mechanism responsiveness when your robot is still put together. You have to evaluate the components that you've already installed," she answered in a growl, and then turned an eye to him, daring him to stop her.

His face fell into a mix of horror and wonder at her words, "You'd really try to help me after what I said to you?"

"I'm going to prove to you that I never cheated by fixing your problem."

Maybe in his heart, Shane Calhoun knew Alanna hadn't cheated but held so much resentment for that science fair loss that cheating was the only reason to justify it. His pride wouldn't accept that she did better than him on her own merits.

Alanna was determined. If Shane could see her navigate through his machine and pinpoint his issue and find a solution it would prove she had the same if not better skill in tinkering.

Reggie couldn't believe she would do that for Shane either. Shane certainly didn't deserve her help after the he insulted her. If Reggie were built like Franz, he would have definitely stepped up to Shane and demanded an apology. Seeing her in this fierce state however, he wasn't sure he would even need to step in and it made him reconsider his thought about not suspecting her to be the one and only violet_fire.  

Reggie had connected his wire and microphone while they had been arguing and had nothing else to do the rest of the night. Unless he wanted to spend a few hours messing with the microcontroller to figure out how to add audio to the transmitting piece.

"Alanna, didn't you need a ride home?" Reggie approached them. She had, after all, indicated at the bake sale she wanted to go back to Isla Del Kashmire after checking out the robotics program.  

Alanna was focusing hard on opening up Shane's robot and she didn't even look at Reggie, "It's fine. I'll just go back to my dorm when I am done here."

The way she had answered was so flat, unconcerned, and concentrated as if Reggie didn't even matter. Shane stood by with his arms crossed and was observing how Alanna was tearing his bot apart but didn't say a word. If he really believed she had cheated then he wouldn't be letting her do this and would have stopped her. Was he just using her to make a better robot?

"Are you sure?" Reggie checked to make sure; he had hoped after this he could invite her to a movie or to the old Sim State tower to stargaze—anything to spend more time with her. It was like he was being swept further and further away from her no matter what he tried to do to keep close.

"Yeah, go on without me," she decided and popped off the chassis to reveal the inner-workings of Shane's gardening robot.

Reggie couldn't stand around awkwardly and keep asking her if she was sure that's what she wanted so he turned around and departed without her. He passed Professor Carr on the way out—who was coming back in from his break—and when the advisor asked about Alanna, Reggie mumbled something about her staying and helping Shane. Carr's reaction of delight was the polar opposite of what Reggie felt.

Reggie made it outside and took a breath of the night air, feeling greatly frustrated. First of all, at himself for screwing his chances up by snapping at her. Secondly, he was still in a state of uncertainty, pondering whether or not Alanna as indeed his Rush Hour rival. Lastly, he was annoyed at Shane for being so inept that Alanna felt like she had to stay and fix the issues with his project.

He kicked at a rock and sent it skittering across the sidewalk into the grass and some posters caught his attention that were put up on the side of the building. There were election posters. Annoyingly, Elm Calhoun's poster had been adhered over his father's campaign poster which had been put up first. He would have ripped it down if it didn't ruin the poster underneath.  

There was a big red and black poster that he hadn't seen before but it was advertising something called a fight night. What was odd was that there was no information on the location, just direction to text a phone number for details. That had all the hints of something shady going on. Well, Reggie had nothing better to do, and Alanna wasn't going to be coming with him so why not watch a bunch of people beat the crap out of each other? Besides, what was the worst that could happen if he checked it out?

[emmayame]

Day 7: What Is

This prompt answer is nice, (hopefully) funny, and has two parts :) The first one I’ve previously posted on my AO3, and the second one is brand new. If you have already read the first, you can jump right to the second here. 

Though Reyes Vidal called himself a betting man, the risks he took were usually precisely calculated. He prided himself on being careful and efficient. Any goal could be achieved - it was only a matter of elegant strategy and sufficient preparation. That afternoon he was brought to Kralla’s Song by the latter. There was a new element in the equation, a new piece on the chessboard that he needed to evaluate. It could either become a complication, or a perfect means to an end. Judging by the update he had just received from the docks, he was about to find out which option was more likely.

It was still early for the bar to be crowded, though even if it were packed, locating the Pathfinder would not pose a problem. Her pristine light grey uniform surely made it obvious, but that newcomer vibe she was sending off would give her away no matter what she was wearing. His keen eyes followed her as she headed to the bar counter and leaned on it with one elbow, turning to watch yet another visitor receive a lesson in manners from the bar’s owner.

The little show made him smile wryly. He rather liked Umi and her no-nonsense approach. In addition, she had sharp hearing and even sharper memory – a valuable bonus which he knew how to put to good use.

Judging by the Pathfinder’s raised brows, the bartender’s particular brand of problem-solving made an impression on her. It was hard to tell if said impression was positive or negative, though, as her features became carefully neutral quite fast. Ryder appraised the asari for a moment, and then returned to scanning the room.    

Reyes had to admit that the conclusions of his quick scrutiny were conflicting. Her cool expression, plain short haircut and colour preference that spelled demure were at odds with her nonchalant posture and something else about her that he couldn’t quite put a finger on. Intrigued, he decided it was time for a closer look.

He pushed off the wall, leaving his vantage point at the far end of the bar, and sauntered toward her. The greeting rolled off his lips with practiced ease.  

“You look like you’re waiting for someone,” he said, gesturing Umi for drinks.

The Pathfinder turned and gave him a quick once-over, pausing to accept the proffered beverage before her eyes settled on his yet again.

“And you look distinctly non-angaran, Shena,” she pointed out matter-of-factly, clinking her tumbler against Reyes’.

Well, that saved him half the introduction.

He grinned. “You don’t say.”

They downed the whiskey and she took a step forward, extending a hand. “I don’t know about you, but I hate code names. I’m Amelia Ryder.”

Huh.

Reyes had always been good at taking the lead in a conversation. It was comfortable, familiar. He knew exactly what to say and how to steer the talk just where he needed it to go. That was how he preferred it. The Pathfinder’s self-confidence was adorable, really, but this exchange would not be different.

“You can call me Reyes,” he answered, taking her hand in his and making a step forward of his own, stopping just shy of too close. “And I despise code names just as much,” he added smoothly, lowering his voice to a purr.

She fell silent, her cheeks turning faintly pink.

That’s better.

Pleased with the result, Reyes was about to slip into his monologue, but, apparently, Ryder had other ideas.   

“I must confess, I am envious,” she admitted, looking up at him, a mischievous grin blooming on her face. “You’ve managed to charm Evfra into working with you. All I have achieved so far is a slightly less murderous look. And I thought I was impossible not to like!”

If Reyes weren’t used to keeping his expressions in check at all times, one of his eyebrows would probably arch at the change of demeanor. The Pathfinder that entered the bar seemed a composed, all-business kind of person. The smirking girl standing in front of him was too glib for her own good. The two personalities were so different that one of them had to be a carefully fabricated facade. The question was, which one?         

While he was trying to decide whether he was amused or annoyed, Ryder let go of his hand and spoke up again.

“So, Vehn Terev. Do you know where I can find him?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Reyes nodded, pausing to make sure she wasn’t about to interrupt him again, but Ryder actually kept silent. Satisfied, he stepped away from the counter and guided her to the balustrade.

The view that opened from there was gorgeous. In this respect Kralla’s beat Tartarus fair and square. The murky seclusion of the slums’ establishment was excellently suited for his line of work, but he needed to come up for air sometimes, both literally and figuratively. That’s why he often chose Kralla’s as a meeting place – when the content of the conversation to be had wasn’t overly sensitive, of course.

Ryder seemed to share his opinion – she looked rather enthralled by Kadara’s harsh beauty. Her eyes were slowly wandering from one mountain to another, stopping at a distant glimmer of a pond or an occasional burst of scarlet in places where the local coral-like plants prevailed. If Reyes didn’t know any better, he would suspect she was only half listening to his rundown on the situation. That could not be the case, but he still felt vaguely irritated at the thought.

“Actually, that Sloane Kelly character doesn’t sound so bad,” she commented, turning to face him.  “I’m sure if I ask nicely she won’t mind releasing Vehn into my custody.”

He quirked up a corner of his mouth. “Your positive thinking is commendable, but I doubt it will be that easy.”

Judging by her carefree shrug, Ryder didn’t share his skepticism. That kind of attitude would get her into a lot of trouble. Especially on a planet like Kadara.   

Luckily for the Pathfinder, Reyes was willing to help. It was part of his plan, after all.    

“But,” he continued, leaning closer to her, “there might be another way to get to Vehn. You work Sloane…”

“And while I’m at it, you can arrange for plan B. Perfect!” she nodded approvingly. And then she stepped away from him and headed for the exit.

His eyebrow did shoot up at that turn of events. That was…

Halfway to the stairs, the Pathfinder spun around.

“Meet me at the market in twenty minutes?” she offered, and then added, the same smug grin from before playing at her lips, “and thanks for the drink!”

And then she was gone.

That was going to be problematic, he realized. But not for the reasons he had anticipated.

***

Forty-three minutes later he finally spotted Ryder exiting Outcast HQ. He exhaled through his nose and called out her name, arranging his face into its customary amiable expression. The marketplace was quite busy, so it took some time for her to locate him and pick her way through the crowd.  

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, stopping in front of him, not a hint of remorse in her voice.

“Have a nice chat?” he asked levelly, crossing his arms.

What could have taken her so long? He seriously doubted Sloane’s ability to tolerate a person like Ryder for an extended period of time. Which in Ryder’s case meant anything longer than ten seconds.

“Actually, yes,” she nodded, mirroring his stance. “Her Majesty was quite civil and even let me speak with Vehn.”

For a split moment, Reyes’ smile became slightly strained, but he quickly composed himself. The girl was really getting on his nerves now, but she would never know about that. “So… no need for plan B?”

Ryder’s eyes crinkled with mischief. “I was so nice and convincing but she still didn’t let me take him. So, now I just have to do it!”

She motioned for him to follow her down the narrow alley and behind the corner of the armour shop. After a quick check of their surroundings, she turned back to him.

“While I was enjoying my little tour of the royal palace, I managed to do some discreet scanning. Turns out there are very conveniently placed maintenance shafts around here. I’m fairly certain that one,” she pointed a thumb behind her shoulder, “leads to the cells.”

Well, now he was surprised. Of course, the method she used to get the intel wasn't exactly ideal - she could have been caught in the act quite easily. Someone might say Ryder was lucky, but Reyes didn’t believe in luck. He believed in facts, and the facts said the cause of her success was, most likely, the Outcasts’ guards’ less than impressive IQ. Still, getting the intel was only half of the job. What counted was what you did with it.

“So what’s your plan?” he inquired conversationally.

“Well, basically I am going to hack my way through,” she shrugged, “and then test out some of the exciting omnitool mods I’ve recently installed on the cell door.”

Nice idea. A pity it won’t work.

For quite some time trying to override the port’s locks had been one of the popular hobbies in Kadara - apart from stabbing each other in dark corners and looting the resulting corpses. That was the reason the security protocols were changed. Now at a hint of interference the system went into lockdown and could only be unblocked by the correct code. Which she could have had by now if it weren’t for her being so sassy.

Oh, this is going to be good.

“So, is there any way I can be of assistance?” he asked pleasantly, his previous frustration with her all but forgotten.

“If you could keep a lookout while I’m dealing with the console, that would be really nice!”

She exuded such confidence and enthusiasm that he almost felt bad for what was about to happen. Almost.

“Why, of course!” he purred. Sauntering to the railing, Reyes turned around and gave her an encouraging smile. The Pathfinder flashed him another sly grin, and strode to the shaft’s entrance, preparing her omnitool on the way. Several moments passed in silence.

Three...two….one…

“Umm, Reyes?” Ryder’s voice was deliciously uncertain.

He made his reply sound casual, a bit concerned, because he wasn’t enjoying this, not in the slightest!

“Yes, Pathfinder. Is something wrong?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems like the system went into lockdown.”

He walked up to her and dutifully examined the console from over her shoulder. “Hmm, looks like you are right. You won't be able to open it now unless you have a code.”

Ryder cast a glance at him, her brows drawn together in a frown.

“I don’t. Obviously,” she waved at the red lock symbol helplessly.  “So… What about that plan B of yours?”

It took a considerable amount of his self-control not to let his amusement show.

“Well, it's funny that you ask…” he answered, leaning in from behind her to input the required combination. The lock chimed softly and switched to cheerful green. Ryder stilled momentarily, then slowly turned around. When she lifted her eyes to peer at him, they were dangerously narrowed. Some people would definitely find the glare she was giving him frightening. Reyes, however, found it deeply satisfying.

“You knew the code,” she spoke very slowly, as if she had to carefully choose every word before spelling it out, “and didn’t tell me?”

He shrugged innocently. “I would if you asked.”

Ryder’s lips parted, but not a sound was able to escape. For a moment the girl just stared at him incredulously. Then, visibly making an effort to calm herself, she crossed her arms and frowned up at him.

“All right, I’m asking now. What did you have in mind?”

He answered her with one of those playful grins she seemed so fond of using, and then explained the few remaining details of his much finer plan. This time she listened very attentively, her eyes never leaving his. When he finished speaking, she looked him over once again, shaking her head thoughtfully.

“We ain’t gonna be friends, you and I,” she huffed, turning to descend into the shaft.

Reyes snorted at her proclamation.    

Just about an hour ago, he would have agreed. Now, however, having to deal with the cocky Pathfinder didn’t seem like such a nuisance. The girl was insufferable, that part was still true and very obvious, but apart from that, she remained a puzzle to him. And Reyes liked solving puzzles.  

There was another thing he knew for sure, he thought, as he headed back to Tartarus, a slow, devious smile spreading across his face.

Teasing her would definitely be fun.

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[findinglifepassion]

Lessons from 1997

During lockdown I found a packet of letters that I had kept from 1997. At the time I was in my final year of university, studying my honours in information systems at the University of Cape Town. The letters brought a range of interesting lessons and perspectives.

In those days, the average person didn’t have email and, in many cases, not even a home computer or a cell phone. I remember one guy we labelled a show off because he brought his cell phone and his laptop to class.  It would be more accurate to call him an early adopter. It’s funny how things have changed. South Africa’s postal service worked well back then and I wrote and received letters from my friends and family in Johannesburg. A boyfriend left to travel the world and I received many letters from him professing his everlasting love. One guy who used to date a school friend also sent me a bunch of letters which at the time I thought was his way of being friendly. Reading them now, with a bit more street smarts, it’s very amusing to see his attempts at wooing me on paper.

In 1998 when I started work, my boyfriend went to Texas with his company on a learning experience for three months. I found printed emails from him that he sent from internet cafe's also professing his undying love. Good, I suppose, since he’s my husband now. The letters from my friends all stated how much they missed me and they couldn’t wait for me to come home. They spoke of parties, drinking and boys – all the important things when you’re twenty-something.

It made me quite sad to acknowledge that those relationships are no longer. We have drifted apart and are living lives that do not seem compatible anymore. I know that I drifted from some of them when I became a mother and they were single and enjoying a different lifestyle. I changed much of my thinking at university and I could no longer reconcile the thinking and opinions of some friends who were struggling to come to terms with South Africa’s young democracy. I wonder if I should have fought harder to keep many of those relationships and if I was better with people I probably could have.

The saddest letters were from my brother who was dealing with a lot at the time. He wrote about how he travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to visit my grandparents, eager to introduce them to a close friend that he was actually in love with. He wrote about how hurt he felt at my grandfather’s obvious revulsion at his homosexuality and that he would never return. He wrote about how our family home was being taken and sold from under us by the bank and he had to scramble to find a new place to live, alone and unsupported by my parents. His letters are filled with suffering and pain, a result of being abandoned and rejected by family and also hurt in romantic relationships. I read letters from my mother giving her perspective on how she needed to remarry and that we were old enough to stand on our own feet. Her enthusiasm and obvious excitement of the early stages of love in her letters is starkly contrasted by how her relationship ended in much sadness, regret and divorce.

An interesting few letters were from my English teacher in high school. I kept in contact with her after school for many years because she was a source of compassion for me and someone who seemed to understand me. What struck me as so different from how we live now was how candid she was about the ‘oppressive institution’ that was my high school. I should have known better than to initially send my own children into that environment. A teacher wouldn’t dream of putting such things into writing now but how I appreciate her honesty and her support. She encouraged me to seek counselling and in those days, it wasn’t something most people engaged in. I doubt my parents would have paid for it. Almost twenty years later I suffered such a catastrophic burnout that my health was damaged irreparably. Pity I didn’t take her advice more seriously.

My most difficult struggle currently is to see my own value. In reading these letters, it’s clear that people saw something in me that I still don’t see today. My ex-boyfriend wrote about how much ambition and promise I had and that it was impossible for me not to be successful. People seemed so excited to hear I was coming home and my suitors seemed keen to make me their wife.

After my burnout I have written two books and I do public speaking and workshops. I haven’t been able to make any significant money out of it despite a lot of effort. It’s clear that if I fail to believe that I have value to add, how can my clients believe that I will support them? These people all saw something in me and I can’t help but feel I’ve let them down. I’ve failed to live up to expectations and I’m a mere housewife with a writing hobby.

I’m conscious that I’m taking medication that literally steals my joy. It is an actual side-effect of the medication that will potentially save my thyroid. How do I live in a place of apathy and help others find joy? Do I sacrifice my thyroid to be happy?

How do I find my way back into the world and connect with the value I have to offer under these circumstances?

[ecollierphoto]

Our Biggest Year...

I’ve been collecting my thoughts, but no one REALLY likes hoarders...

First, and most important...THANK YOU! To everyone...

The MRPC, The United Parish of Lunenburg, everyone...

We shot 152 sessions in 2018. In 2017 we shot 138. As a reminder, in 2015 we shot 21. 

It’s not the 168 that I initially thought, and I’ll get to that...

_________________

You voted for two puppy names this year. It was a tight race for a while, but when the next few batch of puppies comes in to start their training at NEADS, there will be...

Gordon...after photographer Gordon Parks.

WATCH THIS! 

and...

Dubley..after photographer Elliot Erwitt..or E.E.

Get it? Double E? Dubley?

WATCH THIS! The first five minutes or so are photos of dogs, and sometimes their people...

______________

We had at least three dogs have “accidents” on the floor. Including these two Great Dane pups... They are not labs... Part of the fun... 

One of them started to go, and it was as if the other one said “Oh, is this what we’re doing now?” and let it rip... while walking around... everywhere... Part of the fun... 

We had return customers...

Some people coming in for their fourth time...

We had new folks... 

We had new babies...BRAND NEW BABIES...

We had teenagers... holy smokes you guys...just give me one good smile...

Growing families...

Families going through some stuff...keep going...

People bringing their own props...

LOVE THIS! 

We had a hell of time finding locations for this year, and I need to do better and plan earlier with this... Gaaahhhh! NETFLIX!! HULU!!! (shakes fist)

Thanks to Glen and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission for letting me shoot in their entryway for the second weekend. 

We were a couple centimeters away from having to cancel one of the days... ahh..documentary photography...

We had college students come in remotely...

We had Emma... who took advantage of me not locking my phone, and gave us this:

I really can’t begin to express how grateful I am for Emma’s willingness to endure long days and limited snack options to help her Uncle Ed with his crazy hobby... Thank you Emma...

The Housh Family came back, and didn’t disappoint...

We had a 12 foot gray paper background, lost on a truck, somewhere in Pennsylvania, so I went to three Targets and a Wal-Mart, the day before Thanksgiving, looking for enough black out curtains, of the same style, in the same color, that I thought maybe I could make work, but they were too short, so on Thanksgiving, I cut one in segments, and taped it to the bottom, and set it up after a quick Thanksgiving dessert with my family, but the seam made everything look weird, so I went home and got a nine foot roll of gray paper, and set it up at dawn the next day, shoot day, but there were some weird lines in it, so I took that down, and put up two black fabric panels which I brought just in case. The sausage got made. Photo Sausage. Trademark.

A few photos were snapped of me...

with Emma goofing off...

with so many Keenans...

with mermaid legs.... thanks Emma...

We celebrated, snacked, and raffled off props...

___________________

So...the nitty gritty, and the lessons...

I had space for 165 sessions, not 168.

We sold out. We had a wait list with 50+ names on it.

Then we had a few cancellations which I filled, then a couple more a day or two before the shoots, and then a few less than 24 hours before the shoot, then less than 12 hours, then a couple no shows.

It’s a lot for me to manage in the middle of prep and shooting and editing, etc..

So, we shot 152 sessions. It’s huge, and I am so proud. Truly.

But it could have been a bit larger. It was supposed to be. I ran out of time and energy when I should have been filling cancelled spaces.

We raffled off the props and prints and brought in an additional $327.

So I’m rounding up a bit, and contributing an additional $973 to get us to the $16,500 that we initially sold out with. It’s our biggest year. Even without the rounding up. $5500 for NEADS, $5500 for the Worcester County Food Bank, and $5500 for the Worldwide Orphans Foundation.

with Sally at theWorcester County Food Bank

with Doreen at NEADS World Class Service Dogs

________________

So far, in just four years, the Simple Shot Experiment has been able to donate $43,900 in shoot fees.

Sometimes I forget to slow down and to be proud of this, but I really am. I just move on to the next item and don’t take the time to reflect.

receiving a Harvester Award from the Worcester County Food Bank in November

My friend Deb said something like this this to me at the celebration event “You’re showing people that they can make a difference with the skills that they have.”

That made my night.

I really have a great time when I’m shooting. Solving visual problems, while trying to figure out how to make a toddler smile, simultaneously getting multiple dogs’ attention by using a squeaky toy like a thigh master, all while trying my best to have you guys not see me look at the clock, because sometimes twenty minutes goes by REALLY fast when you just need ONE smile out of a teething teenager...and someone showed up early, and, and, and...

It’s a challenge, and I love it

That’s the experiment... How hard can I work, and how much can we raise...

When I finally hang up my camera, or my body gives out, whichever happens first...I want that total donation amount to be significant. I want to know that I have worked hard enough with my limited skillset to make a difference for people and organizations doing REAL good in this world. I imagine it will be a good way to retire.

________________

But it’s getting a little expensive, and it’s just a hobby

So, we’re going to tweak how we do things. Just a bit.

1. We’re going to have people pre-pay when they sign up. People have told me The new system worked well this year.

2. If you have to cancel, you can give away your spot, but I can’t spend the time filling it. It’s too much.

3. The session fee next year will be $110. $100 will be a donation to the charities, and $10 to cover the cost of the hall rentals, postage for gift prints, and the nuts and bolts of doing this.

4. We’re going to sell raffle tickets for props, prints, gift certificates, etc., during the shoot itself. I think we’ll be able to raise more this way. I love seeing people at the celebration event, but it’s a lot of work, and the ROI needs to bump up a bit.

5. I’ll be asking for help. Which I’m not good at. For donation items, for set-up help. For picking up munchkins. Thanks to Simple Shotters Jake and Dan who work at Frito Lay, the snacks are covered for next year.

6. We’re opening registration to everyone, at the same time. Emails and Facebook.

So that’s where we are...

Thank you to everyone for your support and enthusiasm, and coming back year after year. Email or DM me with ideas and suggestions for next year, and I’ll see you in 2019!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

-ed

[canvas-boy]

How Can I Join Liv

Network marketing uses others to market your products for you. Frequently these marketers are in good with other people that match your business description so they are very powerful allies in getting you more business. Sometimes meeting someone face to face with faith in your product or business gives the future client more comfort in knowing there's a face to your business. Don't waste your precious time on prospective team members you don't know anything about. Have your team members talk to the applicant to determine whether he is a good candidate for your organization or not. Spend time with the applicants your pre-screening team approves so you can focus most of your time on your business. Your ego can easily get in the way when network marketing, so make sure you check it at the door. Having the confidence that you can sell ice to Eskimos isn't confidence at all; it's hubris. This type of ego will crush your business dreams and keep you playing small-ball in the minor leagues. In any business, even network marketing, it's important to keep track of your finances. This means hanging onto receipts for items like ink, paper, phone bills, etc. The greatest tool you can use is a receipt scanner, and many even work with the latest accounting and tax software making your life easier come tax time.

If one network marketing opportunity fails find a new one. You already have the skills and experience, so just apply them to a new business! There are plenty of companies out there with different tools and techniques on offer to help you succeed. If you fail try try again until you succeed! One stage to watch out for in network marketing is the end of the honeymoon. Do not let your interest and enthusiasm flag when the going gets tough! In any network marketing strategy, even the best, there will be natural lulls where nothing seems to be happening. Keep your goals in mind, and dedicate yourself to powering through the low points. Avoid the pyramid question in discussing your network marketing business. Right from the start if people ask you if it is a pyramid scheme, you need to turn it back on them and ask if that is what they are looking for, because if it is, they will have to look elsewhere. People expect you to defend yourself, not say things like that. There is no reason to defend something that does not need a defense. When it comes to network marketing, it is extremely important to consider that your content needs to not only be easy to read, but also presented in a unique way to your subscribers. This is important because you want people to be attracted to your content as well as be able to digest this information quickly before becoming bored and turning elsewhere. Have a narrow focus on your goals and work towards long-term results daily. Evaluate your marketing work over a period of 90 days or less. Don't overemphasize your bigger, future plan. This way, you'll be able to ensure your actions are always in line with your final goal. One way to get bigger pools of potential recruits for your network marketing efforts is to encourage recruits to start thinking in terms of "friends of friends." If your recruit provides you with a potential recruit, ask them who that person knows who might be suited to the program. Exploring wider circles this way can exponentially expand your recruiting pool. When participating in network marketing, you must always make sure you are learning something new on a continual basis. All successful businessmen must continue to learn and adapt to the environment because in today's fast-paced world, change is inevitable. Therefore, you should aim to keep your mind open to new opportunities. A great tip that will help you become successful at network marketing is to start selling products that you're passionate about. Selling products that you're passionate about will be much easier because you will be more interested and knowledgeable. If you sell products you aren't interested in, you can't expect potential customers to get interested. Form yourself in the image of someone who taught you the most in your life. Maybe you know someone that you trust fully or who you respect and would follow into a firefight, if he or she asked. A network marketer needs to embody this type of personality and in return, will be followed by people who want to work hard on his or her behalf. A great tip that will help you become successful at network marketing is to try and use the products yourself before you sell them. Using the products yourself will give you the advantage of knowing how the product works intimately, and potential customers will trust you a lot more. In order to make your network marketing business a success, you have to set aside time that is devoted to it. If you are not putting regular hours into it, it will never get anywhere. Doing this as a side business or hobby will only get you minimal results. Make use of a network marketing system. A system will help you stay focused on your success and ensure you're taking the right steps to build your network. Networking systems also provide you with tools to measure how you're doing and instructions to patch up the places where you might be struggling. Always look for new marketing strategies. With new technologies, businesses are constantly finding new ways to reach out to their audience. Keep a close watch on what the concurrence is doing. Perhaps you can use a small panel of customers to try out new methods. Experience with new technologies as much as possible. To use network marketing just may be the thing your business needs to succeed. With all of the kinds of marketing, perhaps you've grown tired of all the different kinds you've tried and need a fresh start. Network marketing has been tried many times and has worked fabulously, so perhaps this is just for you!

Liv compensation

[dontvoteconservative]

Episode 1: Miseducation, Miseducation, Miseducation

Election season is upon us. On April 18th, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that June 8th will mark the next UK General Election. Polling suggests that the Conservatives will win in a landslide, and while that may happen, the polling industry is arguably at an all time low in terms of credibility. This is the industry that gave us a narrow Milliband win, a comfortable Remain decision, a landslide Hillary Clinton victory, and ruled out the possibility of a Corbyn victory in the Labour leadership contest, all in the last two years. So you’ll forgive me if I haven’t thrown in the towel and begun crying in despair just yet. And if writing this convinces even two or three people to vote against returning the Tories to government, it will have been worth it. The Conservatives’ record in government since 2010 has been, in short, horrendous. Most reasonable people would agree that seven years is more than enough time to have made a measurable difference or at least introduced legislation that would have a positive benefit in the medium to long term. I’ll be trying to illustrate the extent of the damage done in that time by the government under David Cameron and Theresa May, as well as their intentions for the future, in various areas of policy starting with education. In short, school funding is being decimated nationwide, with 99% of students expected to be negatively affected by 2020. The Institute for Fiscal Studies described in January that the current cuts represent ‘the largest cut in school spending per pupil over a four year period since at least the early 1980s’ and ‘divert funding away from schools with the most deprived student population’ – that is to say, the poorest will be affected most. You’ll be hearing that a lot over the next few weeks. But don’t take my word for it. Check out how your old school, or your children’s school, is due to be affected by 2020 at https://www.schoolcuts.org.uk/ . I looked up my old school and the annual budget appears to be due to reduce by a little under £300,000 a year, a loss of several hundred pounds per child. My school was good but pretty typical, with several departments to my recollection being held together or elevated by the enthusiasm of specific individual teachers, who would now be asked to perform this job with materially less resources at their disposal. For schools in poorer areas, the effect will no doubt be greater still. The Conservatives’ approach to education is beyond utilitarian. They have in particular slashed funding for arts subjects such as music and drama, which have had such a profound effect on so many children, including me – even those who don’t go on to specialise in these fields learn life skills such as confidence, teamwork and the value of practice, which can last a lifetime. The former Education Secretary, Conservative MP Nicky Morgan, was criticised in 2015 for insinuating that taking arts subjects at GCSE and A Level was not as valuable as STEM (Science, Technology, English and Maths) as they could lead to fewer job opportunities.

Emphasis on including obscure functions and rote learning in written language (which is what apparently constitutes ‘good writing’) has been heavily criticised by the novelist, former Children’s Laureate and Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmith’s University of London Michael Rosen, among numerous other literary and educational figures. In 2015, the absurdity of this was highlighted when then-PM David Cameron was shown not to understand the terms that young children are now expected to, when he laughed off and deflected a question in the Commons from the Greens’ Caroline Lucas: “For the benefit of the house and 10 and 11-year-olds up and down the country, will the Prime Minister explain what the past progressive tense is, differentiate between a subordinating conjunctive and a coordinating conjunctive and finally will he please set out his definition of a modal verb?” For the record, I have no clue what those terms mean, and I think of myself as a man with a fairly comfortable grasp of the English language. The result of the cuts and overcomplicating of the education system? Last year, 53% of children at Key Stage 2 reached the expected standard for all three of reading, writing and mathematics – a one year drop from 2015 of a staggering 27%. That’s right, the robotic, utilitarian, pass-at-all-costs attitude has actually resulted in a markedly poorer performance. At the same time, Theresa May has been unrepentant in her support of increasing the number of grammar schools, in the face of mountains of evidence that they do nothing to enhance social mobility (as she claims they will) and actually do the opposite, entrenching existing inequality. The Institute for Fiscal Studies advised in September 2016 that among other things (emphasis mine): ·         Children from deprived backgrounds are much less likely to attend existing grammar schools than are better off children. Only about 3% of pupils at existing grammar schools are eligible for free school meals (a widely used indicator of poverty in schools), which compares with about 17% of pupils in grammar school areas as a whole. ·         About 12% of year 7 pupils in grammar schools weren’t in the state system in year 6, a figure which can rise to about 20% in some selective local authorities. This compares with around 2% in all state schools in England. This strongly suggests that a lot of children move from private schools into grammar schools at age 11. ·         Educational inequalities are still wider in today’s selective local authorities (ie those that have grammar schools). Therefore, even though we no longer have a two-tier qualification system, selective education is still found to widen educational inequalities. At PMQs recently, Theresa May accused Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn of wanting to pull up the ladder of aspiration after sending his own son to a grammar school. Firstly, this was a gross misrepresentation and borderline slanderous; Corbyn’s marriage was widely reported at the time to have broken down in part because he disagreed with his wife about sending their son to a grammar school. Secondly, it’s clear from the above evidence that it is the Conservatives that wish to pull the ladder up, for everyone not selected to these schools. At a time when kids should be being taught how to learn, how to build positive social relationships and discovering which subjects inspire in them feelings of passion that will inform their hobbies and careers for their entire lives, the Conservative party want to inspire instead nothing but desperate competition with their classmates for the prime positions, which evidence suggests will probably go to the kids of rich parents anyway. If your child doesn’t make the grade (at the age of 11!), their education afterwards will suffer, with a knock on effect to their future opportunities. It bears repeating that the results will be further entrenched inequality – if your children lose out, odds are your grandchildren will too, and so on. I think the final thing that it would be worth doing is taking a look at the Education Secretary, Justine Greening and her voting record on matters pertaining to her office over the last few years. This is the person ultimately spearheading the Government’s approach to education, so let’s see what we can expect: ·         Voted to increase tuition fee cap to £9,000 a year, saddling students with historically unprecedented levels of debt for years to come ·         Voted to turn all schools in the UK into academies before this catastrophic policy was abandoned during Nicky Morgan’s tenure in the face of massive backlash ·         Voted to end financial support for 16-19 year olds in training and future education, making this the remit of wealthier families who can afford to support their kids. Once again, entrenching social inequality. There is an anomaly in the list which you can see at the link, where it states that Greening voted for ‘more autonomy for schools’. This sounds good on paper (and took me aback briefly), but further investigation just shows that most of these relate to the ‘autonomy’ to become academies, or to ignore aspects of the curriculum demanded of most schools, including the requirement to teach PSHE at a time when it’s needed more than ever to ingrain concepts like consent, online safety, mental health and sexual health into children’s minds. In addition, Greening supported the creation of more ‘Free Schools’, which may as well be called ‘Religious Schools’ where the curriculum is chosen by religious groups – where again, the result will be a greater level of entrenchment of existing views, less exposure to children from different backgrounds and therefore differing ideas. It essentially makes schools into ghettos, as warned by the National Union of Teachers when they advised that Free Schools would ‘fuel social segregation’. This is the aim of the party that never stops claiming to be able to unite Britain. I’ll be delving into other areas of Conservative policy including health, the economy, civil rights and the perpetually hot potato of immigration over the next few weeks in the hope that I can convince even a few people to send their vote elsewhere (I actually have little preference as to where it goes, though a tactical vote deserves consideration depending on where you are). But that’s the past, present and future of education under the Conservatives. So if you have children, or think you might in the future, or know anyone who might, or were once a child yourself or know someone who was, please, don’t vote Conservative. #dvc

[canvas-boy]

How Can I Join Liv

Network marketing uses others to market your products for you. Frequently these marketers are in good with other people that match your business description so they are very powerful allies in getting you more business. Sometimes meeting someone face to face with faith in your product or business gives the future client more comfort in knowing there's a face to your business. Don't waste your precious time on prospective team members you don't know anything about. Have your team members talk to the applicant to determine whether he is a good candidate for your organization or not. Spend time with the applicants your pre-screening team approves so you can focus most of your time on your business. Your ego can easily get in the way when network marketing, so make sure you check it at the door. Having the confidence that you can sell ice to Eskimos isn't confidence at all; it's hubris. This type of ego will crush your business dreams and keep you playing small-ball in the minor leagues. In any business, even network marketing, it's important to keep track of your finances. This means hanging onto receipts for items like ink, paper, phone bills, etc. The greatest tool you can use is a receipt scanner, and many even work with the latest accounting and tax software making your life easier come tax time.

If one network marketing opportunity fails find a new one. You already have the skills and experience, so just apply them to a new business! There are plenty of companies out there with different tools and techniques on offer to help you succeed. If you fail try try again until you succeed! One stage to watch out for in network marketing is the end of the honeymoon. Do not let your interest and enthusiasm flag when the going gets tough! In any network marketing strategy, even the best, there will be natural lulls where nothing seems to be happening. Keep your goals in mind, and dedicate yourself to powering through the low points. Avoid the pyramid question in discussing your network marketing business. Right from the start if people ask you if it is a pyramid scheme, you need to turn it back on them and ask if that is what they are looking for, because if it is, they will have to look elsewhere. People expect you to defend yourself, not say things like that. There is no reason to defend something that does not need a defense. When it comes to network marketing, it is extremely important to consider that your content needs to not only be easy to read, but also presented in a unique way to your subscribers. This is important because you want people to be attracted to your content as well as be able to digest this information quickly before becoming bored and turning elsewhere. Have a narrow focus on your goals and work towards long-term results daily. Evaluate your marketing work over a period of 90 days or less. Don't overemphasize your bigger, future plan. This way, you'll be able to ensure your actions are always in line with your final goal. One way to get bigger pools of potential recruits for your network marketing efforts is to encourage recruits to start thinking in terms of "friends of friends." If your recruit provides you with a potential recruit, ask them who that person knows who might be suited to the program. Exploring wider circles this way can exponentially expand your recruiting pool. When participating in network marketing, you must always make sure you are learning something new on a continual basis. All successful businessmen must continue to learn and adapt to the environment because in today's fast-paced world, change is inevitable. Therefore, you should aim to keep your mind open to new opportunities. A great tip that will help you become successful at network marketing is to start selling products that you're passionate about. Selling products that you're passionate about will be much easier because you will be more interested and knowledgeable. If you sell products you aren't interested in, you can't expect potential customers to get interested. Form yourself in the image of someone who taught you the most in your life. Maybe you know someone that you trust fully or who you respect and would follow into a firefight, if he or she asked. A network marketer needs to embody this type of personality and in return, will be followed by people who want to work hard on his or her behalf. A great tip that will help you become successful at network marketing is to try and use the products yourself before you sell them. Using the products yourself will give you the advantage of knowing how the product works intimately, and potential customers will trust you a lot more. In order to make your network marketing business a success, you have to set aside time that is devoted to it. If you are not putting regular hours into it, it will never get anywhere. Doing this as a side business or hobby will only get you minimal results. Make use of a network marketing system. A system will help you stay focused on your success and ensure you're taking the right steps to build your network. Networking systems also provide you with tools to measure how you're doing and instructions to patch up the places where you might be struggling. Always look for new marketing strategies. With new technologies, businesses are constantly finding new ways to reach out to their audience. Keep a close watch on what the concurrence is doing. Perhaps you can use a small panel of customers to try out new methods. Experience with new technologies as much as possible. To use network marketing just may be the thing your business needs to succeed. With all of the kinds of marketing, perhaps you've grown tired of all the different kinds you've tried and need a fresh start. Network marketing has been tried many times and has worked fabulously, so perhaps this is just for you!

Liv compensation