#i swear it activated my fight or flight response

[liumilai]

why did i feel physically attacked by the magnus protocol intro outro music👨‍🦯👨‍🦯 come back to me soft violins the children miss you

[front-facing-pokemon]

[childotkw]

I have intense feelings about this fucker in particular.

[silvrash-797]

Thanks to @webhead3345 for the idea!

Echoes of the past (pt 1)

Febuwhump Day 4+7: Obedience/suffering in silence

Part 2

Read on ao3

The newly dubbed Legend sat at the edge of the camp, watching anyone with a knight’s title or wearing armor or chainmail warily. Warriors, Time, Wild, Sky, Twilight…over half the group, he couldn’t bring himself to trust them. Sure, the knights of his time weren’t actively chasing him anymore, but nothing could change the fact that they had, and now the sound of chainmail triggered about a dozen fight or flight responses.

Speaking of…Legend flinched as the Hero of Warriors approached, shoving the memories of rattling chainmail, gleaming weapons, I’m just a kid I didn’t do anything wrong I swear to the side.

“You okay, Legend?” Warriors asked, face apparently full of concern, though why a knight would be concerned for him he couldn’t fathom.

“Fine,” he muttered, trying not to curl into himself. Make yourself small, hide, they’ll go away pounded through his head, but he was the Hero of Legend, the Veteran of the hero business (an average nobody, his little rabbit-heart whispered traitorously). He’d been at this for nearly a decade so why is this still an issue? Stand up straight, face your fears, they’re heroes just like you. Don’t let them know you’re suffering, you’ll never hear the end of it.

The knight touched his shoulder and Legend jerked back violently, subduing a hiss at the last moment.

Warriors froze, hand half extended. “Vet, are you sure you’re okay –”

“I said I’m fine, Captain,” Legend sneered, putting as much acid in his voice as he could manage. “I just don’t like being touched, okay?”

Warriors withdrew his hands, raising them placatingly. “Okay, Vet. I understand,” he gave a charming smile. “I’m just trying to help us all come together better so we can take on whatever called us here.”

Warriors tilted his head, eyes suddenly filled with some emotion Legend couldn’t be bothered to place. “You’d…tell us, if something was wrong, right?”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever. Just leave me alone, okay?”

The Captain's eyes narrowed – was that sincere worry? – and he frowned a bit, but relented, turning and leaving Legend with his knight-free safety bubble at last.

-----

A few weeks later, Legend was sleeping peacefully when someone roughly shook his shoulder. He groaned, slitting his eyes just a bit to see who was bothering him in the middle of the night, it’s not even his night for watch, so why…

Firelight glinted off a metal pauldron; Legend's heart nearly stopped with fright.

The figure shook him again. “Vet, come on, we need to go!” The Captain’s voice was urgent but collected.

Legend shoved Warriors’ hand from his shoulder, groaning again as he sat up. “Captain, it is the middle of the goddess-forsaken night,” he snapped, “What in Din's name is so urgent it can’t wait for morning?!”

“Twilight just returned from patrol with Wolfie. They found a horde of infected monsters, moving this way fast. We’re splitting up camp to catch them in a pincer movement.”

Legend grumbled, but started gearing up. “Who's in which group?”

“I have the most experience with hordes like this, so I’ll be taking a small group to deal the worst of the damage to the monsters,” Wars explained. “You have the most versatile arsenal while Sky's our best swordsman, so you two will be with me. Time and Twilight will help coordinate the others.”

Legend froze in the act of adjusting his belt, blood rushing from his head and fingers turning numb. Me. Alone with knights that I still don’t trust. Against a horde of infected monsters? The mere thought filled him with such panic he was afraid he’d faint.

Legend forced himself to move again, attempting to wrangle his nerves into submission, pushing past the knot in his throat to plead for a different arrangement. “Rulie has just as much versatility with his magic as I do with my items – why don’t I go with the others and you take him instead?”

The only knight in the other group was Wild, and he didn’t remember much about it. He could work past his fear of Time's armor and Twilight’s chainmail if it meant fewer trained knights to keep an eye on.

Warriors shook his head, and Legend’s hope fell. “He needs to stay with the others in case one of them gets hurt. They don’t have as much experience with large groups of monsters as we do; it has to be the three of us.”

Warriors stood, and the percussive rattling of his armor set Legend’s nerves on fire. “Let’s go,” he was using his Captain voice, the one that brooked no argument and all but demanded total obedience.

Legend hated that voice.

Resigned to his fate, Legend shoved his fears into a box deep in the confines of his mind before following Warriors and Sky into battle.

[crazylittlejester]

Me: *listening to Legend of Zelda music on shuffle*

The frickin Guardian Theme: :)

those things still give me anxiety I swear

- hero-of-the-wolf

I used to have the guardian theme as my alarm but the issue is nothing quite activates my fight or flight response like that music so I’d wake up ready to throw hands and it stressed me out way too much so i had to change it 😭

[sumire-no-nikki]

A Day Out

I had to do groceries this afternoon so I thought I would treat myself with a day out while I'm at it! The weather has cooled down ever so slightly and by that I mean from 30C down to 28C with a little breeze. Not much, I know. But that 2C is the difference between actively sweating just by breathing, and being able to manage walking outside without wanting to plop on the concrete and throwing a tantrum because I fucking hate summer.

That said, it wasn't helpful that the train was packed. Oh it was awful. Not a single seat open and the corridors were filled with people standing. I would have decided to go back home and just drive to a shop nearby, but I've made it that far already so I thought I might as well stick with it. In the end I'm happy to say it paid off. I had a very lovely day out!

First thing on the agenda was to try new beans but I'm afraid that part of the trip was a bust. I intended to purchase some espresso beans from this Mexican-themed cafe that I always pass by but it seems they've just roasted their beans (and they need to rest for a couple of days before they're ready to brew!) So unfortunately I will have to try them another time.

From there I entered my usual manga and general nerdy stuff store. I found some new manga I'm keen on but I stopped myself from spending. I don't really have the time to get into a new series right now, but I've definitely added a lot of new titles to my "to-read-in-the-far-future" list lol. I did make some really cool discoveries while browsing the store though! There's a manga series adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables! I read a couple of pages of it and it looks so good! And there's also a Junji Ito adaptation of No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai which, as it is by Junji Ito, looks nothing short of spectacular. Oh, can you believe it!! All these new adaptations of modern classics! I hope there will be more! As bewildering as it was to see No Longer Human on "as seen on booktok" tables in bookstores (the very existence of which seems to trigger my fight-or-flight response lol) I'm ultimately just very happy people are reading these great works. These manga adaptations will get so many people into reading the classics, I think. And that can only be for the good.

From there I headed for my usual cafe. I ordered a slice of chocolate cake and a lovely pour over coffee from Kenya. The cup I had today tasted of bright orange with quite a full body. I enjoyed my treats while reading for about an hour or so outside. It was way too hot to stay inside, so as much as I hate inhaling second-hand smoke I chose a seat along the street.

You know, I didn't realise until after ordering that I was in fact speaking with the owner who happens to be a German Barista champion!! I was inspecting the trophies on display by the counter while waiting for my tray. When I sat down I looked up the name and only then did the face register lol. Knowing that the person who owns the place understands brewing and producing coffee directly and ethically (as opposed to being just a businessman who isn't familiar with the coffee industry) does explain the quality of the beans. And it's such a reassurance to know that they are roasted by someone who cares. I swear I've never had a terrible bag of beans from his cafe.

One last errand before the groceries: the record store! I brought the records I no longer want to keep in my collection and had them assessed. The owner of the store is a very jolly Greek man. I browsed the store while waiting for him to come up with an offer. I spotted some of the records I sold to him in the past (and that he is selling them for quite a mark up 👀) but I've also noticed that quite a handful of my old records were no longer there. The romantic in me is beaming at the thought of my records in a new home now, being played and enjoyed by a stranger with a completely different background yet identifying with the same music I once related to. Anyway, I got a surprisingly good offer for the records and I walked out of the store feeling very happy to get that task crossed off the to-do list.

The last thing was to go to the store, of course. I've run out of some staple Japanese ingredients so that was what I mainly bought. I finally found sake for cooking which has proven quite difficult to source so it's a relief to finally have it now. I stocked up on natto as well. I know it's an acquired taste (quite like marmite) but I like it for breakfast, especially with leftover rice.

When I got home I spent the evening putting everything away, and cleaning and prepping the fruits and vegetables I bought. It was a good day, I think. Quite productive. And it's always lovely spending time alone. I get to observe, swim in the lake of my own mind.

I leave you with a photo I took on my way home and a song I've been listening to a lot. The train ride home wasn't as hectic so I spent the entire time looking outside, feasting on how vibrant everything looks in the summer. I know I've overstated my hatred for this season but sunlight, the deep green fields meeting the blue sky on the horizon, the contrast--it's such a boost to one's mental health.

As for the song, this one is from a pretty old album actually, but I always seem to find new meaning to fixate on when I listen to it. This is the song that struck me this time around and I've been ruminating on all week. It's rare to find a song that describes who you are completely that it's rather frightening. This song does that for me:

Alright, that's it for now. I'm off to tidy up real quick--arrange the throw pillows on the couch, pick up all the cat toys and put it back in their toy box (a task I'm sure I will be repeating in the morning, lol), start the dishwasher, and turn off all the lights. I've had a good day but I am exhausted! My weekend has been a busy one so far. Tomorrow I have some long letters to write and emails to respond to. And then it's just about to get even more hectic with the new week, but it helps to know that the weather will continue to cool down in the coming days. Knowing it'll be rainy is such an uplifting thing to know (at least I hope it happens. I have a love-hate relationship with the somewhat-accurate weather app lol). I hope it isn't sweltering wherever you are.

Until next time!

[ddarker-dreams]

Lock have you ever played Omori? I feel like that would be a game right up your alley.

i have played it!! i'm trying to remember exactly when i did... i believe it was around two years ago? it was an experience that'll stay with me forever. i've played a decent amount of video games and nothing has ever been quite like the time i had with omori. it was charming, devastating, tentatively hopeful, and i cried like nobodies business at the end.

the first time i entered the deeper well and this track started playing, i felt some surreal emotion that hasn't been drawn out of me since. i just sat in my chair and had a crisis. there are multiple memories that i made with this game but that one is the most visceral, idk why. that and fighting humphrey. the OST activates my fight or flight response i swear. fuck that whale. 😡😡

[tiredtreebranch1]

Poison Killed The Cat

Poison no.24 he read. The vial only sat on the second shelf. Hundreds of small crystal vials filled with different coloured liquids were meticulously arranged in the towering cupboard. Each one had a neat label either numbering them or naming the known ones; cyanide, hemlock, belladonna, and less known ones; strychnine, curare. The cupboard was ostentatiously labelled ‘POISON’. He had been looking for the bathroom when he had glanced at the cupboard through an ajar door. How could he not be interested in such a beautiful dangling carrot. He didn’t care that any normal person would have run. Run and left this house. But instead, he had slipped into the room and cautiously opened the door to the cupboard.

Now as he stood their beholding the terrifying (but impressive) sight. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t reasonably return to dinner with an obvious psycho, but he doubted he had it in him to confront the host. He could possibly call the police. But was it safe to do so inside the house? Maybe he should just backtrack to the common sense he had ignored earlier. The instinct that when you see something so obviously dangerous that you should run. Activate the flight response. He didn’t even have a fight response he was just curious. He was a cat, and he was about to be killed.

But yes, he would sneak out. It was the best option. As slowly as he could he closed the cupboard door, keeping an ear out in case he heard any footsteps.

“Adam, Adam, Adam,” came a mockingly disappointed voice from behind him. He whirled around, wincing as the cupboard door closed the rest of the way with a slam.

Standing in the doorway was the host of the night. Henry.

Adam tried to take up a defensive position, straightening his back and throwing back his shoulders.

“What are you doing in here? The bathroom is further down the hall,” Henry said with a further mocking undertone to his words. Adam felt like a fly stuck in a web with a taunting spider.

“Well, I was, uhm,” Adam scrambled for an excuse, “I was looking in here to see if this was it and noticed that the cupboard,” he gestured behind him, “was open and I figured that you probably didn’t want it to be, so I came in to close it,” he ended with a gasp for air.

“Oh, isn’t that odd? I would swear that I closed it last time I was in here,” Henry said with fake confusion as he strode closer.

“Yea. That is odd,” Adam said carefully as he started to edge his way away from what would end with him in his coffin.

Henry nodded emphatically, “just so I know, how much did you happen to see?”

He said it in a way that conveyed genuine curiosity, but his gaze conveyed a threat.

“Barely anything, almost as if it was empty,” Adam forced out a laugh and glanced at the door.

“Right, right,” Henry paused where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest as if he was considering something.

Adam took this as the perfect opportunity to make a dash for the door.

Quicker than Adam had expected, Henry had stepped back into the open door and closed it with his back.

“Tsk, tsk. Come on, you must know that by now I can’t let you leave.”

With a click of a lock Henry looked Adam in the eye and spread his mouth into a malicious smile.

“I can’t have you spilling my little secret, can I?”

Adam shook his head, not really in answer to the man, he was just shaking all over.

“I knew you’d get it!” Henry said gleefully as he stalked forwards.

Adam stumbled backwards, “I promise I won’t tell anyone!”

“Of course you won’t,” Henry pulled out a chair from the side of the room. It clanged against the cold stone floor as he placed it right in the middle of the room.

“Sit.”

Adam took a step back and away from the shadowed chair, “why?”

“Well, we have to make sure you keep your promise, don’t we?”

The rest of the night was a blur.

[heyclickadee]

Thoughts on “Metamorphosis”:

1. Oooh! It’s spooky! I like spooky. I don’t handle it well, but I like it.

2. *distant disembodied screams in the background while equipment lights flicker* Yeah okay that’s pretty textbook, but it’s textbook because it works. I am heebied and jeebied. Also, that poor commando!!

3. Speaking of commandos…that’s…a lot of commandos. I really hope the bad batch doesn’t have to fight these guys. They had enough trouble with just Scorch in “War Mantle.” Now it’s Scorch and a whooole boatload of guys just as terrifyingly competent as he is. And it’s not really the commandos’ faults, either, so if (when) the bad batch ends up having to go to Mount Tantiss, I hope they’re able to find an alternative solution that doesn’t get them or anyone else killed.

4. Ooohhh…that’s what the tweet meant. It’s this guy. I already hate this guy. Someone kick this guy down a flight of stairs.

5. Nice to see Nala Se again. Also nice to see that she’s refusing to help the empire, but seeing as how she had noooo problems helping put it into place, I think this has less to do with any real moral objections and more to do with being surprised and hurt that it backfired so badly. I don’t particularly like Nala Se. I might actively dislike her. That said, I do feel bad for her. Nobody deserves to lose their people like that. Also…I really want to know how she and Dr. Hemlock know each other, and how closely Dr. Hemlock was involved with the development of the inhibitor chips.

6. Lama Su’s alive??

7. Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, and especially Omega telling Cid off yyyeeeeessssss

8. Okay, I like Cid. She’s fun. She’s shady and self-serving, but she’s fun. And I think she has more of a soft spot for the gang than she lets on, especially for Omega. But she does still take advantage of them as much as she can, because I think without the jedi around, she doesn’t have a steady source of income, and she has a tendency to get in way over her head with some pretty dangerous people. And with the Empire now on the lookout for Omega and the batch on the outs with Cid, I’m nervous for everyone. I’m not sure if she’d sell them out, if she’s already sold them out, if she’ll sell them out and then regret it and try to help them, or what.

9. “How hard could retrieving cargo be?” Oh…oh sweetie….

10. Tech what are you doing DO NOT go off by yourself listen to the kid please and get your beautiful ass back with the others I KNOW you’ve probably never seen a horror movie but this is EXACTLY how people in horror movies die what are you DOING Tech I swear—

11. I don’t think I breathed the whole time Tech was off powering the ship up. I kept expecting him to get snatched like the commando from the beginning did. (Also, I do appreciate that he was a bit visibly spooked.)

12. Gonna be honest, baby Zillo beast was not on my Bad Batch Season Two bingo card. I’m not complaining, though.

13. Ohhh I think we’re getting some answers about Omega this season. Loved that she recognized the cloning equipment. Also hated that she recognized the cloning equipment. Let this kid have a normal childhood.

14. “Fascinating.” I’m. Okay. You know what? That’s the correct response.

15. Wrecker knowing exactly what Tech was about to do and immediately pulling Omega away from the scene.

16. “And we’re the ones who let it out!” It’s cute you think that, Hunter, but that thing was getting off the ship eventually no matter what (you did maybe speed up the timeline, though).

17. Omega going to help Tech find some information because she knows how to interface with Kaminoan equipment! Tech pulling Omega out of the way of the explosion! I love them!

18. …yeeaaahhh those villagers are never going home again, are they?

19. I sort of wonder if this is going to be the kind of role the bad batch ends up playing if they do join forces with Rex and Echo. Not fighting on the ground, but reconnaissance.

20. I’m going to punt Lama Su into the sun.

21. So…this is another one of those episodes that makes me pretty certain we’re definitely getting at least a third season. At least. Besides the fact that they would have said by now if this was the last season and started labelling the finale as the series finale, there are so many things that have been set up and so many plates in the air, and even though there was a bit of pay-off here, this episode sort of introduced at least one more plate to the mix, and they don’t have time to deal with it all in just five episodes.

22. There were too many little character moments with all four of them in this episode I just. I love them, your honor.

[sorrowful-hyacinth]

Whumpril 2023

Pleasure in Pain #4

Day 1: Panic Attack

[ Previous / Next ] — {Masterlist}

Contents: TW threatened with burning, TW panic attack, Vampire Whumpee, Female Whumper, Whumper Turned Whumpee, Begging, Fear.

+++

With Lilith’s hand rested lazily on the lever, Cordova could feel his vision blur as he started to zone out. He began to feel his heart pounding as if trying to escape, his body was working overtime to compensate for the speed of his heart rate. His breath was labored as if there wasn’t enough oxygen in the world for him to breathe. He could feel the tips of his fingers tingling almost numbingly. He could have sworn that he could here his own blood circulating in his ears. His body was incredibly tense and yet he felt like his soul could leave his body at any second, if he had one that is. What’s happening to me? He had never experienced such an event, all he knew was that he wanted it to stop, but it wasn’t showing any sign of letting up. His chest was heaving and his hands shook against the silver restraints.

“Woah, no way.” Lilith looked on curiously. “You’re showing symptoms of a panic attack. I didn’t even know you could experience those. Fascinating.”

Cordova felt a his chest tighten as if a weight had been dropped on top of him, followed by a lump forming in his throat. What’s a panic attack? Am I really having one, is this normal?

“Listen, I’m not one for comforting, but maybe if I open the roof then you’ll snap out of it on your own.”

Through his wide-lens view, he saw Lilith pull the lever down enthusiastically. Almost immediately he was brought back to reality, his fight-or-flight trying to activate. He had never felt so much fear in his life, but he knew he never wanted the sun to touch even a hair on him ever again. The ceiling rumbled as the doorway to the sky was peeling itself away. He finally pushed the lump on his throat deep down and found his voice. He didn’t even think about what he was saying, it didn’t matter. “WAIT! WAIT! PLEASE! Please stop, please please please I’m begging you, please don’t let the sun in, please please, I can’t take it again, do anything you want to me, ANYTHING, just please don’t… d-don’t burn me.” Cordova continued to mutter incoherent pleas like a broken record player.

Lilith grinned from ear to ear as butterflies swarmed her stomach. She brought the lever to a middle placement to stop the ceiling from opening any further, but it didn’t retreat back. Cordova looked up at the ceiling and took a breath of relief as he laid his head back on the table.

“Oh, poor vampire. The sun frightens you so much that your own fear induces a panic attack in response to your trauma. I’d almost consider that human. But tell me, why shouldn’t I burn you? What’s going to stop me?”

Cordova lolled his forward so he could see Lilith. Her fingers danced along the lever as she leaned her back against the wall. How could I make her get away from that thing? He tried to think of what made her go over there in the first place. He remembered her faltering slightly when he cursed and threatened her, when he lashed out she seemed to want to correct his behavior. Is that it?

“Nothing to say? Well I tried.”

Lilith pushed the lever down, the opening grew wider. A ray of sunlight beamed past Cordova. His whole body shivered. “W-wait wait, stop, I-I’ll cooperate. Please stop it.” Lilith raised a brow, then leveled the lever.

“Cooperate? What makes you think I can’t force you to do what I want you to do? I mean, if you’re burnt to a crisp then that’s less restraint and struggling on you’re end which would make my job a whole lot easier, don’t you agree?”

“B-but, y-you don’t h-have to do that. I-I swear, you really don’t need to. I…” Cordova couldn’t believe he was stooping so low, so low as to apologize to a human, even begging to her put a dent in his pride, but nothing compared to the sheer force of the sun. “I’m s-sorry. Sorry for curs- c-calling you a bitch, a-a-and threatening you. I-I swear I won’t do that again, I’ll take anything you do to me w-willingly. I-I’ll answer your questions. Just please don’t do it, don’t burn me… Lilith.”

It showed on both of their faces that each of them were equally surprised by the use of her name, especially from a vampire. Lilith chuckled and sighed loudly.

“Well, how can I say no to that?”

Lilith pulled the lever up and the ceiling began to close. Any tension in Cordova’s body disappeared and he finally felt good enough to breathe. Lilith was practically skipping over to Cordova, humming amusingly. When she stopped in front of him, he could feel his chest start to tighten again.

“So, what should we get started with?”

+++

Date: April 1, 2023

Taglist: @turn-the-tables-on-them @whumpril

[ Previous / Next ]

[loveydoveylex]

guess who's back to ask you more rayman questions :3 eheheh

top 5 fav rayman songs go

HI CHRISSS THANK YOU FOR THE ASK!! ALWAYS down to answer rayman questions hehehe 💖

THIS IS REALLY HARD... i love every single song in the soundtrack of every single game... i'm so sorry to the bangers that i forgot here, i still lov you i swear

1: The Summit Beyond the Clouds + Snowboard Race, Rayman 3. i'm putting these two together because it feels WRONG to seperate them, they are a SET. either way, the summit beyond the clouds is my favourite world in the game, and the music is just so relaxing and calming :) and the snowboarding theme is a BOP!

2: The Fairy Council - Under the Starlight, Rayman 3. this one is just so whimsical and dreamlike, and the area it plays in is so gorgeous. in my self insert's lore, it's also the place where him and ray confess and share their first kiss together, so... hAH... 😳👉👈

3: Jungle World - Forest Action, Rayman Origins. it keeps getting stuck in my head whenever i hear it ingame. such a funky lil beat.

4: Land of the Livid Dead - Suspense + Land of the Livid Dead - Chase, Rayman Origins. also putting these two together because NO ONE CAN STOP ME. i love the banjo melody in the first one - it just reminds me of the fact that ray canonically plays the banjo. wonder if he would play songs like this one... oh, and the chase one gives me so much stress, it nearly brings on a panic attack, activates my fight or flight response, great song 10/10

5: It's Good To Be The King, Royal V. I AM COUNTING THIS ONE AS A RAYMAN SONG BECAUSE IT WAS MADE TO ADVERTISE RAYMAN 2. i love the lil ray animations in the music video, they're adorable. also gives us such intricate lore such as... ray being afraid of snails. either way, it SLAPS.

[art-of-manliness]

Does Yelling While Exercising Make You Stronger?

Every gym has that person. The person who loudly grunts and yells when he’s exercising. This guy is an extreme example of the phenomenon. While it seems like it’s dudes who are more likely to grunt while working out, women sometimes do it too. When I was in college at the University of Oklahoma, there was a girl who would grunt with abandon while she sprinted on the treadmill in the student gym. So as you did the elliptical machine while watching VH1’s Tool Academy (the pinnacle of the classical era of reality television), you could hear her carry on, making loud noises that sounded like she was giving birth.  When I’m lifting really heavy, I’ll do some subtle grunting. I don’t do it on purpose. It just sort of happens. Instead of a loud yell, it sounds like I’m straining to release a built-up bowel movement. When I’m doing Bulgarian squats, I’ll let out a fairly loud “AHHHHH!” as the lactic acid accumulates in my quads. It seems to help me finish those last few reps. The operative word here is seems. After I finished a recent set of yelly Bulgarian squats, I pondered, “Does yelling, moaning, and grunting actually do anything for my lifts? Does it help me hoist heavier weights, or is it just cathartic and/or theatrical? AoM investigates. The Science of Grunting, Yelling, and Moaning While Exercising Believe it or not, scientists have researched this very question.  In 2014, sports scientists Chris Rodolico and Sinclair Smith conducted an experiment involving 30 participants squeezing a handgrip in three ways: just squeezing, squeezing and exhaling, and squeezing while making a vocalization. The researchers found that more force was generated when exhaling compared to just squeezing, but the most significant increase in force (10%) was observed when the subjects vocalized while squeezing. So yelling and grunting does make people stronger, at least on grip tests. A similar 2014 study examined whether yelling and grunting helped tennis players hit the ball harder. Thirty-two athletes participated, and stroke velocities and isometric forces were measured while they grunted and while they didn’t. The results indicated that dynamic velocity and isometric force increased nearly 5% when the athletes grunted during both serves and forehand strokes.  This adds more affirmation to the idea that vocalizing while exercising does make you stronger.  But why does it have this effect? Sinclair Smith hypothesized that yelling could activate the autonomic nervous system, which controls the fight-or-flight response, resulting in an adrenaline rush that helps muscle contractions become more complete and forceful. It’s the same idea behind the research that’s shown that swearing can increase your tolerance to pain. When availing yourself of the force-generating power of yelling and grunting, you’ll of course need to exercise some discretion, especially when you decide to unleash your barbaric yawp while deadlifting in a public gym. It can be annoying and distracting to some people, so practice good gym etiquette. If you’re in a black iron powerlifting gym where such behavior is expected, then yell with abandon. If you’re in a more sedate, upscale gym where most of the clientele are retirees working the Nautilus machines, rein in your exercise noises. And if you’re in a Planet Fitness, you’ll have to decide if goosing your chances of hitting a bench press PR is worth activating the Lunk Alarm. The post Does Yelling While Exercising Make You Stronger? appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/SnXGwT

[rose-tinted-nostalgia]

I was washing dishes at work today when two 5-gallon buckets fell from above and smacked me in the face. I swear to god my fight or flight response activated because I had no idea what the hell was going on, and my hands were shaking when I sunk to the ground to prod at my face & process the attack. It somehow managed to hit the top of my head while also bruising a piece of my left cheek & the top of my eyebrow. I stomached the nausea & wiped the blood from my mouth and continued on, but I woke myself up at 2 a.m. because the skin is tender, and I pressed against it in my sleep. Now I’m awake & dwelling on the embarrassment of texts I sent that were left on read. It was an amazing weekend. Better than I could have imagined & I needed it & I still can’t believe how easy it was to be close to people I met at a festival just a few months ago, to take the leap, to exist outside of the person who hurt me, to cultivate a friendship I couldn’t see coming. But I working the next fourteen days in a row to financially recover, and I’m exhausted just thinking about it. I need to go back to sleep.

[apotelesmaa]

@fxggotclown ohhh I’m envious of the iPad acquisition… I have an iPad mini lying around somewhere but it’s like 10 years old at this point I don’t think it’ll run pjsk very well. Also I’m used to playing with my phone on a pillow in my lap using this position

Which I don’t recommend (hand pain) but I doubt I’m the only person doing it.

Smthn that helped me escape lvl 25 hell was 1) doing ranked matches (forces you to play at a level slightly above your comfort zone and get good at it instead of relying on accuracy up characters) as well as 2) changing my speed to ~10.5. I swear to god I went from barely being able to clear tondemo wonderz hard mode to clearing expert lvl 26 songs immediately it was so funny. & then doing more ranked + forcing myself to play on master mode in co op (if it’s below lvl 30. I get my ass beat otherwise) eventually helped me improve on harder charts. I think going through and clearing all the lvl 25-26 I struggled with also helped me get better at note layouts I sucked at but as a drawback hearing “rin-chan now”activates my fight or flight response.

I think there was also a period where I was averaging playing like 6 hours a night on the week and playing all day over the weekend (now at a more reasonable 2-3 hours a night) (still too much). Did not solve whatever I was going through (made it worse actually) but man did I hit those notes.

+ as a tip for trickier songs sometimes it can be helpful to look up a video of someone playing the chart. Shoujo rei master was my own personal hell until I found out that you literally did not have to move your fingers at all during the fucked up hold notes.

If I full combo another master song without even trying before I fc ifuudoudou I’m going to fucking end it all

[thebluewritingbench]

my favourite hobby is being shocked and alarmed by timers that i set

[satanourunholylord]

Are you a woman? or man?

Nah