#i’m kinda sad i saw gear 4 before i got to it in the anime but

[leakyweep]

i really hope people on here tag gear 5 spoilers because i wanna experience the anime when i get to it 🥺

[invizdable]

☕ the time has come, you are now obligated by the government to ramble about slayers, you have no choice

☕

Oh goddamn it Kateh, Okay you asked for this! you literally won’t get like HALF the shit I'm saying but here I go, you fucking ASKED for this.

Okay, I’m a baby to this fandom, I just got into this series as a way to cope during quarantine but fuck me, is it just... everything I WANT in a fantasy anime? Just fun adventure, no harem/isekai bullshit.Just good ole fantasy adventures with a bit of humor to spice it up.

So far I have only watched like 4 of the 5 main series, two of the novels and one OVA set and the movie but here are my takes.

It’s been a long ass time since I saw the first season and I DO remember it having a lot of fun shit but also I feel it really... took a while for the show to come together? Like I get it its about Lina just MEETING all these fuckers, but damn was some of the filler just... like ‘okay cool when are these characters going to actually start working as a team?” Which is just me being impatient my favorite fucking character wasn’t a mainstay yet. But yeah I can have shallow opinions fuck it.

Season 2 (Next) was the BEST one and I know that's not controversial but its when all the stuff REALLY did come together. Like all the characters really came into their own and the story was really starting to feel fun and like I was watching one of those funny dnd comedy podcasts but with anime and it felts sooo good.

Try (Season 3) I see people either ADORE or strongly dislike... but me I'm on the ADORE side. Like Its just a really fun and just as intense season! Like I really love Filia so much her development is SO fucking good, just mmm god she just went from pretty self-righteous and just blindly following her temples ways but immediately recounts that shit when she learns how those fuckers committed goddamn genocide. Seriously fuck Golden Dragons they suck.

As for characters? I fucking love all of them tho I do have some hot takes.

Love Lina... I get she’s the main character but at times I feel she’s a BIT bit bit overrated? I’m probably gonna be killed by this statement like I get its HER show, but shit man, sometimes you watch Naruto and your fave just happens to be Rock Lee. That being said she’s the perfect protagonist for this show! She’s selfish and awful and yet still somehow has a heart of gold under it all! Like ah man She’s one of the most fun protagonists for a show that seems like its geared for male audiences I’ve seen since like.. Soul Eater.

Gourry is just a good ole himbo, and I feel he has a lot more depth to him than the series gives him credit. They flanderize him by S4 and its really sad, like yeah the dude isn’t SMART but his backstory with his family basically ruining itself all to inherit a magic sword is really fucking sad. Also, he is the quintessential emotional support himbo for Lina. 

Zelgadis is the best character, don’t @ me. Just I love angsty bitches who are taken seriously but not TOO seriously, Like his backstory is fucked up and sad, but the show doesn’t shy away from showing he can be a fucking jackass, and poking fun at him. Also, he has a hella character design, I love ‘monstery’ looking people in general though and I tend to vibe with designs like that so :) yeah.

Amelia, after watching the show I fucking LOVE her, she’s extra and just doing her best and gets some great development but fuck if she wasn’t kinda fucking annoying in S1, like I get it was the point, she was a naive, sheltered princess who wanted to just fight for LOVE AND JUSTICE but had really black and white views on what that was but. God... I remember just getting so annoyed with her S1, By S2 though she is legit on of my favorite characters, she’s just the kinda character I vibe with, the seemingly airheaded ‘good girl’ in a cast of characters who are mostly selfish jaded bitches :).

Xellos is a fuckin bastard and I adore him, my hot take is he reminds me of Colin Robinson from What We Do in the Shadows and I legit would wanna hear him just try to get the cast to say ‘What's up Dog’ by constantly saying how he feels the situation needs more ‘updog’ Oh god also, just he legit evil and I KNOW he is a threat, but memeing on him is just too much fun. Like yes, he is a threat blah blah blah, haha he reminds me of the funny bald vampire man :). Season 4 nerfed his eyebrows... that was fucking evil.

Filia Oh gossssh I love her, she’s like a fucking dragon mom and Legit if I saw Slayers before I made some of my OCS she’d really be a big inspiration for Flann, Hell she still can be! Just I love female characters who are just a BIT awful but also still good people? Like I love her she is a dragon mom.

The rest of the cast is great I tend to like all the villains and I will spare you thoughts on S4 and 5 (haven’t finished them but so far :T I'm not loving them as much.) and shit about the OVAs.

GOD THANK YOU KATEH I AM SORRY YOUR GOING TO BE SO CONFUSED.

[pinkykitten]

I was tagged by @writing-with-melon I hope my answers aren’t complete waste or if time and if so I’m sorry and I love you

Rules: Answer ten 10 questions, ask 10, and tag 10 people

1. What song automatically plays in your head when you look out the window on a long drive? 

i dont really have an answer for this. i think i just automatically think about any song ive been listening to recently or any song that has been stuck in my head. 

2.  Do you have some snacks nearby when you write?

well i live in a two story house so the kitchen is downstairs and im usually lazy busy so since i have a mini fridge upstairs i just usually get water to drink while im writing. its kinda hard to eat and write cuz i loose focus really easily so when i am writing i am writing! i am in the zone! but if i am a little hungry ill usually snack on candy like chocolate kinder joys i love them but they r so expensive or snack on chips but i get like salt on my fingers or i like cheetos so cheetos dust and that just gets everywhere and later my hands and keyboard kinda smell like fart. 3. What do you do to combat creative burnout?

so burnout happens to me a lot so to get inspiration i either read other stories or fanfics which gets my head gears turning or i admire a piece of art or photography or a song. whats so unique and satisfying with writing you can explore and go anywhere with it, hehehe erotic if you know what i mean lol jk there are no barriers with writing just your imagination. there is inspiration any where you go and id advise to never stop writing. even if its a few short sentences or paragraphs about anything even bird poop its still progression and your mind is working and your searching for words like its all good for you bby.  4. Do you use (or like to use) prompts? 

i do ill put the link here. im thinking of changing it though to do something different. 

5. What is your favorite place to write?

lol boring, i know but my room. my room is really bright in the mornings and comfortable and chill and i have a candle of the pandora ride in disney that smells like the ride so its all good and relaxing and super peaceful plus i have a picture of myself the age of like 9 on my desk idk why but it encourages me and makes me focus to make sure i never get that cringy again. 

6. What is a hobby or yous that you usually don’t talk about?

well i like working out HAHAHAHAHA jk that was a joke...get it...cuz i much rather be eatingokillstop. but i really like to draw which i have a art page you can see it if you click here pls look at my failed attempts to be hip and cool with the cool kids and being artsy fartsy. another hobby is i really like to do makeup and nail art, nail art is really tough guys no joke if you do it like you got wizard powers are something. maybe its bc my nails are shorter than pete davidson and ariana grande’s relationship, alright im trying to stop i swear!

7. Do you play an instrument? Which one?

no i wish though. i always wanted to learn to either play the piano or electric guitar cuz H.E.R looks so cool doing it. 

8. How do you feel about your handwriting?

it sucks dont even try me. my sister can barely read it like no wonder nobody wants to steal my signature heck they can’t even read it!

9. Can you tell us of a story that marked your development as a person? As a writer?

ok sit back guys, sniff a nice amount of crack and get ready for the most cringy moment of my life but also a time when i knew i was meant to be *inhale* a fanfic writer. 

so it was elementary school, i think 3rd grade and for my writing assignment we were given a prompt of idk what the heck tbh i think it was like be outside the box and im like ok imma nail this cuz im a weird child and yeah so i got my papers and pencil and i went TO TOWN on this paper. so i wrote two stories. one short story with a picture to go with it and one long story that yeah i buried years ago. so my first story was about a farmer was about that farming life. he had chickens and dairy. so i cant remember if the cheese was spoiled but doesnt matter. anywho these cheese and a chicken were alive like they could talk in the story and i gave them faces, yikes. but the whole story was the farmer was a b*tch and he was trying to eat the chicken and cheese so they hatched a plan to get away from the farmer. they did it successfully and they ran away. yay happy ending my teacher actually liked that one me too and my school mates were thinking what they heck is this girl on i made a story about how me and justin bieber made cookies for Christmas you know. so then my other story i was more proud of this one cuz it was a tone of paper, sorry trees, and this story was about how a female hippo (girl i was all about plus size and thicker girls and no body shaming) and an male ostrich were kidnapped from their own habitats and taken to become circus animals. failed version of Madagascar hey mine was before the circus movie OK THEY STOLE IT FROM MEEEEE. so they get taken and are treated to harsh punishment and the animals can talk and i think its in the point of view of the male ostrich guy thing. they are in the circus and they start to have this relationship happening. love starts blossoming its all good. im happy with this cuz i believed in love at age of 8. they find a way thru a kick butt scene of the animals escaping and the hippo and ostrich are so in love that they run away together and they have half hippo half ostrich babies and i think i named the species  hipstrich or like ostppo idk but i was so proud of this story and when my teacher read it she was worried about me lol i think she thought i might like mate these two animals like secretly idk but she was like it was ok and i was like what this is frickin William Shakespeare writing or like F. Scott Fitzgerald writing. nevertheless it taught me a lesson that nobody else needs to like what im writing the main point and only thing that matters is if your proud of it and you like it and i really did. i will remember that story forever and thats what made me want to be a writer. lol sorry that was a lot. 

10. @emdop I’m going to use this great question: Explain one of your WIPs in the most ridiculous way possible. 

wellllll im working on my peaky blinders oc story its a lot of drugs money killing weapons jewelry rich profanities like its the show but written from my stubby hands so my oc and whatever its great and so excited to show it to you guys. 

MY QUESTIONS:

1. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO START TUMBLR?

2. IF YOU COULD CHANGE ANYTHING OF THIS WORLD, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

3. WHAT QUALITY IS IMPORTANT TO YOU?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OUTFIT?

5. WHAT MAKES YOU SMILE?

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG IN THE WHOLE WORLD?

7. IF YOU COULD VISIT A PLACE, WHERE WOULD IT BE?

8. WHAT SHOW OR MOVIE UNIVERSE WOULD YOU WANT TO BE IN?

9. WHAT IS THE SCARIEST MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE?

10. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE IN THIS WORLD THAN ANYTHING ELSE?

im tagging: @thatlittlered, @ardentmuse, @acciosnapes, @lotsoffandomimagines, @collecting-stories, @blog-of-a-multitude-of-fandoms, @naughtyneganjdm, @lenahellgizibe and two random followers @spiritsent, @sucker-for-my-fandoms

i was tagged by @writing-with-melon again ty btw, ps i felt so much pressure lol jk 😊

Rules: Answer 5 questions, Ask 5 questions, Tag 5 people.

1. What is your favorite book?

fifty shades of grey hahaha naw my favorite book is obv you all know this is series of unfortunate events but i never usually cry period and i never cry for books ever so when i read mrs. tom thumb by melanie benjamin, its the part when her sister minnie dies i cried so hard idk it was just emotional the wording the way she described her pain it was so beautiful written yet so sad and that was just amazing to me cuz im like this book made me feel things and im like wow i would love to write a book one day and make someone feel something whether it be sadness anger happiness annoyance anything they are having an emotion and that is super powerful to do that with just words. pls go check out that book its a good read. also im a fan of the greatest showman so i really enjoyed it. there are many other books tho that i thoroughly enjoy so much. 

2. What piece that you’ve written are you most proud of?

oh my god ive always wanted to be asked this question hands down i am always proud of my platonic gender neutral tony stark fic called in·con·sol·a·ble window to me i wrote it so sad and i was feeling like depressed lol when i saw peter die in infinity war like i didnt know what to do with my life tbh but im so glad that @impetrichorny requested it tysm i just like how its not based on romance or fluff or happiness it is based on when you lose someone the nightmares and sadness you go through and that there is nothing nobody can do about it except just be there for that person so i really like writing angst and something that was out of the box. ive been thinking tho of doing a part two since the fate of all the characters has changed after endgame. who knows tho. 

3. What is the last song that inspired you? 

well for art it would have to good news by mac miller when i did that kobe bryant memorial on my art page. i dont want to give it away though but ill just say some very powerful womens music inspired my oc writing and making. 

4. How do you feel about letting people read what you write?

at first i was scared cuz i thought i wrote like trash which that feeling kinda doesnt go away like some days i feel that way others i feel confident or it depends on the request it just depends but anyways i was always insecure about my writing so when i started writing it was more like lets see how this goes if not ill delete the whole page. im glad to say it went great but in the begging it was hard cuz i kept putting myself down but i learned to accept or just understand that you keep learning with writing you always learn knew things with writing how you can explain something better or you words get more intricate and people see the improvement and you do too thats why i applaud those who dont speak english that english isnt their first language. you are doing a tremendous job and keep practicing cuz you’re gonna make it to the top. ive also learned that some days are not my days and you can take time off when youre not feeling it when you have writers block. just recollect your juices sip some tea go to the beach relax your mind a little and take as long as you need to come back and give it your all. also comments and reblogs and likes a follows those meant so much to me and encouraged me. thats why i cant express it enough how much all those mean to writers, artist, photographers, anybody who is truly trying their hard in this area of social media. its makes a person happy smile and confident in their writing but first train your mind into loving what you make not what others thing. you have to be happy with the outcome that is what truly matters and what makes your writing the best. look at me getting philosophical. 

5. Do you get distracted easily? If yes with what?

yes and with porn haha i get distracted easily like very easily homeschooling was really tough for me. music distracts me, netflix, the urge to watch david dobrik or unus annus or buzzfeed unsolved on youtube, heck my farts distract me. i gotta be like troy bolton i gotta get my HEAD IN THE GAME!

MY QUESTIONS:

1. IF YOU COULD BE NAMED SOMETHING ELSE, WHAT WOULD YOU BE NAMED?

2. WHAT PERSON INSPIRES YOU THE MOST?

3. IF YOU KNEW THE WORLD WAS ENDING TOMORROW WHAT WOULD YOU DO TODAY?

4. WHAT DO YOU OFTEN THINK ABOUT IN THE SHOWER?

5. WHATS YOUR WEIRD COMBINATION FOOD?

im tagging: @thatlittlered​, @ardentmuse​, @acciosnapes​, @lotsoffandomimagines​, @collecting-stories​ AND WHOEVER WANTS TO DO THIS IF YOU FOLLOW ME OR LIKE MY STORIES TAG ME ILL READ YOUR ANSWERS. HOPE I DID THIS RIGHT SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING MWUAH 

[bluerosesburnblue]

Extremely late to the party, but I finally finished reference drawings of my Hogwarts Mystery MC, Seren Dwyn, and her hopefully not dead bro. Sorry if the colors are weird, I had to manually adjust them when I switched computers

Assorted Information under the cut

Seren Dwyn

Full Name: Seren Aisling Dwyn

Birthday: July 29, 1973 (yeah, it’s just my birthday. I got lazy)

Blood Status: Half-blood (and 3/16 Siren)

Nationality: Half-Irish, Half-Faroese (lives around the shore of Malin Head, outside of Ballyhillin in County Donegal)

Wand: Acacia wood, Unicorn Hair core, 12″

Boggart: Has two. The Voldemort boggart, which represents her fear that Jacob wasn’t the person she thought he was, and Jacob as he was before he left telling her that she was a disappointment that shouldn’t have been born. Only Professor McGonagall saw the latter the one time it appeared, the Voldemort one showing up more often in Year 3 as that was the fear at the forefront of her mind at the time

Favorite Classes: Care of Magical Creatures (!!!), Charms, and Herbology (aka her chill out class)

She and Jacob were pretty much raised as Muggles due to the fact that their father was a Squib and disowned from his pureblood family and their mother was a Muggleborn from a Durmstrang-covered nation and so grew to resent magic as she received little education on its workings

So, like, they went to Muggle school until Hogwarts and knew of most things magic and Wizarding World, especially with their limited interactions with their father’s mother, but they were mostly removed from Wizard culture

Jacob’s nickname for her is Rinn, because it potentially means the same thing as Seren and is phonetically similar to the last part of her name

Her first bit of magic was hiccuping up floating balls of water when she was less than a year old. That was when Jacob knew she was going to be talented at magic

Her favorite candy is peppermints

Was just barely a hatstall between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Like, six seconds over time. The hat was insistent that she go to Hufflepuff, but Jacob told her he wanted her to go to whichever house was best for her, not just his house. It took the hat a while to convince her that Hufflepuff was the right house for her

She’s loyal to a fault, but also has no personal ambition. Literally everything she does is for the sake of people she cares about. No dream job, no future plans, nothing. She also has a strong sense of justice/fairness, which comes out as both a strong desire to help others, even at the expense of herself (literally most sidequests) or knocking others down a peg when they start acting unfairly and hurting others (most interactions with Merula)

That said, she’s really creative and treats magic like a science. She experiments with it, and is extremely gifted in magical theory. Prefers to understand why a spell works as opposed to how, and once she does she casts it extremely well

Starts out at Hogwarts as extremely shy and skittish, which just gets worse the more people compare her to Jacob. Bucks up a bit during second year, starts getting more sarcastic in third year, and completely snaps after the Vault of Fear. She comes back in fourth year Much Angrier, with less of a filter, and a bit more Punk™ (but not much)

Literally snaps because she can’t stand how Dumbledore is treating the situation. Constantly reprimanding her and then unfairly awarding her? Not just gathering a team of Curse Breakers and sweeping the school over the summer when no one’s around like she suggested? Yeah, no, she lost all respect for him and may or may not get it back depending on where future story updates go

“Well damn, if everyone wants me to be Jacob 2 I may as well give them what they want” but she knows the rules so well she manages to break them in spirit without breaking the letter and weasels out of trouble most of the time because she never technically broke the rules and does so out of spite

That said, it’s still Seren, and she’s a genuinely nice person and a snarky dork, she’s just no longer taking unfair punishment lying down and lost all sense of self-preservation

Seren cares too much about other people, but hides it behind a facade of snark that occasionally comes across as a bit dismissive at times

Very stressed, acts chill, but breaks down when she knows people aren’t looking. It’s hard dedicating your childhood/teen years to finding your missing brother

Loves magical creatures. Loves them. Fire crab? Sooo cooool. Bowtruckle? Aw heck yeah little buddy you go! Murtlap? Oh, what a sweetheart. Sickleworth??? Mine now!!!

She’s loved Augureys ever since she was a kid. They’re her favorite magical creature

This love extends to normal animals but they don’t teach that at Hogwarts

Named the bowtruckle Jacob because she just wants her big bro back, dammit

She has a plush baby seal from when her family went to the aquarium when she was a toddler. Jacob used to do a voice and pretend the toy was alive to cheer her up as a kid. She still sleeps with it

Her owl, Arlo, is actually Jacob’s owl whose care she took over when he disappeared. The rest of her pets were found around Hogwarts, and she has her friends take them home over the summer because her parents would KILL her if she brought four animals home

While she’s good at Transfiguration, she kinda hates the class most of the time. Anything involving turning living creatures into inanimate objects or vice versa just skeeves her out so much and opens up WAY too many existential questions

That said, her favorite teachers are Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Kettleburn

She likes Professor Sprout well enough, but she’s her Head of House and Seren has a crippling fear of disappointing others, so she’s constantly worried that Professor Sprout secretly hates her

She doesn’t share a lot of personal information with the gang. She would if asked (usually), but since Jacob was her only friend growing up and he knew this stuff already, she never really thinks to share

She will never tell anyone her middle name because she’ll die before any of her friends find out her initials are SAD

The gang kind of considers her Team Mom/Team Big Sister because of her proclivity for taking care of everyone’s emotional states. Ironically, she’s the youngest person in the group, though no one in it is aware (because she’s never shared her birthday and at this point refuses to because she doesn’t want anyone making a fuss over it, especially since it’s not like any of them will see her over the summer to celebrate it)

Seren gets kind of protective over her friend’s siblings. Percy doesn’t like her much due to her chronic disregard for rules, but she still looks out for him. Fred and George think she’s cool but can also be a killjoy sometimes. Ron and Ginny both adore her. And if Penny’s sister Beatrice ends up in Hufflepuff and Seren’s a Prefect? “Oh boy, Penny, I’m stealing your sister she’s mine now!”

The gang has a minor freak out when they find out that Seren “Frequently an Irish Stereotype” Dwyn is actually only half-Irish and hates potatoes

Madam Rakepick makes her really uncomfortable... because she sees too much of herself in her. Rakepick kinda represents a “who you could be if you were an arrogant asshole” and Seren, being very Hufflepuff, wants to be anything but arrogant

Rakepick really does like Seren, or at the very least thinks she has potential, and has ever since Seren’s response to dueling Ismelda was to immediately disarm her and go into a leg sweep. Rakepick’s gotta respect a kid willing to fist fight if it helps their cause

Seren has no desire to be a Curse Breaker and chafes a bit every time someone tells her she should be one. Breaking curses is just a necessary part of finding Jacob. She doesn’t particularly care for it

Her courses are geared towards Curse Breaking, but it’s more because she has ZERO plans for her future beyond locating Jacob and at least it’s something she’s good at

She stole Jacob’s old sweaters at the start of year 4. It’s not like he’s using them. Team sweater vest all the way

Had she gone to Ilvermorny, her house would unquestionably be Wampus. Girl gets things done, especially once she gets over her shyness, but the fighter potential and defiance was always there as evidenced by the way she kicked Merula’s ass for harassing Ben and Rowan in their first year

5′3″ and steadily getting angrier every year

A lot of people think she just blindly worships Jacob, but she really doesn’t. She’s aware that he was a pretty flawed person, she just doesn’t care. He was good to her and she loves him and that’s all that matters

Jacob Dwyn

Full Name: Jacob Caradoc Dwyn

Birthday: December 15, 1968

Blood Status: Half-blood (and 3/16 Siren)

Nationality: Half-Irish, Half-Faroese (lives around the shore of Malin Head, outside of Ballyhillin in County Donegal)

Wand: Maple wood, Dragon Heartstring core, 10″ (broken before expulsion)

Boggart: Seren’s nearly drowned body that he can’t resuscitate*

Favorite Classes: Flying, Charms, and Transfiguration

Five years older than Seren but only four years above her in school due to where their ages are in relation to the cutoff date. Would’ve been in the same year as the prefects

Seren’s nickname for him is Jay, or Jayjay if she’s trying to be annoying/cute. Jake just never caught on for him

His first real bit of magic was accidentally charming a room full of people while singing in a school pageant when he was four. He’s been afraid of singing in front of other people since, despite having a really good voice

His first reaction to being told that he was going to be an older brother was “Oh boy new friend!!!” The first time he met Seren he let her grasp his finger and told her he was gonna be the best big brother ever

He then started hating her for a few months because she just would not. Stop. Crying. And her room was right next to his so he heard it constantly

Warmed up to her when he realized that she was just scared of loud noises and would sing her to sleep after that (and she’s the only person who he’s comfortable singing around now)

*His boggart comes from a moment when Seren was three and he was supposed to be watching her but was so caught up in his own adventure he didn’t notice her get too close to the cliff edge and she fell into the ocean. He jumped in after her but she was completely submerged and her leg was stuck in some seaweed. She definitely would’ve died if a nearby Merrow hadn’t pulled her out. And he didn’t know CPR (he was eight) so he was lucky she coughed up the water herself. The event traumatized both of them. Seren was afraid of going into the water for years and Jacob got super protective of her and developed a fear of being unable to save her, which is what his boggart represents

Firmly believed that rules should never prevent you from doing the right thing, which would really inform most of his actions at Hogwarts

Has two main goals in life: become a cool detective and go on a world tour with his family (though once he’s estranged from his parents for good it becomes go on a world tour with Seren)

Loves liquorice and liquorice wands. Was known to eat whole bags of them at once

Was a true hatstall between Hufflepuff and Slytherin, but was ultimately placed in Hufflepuff because he would throw away everything in a heartbeat to benefit someone he loved, he valued loyalty above all else,  and preferred to do things on his own merit rather than cheating. He got a rush from genuinely overcoming challenges

That exhilaration when he overcomes challenges led to him really loving puzzles and mysteries of all kinds. In a way, Seren was half-right when she speculated that his reasons for looking for the Vaults was that he wanted to overcome a complex puzzle. It was why the search became addicting, but not why he started looking in the first place

He was notably impatient and had a habit of acting without thinking through consequences a lot. Honestly, Seren was a good part of his impulse control and he took a lot more risks at Hogwarts than he would have if she was there

His witty and cunning side tended to get him into trouble, too. Boy had a hell of a sarcastic streak and never could keep himself from snapping back at people who made snide remarks at him (looking at you, Snape)

Say what you will about his bad habits, but he was a very good brother to Seren. Their parents were always pretty distant so he became the emotional support that she needed. He’d let her sleep with him when she got scared during thunderstorms, would hold her whenever she got upset after being teased in school (and helped her with her homework as much as he could), and at one point climbed up onto their roof without a second thought when she got herself stuck up there by an accidental use of magic... and then he realized that he didn’t know how to get either of them down. He played games with her until their parents came home and got them down

The entire faculty was aware that he would gush about his sweet baby sister if given reason to. Most of them already knew who Seren was before she started at Hogwarts because of it (”Hey Professor Sprout, what plants would be good to mail to my sister? She loves flowers!”)

The only way I can reconcile a Hufflepuff!Jacob going on a search for the Vaults is that he thought something in them/someone looking for them was going to pose a threat to either the student body or Seren, so that’s what I’m going with until proven otherwise

Honestly there were a lot of reasons people thought that he was certifiably insane. Beyond raving about Vaults that most people didn’t believe existed he:

had a tendency to just Not Sleep when he was working on a project and was known to down bottles of Wideye Potion and then not sleep for days. He always looked tired in his later years

got really twitchy when he didn’t sleep, so he was always nervously fidgeting in his later years

was so impatient that he’d jump off of part of the Grand Stairwell to get around faster

once had a serious craving for fish (due to his Siren blood, which neither he nor Seren are aware of) and ran into the Great Hall in a panic, grabbed cod with his bare hands, and then ate it while jogging out of the room. This was one of Angelica Cole’s few interactions with him and one of the only times Bill Weasley ever really saw him in their 1 & 1/2 overlapping years (”Seren, your brother was weird.” “Yeah, I- ...yeah. That sounds like Jacob.”)

was kind of a mess just before he was expelled. His shirt was never on right, he was lucky he could even get his tie on, constantly forgot his robes, and he was using Reparo on his clothes nearly every day because they kept getting torn up with Vault related stuff

is farsighted, but refuses to get corrective glasses or fix the issue, leading to him squinting a lot when he reads and such. He just can’t freaking see

Also, it’s canon that he has godawful handwriting and can’t draw to save his life. Boy’s a living disaster sometimes

If he hadn’t gotten involved with the Vaults, he probably would’ve joined the Quidditch team as either a Beater or a Chaser, and likely would’ve also been the male prefect of his and Jane Court’s year

He and Jane absolutely hated each other, but the kind of hate that involves some belligerent romantic tension. The kind that would probably lead to an emotionally abusive relationship if they ever got involved when they were older, but mutual attraction was still there. It’s a good thing they never got to that point, but I could see Jane trying to sneak him a love potion in 6th or 7th year if he hadn’t gotten expelled

If you asked him about it, it’d take him a while to remember who Angelica Cole was. He’d need you to describe her. He was nice to her, but their interactions were limited and he was usually distracted by the time she started talking to him more

I actually have a hard time seeing him in a long-term romantic relationship with a British/Irish witch or wizard due to his reputation. I could see him with a foreign magic user, maybe an Ilvermorny alumni or something

I could very easily see his Ilvermorny house being Thunderbird had he attended school there because he’s always wanted to travel and always yearned for adventure. Not super relevant, just some interesting personality trivia

Also, he’s only an average 5′9″ at maximum height, but he’s taller than Seren and that’s enough for him

He got expelled about a week before his 15th birthday. The last time Seren saw him, he was hugging her while sobbing and just kept muttering “It’s gonna be okay. I love you. I’m so sorry,” over and over again. He was gone the next morning and Seren hasn’t been “okay” since

Both/Other

Both of them are trilingual at Hogwarts (English/Irish/Faroese) and may eventually learn Mermish in the future

Their mother taught them Faroese and their father thought it would be fun to do the same with the language of his country, even though he did not speak Irish himself

They make a lot of very similar expressions and have similar body language, which most Hogwarts professors picked up on fairly quickly (”Miss Dwyn, I know you’re lying. Jacob used to make that face when he was lying, too”)

Jacob’s patronus would be a Sea Lion* and Seren’s a Common Seal*

*I actually haven’t settled on whose is whose. Dunno if I want their patronuses to represent the caster or their sibling more

Seren is unable to cast a patronus unless Jacob is found alive. She cannot cast one before they find him and will never cast one if he is found dead or irreversibly evil/insane/corrupted

I was actually pretty against it at first, but I’ve gotten attached to the idea of both of them being Raven animagi, with Jacob being unregistered and Seren’s registration status up in the air right now

Both of them keep their eye color when they transform, which is much better for Jacob since Ravens tend to have similarly colored brown eyes

They also both have a chuckle that sounds like the clicking noise Ravens sometimes make

Being a Raven animagus makes Jacob’s tendency to transfigure things into black quills to hide them way more ironic

Assuming Jacob is found alive, in the future they end up starting a private investigation/private detective’s office where they take jobs that the Ministry has turned down. They get a bit of a reputation for not turning anyone away who needs help: human or not. Also espionage

If Jacob is found dead (and Seren does not also wind up dead) then Seren either takes odd jobs with no real purpose OR joins the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Beast Division, depending on the circumstances of Jacob’s death and how well she’s able to cope with it

Goodfuture! Jacob and Seren both get very good at Legilimency and Occlumency, Legilimency due to its uses in their profession and Occlumency due to paranoia arising from the entire Vaults incident. They practice on each other

Jacob is slightly better at Occlumency than Seren, Seren is slightly better at Legilimency than Jacob

Reading each other’s minds as much as they have leads to them being even closer than they were before. They now know secrets the other will never speak, and they can predict each other’s thoughts fairly easily. It also helped them work through Vault-based trauma

At some point they get really good at communicating wordlessly through magic. It freaks people out

Their siren blood does effect them, but I feel like that’s grounds for its own post

[spinneryesteryear]

Spinner plays FFXIV Stormblood

Finished FFXIV 4.0 MSQ over the weekend (DRK to 70, WHM to 77), hoo boy. I know I've got the 4.x patches to go but I did wind up liking Stormblood more than I thought. Spoilers ahoy!

Highlights:

- started the SB questline right about the same time as everyone else started ShB *sobs* It did mean I landed in the midst of some good FATE-grinding parties, however, at little as that matters

- I liked the Baelsar’s Wall but those last twin bosses can go die in a fire

- couldn’t get really sad over Papalymo because he barely contributed anything to the story except to snark at Yda. I like him better in DFFOO, where he is an excellent black mage. So, like, the exact opposite of my feelings regarding Thancred.

- Shinryu, Omega, and Cid all disappeared for the majority of the Stormblood questline and tbh it suffered for their absences. At least Estinien, of all people, was tracking the first two down.

- thankfully the WHM quests were all in the first zone I got access to and I already had it at 70 so I just zipped through them

----- me: *fails repeatedly at WHM lvl 70 quest*

----- me: *returns w/gear 10 lvls higher* Time for my vengeance.

----- (Yes, I know I should always keep my gear up to date and to be fair I always keep it at the appropriate level or better when other people are involved. This, however, was single-player duty and my lack of better gear didn’t matter since I didn’t even have the lvl 61 dungeon unlocked yet.)

- never cared at all for Zenos. Nope. Not at all. He and his golf club bag of swords can go fall off Shinryu's platforms. (I also had 0% trouble w/his solo fights on DRK? Maybe it was the new flat damage reduction baked into all tanks, idk, or maybe it was having Aug Shire/at lvl gear for each instance. I kept my health up just fine and had to be wiped out via his insta-kill move for the duty to end. But honestly it felt like good DRK job fantasy, taking on this insurmountable foe and clawing my way past death to defend my fallen comrades.) Also my character literally viewed him as a troubled teen taking out his issues on everyone around him via murder and wasn't impressed w/him in the least. But anyway.

- I came to tolerate Lyse but that's it. Hot-blooded people who rush off and act w/o thinking irritate me greatly IRL and it's no different in virtual life. Plus, she's almost literally an anime version of me who traded book smarts for punching ability. Even her name is a mere one letter from mine. It's kinda weird. She’s my mirror universe self. Ugh.

- it’s really disappointing Square Enix gives me so few options in killing myself. Let me jump off cliffs to my messy death already, dang it. Skyrim let me do it within the first 2 minutes of ever playing, haha.

- the sharks fly. the bears fly. the goobues fly. why not.

- ah, yes, gyuki. Skyrim prepared me for unreasonably bloodthirsty walruses. And for the unreasonably powerful and murderous mammoths.

- I liked M'naago, wished she had been the lead instead

- genuinely loved Gosetsu (Conrad who?) and was upset at his 'death'. I'm at once glad he survived and annoyed at another death fake-out. *Drak voice* Kill more! Kill 'em all!

- Hien is an adorable badass and I wish to adopt him and take him home with me. Doma 4 lyfe

---- me: *interiorly grumbles every time I hear the words ‘Ala Mhigo’

---- also me: *cheers for Doma & the Steppes*

- I just... really don’t understand why Highlanders live in a desert nation and have geographic and cultural neighbors based off of India and yet they have Old English/OHG names. Why???

- also why is Lyse blindingly white (and Minfilia, for that matter) in stark contrast to other Highlanders???

---- me: So, Lyse, if you’re from Gyr Abania then why are you white?

---- Alphinaud: Oh my god, Spinner, you can’t just ask someone why they’re white.

- once again, I'm probably the only person who loved the WHM quests (all SB job quests seem to return to their 1 - 30 [or 30 - 50?] roots and I don't mind). Did lots of screaming over DRK 60 - 70. I saved them all up and did them right away when I hit 70; they flow much better w/no interruptions

- explored/quested/ground FATE's on DRK but ran new dungeons on WHM as that's my comfort job. Failed twice on the mechanics of Bardam's Mettle 2nd boss but no wipes so we're good. So many overconfident gunbreaker tanks, though. T__T *I* did a better job tanking/killing a pack of like 12 mobs as WHM in Sirensong Sea than one bunbreaker, smh.

- I found Magnai to be entirely too amusing. I also want his moves on WAR. 

- somehow missed Shisui entirely? Still haven't got all aether currents in the Ruby Sea RIP me

------ (2 month later addendum: finally unlocked it and got my aether currents. Now, to never return to that area ever again.)

- no underwater mobs is so disappointing. Let me throw fireballs and Holys and swing a greatsword underwater already. Let me tell you, nothing is as exciting as going diving in Morrowind with only a 22% chance to successfully cast Waterbreathing and this Kojin blessing is such an OP cheat.

- enjoying my Grani mount tbh. I have no idea if it's lore-relevant for ShB; I just saw the name lifted straight from Norse myth and was like, "Want." It's more of a horse-shaped reptile, however, with 'paws' that become increasingly creepy the more you stare at them. I wonder if it eats meat like the thestrals in HP.

- shooting minigames? Okay. Platforming minigames? AW HECK NO I THOUGHT I WAS DONE W/THIS WHEN I LEFT LEGO GAMES TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME PLATFORMING IS MY GREATEST ENEMY

- I was derping around in Kugane and accidentally started doing the tower jumping puzzle. As soon as I figured out what I was doing I had to run away immediately to save my sanity.

- throwing on tank stance and rushing in to save someone from a mob or a FATE is still as heady a feeling as ever (except when they then run off and leave you to die, like, no why please). Or raising people out in the wild. I particularly love that cyclops boss FATE near Whitebrim bc I can go stand on the edges as a powerful WHM and raise people 10x as the bodies keep hitting the floor. I know I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s still so great.

- I do enjoy the Morrowind feel of walking through a new zone and taking in the scenery but I'd like it more if all the wildlife wasn't super powerful and aggro'ing on me every 10 ft. It feels less like an ecosystem and more like generic monster land when there are no longer any non-aggressive mobs like there were in ARR. The Gyr Abanian landscapes are slowly growing on me, however.

- me, flying through Porta Praetoria/Lochs: Those wooden bonfires must be awfully expensive, if wood is as scarce in Gyr Abania as I think....

- loved the Azim Steppe - atmosphere, music, lore, everything. Waiting for someone to call me out on this bc I just really love Xaela (and may make a male Xaela alt one day).

- had minor moral qualms over fighting in the Naadam for the Mol bc I wanted to claim victory for the Orl

- I do really like those moments in Heavensward and Stormblood when the game recreates the epic moments from the trailers (the WoL walking through the soldiers to fight the dragon; the WoL and Lyse sparring, etc.). 

- I was singing, “I don’t care, I don’t care,” to the tune of Let It Go during the Ala Mhigo cutscenes but the resistance singing their anthem really got to me nevertheless. Many voices united and uplifted and song always hits me hard emotionally.

- my character still looking at Zenos with 0% thirst (negative amounts of thirst, tbh) like, “Who is this sassy lost child?”

- then again my character is like 31 yrs old here with a backstory summed up as ‘angry single mom goes to check on friend, ends up killing a god and getting recruited to save the world’

- Pipin is best Lalafell; I will defend him with my life but he has Tizona now and doesn't need me. The absolute shortest guy around is calling the shots in this military campaign and I love it. At least his dad gave him a box to stand on so he could see over the table during the important strategic military discussions.

- the siege of Ala Mhigo taught us that thaumaturges/black mages are the living equivalent of heavy artillery, nice nice nice

- got lucky and had a competent crew in DF to fight Shinryu

- tbh my character would probably kick Asahi’s dad while he was down and cave in his ribs, just finishing him off. It’s no wonder Asahi turned out as bad as he did, with parents as horrifically self-centered as THAT.

- I humbly submit ‘Higwit’ as a fan-name for that elezen following Asahi around - an acronym for ‘Hien Is Great - Who Is That?!’ based on an old LOTR fan meme. Who else here remembers Figwit before he became Lindir?

- I liked the Tsukuyomi fight but I can’t remember anything specific about it now, not even the mechs. 

- I did spend a lot of time screenshotting Hien because he is an awesome bro and I would endure Ala Mhigo all over again for him

[hustlemeanokay]

Anthem (Not completely negative)

But to be honest, there’s a lot of dissing going on. But, stick it out, I make good points too. 

Just watched another video put out by Bioware about Anthem. I swear... very little about it is even remotely original or new. I get the reuse of previous Bioware game stuff (For example, the Titan... I mean... the Colossus... does a “battle cry” that uses the same animation from previous Bioware games, think Dragon Age Warriors, the red aura they ‘yell’... exactly that). So, I get that, same company, you’re gonna get the same kind of stuff, which is okay. But damn... if it isn’t a almost too direct Destiny rip-off, I don’t know what is. 

Javelin types... Storm (Warlock), Ranger (Hunter), Colossus (Titan), and Interceptor (Another Rogue like suit). The suits are called “Exosuits” (I get why but still)... each one has a “special” power that only that suit can do. IE: How the different classes have their different supers. They have emotes... which... let’s face it, are everywhere now but still. And even though they say that Anthem was in “development” back in 2012, before the first Destiny game, they openly admit that they didn’t actually start working on it until after Andromeda. I fully understand that there are years of planning put into these games but when you’re in the ‘ideas’ phase of a project for two years and then a game comes out that is... basically what they’re saying is it was their idea... that’s the equivalent of saying “I saw it first!” or “Well yeah, but see, I thought of it first.” It doesn’t matter. The point I’m making with this part is... at least change the fucking names more than what they’ve done. At least change the mechanics. All of which might or might not have been even thought of or planned before Destiny was released. Basically, what I’m guessing went down was like someone in a Bioware office was like “Okay... new game ideas?” And wrote it on a piece of paper, pinned it to a wall, and someone added “future sci-fi RPG type game, multiplayer, suits, awesome powers, protect humanity.” And left it like that, for years so now they can say “we thought of it first”. 

It’s just sad. Anthem is obviously has heavy Destiny influencing. Painfully obvious. From the supers to the humans living in last free cities surrounded by walls when the light (Shaper Gods) abandoned them seemingly to fend for themselves, therefor requiring people to now protect humanity from... whatever... darkness or something. From the basic names of Exosuits to the antagonist after “the power of life and death”. There’s even a part in the new video that shows them in a cave. Now, I understand that there’s only so many damn ways to show stalagmites but damn, Volundr Forge anyone (they have a Forge too). Then they have a “gear score” (Light Level) which shows how powerful your  Javelin is. 

Now, I’m not saying that it’s a carbon copy of Destiny, but when you watch the video it’s like... you’re with it, you got it... and then smack, Destiny something... then the video keeps going and you’re like “okay, cool” and then SMACK, another Destiny drop. By the third one, you’re like “Come on!” And then, after that, it just gets sadly annoying. 

What I’m getting at is... if you know your game has got a lot of another popular game’s content? Change the fucking content. Don’t put out a game that mimics another to the point where it’s smacking people in the face. Right now, gamers are vicious. And they should know since it basically started with them on Andromeda! But then again, you’d think other developers would know better too. -Cough-Bethesda-Cough-. And that’s the point. They’re trying to get some hype going about a game... that appears to lack original content... while all of this 76 crap is going on. It’s shitty timing, it is but right now, there are a lot of gamers chomping at the bit, waiting for another developer to “so obviously screw them over”. People swearing off pre-ordering, etc. Right now, it’d be in every studio’s very best interest to put out completely original games. Anthem has a lot of awesome stuff going for it (it really does, it’s another beautiful game) but if they had just tweaked a few of the things a bit more, then you wouldn’t be able to say it’s a Destiny rip-off... you’d be able to go “it’s a bit like Destiny but these similarities are understandable, there’s only so many ways to draw a stalagmite.” 

Like I said, the game is beautiful (what we’ve seen so far). And you can swim! Kick-ass! They’ve already said that there won’t be loot boxes for sale, but you know they’re be something (there always is and that’s okay, as long as what is for sale is either purely cosmetic or you can actually get the item through normal game play). You get a few things (so far) that are very Bioware. And that’s good. Fans like that. Just like in Fallout 4, people pointed out a few Skyrim similarities, which was fine. No one got in a tizzy about it. It was kinda nice. And Bioware has always done this, crossing Dragon Age into Mass Effect and vice versa. So, seeing a few nods to Bioware’s other games (Battle Cry, the Wyvern sniper rifle) and so on, is pretty cool. 

Yeah, there’s no romance. Which, for a Bioware game, is kind of a bummer but meh, it’s okay. It’s not a deal-breaker by any stretch of the term. You’ve got a crew that are NPCs, so you aren’t technically required to play with other people if you don’t want to (unless they do Raids... which would kinda suck as a solo player). That’s one thing, so far, that if they stick with it, they have a leg-up on Destiny. I’m not saying Raids suck, they don’t, they’re freaking awesome. But, as a solo player, it’s kind of a bummer when you can’t get that loot any other way, especially when they have a Triumph based on it (I’ll share more about that in another post). You have an antagonist faction called the Dominion, that are after the Anthem glow stick thing, they apparently have various monsters at their disposal to hurl at you, so you’re gonna be fighting some gnarly looking things, some of which will offer an actual challenge. You can fly! And I’m not talking about gliding, no... apparently you can do flips and spins and dive and all this stuff. Which is pretty cool. Their Infiltrator Javelin (looks a lot like an Overwatch character, btw) is pretty neat looking, probably going to be a favorite of the Rogue playing people out there. The world seems very immersive, which is going to be fun to explore. And they’ve obviously laid the ground work for a FT of lore, unless they pull that “it was all lost in the collapse!” Or... whatever they call their abandonment. 

So, now that I’ve ranted and raved, pointed at things and gone “bad Bioware!” Now that I’ve actually had some good stuff to say too.. that’s where I’m standing on Anthem right now. 

Will I play it? Uh, yeah. Will I buy it... ehhhhhhhh.... don’t know yet. 

[marketerarena-blog]

Should You Take Collagen–Benefits of Collagen for Fitness Podcast 98

Today I’m talking with Registered Dietitian  Lindsey Janeiro all about collagen. Collagen powder is the hottest supplement on social media with people putting it in everything from coffee to protein snack bites. So I’m talking to an expert to ask everything you want to know – Should you take it? What are the benefits? Will it make me run faster? Lose weight? Look pretty? Get me friends? Fill the hole in my heart???

  If you’re new here … My name is Monica and I created Run Eat Repeat over 9 years ago to document training for my first full marathon and struggles with my weight. I ran that marathon, eventually lost the weight and the site turned into a great community online and now this podcast! Thank you for listening!

Now ‘let’s warm up!

Warm Up:

This weekend I’m running the Revel Big Bear Marathon.

Thoughts before the race… impending doom.

I don’t feel ready at all. And that stresses me out.

I used to run a half marathon and full marathon practically every month. I fell off the wagon because I was sad, not motivated and gave up on my goal.

In doing the notes for the warm up and identifying that I’m not ready to run a full marathon – in part because I didn’t train long or hard enough… but also because I got hurt in a non-physical way that really messed me up… makes me feel a little better about it.

Yes – I could have gotten it together and ran the hell out of other marathons in the last year. Yes – I could have trained harder. Yes – I could have gotten in the best shape of my life!!

But I didn’t… so I start here.

This is where I am and I’m moving forward from this spot. Focusing on where I was – faster, fitter, thinner… doesn’t help where I am.

I’m not being straight up reckless with my health – turns out I did run 2  -18 mile long runs! – which is all I did for m first marathon (let’s not talk about how I hated myself after that race tho).

And the only way I will get back to running marathon distance is by running a marathon, getting my ass handed to me and getting back on track.

So this weekend my marathon goals are:

A. Run a sub-4 hour marathon

B. Finish the marathon strong – run smart, pay attention to fuel and how I feel to learn from it

C. Finish.

D. Not die.

And I’m running with my 1 friend!! So I’m really excited about that!!

Don’t forget – there are a lot of races coming up!!

  Check the Race Discounts Page for more!

    Collagen Powder Nutrition for Runners

Lindsey Janeiro is a Registered Dietitian and founder of Nutrition to Fit. You can follow her on instagram @NutritionToFit or on her website  https://nutritiontofit.com .

I’m asking her all the questions on collagen! Everything you (and I ) want to know about it.

What is collagen?

Should you take it? Why?

What are the benefits of taking collagen peptides?

What’s the difference between collagen powder versus collagen pill supplements?

Are there any side-effects?

Will it help me run faster? Look younger? Lose weight? Be happier? Less lonely? Keep me warm at night?///

What is collagen powder made from?

Can it help restore skin collagen?

Are there foods that can provide the same benefits?

Are there foods that can increase collagen or help prevent collagen loss?

What should we look for in a collagen supplement? What should we avoid? (nutrition label info / sources / serving size / etc)

Here’s some info from Lindsey Janiero RD via Nutrition to Fit:

Collagen 101 – what is it?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, found in skin, muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments, and even teeth, blood vessels, and corneas. Collagen has many roles, from helping give your skin elasticity to providing strength in your bones.

What’s in collagen made from?

Hydrolyzed collagen peptides are made by processing animal cartilage, hides, and bones. This can be from cows, pork, chicken, or other animals and may include one source (i.e. bovine hides) or multiple (hides and cartilage). They can also be sourced from marine sources, like shellfish, fish skins, or cartilage from fish or sharks.

What are the benefits?

Collagen enthusiasts claim collagen benefits/ collagen peptide benefits for anything from improved hair, nails, and skin, to joint health, digestive health, and other various medical conditions.

Note: Dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA in the same way our conventional food supply is regulated, which means supplement companies are expected to evaluate the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure they meet all requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations (6).

Are there specific benefits for athletes?

Research is suggesting that collagen may reduce and prevent joint pain and bone density loss (9). One 24-week study looked at hydrolyzed collagen as a dietary supplement to help athletes with activity-related joint pain, noting possible benefits of collagen supporting joint health, reducing joint pain that could inhibit athletic performance, and possibly reduce the risk of joint deterioration in certain individuals (10).

We discuss all of that and more! Listen to the podcast and let me know if you have any questions!

For more information on collagen, nutrition and/or to contact Registered Dietician Lindsey Janiero…

Check out her services at Nutrition to Fit Services 

Collagen Supplements & Powder – Common Questions and Information

Nutrition to Fit Collagen Benefits and Side Effects info

Podcast Awards:

Best running group of the week goes to a local running group I saw on the path yesterday…. because they were wearing lights! Every runner was wearing multiple lights and reflective gear. It was the picture of safety (and it was kinda pretty too)!

Yes! They were on point with their safety gear. Boom.

If you need safety gear like lights or reflective gear check out these options…

Best Gear for Running at Night / in the Dark:

LED Safety Lights

Lights for Running Shoes

Reflective Arm Band

Headlamp with flashing lights or red strobe lights

LED Running Belt

Reflective Running Vest

  If you have any questions for me – email RunEatRepeat@gmail.com or call the podcast voicemail

    Follow @RunEatRepeat on Instagram 

Hang out with us on Facebook – Run Eat Repeat’s page here

The post Should You Take Collagen–Benefits of Collagen for Fitness Podcast 98 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

https://askfitness.today/should-you-take-collagen-benefits-of-collagen-for-fitness-podcast-98/

[steffancockrell]

Should You Take Collagen–Benefits of Collagen for Fitness Podcast 98

Today I'm talking with Registered Dietitian  Lindsey Janeiro all about collagen. Collagen powder is the hottest supplement on social media with people putting it in everything from coffee to protein snack bites. So I'm talking to an expert to ask everything you want to know – Should you take it? What are the benefits? Will it make me run faster? Lose weight? Look pretty? Get me friends? Fill the hole in my heart???

  If you're new here … My name is Monica and I created Run Eat Repeat over 9 years ago to document training for my first full marathon and struggles with my weight. I ran that marathon, eventually lost the weight and the site turned into a great community online and now this podcast! Thank you for listening!

Now 'let's warm up!

Warm Up:

This weekend I'm running the Revel Big Bear Marathon.

Thoughts before the race… impending doom.

I don't feel ready at all. And that stresses me out.

I used to run a half marathon and full marathon practically every month. I fell off the wagon because I was sad, not motivated and gave up on my goal.

In doing the notes for the warm up and identifying that I'm not ready to run a full marathon – in part because I didn't train long or hard enough… but also because I got hurt in a non-physical way that really messed me up… makes me feel a little better about it.

Yes – I could have gotten it together and ran the hell out of other marathons in the last year. Yes – I could have trained harder. Yes – I could have gotten in the best shape of my life!!

But I didn't… so I start here.

This is where I am and I'm moving forward from this spot. Focusing on where I was – faster, fitter, thinner… doesn't help where I am.

I'm not being straight up reckless with my health – turns out I did run 2  -18 mile long runs! – which is all I did for m first marathon (let's not talk about how I hated myself after that race tho).

And the only way I will get back to running marathon distance is by running a marathon, getting my ass handed to me and getting back on track.

So this weekend my marathon goals are:

A. Run a sub-4 hour marathon

B. Finish the marathon strong – run smart, pay attention to fuel and how I feel to learn from it

C. Finish.

D. Not die.

And I'm running with my 1 friend!! So I'm really excited about that!!

Don't forget – there are a lot of races coming up!!

  Check the Race Discounts Page for more!

    Collagen Powder Nutrition for Runners

Lindsey Janeiro is a Registered Dietitian and founder of Nutrition to Fit. You can follow her on instagram @NutritionToFit or on her website  https://nutritiontofit.com .

I'm asking her all the questions on collagen! Everything you (and I ) want to know about it.

What is collagen?

Should you take it? Why?

What are the benefits of taking collagen peptides?

What's the difference between collagen powder versus collagen pill supplements?

Are there any side-effects?

Will it help me run faster? Look younger? Lose weight? Be happier? Less lonely? Keep me warm at night?///

What is collagen powder made from?

Can it help restore skin collagen?

Are there foods that can provide the same benefits?

Are there foods that can increase collagen or help prevent collagen loss?

What should we look for in a collagen supplement? What should we avoid? (nutrition label info / sources / serving size / etc)

Here's some info from Lindsey Janiero RD via Nutrition to Fit:

Collagen 101 – what is it?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, found in skin, muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments, and even teeth, blood vessels, and corneas. Collagen has many roles, from helping give your skin elasticity to providing strength in your bones.

What's in collagen made from?

Hydrolyzed collagen peptides are made by processing animal cartilage, hides, and bones. This can be from cows, pork, chicken, or other animals and may include one source (i.e. bovine hides) or multiple (hides and cartilage). They can also be sourced from marine sources, like shellfish, fish skins, or cartilage from fish or sharks.

What are the benefits?

Collagen enthusiasts claim collagen benefits/ collagen peptide benefits for anything from improved hair, nails, and skin, to joint health, digestive health, and other various medical conditions.

Note: Dietary supplements are not regulated by the FDA in the same way our conventional food supply is regulated, which means supplement companies are expected to evaluate the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure they meet all requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations (6).

Are there specific benefits for athletes?

Research is suggesting that collagen may reduce and prevent joint pain and bone density loss (9). One 24-week study looked at hydrolyzed collagen as a dietary supplement to help athletes with activity-related joint pain, noting possible benefits of collagen supporting joint health, reducing joint pain that could inhibit athletic performance, and possibly reduce the risk of joint deterioration in certain individuals (10). [via Nutrition to Fit ]

We discuss all of that and more! Listen to the podcast and let me know if you have any questions!

For more information on collagen, nutrition and/or to contact Registered Dietician Lindsey Janiero…

Check out her services at Nutrition to Fit Services 

Collagen Supplements & Powder – Common Questions and Information

Nutrition to Fit Collagen Benefits and Side Effects info

Podcast Awards:

Best running group of the week goes to a local running group I saw on the path yesterday…. because they were wearing lights! Every runner was wearing multiple lights and reflective gear. It was the picture of safety (and it was kinda pretty too)!

Yes! They were on point with their safety gear. Boom.

If you need safety gear like lights or reflective gear check out these options…

Best Gear for Running at Night / in the Dark:

LED Safety Lights

Lights for Running Shoes

Reflective Arm Band

Headlamp with flashing lights or red strobe lights

LED Running Belt

Reflective Running Vest

  If you have any questions for me – email RunEatRepeat@gmail.com or call the podcast voicemail

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The post Should You Take Collagen–Benefits of Collagen for Fitness Podcast 98 appeared first on Run Eat Repeat.

[lil-mad364-blog]

Day 16

September 22, 2018

Yep, so I’m writing this around noon on the 23rd because I was 100% too “drunk” to write anything productive last night lol. But I wasn’t drunk because of the party....

But before I get to that, I want to talk about the earlier events of the day. So I carpooled with baker boy to our meeting. He’s such a chill guy. I don’t feel pressured or awkward or anything with him, which is really nice. Not much went down there. 

The meeting was chill too. Since Jordan told me his parents would be coming, and I saw the one girl’s parents were there (the girl who Jordan said he still had feelings for at the start of all of this), I was kinda looking out for his parents too to see if they would be there. I don’t think they ended up coming. Why was I looking out for them? Good question. I think maybe it was because I wanted to prepare myself for any potential “Hey, Lilly! How are you? Give me a hug, we haven’t seen you in a while!” kind of approaches. Maybe I also just wanted to see if I was being watched. 

Later on in the day at our organization’s next event (Saturdays are busy days for us), I honestly didn’t think about Jordan’s parents being there at all. It wasn’t until I got a text from Jordan’s mom saying “We see you!!! ;D” that I even thought about them being there. I wonder how much Jordan has let his parents in on what’s been going on. I wonder if they know that we haven’t been talking... But perhaps they do know, since I never did get an invite to dinner or anything. 

After that, we went to the football game!

Okay, I guess since it’s approaching the end of these 21 days, I’ll just come out and say it. The organization that we’re all in is a college marching band. Now that that makes more sense as to why we’re always meeting and why Saturdays are hectic and why we’re all at a football game together, it’ll be a little easier to explain some things. 

At the football game, we get to pick where we want to sit within reason. Jordan chose to sit next to her. In the past, I noticed that him and his three roommates (her unfortunately being one of them) sit together, but he never sits next to her. Today he did, and I don’t know why. It could be nothing, but it could be something. Ugh. 

Later on, Jordan and I had some contact. The band was grabbing some food, hotdogs to be exact, and they weren’t normal sized hotdogs. “Wow, these hotdogs are huge!” I said. Jordan was about 4 or 5 people in front of me, and he turned to me and gave me sort of this sly smile, and I gave him one back lmao. We were definitely being suggestive towards each other in that moment. But I’m honestly happy we had that kind of a moment for a variety of reasons. 1) He still thinks I’m sexy and is willing to admit that he still thinks of me that way, 2) It shows that we are not in a sad or awkward place with each other, and we are still able to be happy and have fun with each other, and 3) It shows that there are no hard feelings between us and that me not talking to him isn’t because I’m mad at him. Mind you, baker boy was standing like 2 people in front of me in line, so it’s very possible that he saw this small interaction take place..

That’s the only kind of “contact” I really had with Jordan, but it felt really nice. After the game, I was outside waiting for baker boy (I guess I’m just gonna keep calling him that now lmao), so I put my stuff down to go look for him. When I found him, he asked me where my stuff was, and I turned around and pointed in the direction of it, and Jordan was standing right where I was pointing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him smile at me, but I kinda ignored it! I didn’t want him thinking that I was pointing at him or that I even saw him there. So the boy and I walked past him to get my stuff, and then we walked away together to his car. Ouch.

It was a pretty long walk, and we were talking about whatever and laughing and stuff, and I see Jordan’s car slowly drive by right in front of us. His parents could have been in the car too... but all I know is that he got confirmation that we were riding home together in that moment. Honestly, good. After him choosing to sit next to that girl, I really should show him how that feels with someone who I haven’t even slept with or even have feelings for. BUT it does give him something to rebel against... But it’s not like I was flaunting it on purpose like making a post on social media or something. It was just luck that he was standing in the direction of me pointing earlier and that he drove by us as we were walking to his car. So idk.

I’m pretty sure I had mentioned in a previous post that the baker boy drives a stick shift. There was a moment when we were driving that he was like “Alright, now it’s your turn to change the gears for me!” and I was like, “I am not going to be responsible for breaking your car!” and he was like, “Here, just put your hand here on the [insert name for stick shift thing here].” So I did, and when it was time to change gears, he’d quickly put his hand over mine and shifted the gears! That was literally happening the whole way home, and it was literally just a way for him to continuously touch my hand. Damn, this guy is smooth. It’s so subtle that I’m not even 100% sure if he’s actually intending on flirting or not lmao. But I like that, unlike the other guy, because it doesn’t make things feel awkward or pressures any kind of flirty response. 

We talked about him giving me a ride to the party before I got out of his car, and he said he’d let me know since his parents were in town and he was going to hang with them beforehand. But then when I texted him about it, he said I should probably uber since him and his friend were doing “illegal” things before the party and didn’t think I’d want to be around for it. Okay then...

So I just ended up not going to the party altogether lol. I wasn’t about to be there with him being some kind of fucked up when he’d be like the only real person I know there. But I was already dressed up for the party so I couldn’t just stay in... Then I remembered that my bff invited me out earlier but I turned her down because I told her I had the party. So I ended up going out with her and our friends instead lol. 

It was all you can drink, so I drank kind of a lot lol. We were trying to get that OTHER other guy to come (the one who it’d be cool if I got interested in me), but he already had other plans. Lameee. I danced a lot. I actually ran into a couple of old guy friends there too! Ended up drunk dancing with one of them hahaha. He was totally into me, and he’s cute too. But he’s a little too much of a party animal for my serious taste haha, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun! 

Oh! Something small I forgot to mention. Last night, the lover boy texted me like “We should go to a club tonight!” Like, what??? Was he expecting it to just be me and him?? That’s so hella freaking awkward. I can’t even dance with him now because he has too many feelings for me that are just not reciprocated. I told him that I was already heading to a party (because at the time that was the real plan lol), and he said “Have fun” in the least excited way possible. Usually he’d add like 5 exclamation points or something, but he didn’t! MAYBE HE’S FINALLY GETTING THE HINT!!!. It’s also almost 1:30pm the next day and I still haven’t heard from him so that’s pretty amazing. He definitely saw my snap story though of me being out, and there were a couple of guys I was taking pictures with too, so maybe he’s realizing that he is NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN MY LIFE. It’s about time.

Alrighty, my time is up!

You’ll hear from me later :)

See yaaaa!

Lil Mad out.