#if the limit is 25 i should not be going under 20????

[loz-furbies]

Zelda ages based on when their games came out. Welcome to the team EoW Zelda!

Characters and design thoughts under cut:

For starters, I did a similar Zelda piece a few years ago and ran into the problem that I can't really draw anything else than anime teen girls, which is kind of a problem in a drawing where half the characters are above 20 and their age differences are the whole point. And in addition almost everyone is supposed to be royalty with very similar clothes too. But in my defense, in general it can be pretty hard to tell the ages of 25 to 40 year old anime women anyway.

I needed a reference for the body proportions in order to even get started, so I quickly thought "who is an anime woman who doesn't look like a teenager", and used Yor's character sheet for assistance. The younger characters' proportions are a little inconsistent, since I couldn't choose if I would look at realistic growth chart or go with the anime look (where teens and children are often shorter than they would be in real life) so the result is this weird hybrid.

Four Swords (December 2, 2022) & Four Swords Adventures (March 18, 2004) - Chronologically they are different Zeldas even though they use the same promo art/character design, so I used the promo art design for the original FS Zelda and drew the FSA Zelda based on her sprite. There's not much to these designs, they have very little going on in terms of story or personality to use as inspiration and their character design doesn't offer much anything original when compared to the other more well known Zeldas either. Their only distinct element is the big red hair bow, but I thought it would look too childish when they're supposed to be in their twenties here.

Minish Cap (November 4, 2004) - There's not a lot MC Zelda that I could use for inspiration. But then I remembered that a while ago I wrote about how the pointy hat Queen Ambi wears should be used more often, so I thought I should put my money where my mouth is and draw it here, since Zelda does wear a red cap for a couple seconds in MC. In general the MC Zelda and both FS Zeldas are at a little awkward age for this picture, since they're too old for youthful child designs but not really old enough for more mature queenly designs either.

Skyward Sword (November 18, 2011) - Her design is based on her concept design, which I assume is meant to be her casual look and not the ceremonial costume she wears in the game.

Ocarina of Time (November 21, 1998) - I decided that age-wise she makes the cut of when I start using updos. Why do the Zeldas have such similar canon hairstyles anyway, it was surprisingly boring to work with them. Still not sure about the curls though, my fancy dress design artbook that I used for inspiration had so many cute curly hairstyles but I couldn't really use any here because I worried the characters would become unrecognisable. But since OoT Zelda had some curls in her "sideburns" she fell victim here.

Hyrule Warriors (August 14, 2014) - HW Zelda has a distinct enough design from the other Zeldas that it gives a lot of elements to work with, though her age here limits it a little since she's too young for bikini armour. Also because HW is a spin off, I also considered including the Cadence of Hyrule Zelda, but that led to the realisation that it would have opened the doors to CDI Zelda as well. Which I guess would have been fine, but this is already a pretty wide drawing full of adults, so while a Cadence of Hyrule Zelda would have been easy to fit on the front row, I couldn't justify adding even more adults just for the CDI games. So only HW is included because I've played it and actually like it.

Zelda 1 (February 21, 1986) - The original Zelda is at an age where it's a little awkward how there's little difference between her (38 years old) and OoT Zelda (25). But I couldn't think of any anime that would help me as reference here, and I don't think she's old enough to have that "this character is getting old" wrinkle under her eye (you know the one).

Echoes of Wisdom (September 26, 2024) - I think she looks a bit too old here to be a zero-days-old newborn but work with me here.

Breath of the Wild (March 3, 2017) - She's actually at the age where her mum died, poor girl. She's very refreshing to work with since her look is so different from the other Zeldas.

A Link to the Past (November 21, 1991) & A Link between Worlds (November 22, 2013) - Originally I also had the Oracles Zelda in this since she does have a unique design, but then again I consider the Oracles Link to be the same as in aLttP which ought to apply to Zelda as well, plus the design isn't unique in any interesting way and is just a combination of the OoT & aLttP designs, so in the end I just gave the Oracles Zelda sprite's hair buns to aLbW Zelda. Overall having to use the essentially same design for both aLttP and aLbW Zelda wasn't much fun, especially when neither really offers anything notable in terms of story or personality, but at least they're pretty far apart when it comes to age.

Twilight Princess (November 19, 2006) - I haven't played her game so I don't know a lot about her (other than reading the manga which didn't give me anything to work with either) and she's also close to her canon age (?) here so she ended up looking pretty similar to her canon design.

Spirit Tracks (December 7, 2009) - This was a tough one because technically ST Zelda does have a lot of elements to her story and character that could work for a redesign, but not really for the purposes of this picture. Anything train related is more of Link's thing, and anything ghost related doesn't really fit either since she's not supposed to be a ghost at this age. And as for the Phantom, I got the impression that while she learned to appreciate it, she didn't exactly like using it, and that personality-wise she would prefer not to go on another similar adventure. So In the end I just replaced the regular armour parts many Zeldas have in their designs with the Phantom armour and used the ghost palette for the rest of her look, and I kind of like the result. Her personality looks a little out of character though but I couldn't resist the opportunity to draw this with Grandma Tetra.

Wind Waker (December 13, 2002) - I haven't played WW so I'm not sure how accurate this is, but drawing her with the pirate design definitely added some much needed variety to this picture. I really like her twirly hairstyle in canon, but I also really wanted to draw her with short hair, so it had to go. Maybe ST Zelda can style her hair in a twirl when she gets older to compensate?

The Adventure of Link (January 14, 1987) - Really don't know what happened here, not particularly happy with the end result. I prefer to draw the Zelda 2 Zelda with her sprite design because just reusing the OG Zelda design is boring, but I really should have kept it closer to that since now she's practically unrecognisable.

[metalheadsagainstfascism]

If you don't understand fancy stock market words because fancy stock market words are for people with money.

US stock market is doing this 📉 which is not good because Trump is starting tarrif wars for literally no reason and it's causing the people with money to be scared.

That's bad, obviously. But this is more than notifying you that Trump is tanking the stock market.

You see, Trump has the power to do this because he declared a state of National Emergency WAY BACK on January 20th

So he's like let's tarrif. I change my mind. DOUBLE TARRIF. Maybe. 25% TARRIF! Lol, was a joke. TARRIF. Which is what's causing uncertainty because tariffs are REALLY REALLY REALLY bad for the economy, but uncertainty is WORSE.

Now, congress could do something about this. They could overrule his national emergency. Checks and balances. More importantly, if Democrats force this, it would force Republicans to put their votes where their mouths are. Republicans HATE tariffs because it's so bad for business and it's seen as government over reach. If Democrats say "Let's put it to a vote go end this national emergency and stabilize our economy that's in freefall." The congress would have 15 days to put it to what SHOULD be a unanimous vote.

Except... Republicans slid in a last minute provision into a bill that effectively removes any ability that congress would have to over rule Trump's National Emergency.

Because they've declared all of the days of congress for the rest of the year is just "one really long calendar day". Effectively postponing the vote to overrule Trump's national emergency and ceding that power. Actually, effectively throwing up their hands and saying "that's not my problem now".

However, that's not the only law in Congress based on Calendar days

"The most notable feature of the CRA is its special set of parliamentary procedures for considering a joint resolution disapproving an agency's final rule. These procedures make it easier for Congress to pass a joint resolution of disapproval, particularly in the Senate. Perhaps most significantly, when a joint resolution of disapproval meets certain criteria, it cannot be filibustered in the Senate. In addition, when 20 calendar days have elapsed after the receipt and publication of a rule, a petition, signed by 30 Senators, can be presented on the floor to discharge a Senate committee of the further consideration of a disapproval resolution.5 Once the committee is discharged, any Senator can make a nondebatable motion to proceed to consider the disapproval resolution. Should a majority of the Senate vote to consider the disapproval resolution, debate on it is limited, and a final vote would be all but guaranteed."

I say Congress Democrats Malicious compliance their way to this. "You want to hold up our request to overrule the president's state of emergency by redefining a calendar day? Fine. Let's see how much of your shit we can hold up by using your rules on what a calendar day is."

-fae

[kiokos]

A SOCCER PLAYER’S DREAM

Sypnosis: F/N L/N, isagi's childhood best friend, recently started football. Turns out, they were a prodigy nobody could have seen coming. But it looks like someone's little brother caught their eye.

Genre: Enemies/rivals to lovers, crack, lowk angsty if you squint, cringe sometimes, romance

A/N: sorry for posting this lowkey kinda late… i was writing this in the bus so I has limited time😭🙏

You sighed and settled your phone down, already looking nervous. Doubts started creeping up - could you really do this? On your own, at that? You sat up from your bed and looked down at your packed up bags - you didn’t forget anything, right..?

After checking everything to make sure you didn’t forget anything, you settled back down and thought. ‘Alright, let’s do the maths..’ you mumbled under your breath as you started counting. Rin said it took him about 20 minutes to get from blue lock to your practicing place…

For you, it takes around 20-25 minutes. Adding that to the 20 minutes it takes for him to get there, it should take you around.. 40-45 minutes for you to get to blue lock’s facility!

Okay, that seems reasonable enough. You waited and waited, then saw isagi’s text:

Isagi: come outside, i’m here :3

You quickly grabbed your stuff and ran down the stairs, yelling a ‘goodbye mom!’ Before running outside. You met up with isagi and dabbed him up as you usually do.

(Ignore that that was lowk cringez😭)

You were about to say something until isagi started by saying “okay, so, we have to get there at 6:30 PM, so we really gotta hurry and take the train that comes at.. erm.. the train that comes the soonest!! Come on, we can’t waste time!” He grabbed your hand and started running.

“WAIT, SLOW DOWN, YOU IDIOT!!” You yelled as he practically dragged you to the train station, regretting ever listening to him. Why were you even doing this?? It was all supposed to be a stupid bet and now you got dragged into this whole- nonsense!!

“Nah, I say we go faster!” He said as he sped up and you were struggling just to keep up. Man, this reminded you of the days where you were late for school and he was dragging you out of your house, yelling ‘we have maths as the first lesson today!! You know that mr. Hishaki doesn’t go easy on us when we’re late!!!’ As he yanked you and forced you to run towards the bus.

(Timeskip to when you got to blue lock :3)

You stepped in, and damn was everything like a flipping labyrinth! If it wasn’t for isagi, you would’ve definitely gotten lost.. just as you were taking in the new environment around you, you bumped into someone when you entered the german stratum(?).

As you were about to apologize, you heard him say “pass auf, wo du hintrittst, Idiot.” (Watch your step, idiot.) and you looked up to see.. a guy with blond and blue hair?? He even had a blue rose tattoo! Who is this guy??

Isagi looked pissed off the second he heard him and said “that’s kaiser.” Before handing you an earplug, telling you to put it on.

And so, you did! You put it on, and.. you could… understand what kaiser was saying? So was this kind of like.. a translator? You looked at kaiser and before you could say hi, he said “so, you’re the one who I’m going to have to beat today? How cute, didn’t think I was dealing with a small fry.”

You paused when he laughed. Man this guy pissed you off! “Man - fuck off.” You mumbled before grabbing isagi’s hand and walking away. “Isagi, you’re totally right - barely even met this guy and he already ticks me off. I want nothing more than to punch him in his arrogant face!”

Isagi smirked and said “I don’t wanna tell you I told you so… BUTTT I told you so.”

(Time-skip to when the match against you and kaiser starter.. Ik theres alot of timeskips rn but BEAR WITH ME😭😭 also if some of these don’t sound right just so yk it’s because idk how to write kaiser and my knowledge about football is VERY limited…)

You being nervous was an understatement. You were scared the hell out of your flipping mind. At first, you thought kaiser was no big deal - but even then, you’re lowkey kinda scared.

The kick off started with kaiser having the ball - all you knew about him was that he had a skill called kaiser impact, and that was honestly it.

When he tried to score, you blocked, stole the ball and tried to score your OWN goal, but then he would block you - and that’s practically how half the match went until kaiser scored a goal. ‘Crap!’ Was your first thought.

You sighed and thought about it. This guy was a cocky, arrogant rat. But, with that said, he did have skills. You had 15 minutes left, and in those 15 minutes- you just said fuck it and went all out.

You ran with the ball at your top speed and surprisingly, kaiser was able to keep up. “This all you got, small fry?” He said as he smirked.

And god you wanted nothing more than to punch him and his face and shove it into a trashcan! Wait, no, focus, Y/N, focus.

You brushed kaiser off, ignoring him. Put then - kaiser almost stole the ball from you. Shit. If you lost this, you would loose all rights to ever represent japanese soccer - and that would be it.

As much as you wanted to say you didn’t care, you did. Soccer was the most fun shit you have ever done in your whole entire life - and honestly, you couldn’t see yourself without it.

Without even thinking, your mind went blank. You dribbled past kaiser, and shot the ball straight towards the goal. You were so far away - there’s no way the ball would reach THAT far, right…?

No. You couldn’t barely even think straight, and yet you did it - you scored a goal.

‘It isn’t over yet. One more goal, just one more goal…’ you mumbled under your breath.

You looked at the time: 5 minutes left. Kaiser had the ball, and you stole it from him when you noticed that his attention was divided: and before you knew it, you scored another goal.

____________________________________________

TAGLIST: @kaikaidenkai @ihe4rtme @x3nafix

[revelauver]

⌕ race review!   ֢֢֢ ◝﹝japan [ 04/06/25 ]

🏎️_⠀ mv1, ln4, op81, cl16, gr63, ka12, ih7, lh44, aa23, & ob87 are the quali top 10!

in the words of 4 time wdc and suzuka gp 2025 racewinner max verstappen: "fuck me this is boring, should have brought my pillow"

suzuka was a snoozefest, all of the excitement happened in quali

nevertheless, lets recap the little we have to work with:

alex was having a whole nervous breakdown the entire race over the gear shift and apparently he brought it up before this weekend and it went unaddressed? alex rip but thank u for the 20 seconds of team radio tea

ollie bearman in the points in the sexy sakura tractor, but i need him to be back on a track easier for overtaking. i missed the ciaos 😭 the piastri "cheeky" radio was the closest thing we got to that level of cunt

isack is endearing himself to me too quickly i fear 😔 after seatbelt-gate and his seat literally getting DETACHED in the race he pulled off a p8 finish and scored his first points!

the f1 commentators are about 2 saucy giggles away from getting sued by lawrence stroll for defamation ehsejs lance was catching strays the entire race

yuki passed liam (yesss), stayed under the radar, and finished higher than he started w dotd. i'm just glad bro was able to stay in the race 😭🙏

lewis and charles not happy with their engineers what else is new

charles was leading a whole separate race 💀 that ferrari is so far off the pace. i wonder what would happen if the mercs were ahead of him. do ygs think they would be any closer to the top 3?

speaking of the top 3...

max verstappen SWEEP he was flawless this weekend. so flawless i have nothing to say about him 🧍‍♂️ except championship back on???

now we need to talk abt MCLAREN because istg do any mclaren fans possess an IOTA 🤏 of critical thinking???

i say this as a piastri girlie ✋ a position swap was not the right move imo, and i'm glad mclaren didn't invoke the team orders to do so. my hatred of papaya rules goes both ways!

oscar and lando kept flip-flopping between who was faster, but neither of them had the pace to catch max. it's unlikely oscar passing would have made a difference in the race results. plus at the time of the team radio (at least, the time f1tv played it bc the radio broadcasts are always delayed), lando was saving his tires so oscar was under the impression that lando was slower than he actually was

godd mclaren pitwall pls communicate for once in ur lives!

i wonder what would happen if they pitted lando first? maybe it rly was best to pit lando second bc if the stop had been just a little faster he could have passed max for the lead leaving the pits?

speaking of the pitlane i can't believe the closest thing to a "battle" happened in there lmao. i know max and lando are going to be laughing abt that later but max would have exceeded pit lane limits if he moved lol? he was in the right there

okayy now lets talk about my race highlight: KIMI ANTONELLI! youngest-ever race leader 🥹 youngest-ever driver to score a fastest lap 🥹🥹 and finished 1s behind his experienced teammate 🥹🥹🥹

i know he must have been stressed asf when he was leading the race w lewis freaking hamilton right behind him 💀✋ considering how nervous he'd been feeling around suzuka BUT GUYSS HE DID SUCH A GREAT JOB I'M SO PROUD

only person who's prouder than me rn is bono 🙏💕 they are such a cute duo

sry guys yapping was not kept to a minimum due to the average iq of mclaren fans being lower than the number of carlos sainz track investigations this race 🙄

like you guys have two incredible drivers so enjoy their talent and the fact that they can race one another!!

anyways kimi antonelli wdc i've seen enough 🙌

contact me @ ⠀꒱⠀ . ⠀ 1-800-hot-n-fun ⠀ —— ⠀ ✧ !

[joukaiweek]

JouKai Week 2024

January 19, 2024 - January 25, 2024

💜 Prompts

1/19 - star || dragon 1/20 - stranded || shadow 1/21 - alien || charm 1/22 - gravity || flight 1/23 - repair || transform 1/24 - journey || chosen 1/25 - free day (aka Jounouchi’s birthday! 🎉)

This round of prompts was inspired by common tropes and motifs found in sci-fi and fantasy stories. That doesn't mean you're limited to only creating works in those genres though! Each prompt can be interpreted in any number of ways, so let your imagination run wild.

If you're looking for inspiration and suggestions to get your creative juices flowing, check below the cut for some example interpretations of each prompt.

💙 Day 1

star nova • wish upon a star • movie star

dragon dragon rider • pet dragon • slay the dragon

❤️ Day 2

stranded crash-landed • shipwrecked • "no man is an island"

shadow shadow magic • dark side of the moon • the shadow self

💙 Day 3

alien alien races • foreign lands • alienation

charm good-luck charm • put a spell on you • charm their pants off

❤️ Day 4

gravity black hole • trapped • the immense gravity of the situation

flight escape from peril • flight of fancy • skydiving

💙 Day 5

repair mechanic • break up then make up • home renovation

transform alchemy • mutation • makeover

❤️ Day 6

journey interdimensional/time travel • hero's journey • going home

chosen the Chosen One • lottery • "I'll always choose you"

💙 Day 7

free day 2023 prompts • 2022 prompts • Jounouchi's birthday

💜 About

❤️ When does this event take place?

JouKai Week for 2024 will run between Friday, January 19th and Thursday, January 25th, 2024.

💙 How does this work?

This event is open to anyone who's a fan of Kaiba and Joey.

A pair of prompts is provided every day. Feel free to pick and choose, or combine both prompts in your fanworks. You can make as many pieces as you want for any given day. Feel free to participate every day, or just on the days where you feel like it.

You can start working on your fills as soon as prompts are posted, but please do not post your finished works before the event starts.

❤️ What can I make?

Create whatever you're inspired to—fanart, traditional long-form fanfiction, poetry, crafts, mood boards, ship playlists, or headcanon posts.

The only stipulation is your work should primarily focus on Jounouchi and Kaiba. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on length or rating. Please keep in mind that it is common courtesy to provide ratings, warnings, and put NSFW or excessively long works under a "Read More" cut.

Go wild and have fun.

💙 Where should I post my work?

Wherever you want! While this event is run on tumblr, you're free to share your creations on tumblr, FF.net, AO3, twitter, etc. Mod will also reblog and share works that are tagged with @joukaiweek​​​ or #joukaiweek2024. Mod recommends doing both so your work doesn't get lost. Mod reserves the right to not reblog anything that does not fit the spirit of the event or is not properly rated/warned. Mod also requests you not share your finished creation until the day of the prompt.

❤️ I have another question not addressed here.

Send an ask, and Mod will get back to you ASAP.  

[roseverdict]

Writing Commissions Open!

Hey howdy hey, guess who's broke and whose brain has latched on to the idea of getting a bike or a trike to get places other than the one (1) coffee shop in walking distance!

YEP. I need to open commissions.

However, I do have at least one thing going for me- I'm told I'm fairly good at writing things! Fanfic things, at least. While I'm not dumb enough to outright go "hey, pay me to write fanfiction," I figure I can at least point out some fanfics I've written that seem to have gone over well as examples of my work, since that's most of what I've got for proof of my skills.

x x

x

x x x

x x

x x

I'd show more, but Tumblr won't let me add more images, and even these fought me Tooth And Nail when I was trying to format them properly. Truly a functioning website.

Hopefully these kind of give an idea of the vibes I'm strongest with, too. Pricing and rules will be under the cut. I do have a target I'm trying to reach here, but depending on how well this goes, I might end up keeping commissions open indefinitely. We'll see. :D

DM me if you're interested!

Things I'm Comfortable Writing:

Original Storylines (Brief primer on the world/characters I'll be writing with will be required)

Things like the pieces shown on my AO3 account

OCs

Y/N-style pieces (both with and without the actual usage of "Y/N")

Mild Romance

Gore/Severe Injury

Body Horror

Whump

Look, if it's in the Danny Phantom phandom and basically nowhere else, I'm probably just fine writing it, despite its intensity xD

Things I Will Not Write:

Smut. There's no shame in enjoying it, I just. Don't.

Incest. Absolutely NONE. Even leaving aside the whole debate about whether or not people should ship incest ships, I would not be able to enjoy writing it, which would make the resulting work of low quality, which would be a huge waste of time for everyone involved.

Pedophilia- specifically, ships with a minor and an adult multiple years their senior. See above. 17yo x 18yo is pushing it, but depending on the circumstances, I might allow it. They aren't exactly in completely different phases of life there. However, I'm in my 20s and don't particularly want to think about or write about kids the age of my youngest brother dating people my age or older, you feel me?

Bigotry presented to the reader as a positive thing. I'm not gonna write your favorite heroic character declaring OOC that minorities are terrible people. If you want something from the POV of a character meant to be terrible, such as someone like Fire Lord Ozai in AtLA, however, I may be willing to write it.

I reserve the right to refuse any commission and not have to explain why. Person-to-person, though, this will likely only come up if someone tries to commission something that crosses these lines and refuses to acknowledge such.

Payment: 5¢ USD per word. This works out to…

$12.50 for 250 words

$25 for 500 words

$50 for 1K words

and so on.

I'll need half the payment up front as a deposit, then the rest upon completion. If, for whatever reason, I fail to write the commission, you will be refunded in full.

If you pay me for a given number of words, I will do my best to stick to it. I will make sure you at least get your money's worth, but if I just can't quite fit the writing into the given limit, I won't charge you for the extra words. Call it 100 words or so of wiggle room.

A commission for a fic 1K or larger that runs 100 words or less over the intended length will not cost extra

A commission for a fic between 500 and 999 words that runs 50 words or less over will not cost extra

A commission for a fic 499 words or below that runs 25 words or less over will not cost extra

A commission for a fic that has enough going on to run over that limit will result in me contacting you to ask for either a scaled-down plot or payment for the extra writing.

I will not consider calling a commission complete until I can hit the target wordcount at minimum.

If it should happen that I just can't make a scene stretch to the full wordcount, but you still want to keep what is written, the words that were not written will be refunded.

[thethirdromana]

In honour of Doctor Who's 60th birthday, here are 60* things that I like about less popular** Doctor Who stories.

(*in multiple posts because I'm falling foul of the character limit)

(**IMDB rating of less than 7/10)

1. Susan is great in The Sensorites. She's at her absolute best in stories like this where she gets to be genuinely a bit alien and a bit weird.

2. "So," said someone at the BBC, "we're going to produce an allegory for different political systems, using insects. Choreographed by a mime artist. On a budget of about £2.50." The Web Planet might not entirely have succeeded, but my god, you have to love that they tried.

3. They introduced Jamie, the best companion, in The Highlanders! How is does this have less than a 7/10 rating, what is wrong with you people. It's Jamie.

4. I applaud the utter bonkersness of The Underwater Menace, and Patrick Troughton really gives it socks.

5. The Wheel in Space is proper 60s sci-fi: Servo-Robots, x-ray lasers, radio beams! I can practically smell Penguin mass-market paperbacks thinking about it. And with the introduction of Zoe, it completes my all-time favourite TARDIS team.

6. The Dominators contains the Quarks, who are adorable. They weren't supposed to be, but it doesn't matter.

7. Zoe is still relatively new to the TARDIS, but she has heaps to do in The Krotons. Nice having a female companion who's written as smart and capable.

8. We have entered the 70s, so with Colony in Space, we get Social Issues. Especially an Evil Mining Corporation, which are always fun.

9. More Social Issues in The Mutants, but this time they're paired with big sci-fi ideas. Ancient tablets! Strange life cycles! Love how much is going on here.

10. The Time Monster is like the Eurovision of Doctor Who. Deeply silly, but what would Doctor Who be without silliness? I'm sorry about Jo's coccyx too.

11. I love that they returned to Peladon in The Monster of Peladon, especially with the 50-year time jump. I'd like to see that kind of follow-up more often.

12. Is it not cool to love K9 any more? Well, I like my Doctor Who with a dose of silliness, and The Invisible Enemy delivered that. Every time traveller needs a robot dog.

13. The design of the Seers in Underworld is excellent, I love a brass dome.

14. Doctor Who doesn't have enough giant squidmonsters looming on the horizons. I'm glad the The Power of Kroll does something to address the deficit.

15. The Creature from the Pit gave us the line "a teaspoon and an open mind", and I appreciate it for that at least.

16. Romana wears one of her best of many splendid outfits in The Horns of Nimon.

17. I liked all the arch dialogue between the Doctor, Enlightenment and Persuasion in Four to Doomsday.

18. Heathrow airport is an underrated setting. I also appreciate how Time-Flight prominently features Concorde, making it far more 80s than they could ever have planned.

19. I don't intend this to be damning with faint praise (even though it probably sounds like it) but my favourite thing about Arc of Infinity is that we get a little jaunt through 80s Amsterdam. I do love a tram.

20. Babyfaced Martin Clunes doing his spoiled princeling thing in Snakedance is enjoyably disconcerting.

21. Terminus is tense and scary and bleak. Another one that I'd expected to be more highly rated.

22. Warriors of the Deep gives us a very solid base under siege. Silurians + Cold War is a winning combination.

23. Landing in a modern village doing a historical re-enactment in The Awakening is a witty touch.

24. I can’t say I enjoyed the idea of the Doctor’s violent moods in The Twin Dilemma, but I have to commend it as a punchy way to introduce the new regeneration.

25. The Mark of the Rani should surely get some love just for introducing the Rani: camp, delightful, iconic.

26. Herbert turning out to be HG Wells in Timelash is a lovely twist and handled well.

27. The Trial of a Time Lord is so grand and ambitious. If the show hadn't been struggling in general at this point, it would be among the all-time greats.

28. With its colour-coded gangs and faux-urban slang, Paradise Towers is gloriously of its time in a way that currently feels quite naff, but that I suspect will be fascinating to revisit in about 30 years.  

29. Delta and the Bannermen is action-packed and has one of the best titles in 80s Who.

30. Possibly the most terrifying moment in all of Doctor Who is Kane's face melting in Dragonfire. This series is nothing if it doesn't send children running for safety behind the sofa.

31. Got to love it when Who gets aggressively anti-Thatcher, and they never did it more than in The Happiness Patrol.

[pinbones-creations]

2-colour Hartebeest crochet pattern

Free on Ravelry here as a pdf download

Pattern also under the cut, fewer photos due to tumblr image limits:

Requires:

- 50g (150m) DK yarn in 2 colours, here depicted as Dark and Light grey

- a 3.5mm hook

- a darning needle

- scissors

- stuffing

- stitch markers or scraps of yarn to mark stitches

- (optional, recommended) pins

This pattern uses an i-cord tail, but it can be substituted with chains or foundation single crochet.

A quick i-cord tutorial: leaving a long tail, put a slip stitch on your hook. Yarn over with the tail loop, then pull the working yarn through both loops. Repeat.

Head (Dark)

1. 6sc into a magic ring [6]

2. 6inc [12]

3. (sc, inc) x6 [18]

4. (2sc, inc) x6 [24]

5. 24sc [24]

6. (2sc, dec) x6 [18]

7. (4sc, dec) x3 [15]

8. 15sc [15]

9. 15sc [15]

Stuff the nose.

10. (4sc, inc) x3 [18]

11. (5sc, inc) x3 [21]

12. 21sc [21]

13. (6sc, inc) x3 [24]

14. (sc, inc) x3, mark the last stitch, (sc, inc) x3, 12sc [30]

The marked stitch shows the top of the face. This should be oriented upwards when attaching parts.

15. 30sc [30]

16. 30sc [30]

17. 30sc [30]

18. 30sc [30]

19. 30sc [30]

20. (3sc, dec) x6 [24]

Stuff.

21. (2sc, dec) x6 [18]

22. (sc, dec) x6 [12]

23. 6dec [6]

Finish off and leave a short tail. Use it to thread under the front loop of each of the 6 stitches and cinch the hole shut. Knot closed and hide the yarn inside.

Horns (Light) x2

(Note: stuff the horn as you go, as it's hard to stuff a long piece at the very end.)

1. 4sc into a magic ring [4]

2. (sc, inc) x2 [6]

3. 6sc [6]

4. (2sc, inc) x2 [8]

5. 8sc [8]

6. 8sc [8]

7. 8sc [8]

8. 8sc [8]

9. (3sc, inc) x2 [10]

10. 9sc, turn (without chaining) and skip 1, 6sc, turn again and skip 1... [10]

11. 10sc, including into edges of mound [10]

(Make sure you are left with 10 stitches, not 8 stitches. The stitches lost by skipping for shape are made up when going into the edges of the mound.)

12. 4sc, turn (without chaining) and skip 1, 2sc, turn again and skip 1 [10]

13. 10sc, including into edges of mound [10]

14. 10sc [10]

15. 10sc [10]

16. 10sc [10]

17. 10sc [10]

18. 10sc [10]

19. 10sc [10]

20. 2inc, 2sc, 2dec, 2sc [10]

21. sc, 2inc, 2sc, 2dec, sc [10]

22. 10sc [10]

23. 10sc [10]

24. 10sc [10]

25. 10sc [10]

26. 10sc [10]

27. 10sc [10]

Stuff.

Slip stitch and finish off with enough yarn to connect to the head.

Attach high up (approx rounds 18-21) and close to each other, leaving only a couple of stitches between the horns. The top tips should point backwards and inwards.

The closeness of the massive horns is an important characteristic of the Hartebeest.

Ear Inside (Light) x2

1. 7sc into a magic ring [7]

2. 7inc [14]

Finish off with only a short tail. Set aside.

Ear Outside (Dark) x2

1. 7sc into a magic ring [7]

2. 7inc [14]

Hold both an inside piece and an outside piece together, wrong sides facing each other, and go into the stitches of both:

3. (sc, inc) x7 [21]

Slip stitch and finish off with enough yarn to connect to the head. Hide the other ends inside.

Before connecting, fold on one edge and sew it to a pinched point. Attach this folded point to the side of the head.

Body

Start in Dark

1. 6sc into a magic ring [6]

2. 6inc [12]

3. (sc, inc) x6 [18]

4. (2sc, inc) x6 [24]

5. (3sc, inc) x6 [30]

6. 30sc [30]

7. 2sc, inc, 2sc [change to Light] 2sc, inc, 2sc [change to Dark] (2sc, inc, 2sc) x4 [36]

8. 6sc [to Light] 6sc [to Dark] 24sc [36]

9. 5sc [to Light] 8sc [to Dark] 23sc [36]

10. 5sc [to Light] 8sc [to Dark] 23sc [36]

11. 5sc [to Light] 3sc, dec, 3sc [to Dark] 8sc, dec, 8sc, dec, 3sc [33]

12. 2sc, dec, sc [to Light] 7sc [to Dark] sc, dec, 9sc, dec, 7sc [30]

13. 5sc [to Light] 5sc [to Dark] 20sc [30]

14. 3sc, dec, sc [to Light] 3sc [to Dark] sc, dec, (4sc, dec) x3 [25]

The rest is in Dark, you can cut your Light line.

15. 25sc [25]

16. 25sc [25]

17. (10sc, dec) x2, sc [23]

18. 23sc [23]

19. (9sc, dec) x2, sc [21]

20. 21sc [21]

21. (5sc, dec) x3 [18]

22. 18sc [18]

23. (4sc, dec) x3 [15]

Stuff.

Slip stitch and finish off.

Before sewing on, mark out an approximate triangle with sides of 5 stitches on the base of the head. It should be far back, not under the jaw.

Next, place 3 downwards-pointing pins (or stitch markers) dividing the open side of the body into 5 stitch sections. One pin/marker should be in line with the centre of the stomach patch.

This will be your guide when you sew the body on. Sew to the next point, change angle, and repeat.

Legs x4

Start in Light

1. 8sc into a magic ring [8]

2. 8inc [16]

3. into the back loops only, 16sc [16]

4. into both loops, 16sc [16]

5. 16sc [16]

6. 16sc [16]

7. (2sc, dec) x4 [12]

8. [change to Dark] (2sc, dec) x3 [9]

9-24. 9sc (16 rounds) [9]

Stuff.

Without cutting the yarn, fold the open end and sc across to close it. Finish off with a tail long enough to sew with.

These connect flatly and horizontally to the body, across four stitches at the shoulders and hips (approximately at rounds 6 and 22).

Tail (Dark)

Make an i-cord 3 inches (7.5 cm) long.

In Light, cut a few short lengths of yarn.

Sew the tail onto the back at row 6. Then pull a loop of a Light strand through the end of the tail, pull the two ends through this loop, and tighten. Add more strands until the tail is as dense as you like.

(Optional, not depicted: the yarn making up the tail can now be seperated by dragging a needle through to seperate the ply. Also, you can use a wire brush and some elbow grease to give it a fluffier look.)

Eyes

Mark across a couple of stitches where you want the eyes to be. Using the Light yarn, use a needle to sew many vertical strands across those same few stitches, over and over, until the eye is a good size.

Use the needle to wrap a small loop of Dark yarn horizontally over a strand or two for the pupil.

Eyebrows x2 (Dark)

Put a slip stitch on the hook. Surface single crochet several stitches over each eye in a small arc. Hide the ends.

Nostrils x2 (Dark)

Tip: mark out where you want the centre of the nostrils to be. Keep about a stitch's width away.

Put a slip stitch on the hook. Surface single crochet several stitches in a curve to form each nostril. Hide the ends.

Aaand done! For more photos, check the pdf link up top.

[emp-711]

Triumphs and frustrations with a complex physical disability and a brain at nearly midlife… Searching for a champion to share and grow with

My Cerebral Palsy made life without diapers very traumatizing for me. From age 4–21, I was in underwear with bladder accidents from spasms at least once a week. Toilet training was a point of pride for my mom, even though most doctors and my preschool and elementary teachers told her not to focus on it. She thought I could outthink my body. Instead, having to plan my relief breaks around other people has given me kidney issues at 42 and that is after choosing to go back into diapers as a junior in college. Based on this experience, wearing diapers is healthier than waiting on people to help me to the bathroom. Also, as a guy who is 6 foot 4 and 170 pounds, toilet transfers several times a day are exhausting and potentially dangerous for me and my support people.

There is no correlation between incontinence and intelligence. Mom said she didn’t want me diapered after the typical age because she thought people would perceive me as being stupid…Well I have been wearing 24/7 for over 20 years including under my gown at my Ph.D graduation… 😘 … My advice to emerging adults with disabilities is that your ability to accomplish great things is a product motivation, not the undergarments you are wearing. In my observation and experience, the responsibility of motivation evolves throughout the developmental process. Initially, this responsibility lies with parents and other supports, to explore and educate themselves about success stories of adults with similar challenges, focusing on understanding the strategies that have led to positive outcomes. As youth with disabilities approach preadolescents (middle school), the responsibility gradually for exploration and experimentation gradually shifts from solely residing with the parental figure to a joint venture that increasingly becomes more driven by curiosity of the individual themselves. Today’s adolescent preteen and teenager is constantly engaged with personal technology and electronic media. The focus of at least some of this screen time can be given to meaningful discovery of not only strengths, interests, and abilities but also the possible strategies that can be used to bring abstract dreams into reality. As the time for high school approaches, a portion of this exploration time should be dedicated to experiential learning, this includes testing strategies that will allow the person with self-care challenges to participate in their community with minimal effects from their limitations. Some examples of considerations include exploring methods for community access through transportation, strategies for accessing nutrition while public and elimination (bladder/bowel) management.

My decision to use diapers full-time again with the occasional addition of male catheters, as I eluded to earlier, was the product of a New Year’s resolution in 2002. Ironically, I felt as if this was a means of asserting control over one aspect of my life. It was around the age of 25 that I began to realize that there were some unintended social consequences of my decision that I am still struggling to overcome. I have learned that midstream people are not very receptive to a guy in a wheelchair who needs fed and his diapers changed, but otherwise is completely cognitively intact, even bright with a sarcastic and very dry wit.

 I had to learn to have fun with it along the way, finding companionship from people who will understand my needs and embrace my choices has been difficult. After some research, I discovered that there was a group of people who enjoyed doing the same things I needed and mostly by choice, the ABDL and medfet communities. Happiness for me will be finding a woman who considers the AB and medical needs as normal and has fun doing it. The lifestyle or fetish angle removes the awkwardness for both of us. It would be awesome to be in a crowded public place (i.e. restaurant, sporting event) and know that there is at least one other person there who is experiencing the same sensation I am feeling inside as well as from the diaper against my body and clothing. At last I will not feel alone in the world. There is also some intrigue and humor in the idea that only we know that each other is wearing. For those of you who prefer more crude or masculine visualization, as I used to say in one of my profiles on a certain ABDL dating site, a diaper nor wheelchair should not also be a chastity belt. Just because I must wear for medical reasons does not mean I am stupid or otherwise not worthy of sharing myself with someone. Sexual intimacy alone is rarely the basis for a solid long-term relationship, however human touch is essential for me. Having no inhibitions about giving or receiving a hug or cuddle is a must for me because I have been deprived of it so much because of misconceptions about body and mind. I am looking for a partner who understands my ambitions and is not afraid to explore their own. The ability to have someone who you can share your most intimate thoughts and feelings with even on the worst days would be a blessing for me. I hope to find someone who is willing to learn and grow together.

If you’re still smiling after reading this… DM me or comment below :-)

[crmsndragonwngss]

I've been thinking about this since I answered the ask about gifmaking a little while back, and I've been kind of unsettled about it since. Not because I don't like sharing my process, nothing could be further from the truth, but because I realized that that process isn't entirely accessible. So here I am again with an alternative way to make gifs that's infinitely easier, way more accessible, and just as valid as the other way. I wanna stress that. Anything you put time and effort into is valid and worthwhile. No time spent on doing something you enjoy is ever wasted, not least of all anything creative

That said, this method is considerably more limited. I made gifs this way for years before my brain was quite literally hijacked by an idea I could not get out of my head and I had to learn to do it the fancy way. I was also intensely annoyed at having to rely on my shitty internet to make gifs, and I probably would have made the switch at some point regardless just for that lol

I would also like to stress that this is not necessarily a tutorial any more than the other post was, it's simply a couple of resources and more or less how to use them. Like I said in the other post, never download and install anything to your device without doing your own due diligence first!

details under the cut

So first, you need to get the video. If you're on mobile, your device should have a screen recorder built in. Use that, and be sure to turn on Do Not Disturb so you don't accidentally capture any notifications! Once you've recorded your video, you can use your device's native editing ui to trim and crop the video and adjust color. If you want effects like slow motion, I like Splice on iOS. The big thing is that it doesn't watermark your videos, but it's also just a pretty good app overall for video editing. If you're willing to pay for it, it'll also allow you to make gifs right there in the app, but it's subscription based and the price is absolutely outrageous, so I don't recommend doing that when you could just use a free online converter

Which brings me to the next step: ezgif. You probably know this one, most everyone does, I think, but if you don't, here's the basic gist of it. Select Video to Gif and upload your video there. Be sure to trim it down to seven seconds or less, or else you'll never be able to get it down below 10mb. On the next page, change the size of the gif to 540xAUTO (for Tumblr), then change the frame rate to 20 or 25. More frames means a smoother gif, but it also means a bigger gif, so play around with it to see how the frame rate affects your gif. I don't think there's really a huge difference between 20 and 25, so 20 should be sufficient. If your gif is still too big, you can select optimize and try to compress it a little. The lowest compression level is 5, so start there and go up by fives until you're satisfied. If you get the gif below 10mb and it looks bad, then you should go back and trim your video length down further and try again. After that, simply save the gif to your device and upload it wherever!

PC is more or less the same, you just need to get a third party screen recorder. You can actually use ffmpeg to screen record if you'd like (I don't have the command line for that, however, and at that point, you should just go ahead and use yt-dlp instead to get a high quality video). If the command prompt is too much, you can just use a screen recorder app instead. I like 2-Click Screen Recorder. Again, you can actually use ffmpeg on that video to create frames and then upload those to ezgif, but if you'd still rather go from video to gif, then use CapCut or a similar video editing software to trim down your video to seven seconds or less. From there, the process with ezgif is exactly the same as it is on mobile

And there you have it! Easy mobile gifs! While I do really encourage you to try the "fancy" method of making gifs, this is still a great alternative, and you can make some pretty good gifs this way. Here are some of mine I made this way before I switched:

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Crowds Follow Jesus

1 And He having come down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him.

Because Jesus Is Willing And Able To Heal, He Heals a Man With Leprosy

2 And behold— a leper having come to Him was prostrating-himself before Him, saying, “Master, if You are willing, You are able to cleanse me”. 3 And having stretched-out His hand, He touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be cleansed”. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus says to him, “See that you tell no one. But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them”.

Because of a Master’s Faith, Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Servant Who Is Not Even Present

5 And He having entered into Capernaum, a centurion] came to Him, appealing-to Him 6 and saying, “Master, my servant has been put in the house paralyzed, being terribly tormented”. 7 And He says to him, “Having come, I will cure him”. 8 And having responded, the centurion said, “Master, I am not fit that You should come-in under my roof. But only speak it in a word and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under myself. And I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it”. 10 Now having heard, Jesus marveled, and said to the ones following, “Truly I say to you, with no one in Israel did I find so-great a faith! 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and will lie-back [to eat] with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be the weeping and the grinding of teeth”. 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go. Let it be done for you as you believed”. And his servant was healed at that hour.

The Healings Done By Jesus Fulfill What Was Predicted of Him In Isaiah

14 And Jesus, having come into the house of Peter, saw his mother-in-law having been put in bed, and being sick-with-fever. 15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose, and was serving Him. 16 And having become evening, they brought to Him many being demon-possessed. And He cast-out the spirits with a word and cured all the ones being ill, 17 so that the thing might be fulfilled having been spoken through Isaiah the prophet saying “He took our weaknesses, and carried our diseases” [Isa 53:4].

Jesus Calls His Followers To Set Aside Earthly Goals And Limitations

18 Now Jesus, having seen a crowd around Him, gave-orders to depart to the other side. 19 And having come to Him, one scribe said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go”. 20 And Jesus says to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the heaven have nests, but the Son of Man does not have a place where He may lay His head”. 21 And another of His disciples said to Him, “Master, permit me first to go and bury my father”. 22 But Jesus says to him, “Be following Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead”.

Even The Winds And Sea Obey Jesus

23 And He having gotten into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And behold— a great shaking took place in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves. But He was sleeping. 25 And having gone to Him, they woke Him, saying, “Master, save us. We are perishing”. 26 And He says to them, “Why are you afraid, ones of-little-faith?” Then having arisen, He rebuked the winds and the sea. And there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What kind of man is this One, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Demons Recognize Jesus As The Son of God, And Submit To His Authority Over Them

28 And He having come to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two men being demon-possessed met Him, coming out of the tombs. They were very violent, so that no one was strong-enough to pass through that way. 29 And behold— they cried-out, saying, “What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Did You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding far away from them. 31 And the demons were begging Him, saying, “If You are casting us out, send us out into the herd of pigs”. 32 And He said to them, “Go!” And the ones, having come out, went into the pigs. And behold— the whole herd rushed down the steep-bank into the sea and died in the waters. 33 And the ones feeding them fled. And having gone into the city, they reported everything— even the things about the ones being demon-possessed. 34 And behold— the whole city came out to meet with Jesus. And having seen Him, they begged that He pass on from their districts. — Matthew 8 | Disciples’ Literal New Testament (DLNT) Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing Cross References: Genesis 43:33; Exodus 4:7; Leviticus 13:49; Judges 11:12; 1 Samuel 2:9; 1 Kings 19:20; Psalm 65:7; Psalm 104;12; Psalm 107:20; Psalm 112:10; Isaiah 49:12; Isaiah 53:4; Isaiah 59:19; Daniel 7:13; Amos 7:12; Habakkuk 3:10; Malachi 1:11; Matthew 4:23-24; Matthew 7:6; Matthew 7:29; Matthew 9:9; Matthew 9:18; Matthew 9:22; Mark 1:27; Mark 1:29-30; Mark 1:32; Mark 2:14; Mark 4:35-36; Mark 4:38; Mark 5:1; Mark 5:13; Luke 4:38; Luke 9:57; Luke 4:40; Luke 7:1; Luke 7:3; Luke 7:9; Luke 8:22; Luke 8:34; Luke 9:1; John 4:50; Acts 2:7; 1 Corinthians 16:6; Revelation 22:15

Matthew 8 Bible Commentary - Matthew Henry (concise)

Key Events in Matthew 8

1. Jesus cleanses the leper; 5. heals the centurion's servant, 14. Peter's mother in law, 16. and many others; 18. shows the cost of following him; 23. stills the storm on the sea; 28. drives the demons out of two men possessed; 31. and tells them to go into the pigs.

[crystalelemental]

Hey o/! Nexomon fan here, I loved reading your thoughts! I'm conveniently in the discord so I can tell you most of what's been said, most of it is mechanical stuff though.

Apparently Ghost, Psychic and Normal are going out the window, and Arcane is being added as a new type. And all the nexomon have like, % of each type? Think like 10% Water 90% Electric I think? So whatever may come of that

We don't have any new teasers or gameplay trailers but we do get monster designs revealed every so often, you should be able to find a page in the fandom wiki with the teased ones so far

Story wise we just know it'll be another time jump, the protagonist is the black and blue haired dude(apparently might always have to be male?), the developer has been teasing about something happening to Solus in the meantime, but he has also said Abyssals won't be a big thing in the past so, he could very well just be joking

Sorry if you didn't want the info dumb btw, you can ignore this if so, I just like having new people in this fandom c:

Glad you enjoyed! I'm gonna put a lot of response under the cut so it doesn't clog people's dashes, but as a general statement: I'm generally fine with spoilers, but am looking to avoid information about story. Anything about mechanics, new Nexomon, even characters or updated designs is fine. But I do like to avoid knowing about story. Nothing you said is a problem, just putting that out there for future reference.

I kinda like the Arcane decision. Psychic was hysterically overpowered in Extinction, with the only things that resist it being things it also resists (Mineral and other Psychic), and the things it's weak to being weak to it (Electric and Ghost). Grass was relatively strong, but neutral damage means Psychic can still push through. Normal was also super weak. Two weaknesses, no strengths, an inconsistent status that relied on Mineral-type attacks to boost their damage. Normal was really bad. Ghost was balanced though. I'll be a little sad to see it go, but Arcane sounds like a fine replacement, depending on what it does.

Type percentage, however, is some nonsense. Not in a way I'm opposed, but in a way where I'm confused how it works. Assuming we go back to the old type wheel (please go back to the old type wheel), if you have something that's 80% Electric and 20% Water, and you're hit with a Mineral-type move...what happens? Like, if the base damage is 100, Electric is a factor of 25% boost for weakness, Water cuts 35%, but are those boosts and reductions also hit by the percentage, so it's a 20% boost and 7% reduction so it's only 13% stronger? Because that would be wonky. Again, I'm cool with it, but it sounds chaotic.

I may try to look it up. In fact, one moment.

Okay I couldn't find anything. If you have a link readily available feel free, but don't worry too much. I'm not too worried about seeing designs right away.

As for story. The Abyssals not being a huge deal is still very possible. I don't think they need to be prominent in the next game to be significant here, so I'd be a bit bummed they didn't get more play, but not entirely surprised. Something almost definitely happens to Solus, since they're a clear target, it's just a matter of what. The big thing that bugs me is "possibly has to be male." That would honestly suck a lot out of it for me. I do not like that being forced. I know it should be inconsequential, but it's because it's so inconsequential there's no reason to make it only male. It would be an unnecessary and shitty limitation drawn solely from the decision to go 3D with the graphics, and I will not be happy with that trade. I could give a shit about graphics. Hopefully it's just typical "male as default" marketing and they have a female design as well.

[varley-of-torment]

The von Bartels Siblings Post

I think Mercedes, by the time she's at the academy, has a really complex relationship with her older siblings.

To be clear, in my headcanon (of which is. extensive. I am just bonkers about the bartels household) Von Bartels children, of which there were four, were all close in age and about/at least ten years older than Mercie and Emile, and thus were adults (early 20's) when they were growing up. To put it briefly, I think Von Bartels deeply neglected his children when they were growing up, and this is why they resent Emile and Mercedes- they're jealous that these kids, with crests, are getting the attention they were denied as children (even if it's negative attention). This anger manifested in abusing their younger siblings, whether physically, emotionally, etc depending on the sibling.

So growing up, Mercedes would obviously see them as one sided villains that exist to torment her. But I think, with distance and time, she started to consider that they were also victims of Von Bartels abuse and were working with the limited understanding of family dynamics they had. But at the same time, THEY were the adults when she was just a kid, so not only is it pathetic for them to bully literal children because of their insecurities, but of anyone there, they should have been the ones to step up and protect her and Emile from their father. When she gets to the age they were when she was a kid, she can't understand how they'd act that way.

I guess now is a good time to go over my Bartels children OC's

Edgar: The youngest of the siblings (16-18). Toxic Masculinity embodied and wants nothing but to impress his father, or at least have him notice him. Aggressive, impulsive, competitive, and loud. Primarily uses physical force to antagonize his younger siblings. Grew out/wears his hair to look like his father. Childishly jealous of Mercedes and Emile. Is called to House Bartels during breaks from school.

Franz and Sylvia: middle and oldest but very close in age (22-25). Both completely done with Von Bartels' shit. Franz, imagine David from HBO's Six Feet Under; Very calm and collected with simmering rage buried deep beneath, well read and hardworking, but always mirthless. Sylvia is Sylvia: cool, ruthless, plain mean, confident in her competency- and she's right to be, as she's the most powerful of her siblings. Wears those black leather boots. Carries herself as though nothing can hurt her, a tough as nails type. I put them together because they work as a unit. For reasons I won't go into here, in my headcanon Von Bartels was stripped of his Baron power and responsibilities while maintaining his title. This means it fell on Franz and Sylvia to do... everything, the business, the connections, the paperwork- they are overworked, but they're both also really smart and do it well. They are obviously bitter that, even though they technically have the power of Baron, they are forced to work the job of their father who neglected them their whole life while he maintains power over them (he forces them to give him the majority of the money so they are financially dependent on him), and while they work themselves to the bone, he is ungrateful. They are less concerned with Mercedes and Emile, but play mind games, verbally abuse and lock them in rooms because they are "intruders", and treat them like they should be totally subservient, and resent Mercedes for being Von Bartels' favorite. Called to House Bartels frequently but for short bursts to discuss business and have meetings about the Baron-hood.

Evi: middle (20-23). Has cut ties as much as possible- not a presence at all in Mercedes's life growing up. Absolutely closed off even to herself, has coped with everything via pure apathy. Never talks to anyone in her family.

Here's a small scene to demonstrate their personalities: In their backyard, Edgar throws a javelin at the practice target and gets it nearly in the center. He turns to Sylvia and goes "Ha! Beat that!" Sylvia aims a finger gun and demolishes the practice target with a lightning bolt. "Beat you." Meanwhile, Franz is inside working, reviewing the monthly expense receipts and grumbling to himself.

[defensefilms]

EVERYTHING Wrong With The 76ers In 2025

1. Joel Embiid May Be At The End Of His Career

It may be time to call it quits.

I have advocated for Joel Embiid to prioritize his long term health pretty much since I have started this blog. I have always said Joel should do whatever he had to do to prolong his career, even if it meant load management.

I wasn't happy when he chose to represent America in the 2024 Olympics, but I also understand the frustration with him doing so and then not being healthy for the regular season.

Then Joel found a way to make it worse when Tyrese Maxey called him out for constantly being late to team related events.

It was a clear indicator of the changing of the guard in the locker room. This franchise doesn't revolve around Embiid anymore and you can't put pandora back in that box.

Embiid is scheduled to have arthroscopic surgery this offseason. He had only played 19 games this season before his season ended, and that's less than the 39 games he played last season.

it hurts to say that we are in the diminishing returns phase of this man's career, and at this point, Embiid just needs to do what's best for his long term health and ability to walk.

2. Podcast P Should Be Cancelled

In the midst of the constant injuries and poor shooting that plagued this man's career, was the sideshow that was Paul George's 2024/25 season.

Poor shooting and a dip in points and field goal percentage is one thing but at first, I didn't think it would be a product of disinterest, and it contrasted the thing that Paul George was doing on social media and namely the effort he was putting in to his podcast.

The front office should be fired simply for allowing that podcast to go on for as long as it did. They watched him

People are seriously questioning Paul George's desire to play basketball. It's actually a running joke that is gaining more credibility by the day, and when the front office has to tell you that it's time to focus on basketball, it's usually curtains.

That 50 million a year he's on, is going to hurt the Sixers long term and I didn't think it was possible to walk yourself in to a worse contract the one we gave Tobias Harris.

We kind of ducked a bullet by not giving James Harden the deal he wanted in 2024, but this Paul George is not the one we thought we would be getting.

3. Nick Nurse May Be On The Hot Seat

This job has been far from ideal from Nick Nurse, and I understand that, because it's far from what he was promised when he was first brought in in 2022.

The issue with Nick, is that he hasn't done a damn thing to remedy, or make it better, and that's with the additions the Sixers made last off season.

Additions that included Paul George, Caleb Martin, veterans like Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon and French Olympic standout, Guerschon Yabusele.

Nurse has missed the playoffs as a coach 3 times since winning an NBA championship in Toronto, and he is 70-91 as head coach of the Sixers and he's won just a single playoff series in that time too.

This is happening against the backdrop that sees the Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets each fired head coaches who have been more successful than Nurse.

I'm often perturbed by what I see in Nurse's decisions during games too. Andre Drummond is an experience NBA big, and while he will always have offensive limitations, his ability to protect the paint is still serviceable, yet under Nick Nurse he plays less than 20 minutes per game.

This folds right into the other problem with Nurse, which is his reliance on smaller lineups.

Gershon Yabusele is a good player, and he showed that both this season and at the Olympics, however choosing him as your backup center and playing him 27 minutes per game is way overkill.

Nurse need to buck up his ideas, and with the current climate for coaches in the league, I don't see him lasting until next year.

4. All Problems Start At The Top

I went through the list of who is on the staff in the 76ers front office and I noticed something.

Darryl Morey is still listed as head of basketball operations and that's been the case since at least 2021, but you know who is also still listed as being in this front office? Elton Brand.

That's right, the same Elton Brand that failed to deliver Jimmy Butler's signature in the 2019 off season. The same Brand that decided that a good response to that was to sign Tobias Harris to arguably the worst contract in NBA history.

I'm trying to find plausible reasons as to why this may be the case.

Why is Darryl Morey still entrusted to do anything for any team in the NBA. The rosters he assembled from 2022-2024 were so unbalanced, so unathletic and devoid of scoring options, he may legit be the worst head of basketball in the NBA.

Darryl Morey has done absolutely nothing for this team, the fact that Morey and Elton Brand are still associated with the 76ers can only be an indictment on the ownership, starting with Joshua Harris.

Here's the thing, I don't think Joshua Harris cares about how bad this team is. He's too busy keeping up with the Kroenke's.

The Washington Commanders, the 76ers, the New Jersey Devils, see the Sixers are just part of an investment portfolio for him and it's the number one concern for the Sixers.

[tacticalxabsofficial]

Tactical X Abs Gives You Gym-Level Results Without Leaving Home

In today’s world, carving out time for regular gym visits can feel nearly impossible. Between work, family, and other commitments, fitness often ends up on the back burner. That’s why home fitness tools have surged in popularity — but not all deliver on their promises. Enter Tactical X Abs, a compact device that claims to offer gym-level abdominal workouts without requiring a single trip to the gym. And judging by growing consumer reviews and expert evaluations, it may actually be living up to the hype.

Here’s a deep dive into how Tactical X Abs works, what sets it apart, and why it’s catching the attention of fitness enthusiasts and casual users alike.

What Is Tactical X Abs?

Tactical X Abs is a portable EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) device designed specifically to target your core muscles. Using small electrical impulses, it stimulates your abdominal muscles to contract — mimicking what happens when you perform crunches, sit-ups, or planks.

The technology itself isn’t new — EMS has been used by physical therapists and professional athletes for decades — but Tactical X Abs brings it into the home in an accessible and user-friendly format.

Unlike bulky ab machines or resistance setups, Tactical X Abs is slim, lightweight, and can be worn under your clothes. You can use it while watching TV, working at your desk, or even cooking dinner.

How Does It Compare to a Traditional Gym Workout?

At first glance, it might seem unlikely that a small device can replace a gym session. However, Tactical X Abs works in a way that directly targets the core muscles without putting strain on the neck, spine, or joints — a common issue with floor exercises.

Time Efficiency: A 20–25 minute session with Tactical X Abs can stimulate muscles similarly to an intense abdominal workout.

Muscle Engagement: EMS activates both fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, offering a more complete muscle engagement than most bodyweight routines.

Consistency: Because it’s so easy to use, people are more likely to stay consistent with their workouts.

It’s not a magic device — it doesn’t melt fat or replace a healthy lifestyle — but it complements a fitness plan and helps users stay on track when time or motivation is limited.

Who’s Using Tactical X Abs?

Tactical X Abs has become increasingly popular among three major groups:

Busy Professionals: People working long hours who can’t commit to gym memberships.

Postpartum Mothers: Women rebuilding their core strength after childbirth (with doctor approval).

Athletes and Bodybuilders: As a recovery tool or supplemental training method.

It’s also gaining traction in the rehab and physical therapy space for muscle activation and recovery in injury-prone individuals.

Real User Reviews: Does It Really Work?

Customer feedback for Tactical X Abs has been largely positive. Reviews often highlight:

Ease of use — “I just strap it on and go about my day.”

Visible toning after a few weeks of regular use.

No pain or strain typically associated with ab workouts.

One verified user noted: “I didn’t expect much, but after three weeks of using it every other day, my core feels tighter and more defined. It doesn’t replace my whole workout, but it’s a powerful addition.”

That said, results vary depending on diet, overall activity level, and commitment. It’s not a miracle solution, but for users looking for a consistent core workout, it provides real value.

What to Consider Before Buying

Before jumping on the Tactical X Abs bandwagon, it’s important to manage expectations:

It’s not a fat burner: EMS can’t burn fat. For visible abs, users still need to focus on diet and cardio.

Not for everyone: Those with pacemakers or certain health conditions should consult a doctor.

Discipline matters: Like any fitness tool, it only works if you use it consistently.

However, for those looking for a no-excuses core workout option at home, it may be one of the most practical devices out there today.

Final Thoughts

The rise of home fitness technology is changing the way we approach workouts — and Tactical X Abs is leading the charge for abdominal training. Compact, discreet, and science-backed, it offers a way to strengthen your core without ever stepping into a gym.

If you’ve been looking for a smart, low-effort way to engage your core muscles from the comfort of home, Tactical X Abs might just be worth the try. Just remember: No matter how advanced the tool, your results will always come down to consistency and lifestyle.

[mslizsteele-stories]

Well im a working women so i understand how life works. Unlike u who comment shit just to prove loyalty to a ff writer

Then you as a working woman at your grown age should be embarrassed to be throwing a tamper tantrum over a fanfiction writer who has a life outside of writing.

And I wasn't "commenting shit to prove loyalty to an ff writer", I myself am an ff writer. So I can understand why updating stories especially popular ones may take time. Especially when you're an ff writer in your 20s and above who's currently working, married, and/or have a family.

I remember back when i was younger, i used to write and update all the time because i had a lot of free time. I'm 25 going on 26 this year. Recent Honours graduate and currently under an internship and work from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm.

You have to understand that there are a lot of reasons why most ff writers take a long time to write and update:

We have commitments that we can't put on hold just to update a chapter.

We get easily burnt out from work and other things happening irl

Lack of motivation

Writers block

We don't want to put out half baked chapters. We want to give our readers quality work and our best.

And that's just to add a few.

At the end of the day, writers are people. We have our limits. We have moments where we just want to take a step back and breathe. We can choose to not continue writing your favourite stories or just stop writing in general coz it's not worth it to keep writing if people like you suck the life and joy in the thing we love.