#is there a support hotline for after the match...

[chief-girl]

👀💀👀

By any means necessary Daddy!

[matan4il]

You might have heard that last night, Israelis and Jews were attacked by Muslims across Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, after a soccer match between a Dutch and an Israeli team.

So far, multiple reports state that people have been stabbed, beaten, ran over, thrown into a river, 10 Israelis have not been located since the pogrom and 3 are considered missing, several of the injured have been located in hospitals, the total number of wounded is still being investigated, all Israelis and Jews in Amsterdam have been advised to conceal any signs of their Israeli or Jewish identity, many Dutch officials have remarked on this failure to protect Jews and Israelis from their attackers (so fuck everyone trying to victim blame the attacked... this was fully one-sided and the Dutch have admitted that), and the State of Israel has been working to evacuate its citizens from the Netherlands as quickly as possible, including with flights during Shabbat, which is allowed for religious Jews due to the risk posed to the lives of the evacuees.

I've read some accounts from attacked victims, and some of their stories are reminiscent of what was done to Jews during (and right before) the Holocaust. Europe 2024 is not much safer for Jews than Europe 1934.

It is ironic that the Israeli team whose fans were attacked is Macabbi Tel Aviv. Maccabi's uniform used to be blue and white, and their nickname was "The Blue Ones." As the first confirmed information about the Holocaust reached the Land of Israel (then under British rule and referred to as Mandatory Palestine), one of its players suggested adding yellow to the team's uniform, in honor of the Jews in Europe forced to wear the yellow star. Maccabi has since been known as "The Yellow Ones." Even more ironic is the fact that this is the same all-Jewish Maccabi Tel Aviv team that Palestinians, including Bella Hadid, have repeatedly appropriated, and misrepresented it as "proof" of the existence of an independent Arab state called Palestine.

Meanwhile, the State of Israel has announced that it will recognize the pogrom in Amsterdam last night as a terrorist attack (source in Hebrew), a move which will enable the victims to receive social aid and support from the state. Israel has also opened special national hotlines that have been opened for the victims. They are available in several languages: Hebrew, English, Russian and Arabic (source in Hebrew). That's right. The only Jewish state in the world, whose citizens are targeted for the supposed discriminatory policies of their government, is offering any possible Arabic speaking fans who have also been victimized by this antisemitic attack their own hotline. So apartheid, much genocide. /eyeroll

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[eupheme]

MULTI-FANDOM - 2024 FIC RECS

a rec list to share and support all the gorgeous fics I read this year. please check these out and support these writers, they are all incredible! 💖✨

ALFRED PENNYWORTH X READER

— an angel’s kiss in spring by @stargirlfics

Surprise picnics in the garden are where Alfred makes life feel so soft and sweet

— eyes on you by @/viceofdionysus

A car ride home on a rainy autumn night takes an unexpected turn.

— of beachgrass and seafoam by @/viceofdionysus

When Alfred takes a vacation at Bruce's insistence, he expects to get some rest and relaxation. He doesn't expect you.

— sweet as silk, just like lavender by @/stargirlfics

Alfred Pennyworth can’t keep his hands off you even if he tried

ARTHUR MORGAN X READER (RDR2)

— watermelon moonshine by @/viceofdionysus

When Arthur finally finds the courage to ask his crush out, the evening goes better than he ever could have imagined. Especially with a little help from Peterson's famous Watermelon Moonshine.

HALSIN X READER (BG3)

— bunny by @viceofdionysus

On a blustery autumn day, you and Halsin take spend some time together.

— down by the river by @jksprincess10

EDDIE ALDEN X READER (SOMEONE LIKE YOU)

— love is here to stay by @moonlight-prose

mornings where the summer heat was unbearable and energy was nowhere to be found, made getting up a difficult task. add a sleepy eddie and a multitude of kisses and suddenly it became near impossible.

GORTASH X DURGE (BG3)

— eat you alive by @astarionslittletreat

She's returned to him, his Bhaalspawn. After vanishing from him without a trace, he's got her exactly where he wants her. Tied up and waiting for him with murderous lust.

JIM HOPPER X READER (STRANGER THINGS)

— a little magic by @/viceofdionysus

Jim's been working hard this Halloween, so you decide to show him some extra appreciation.

— coldsnap by @/viceofdionysus

When a snowstorm leaves Hawkins shutdown, you and Jim have a snow day together.

— little witch by @/viceofdionysus

When Jim comes home from a long day at work, he finds you trying on a Halloween costume. He lets you know how much he appreciates this view of his Little Witch.

LIAM BLACK X READER (THE ACCUSED)

— the fear has gripped me, but here I go by @tarabyte3

It was so easy to develop a crush on Liam Black. He's sweet, handsome, funny, and all of your conversations feel effortless. How could you not? Maybe it was too easy because you're starting to fall a little deeper and you can't stop calling him whenever you need a taxi.

LEVI ACKERMAN X READER (AOT)

— press four for more options. by @amywritesthings

After seeing your ex with his new girl at a work party, you take the not-so-smart advice from a friend to call a sex hotline to get over him. Your match? A baritone bossy dom named Levi.

ULYSSES KLAUE X READER (MARVEL)

— ante up by @/viceofdionysus

After Klaue makes you an interesting offer, you decide it might be worth the gamble.

— close your eyes to see by @citrus-moonlight

Even when he's at the compound you don't get to spend as much time with Klaue as you both want, so you're always pleased when he has a few minutes to give you some much needed attention.

— salvation is a deep dark well by @/citrus-moonlight

The actions of others leads to chaos at the compound, and after Klaue returns to deal with the aftermath you’re surprised to learn that his reasons for being upset aren’t what you think, and you finally have to admit some things that you’ve been denying.

if you haven’t read these, you need to! and please support these amazing fics & writers by reading, reblogging & commenting! 💕

[starsfic]

Random facts about the Contestant (and some RabbitRoyale:

Is actually in mid-twenties, is guessed to be in late thirties all the time- doesn't mind

Got disowned from big close-knit family when they came out as non-binary

Family was also supporting their college education, so they had to leave in the middle of their communications major

Knows how to bartend

The tape player they had was something they got for Christmas and something they stole from their family's house out of spite

They loved the Frankie cartoon as a kid, hated the cereal.

Used to take ballet and gymnastics and keeps up with it

Adrenaline junkie, love horror movies, and used to watch the streams commenting on how they'd survive

This wasn't helped by the fact that they lived on a shadier part of town

They have gotten into fistfights and is a fairly decent brawler

As Morgan they did have a beginning to be decent streaming career, but as the Contestant, it has exploded

Frankie matches their freak, in a way that subjecting anyone else to them would be a war crime

Is very "Eh." on Henry Hotline while he doesn't like them. He does appreciate them for bringing the ratings up, but their choice in relationship...

Deputy Duck doesn't like them but will work with them

They like to grab Frankie's face and he likes to lightly squeeze their neck. He's promised them that he'll keep their heart when they die.

During shows after they got their knives, they will occasionally bow or curtsy to the camera. They're doing it to Frankie

Their ribs are fucked up from constant falls. They've never broken a limb but their ribs...

They bribed Swansea and Mitchell, the mechanics of the palace, to teach them how fix Frankie just in case. They have held Frankie's core.

Very calm and collected. It takes a lot to rattle them. If you see them grinning like a feral animal, run.

[beardedmrbean]

New claims of plagiarism emerged Tuesday against Vice President Kamala Harris — with allegations including that she fabricated a story about sex trafficking and cribbed the work of other prosecutors, a judge and even Wikipedia to draft state reports on crime.

Harris, 60, seems to have invented details of a sex crime case out of whole cloth and taken sentences directly from published work by former California Attorney General Bill Lockyer as well as a New York jurist.

The new allegations were first reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

In a 2012 report on human trafficking Harris issued while California’s attorney general, she cited a fictional example of the type of call received by the National Human Trafficking Hotline as a bona fide case that had occurred.

The nonprofit in charge of the hotline, Polaris Project, had posted the exact same case details in June of that year as “representative of the types of calls” it received.

With different “names, locations, and other identifying information,” the example was “meant for informational purposes only,” according to an archived webpage reviewed by the Free Beacon.

But Harris copied the example verbatim into the state report, keeping the alias — “Kelly” — of the woman who was being trafficked but shifting the venue from Washington, D.C., to her native San Francisco.

The 2012 report also used a nearly identical paragraph to a Wikipedia entry on California’s Victim Compensation Board.

Another report put out in 2011, on organized crime the previous year, contained passages that were an exact match for portions of Lockyer’s report on the same subject six years earlier.

In 2014, Harris apparently stole from New York Court of Claims and Albany County Superior Court Judge Roger McDonough for a report on transnational gangs.

Recent polling has shown that Harris is seen as far more honest than her Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, but the copycat claims — on top of earlier plagiarism allegations — is sure to test that public image.

The Trump campaign dubbed the veep a political “chameleon” in August, shortly after she clinched the Democratic nomination, for flip-flopping on her long-held liberal stances related to crime and immigration while embracing some of the 45th president’s proposed policies.

In April 2007, years before the purloined reports, Harris appeared before the House Judiciary Committee to lobby for passage of the John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act — a bill that would have helped local and state prosecutors and public defenders repay their law school and undergraduate loans while performing their public service.

More talented lawyers who opted for high pay at white-shoe firms would remain in the public sector if their debt was forgiven, the then-San Francisco DA argued, keeping more expertise in prosecutors and public defenders’ offices and helping to fill gaps in staffing.

Harris’ words in the April 24 hearing were nearly identical to testimony given two months prior by Republican Winnebago County, Ill., prosecutor Paul Logli, the Free Beacon also noted, citing the occurrence of the same statistics, punctuation and even typos in both written statements.

In total, the outlet said, 1,200 of the 1,500 words spoken by Harris (80%) were the same as those uttered by Logli.

Logli told The Post Tuesday that his testimony was prepared and written “largely” by staff from the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), where he was then serving as president.

He said that Harris, who was a member of the association’s board of directors at the time, likely “also relied on NDAA staff support for her opening statement.��

“The similar content of our statements was an effort by NDAA to be entirely consistent in the positions we presented to both Houses of Congress on behalf of the 3,500 state and local prosecutors we represented on  a national level,” Logli said in an emailed statement. “Like me, I believe Ms. Harris simply relied on NDAA staff for much of the content of her opening statement before Congress.”

Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo revealed last week that portions of Harris’ 2009 pro-criminal justice reform book, “Smart on Crime,” had used identical wording to academic studies, press reports and even a Wikipedia entry — all of which predated the publication’s release.

Harris’ ghostwriter seemed unaware of the apparently plagiarized passages when contacted by The Post — but her publisher later signaled internally that the accusations were “a very sensitive topic” that was being handled by higher-ups.

“It was not the ghostwriter’s fault but, rather, this is a pattern,” Joshua Lisec, a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter, told The Post in a phone interview last week, saying he believed that Harris had probably “copied and pasted” other people’s work and sent it off to her ghostwriter without attribution.

“I don’t have inside access to their particular working relationship, but from the outside, my lens of the ghostwriting career and the profession, knowing how this goes, the ghostwriter probably had no idea that likely Kamala copied and pasted from somewhere on the internet or maybe her assistant did,” he said.

“She’s in trouble with everybody that she has effectively stolen [or] stolen from, or whoever did it, but she’s liable because her name is is on it,” Lisec said of Harris’ pilfering.

Harris’ ghostwriter, Joan O’C. Hamilton, he added, was “legitimate, experienced, successful as a ghostwriter and not the sort of person that you would expect engages with extremely low standards.”

South Dakota GOP Gov. Kristi Noem was widely viewed as a potential running mate pick for Trump before her own errors about a “meeting” with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un crept past a ghostwriter into her political memoir “No Going Back,” which was published in May.

The Harris campaign and Hamilton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

[wirewitchviolet]

Is it possible to have a conversation about Trans Lifeline that isn't extremely uncomfortable?

This is, for quite a few reasons, one of those subjects it's really hard to even bring up, but you know, sometimes these things need talking about. I'm not planning to go too dark here but you know, content warning all the same.

So... Trans Lifeline is a charity organization which, on paper, primarily runs a crisis hotline explicitly for trans people, with a volunteer staff of other trans people, and on the side, dolling out small amounts of cash to people trying to get legal name and gender changes straightened out. And that's a great thing for people to set out to do. Also just getting this out there, many years ago now I did avail myself of both those services. Didn't actually end up needing the $50 or so for the name change formalizing (I'm poor enough that the probate court just waived the fee turned out), and I don't suppose I can complain about the hotline service, because while on the one hand, I'm pretty sure I was talking to someone very much out of their depth, but you know, someone answered, talked, and hey I'm still here right?

Really, that's the sort of thing that's just inherently selfless and important enough you'd have to be some kind of utterly horrible person to ever go and criticize, right? Which... kinda makes me horrible right now. See, as mentioned, they helped me out some years ago, but there's kind of an emphasis on the years ago part of that. I've had plenty of cause over the years to pass info on them to people, both the number and the grant program, and again not to get too dark but I've had reason to personally call myself here and there, lack of any sort of support network and all, and this is partially just anecdotal, but I don't know that I've actually ever heard of anyone getting in touch with anyone there in like... the past 5 years? Maybe 6?

I have been told they just will not do the grant thing for people in Canada despite advertising themselves as serving both Canada and the U.S. Which is a shame because my understanding is it's a much more painful process there (it's absurdly easy in the U.S. generally speaking, quit psyching yourselves out, go to probate court, ask for a form, then after there's another at the post office). And for quite some time now, anyone attempting to call that I've heard of hasn't reached a live person, and hasn't even been put on hold. You get a recording. The recording says everyone is busy, and their hours are from 8 AM to 2 PM Pacific time, and then the call disconnects. Which still seems to be the case when you do call in that range... and also those hours don't match what's listed on their site. And the numbers they advertise on their front page don't seen to have risen since people first really became aware of them and they started getting flooded.

And like... I'm really not trying to stir anything up here, or say they suck or something. The work they do is super important and takes a horrible emotional toll on the people doing it. I know. I've spent dozens if not hundreds of nights talking trans people down from rather immediate self-destructive thoughts, both people I knew and people I didn't. This was my whole thing a decade ago. I also have experience being on the ground floor of a charity organization that flamed out in a hurry, and which never made any sort of statement indicating it'd completely shut down, nor took down the page (to be clear- I never saw a dime of that money, and did what I personally could to explain that). My point is, I get it, stuff is hard to keep going, and hard to admit you aren't keeping going.

I'm also not putting forward the idea that TLL has secretly shut down here, but they do seem to have... severely retracted? Again, when they first got started, they were dealing with call volumes and volunteer counts where you'd maybe spend an hour on hold before getting through to someone, but you could call at the sort of times where someone is going to feel the need to call such a hotline. Now you've got this theoretical short window like, around lunchtime/early afternoon. And they close entirely on weekends apparently. And shut down for the whole back half of December, as I just look at these recent announcements on their blog. And like... I can understand being stretched thin, I'm sympathetic, but I'm also looking at this from the perspective of the people in crisis, you know?

I would argue that a crisis hotline not existing to be called at all would be preferable to reaching a point where you're calling one, and having a prerecorded message tell you they can't help and hanging up. That is THE worst thing you can hear in that position. Crisis hotlines are already something people generally only turn to as a last result when there is absolutely nobody else they can flag down to talk to in an emotionally charged moment. You're not going in expecting any sort of magical fix to your problems, just someone, even if it's an overworked stranger, who will listen and respond.

So... why am I getting into all this? Well, besides it being the 10 year anniversary of like... all my major trauma and accordingly just being in this morbid sorta headspace, I see people recommending that people call TLL all the time. People throw the number out when discussing self-destructive thoughts broadly, when they see someone directly in a crisis situation rather than try and talk them through things personally, and it's kinda like... THE organization people look to when they feel upset about the plight of trans people and want to do some charity fundraising.

It's already just bleak as hell that when people feel bad for trans people and want to throw money around, they aren't helping people get away from abusive parents, or cover medical costs, or help people replace all their clothes, or inviting people whose social circles just shrank to nothing or next to out to see movies or get dinner or anything like that, just pay people to talk to them when all of the above gets to be too much to deal with and they give up on life. But the hard reality here is, people do that, pat themselves on the back, and then when people do just collapse enough to need to make such calls, nobody picks up.

I don't really know what the fix for this is. Like I don't wanna say people need to just stop supporting TLL, because in theory they are still helping SOME people? And like, hey, I think it's an all trans staff, so you're helping at least a handful of us get by if nothing else... but it's like hearing about a bunch of people dying of thirst and the best fix anyone has is dumping buckets of water into an extremely leaky barrel and encouraging people to try and get there before it all drains out, you know? There's really a whole slew of related problems here, and I don't really see any of them getting fixed until we just kinda collectively admit that the way things stand right now, we've got an emergency plan that's just straight up not working, and brainstorm from there.

[vertebrae-entertainment]

05.07.2023 - FAIL FAST

When people get into game development the first bit of advice they get is often a variation of "fail faster". Make small games first, don't jump right into your giant dream game, don't waste time on polishing things to perfection, get your game out as fast as possible, etc. This can feel insulting. Like come on, I'm here because I want to make good games. And you're telling me to aim for mediocrity?

Unfortunately, they have a point.

Most of the breakout indie game hits that seemingly came out of nowhere didn't actually come out of nowhere. Toby Fox made romhacks for Earthbound and music for Homestuck before Undertale, with Undertale itself intended as a smaller first game to get their footing before starting on the more ambitious Deltarune. Notch worked on Wurm Online and multiple gamejam games before Minecraft, which itself was inspired by Zachtronics' Infiniminer. Cactus was known among indie game devs as a prolific award winning game developer before Hotline Miami, and some of his freeware games like Mondo Medicals went viral with youtube letsplayers at the time. And the Hollow Knight team did several game jams together, with the main character's design actually coming from a game jam they did back in 2013. The story about an indie game developer hitting it big with their first game sounds great, but in reality it's rarely if ever true. Like with other artforms, most art is built on years of practice and standing on the shoulders of previous works.

When people recommend starting small some of it is about survival in a capitalist world. -Making games gets expensive, and most games don't even break even. So if you put yourself in debt to make your game you're probably screwed. -Game development takes time, and the industry moves fast. So what seemed like an interesting idea or relevant topic at the start of development might be outdated by the time you're done. -Game development is unpredictable, with many games getting reworked or scrapped in the middle of development. So if you set aside 5 years on a game idea you might find yourself 3 years in with an idea that doesn't work and no backup plan.

But even if you don't care about all that and your primary motivation is the raw artistic quality of your game, there are still reasons to consider it.

Game development is a craft that incorporates a lot of different disciplines on top of being an artform of its own. You'll often flex creative muscles that saw little use before you started with game development, and get used to tools you never used before. So if you've worked on a game for 5 years, your standards will be completely different by the time you're done. The latest animation is higher quality than the first one you drew. The first song you composed is grating on your ears. It took you 20 levels to get the hang of level design. So you go back and update the oldest bits to match the quality of the latest bits. Months pass and now a different animation looks outdated. So you go back. And unless you reign yourself in, you'll never finish the game because you're always chewing on the oldest part. Finishing fast therefore makes your game more coherent and cohesive overall, on top of avoiding a major timesink that could threaten your game from ever getting finished.

Finishing fast also makes you more familiar with the whole process of making a game. What do you do when the exciting honeymoon period is over and you have to stare at the same level for weeks on end to polish things? What do you do near the end of development when you realize that you promised multiple languages and you suddenly need to set up support for different languages and also find someone to translate? What do you do at release when you have to take feedback from a bunch of strangers playing your game and giving the bluntest unfiltered criticism and pointing out flaws you missed? If you spend year after year starting new megaprojects you become an expert at the first 10% of game development, but you don't get any experience with the remaining 90% and that can be a huge issue when you finally get there.

Finishing fast lets you learn from past mistakes. Mistakes are important, especially in an unpredictable field like game development. A lot of the time, you can't know what to avoid until you've crashed into it at least once. Not just on a big macro scale, like knowing that your favourite game engine can't do certain things well, but also on a tiny micro scale, like knowing that you can avoid an annoying collision bug by running collision checks in a certain order, that a certain colour combination doesn't work with colour blindness, or that this one word is actually pretty offensive abroad.

And importantly, the topic of next week's blogpost: having games under your belt gives you the power of recycling.

Next week I'll get into some more concrete examples of how old Vertebrae games help us build Fangst.

-Åge

[thinaiir]

U.S.-based Resources for Women + Girls + People Facing Unplanned Pregnancies

The post I had originally pinned to the top of my blog had mostly broken links, so I’ve made my own :) Feel free to spread it to those who need help, whether that’s by sharing it on your Tumblr or sharing the links with people in your life who need it. This is mostly U.S.-centric since that’s where I’m from. 

It’s a long-ish post, so I’m putting it under a Read More.

Resources for Women Facing Homelessness and/or Joblessness:

Women’s Shelters Search (search by state or city near you - offerings vary by shelter) https://www.womenshelters.org/ 

Good Counsel (faith-based - teaches life skills to women so they can avoid homelessness; teaches about budgeting and vocational assistance, parenting, nutrition, and spirituality) https://www.goodcounselhomes.org/contact-us 

211 (secular hotline that helps you get financial resources if you're struggling; also offers help for  mental health concerns) https://www.211.org/about-us 

Resources for Women Facing Unplanned Pregnancies: 

Real Alternatives https://www.realalternatives.org/ 

Option Line (helps you locate health centers that offer food, shelter, care for your baby, after-abortion support, etc. - offerings vary based on health center) https://optionline.org/center-locator/ 

Abide Women’s Health Services (black-owned - secular - based in Texas - offers pregnancy care, ultrasounds, and breastfeeding support) https://www.abidewomen.org/ 

Human Defense Initiative (secular - has a non-judgmental pregnancy helpline and offers material assistance to expectant mothers) https://humandefense.com/helpline/

Birthright International (secular - offers free and non-judgmental support as well as referrals for medical support, financial resources, housing, legal, social assistance, professional counseling) https://birthright.org/

Standing with You (secular - confidential and non-judgmental - offers STI/STD testing, support for unplanned pregnancies, financial assistance, housing assistance, education financial aid, scholarships, and childcare) https://www.standingwithyou.org/  https://www.standingwithyou.org/local-resources/

Women Deserve Better (secular - offers or directs you toward various resources, including for working mothers, single mothers, and student mothers) https://www.womendeservebetter.com/

Teen Mother Choices International - (faith-based - helps teen mothers get the financial resources and care they need for raising their babies, and also allows the moms to complete their education) https://teenmotherchoices.org/

Legacy of Life Foundation (faith-based - offers safe and non-judgemental support and resources for women in unplanned pregnancies during and after they have given birth)  https://www.legacyoflifefoundation.org/ 

Good Counsel (faith-based - teaches life skills to women so they can avoid homelessness; teaches about budgeting and vocational assistance, parenting, nutrition, and spirituality) https://www.goodcounselhomes.org/contact-us 

Adoption Resources:

Gladney Center for Adoption (secular - resources for parents who want to put their children up for adoption or for those seeking adoption) https://gladneyadoption.com/ 

Post-Abortion Counseling:

Pregnancy Choice (secular) https://pregnancychoice.org/abortion/abortion-recovery/ 

Human Defense Initiative (secular) https://humandefense.com/helpline/

Project Rachel (faith-based) https://hopeafterabortion.com/ 

Lumina (faith-based) https://www.goodcounselhomes.org/what-we-do/lumina 

Alternatives to Planned Parenthood by state: 

Planned Parenthood makes money off abortions, thus incentivizing the killing of preborn babies (including female babies, AKA future women). There also are a disproportionate amount of PP clinics in underprivileged communities and majority people of color communities.

Health Clinics Listed by State (compiled by Consistent Life Network) http://www.grassrootsdefunding.org/matching/ 

These health centers may be cleaner and safer than Planned Parenthood (see Check My Clinic for health violations at local abortion clinics)

These health centers may offer mammograms, which Planned Parenthood does not

They are not incentivized to perform abortions as PP is

Many offer various services, from STI/STD testing, birth control, pregnancy tests, to pap smears and more

Offerings vary by health center

Midwife and Doula Resources and Info:

Choices in Childbirth (secular) https://everymothercounts.org/choicesinchildbirth/ 

Black Midwives Alliance (secular) https://blackmidwivesalliance.org/ 

Their goals, as outlined on their website:

To increase the number of Black midwives and access to Black midwives in order to have more providers who can impact perinatal health disparities.

To raise public awareness that Black midwives exist and provide services in their respective communities.

To support legislative efforts led by Black midwives and supporters in various states.

To advocate for and support the development of educational pathways for Black student midwives.

To establish and raise funds for a scholarship specifically designated for Black student midwives.

To provide member benefits, for example: negotiating group discounts, access to legal advice and representation.

[moonlightreal]

Some thoughts on So Weird Season 3

It isn’t very good, but I like Annie.

Which mostly comes down to Alexz Johnson being charming and slightly due to the headcanons I had going in.

The first thing we really got from season 3 was the music video of To Dream About You, which is an absolute bop, and for some reason I got it in my head that Annie’s music was magic. That she would be a siren or something able to do things with her voice. The clip from Rewind in there with Annie throwing lightning did nothing to debunk this idea. So I was hopeful about So Weird going! Fi was a girl who kept encountering the supernatural but Annie was supernatural! It would take the show in a new interesting direction!

I’d also somehow read leaks about the original writers’ ideas for season three and one stuck in my head, it went something like “Fi meets an alien, a girl who also lost her father to the ‘evil.’” This idea means there could be more people like Fi, who encounter the supernatural and influence things for good, and who the evil supernatural tries to stop by killing off their support system. So it was easier to accept Annie as another of many young people with supernatural connections. Maybe Rebecca, who was only in one episode but casts a long shadow, was another. Maybe Fi’s little cousins Maggie and Miranda were others. So Fi’s story was now one of many stories and they’d probably all come together in the end.

Then in the first Annie-only episode she gets the talking board and has a hotline to the supernatural. She could get answers, and she had a panther who would appear and help her and was guiding her to some interesting destiny!

So I started season three with great optimism! But then it just… was ok?

I think the thing season 3 really did wrong (other than, you know, ditching Fi’s entire story which they kind of had to do) was drag the show farther from magical reality and into the realm of full fantasy. The town of bees. The carnival where everyone turned into attractions. The Great Incanto. Mister Magnetism. After these episodes Jack and the others should have been changing their whole worldview and that should have been changing what kind of show it was, but they did fantasy stuff and had everyone react in magical reality ways.

Thoughts on the episodes I remember:

Exit 13, where the bus pulls off the highway and the gang gets caught in a time loop repeating the same events over and over. The cause is a carved stone Annie bought from a local trinket seller, that turns out to be half of a Native American artifact. When Annie reunites the two halves, reuniting the ghosts of twins whose memorial stone it is, the gang is set free. The trinket seller who raided a Native American burial ground isn’t so lucky, which is pretty dark for this season. I like this episode, I think it worked and the curse was original enough to stick in my head.

Rewind, stands out because of the song. The songs this season are great and Alexz Johnson has an amazing voice.

Earth 101 aired after a long hiatus to put the Thanksgiving episode on Thanksgiving and it was such a letdown to finally have an episode and have it be dumb.

The multiverse one with the alternate Annie made a big impression because my brain still expected something more, and I was sure we’d see more of Juvenile Delinquent Annie. She had her panther’s spiritual power in a tattoo, what did that mean? Could she summon it into being? Or did her delinquent ways make her real panther desert her so she got the tattoo to make up for it somehow? I was sure Delinquent Annie would be a returning antagonist.

My memory of episodes kind of fades other than those three. There were a couple school episodes, there was a changeling episode that sort of matched the lore! There was some other stuff.

Then there was the ending. Which I feel came much later, after I wandered off from tuning in every week for the new episodes but I did eventually watch it. And was quite disappointed that this was the big secret!

So years ago in Peru, Lil Annie protected a Native man from being bit by a snake, getting bit herself. The shaman of the tribe healed her and then took the form of the panther to protect her all her life out of gratitude for saving his son.

Which is weird, and not the good kind of weird.

Ok, the panther is a human? And an old dude? And how is he being the panther, does he astral project every time Annie is in trouble or did he give up his entire human life to protect Annie? I would certainly be grateful to someone who saved my son’s life, but the “indigenous person becomes protector of cute white girl” is… a thing. Remember there was a lot less awareness of this stuff in 2001, so don’t think too badly of the writers, but it’s still not great.

So let’s focus group this a little.

They could just make the panther a panther; Annie’s just a person who vibes with the panther spirit. Which still gets into the whole “is it cool for a white person to have a spirit animal?” If I knew any Native Americans I’d ask them, but I don’t so all I can say is that the 2023 internet is divided leaning towards no. But people of all colors and cultures are going to feel a mystical connection to certain animal species so… this is a question for professional sociologists, not me and my tumblr!

If the writers were determined to make the panther a person they could give him a less “Wookie life debt” reason to be following Annie. Maybe rewrite the series slightly so Annie talks a lot about returning to Peru to be an activist for the local people, and add a revelation that she is also destined to protect that part of the world from The Evil. Make the panther a boy Annie’s age who also encounters the supernatural and expects to work with Annie when they both grow up or come into their full power or whatever.

Which wouldn't fix the "white girl gets native people's magic" thing, but would make it less yikes. The only way to actually fix it would be to recast Annie, and I like the Annie we've got. I guess there are also panthers in North America so they could cut out the indiginouys people entirely and make Annie a witch with a familiar, but that strays farther from the canon we have than I'm gonna bother to go.

(Jon Cooksey just says “Evil” so I don’t think the writers ever defied the overarching enemy of the show. Presumably they’d have figured out something more specific if the original season three had gone ahead.)

So season three leaves me in a mood similar to how Fate left me. There was so much potential, the bones of something really good. I don’t think it could ever have been good enough to make up for the loss of Fi’s storyline, but it could have been its own thing and a good show. But it was just aimed in the wrong direction and it wasted everything it could have done with Annie’s mysterious past.

[mylegaljourney2103]

SIMPLIFYING ACCESS TO JUSTICE THROUGH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE VIA MIDDLEMEN!

The age-old notion of litigants flipping through books and going through long cases seems a foregone phenomenon. With google came the era of getting things done in a fast and efficient manner that made countless legal maxims and cases appear in front of you just at the click of a cursor. This made things go at a quick rate with the resource at our disposal and made the legal world a fast-paced one.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have slowed down things a little. You don’t have to sit on countless hours on your study or in a library going through pages when you can get things done just using commands which run algorithms to provide you with an answer, at your desk itself. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary tool, reshaping industries, streamlining processes, and improving decision-making. The success of AI is because we now have access to more data, and we possess adequate computational infrastructure to analyse such data. AI has enormous potential in the legal field, promising to transform how legal practitioners function and individuals access the justice system.

Middlemen is a not-for-profit platform modernizing the legal know-how in Asia. It is a part of WeDidit Foundation. The NGO bridges the fissures between clients and attorneys by offering free AI tools, crystal clear pricing, and alternative dispute resolution services. From civil matters like property disputes and cyber law to corporate and employment rights, the organization ensures hassle-free interactions, unbiased representation, and speedy resolutions. It’s mission is simple: to make justice accessible, affordable, and empowering for every Indian citizen. Some of the features of the platform are:

AI Legal Support: Facilitates legal processes, ensuring transparency in lawyer-client interactions.

Direct Communication: Allows hassle-free, transparent communication between clients and lawyers.

Client Protection: Helps clients negotiate terms and ensures legal contracts are in place.

Free Dispute Resolution: Offers mediation, arbitration, and support for filing PILs (Public Interest Litigations).

Rapid FIR Filing: Provides free expert support for filing FIRs within one hour with assistance from local police.

Case Progress Tracking: Real-time updates and status tracking for cases through an interactive dashboard.

Lawyer Matchmaking: AI-powered system to match clients with lawyers specializing in their legal needs.

Legal Fee Estimator: Provides upfront cost estimates for legal fees based on case complexity.

Conflict Resolution Hotline: A 24/7 helpline to assist with conflicts between clients and lawyers.

Case Document Repository: Secure storage and easy access to case-related documents via an encrypted platform.

Legal Literacy Hub: A library of resources to help users understand their rights and the legal process.

Smart Integrations: AI tools like Legalese Decoder, Humata, Lexum, and others to simplify legal processes and enhance decision-making.

Appointment Scheduling: Easy scheduling for consultations after providing case details and contact information.

The interplay between AI and the legal field is a key challenge in the sector's ongoing evolution. Although AI holds the promise of transformative change, it also presents complex issues that require careful consideration and proactive management.

Website Link: https://www.middlemen.asia/      

[redid-csc]

Georgia Lottery Results: Your Complete Guide

The Georgia Lottery has been providing fun and excitement for lottery players across the state since its inception in 1992. Designed to support Georgia's educational initiatives, the lottery has contributed billions to programs such as HOPE scholarships and pre-K education. If you're a resident or visitor looking to stay updated on Georgia Lottery Results or are new to the game, this guide is here to help you understand how it all works, from game types to how to check results, tips for responsible gaming, and some interesting lottery facts.

1. Popular Games and How to Play

The Georgia Lottery offers a wide variety of games, each with unique rules, winning odds, and prize structures. Here are some of the most popular games:

Cash 3 and Cash 4

Cash 3: This is a three-digit game where you can choose from several play types, including Straight, Box, and Straight/Box. Draws are held daily, and winning is based on matching numbers in the correct order (or any order, depending on the play type).

Cash 4: Similar to Cash 3 but with four digits, Cash 4 provides even more ways to win with higher payouts. The play options are the same, and you can also play multiple draws in advance.

Fantasy 5

Fantasy 5 is a popular game with great odds and decent prize potential. Players pick five numbers between 1 and 42, with daily drawings. You win the jackpot by matching all five numbers, but there are smaller prizes for matching three or four numbers.

Mega Millions and Powerball

Mega Millions and Powerball are multi-state lotteries, offering jackpots that can reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Players select five numbers from 1 to 70 (Mega Millions) or 1 to 69 (Powerball), plus an additional number known as the Mega Ball or Powerball.

Drawings take place twice a week, and there are nine prize levels, meaning you don’t have to match all numbers to win something.

Jumbo Bucks Lotto

This Georgia-exclusive game lets players choose six numbers from 1 to 47. Drawings occur twice weekly, and the top prize starts at $1 million, increasing if not won.

KENO!

A fast-paced game with draws every three and a half minutes, KENO! offers various prize levels and allows players to choose up to 10 numbers out of 80. Players can decide how much to wager and can add a multiplier for a chance at bigger winnings.

Instant Win Games

The Georgia Lottery offers numerous scratch-off games with instant win opportunities. They come in various themes, play styles, and price points, with prizes that range from a few dollars to millions.

2. How to Check Georgia Lottery Results

Keeping up with lottery results is easy with the various options provided by the Georgia Lottery:

1. Website and App

The Georgia Lottery’s official website posts up-to-date results for all games. Players can also download the Georgia Lottery app to check results in real time, scan tickets, and even buy tickets online for certain games.

2. Retail Locations

Georgia Lottery retailers display winning numbers daily. Many locations also have ticket-scanning machines for players to check if their ticket is a winner.

3. Television and Newspapers

Results for major games like Cash 3, Cash 4, Fantasy 5, Mega Millions, and Powerball are often aired on local television stations and published in newspapers the day after each drawing.

4. Hotlines

Georgia Lottery offers a toll-free hotline where players can call to hear the latest winning numbers. This is a convenient option for those without internet access or mobile devices.

3. Tips for Playing and Winning

While there’s no way to guarantee a lottery win, here are some strategies to consider for increasing your enjoyment and potential winnings:

Play Responsibly: Set a budget for lottery spending. The lottery should be considered entertainment, not an income source.

Mix Game Choices: Since each game has different odds and prize structures, try mixing up your play. For instance, play Cash 3 for a chance at daily wins and Powerball for a shot at bigger jackpots.

Understand the Odds: Each game has different odds of winning. Fantasy 5 has better odds for smaller jackpots, while Mega Millions and Powerball have much lower odds due to larger prize pools.

Use Quick Picks Sparingly: Quick Picks (randomly selected numbers) are convenient but remember that numbers are drawn randomly. Some players prefer picking numbers themselves based on birthdays, anniversaries, or other lucky numbers.

Pool Tickets with Friends: Increase your chances without increasing costs by forming a lottery pool with friends, family, or coworkers. Just be sure to clearly document everyone’s contribution and prize share.

4. How to Claim Prizes

If you’re a lucky winner, claiming your prize depends on the amount you’ve won:

Prizes Up to $600: These smaller winnings can be claimed at any Georgia Lottery retailer.

Prizes Between $600 and $5,000: Winners need to claim these prizes at an authorized Georgia Lottery claim center or mail in the winning ticket to the Georgia Lottery headquarters.

Prizes Above $5,000: Large winnings require a visit to the Georgia Lottery headquarters in Atlanta, where winners must provide identification and complete a claim form. Georgia Lottery also withholds state and federal taxes for these winnings.

5. Funding Education with the Georgia Lottery

A significant portion of the revenue from ticket sales supports education in Georgia. Through the Georgia Lottery for Education Act, the lottery helps fund the HOPE Scholarship program, which offers scholarships to students based on academic performance, and the Georgia Pre-K Program, providing early education to four-year-olds across the state.

The HOPE Scholarship Program

The HOPE (Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally) Scholarship program is available to Georgia residents who demonstrate academic excellence and are pursuing higher education. Over the years, the HOPE program has helped countless students afford college.

Pre-K Program

The lottery-funded Pre-K program is a voluntary program for four-year-old children designed to prepare them for kindergarten. This initiative has benefited families across Georgia, ensuring more children enter school with the skills they need to succeed.

6. Interesting Facts About the Georgia Lottery

Here are a few fun facts you may not know:

Billions for Education: Since 1993, the Georgia Lottery has transferred more than $25 billion to educational programs.

First-Year Success: The Georgia Lottery was the most successful startup lottery in U.S. history, generating more than $1 billion in ticket sales in its first year.

Popular Scratch-offs: Instant win scratch-off tickets are among the best-sellers, with various themes from popular culture and chances for instant prizes.

Record Jackpot Wins: Georgia has had several Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners, with prizes reaching hundreds of millions.

7. Responsible Gaming

While playing the lottery can be an enjoyable pastime, it's essential to approach it responsibly. Here are some key points for maintaining a healthy relationship with gaming:

Set Limits: Decide on a budget for lottery tickets and stick to it.

Know When to Take a Break: If playing becomes stressful or affects your financial situation, consider taking a break.

Seek Help if Needed: The Georgia Lottery provides resources for individuals who may need assistance with gaming habits. Reach out if you or someone you know may need support.

8. Conclusion

The Georgia Lottery Results is a multifaceted entertainment source offering various games and chances to win. From Cash 3 to multi-state jackpots like Powerball, the options are exciting, and each game contributes to Georgia’s education funding efforts. By playing responsibly, staying informed on results, and knowing how to claim prizes, players can maximize their lottery experience. Remember, while it's thrilling to dream about winning big, the real reward is in the fun of playing and knowing that every ticket purchased is a step toward a brighter future for Georgia's students.

[dowdonacloud]

The Depression Manual

I am guessing I’m like many of you in that I have too much faith in the internet. Faith and lack of motivation that is. I google something, scan the AI explanation and browse the first 5 articles that the search engines deems worthy.  

I google depression a lot. I do this to verify that yes, the last 30 years are correct and my symptoms match. I also look to see if my diagnosis might be more severe and have been afraid that I have any number of personality disorders which I guess makes me neurotic since hypochondria is a type of neuroticism. I am not interested in this new coded way of calling women crazy- ahem neurotic. But here, I digress.

I rest assured that I am like many others and seek more information and in my case always looking for more accurate language to wrap around my experience as someone with recurrent depressive episodes. What I’ve determined is that the info on depression- the detailed info, from the point of view of people who have lived it- is hard to come by.  Instead, we get the health briefs from mayo clinic and NIH about the symptoms of depression and of course the hotline. The symptoms including feelings of sadness and hopelessness, loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, fatigue/ low energy, sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, remembering details and making decisions, physical symptoms like headaches and chronic pain and thoughts of suicide.  A list. Not an article on anything beyond the list besides the mention at the end of the gold star standard treatment of SSRIs and cognitive behavior therapy. On my most recent search I saw an article that contained the regurgitated list and then emphasized self-care for the support person. We beg of you, take cover- I mean, take care of yourself when you are around the depressed person. Let them rot. They are rotting anyway.  These articles aren’t helpful to people who are experiencing the difficulty of not knowing what to do when their person is depressed.

My mom was very good about knowing how to interact with me, handle me during my depressive episodes. She wasn’t always good at it. When the episdoes first showed up in my mid-teens I didn’t know what to do about my personality slipping through my fingers, which is what it always feels like. She didn’t know what to do either and there was a lot of conflict. I wanted out from under the microscope and she wanted me to be OK. Worst. Episode. Ever.

I lost my mom two years ago to uterine cancer treatment complications. She was 73 and had lived a very healthy life. Never smoked cigarettes, drank only the occasional wine or beer, ate food prepared at home. She not only took good care of her body, she also took good care of her mind. She was extremely well read and had a wide array of references across subject matters. Sometimes I would find books in her nightstand stack about mental health. This was a semi-snoop on my part, trying to find out what she was finding out about me. Some of the books were hidden under clothes in her closet. This was a full-on total snoop. These books should be differentiated  from the books she would strategically place in my environment, knowing that I would be more likely to listen to the wisdom of a stranger than my mother. My favorite strategically placed book was titled “Caffeine: the Gateway Drug”.  That was strategically placed around the house after I got in trouble for taking a bunch of Nodoz at an overnight retreat freshman year. In my defense, these retreats were in the context of catholic school so they were dripping with prayer and reflections involving God’s plan.  I think I would have been manic at these retreats anyway.

I only started appreciating her approach when I was older and noticed changes in how she would communicate with me. 

I always feel the void of her absence. I especially feel it when I am struggling and wading through a depressive episode. I get lightning storms in my head when my partner or friends don’t demonstrate the same understanding of how to deal with a depressed person- which I know, is completely unfair. I have been wondering if it’d be worth it to write some sort of depression manual.

I am scared of being overly self-indulgent but in the interest of getting more articles out there from the point of view of someone who lives through depressive episodes, I’d like to contribute. I personally would like to read more articles from people who live with this pesky, devastating, debilitating disorder. 

My Depression Manual

1-AVOID THE MICROSCOPE

 Try not to throw a celebration when I say something little I did in a day that demonstrates “opposite action”, like running on the treadmill or leaving the house. It seems like this would be a nice thing to do but it actually feels condescending and reinforces the invalid state I’ve descended into. I would rather you wait a week or two and then you could say something like “I think it’s really impressive how much you’ve been running on the treadmill.” That would make me feel less like I’m under a microscope or like my loved ones are trying hard to find something positive to say. When I’m doing something that a normal, healthy person would do, like if I fell asleep easily or slept 8 hours, I’d like to have others react as if I’m a normal, healthy person, instead of drawing attention to the fact that the normal, healthy thing is abnormal for me. The pointing out reminds me that I’m different/struggling/ etc

2- THE VULNERABILITY LADDER.

I will share.  I share things.  I am vomiting my feelings and disorganized thoughts all the time.  I get embarrassed at the level of sharing especially when I feel like it’s one sided. So, you need to share too. If you share, then you don’t need to ask as many questions (ugh, too many questions are so irritating) because your sharing invites me to share.  Creating space for me involves a mutual level of vulnerability and trust. Often I share more when the other person puts some vulnerability on the table or if you want to keep it about how my reactions/ emotional states are affecting you, say something about how you have tried X but it doesn’t seem to be working. I often feel stagnant emotional states stir when I feel like someone else needs help or needs me to show up for them.

3- STOP EXPECTING MY BRAIN TO WORK IN THE SAME WAY

Depression interferes with my processing time, verbal speed and executive function. I get exhausted by socializing more easily, this includes phone time. I am working on using phrases that are kind and reflective instead of reactionary to end conversations. For now it might sound something like, “I need to get off the phone” or “I have to go”.  It’s hard not to take it personally but it’s not personal, it’s my capacity reaching overwhelm.  Often I try to hang in there and harangue myself when I don’t feel like I can hang in for long.  When I press myself to stay longer than I’m able it results in clipped, terse responses and acting in a way I don’t want to be, followed by guilt after the interaction due to the way I came across.

4- STOP EXPECTING ME TO BE BRIGHT AND SHINY

I’m sure you’ve heard of masking. We all mask to some extent and mask more during certain periods than others. And yes, of course I’m a little over the trendy mental health term of the past few years: authenticity, but it’s true. Having the ability to show up more authentically allows me to show up at all. If I can be lackluster, smile less, be less talkative, that’s the depression. I feel enormous pressure to somehow put it away and be the person that people know and like- and this leads me to not want to show up at all which leads me to my next point.

5-ISOLATION IS CAUSED BY OVERWHELM

One of my friends ( who has experienced major depression too) said to me that he is happy to come over and not talk, to sit and watch TV or just be in proximity, with no expectations from me. That was some magic my mom would provide- companionship that was gentle and different from the companionship that is possible when I’m not stuck. The isolation thing is something I see listed frequently- posed as advice to the depressed person as something not to do. Don’t isolate, get out, be around people. That is fine advice but it doesn’t deconstruct the why of isolation. Depressed people isolate because socializing is overwhelming, environments outside the home can be overstimulating, overstimulating environments combined with the pressure of socializing is too much. Despite that technically I may not be doing much, I still desire the slowness of being in my home environment.  When I take the instagram psychobabble advice of not isolating and just getting out there I am incredibly self conscious about point #3- that my brain, my words just don’t work in the same way.

6-CONVERSATIONS CAN BE DIFFICULT, SMALL TALK IS TORTURE- I know what you are thinking, small talk is always torture. But I mean really, beyond my brain processing slower with jumbled, disorganized, dark thoughts it’s so hard to work around the typical small talk questions. If we were to play this out with our favorite word to love and hate, authenticity this is what the small talk conversation might look like

Scene featuring: Non-depressed person aka the lucky bastard (LB)

Depressed person (DP)

LB calls DP on the phone because they are kind and supportive and this is a nice thing to do. 

DP stares at phone, feels panic, wants to ignore the call because they are not sure if they have enough energy in their body to speak but doesn’t want to be avoidant, doesn’t want to harm the relationship more than they fear they already have. DP picks up phone

LB: hi! What’s up?

DP: Not much, how are you? 

LB: Oh I’m just heading home from work, it was a really busy day but Carol brought in Schlotsky’s for lunch so that was nice I overslept because I was having the best dream so I think I got over 9 hours of sleep.  How are you?

DP: totally empty inside

LB: aw man, I’m sorry. That sucks. What did you do today?

DP: I woke up after a total of 4 hours of interrupted sleep throughout the night. I laid in bed for an hour contemplating the reason for my existence. My dog needed to be fed so I got up to feed him. I chain smoked 4 cigarettes and had coffee hoping that dosing myself with anxiety would be a sort of energy I could work with. I cried for 30 minutes. I stared at a picture of my mom for a while. I went to the bathroom and tried to convince myself to get in the shower but getting wet has been hurting my skin and making me panic lately so I didn’t. I went to do my TMS treatment and worried that I smelled bad. I came home and sat on the couch and literally stared at the wall for 40 minutes. I tried not to get back in bed but I was so tired that I got back in bed. I rewatched a show that I’ve seen a million times. I looked on instagram and thought about how different I was from people who actually do things. I cried again for a while. I remembered that I had clothes in the washing machine from yesterday morning that smelled musty so I rewashed them. 

LB:Well….that’s a lot of stuff at least. Are you feeling any better than yesterday?

DP: No. I feel the same as I’ve felt for a week which is worse than how bad I was feeling last week which is worse than how I was feeling the week prior to that. 

LB: Can I help in some way?

DP: I don’t really have the neural resources to figure out ways to help you feel like you are helping me. You could come over and sit with me and not touch me and just be in my environment.

LB: Oh I wish I could but I have to pick up the kids and head to their softball game. Another time though. I love you.

DP: Ok. Thank you. I need to get off the phone now. I feel exhausted from this conversation. I hope you don’t hate me because I am a terrible downer. 

LB: I don’t hate you. You’ll feel better soon. Hang in there.

DP: Ok. I will hang in there. Hopefully not literally. I’m sorry. That was a terrible thing to say.

I don’t have anything to share about my day- on the bad days.  I can listen to your day but I’d appreciate acceptance when I say I don’t have much to share. Also would appreciate being able to answer the phone and not feel pressured to “turn it on” and make animated small talk. I’m not going to be as talkative, it’s not personal, it’s just part of it.  I don’t want it called out or told that I’m “not being nice” because I’m not being talkative. Being nice and being talkative are not mutually exclusive, like, at all. Think about that for a second. 

7-RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO GET CLINICAL- I have a team of mental health professionals. I don’t need another one. I don’t need you to suggest various diagnoses, medications, therapy methods or adding magnesium supplements to treat my depression. I have dealt with this for decades, have explored so many paths, there isn’t much you can suggest to me that I haven’t tried. I get offended when people start suggesting things to add into my treatment plan. I need loved ones, not more doctors and therapists.

8- UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYTHING IS EFFORTFUL

And this is just the way it is. Until the clouds start to part and I can have my personality back.

9- I KNOW I WAS A SNOT EARLIER ABOUT SELF-CARE BUT IT IS IMPORTANT, YOU SHOULD DO IT

Take breaks. Do what you need to do to refuel. I feel a ton of guilt about subjecting people to me when I am under water.

[elmadrasahplatform]

The most important steps to obtain the results of the Emsat test

The results of the Emsat test are an important part of evaluating the performance of students in the Emirates. Universities and colleges rely on these results to determine the eligibility of students for admission to their academic programs. The Emsat test is a standardized exam in the United Arab Emirates that aims to measure the proficiency of students in a set of basic subjects

The results of the Emsat test can be obtained through several steps:

1. Registering in the official portal

Students can access their results through the official portal of the UAE Ministry of Education. You must be registered in this portal to be able to view the results of the Emsat test.

2. Logging into the personal account

After registering, the student must log in to his personal account using the required data (such as the national ID number and password).

3. Viewing the results

Once you log in to the account, you can access the "Test Results" page. Here you will be able to see the results of the Emsat test. for each subject.

4. Printing the results

The portal also provides an option to print a copy of the Emsat results. This copy may be required when applying to universities or jobs.

5. Contact Support

If you encounter any problems in obtaining your results, you can contact the technical support team through the portal or through the available hotlines.

6. Analyze the results

It is useful to analyze results of the Emsat test. to identify strengths and weaknesses in each subject. This analysis can help you identify areas that need improvement before applying for any future tests.

Importance of EMSAT Test

Knowledge and Skills Assessment

EMSAT assesses the student’s level of knowledge in a set of core subjects, helping to identify strengths and weaknesses in their academic achievement. These results can be used to improve academic performance in the future.

Achieving High Educational Standards

EMSAT helps ensure that all students in the UAE reach a certain level of proficiency in core subjects, which enhances the quality of education and ensures that students graduate who are well-qualified for market requirements.

Identifying Academic Pathways

Based on EMSAT results, students can identify the academic paths that are most suitable for them. The results may help guide students towards majors that match their skills and interests.

Conclusion:

EMSAT results play a crucial role in the path of higher education in the UAE, so it is important to review them as soon as they are released and analyze them well to benefit from them in future academic planning.

[tranquil-slaughterhouse]

The pain in the ass so far :

1st order gets cancelled half an hour after it was placed followed up by a call from the credit union nearly an hour later. After the rep informed Walmart supposedly, I was told to wait 10 min before reordering.

2nd order gets cancelled 10 minutes after it was placed. So I called the credit union hotline to complain to one rep. Apparently the billing address for my CU account must exactly match the billing address in my Walmart order ("street" is now reduced to "st").

3rd order gets cancelled ONE FUCKING MINUTE after it was placed. I called CU and another rep told me to try calling Walmart instead, thinking that this problem applies to buying stuff from third party vendors (even though this PS5 is directly from Walmart!).

4th order gets cancelled 7 minutes after it was placed. I called Walmart and they told me to call CU instead. FFS. Now after calling the CU for a 3rd time I'm waiting to get a call back from then and see what tech support has to say about it...

I've had it with these motherfucking orders getting motherfucking cancelled!

[bump1nthen1ght]

Hello! I wanted to ask, in case you were free to write something about it,

I don't remember where i saw the prompt in but, it was about the reader, while being upset and seeking comfort (accidentally?) calling an Incubus/succubus hotline

I think your writing's very neat and i would love to see how you might fill the prompt, be it sfw or not. But also entirely understandable if you don't feel like it!

Wishing you a good day! <3

Sure thing Anon! Thank you for your patience, I really enjoyed this prompt! I also might do a part two to these head canons (if people are interested), as it's mostly first time meet-cute shenanigans and I'd love to do more fluff (and perhaps some NSFW 👀👀)

GN!Reader accidentally calling a spicy hotline SFW headcanons

- You had actually been trying to call your therapist’s office, ironically. You were halfway through an already terrible week and definitely in need of an extra weekend session

- So flustered from crying for the past half-hour, you didn’t think anything of it when the new “receptionist” had a voice like liquid sex.

- “____, huh? That's a nice name, can I get a description to match such a cute name?”

- Uh, weird way to word it, but maybe they needed you to confirm your identity?

- “Sure? I’ve come in to the physical office before, but my birthday is-” You ramble off some descriptors, hoping that's what they’re looking for.

- “Wow, in-person huh. You must be a special treat, dearie, most of my coworkers don’t offer in person services unless very specific circumstances. If you don’t mind me asking, what’s your type? I might know some of your past companions, it’s a small office.”

- Ok, this is sounding more and more like a HIPAA violation in the making. And “companion”? What does that even mean??

- “I’ve worked with Dr. Sadith before, but, uh, I’m just calling to meet with Dr. Robert’s today.”

- “Doctor?” The voice asks, slightly losing its extra flirtation. “We don’t have any doctors here, hon, do you know the name of the hotline they’re with?”

- Hotline? What does that-

- Wait, what number is this?? You know the office’s number by heart, so you didn’t save it in your contacts, but you always-

- You look down at unidentified contact number, just realizing you misdialed

- The sexy voice, the personal questions, was this- Oh god did you???

- I’m sorry but-” You rush out, “What is the name of this hotline?”

- “Lonely Nights, dearie, and just so you know we’re only $20/hour. I know some other lines are a bit more expensive, but me and my coworkers are plenty compensated in….other ways.”

- You’d heard of this one before; You think one of you’re friends had sent you the number half as a joke after a particularly bad date you’d had.

- But it is cheaper than your therapist

- “That’s good to hear. Wouldn’t want to support a corrupt business.” You twiddle your fingers, now fully aware of the sensuality of the situation. “What was your name again? I think I missed it.”

- “The name’s Drorgomoth, but my friends call me Drogo. Can I get your name, sweetheart? Or would you prefer I stick to pet names?”

- “Uh, ____’s fine. But the pet names are nice.”

- “Good to hear, ___” They all but purr. “Now, what can I do for you tonight?”

- The downpour of a rant comes before you can stop yourself. You started to feel guilty about 10 minutes in, remembering that this was in fact a very cheap incubus/succubus hotline and you were supplying no sexual energy for Drogo to feast on. Your comments begin to dwindle as you play with the bottom of your pajama shirt, throwing in a lot of “I don’t know, it’s silly” to try to give Drogo (and yourself) a way to end the convo without sounding like a dick.

- “That’s honestly pretty fucked up of them to say. It’s especially unprofessional considering they’re your coworker. How are you feeling about it?”

- (Ok so you know they’re being paid to be nice to you, but goddamnit that was good to hear.)

- “Honestly? Pretty shitty. You’re right, that was fucked up. And you want to know what else they did? They-”

- You banter for another 40 minutes, the conversation ebbing out from your work troubles and more to casual get-to-know you chit-chat.

- (“Alright, how do we feel about pineapple on pizza?” “Oh do not get me started-”)

- You check your clock, remembering the pie you had out in the oven and that you’d seen be moving onto a second hour on the phone line.

- “Well, I should probably let you go, probably some more eager customers that need your attention.” You chuckle, trying to play off how nice this hour has been. “Thanks for listening to me, I know it probably wasn’t what you signed up for on this job, but I really appreciate it.”

- “Honestly, it was really nice for me to.” Drogo says, their natural voice still sultry but far less affected than their performative phone sex one. “Don’t often get some proper chit-chat on the clock. It’s usually right down to business. Plus, you're fun to talk to.”

- “Well I’m glad.” You murmur, double embaressed by how flistered that got you.

- “And-” they add, drawing out their -n sound, “If you ever need a chit-chat buddy, off-the-clock, even, y’know what number to call. Have a great night, ____.”

- Seems like you have a whole new issue to tackle, a crush in a person you’ve never even seen.

[yanderemommabean]

I’m just imagining someone making videos like “Hey guys! Welcome back to my make your dearest comfortable miniseries! First off, let’s talk bindings. It’s sadly common knowledge that our darling dearest might try to escape, but you would want to prevent that. And it’s no good to have bland bindings that hurt their skin! I highly recommend this one! *holds up chains with padded handcuffs* These are 10/10 and come in a variety of colors to suit even the pickiest of darling dearests!”

The video starts with an odd intro, and a masked man sits before the screen, waving casually. "Hey guys! It's Mr. Yan here! Today's little lesson in love is about your lovers comfortability in their new home!".

He slides to the side of the screen, pointing to some images of basic room set ups. "Now, we want them to feel at home right? So a basic aesthetic is nice, but they need stuff that matches their personality! Ya know, games, stuffed animals, books and so on! Each case is different, but here on the screen is some basic guidelines to help you out!".

He adjusts his mask, and gestures to the bottom of the screen. "My website has more resources to help you out as well. Groups of similar minded people, support hotline, and links to some tips and help groups for when my videos and tips just won't help! It's an excellent community guys, really, come join after you watch! We'll love to have you and help with how you keep your darling with you!"

(Just saying, it could WORK- Mommabean)