#it was a lot of maths and planning and like... creative engineering is the only way i can explain it

[katyobsesses]

I just got my first commission for a crochet piece 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 sure it's my Aunt, and I've offered a family discount but it's EXCITING none the less. I hope she agrees with the price because I am excited to get started!

[loremonster]

Btw ALL CRAFTS BENIFIT FROM INCREASING YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF MECHANICAL FORCES AND THE SHAPES OF ENGINEERING.

I grew up with my maternal grandparents visiting every summer with their trailer attatched ( heavy duty, biiig truck needed, deseil, associate the smell with their visits to this day, and the characteristic sound of the idiling engine ) and working with my Engineer ( Computer Science + UI Design, Electrical, HVAC, Boiler operation and troubleshooting, specialization in retrofitting old buildings with large multifloor airflow systems with minimal disturbance to the original structure, later trained to supervise new construction + oversee and assist in the labor of installation on site ) Dad to plan, construct, and install home and barnyard improvements / modifications / upgrades.

Not only were the blocks I played with from age 6 months to 14 years old made from scrap wood with the edges sanded off to make em kiddo safe, I was often Around as Dad and Grandpa were drawing on grid paper, discussing weight distribution, load bearing beams, when a box support is needed, how the square design of a box support is modified and how measurements on paper became the pieces that made a whole heckin chicken coop in one summer. As I got older I was trusted to read off those measurements so no one had to come down off a ladder to check things, and read the tape measure from the bottom and call out appropriate adjustments before a trim line is drawn. Dad goes down, Grandpa goes up, he checks the measurement again and makes his own mark. If they match, they cut. If they don't, they discuss how they made the measurement to troubleshoot why they got different results, and then we did it again to ensure understanding had been reached.

Measure until its consistant, accept human error, accept it happens All The Time, and check things until You Are Certain. THEN trim material.

A similar addage is learned in sewing; measure twice, cut once.

Mathamatics teaches guess and check, a handy principal in fibercrafts of all kinds.

Those scrap blocks I mentioned? Taught me about mechanical forces like gravity, friction, weight distribution across multiple shapes and which shapes built up best without falling over or bracing; all principals I applied later not only in crafting DIY stuff around the house but also within my artistic practice when imagining and arting locations, clothing, and people.

A lot of practical knowledge gets locked behind the barrier of Theoretical Physics ( i.e when its just numbers on paper Theorizing On How A Thing May Work In Real Space ) before an institution will let ya get your brain onto some real instruction. But there's a lotta things you can do to learn these things in your own home, and most are forms of play or creative hobbies.

Near everything you do with your body and brain together benifits both, in skill and theorizing on future intentions as they go from an idea to something others can SEE and sometimes even HOLD IN THEIR HANDS.

I still firmly beleive the ability to idiate upon something until one figures out How To Show It To Someone Else is truely the closest humans get to Actual Magic, and exists somewhere within everything people make or actuate with their physical person. And I think that undefinable Magic is what we call Art. The Arts. Crafting, creative, visual, audio, narrative, culinary, woodworks, masonry, smithing, fiberworks, fabrics, tailoring, and more than I even know to name because the catagory of Things People Imagine And Then Make Real is PRETTY FREAKIN WIDE.

These things are not sperate from the "hard" bodies of study and practice, math used to be considered magical and esoteric, and only became respectable when Accurate Measurement caused less people to die at the Apothocary, birthing the More Respectable Alchemist, and later into just Chemist-- all based on Math; an imagined system applied to the real world, bounded on proven precepts that are applied over and over and over to LITERALLY ANYTHING we can try it on to see If It Still Tracks Or We Missed Something-- thus why Gravity Is A Theory, and why Theory is one of the strongest words in scientific study, physics, and so on; it means It has Survived Years Of Genuine And Strenious Testing, Found Every Way It Was Wrong, And Continue Tweaking And Testing And CALIBRATING Our Imagined Incraments To Measure The World And Think More Accurately About Future Intentions.

Like the practice of all crafts and arts.

I guess this is Art Theory now? 🤷🏼

[quietmarie]

What am I working on right now?

I realise I haven't really listed what I am doing and have been doing in terms of projects on Tumblr so far, so in case you're curious what I'm doing, here you go. With images and all this is gonna be quite lengthy, so have a look under the cut:

First of all, Job and Uni:

At the start of the month, the new uni semester begun, and I also got a job in programming! Uni courses are pretty chill this year, and I'm at the job two days a week. It's really nice so far, and it involves developing algorithms used for CAM and CNC-machines.

As a uni project I did..

A physics engine for Godot:

Godot is a game engine. As part of an uni course, two fellow students and I wrote the mathsy bulk of a physics engine for it. This includes stuff like collision handling and various joints (like hinge joints you'd use for a physics-based door etc.), but because of time constraints doesn't include collision detection, which is handled by Bullet. Outside of the planned curriculum, I also derived the equations for and implemented rope joints, which simulate, well, ropes.

And currently, outside of uni, I still want to work on the engine by implementing..

Portals:

Yea I want to implement portals using the custom physics engine we built. But not just portals as Valve did them, that would be too easy. I want them to be able to move and interact with other objects while remaining physically accurate (or, as physically accurate as they can be considering they're portals). The current state of things:

The dream is to be able to build gorgeous architecture, like, I'm thinking buildings resting on top of pillars that are always moving. If I can get this to work I really ought to discuss the vision with some artists and creative folk in general, because I feel like there's so much unexplored creativity in art with portals. But yeah, there's still a lot of very intimidating maths/physics until I get there.

As for other private/free-time projects..

SSBToni:

SSBToni is probably my most ambitious project yet. Toni is a Discord bot for the competitive Super Smash Bros. community (currently in 1.9k servers wowee). Her main selling point is the ability to show frame data and hitbox gifs, but she can also do some other stuff like guide you through a full match of Smash Bros. according to a range of competitive rulesets, from rock-paper-scissors through stage bans all the way to game reporting. She's written in Java with JDA, and her code is hosted here.

I want to do ranked matchmaking and Smash profile images later on, so I have to do some web backend work. The bulk of that is private still, but some of that spun off into separate projects which are..

instant-glicko-2:

The Glicko-2 rating system is great, but it has some issues if you want to use it for real-time ratings/rankings. This Rust library aims to solve these issues to allow for good real-time rankings that are still accurate to the Glicko-2 system. I wrote about how I achieve that here, and the code is hosted here. Note that I do want to change some stuff still which I don't mention in the article I wrote, and in the current form it is probably not production-ready.

cache-compute:

In all honesty, maybe my proudest public thing yet, and it's a single-file ~500 line Rust crate. Based on this blogpost by fasterthanlime, the library makes caching for async stuff much easier, which is gonna be extremely useful in web backend stuff. If a resource isn't available locally (cached), you might have to spend some time making a request to get it from elsewhere to cache it. This library makes sure you only make that request once when you need it, and sorts everything out so that everyone waiting on the resource gets a copy the moment it arrives.

Part of why I'm so proud of this is that, for one, I consider the core finished and very much usable, and secondly, because I wrote so many and such long and exhaustive tests for it, just to hopefully be able to catch any weirdness that comes up. Because writing this kind of concurrent code is hard.

And that's it for projects I would want to show off and write about.

There are of course always ideas in my idea list (currently four or five good ones I'm not working on), maybe I'll post about those too sometime. If you're curious or starved for ideas feel free to ask about them too, I don't think I'll be able to do all of them and the list is only growing larger.

[smartmathtutoring]

Why Is Linear Equation Important?

In math, there are basic ideas called linear equations that are used in a lot of different courses and in real life. Understanding what they mean not only helps with math, but it also gives people useful tools for solving problems. Mastering Volume I Linear Equation, a self-teaching guide by Smart Math shows how important linear equations are with examples and simple answers.

Importance of Linear Equation

Useful for various fields – We can use linear equations in a lot of different areas, like physics, economics, engineering, and the social sciences. In physics, we talk about how space, time, and speed are linked so that we can study motion and guess what will happen. Economists use linear equation to show how supply and demand changes over time. Linear equations are used by engineers to plan buildings and systems.

 Being able to solve problems:  You will be able to think more seriously and answer problems better if you know how to solve linear equations. People who know how to change numbers to get answers are better able to deal with tough situations. This helps you do math better and also makes you smarter and better at making decisions, which is useful at school and at work.

Base for more advanced math: Learning how to answer linear equations helps you when you move on to more difficult math problems and systems of equations. You can understand more complicated math ideas and models better if you know how to solve linear problems well.

For education purpose:  It helps students remember what they've learned and keeps them interested. They use real-life examples that connect easy math to harder math. When kids know how to solve linear problems, they feel better about their math skills and are ready for classes that are harder and regular tests.

Summary 

Mastering Volume I Linear Equation is a good book for people who want to learn how to use linear equations properly and understand how they work. Some people can look at data, make smart decisions, and solve problems in creative and useful ways when they know how to use linear equations. This is useful in school, at work, and in everyday life.

[voxiiferous]

“Alastor’s always thought that,” Vox still remembers their first meeting, 1956, his head had still been the large, wide and bulky, and more prone to losing his face signal. Before the Blue Light District even had blue lights, or been anything more than a few streets and the very, very early version of this building.

He’s not sure if Alastor has ever realized how instrumental he was to Vox’s rise to power. Century old Overlords and none of them were because twenty years earlier the Radio Demon came with carnage. The Vogitek tower is where it had all started, the TV and the 666 News, long before he was all the media in Hell. "He thought I was an awful upstart in a medium that would never catch on, not like his beloved radio."

He lifts an eye, "It's the heart of the entire city's power grid, rather than just my corner of it." The first time Valentino broke him screen the entire city went dark until he had replaced his screen. Now it can happen, and usually the city stays in, even if Val's corner goes dark, better control, and better awareness, but it's always humming in the back of his mind, all those people hooked into it, store fronts full of screens. Despite Alastor's derision, it had cottoned on. "It would have to be enough, and destroyed thoroughly enough, that the people I keep on staff for maintenance couldn't fix them quickly."

"Apt comparison. I suppose even in the city that never sleeps, theres always going to be boredom." He's isn't going to ask how that works. Innate knowledge? Convenience? He knows because Alastor does? The biology of Hell is baffling at best, in large part because it obeys no laws of consistency. He runs a blue-tipped claw gently across Astor's wrist, "Does it glow?" His subtle pleasure at their shared azure has not faded.

"I was a journalist first," he says, diploma is long, long gone, but it's true. He had been good at the math, it's not why he didn't pursue engineering further, it just... hadn't stood out, he hadn't had the creativity or the temperament for it. Granted, the journalism didn't last long, just long enough to get him a job with the television.

He twists his hand, so he's no longer touching Astor's wrist, and but he does eye the scar, different than the rest of his... skin? He laughs, and with the free arm, gestures around the apartment. "I couldn't stop you getting in even if I wanted to. You bypassed all the security measures. Promise, I don't plan on using it." He doesn't want to either, but it comforts him to understand if nothing else, the same curiosity of the kid that wanted to know how everything worked. "If would be you who is immune to holy weapons."

"Even if you did lose an arm, I have to wonder if it would grow back line the sinners do when they regenerate, permanent only until a reset." A sinners body can take a lot, more than Vox realized until he met Valentino, but even then, when 'death' comes, it all resets.

[capricores]

✨ the signs and work (careers, needs in workplace, work-mindset, etc)

♡ check your sun, mars, ascendant, midheaven and sixth house signs. keep in mind your entire chart, especially planets in the sixth/tenth house can hugely change the expression of this. sagittarius mars + midheavens tend to hate routine, but if you have a taurus sun/moon, you’re likely to prefer routine and be more comfortable with it. the aspects to these planets and your midheaven/ascendant can entirely change things too. this is a general post. 

i also recommend checking the position of your midheaven ruler and the sign/house it is in (ruler of the midheaven is simply the planet that rules the signs of your midheaven: sun=leo, moon=cancer, mercury=gemini/virgo, venus=libra/taurus, mars=aries/scorpio, jupiter=sagittarius/pisces, saturn=capricorn/aquarius, neptune=pisces, uranus=aquarius, pluto=scorpio). so if you have a gemini midheaven, look to what sign your mercury is in and read for that as well.

reasons for choosing these placements: sixth house represents routine, habits and service; it will more-so highlight how you feel about and approach day-to-day work and serving others. midheaven is your ideal career and ambitions in the workplace; it’s also your image while at work. ascendant + sun both blend together to create one’s general temperament and personality; as well as outlook on life. these two placements highlight hobbies, desires, wants; and therefore influence career needs and work habits. mars is your drive, ambition, energy, etc; therefore showing up in the workplace strongly.

bite-sized version (see the read more for full sign explanations)

aries: careers that allow independence and decision-making. careers in the outdoors. high-energy, physical careers; careers that allow them to use their hands. entrepreneurship is ideal as they like to have complete control over their projects and schedules. jobs with competitive factors will be most motivating to them. they do really well in high-stress careers that require fast-action. sales, any sort of business ventures, management, directing, athletics, construction, welding, etc.

taurus: careers that offer consistency, stability and security. careers that allow for independence. entrepreneurship; taureans aren’t good at taking orders. anything involving the environment, animals, or children. coffee shops, bakeries, childcare, environmental activism, tree nursery staff, animal rescue, etc. taurus placements hold high levels of creativity and are very good at curating styles that appeal to wide varieties: therefore design (fashion, interior - even food/graphic design) based careers are ideal.

gemini: intellectual stimulation, flexibility and frequent change are absolute requirements in gemini careers. without frequent mental stimulation, gemini placements get anxious and want to quit. it’s hard for them to stick to jobs that don’t offer lots of change, variety and difficulties. engineering, computer programming, math-based careers, etc. geminis are excellent communicators are thrive in careers involving writing, public speaking, sales, etc. the environment and people gemini works with are as important as the job itself for them. gemini needs to do multiple things at once; careers involving multi-tasking are essential. routine, predictable careers are the enemy.

cancer: cancers need stability and control in their career. they’re very nostalgic and can often be seen carrying on family businesses or pursuing careers influenced by their families. research & history based careers are great for cancers (historian, librarian, scientific research, detective, etc). cancers do well connecting with others; careers that allow genuine interaction are great (psychologist, social worker, human resources, etc). careers that allow them control. the environment of a cancer’s work space is extremely important: they usually do best working at home. careers relating to food. careers connecting to childcare.

leo: careers need to allow them recognition and praise; attention via career is important (social media, tv personalities, etc). careers that allow a creative outlet with high-energy; but still offer stability and consistency. competitive environments are best for leo. working with children, athletic coaching, fashion, sales, marketing, and so forth are all great paths. management positions or running their own business is ideal for leos who don’t take well to criticism or direction. leos love being social and enjoy careers that give them a social outlet. analytical careers pair surprisingly well with leo; i’ve noticed they’re often drawn to and successful with paths relating to computer science & engineering.

virgo: similar to gemini, careers that are fast-paced and challenging are essential. mental stimulation is an absolute must, and the most important factor for a virgo. careers revolving around healing, health and nutrition fit well with virgo. working with animals and the environment. analytical, logic-forward careers that requirement complex solutions and quick thinking. careers involving communication, especially written, are ideal. virgos are excellent with small details and do well with careers that focus on these. writing, computer programming, chemistry, engineering, teaching, vet tech, dietician, doctor, surgeon, etc.

libra: careers heavily connected to aesthetics: libras require beauty in every aspect of life, especially career (fashion, interior & graphic design; any art-related field; music, etc). careers loaded with social interactions, libras get drained and bored in a career that’s isolating and lonely. ilbras are charming and do well in positions like sales that utilize this charm for personal gain. careers that require a strong sense of justice and morals (law, judge, detective, managerial positions, etc).

scorpio: competitive, target based careers that give them power. behind-the-scenes careers that give them recognition but still allows their privacy. creative -heavy careers such as writing, art, fashion. careers connecting to the occult (ie: astrology/divination). careers that allow them to utilize their unmatchable investigation skills (detective, lawyer, scientist, etc). careers that give them flexibility, yet stability; the only change they want to experience at work is self-controlled. scorpios prefer to work alone than in groups; careers of solitude or ones that allow them to control others are best.

sagittarius: careers that allow them to channel their natural educator & humanitarian role (teacher, philosopher, lawyer, philanthropist, etc). careers that allow them to travel as part of their job (pilot, travel guide, trip planner, translator, etc). careers with huge amount of flexibility, frequent change; careers that give them independence and allow for constant growth, learning and expansion. they never want to be fully “comfortable”. athletic, physical careers; careers in the outdoors (ie: athletic coach, sports teams, etc). 

capricorn: careers that allow for complete autonomy and control. entrepreneurship was made for capricorns. careers that promise stability, security, and a laid-out climb to the top. careers heavily based in logic & analyzing; finance-based careers are also ideal. financial analysis, architecture, CFO positions, etc. working with animals and being connected to the earth are beneficial. management positions are ideal, although capricorns tend to do everything themselves regardless of who’s working for them. careers that involve a lot of careful planning and thinking ahead; routine.

aquarius: careers involving music and/or art (nearly every aqua placement i meet is talented in + passionate about some artistic outlet, channelling these interests into careers is beneficial). careers involving technology, science, and lots of analyzing/logic. computer science, engineering, mathematician, data analyst, etc. careers that give them longer periods of isolation with healthy amounts of socialization in between; they require a good balance. careers that give them independence, yet structure; careers that change on their own terms only. 

pisces: careers with complete flexibility: routines, heavy structure and similar are the enemy. careers that allow a channel for healing and/or spirituality (divination, astrology, nutrition, psychology, etc). careers relating to philosophy, humanitarianism, teaching; much like sagittarius - anything that allows frequent growth and expansion. careers heavy with travel and new experiences. careers that allow a creative outlet are best for pisces (design, photography, filmography, music), they also do well in social based careers such as being influencers or tv stars. avoid careers with rough environments as they’re the sign most likely to absorb negative energies.

♡ mutable signs (pisces, sagittarius, gemini, virgo):

these signs have busy minds. they always need to be moving, and require constant mental stimulation. work without mental stimulation will quite literally drive them up the wall. if their work traps them into non-challenging (gemini/virgo) or routine (pisces/sagittarius) environments, they’ll not only want to quit, but likely be negatively impacted in terms of energy and mental health. if you have strong mutable placements, it’s important for you to find a flexible and stimulating career; a career with a lot of socializing is often preferable as well. they require lots of encouragement and praise in their work to stay committed and on-track.

the ideal careers for mutable signs are ones that allow for stimulation and change (virgo is more comfortable with routine, gemini is *okay* with routine; but both requirement frequent challenges in the workplace to stay satisfied, they need to be “solving” things). mutable signs don’t mind working behind the scenes, or under the direction of someone else, so long as they’re in an exciting environment that allows them to fully utilize their wit, creativity and quick problem solving skills. 

it’s very important for mutable signs to become friends with those in their workplace (especially pisces and gemini placement individuals). because of their constant need for mental (and also social) stimulation, it’s vital for them to be able to form friendships (not necessarily deep/close friendships, but at least surface level) in the workplace and have a frequent social outlet while working. mutable signs are also extremely susceptible to their environment and those around them (as are the water signs), so a toxic workplace will have a significantly harsher impact on their well-being than other signs would experience. their mental and physical health can both be immensely affected when they’re in toxic environments around toxic people (of course this is true for anyone, but mutables are drained by this on a whole other level). mutable signs can easily love a job they would normally hate, if the environment is positive and fun for them; and vice versa.

✧ sagittarius and pisces: no matter how much these two signs love their job, they will still hate their job. pisces and sagittarians tend to hate work. this isn’t because they’re lazy, or incapable of putting in hard work; because they’re more than capable, and do it frequently. but to them, work, especially routine work (nine to fives, forty hours a week, etc), limit them. pisces and sagittarius share jupiter as their ruler; jupiter is all about expansion, growth and freedom. these signs hate being boxed in and tied down. they require living lives that allow for frequent growth. namely, pisces and sagittarius love to always be learning and bettering themselves, especially spiritually and philosophically. if they’re stuck in a career that limits their expansion; or lacks “abundance” when it comes to choices and growth, they’ll be extremely unsatisfied.

pisces and sagittarians are free spirits, and these placements (especially in the personal planets and as ascendant) love physical change; aka traveling. a job that allows them to travel, especially to other countries/long distances, will be ideal and fulfilling for them. creative outlets, educational paths, or any career relating to spirituality, philosophy or similar will be best for them. pisces do really well in careers related to healing and helping; sagittarians do really well in careers related to teaching. sagittarians, being fire signs, also require careers that keep them relatively physically active.

some suggested careers (pisces, sagittarius): travel-related (flight attendant, trip planner, etc), translation/interpretation, photography, arts, astrology, divination, food (chef, front of house, etc), teaching, medicine (namely naturopaths, nutrition, etc), motivational / public speaking, philanthropy 

✧ geminis and virgos: being mercury-ruled, these two signs need intellectual stimulation more than anyone else. they do not do well in monotonous or “easy/simple” jobs. although these two signs might not be as bothered by routine as their fellow mutable signs, they instead require a constantly challenging and stimulating environment. fast-paced, high-stress careers where they’re able to problem-solve and think on their feet are best for these two signs. although they have to be careful of overly stressful jobs and burning themselves out, due to their tendencies of overthinking, nervousness and how easily stressed they can get. it’s best for them to work in challenging environments, with kind and encouraging management, as to avoid any possible burnout or anxiety in the workplace.

again, thanks to their mercury influence, these signs have a way with words. anyone with strong gemini or virgo placements is bound to be great when it comes to writing and/or speaking. being an author is something those with either of these placements would really excel at. also, working in sales (mainly with gemini, virgo shyness and hermit habits may put them off of this career lol) is something gemini & virgo THRIVE in. they’re very good at speaking to others and swaying their opinions, so closing deals with people is a very easy and satisfying thing for them to do.

some suggested careers (gemini, virgo): computer science/technology fields, detective work, writing, research-based fields, nutrition/dietetics (virgo), sales (gemini), something with a lot of public speaking (but this likely freaks them out and makes them nervous- they are amazing at it though), event planning

some mutable careers (all/mixed): teaching, international relations, politics (sagittarius and gemini), music (pisces especially), comedy (gemini and sagittarius), marketing & sales, law, medical fields (virgo and pisces), travel & tourism, librarians/working in bookstores

♡ cardinal signs (aries, cancer, libra, capricorn):

these signs thrive most placed in roles of leadership and entrepreneurship. directing others and having control over their own actions and projects is most satisfying for these individuals. cancers and libras don’t mind working under the control of others, capricorn and aries do not do well in situations controlled or directed by others. however, capricorns and aries can handle working under others as long as they have a means for doing so (ie: they have some power over others at the same time, they’re awaiting a promotion, etc).

these signs are ambitious, initiators, and go-getters. they are the ones with the big ideas and the detailed plans of how things will go. they enjoy motivating others and seeing others succeed, so they make for wonderful managers. managerial positions are great for these signs, since they can struggle a bit with following through/staying on task, having a role where they create the ideas/tasks and have someone else finish it is more ideal.

✧ aries and capricorn: these signs, far more than other cardinals, really do better working alone or in positions of power. entrepreneurship is more ideal for these two than probably any other sign. additionally, both aries and capricorn are very connected to the physical realm. aries does really well in physically-active careers (manual labor, athletics, etc), and they also really love the outdoors. capricorn, being so connected to the earth, also loves any sort of outdoors/earth-connected career. jobs that allow them to be outside in nature, or directly working with nature, will do them both great.

these two signs are very good at managing and directing, however their styles can be a little harsh. they also tend to have the attitude where they’d rather do everything themselves so that it’s done “right”. because of this, it’s best for them to work independently at their own business, or to have someone working as a buffer of communication between them and employees when it comes to instructing and critiquing. they do, however, do very well as trainers, since they’re very to-the-point and enjoy allowing others to shadow them/vice versa. being trainers allows them to let out their overly picky/specific side for the better.

these two especially thrive in any career that allows them to showcase their straight-forward and analytical natures. fields such as law, are so amazing for both of these signs. aries loves the challenge of a field like law, and probably enjoys the ability to “argue” for work. capricorn’s interest will be held by the analytical, research based aspects of law, as well as the ability to “argue” for work. both signs enjoy being right, competitiveness, and independence, so fields similar to law are perfect. 

both signs can also handle high-stress and high-pressure environments with ease, quite possibly more than any other signs. they also need frequent challenge and competitiveness in careers, so any sort of job that hits these requirements would be best. if they don’t feel as if they’re climbing a ladder, or achieving a visible, measurable level of success (ie: hitting/exceeding targets), they won’t feel fulfilled.

some suggested careers (aries, capricorn): entrepreneurship, instructing/coaching (athletics, etc), athletics (aries), project managers/management in general, conservationists, lawyers, food service, finance/accounting, any analytical/logic-based careers (capricorn), architecture, computer programming, sales (aries; they have the energy + charisma for this), marketing, real estate (aries), physical therapy, chiropractor, personal trainer (aries)

✧ cancer and libra: one important thing to mention for these two signs is they require a comfortable, positive work sign; almost to the extent that mutable signs do. their work environments have to be comfort zones, much like their homes, or they’ll struggle a lot in their career despite how much they enjoy the job itself. the people they work with and space they work in are extremely important to them. if they work from home, it’s vital they have a comfortable, well-decorated home office in order to be fully productive and in their “zones”.

these two signs have a very unique way of managing. they’re very good at getting people to do things, without realizing they’ve been influenced to do something. both of these signs can get along with nearly anyone, and have very warm, nurturing natures; which makes them highly successful in roles ranging from management to sales and anything of the likes. their social skills are impressive, as are their problem-solving skills, which makes them well-suited for fields like human resources, law (mainly libra), psychology, social work, etc. both do well in customer service and marketing because of their people skills.

the difference between these two lies in their public preferences. libra is a very public sign, and also the sign of justice. journalist, social media influencer/tv personality, publicist, judge/lawyer, and fashion design are some potential careers that align well with libra’s needs for recognition and admiration. on the other hand, cancer much prefers a more private life, although still enjoys (genuine) interaction with others. due to their nurturing personalities and creativity, cancers thrive in careers relating to medicine, food, design (especially interior, architecture, etc - anything related to the home as cancer is the sign connected with the *home*), and so forth.

these two signs are also highly creative and thrive in roles that allow for this expression. libra specifically thrives in fields like fashion or graphic design, cancer thrives in fields like interior design or baking/cooking. 

some suggested careers (cancer, libra): law (libra), fashion (libra), interior design, graphic design (libra), childcare (cancer), psychology, social work, medicine (cancer), chef/baker/similar (cancer), real estate, sales & marketing (libra), journalist (libra), publicist (libra), architect (cancer), customer service, social media (influencer, marketing, etc), acting, game design/development (cancers especially - they seem to be so good with video games)

some cardinal careers (all/mixed): entrepreneurship, design, development & research, finance/accounting, architecture, lawyers, judges, detectives (especially libra & cancer), real estate, sales & marketing, management, human resources (cancer/libra)

♡ fixed signs (taurus, leo, scorpio, aquarius):

these signs do best in positions of total autonomy. working under the discretion of others is not ideal for these individuals. with creative minds and a need for independence and power; these individuals also tend to do best in fields relating to art, or creation of some sort. aquarius and taurus can handle working under others without much power, but leo and scorpio do not do well when given directions (they can handle it, but they don’t like it). it’s against fixed sign nature to follow orders. however, fixed signs do generally enjoy routine, so they won’t mind working under someone if it provides them consistency and stability. they might even skip on desired promotions, new/better job opportunities and more due to their fears/dislike of change (especially taurus).

fixed signs have this unmatchable resilience when it comes to work. these are the people that will easily put in 70+ hours a week with minimal complaints. they’re excellent at following through with things and sticking to their jobs/tasks, even when they hate them. fixed signs are also the only modality that’s consistent and excellent with following through. these signs have a bit of trouble getting started, though, and often need a push and help to get things going. 

leo and taurus need stability and consistency in their career, whatever it may end up being. these two do not do well with change; and don’t usually like jobs that require them to frequently adapt or start new routines. aquarius and scorpio on the other hand, thrive within change; and are more than used to adapting to sudden, significant changes. these two, however, still prefer a more stable routine; as they tend to fear/dislike change that is not self-inflicted. the biggest things for fixed signs are stable, consistent careers. they also need careers that allow them power and individualism. aquarius and leo specifically need careers that allow them to “show off” or get recognition, preferably from a larger audience.

scorpios & leos thrive with incentives and praise, so careers that offer bonus pays, targets, and promotions with set goals will motivate them a lot more in work. any sort of competitive work will get those two signs going. aquarians however are more indifferent to these things, they tend to be more detached with the material benefits of work. taureans usually dislike these types of careers, they want work with consistency: consistent pay, consistent hours, etc.

✧ leo and aquarius: these signs require attention and recognition for their work more than anyone. they’ll do behind the scenes work if they need to, but generally they enjoy being the center of other’s attentions (aquarius won’t admit this though). these two signs have very unique ideas, and are bustling with creativity. more than anything, they need a career that allows creative expression and individuality. they don’t do well being boxed in and restricted in their endeavors. most of all, these two need careers that are challenging, consistent yet flexible, and allow both social and creative outlets. 

aquarius is the sign relating to technology, so of course they will naturally thrive in technology-related careers. aquarians have busy minds and the patience to work out complex problems; so a career in computer programming, or something similar, would do them well. graphic design and architecture are two other careers that come to mind. engineering (but something more like music engineering, that allows them that creative outlet) is another great choice. aquarians are also humanitarians at heart, so charity-related careers, or careers of similar nature (ie: social worker) would be great for them. careers with a lot of either problem-solving/complex issues, humanitarian causes, or music/art are best for aquarians.

leos are natural born entertainers and story-tellers. they also can fit well into many social environments, and are so naturally charming it’s easy for them to get on anyone’s good side. because of this, any social-heavy career is great for them (motivational speaking, writing, acting, sales, marketing, etc). leos also have big hearts and tend to love children and/or animals, so i always recommend childcare or animal care to these types of leos. at the end of the day, despite leo’s need to be independent/not heavily controlled at work, they do love that social interaction that can come with working. leos are also bursting with creativity, and tend to have affinities with art, so any art-field is a great career selection for them. as a fire sign, leos also thrive in physically-active careers (athletics, manual labor, etc) that keep them up and moving.

some suggested careers (leo, aquarius): music (especially aqua), fashion-related fields; especially design, ANY sort of artistic field (design, painting, acting, etc), childcare (leo), marketing, sales, engineering, charitable organizations (aquarius), computer programming/science (aquarius), writing (leo), social media (marketing, management, influencer)

✧ scorpio and taurus: these signs don’t mind being behind the scenes, so long as they still have significant power in their work environment and control over themselves. overall, they’d typically rather work for themselves than someone else, they truly hate answering to others and generally don’t like being disturbed/overly social at work (it drains them, and they usually find it annoying/disrupts their work flow). i suggest more independent-work type of careers for these signs, or careers that allow them to instruct others on what to do, not the other way around.

both signs are very intense and investigative, and once they start something they have a laser-like focus that will help them see through a project to the end. scorpios specifically need careers that allow THEM flexibility and the ability to enact change when they see fit. taureans, however, need careers with minimal change, including self-inflicted. taurus requires stability and consistency more than any other sign in the zodiac, especially at work. 

taureans have a very nurturing energy, including at work, and they have a natural connection to the earth/environment. because of this, i always see taureans fitting so well into careers involving the environment (think anything from environmental law to conservationist to florist, etc). personally, both taurus and scorpio i can see running adorable little flower shops, crystal shops or cafes and it would be too perfect for them. these two signs are usually bookworms too so i feel like working in a bookstore would be so perfect for them both. scorpios really do need that power and slight competition in work. they need to be challenged more than any of the other fixed signs, or they will get extremely bored. i often find scorpios thrive most in unfamiliar environments, so sudden switches in work may be a comforting thing for them.

some suggested careers (scorpio, taurus): investigator/detective (scorpio), research-based fields (scorpio), interior design, fashion, food-related field (taurus), childcare (taurus), architecture, divination + astrology (scorpio), office jobs (taurus - but more a WFH environment), work from home jobs in general (they don’t like leaving the house), working with animals/rescuing, environmental law (taurus), law (scorpio), environmental activism (taurus), conservationist (taurus), librarian/bookstore jobs

some ideal fixed careers (all/mixed): tattoo artist (this career always comes to mind with scorpio/taurus especially), design, any sort of arts-related career, managerial roles, entrepreneurship, athletic instructor/similar (leo & taurus), farming (taurus & leo), florist/anything working with plants (taurus & scorpio), childcare (leo & taurus), competitive environments (leo & scorpio)

[tf2-hellhole]

can we get some fluffy tf2 headcannons? giving you full creative liberty over this one! :)

Idk if you meant tf2 x reader headcanons or just general head canons, so I did two sections for each merc; the first point is a general headcanon, the second is X Reader.

sorry this took forEEEEEEEEVER, I was just experiencing burnout and working on a prize for a contest on my server (BTW WE HAVE A NEW DRAWING CONTEST GO CHECK IT OUT)

Scout:

Scout is actually really self-concious about his intelligence. He’s not very bright and he knows it, and it makes him feel horrible. He had flunked out of high school and struggled in most of his core classes. He honestly feels really stupid and he hates when people point it out. But luckily for him, a lot of the other mercs understand what it’s like to be looked down upon and empathize with him. Quite a few of them help him relearn the skills he never mastered in school. Engie helps him with math, Spy sometimes helps him with writing, and even Pyro has him read children’s books to them to improve his reading.

Scout absolutely loves little casual dates. Stuff like going out to eat lunch, going to the movies, maybe just cuddling up in his quarters and watching a movie. He tries to plan one every week. His dream date is taking you back to Boston to meet his family and go to a Red Sox game. But obviously, since you’re both in New Mexico at the time, he’s going to have to shelve that dream for a few years.

Soldier:

Soldier is an excellent raccoon dad. At first, the other mercenaries thought they’d all end up dead by the end of the month when he first found them. But surprisingly, they are are very well cared for. They’re all fed regularly and basically have his entire assigned quarters to themselves. He loves every single one of them dearly, even the ones that hiss and scratch him every time. The raccoons, at least some of them, are kind of like weird, quiet dogs, and actually get along pretty well with most of the other mercenaries.

Soldier is a surprisingly very physically affectionate partner, and he’s not at all opposed to PDA. He loves hand holding, cheek kisses, cuddles, the whole nine yards. Whenever he’s particularly excited, he loves to run up to you, scoop you up into his arms, and press a hard, sloppy kiss to your lips. Of course, he’s careful to not hurt you, but he’s a very intense, emotional guy and he needs to express all that love he has for you!

Pyro:

Pyro is and excellent listener, so they’re a person a lot of the other mercenaries depend on to vent. Demo often comes to them to vent about his emotions, Scout, Sniper, or Medic will rant about what’s bothering them, and even Engineer will talk about his stress. And of course, Pyro doesn’t understand a lot of what is told to them, but they’re still happy to help them feel a little better, and they would happily do it a hundred times over to make their friends feel better.

Pyro has a hobby of baking and making candy/treats, and they love sharing everything they make with you. When they first gave you a treat, you honestly thought it’d be burnt or bad in some other way. But to your surprise, it was amazing! They’re actually and excellent cook, but they just love making sweet things the best. They’ll make you just about anything you could ask for without hesitation, but they’re best at making anything sweet.

Demo:

Demo obviously has the potential to pretty emotional when he’s drunk, there’s no doubt about that. But on the off-chance that he’s sober, he’s actually pretty sweet and considerate. Though he still is a rough-housing joker, he’s much more considerate of his friends’ feelings and has deeper and more meaningful conversations with them. He often likes to go to bars with his friends and co-workers on ceasefire weekends, having lots of fun conversation, drinking together, and generally causing chaos around town.

Demo, to put it simply, doesn’t like himself. He’s critical of everything, from his skills to race, because people have always put him down about them. His mother told him he’s lazy and unskilled too many times to count, just everyone makes fun of his eye, and many have made fun of his skin color. But you make him feel so much better about himself. Just the fact that someone so kind and gorgeous is actually with him makes him feel like he’s not as horrible as he thought. There’s been a couple of times where you’ve accidentally almost brought him to tears with a sweet compliment or show of affection, because he never thought in a million years that someone would love him and care for him like you do. He feels so blessed that he has someone like you.

Heavy:

I know the fandom’s decided that Engie is the Team Mom and makes the food, but I also think that Heavy cooks a lot too. He makes all of his own food, so he often makes a lot of extras to feed the team because a lot of them just eat junk food and Medic’s always complaining about their eating habits. Heavy often takes like half the food for himself (he does have a huge appetite and loves food, so he likes to take a lot) and just boxes up the leftover portions and leaves them in the fridge for the team to take. He says he’s only doing it because they can’t work properly if they’re unhealthy, but he also does it because he cares about their health. A little bit.

At first, you wouldn’t think Heavy’s the most cuddly guy. But surprise, he actually loves giving and receiving physical affection. He just doesn’t show it often out of respect for your boundaries, and doesn’t do it around others. His absolute favorite thing is to cuddle you against his chest. Sometimes it’s when going to sleep, or cuddling on the couch, or maybe just a quick hug. He just loves the feeling of your head resting against his chest and your arms trying (and failing) to wrap around his torso. It makes him feel like you’re safe. Nobody could ever get you when you’re wrapped up in his arms.

Engie:

You’d think Sniper’s the only nature nerd on the team, but Engie absolutely loves the outdoors, as well as animals. It’s because his father would often take him out camping every couple of months. It was often the only time he would get 1-on-1 time with his usually very busy father. So he does love the great outdoors, especially that of his home state. He especially loves animals. He was raised on a farm and helped take care of lots of injured wild animals with his mother. He absolutely loves pets and would like to have many when he retires. His dream is to have is own ranch, with horses and cows and a bunch of dogs and the whole shebang.

Engie absolutely loves playing the guitar, so of course he loves playing for you. He learns all sorts of sweet love songs to sing to you. He’s an excellent player and actually has a pretty decent singing voice (think Johnny Cash, he kinda has that singing style). I hope you like country music, because that’s all he’s going to sing to you until you give him some requests or he finds out your favorite artists or genres. You can tell how happy he is every time he gets to surprise you with a new song he learned, and he’d be a giddy, laughing mess if you sang along with him.

Medic:

You’d think this guy takes horrible care of his birds because of the environment he keeps them in, but his birds are actually exceptionally well cared for. He buys them only the best and most expensive bird food, gives them super high-quality water with vitamins n stuff in it, takes them to the vet regularly, the whole shebang. Yeah they get a little dirty from sitting around in his lab, but he always gives them a little bath at the end of the day to get all the blood and guts off.

Medic is honestly such a playful partner. Of course, around his co-workers he’s a little more professional; he still gives you soft touches, a kiss on the cheek, or a big smile, but that’s about it. In private, however, he’s such a sweetheart. He’s always sweeping you up into big hugs, kissing all over your face, and calling you all sorts of adorable nicknames in a variety of languages. It comes as a surprise, because you’d think he’d be a little more formal, but that’s really only for special occasions. It honestly brings him so much joy to have someone like you by his side, and every day he’s going to make sure you know just how grateful he is to have you in his life.

Sniper:

Sniper is an incredibly independent and self-sufficient man, but he’s also secretly a real mama’s boy. He loves his parents dearly and has a particularly close relationship with his mother. As well as sending them money every month, he sends them all sorts of gifts, letters, postcards, and souvenirs. He also makes sure to call them regularly. He goes home every couple of months to visit them, and one could see that he loves helping around the house and chatting with his parents. His mother loved gardening, so his number-1 favorite thing to do is help her in the garden.

Despite Sniper’s obvious lack of knowledge on self-care, he takes a lot of time out of his day to make sure you are happy, healthy, clean, and well-fed. He doesn’t hound you like a helicopter parent but he likes to ask how you’re feeling, if you’re hungry, stuff like that. It feels nice to know you’re taken care of or take care of you himself. If you switch it around and try to take care of him, however, he’s honestly baffled as to why you would care so much as to make sure he’s doing well. He does absolutely love the affection and attention he gets out of it though, it makes him feel loved.

Spy:

I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a head canon that Spy has a dog. Her name is Charlotte, and she’s an elderly Chihuahua. One would think he’d buy a French breed, but he found her out in the pouring rain one day and fell in love with her fluffy ears and spunky personality. She’s now 17 years old, extremely frail, missing most of her teeth, and extremely aggressive to anyone other than Spy, but he loves her dearly and pays for all of her medical expenses without batting an eye. And of course, she expresses her thanks with lots of kisses.

Spy loves dancing, and knows all kinds of dances, from flamenco to ballroom dancing to the Charleston to, canonically, disco. So of course, he’s dying to share all of the most romantic dances he knows with you. He’d love to actually teach you how to dance, rewarding you with kisses every time you finally get a move right and laughing softly when you make mistakes. But in reality, he just wants to use it as an excuse to dance with you against his chest and smother you in affection.

[doomedandstoned]

King Buffalo Provide Respite For Pandemic-Weary Listeners on ‘The Burden of Restlessness’

~By Billy Goate~

Artwork by Zdzisław Beksiński

I confess, I came a little late to the KING BUFFALO party. I mean, I’ve known about them from their very first record on and have even picked songs to play on The Doomed & Stoned Show that's I've found particularly enjoyable. Regulars to the program know I’ve always been more a doomer than a stoner, though obviously relishing music from both worlds. Only recently had I given myself the opportunity of really baking in their music. It probably has something to do with the summer psychedelic kick I’m on lately, that and I’ve been getting a lot more sunshine, walking more, learning how to enjoy being human again.

Not only did I give the band's latest LP, 'The Burden of Restlessness' (2021) a solid listen, I've been spinning it non-stop! The title grabbed me right away, because I could very much identify with the uncertainty and fear of 2020 lockdowns, which eventually gave way to boredom and stoic despair. Depending on who you ask, it's their third studio album and it's got its hooks in me for damn sure.

Sonically, the sound is fresh and vital, every note captured prestinely by frontman/guitarist at Rochester's Main Street Armory between December and January. I don't know if he's a sound engineer on the side or what, but I really am impressed by how present the instruments sound, without excessive reverberation. After Sean finished recording and mixing, the tapes were sent to Grammy-nominated producer Bernard Matthews for mastering on the other side of the continent in Portland, Oregon.

Let's go through King Buffalo's release track-by-track, because I think there's plenty to talk about here.

1. Burning

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I feel it falling apart Too many blisters and scars Are we the wick or the flame, are they just one in the same? Was it just doomed from the start?

The record opens with “Burning” and in those first dozen seconds of churning downtuned noise, we’re unsure what kind of song it’s going to be. An assertive riff-motif starts to dance to the accompaniment of a motor-like rhythm. The singing is as depressive as we’re bound to encounter from King Buffalo, with lyrics that express regret about “another year lost in the wasteland” and that feeling of falling apart while time stands still.

The members of King Buffalo have been on a steadily rising trajectory in recent years, so the sudden closures of concert halls and canceled tours wasn't just a bummer for a lot of professional musicians; it had immediate career implications, along with the obvious problem of no job = no money. It’s one thing to weather through a crisis when you know what the end game is, and at this time last year most of us still didn’t know what the hell was going to happen. We thought everything would open up and return to normal, then the summer of 2020 exploded all around us with social unrest. The album’s title speaks to the creative frustrations of being not only uncertain of when your band is next going to tour, but what to do in the meanwhile. For creative people, there’s a burden to create -- sometimes just to keep yourself from going mad with frustration.

2. Hebetation

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I don’t know which way to run One thousand different ways but I can’t seem to live with one So I’m stuck where I’ve begun Another languid day, can’t seem to break away

“Hebetation” was one of the singles that emerged before the album was independently released toward the start of summer. It is the song I relate to the most, too. Vibrant Helmetesque riffmaking sets the song a sail, with a bit of a nod to Sabbath as well. The math-like interplay between drums, bass, and guitar have a vaguely krautrock aura about it, though the volume and tone is pure metal. Like the opening track, the words are frank and honest, addressing the weight of unfulfilled dreams, the jadedness that comes with disappointment, and suicidal thoughts that come floating into mind when it seems nothing's working out as planned. “Nothing’s changed at 35. Still every night I dream a million different ways for me to die.”

3. Locusts

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

Stifling the sun with wicked hands Everything undone with vicious plans

“Locusts,” as the name implies, is replete with bouncing guitar rhythm, with picking that seems to dart about like that swarm of grasshoppers that used to sweep through my poor pitiful East Texas garden mid-summer and shred everything in sight. Around the 3:30 mark, we’re treated to an extended high-end grinder of a B-section, with sweeping psychedelic gestures ala Kim Thayil -- and hearkening back to the melodic motif of another great song: “Sun Shivers.” When the A section returns, the rhythm is more deliberate, less dashing about in math or progressive fashion. The song ends with what could well end up an extended drone jam on just the right night as King Buffalo continues to roll through the U.S.

4. Silverfish

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I stare at the cracks in the wall And melt into nothing A silverfish slithering away, from everything

“Silverfish” got a music video, which was a wise choice as the song is quite accessible and relatable, too (even if it did get a few people wondering if King Buffalo was having their own “The Sword Moment” stylistically). The main motif is a two-note broken interval from high note to low in an almost an ‘80s-style nod to the advent of computer generated music (to my ears it sounds like the guitar may either be taking on the action or playing in sync with the synthesizer).

Never fear, the heavy is soon here. When I heard those first crashing tripled-down chords, I let out an inner hellllll yeah to that shit. The quirky little melody from the start comes back, this time on guitar in a way that really works to convince you that it was a good artistic choice from the get-go.

Lyrically, it's another wistful line of expression: “I stare at the cracks in the wall, I think I’m unravelling...I think I’m losing my grip on everything, I’m drifting away.” This is also one of the few songs on the record with a strong melodic chorus. It comes towards the end, which works quite effectively in climaxing the song.

(BTW, anyone else freaked out by silverfish as much as me?)

5. Grifter

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I make my way over the dunes Desolate and dry The remnants of empires past Too stubborn to die

“Grifter” returns to the everyman accessibility of “Burning” and “Hebetation,” with a notably despondent tenor to each line of the song. The calm singing over rhythmic verses so characteristic of King Buffalo’s writing gives way to a brutal grind sans chorus. Sometimes you don’t have words and you just have to work it all out with your axe or piano or whatever's your jam. There didn’t need to be a big, bloated angry chorus on top of it all. We feel that most adequately from the riffmaking itself, which plays out like slow burning frustration that intensifies with every round of the dirge.

6. The Knocks

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

Everyday I wake up on the floor Another useless day like every other that’s come before I can feel it creeping more and more Don’t think I wanna wake no more, don’t think I wanna live no more

“The Knocks” features the same keyboard playing as before, so now I’m sure it's either Sean or bassist Dan Reynolds on synth -- though the playing here is much more ornamental, at times adding an exclamation point to the sentiment of the lyrics. It might be a little much if overplayed, but here it’s dispensed judiciously. We have a bass, drums, and synth break where a chorus would normally be, followed by another shred sesh that’s feeling like Helmet or Prong love. A beautiful mid-range guitar melody intervenes, then things start to feel a distinctively robotic pattern announces itself around the 3:20 mark, joined in short order by the rest of the instruments. This leads to a melodious guitar sequence, with the dexterous kind of finger work that the one dude at shows likes so much when he pretends to shred next to the stage.

7. Loam

The Burden of Restlessness by King Buffalo

I’m shedding the burden of restlessness To rise from the loam of the nothingness

“Loam” hearkens back to my favorite King Buffalo album, ‘Longing To Be The Mountain’ (2018). A broken octave rhythmic pattern is plucked with drums and bass being all cool, saying just the right thing at the right time. Atop it, the jaded, sedated crooning of Sean McVay, which as both a musical and cultural Doomer I find appealing. A mean guitar lick lashes out like a whip atop bass and drums around 3 minutes, then tears into another voiceless psychedelic improvisation. It's a beautiful instrumental metal section with a hard rock appeal. The song returns to its opening vibe in an almost Toolesque fashion, then opts for more catharsis-giving mosh time and another plaintively sung extended note melody.

The verses give us a hint of hope, as Sean declares: "I’m shedding the burden of restlessness / To rise from the loam of the nothingness." I'm curious to hear the two other albums the band plans on releasing in 2021 (yes, you read that right!) and how they will pair or contrast with this one.

King Buffalo's The Burden of Restlessness holds a special place in my music library and its songs are a frequent highlight of my daily playlist. I suspect it will be a record you, too, will keep close at hand as the plague rages on. A balm for the weary soul.

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[jackdawyt]

With Dragon Age 4 still quite a few years away, given it's expected 2022-2023 release window. I've been reflecting and thinking retrospectively about how long Dragon Age 4 has actually been in development. And so, with that question, here I am on a quest to try and answer it.  

This investigation has been put together for the betterment of everyone in the BioWare community, including myself, plaguing the developers with infinite questions regarding what’s next for Dragon Age and when will we hear something about the next game.  

If we, as a community, can understand at which point BioWare are with the development of the next Dragon Age, then perhaps we’ll have more grace and patience as we support the developers with their hard work and dedication to creating the next game.  

We’d have some appreciation, all the while garnering an understanding of how long this game has left in development.  Yes, for our sakes, but also for BioWare’s sake. We need to see if EA are giving the Dragon Age team enough time for them to create the Dragon Age game they want to make, and nothing short of that.  

And that’s exactly what I want to uncover in this video. With that, let’s begin. it's no secret that the next Dragon Age game has already had quite the tumultuous time in its early stages of production:

The previous iteration known as 'Joplin' was canned and has been rebooted for 'live service elements'.

The Creative Director and 14-year BioWare Veteran Mike Laidlaw left the studio, along with his vision for the next Dragon Age game.  

Shortly after that, the Lead Writer and 17-year BioWare Veteran David Gaider left the studio to pursue other games design avenues.  

Not to mention the anxiety and panic attacks the developers faced ensuing Anthem's development.  

Although all of these factors point to disaster and worry, and they can lead to mixed feelings about the next game in production, I can assure you that there's still plenty confidence and hope for the next iteration of Dragon Age 4:

The developers working on the next Dragon Age game are creating the next with "an eye to what the fans love about Dragon Age, which is easy because they love Dragon Age."

The Creative Director of 'Morrison', the latest iteration is Matthew Goldman, the previous Art Director of Dragon Age: Inquisition.  

Plenty of BioWare Veterans are still in the studio, working on the next Dragon Age title such as Patrick Weekes (15 years), John Epler (13 years), Caroline Livingstone (12 years), Mary Kirby (13 years), Graham Scott (13 years), Mark Darrah (23 years?), Parrish Ley (14 years), Lucas Krisjanson (22 years), and many more legacy developers!  

There's been signs of improvement within the working conditions at BioWare, Casey Hudson personally has been getting involved with solving these issues. I've seen a few developers sharing tweets that they're enjoying working at BioWare, and they're eager to share more on the next Dragon Age game. I'll share even more on this topic in my next news video coming end of May! But it seems that the developers are staying on top, and positive for the next Dragon Age.  

Regardless, I'll take any chance I can get to inspire folks that the next Dragon Age game is in the right hands and BioWare are aware of what the fans expect from them. Let's move on to the main investigation of this video, to examine the next Dragon Age game’s development process.  

Ironically, the next game hasn't officially been announced, according to many of the developers at BioWare, yet EA have already given the project an initial release window of 2022-2023. One of the main questions I want to answer by the end of this video is, do BioWare have enough time to create an epic Dragon Age game, with that strict deadline mandated by EA?

Well, in order to answer that question and understand the production stages the game is currently at, I'm going to have to begin at the start by revisiting Jason Schreier's "The Past & Present Of Dragon Age", which I know we've talked about a lot, but it's the biggest indicator on Dragon Age 4's development. So, here we go.  

2015:

Following Dragon Age: Inquisition's Trespasser DLC release in 2015, Dragon Age 4's previous iteration began its very early stages of production. The plans for the next game were very exciting, and some of the developers had put their best work into it.  

The project was called 'Joplin' and it would've centred on spies embarking on heists in Tevinter, smaller in scale then Inquisition, however, much further in depth, choices and consequences. And there was an emphasis on repeat play, having the player's visit previous areas again, with new content.

2016:

However, the first major bump in the road occurred in 2016, one year after development had started. Mass Effect: Andromeda required all hands-on deck, and so many members of the Dragon Age team were moved to work on Andromeda, they're even mentioned in the credits of Andromeda as the 'Dragon Age Finaling Team.'

2017:

After Andromeda's release in March 2017, it was back to working on 'Joplin' for the majority of the shifted developers. For some developers, it was refreshing to get back to working on the next Dragon Age. However, it wasn't long before BioWare's next releasing title - Anthem was suffering through development troubles. By the latter half of 2017, Anthem was in real trouble, and so EA took drastic action.  

In October, 2017, EA cancelled Joplin's development and moved the bulk of the project's staff onto Anthem. With two years of development on a project that will never see the light of day, Mike Laidlaw departed BioWare that same month.  

Alexis Kennedy was previously working on 'Joplin' too, however, according to his LinkedIn profile, he left the project in October too. It seems his work only extended to 'Joplin' and will most likely be scrapped as well.

Towards the end of 2017, as the majority of "Joplin's" core team went to work on Anthem, a very small skeleton team stuck around to work on a brand-new Dragon Age project under the new title 'Morrison.'  This team will have consistent of developers like Patrick Weekes, who was anointed the role of Lead Writer since David Gaider departed. Other key developers working on the foundations of 'Morrison' in 2017 included: John Epler, Matthew Goldman, Daniel Kading, Matt Rhodes and many other talented designers.

It's unknown how much of "Joplin's" previous work will make its way into 'Morrison', surely a project with production escalating over two years would have some worthy elements that could be added to 'Morrison'

As it stands, we don't know if the games will share the same vision, or if any of the same key mechanics, concepts, story threads, etc, have made their way into Morrison.  

All that is known about 'Morrison' is that the game has been rebooted with Anthem's codebase, so the developers aren't starting from complete scratch, they'll have somewhat of a preset of the Frostbite engine that can act as Dragon Age 4's very foundations. However, unlike Joplin, this new version of the fourth Dragon Age is planned with a live service component, built for long-term gameplay and revenue.

A few developers working on 'Morrison' stated that this game will change drastically in the next two years, however, that's been the case with every Dragon Age game. The point is that the project will take many different shapes until it feels like a Dragon Age game.  

2018:

So, we know that this project reboot happened around the end of 2017, with a very small skeleton team going forward following a slightly new approach, and a new Creative Director. This is the new Dragon Age 4 that was later teased at The Game Awards in 2018. However, unbenounced to us at the time, we didn't know the game was rebooted, and therefore, as fans do, we presumed that this title would release soon.  

In actuality, when 'The Dread Wolf Rises' teaser dropped, the new iteration of Dragon Age 4 had only been in very early development with a small team for about a year, hence why we still haven't heard, or seen anything of this project since. the game's production stages had barely started.

Not only that, but the teaser wasn’t supposed to act as an announcement, but more of a message to the fans that something is happening with Dragon Age.  

2019:

Anthem shipped in February, 2019, and following its release, the Dragon Age developers who were shuffled to the Anthem team back in 2017, then went back to the new iteration of Dragon Age in May of 2019, including the Executive Producer, Mark Darrah.  

The Dragon Age team; fully operational with all hands-on deck, could begin to wrap up its pre-production stages, and start production development. We discovered a few key production stages last year in my massive 2019 news roundup, things like voice acting, concept art, and potential 3D models.

Fernando Melo left the studio in August of 2019, stating that his work of “guiding the team through EA’s concept and early production phases” had been complete, and he felt it was the least messy time to leave the company. This proves that indeed; the title has begun production stages.  

2020:

With that, we can safely say that Dragon Age 4's production has continually increased, as the project makes its way through many core development stages.  

To this date, the game has recently had script readings for scenes, some of them being romance moments. Animations for a dog-like companion. Something about coding 'Scriplets' and plenty more of tidbits, that if you're interested be sure to check out my latest news video.

Conclusions:  

So, in an attempt to work out how long Dragon Age 4 has been in development... If we do some quick maths, it seems that project 'Joplin' was in development for around two years, between 2015 - 2017.

Therefore, project 'Morrison' has been in development for around 3 years, given that it started in 2017 - present.  

However, from late 2017 to early 2019. the work on 'Morrison' was pre-production. The main production stages began in May 2019.

So, 'Morrison' has been in pre-production for approximately 18 months, with the production stages starting around a year ago, in May 2019.

With its release window of 2022-2023, can BioWare successfully create an epic Dragon Age title? Is this enough time for the developers to create the best Dragon Age possible?  

Well, I'm not one to leave you with rhetorical questions. If we look at Dragon Age: Inquisition's development, a game that I'd consider to be a Dragon Age epic, that served the fans supremely well.

In a 2014 interview with Mike Laidlaw, conducted by UK newspaper The Guardian:

Dragon Age: Inquisition's production had been about three years, but taking in the early concepting, it would be four years. As studio general manager Aaryn Flynn kindly pointed out, that’s about 10% of Mike's life.

If we go by that measure, 'Morrison' with 18 months of pre-production and one year of full production, and two to three years of development left before an initial release window.... it sounds quite plausible that BioWare could pull this off. 

Although BioWare have their work cut out for them, I have hope that they can deliver an amazing Dragon Age game dedicated to the fans. With plenty of time spent on the pre-production stages, hopefully the team has learned from Anthem and Andromeda's rough early stages, and they've conceptualised the development enough, that production can carry on at ease.  

And regarding Joplin's two years of previous work, I hope that at least some aspects of that project's production went into 'Morrison', the core concept alone sounded like it could've been the best Dragon Age game to date, and with so many developers pouring in some of their best work, I truly hope that it all hasn't been canned and it can make its way into the next Dragon Age game.  

Regardless, I have a news update in the works for the end of May as I mentioned before, there's still plenty of tidbits coming out, and as I stated in my Tinfoil Tea Party podcast, I'll be doing news videos before the first of every month when we have enough, well news... In April, we got a fair bit, but May has been epic so far. So, stay tuned for that!

[hijackedacademia]

A Friendly Favor (Tenya Iida x Fem!Reader)

Characters: Reader (Fem), Uraraka, Jiro, Iida, Mina, Midoriya (briefly), Sero (briefly), Kaminari (briefly)

Request: No

Requested by: N/A

Warnings: none? If there are lemme know and I’ll tag them. Also I didn’t edit this.

Words: 2240

A/N: I wrote Iida w/ red eyes because that’s their color in the manga and I’m a sucker for red eyes. Also forgive me, this is my first time writing for him properly so he may be a little bit out of character?

——

Training had been rather rough on you today. Every muscle in your body ached, and your PE uniform was drenched in sweat (and possibly some tears) by the time you’d made it back to the girls locker room to peel it off. You toweled yourself off before throwing your uniform back on. A few of the other girls seemed just as exhausted as you were, while the others were just as chipper as ever.

This is what you got for slacking off to play video games. 

Again. 

Uraraka was the first to approach you, asking if you wanted to walk with her back to the dorms. She’d pushed back her hair with a plush, pink headband you were 98% sure had belonged to Aoyama at some point, and she was holding out a cooled water bottle that you just couldn’t say no to.

“Sure,” You said, taking the bottle. “Thanks.”

“No problem, (L/N)! You really look like you need it. Is everything okay?” Uraraka tilted her head a bit, her lips pulled back into a caring smile.

“Oh, yeah,” You started. “I’m fine, just feeling a bit behind it all. This is the last time I let Kaminari convince me to stay up till midnight to play Minecraft.”

“Oh did he rope you into helping him build that castle he was going on about?” She asked. 

“We played for three and a half hours and we’re still flattening the earth for it.” You grumbled.

“I told him to just use creative mode.” Jiro piped in, coming to stand beside you. “But that idiot wants to do it all the natural way.” Jiro mocked Kaminari, rolling her eyes all the while. You snorted.

“Tell me about it, when I mentioned going into creative mode I thought he’d had an aneurysm.” You took a long sip from the water. The three of you began to exit the locker room. “At this point I’m pretty sure I know more about the durability of a stone pickaxe than I know about the math Ectoplasm is trying to teach us.”

“Are you falling behind on your studies, (L/N)?” You all but jumped out of your skin, turning to face Iida with a flushed face.

Of course it was him who heard you. You smiled up at him.

“Not so much falling behind on studying, more not understanding the work.” You said. “I was never very good at math back in middle school, so the stuff we’re learning now is pretty difficult for me.” You rubbed the back of your neck, averting your eyes. Uraraka wiggles her eyebrows playfully at you from beside Iida, and you frown at her.

You regret telling her about your crush on the engine-quirked boy.

“Well if you should need any assistance with studying, I would be happy to help you. I plan on working on my math after we finish dinner.” He adjusted his glasses as he spoke, his crimson eyes never leaving your own.

Curse him and his need for eye contact.

“Speaking of dinner,” Jiro said. “Who’s cooking tonight?”

“Sero and Kirishima.” You said, turning away from Iida. “It was supposed to be Sero and Mina, but Kiri owed her a favor.”

“Why didn’t they inform everyone of this? The whole schedule we set up-” Iida started, but you calmly cut him off.

“Iida,” you sighed. “The schedule will be fine. Kiri will help cook this meal, and the next meal he’s assigned to. There’s nothing wrong with a friendly favor.” Before Iida could say something, Midoriya exited the boys locker room, a towel thrown over his shoulders. He smiled when he saw the small group.

“Hey, guys! Heading back to the dorms?” He asked.

“Yeah!” Uraraka confirmed. “Come on, guys! We should get going before Mr. Aizawa yells at us again.” She grabbed your wrist to tug you along, and you let her pull you in the direction of the dorms. Jiro, Midoriya, and Iida followed suit.

The only other people in the dorms when you got back were Mina, Kaminari, and Sero. Sero had set out getting everything together for dinner while he waited for Kirishima. When Mina saw you, Jiro, and Uraraka approaching she ran up, an excited look on her face.

“My parents delivered my Wii console! We can finally play Just Dance together! Whatddya say, wanna play tonight?” You were about to let out a whoop in excitement, when you saw Iida looking at you from his seat at the tables. He was already getting to work. He looked away rather quickly when he noticed your gaze turn in his direction.

“Actually, guys, I uh… I think I’m gonna take tonight to study.” Uraraka’s head snapped in your direction. The mischievous glint in her eyes surprised you momentarily.

“Oooo, you taking Iida up on his offer?” She teased you. Mina squealed, drawing in others' attention. You smacked her arm, but she seemed undeterred.

“Iida,” She said in a harsh whisper. “So is it like, a date-”

“We’re just going to be studying-”

“A study date, then?” Mina seemed more excited about the prospect than you did. You’d been looking for a reason to spend more time with Iida alone, but he always seemed to be busy with school work, or was always around Midoriya and Uraraka.

“No.” You say. “Just two friends studying math.”

“Sure.” Mina continued to tease. You really wished she wouldn’t do this while he was right there, but Iida either didn’t hear what was happening or he wasn’t paying you guys much attention because his eyes were trained on his work. You ignore your friends and go to approach him.

He looked up when you reached the table.

“Hey,” You said.

“Hello, (L/N). How can I help you?”

“So were you… serious, about that offer? To help me with the math?” You wanted to slap yourself. Of course he was serious. When was Iida not serious about something?

“I was,” He nodded. “Like I said, I should be getting to my math after we eat.”

“Awesome.” You nodded. “Thanks again, Iida.” He nodded back before returning to his work. You went up to your room to throw on more comfortable clothes, using a couple of wipes to clean up the oil on your forehead and cheeks. You had been laying on your bed scrolling through the various apps on your phone for around an hour when Tsu came to get you for dinner.

Part of you wanted to shovel down the food - the faster you ate, the faster you could study.

But the other part of you wanted nothing more than to never finish dinner so that you couldn’t possibly embarrass yourself in front of Iida. It was bound to happen, you were sure of it. You would say something stupid with such confidence and then Iida would know just how dumb you really were.

But it smelled so good, and the way your stomach rumbled - surely you couldn’t say anything that stupid.

Right?

Uraraka gave you a quizzical look.

“Are you gonna eat it or are you just gonna drool over it?” She asked. Snapping from your thoughts, on instinct, you wiped at your mouth - she was right. You had been drooling. How embarrassing, you seethed. “Everything alright, (L/N)?”

“Yeah,” you said. “Yeah I’m fine. Just thinking.” Without a second thought you began to stuff your face.

When class 1-A first moved into the dorms, a good chunk of the class sucked at cooking. It was typically Bakugo, Uraraka, or Sato who cooked meals.

That was, until the hot headed gremlin decided enough was enough and there needed to be some kind of proper schedule and some kind of lesson.

“I’m not gonna be cooking for you damned bastards for the rest of school.” He’d said. “Either you learn to cook or you starve.”

The only people who couldn’t be trusted in the kitchen were Mineta, Higakure, and Aoyama.

Those three could burn water without turning the stove on.

Kirishima had become one of the better cooks - so having been paired with Sero, who himself was fairly decent, the meal was amazing. Maybe not Lunch Rush amazing, but enough to make you want seconds.

By the time you’d finish your plate, most of the girls and a handful of the guys had scattered, finished with their meals and prepared to unwind or get to work. You took your plate to the kitchen and then went to your room to wash up. You retrieved your homework, notes, and textbook, and after wiping the sweat off your palms, went to go find Iida.

He sat at one of the tables in the common room alone, surprisingly. Usually after a meal Midoriya and Uraraka would sit with him for a bit before going their separate ways. But not tonight. 

Were they both joining in on Mina’s game? Or had you just taken that long to get ready?

“Uh, hey, Iida.” He looked up from his work and gave you a kind smile.

“Ah, (L/N), are you ready to work?” He asked. You nodded quickly and moved to put your stuff down across from him. “Perhaps you should come sit over here. It would make it much easier to show you what to do.”

“Oh. Um, okay.” Your fingers gripped your wares tightly as you came around to sit beside Iida. He had his text book open to the pages you guys had been assigned earlier that day - his paper was already filled with notes. “Well, uh, where do we start?” 

Listening to Iida go on about math was much easier than listening to Ectoplasm, in your opinion. Maybe it was the fact that you could listen to Iida talk about anything - he could read you the ingredients off of a candy bar wrapper and you would be entranced.

Or maybe it was because what he was saying actually made sense.

“Mr. Ectoplasm tends to explain things in a lot less detail than he should.” Iida admitted. “But I used to sit with my brother when he did his math homework, so it’s pretty easy for me to figure out.”

“How is he, by the way?” The thought of Iida’s brother had been itching in the back of your mind. Ever since he got hurt you’d never seen Iida more determined. You worried sometimes. When you saw a sad look in Iida’s eyes, a part of you regretted asking. His gaze bore holes into the textbook, but he smiled.

“He is healing. Slowly, but surely.” That was all Iida had to say on the matter. Before you could say anything else about it, he was back to explaining the equation you were working on before.

The two of you worked for an hour and a half, and by the time you’d gotten to the last equation you felt proud of yourself. Usually math took you a lot longer. Sometimes you didn’t bother doing them at all (not that you’d ever tell Iida this).

“How are you feeling? Did you understand everything we went over?” Iida asked, setting aside his pencil.

“I think so.” You smiled. “I definitely understand more than I did this morning.”

“Well, I’m glad.” Iida removed his glasses, and cleaned them with a small cloth that he’d kept folded beside his text book. “I’m about to start on English, if you should need assistance with that as well.”

“No,” you smiled. “I’m actually fairly good in English.” You closed your textbook, piling the homework and notes you’d taken on top along with your pencil and pen. “Thanks again for helping me Iida, I owe you one.” You said as you stood up from the table, a couple of joints popping in the process.

“Like a friendly favor?” The question surprised you, but after the initial shock washed away you smiled.

“Yeah.” You said. “A friendly favor.” You picked up your things, ready to depart. 

After a moment's thought and a short rush of confidence, you found yourself giving the class rep a short hug, your free arm wrapped around his shoulder and your cheek pressed against the top of his head. He tensed up for a moment, but instead of pushing you away like you imagined he would, he placed a hand on your arm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Thanks again, Iida.” You pulled your arm away and all but skipped out of the common area. When you made it back upstairs to your dorm room, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket. After setting your homework back into your bag, you went to read the text.

It was from Iida. You frowned.

Had you forgotten something downstairs?

Unlocking your phone, you open the text.

T. Iida: So

T. Iida: About that favor.

(Y/N): Yeah?

T. Iida: Perhaps you might be willing to join me this Sunday to the nearby café? I was going to go with Midoriya and Uraraka but they are now busy and I would prefer not to go alone.

You flushed a bit. Iida was asking you to go with him to his favorite café (you’d heard him mention how much he loved the place before - the best lattes he’d ever had, if you remembered correctly) with him. Alone.

Just you and Iida.

(Y/N): Count me in. Id love to join you!

T. Iida: Perfect. It’s a date then.

A date.

This boy was going to be the end of you.

[mrslackles]

ggweek 2020: All About Rio

Thanks for tagging me, @gild-and-fire​ -- I never get to talk about Rio unless I’m denouncing his crunchy jackets!

Tagging @bathroombreaks @bourbon-ontherocks and @magneticflower if you haven’t done it yet :)

Why do I personally like or dislike Rio? 

He was always so light and fun. He turned all the stereotypes inside out since the second he talked about taking Beth’s dog out for a pee, admired backsplashes and got concerned about citrus erosion. There are a thousand reasons I love Rio, but the chief one is that he was the kind of person you just know everyone is drawn towards because they want to be around that energy. If he was on my screen, he was entertaining me, even if it was just because his dumbass doesn’t know how to operate a coffee machine, lol.

What are your headcanons about Rio’s and Mick’s relationship? Did they meet through crime? Are they lifelong friends?

To me, ~Demon (lol) always seemed like his right-hand man who would follow him to the ends of the earth and I think Rio trusts him implicitly -- my headcanon is that that isn’t because of lifelong friendship but rather because Demon did something (possibly life-threatening!) that proved his loyalty to Rio. I think they’ve probably known each other around 10 years or so and Demon sticks by Rio’s side because he trusts his instincts too and knows he will always do either the most right or smartest thing. They’re Best Friends 5Everrrr but would, like, never admit to it even though they are the embodiment of this meme:

What are Rio’s hobbies outside of work and Marcus? What do you think he’d get up to on a day with absolutely no responsibilities?

Boxing. Beth. LOL. 

I don’t think he has that many hobbies -- I think he loves being around his extended family, having a drink on his own or maybe settling with a book (/a TV show if it manages to lure him in) for a while. Otherwise he’s out there hustling, flipping his game; he’ll sleep/hobby when he dies. 

What do you think Rio’s goals for the future are?

Maybe this is with my Do Not Collect $200 lenses on, but retiring. I think, just like Beth, he initially had a plan with a goal -- whether a position or a number -- for when he would get out. He knows his life and job isn’t sustainable and ultimately he wants a good life for his kid and he wants to be there for that life. I also think he’s smart enough to invest what he makes so that eventually he won’t need the money; all he’ll have to figure out is how to get out. 

What do you think Rio is bad at (cooking, dancing, singing, etc.)? How come?

Compromise. Hahahahahahaha. Shopping. Hahahahahahaha. Ok, but seriously now: Who buys 20 of the same sweater in the same colour? Maybe he’s bad at washing so he just throws them out each time? I bet once he turned something pink (from that mahogany shirt of his!) and he was just like fuck it, I can afford a new shirt every day.

Why do you think Rio is drawn to Beth? + Why do you think Rio didn’t kill Beth?

Oof. I could write an essay. To cut it short: I think they’re identical and different in all the right ways. I think he’s different (see answer 1) to the world he inhabits despite being so damn good at it and he sees it’s exactly the same for her. I also think he sees a future in her -- he wants (some part of) that normal life for himself one day. Manny said it best: They want to be each other and they want to be with each other. The implications of that are vast.

What are your headcanons about Rio’s family? Siblings? Parents? Lifestyle growing up?

This is obviously something I’ve had to put some thought into because of all the fics I write. I feel the same as most people seem to that he grew up around a lot of women -- to me that could be up to 3 sisters. I’d say he’s really close with his mom and the apple of her eye -- both because he’s the only boy and he’s him, y’know? Who can resist that lil shit-eating grin? 

I don’t know that he has as great of a relationship with his dad, I don’t think he was present much. BUT I stand by my crack idea about his dad being a huge crime boss who’d been incarcerated for most of his life whom Rio then broke out with Boomer’s help, only to be roasted to death for all his decisions. That would entertain me greatly. I also think he could have a brother, but that’s mainly for selfish reasons because I want Jay Hernandez to play him, hahahaha.

Do you think Rio’s been arrested before Beth got him arrested in 1.10? When, and what for?

Yes, he was way too casual about his arrest in that TV clip, mans had picked out his best outfit and everything. He had the air of someone who’s been put in cuffs many times but always released soon after. He even told Beth that he sees the FBI as a routine part of his job. The police have probably come after him for petty shit before, hoping to turn him on anyone higher than him on the food chain, but within 48 hours he’s strolling right back out of the station with above-mentioned shit-eating grin.

If Rio weren’t a crime boss, what jobs do you think he’d be good at? Why?

Haha, I’ve made so many Accountant Rio jokes in my fics because I do love my Math King, but something that rigid wouldn’t really be for him. I think he’d do something that’s some combination of creative and analytical -- civil or structural engineering, perhaps. Or he’d do something completely creative -- art buyer? photographer? -- with a side hustle in stocks or something. In essence, he’d still be flipping his game and making big money because the man needs a way to fund his addiction to drawers. 

[suburbiashq]

                    cassel resident : isidore castillo.

full name. . isidore estevan castillo. age. thirty birthdate. november 11th, 1990          zodiac. scorpio. gender. male                            pronouns. he/him occupation. tattoo artist & manager of ink anchor. lives in. miller park.

                                        about isidore castillo.

Birth - Teenage Years

Though he was born in a different part of Illinois, most of Isidore’s childhood had him growing up right in the small city Cassel. He was beginning the second grade when his single mom made the choice to leave the busier city life behind and settle down in her own hometown, near her parents; and end the financial struggling that had been a focal point of Isi’s life until coming to Cassel. His dad was out of the picture and had been for a few years - he was never told why, or what happened, and couldn’t bear the look on his mother’s face when he asked. So, a mystery it would remain, a singular trait that would the two together in likeness the older Isidore got. 

So, Isidore was 8 and growing quickly every year, existing in a quiet town full of quiet people and plenty of rules. Like many of the other families, he found himself settled into a church pew with his hair combed and slicked, next to his mother and grandparents. He’d never been a bad child… just, perhaps, a bit more wild than the limits of the town would have preferred to allow him. Authority was something to be challenged, and rules were in place to question, and the child never once stopped asking why. 

Teen - Young Adult

Highschool brought on a new slew of problems for the young man. He stopped attending church, finding little value in the teachings and scripture, and rejected many of the stereotypical norms that were enforced in Cassel. He liked nicotine, and late night drives in his mom’s car, he liked weed and loud music. He hated math and science, he didn’t like bullies, and stupid teachers. Isidore wasn’t afraid to voice his disinterest in things, and it got him into minor trouble a handful of times. When Isi liked someone, he told them, and he stood up for the underdogs when he could. There was always a fine line between bad and good, and most days, Isi felt he tettered right along the edge of it, unsure which way he would sway on any given day. 

As an average student, Isidore graduated from Highschool with nothing special on his record, but nothing too damning. Rage was a daily battle, always fuming beneath his quiet but firm surface, and it was actually one of the pastor’s suggestions that he give the military a shot. “It will teach you obedience, and honor, and how to control your emotions,” He was promised, so at the fresh age of 19, Isidore enlisted into the marines. Never a man to be afraid, Isidore signed on for a 6 year contract… but would only end up serving for 5. 

Being A Marine

At first, the Corps were all Isidore had needed. There was something to feel passion for, pour all of his energy into, and it helped in his own life, too. With the men he trained with, Isidore felt he belonged more than he did in the sleepy Cassel town, and he could smoke and drink and curse up a storm without guilt. Leaving his mom was hard, but she had been dating a man seriously, and Isidore felt he was leaving her in good hands, especially when news of their pregnancy was soon announced after he left for his training. Plus… he got to travel, leaving Illinois for the first time in his life.

Isidore got to live in North Carolina, then Japan, briefly Hawaii, before returning to Japan again by his 4th year enlisted. He called home frequently, in the beginning, but never returned for a visit… and slowly, the calls became fewer and far between. When he sent the news to his family, she was eager to tell anyone who listen - her baby boy was engaged, the woman a Japanese beauty, and it seemed all was going so well for the Marine. Finally, Isidore had found his purpose, right?

Unfortunately, few knew what happened behind the scenes. Isidore loved the water, the sea, the smell of salt in the wind, and found himself comfortable in an engineering position on ships, enjoying the artistic craft of the machines. But he did not go without trouble, even in the Corps, and had a list of write-ups and disciplinary actions in his file. He was less than a year from completing his 6-year contract, when Isidore stormed off from the unit, and refused to complete the contract. His reasoning was inconsolable differences with his superiors, but deep down, Isidore had realized that he was making enemies, and that his home with the Marines no longer felt safe and comfortable. His plan was to accept the consequences for abandonment, marry his lady, and live in Japan-

But like all good things, that, too, ended. While he was busy with work, the love of his life was busy in social scenes, and when the truth came out, Isidore gave up on that future, too. When he parted ways, something changed within him. That passion burning, the fire fueling, it began to die out.

Coming Home

Cassel was the only place Isidore knew to return, after trying to settle back down in North Carolina unhappily, he made the sheepish trek back to his original home. He didn’t want to burden his family by staying with his mom and his step-dad and his sisters (one half-sister, and a step-sister), so he briefly stayed with his grandparents. It was Isidore who realized they were getting too old to live alone, and it was Isidore who helped them transition into an elderly home, and he chose to stay in their house. It was small, quaint, quiet, and starting to fall apart - so Isi spent his days repairing it. 

Those who remembered him, were surprised by the change. He wasn’t so outspoken, so obvious with his anger, and far less charming and mischievous… but something remained the same. Isidore was mysterious as ever, choosing what information he divulged carefully. The dark clothing and drinking didn’t fit into the role most mid-20 year-old men were meant to play, and his tall frame in a church pew was unheard of now. 

A couple of years after returning home, Isidore stepped into an apprentice role as a tattoo artist. He’d always loved drawing, art, and all things creative; and the town was hurting for a good artist. He was a quick learner, and dedicated to the new passion, and easily became a staple to the tattoo shop.

The Present

He has been home in Cassel for nearly five years now. Isidore is close with his family, spends a lot of time working and constantly repairing his grandparent’s home, and takes weekend trips to Chicago frequently to go boating out on Lake Michigan or simply enjoy the breezy beaches, imagining a past life he had left behind. Casey Andrews was a close friend of his step-sister, and when she disappeared, Isi couldn’t deny his interest in the case, feeling a flicker of a burn of something more-

The motorcycle gang has also been a sort of new home to him, more recently. They call him the baby, the youngest of the crew, but with eyes that have seen equal trouble than even some of the older guys. Isidore likes their company, the feel of the wind and the speed on his back as he races down country roads, and he doesn’t mind the whispers of the town. Not anymore. Plus, if anyone can get to the bottom of the Missing Casey Andrews, isn’t it them?

                                      five songs. war child ( hollywood undead ) / the past should stay dead ( emarosa ) / colors ( halsey ) / sweater weather ( the neighborhood ) / suburbia ( troye sivan )

          ↳ isidore castillo is faced by jamie lorente and penned by kuromi.

[yamayamawrites]

Wishing You the Best - TodoDeku

Hi friends! As a birthday present from myself to you, I’m coming back from my month-long break to give you....a TodoDeku pen pals AU! I’ve been very busy writing this past month and trying to start and finish fics before posting them (I say, as I post the first chapter of an unfinished fic). This one is kind of different from my normal stuff because it’s shorter - each chapter is only 1-2k words long. I have something else in my drafts that should be coming out shortly that I’m really proud of (100k+) so please be aware that’s coming, too!

Anyways, this one is a university AU in which Midoriya and Todoroki (and the rest of class 1-A) are university students! It has a little hint of coffee shop AU vibes, but for the most part it’s just a university AU. Hope you enjoy this first chapter!!

Week 01

Izuku’s never been a fan of English classes. He’s not bad at speaking the language; in fact, he’s quite good at it. The problem is that it’s not nearly as intriguing as some of the other courses he’s taken. He’s more interested in science and math classes, in solving complex problems and studying the way the world around him works.

Which is why he’s so nervous about these three words written in sloppy English on the board in front of him.

‘PEN PAL PROJECT’

He drops into his seat with a huff next to Ochaco, who has already arranged her notebook and colored pens in preparation for note-taking. Izuku has English and Chemistry with her, and they sit together for both; naturally, at the end of the day they trade notebooks – Izuku takes her English notes and she his Chemistry notes – and they review and fill in holes where they missed them. It’s an effective system, and Izuku especially likes looking at Ochaco’s neat handwriting.

Ochaco tosses a friendly smile over her shoulder at him and he returns it, wide and a little winded from sprinting the campus to get here. It’s a nine in the morning class, and his alarm clock has a habit of not going off in the morning. Izuku sometimes gets the suspicion that Kacchan, his roommate, has some part in that. “Morning, Deku!” Ochaco chirps, then returns her attention to writing today’s date at the top of her notebook page. She’s deciding on a color scheme for her notes.

“Morning!” Izuku replies, bright and chipper. “You should go with blue and red today.”

“You always say that,” Ochaco laughs, but still she settles on her blue and red pens. “What do you think this is all about?” she nods vaguely at the board, and all Izuku can do is shrug and open his mouth to reply before their professor is proudly proclaiming his entrance into the classroom.

“Good morning!” Professor Yamada is shouting, and he really doesn’t need to yell because the classroom is relatively small but he does anyway. Some of the less awake students wince at his voice, but Izuku’s come to expect it, having been briefed by a few friends who have had Professor Yamada in the past. “Welcome to English one-oh-six!”

He’s speaking English right now, and Izuku’s taken enough English courses in middle school and high school to know most of what he’s saying, but it does take him a moment to piece the number together. He uses context clues to assume Professor Yamada is talking about the class number and he nods his head once, glad to make a connection like this so early in the morning and without any caffeine. (It’s not something he should be as impressed about as he is.)

Yamada switches gears and begins going through the plans of the day in Japanese. “Let’s talk about the Pen Pal Project,” he claps his hands together as he finishes going over basic syllabus information. “For the next semester, you will be exchanging weekly letters with a pen pal in English. It’s much easier to learn a language when you write in said language and communicate with others in that language. I’ve assigned each of you a pen pal from the other sections of English one-oh-six, and you’ll be expected to write them a note each week for class.”

The class around Izuku is convoluted. Some are whispering about how they think this is a childish lesson, others are excitedly chattering with their friends at the possibility of getting to write letters back and forth with another friend from a different section of this course. Ochaco leans over to Izuku, and she appears to be part of the latter group of students. “Isn’t this exciting?!” she whisper-shouts. “Maybe I’ll get to write letters to Tsuyu!”

Izuku hums, taps his pencil on the desk. He doesn’t know many people at this university yet – he really only knows Ochaco, Kacchan, and the acquaintances he works with at the on-campus café. “I think it might be fun,” he decides finally. He’s always been a friendly and outgoing person, and while his English isn’t perfect, he doubts the person he gets paired up with will judge him for it. In all, it seems like a creative way to teach a class, and it really does seem like a nice change of pace.

***

“He’s still doing that stupid pen pal thing, huh?”

Kacchan is leaning against the counter of their kitchenette while Izuku works on drafting his pen pal note at the island counter. “Mm,” Izuku hums his affirmation.

“I had him last semester,” Kacchan grunts, turns back to the microwave where he’s waiting on his ramen. “Thought that assignment was kinda fuckin’ stupid.”

“Who was your pen pal?” Izuku asks, tilting his head to the side in curiosity. He’s drafted his first letter three times now, trying to make sure it has as little errors as possible while also trying not to have scribble marks and pencil erasings.

“Some guy named Hitoshi,” Kacchan shrugs. “He wasn’t all that good at English. I could barely understand what the hell he was trying to say half the time.” He peers over the counter, eyeing Izuku’s paper. “You used the wrong tense there,” he points after a moment, and Izuku groans and throws his head down.

“Why don’t you write it for me?” Izuku whines, turns his cheek so it presses against the counter and he can stare up at Kacchan with big puppy dog eyes. Kacchan just grumbles under his breath and turns away, irritation in his voice even when his words are unintelligible.

“I’m not doing that stupid ass project again,” Kacchan gripes. “Who’s your pen pal or whatever, anyway?”

Izuku blinks to try and focus his eyes on the paper that is much too close to his face to be able to read. Finally he sits up and rubs his eyes, glares down at the name he’s written at the top of the paper. “Todoroki Shouto,” he says.

“Oh, that guy?” Kacchan keeps his eyes on the microwave as it ticks down. “Should be fuckin’ delightful to talk to,” he teases.

“What’s wrong with Todoroki?” Izuku asks, means not to sound defensive but he always seems to get this way when Kacchan acts abrasive.

“I had him in my Japanese lit class last semester,” he explains with a wave of the hand. “He’s just like, the exact opposite of your type.”

Izuku’s ears redden at the tips. “I’m not looking for a relationship,” he says quickly, his voice jumping up a few pitches. “It’s a school assignment! Why would you think—”

“Deku,” Kacchan interrupts, stern and a little intimidating. “It’s been months. You’re getting irritable.”

“Am not!” Izuku shoots back, then covers his mouth. Kacchan just smirks, knowingly, as if those two words have proven him right, because they kind of have.

“Whatever you say,” Kacchan grunts, opens the microwave just before it beeps and takes out his bowl of ramen noodles. He grabs a set of chopsticks from the drawer and migrates to the couch in their tiny living space. The television drowns out whatever Kacchan’s grumbling under his breath, and Izuku doesn’t quite care to ask him to repeat himself because honestly, he’s a little scared of the answer he’ll receive. So he returns his attention back to the page in front of him.

It’s a simple note. Professor Yamada has given everyone a topic for their first letter, ordering the class to talk about what they’re going to school for and what classes they’re taking this semester. He’s told everyone it needs to be around fifty words long to get full credit, and that they’re not being graded on English accuracy so much as on participation. Izuku knows he doesn’t have to put as much thought and effort into it as he is right now, but he can’t help himself; he wants to sound smart. That’s his downfall, is that he doesn’t want his first impression to be terrible.

Dear Todoroki Shouto,

Hi! My name is Midoriya Izuku. I am just turned twenty and this is my third year attending Yuuei University. I study natural science, chemistry, and modern history also with English. I major in Engineering, but I do know not what I want to do with that degree. I live on campus and have one roommate. It is nice to meet you!

Wishing you the best,

Midoriya Izuku

By the time he’s finally settled on his letter, it’s nearing ten at night. He knows he’s taken a lot more time on this than probably anyone else has, but that’s just his personality – he never puts less than a hundred percent into anything. “Kacchan,” he calls through the dorm; he heard Kacchan get out of the shower twenty minutes or so ago now and he really needs someone who’s better at English to revise for him.

“Fuck off, trying to sleep,” Kacchan calls back, his voice muffled through his bedroom door. Izuku sighs, wonders if Ochaco is still awake.

She must be, considering when he grabs for his cell phone that he’d put on silent just before he began working he sees sixteen new text messages, the most recent of which being from eight minutes ago. He exhales and decides that, rather than responding to all sixteen messages, it might be easier to just call her, so he scrolls through his contacts and hits the button to video call.

She picks up after two rings. “Deku!” she cries, but she doesn’t really sound angry, which is unusual when Izuku’s missed so many of her messages. “You got paired up with Todoroki Shouto?!”

“Ah, yeah?” Izuku’s beginning to wonder if he’s the only one who has no idea who this guy is. “So what?”

“So what?!” Ochaco repeats, her voice shrill with the question. “So, he’s like one of the hottest guys on campus!”

Izuku flushes. “I don’t really see how that—”

“You totally need to get with him! You’re getting irritable, Deku!”

Izuku feels his ears reddening again. Is it really that obvious? he thinks hopelessly. “I’m not,” he replies, tries not to sound as irritable this time when he says it.

“Are too,” Ochaco sing-songs.

“I don’t even know what he looks like,” Izuku whines finally, throws his head down on the note. “Who did you get paired up with?”

“Iida Tenya,” she says after a moment. “Do you know him?”

“Yeah,” Izuku sits up again. “I work with him. We usually have the same shift at the café.”

“Oh! The tall guy with the glasses?”

Izuku nods, grateful that his topic change has been so successful. Ochaco seems to notice what he’s done a moment later though, because she’s scolding him in mumbles and all Izuku can catch is “you can’t fool me, Deku”.

“Can you help me review my note?” Izuku asks, remembering now his main reasoning for calling in the first place.

Ochaco sighs and rubs her temple in a gesture that’s meant to be teasing but feels almost genuine. “Sure, sure,” she says with a fatigued smile. “But only if you’ll help me with Chemistry.”

[ettawritesnstudies]

Etta’s big creative to do list for when I’m not drowning in final exams

(the rest are below the cut because this got LONG! I am putting this here so you have some idea of the stuff I’ll be posting about come Monday 5/11 and also so I can find it again instead of putting it in my notebook where it will inevitably get lost among my fluids practice and history essay jottings. if you’re curious about the fact that I am not yet done with my semester, yes, I am absolutely procrastinating an essay right now by writing this. don’t worry about it.)

FINISH STORGE!! I’m only like 3 chapters away from writing The End and I desperately want to do that this year so I can edit and start sharing snippets with alpha readers by this time next year at the latest :D

Outline the Laoche Chronicles

this includes the trilogy outline in broad strokes to make sure everything sets up the next points

a detailed outline for the first book which will need a name eventually

(my outlining process can be found here!)

Character profiles for all the new OCs

(this process can be found in this post!

worldbuilding write-up questionnaire for the new civilizations that’ll feature in the main trilogy and differ from Storge

Learn how to make edits for tumblr because graphic design and anything resembling Proper Authors Platform Branding continue to elude me

This won’t happen this month, but I need to do a cleanout of the social media’s I do have so I can put writing stuff there too and start a proper Author’s Internet Presence. If I do finish Storge this year, I’ll be looking for beta readers eventually and I need to have something to show for myself. This includes...

doing a mass edit of this blog and organizing my tags

teaching myself HTML/CSS and making a custom blog theme that works for my needs or commissioning someone to do this for me

making a Laoche Chronicles wip page

buying a domain and designing an actual authors website

making an #aesthetictrash book Instagram? I’m vaguely aware this is something people do but I only use insta for it’s chat feature with my college friends so I know not the first thing about how that works

I have a disasterous Pinterest that’s 100% private boards for my various bits of nonsense that needs to be turned into a place to showcase WIP aesthetics

I refuse to touch twitter nor facebook nor snapchat nor ticktock with a fifteen foot pole

if you couldn’t tell by now, I was that kid who had a brick trac-phone until 10th grade, and used my smartphone primarily as a music device until very recently

Write a considerable backlog for my Newsies fanfic so I don’t fall behind whenever I go to my internship in a month

Finish the intro for my Vampire Plague Doctor Buddy Cop story and the Chaotic SFF Academia idea that I started last month, and write a few one shots for those Maybe start posting them somewhere if I’m happy with how they turn out?

Make a proper quilt from the 10389238320923 old event t-shirts I have sitting in a pile in the basement so I can take it to college with me in the fall. (also maybe mockup a walking skirt out of an old sheet, so I at least have an idea of what to do whenever proper fabric stores open again)

It’s going to be below freezing tomorrow for SOME REASON despite being MID- MAY, but I need to plant my garden and make a compost pile at some point

Make a list of art skills to start practicing so I can tackle the concept of “learning to draw” in a logical manner like you would in a class, and start doing these drills

Also participate in the rest of MerMay

Read a few books! My current next list of TBR looks like this

Illthdar! I have been dying to get my hands on @illthdar‘s book but I didn’t want to start it during the school year and then have to inevitably put it down like two chapters in because I had boring real life obligations to attend to, so this is my first read for as soon as I’m done with the semester on Sunday.

Pride and Prejudice, which I've heard is excellent and regrettably not actually read yet (nor any of Austen, yes I’m a heretic I know, but I’m also an engineering student and 90% of my time is spent doing maths)

Storm of Fire and Blood - I have had this book for a year and put it down because of school which is a crying shame because I really love this series! For any religious/historical fiction fans I highly recommend the Sword and Serpent trilogy! It’s a retelling of the story of St. George and the Dragon long before he’s ever a saint. I think anyone could enjoy it, but if you’re Catholic or enjoy early Christian history, you’ll get a lot of the references and saint cameos and it’s just! A lot of fun!!

also my patron St. Katherine of Alexandria is a major character in the 2nd and 3rd books and she’s absolutely wonderful so I might be just a little bit biased

Make a few watercolor maps of the world of Laoche! Including detailed maps of the city of Maaren where Storge takes place, and Arga (one of the countries in the later trilogy)

update my bullet journal which has been languishing unused on my dresser since march when I moved home from college 

Carve new dulcimer hammers and teach myself a few songs. (also maybe try to make a longbow or new bridges for the dulcimer but that’s all probably a BIT of a stretch)

Brush up on my piano and guitar practice because I am very very rusty. I need to find some new songs to learn because I don’t really want to relearn Debussy or Chopin again, but I need to find some good ones first...

If you’re still reading this. Wow. Congratulations. That was a lot. and thank you! But yeah! This is what’s been knocking around in my head recently while I was supposed to be studying, but now that it is out of my head and into a post hopefully I will be able to focus again :P This is extremely ambitious and I 100000% will not be able to finish everything on this list, but! it is a plan! Wish me luck!

[audiencegain-hn]

"4000 YouTube watch hours" and its true meaning that creators couldn't help but know!

What are Youtube watch hours?

Watch time metric tracks how long each viewer watches a particular video. According to YouTube, this metric applies not only to individual videos, but also to the entire channel as well.

The platform once states that “channels and videos having lots of watch time result in higher visibility on the search engine and recommendations”.

Nevertheless, there’s a common misconception that watch hours is directly proportional to the length of the video. You can’t improve public watch time simply by creating a longer video, since the content quality is more important than the video’s length.

4000 watch hours? This number isn’t too strange to Youtubers anymore. For your information, if you’re little exposed on this subject, this is one of the compulsory conditions for a Youtube channel to join the Youtube Partner Program (YPP).

In 2018, Youtube had made a change in requirements for channels that they must meet at least 4000 watch hours and 1000 subscribers within 1 year in order to start monetization.

Hence, by a conventional and audience-oriented way, we just need to create videos with great content that appeal to viewers and motivate them to subscribe to the channel to reach this threshold.

Furthermore, you need to finish this task in a consecutive 365 days from any given date.

To be more detail, let’s say you have 2000 watch hours and for the first 6 months and in a year, you only have 3500 watch hours. This figure hasn’t been eligible for Youtube Partner Program (YPP) yet.

However, in the next 6 months, you have gained 5500 watch hours, you can send the monetized application. Watch hours will still be valid  as long as you keep earning enough for 1 year.

Apart from that, you also need 1000 subscribers and you can get this threshold in a lifetime since this requirement isn’t time-constrained. On the contrary, bear in mind that the more subscribers you have, the more views and watch time your videos generate.

So, the revenue is just on the side of a coin. Another reason (maybe the real reason) of 4000 watch hours you should aim for is the engagement between you and the potential audiences. 

You need to produce high-quality videos constantly or else, the video’s views decrease, and ultimately the connection will drop meaning the less amount of money you will have. 

How does Youtube count the watch time? 

Watch time metric keeps track of how long a viewer watches a particular video. This metric applies not only to individual videos, but also to the entire channel as well.

However, there’s a common misunderstanding that public watch hours is directly proportional to the length of the video. Consequently,  you can’t just grow public watch time simply by creating a longer video, as the quality is more important than the video’s length.

Now, let’s do some math!

You need 4000 hours watch time from all the videos you post on your channel. That means 240,000 minutes of viewing is required. Let’s say just one person watches your video, he/she will have to watch your video 24/24 for 166.67 days continuously. Indeed, that is completely impossible.

Moreover, no matter how unpopular your channel is, only one person viewing your channel is too few. (since the video-sharing site has 2 billion visitors per month anyway).

It will be difficult for you to predict the number of viewers who are willing to come to your Youtube channel. So let’s focus on the number and duration of each video.

For instance, on average, you post a 10-minute video per day within 1 year, and you’re the only viewer, so you have 3,650 minutes of viewing. That’s not enough, so you’ll need around 65 more people to watch your videos.

Again, this sounds kind of stupid, a bit!

Those people have to watch the videos every day for a year consecutively, as well as watch the whole 10 minutes. Well this makes sense in some sorts of way, unless you can really get 65 people you know into the habit of spending 10 minutes a day watching all of your videos, then we have nothing left to say.

That’s a good deal too good for you. 

However, all mathematical calculations work only on paper. 365 videos in a year is too much, random and redundant, even though a channel with a large number of videos will be a good platform for Youtube to evaluate your channel.

In addition, ideas cannot be forced. Continuously planning and implementing ideas for 10-minute video content is an ineffective tactic (and that doesn’t take into account video production yet).

Another issue is the content quality. As we mentioned, Youtube has over 2 billion visitors a month, with more than 500 videos uploaded every minute.

On this video-sharing platform, there are tens of thousands of types of videos that creators upload, so this is no different from a fierce “content battlefield” of increasing views and subscribers.

Make sure your content is unique and original to increase your audience engagement, and make sure they watch all of your videos.

Besides, there is another factor like promotion campaigns for your channel. Just uploading a video is not enough, good content without finding the potential is also in vain. Your videos will be completely buried in the 500 videos posted every minute.

Tips for complete 4000 watch hours fast on YouTube

Optimize videos to increase views

 There are many ways to optimize the video. For example, put the title containing keywords. 

This is the basic foundation that you need to build firmly before you plan to develop your channel abroad. Normally your title should be short and be around 56 characters long.

Pressing too many keywords in the title will make the title lose its attractiveness and creativity, but gradually becomes stiff.  Videos are like a boring textbook that states what to say, not as attractive as videos while playing while learning. If your title contains many keywords, it will overwhelm the audience. 

Therefore, you should consider how to make the title both SEO factor and the appropriate length when appearing on the search engine bar. The longer the title will make the viewer do not want to click.

In addition to the title, you need to pay attention to the video quality in terms of both audio and visual. You need to pay attention to watch videos with 720 or higher HD resolution. 

Once you ensure meticulousness and carefulness in each step of creating video content, it will easily achieve 4000 watch hours fast on YouTube. You can make phrases that pull or guide something. For example “Unexpected …”, “How to …”, “Revealing the secret …”, …

Currently, many YouTubers prefer to use tools such as https://keywordtool.io/google to analyze and avoid tagging by few people searching. 

Thanks to this keyword analysis tool, many people can raise the channel to the top of the display, allowing the channel to reach more viewers.

The more you know how to do keyword research to include it in your video title, the easier it is for your video to reach the trending top. 

Once it has reached the top and is recognized by YouTube as not violating the rules, the complete 4000 watch hours are only sooner or later.

Remember three factors you need to keep in mind: good title – good SEO keywords – impressive channel name. 

Just the above three factors, your channel will easily reach the milestone of 4000 watch hours. From there, you can meet 1 of YouTube’s monetization criteria.

Since January 16, 2018, YouTube has issued a monetization regime that the channel must reach 4000 watch hours within 12 months and 1000 subscribers. Therefore, video optimization is the basic thing that you must do to strive during the race to reach 4000 watch hours within 12 months and 1000 subscribers.

Optimize video description

Write your description as concisely, as well as enough, as much as you can. Below the description must add a web link, Facebook, phone number, … to increase interaction. 

You can also prompt viewers to click on the new clips you just posted to discover interesting things. 

The keywords that you analyze in search engines should also be included in the description so that viewers know your video is pointing to what they are looking for.

Do not be subjective and neglect to invest in video descriptions. Because now a lot of YouTubers fail just because they do not know how to get more attention and popularity in the public eye. 

The more professional you are and the more thorough your description is, the more easily your video will be in the top search of YouTube. 

The extra keywords that are scattered around the description make your video stand out in the eyes of the viewer and the position of suggested videos.

Some basic guidelines for optimizing video descriptions are as follows:

You need to make sure the keyword is in the first 25 words

Make a description of at least 250 words and no more

Repeat keyword 2 to 4 times

Please insert some related video links with the same topic for viewers to enjoy clicking explore

If you follow the above requirements, YouTube and Google will not list your videos in the spam list. 

Another important thing is that you must build a backlink from outside to do “SEO off the page” YouTube video. 

You should use a link with the form of text links or iframe to link directly. Never talk about sales because readers may be offensive. 

You need to give your audience the feeling that you create value and that they will click to support new value creation and spread in the community.

 Backlink YouTube video

SEO Backlink means the process of pushing SEO keywords to the top of Google search by creating multiple backlinks on your YouTube channel. 

SEO YouTube video backlink has the same nature as SEO Backlink on Google for the website. You should note that the backlink should not be shot too hard but must be steady for viewers to click as a habit. 

You need to be careful not to shoot the text link, the anchor text is too hard and forced. 

Through sharing links on social media such as website, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, LinkedIn, … you can earn a rich source of views from many platforms.  You can take advantage of fan pages that share the same topic with videos or groups with a large number of members to effectively promote the videos in the channel.

Dofollow links are important because Google only uses these links when determining search engine rankings. That said, Nofollow links will not be able to rank your video up.  Make sure internal linking with tracking links is a major determinant and related to each other. Create an expanded video with the same theme for people to organically click on the video. 

If the tool to check website traffic is Google Analytics, Google Search Console, SEMrush, Bitly, … then the tool to check YouTube video traffic is YouTube Analytics. 

Therefore, if you have completed the above procedures and want to check that 4000 watch hours fast on YouTube is complete, you can immediately use YouTube Analytics.

 Adword advertising

How to pull views with Adword ads has a huge advantage because it allows you to research deeply and identify detailed audiences. 

Who is the target of the YouTube channel, in which country, what is the age group to how much, what interests, … 

For example, if you post a video about a car, do not pay attention to people under 15 Age or over 80, that is the age when buying a car. However, how to do Adword ads to increase views, you also have to spend a lot of money. 

If you want to cut money, then you can search for people with business accounts to help you run views quickly. 

It can be said that pulling views through Adword ads helps many YouTubers complete 4000 watch hours fast on YouTube.

Exchange views

View exchange is usually done by new YouTubers. This good process takes a lot of time and effort. Because you need to increase the view, sub, like, comment, … to get “coin” and get “coin” to increase views. 

View exchange sites like Addfast are all too familiar with YouTubers. 

To Add fast, there are also view exchange software such as Uview or subscribers like Usub software.

However, if you overuse the tool or view exchange software, only your channel will lose in the long term. Your channel has no loyal viewers. That means that if you do not use the view exchange software, your channel will be easily forgotten and monetization cannot be enabled. 

However, there is another possibility that your video is powerful enough to engage viewers and make them stop. 

Besides, when seeing positive metrics like likes, registrations, or comments, viewers tend to click more instead of just having a few comments.

In addition to using view exchange software, there is an option that many YouTubers choose to use VPS, VPN to increase views. Renting a VPS or VPN helps you save money when renting a machine running at home. The effects of running VPS at home effectively but bring many undesirable consequences. 

The first harm is that Google and YouTube notice and detect that you use a tool to help increase fake views and subs. From then, your video is canceled and the channel disappears forever.

In addition to using VPS or VPN, another tool that many people use to achieve 4000 watch hours is using bots or proxies. However, this only puts your video and channel at risk of being detected by YouTube and deleting fake views. 

Currently, in addition to “plowing the view” through software or exchanging views, it is possible to apply view buying services such as SEPClick, QQtube, …

The fastest way to get 4000 watch hours on your youtube channel is to buy them - buy 4000 Youtube watch hours 

We know that “buying 4000 Youtube watch hours” is already a common term on Google.

There are a lot of places where you can go "buying 4000 watch hours" but here I want to introduce you to the place I trust the most, which is AudienceGain.

It can be said, it is very difficult to achieve 4000 watch hours to make money on youtube channel as we have analyzed above. And so if you are looking for a quick way to start making a profit on your channel, you may have to purchase YouTube watch hours or other packages needed for your purpose.

And AudienceGain is a place you shouldn't miss out on.

Their services increase your chances of being approved to make money on Youtube channel. Besides, with the more watch hours you own, their service keeps your channel reliable because of its natural growth.

They help you meticulously in distributing your video on social platforms, you can be completely assured of the actual viewing hours as well as the number of subscribers.

To be more granular, the advertising campaign will take time to finish. However, you can follow the progress and then be amazed by the results. Usually deliveries for this service are between 24-72 hours.

Such package timing is to ensure that your clock hours are completely safe and legal. Furthermore, during the process, trust me, you always have their support to analyze your channel as conscientiously as possible and if you have any questions about how it works, the support team. AudienceGain's dedicated support is always ready to serve you 24/7.

Their other customers like me are always ready to return for the nth time because not only their service attitude, but depending on your order this time, next time you will receive other discounts. .

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You can direct them right here: https://audiencegain.net/buy-4000-watch-hours-youtube/

What happens after you reach 4000 watch hours on Youtube?

If you want to keep track of your watch  hours, YouTube Studio has a dedicated page in the left handed navigation panel called ‘Monetization’. This shows you both subscribers and the progress of watch hours your videos have gained.

On the next step, now you can apply for the Youtube Partner Program. Follow these steps: 

- Sign in to YouTube.

- On the top right, click on your profile picture -> YouTube Studio.

- In the left menu, click on Monetization.

If you haven’t hit 4000 watch hours and 1000 subscribers yet, click “Notify me when I qualify” to receive email notifications when you’ve reached 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours in the last 12 months. If you hit the threshold above, click the Get Started button on the “Review Partner Program Terms” tab.

Once you have signed the terms, Youtube will mark this step with a green “Done” symbol on the “Review Partner Program Terms” tab.

At this point, you have completed the first step in the process of making money from Youtube, which is to register to become a partner of Youtube. In order to have money in your pocket, you need to register an Adsense account for your Youtube channel.

In the monetization section, click View monetization settings.

A menu box as below will appear, you click on “How will I get paid?” and choose to link to an Adsense account.

Then the Adsense’s instructions are complete. Registration form Your Google Adsense will be reviewed in 1-2 days.

Once you sign the YouTube Partner Program terms and connect to your AdSense account, your channel will automatically be queued for review. Youtube’s automated systems and reviewers will then review the content on your channel to check if the channel complies with all of its guidelines.

It will take at least 30 days for the evaluation to be completed, and Youtube will contact you to announce its decision on your channel after the review is complete.

If you’re accepted into the Youtube Partner Program, you are allowed to make money on Youtube from the ads displayed on your videos (by Google) as well as enable other monetization features.

And unfortunately you’re disapproved, meaning reviewers found out that the majority of content on your channel is not in compliance with the platform’s policies and guidelines. As a result, you can reapply 30 days after the denial. 

Furthermore, some creators may have to wait for over a month. There are many reasons for delays, such as more applications than usual, system problems or sometimes, we may need to reallocate resources, or decision-making time can be longer as creator’s channels may need to be reviewed multiple times. 

[violetsystems]

personal

I’ve been able to sleep until six the last few days.  I’ve been on this miserable eight to four sleep schedule.  I ordered a silent vortex coffee grinder specifically to be less annoying in this regard.   Even if I could literally just grind the coffee the night before.  I also bought a rug cleaner for the first time in my life.  It’s amazing the things you don’t realize you need for a home let alone an office.  Last night I received an email from LinkedIn asking me to weigh in on a conversation about higher education.  The only public facing social networking site I really use actively I pay for.  They bought a service called Linda.com years ago.  It was probably the most important site to me for instructional videos.  These days it is included on the platform so I spend a fair amount of time keeping my job skills plausible.  I learned pretty hard the last six months that my professional network had all but evaporated.  A hard thing to face when you worked with your friends for over twenty years.  But people have to move on.  I sometimes make decisions that seem smarter in retrospect.  You could even mistake it for premonition but I just call it good judgement.  I made the decision to start the process of becoming a LLC.  It was pretty easy to do once you paid the four hundred dollars.  There’s services out there online that will do the legal part for you.  I chose VS consulting as the name which becomes real around mid December if the Secretary of State accepts it.  They asked me to cut the ribbon virtually.  I congratulated myself in silence but this is pretty much the first place I’ve shared the news with.  My mom didn’t quite understand what I had done and my dad is an accountant.  I haven’t told him yet either.  I got the idea seeing some of the people who still work at my old job starting their own side businesses.  Crazy to see people still employed having extra jobs in this economy.  But for the most part I don’t really compare my experience to anyone’s anymore.  So I just look forward.  There are a lot of ways I generate income.  Some of them aren’t very lucrative.  I released another ep Monday.  Three of my friends from across the world I never really talk to bought it immediately.  It makes sense because my music is how they know me.  So that’s how they keep up with me.  From there, Bandcamp revenue share Friday passed with little or no fanfare.  It still doesn’t change the fact I owe taxes on the income above a certain amount if I report it.  We all know how the rich hate paying those taxes.  And the whole world now knows that I work for a LLC on the premier professional social networking site.  It’s a win win for me because I can still look for a job but I appear employed.  It’s also a nice buffer in these times for your resume.  In retrospect, every article I read says the end of December is a perfect time to start your own business.  Mostly because January 1st allows you to start with a fresh balance sheet and good accounting.  So if anything my New Year’s resolution is to be cleaner and more concise about everything.  Even if the rest of society’s ethics and accountability gets muddier as COVID-19 and the election process drags on.  The only things I really have to worry about this next year are documenting my spending, opening up a business checking account, and deducting business expenses.  Sounds like a job to me.

There are tools you need for a job.  I bought a year long subscription to Creative Cloud.  I had it for free for years.  I worked in a visual communications department for ten years.  I saw the most amazing work every morning hung up outside my office.  It inspired me to learn about print making and screen printing.  I even owned Adobe stock at one point because I realized Microsoft Office wasn’t doing my resume much justice.  I shudder to think how many jokes were cracked by the Workday staff over my Chanel submission.  Truth is nobody called back for interviews at any of the places I applied.  And this doesn’t really stop me from keeping my eyes out for a position anywhere.  But if we are talking about generating income, I can do that all by myself.  I can also hire people and deduct more business expenses if I felt that was an option.  Which starts to get into the meat of why the job market and economy is so fucked up in America.  A lot of people didn’t fall in line on a balance sheet when COVID-19 came crashing down last February.  And when the fiscal year came time to start fresh, they thinned their liabilities.  Companies are now thinking in quarters rather than years at this point.  And small businesses like myself also have to think the same because I now owe the IRS money every three months.  The accounting side of it doesn’t really bore me.  I’ve done every IT role in the business pretty much over twenty years.  I guess that’s why LinkedIn calls on me to offer an opinion.  I’ve never had to be this hardcore about the finances.  Another great reason why I spend so much time in spreadsheets aside from writing on the internet.  It’s much easier to approach a professional consultant with twenty years of experience with an invoice than it is to tether them to your payroll with benefits.  I’m always having to think six months ahead myself.  This has an advantage to it insofar that I don’t often look back.  You pay your taxes and you move on.  There are many things I could do to generate income.  I could make a zine and sell it quarterly on bandcamp along with shirts.  I could post flyers around the neighborhood offering after christmas tech support.  I could scour the net for opportunities to audit galvanized IT departments.  I could do all this with more confidence if I could say I am employed.  I could also hire someone to help me.  But I could do none of this and deduct expenses without applying for a sole proprietorship.  And truth be told I already have to claim this for the New York Stock Exchange.  So if you had to put a label on what I do now it isn’t really that much different from any other business.  The state’s richest men started as LLCs.  They’re also the biggest pricks who pay the least taxes.  Trickle down economics is a funny concept.  Businesses offer jobs they deduct from their income therefore paying less to the pool.  This would be fine for small income generating businesses.  But Ken Griffin would say otherwise as he and other rich people benefit from this structure.  They say the American Dream is owning your own business.  So welcome to my personal nightmare.  I hope you don’t mind me taking the itemized deductions after how I’ve been treated.

I don’t actually know how it’s going to work out.  I just know I don’t want to appear unemployed while corporate America expects me to wink and make them more money.  There are investments that have worked out for me as volatile as they might be.  One Chinese company I invested in has made the CEO twelve times richer.  I own four hundred and twenty shares of that company in a brokerage.  My intent is to hold on to them for the long term possibly making someone richer at my own risk.  I could short the entire next year to my heart’s content.  My credit scores have gone through the roof.  Nobody has had any answers for me on what to do.  Nobody has coached me.  I read.  I think.  I come up with solutions to my problems.  And I put money in the right places.  That doesn’t mean anything is a sure thing.  Especially when my government finds it more advantageous to punish other countries while forgetting about it’s own people.  I am absolutely in the dark about everything.  Everything except running my own business in America.  I already have income I have to report over the next three years due the CARES act.  So that is income I will deduct.  This is how it works here in America.  You seize the means of production and you go to work.  If it seems backward for me, you wouldn’t know the half.  My life is so fucked up in terms of how hazy and confusing other people have made it.  People invaded my life on pretenses that I can’t even begin to explain.  And part of being a strong, responsible adult is engineering your way out of these problems.  And for the most part, I’ve engineered myself into a fort that overlooks the CTA train.  And a small portion of that fort can be written off as an office.  Which in some ways if you do the math makes rent and utilities cheaper in the long run.  I don’t make the rules.  This is how America works.  A LLC gets a tax id number.  It allows you better options for retirement savings with a SEP IRA.  You can apply for business accounts and waive taxes on business purchases.  Even the family dollar around the corner has a sign in the window reminding me I can apply for tax free status.  Maybe they’re mostly to blame for planting the idea in my head.  I’m the one who made the call to apply.  Nobody held my hand.  You could also get audited by the IRS.  And I’m sure the IRS would have to figure out how I got into this situation in the first place.  Maybe they’d offer me a job. There’s other fantasies in my life I could imagine happening more than that waking nightmare.  Like actually having money to retire.  I could be travelling around the world cleaning up the mess mark to market accounting has left on big business.  The scars on economies the rich have pock marked on the middle class.  Or I could just keep generating income and be my own boss here in my kitchen.  The one thing I do know is that is sexier to be confident enough to move ahead with your own plan slowly than to short a bunch of stocks disruptively and brag about it on the internet.  You could call it my three year plan.  Don’t ask me how bonds factor in that equation.  I’m not a spy.  What I am is a guy that is trying to be the solution and not the victim.  And that guy doesn’t ever want to be a burden on the people I love.  So that guy is going to keep doing what he does.  And I’m not going to lie that you inspire me to do so.  As sexy and confident as I’m born to be.  <3 Tim