#makes it a lot easier for those breeding for a purpose to have access to a registry - accessibility and everything that comes with that

[gayhenrycreel]

the reason that male privilege is so dangerous in our society is specifically because its a broken promise.

women and other marginilized genders dont get any gendered privilege, but those expected to be women are promised that if they conform they can escape LOSING power.

those expected to be men are promised that they could GAIN power by conforming.

any deviance results in a failure of masculinity, so whos lower on the rank? women. its because of misogyny that so many men have eating disorders and body dysmorphia and perform toxic ideals. anything to remain in power will be done unless a person realises that there is no winning because the goalpost will always change, because ultimately the goal is a system in which people are volunteering for slavery (capitalism needs people to want to work to death). of course work is so vital to traditional masculinity, it makes people allow themselves to be enslaved easier.

i suspect that a lot of men with toxic ideas of masculinity are actually severely dysphoric and dont have access to resources and so try to force a system in which somehow they can win.

there is a reason for toxic masculinity: many people are terrified of the consequences of failing masculinity, because getting put in the position of "failed gender" is to be in the same category as women (quote unquote) who also dont conform.

"men" who fail masculinity are not considered "basically women". they are considered "gender failures", just like "women" who dont conform to being breeding stock (the purpose of which is to create "workers").

"queer" is a gender. all of us.

"queerness" is socially recognised as an entirely separate class of gender failures, including cis queer people, because traditional gender is inherently heterosexual. of course no one acknowledges this because it would reveal that there is no binary.

my whole life people have told me i am male. others said i am female. it doesn't truely matter which i am because i am considered male and love men, therefore im simply not quality for breeding.

its an old idea that gay people are bad specifically because they cant have biological children.

fascism needs slaves to uphold it. often the slaves are manipulated into inforcing this themselves. those slaves are going to die in dangerous (cheaply made) factories, so they are required to reproduce and are punished if they dont.

amatonormativity is heteronormativity which is cisnormativity which is perisexnormativity.

our community is that of people who fail gender. we are not profitable.

and we should never allow ourselves to become profitable at all.

i think the truth is male privilege isn't even universal for cisgender men, but terfs and radfems and trfs don't want y'all to know about how extremely conditional privilege actually can be, because then they couldn't weaponize it unilaterally against trans men and mascs just trying to talk about their lived experiences. tbh.

[fjordfolk]

i don't even think one has to go as far as to unravel the whole idea of breed, registry and stud books, because i know for a fact that in other animals one has managed to have all of these things without going fckn batshit

[alchemicaldesignquery]

Competitive Play is a Mythos

Part of design is understanding a game's purpose. Who, what, where, why, when, how-

-and, most often, 'the fuck?'

Competitive modes tend to have a lot of those questions answered from the moment it is decided there's going to be one. Rules, laws, guidelines, are all set in place to make the mode as fair and just as possible so that player frustration is kept to a minimum.

That doesn't mean you won't get frustrated, mind you, just that the playing field is even enough that it should be easier to determine when a player is better than you.

(note the emphasis in that sentence)

Competitive play is based around level playing fields, encompassing rulesets, and a definitive goal for all players participating. Added/extra variables within the game have to be handled with care, or else the inevitable economics that rule competitive will warp any integrity or consistency you are aiming for:

Of course, I am referring to "Min-maxing".

Every little percentile, every tiny integer; split seconds, shaved seconds, movement efficiencies, 'techs', sightlines, high-ground, focus fire, call outs, short-hand comms, breakpoints-

-there's a list. Broad and wide and many. These are the variables used in a competitive setting, to establish both skill and allowance within the game, pushing beyond the standard (often simple) rules that govern the playing field and into a reservoir of external knowledge the likes of which could fill up a library.

The sort of reservoir that demands coaches of varying tiers, targeted workouts, military-grade/hyper-specialized reflex training, supplements and enhancements, textbooks of raw data, and the analysts to explain it in maximized efficacy.

Competitive play, the higher in the ranks and placements you go, draws increasingly from this reservoir of external knowledge. To the point that, at the highest levels, you might as well be a scholar taking classes only available in particular formats and under certain certifications.

All that to say: High Skill Play has little-to-nothing to do with playing the actual game.

Playing a game, any game really, can go back and forth on the field without this external reservoir of knowledge, but the moment that knowledge begins to get applied, the results are almost immediately noticeable.

A player who knows that High Ground is advantageous, will gain an edge and attempt to secure it more and more often. That edge is magnified, when said player understands why high ground is important.

The same goes for Focus Fire. When players can help coordinate their teammates to concentrate multiple streams of effort against a singular target, regardless of how the game is played, the answering effort can't compete just through sheer numerical comparison.

5 sources of damage focusing on 1 source of health, will always go in favour of the damage.

But learning about these concepts is part of that external reservoir of knowledge that makes up High Skill Play. One has to seek out that information (or, more rarely, stumble on it while playing the game) and, whereas it can often be the case that other players will pass that information on, only those capable of implementing it in their own gameplay will see those benefits.

And if a game, at it's baseline/foundation, does not have any education systems (UI, tutorials, pings, colour-coding, etc.) built into it's core, then much of the external reservoir of knowledge will either be impossible to discover or impossible to implement (probably both).

Which can, in turn, give the competitive side of that game a 'Glass Skill Ceiling'; you can watch High Skill Players achieving results with their gameplay, but attempting to implement it without the knowledge and frameworks those players access regularly (reflexively, even) will breed further frustration.

It might even convince a lot of players that would otherwise enjoy your game, to go looking for an easier one to play. Maybe not even easier, just one that has less of an External Reservoir of Knowledge.

[brathaifarm]

The Essentials for Keeping Chicken

Keeping chicken can be simple and manageable regardless of location. It is advisable that you first carry out some research about different chicken breeds. This is dependent of the location and the main purpose for keeping the chicken. Once you have decided on the breed, a bit of preparation has to be done before the chickens are brought home. frozen chicken feet

Establishing the number of chickens you want is the first move, and this will determine a lot of the subsequent activities that you will carry out. Beginning with a small number of chickens is advisable for those who are starting so that it is easier and faster for them to get the knack of rearing chicken. Most people prefer having more hens than roosters due to the noisy nature of a rooster. You should however know that it is not a must that one keeps a rooster for the hens to produce eggs, unless you need the hens to produce fertile eggs of course.

A good chicken house goes a long way into maintaining your chickens' health, comfort and productivity. Good chicken house designs can be found on the internet and used to make a chicken house. The house should be made out of good material so that you do not have to keep on repairing the house often. Other factors to consider are that the chicken house should be spacious enough for the chicken to move around since chicken in crowded areas lay fewer eggs than those in spacious areas, it should be well lit and ventilated and the floor should have wire mesh that is about a foot below the ground to protect the chicken from predators such as snakes and raccoons while allowing them access to worms for food. Other considerations are that the chicken coop should be covered in grass or sawdust to provide a sort of dirt pen for the chicken, it should have a water dispenser and a feeding vessel for the chicken and it should have nesting boxes where hens can lay their eggs and rest. frozen chicken wings

If you are planning to have a large number of chickens, it is advisable to buy chicken feed before you bring the chicken home. A very small poultry size can be sustained by your food leftovers. Raw potatoes and avocado could however be harmful to your chicken.

Since you already made a choice of the breed of chicken you are to keep, the only task remaining is purchasing the chicken. You could buy day old chicks or chicken above 12 weeks from a farm or a hatchery. On bringing them home, keep them in the chicken house for a while so that they are familiar with their premises. frozen chicken paws

It is important to keep the chicken house clean. It should be cleaned every 1 to 2 weeks so that the chickens are comfortable. Ensure that you monitor the chickens to ensure that their health and eating habits are satisfactory. Make sure that there is always someone to watch the chicken in the event that you are not available. Having the chicken healthy and well fed will give you the remarkable spoils of keeping chicken.

[rallamajoop]

The Hidden documents of Tesham Mutna

I’m guessing I speak for most Witcher 3 players in admitting I barely skimmed most of the in-game documents. No-one’s playing an action RPG for the experience of scrolling slowly through umpteen paragraphs of text multiple times a mission, especially when so few of them add much to the worldbuilding or narrative. Which is a shame, because it makes it that much easier to miss the few that do.

Basically, if you never stopped to read the collectable docs from your trip through Tesham Mutna with Regis in Blood & Wine, you have missed out on some wild shit. Like, vampire sex slaves level of wild. I’m not even kidding.

Let’s start with that gloriously-gothic armour suit you can pick up, complete with matching mask ‒ the one that made me go, “wait, is this, like, an armour set for a vampire’s pet human? Are they kitting out humans for ritual combat? OMG, that’s magnificent!”

Well, there’s this one scroll you can pick up containing what seems to be a poem, or maybe an oath of sorts, which might elaborate a little on just who was meant to wear that ridiculous armour.

Champion of Tesham Mutna

I am he who serves the Tribe. Exalted above men, I renounce human weakness. Uplifted above men, I become Keeper of my Flock. Filled with Strength, I turn my sword against the enemies of the Tribe. I am Master and Slave. I am executor of the Will of the Tribe. I accept this sword and this armor so I may serve the Tribe.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but that’s the sort of glorious nonsense I am 100% here for. And there is so much more.

Other gems are buried a bit more deeply. You can learn a lot about what those cells in the basement were used for from a little book called ‘Human Husbandry and Care’* (which has some pretty nasty implications about the minimum effort that can be safely dedicated to prisoner upkeep) ‒ and you can get a prisoner’s view on the same from ‘Notes of a Tesham Mutna prisoner‘ (which would seem to suggest the vampires involved haven’t quite nailed the ‘sustainable captive breeding’ stage just yet). But it’s the bit at the end of ‘Human Husbandry�� where things take a turn for the psychological.

You can read the whole thing on the wiki ‒ but for current purposes, have an extract (emphasis mine).

Human Husbandry and Care

It is worth mentioning here that there is a school of thought that suggests treating human livestock with greater freedom and care [...]. This allegedly ensures a greater amount of favorable elements in the blood and makes it tastier, however [...] this method of husbandry is much more difficult and requires emotional bonding techniques, which will be discussed in the following chapters.

‘Emotional bonding techniques’, huh? What’s that about? Those ‘following chapters’ aren’t included, but you can pick up another document a little later which picks up the same theme.

Battery-Cage vs. Free-Range Humans

Free-range, on the other hand, involves leaving the flock in its natural habitat [...] and then making the herd psychologically or physically dependent on its owner. The most effective method for making a human individual dependent is guaranteeing it safety and permanent access to high quality feed. It is worth adding that a human that trusts its owner does not feel fear and does not defend itself when having its blood drunk, which limits the production of noradrenaline and cortisol, which have a negative impact on the taste of the blood.

Woof. Sounds like everything Orianna was up to with her orphanage was oh-so-subtly foreshadowed loooooong in advance of where you can actually encounter it in the story. (Have I mentioned how much I love that whole reveal, in all its messy, moral ambiguity? Dilemmas like this are so much of what the Witcher series does best.)

But ‘Battery-Cage vs. Free Range Humans’ goes even further than that:

Furthermore, it may happen that a domesticated free-range human may feel a certain pleasure when its owner drinks its blood (most likely associated with sexual tension), which causes an intensification in the blood's flavor.

Hot damn. We’ve moved into a whole other genre of horror here.

So, to summarise: being bitten by a Witcher-verse vampire can officially be sexually arousing. Moreover, sexual arousal makes the blood taste even better to the vampire. Oh boy, they went there.

Does this really match up with how the whole sexy-vampire thing is tackled in the books, where Regis is quick to assure the rest of the party that the whole ‘blood-drinking = sex’ thing is all based on hang-ups about oral sex and other Freudian nonsense? Arguably not. But I suppose you could always argue that we’ve only got Regis’ word for that, and even he stops short of telling us there’s never anything sexual about the drinking of blood (and he’s certainly a plenty-sexual being otherwise ‒ poor Regis, it must be hard being a sexy vampire when you’ve had to give up drinking blood completely for health reasons).

And then there’s that whole bit from the first Witcher game, where you can visit an entire brothel full of sexy, sexy vampires ‒ so it’s not like the franchise hasn’t gone there before.

You could debate how much of that first game is still really ‘canon’ at this point, given how later games pick up the story. But if you were wondering if all the implications of that vampire-brothel business still count as of the third game, well... just maybe they are. 

The last document you can pick up in Tesham Mutna, “Transcript of a Conversation with a Lower Being“, is comparatively a bit of a let-down that casts the vampires as far too ‘beep-boop-what-are-human-emotions?’ to be very convincing.

But I’d be remiss not to at least mention that outside Tesham Mutna, the writers have also snuck a twisted little lesbian vampire love story into some documents from an Olive Grove bruxa battle you can stumble into.

Pick up the diary and letter you’ll find before and after the fight, and you’ll discover there’s at least one woman in Toussaint who very much seems to have been enjoying the attentions of one particular vampire.

None of this is what I’d exactly call ‘important’ Witcher-vampire-canon. As much as I 100% encourage the writing of gloriously melodramatic fanfic about the Champion of Tesham Mutna, all this stuff is so well buried it’s more of an easter egg for the attentive. But I still dig how shamelessly tropey all this vampire nonsense is ‒ and how well some of it ties in with a few minor plot points you’ll actually hear commented on in-game. If you’ve really got to fill your game with text documents, this is how you make them worth the reading. ;)

* For the record, this actually wasn’t an inspiration behind that one deliberately twisted Geralt/Regis fic I posted a while back ‒ by the time I got around to reading this particular in-game document properly, that fic was already mostly plotted. But it's still very obviously responsible for the title

[darkredehmption]

Class Is In

#SL #ClassIsIn

Written by @DamagedBrother and @OfFeatherNFang 

****

Mal: 

I shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t even the first time, but thank fuck, none of my new ‘students’ seemed to notice. As each of the Brothers filed in, taking various seats at the front of the room, I resisted the urge to up and fucking leave. Instead I clenched the black dry erase marker, my eyes straying to Zsadist, who watched me with a small, reassuring smile. My free hand absently brushed over the new scar beneath my shirt, reminding me of what I was doing, and why. 

My most recent hospital stay had ended only a few days earlier, and while I’d been approved to teach a classroom full of muscle clad, would-kick-the-shit-out-of-satan killers, I was still black listed from actually leaving the manse to go on rotation. So I had to take what I could get I guess.

As silence crept in with everyone settling the fuck down, I felt the even more uncomfortable weight of eyes on me, waiting for how I was going to wow them. I mean, this wasn’t a class on explosives, firearms, or the 52 ways you could kill a guy with your thumb. This was on the supernatural. Or, I guess, everything ELSE that was supernatural other than… well, us.

“Right, shit, well… here we go. Never been a public speaker, so bear the fuck with me while I figure this shit out,” I mutter, tapping the marker against my free hand. Rhage, helpfully, grinned and said ‘here, here’. 

“Well, let’s start by cutting straight to the why’s of being here,” I say firmly, looking to Zsadist and giving a small nod. “Z had a demon hitch a ride. He was possessed,” I say flatly. “And demons gossip around the lava water cooler worse than chicks in a high school. If we don’t start taking precautions now, we could be seeing more of them. Or more of what happened…”

I managed to keep myself from brushing the scar this time, but nothing could quell the furious fire burning in me to ensure Zsadist would never, ever have to go through that shit again. 

Zsadist:

I couldn’t help but keep my eyes locked onto my male. I mean let’s face it, I always wanted my eyes on him. But even more lately with what had gone down recently. I could have lost him. Lost the most important person in life at the hands of myself. Well technically not myself, but still, this meeting was important. It was important for the Brotherhood to learn some knowledge on a new threat we had.

Demons.

Shaking the thought from my head as I give my male an encouraging smile. He looked nervous as hell to be in front of the Brotherhood right now, about to teach them a thing or two of his enemies. Though I wanted to believe that my Brothers would behave and give them his full attention. 

I couldn’t help but notice Mal’s hand as it crept closer to the new scar that I helped make on his body. Yes, this wasn’t my doing completely, but my hand was the one wielding the dagger. I had to stop letting myself believe this was all my fault, because it wasn’t. 

The demons were another enemy that we needed to take down. So I made sure everyone was paying attention before my eyes landed on Mal once again. 

Mal:

“I can honestly say I’ve never dealt with a demon possessing a vampire before, but then again, I don’t think the regular vampires they’re used to quite cut it…”

I frowned at that thought, but shrugged and kept going. 

“Anyway, we’ll deal with the other breeds of vampires in another lesson,” I say absently, shaking my head. “And ghouls… werewolves… wendigos… poltergeists… well, you get the idea.” I waved my hand as if it would dismiss all the other breeds of supernatural beasties I’d just thrown out there. “Demons are our most pressing issue. How to identify one…”

Turning to the white board, I popped the top on my marker and started to write as I spoke. 

“Flickering lights. While also a sign of a malevolent spirit, it can be an indicator that a strong demon is nearby. In their raw form, they look like dark black smoke. That smoke will seek access to your body through your nose and mouth,” I instruct, turning to look back at the Brothers. 

All of whom were staring at me, wide eyed and… damn, I wasn’t sure. Angry? Disbelieving? Incredulous? I couldn’t pin it. But this shit was definitely not what they were used to dealing with, and I was going to need to give them a minute to absorb.

“Uh… ask questions, if you want. If it… makes it easier.”

Zsadist:

Whoa okay. That was a lot of knowledge my male just spilled. I was just accepting the fact that demons had entered our world, but all those other things? Hell no. 

As I looked around the room I couldn’t help but notice my Brothers with the same blank look on their faces. Vishous was the first one to recover. I watched carefully as he lit a blunt then leaned across his desk. 

“Well shit. Always figured there was more to life than just us and the humans.” Vishous said with a shrug. 

Rhage’s brows drew in as he raised his hand. I couldn’t help but laugh as he played the role as a student. Once called on, by the very sexy teacher, he drops his hand and unwraps a lollipop.

“So...like all those things you are saying is bad? But how can that be true? I mean...Hadrian is a shifter and he isn’t bad. Used for bad things, sure, but that isn’t his fault. I guess what I’m saying is, what is trying to come for us currently? Do the demons work with the other parties that were mentioned?”

Ah yes, Hadrian.

Even though we were connected, I had a weird feeling that Rhage was tight with the male as well. Rhage once told me that he can relate to Hadrian in some way and hopes that they would get the chance to spend more time together. 

Speaking of, I needed to check in with the shifter and make sure he was doing alright. We did manage to be on rotation together every now and then, but rarely did we have the time to chit chat. Maybe next time Mal was out fighting and I was at home I could see if Hadrian wanted to grab a beer. Couldn’t hurt.

Mal:

“Not all shifters are bad the way not all vampires are bad,” I conceded, nodding my head. “Hadrian is a special example too. Even in his world, being able to shift into more than one creature is rare. Most shifters, like werewolves, are bound to one animal.”

Pausing, I took in a breath, trying not to let myself be distracted by thoughts of Hadrian. The shifter being metaphysically bound to my mate was still a raw point for me, but I was working through it. Y’know. Slowly.

“But back to demons…” Lifting a hand to my shirt, I tugged down the collar just enough to reveal the pentacle tattoo across my chest. I also tried to ignore the quick way Z’s golden eyes narrowed at my potentially showing skin to his Brothers, but in this instance he was definitely going to have to breathe. “There are ways of ensuring a demon can’t possess you,” I explain. “This symbol is a protective one that repels demons. They can’t possess me. You can also wear the symbol, or other various amulets and protective talismans, to prevent it.”

Letting go of the shirt, I start a list.

“So, symbols. Talismans. Holy water,” I add, my tone rueful as I figured some of them were, undoubtedly, rolling their eyes. After all, holy water was also a mythical vampire repellent. “If a demon has already possessed a body, you can sometimes provoke them into revealing themselves by saying the name of God in latin.” I glance back at all of them. “Their eyes will turn a complete and glossy black with no iris at all. If they turn any other colour… well. Run like hell while screaming my name,” I say dryly. 

Zsadist:

My eyes narrowed dangerously low when I watched Mal reveal his chest to my Brothers. Sure, they’ve seen his bare torso, but that doesn’t mean I wanted them sneaking a peek. 

Quickly my head snaps in Vishous’s direction when he starts sketching in the notebook he brought to Mal’s class. Leaning over my desk to look over his shoulder only to reveal a drawing of the tattoo my male wore on his chest. Vishous continued to underline the shape as I leaned back into my seat. He probably had a plan of making some amulets for us to wear while out on rotation.

Everything Mal described sounded...insane. But I knew first hand that this was serious, and everything that he was saying was true.

“I can’t believe we are going to turn into demon hunters!”  Rhage chimes in with a goofy smile.

I hold back a snort, turning my attention towards Tohrment as he clears his throat. All heads turn towards his direction.

“So...do these demons have a main purpose? Or do they just run around trying to find people to possess. Like we know what the lessers want...I was just wondering if these demons had an end goal.” Tohr murmurs as he crosses his arms. 

Mal:

“Woah, hold your horses dragon boy,” I snort, shaking my head. “I don’t want to turn the Brotherhood into hunters. Believe it or not, there are hunters out there ready to track down demons and the like when they pop up and send them back to Hell. The ‘only’ reason I am teaching ‘anything’ right now is because… well, me being here could bring more of the nasties into our radar, and I want everyone at least prepared to handle it.”

Yeah. Fuck. I ‘so’ did not need to lead these leather clad killers into metaphysical battles. They were all about the bang bang motherfuckers, and you couldn’t waste a ghost or half the things I’d fought with just lead and blades alone.

“Case in point,” I continue, arching a brow. “Half the shit I deal with can’t be snuffed out with a few bullets or a well placed knife to the heart cavity, yeah? Banishing demons requires the seal of solomon and exorcism chants and a whole whack of shit. In the case of possession? Prevention is so much better than cure, so I just want everyone able to avoid it. Depending on who excels at these classes, I may go further to teach exorcisms.”

My eyes flicked to Zsadist, then to Vishous, the two I’d already pegged as most likely to be taught an exorcism. If Vishous didn’t go ahead and research the latin for it without me I’d be shocked.

“As far as a demon’s purpose…” I trailed off, sighed then shrugged. “Really, they want mayhem. They want souls. They don’t want to be in hell. So, all of the above and then some. The better their vessel, the more situated they are to get other demons up and included. So, a breed of rich, powerful vampires with all manner of weapons at their disposal would be ‘very’ appealing,” I add dryly. “So, to reiterate… demons flinch at the latin name of God, burn at the touch of holy water, have dark eyes and look like dark clouds of smoke when they come at you in raw form. Any questions?”

Zsadist:

 Everyone kinda stayed quiet, some shook their heads as Mal asked if anyone had questions. Which honestly I was a little relieved at. That means that my Brothers were taking this seriously. Then again after they discovered Hadrian, and learned about shifters, they must believe that anything is possible at this point. 

“Think this is a good starting point. We need to continue on and train to be able to handle the demons. Mal is right in a sense where we don’t need to go out and look for demons to destroy, but more so be equipped to handle them if they get in the way from our main goal.” 

I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly as Rhage’s face fell. Maybe one day Rhage could go on a mission if any of Mal’s hunter friends ever needs a hand. Then again Hollywood actually might cause more damage.

Snorting at the thought as I look up to watch them file out slowly. Vishous stops in front of my mate to show him some things he wrote down then bumps his shoulder before following out after Butch. Figures V would be all about this. I’m sure he would be up all night doing research. 

I lean back in my desk, keeping my eyes on my mate as a private smile slowly forms on my face. Something that my Brothers wouldn’t get to see. Slowly I move to get up, the wooden chair creaking beneath me as I shift my weight off of it. 

“Well, that went...well.” I rumbled as I made my way over to the very handsome teacher. “What do you think?” My arms cross over my broad chest. 

Mal:

With everyone getting the basics down and with no further questions, class seemed to be dismissed. As Vishous stopped to show me his mockup of the tattoo on my chest, I nodded, agreeing with his ideas of necklaces and arm bands bearing the symbol to protect the Brothers. They needed things that were easy to put on or keep close that wouldn’t get in the way of the fight. 

Waiting for Z to come up, I felt myself relaxing the closer he got, until he was right there and I was leaning over to steal a kiss.

“You think it went well?” I murmur, grateful to hear it. “Could you tell I was nervous? Teaching classes is not really my schtick, but everyone seemed to… take it well.”

Sighing, I leant against the desk at the front and gestured backward at the board and the notes I’d made. 

“I know this is new to everyone, but… I appreciate the enthusiasm.” Pausing, I looked my male over and felt a familiar and welcome rush of affection. “You okay?”

Zsadist:

The kiss was soft and I welcomed it by sliding my arms around Mal’s waist. Holding my mate against me as my hand lifted to graze his cheek.

“Yeah, now that everything's okay and you are healed.” I murmur as I avoid his gaze for a moment. Trying not to picture the moment I stabbed my own mate in the chest. 

Clears my throat. “This is good. We needed this done in case we came in contact with another demon. It seems like everyone took it serious for the most part.” I snort thinking of Rhage then shrugs. “Do you feel good about continuing the lessons? I want to make sure every Brother is well equipped to take care of a demon if we come across one. Scribe, don’t need anyone else getting possessed and stabbing people in the manse.”

Mal could have died. So we needed to take this seriously and make sure everyone in the mansion was safe at all times. To think that we let a threat in, that I let a threat in, was unsettling.

Mal:

Nodding, I rubbed a hand down my mate’s arm reassuringly, looking at the empty classroom. I’d already started to take precautions of my own. The second I’d been released from the med wing I’d sought out, of all people, Fritz, asking for a layout of the grounds and every entrance. From there, I’d gone to each one and set up holy seals - wards to keep out demons and trap any that tried to enter. 

“I’ve spoken with Vishous,” I murmur, still thinking about the wards. “I let him know about the wards I put near the entrances - asked him to figure out more permanent solutions to my chalk and salt displays. I think Fritz almost had a coronary when I drew on everything, threw salt everywhere, and told him he couldn’t clean it,” I add ruefully, flashing Z a smile. “But at least that’s a start. I should’ve thought of that when I moved in…”

The admission tasted sour on my tongue, and I looked away from the intensity of that golden gaze to better process my guilt. If I’d had devil’s traps set when I moved in, Zsadist and the demon hitching a ride wouldn’t have got past the door. He’d have been trapped, but performing an exorcism at that point would’ve been a lot fucking easier. But instead I’d been naive, thinking the demons and all the beasties I’d hunted would never find me in Caldwell. And Z had almost paid the price.

“I’m good with continuing lessons, not just on demons,” I said finally, letting out a breath. “And while I was honest when I said I don’t want the Brothers going hunting if I can help it, there is a perk to knowing I have back up if something goes down in our backyard.”

Zsadist:

“Don’t beat yourself up about that. Hell, I’m surprised this is the first time we have come in contact with them. With all the shit we dabble in you would have thought we would have seen them before” I shrug before reaching for my male. My hand cups his nape, forcing his gaze back to mine. 

“Hey. You can’t beat yourself up over this, just like you told me that I can’t even though I do.” I snorted. “It’s done and you are safe in my arms.” My voice cracks slightly at that, holding him a little tighter in my arms. 

“Everything is going well, and I’m grateful to have you teach us how to handle these demons.” I nod before slowly pulling away. 

“Now...come on, let’s head back upstairs…” 

My scarred lips turn up into a playful smirk as I start down the hallway. I couldn’t wait to have my male in our bed and to know that he was safe with me. 

#EndSL #ClassIsIn

[doberbutts]

can you talk about your experiences as a poc in the dog world? do you think you've been treated differently?

The sender of this ask messaged me privately to explain what they meant, which was a little different than how I took it, so I’ll answer both;

How I took the question:

In completely honesty, either because I’m already fairly choosey about the people I willingly spend my time around or because I’ve been fairly lucky... or both, existing as a PoC in the dog world hasn’t been overly hard for me on a surface level. Basically what that means is that I’ve yet to be denied a dog, access to training or an event, mentorships, whatever due to my race(s) as a factor. Additionally, in person, there’s very little outward aggression and surprisingly little microaggression happening within earshot or to my face. I’m not saying things are or are not said behind closed doors- I’ll never know. But when it comes to face-to-face interactions, since the crowd I run with is already fairly socially aware, racially charged problems have been relatively minimal. Once again, I’m very choosey on who I choose to interact with on a regular basis, so definitely do not take this as me saying doberman people or IGP people or service dog people or whatever are all living in liberal woke paradise because that is definitely the furthest thing from the truth. I just don’t interact with those people on purpose, and keep whatever I have to do with them fairly minimal.

However... online is very different. I remember at one point I had made a negative comment on a political thread, on a forum where most people (myself included) only show photos of their dogs, not themselves or any other identifying information. I was given a long spiel about them blacks and back in my day and we used to call em negros but now that’s offensive I guess in reply, to which I simply responded saying that I was black and perhaps if the user had known that they wouldn’t have responded that way. The user then switched gears, said something about my inability to handle a working dog (note: Creed had been home with me all of a single week and I had not once complained about anything to do with him) and hoping to see me fail so they could laugh in my face... and I found out later went so far as to email both my breeder and the owner of the sire to tell them to repo my dog because they’d clearly made a mistake placing him with me. This was very eye-opening for me because prior to that exchange, that user and I had known we were on different political sides but had been fairly cordial with each other regardless.

Most people who’ve been around this blog since the beginning will remember the time I was called a card-carrying member of the KKK because I had a slave, my service dog Creed. Many will remember various interactions where my race has been used against me in an argument that had nothing to do with race. And I delete almost all of the racially insensitive to outright inflammatory asks I get on a daily basis from trolls and known problem-starters. So I can’t say everything is golden in my experience, but I would say that the anonymous nature of the internet emboldens those who would otherwise keep their racism to themselves.

And, of course, the very fact that I have to navigate life in such a way that I have to carefully curate my experience or else risk someone spewing shit out of the wrong hole, but that is less a “dog world” thing and more a “life as a PoC” thing.

How they meant it: regarding the problem of high euthanasia rates in the south-eastern US and the phenomenon of PoC commonly being afraid of dogs, as well as possible socioeconomic issues

Being that I don’t live in the South and also refuse to for a wide myriad of reasons, Maryland was close enough and it was hell tyvm, I can only answer some of this issue.

First- the assumption that it’s mostly a socioeconomic issue is absolutely there. The south-eastern US is populated mostly by farmers and the descendants of the people who worked the land in the past. Loose, roaming dogs are a common thing there, as are dogs kept intact due to either lack of funds (also why heartworm and rabies continues to be a problem) or the lucrative ability to simply make more dogs for cheap instead of going out and buying one (also where the densest overpopulation and highest euthanasia happens in this country). Add on to that the fact that to many people, dogs are a tool for a job and not a living breathing animal that actually needs care or fall under this pervasive idea that they must live out all of their natural instincts including roaming freely, breeding indiscriminately, and hunting/killing whatever’s in their path, and you have a recipe for a lot of unwanted dogs and not a lot of places to put them.

Second- I wouldn’t say that PoC being afraid of dogs is necessarily tied to high euthanasia rates in the South. Many Southern PoC have dogs, of all shapes and sizes. Many Southern PoC also fall into that socioeconomic niche in the above paragraph. I would say high euth rates are more tied to a lack of funding (you can thank governments for that), a lack of willing adopters (which is cheaper- finding a litter of puppies on the side of the road and taking one home, or paying 50-400$ for a dog at a shelter), way too many dogs being taken in vs actual space to put them (and low cost clinics only solve the "funds for neuter” problem, not the "hey I can make 8 free dogs in only 2 months and maybe sell the ones I don’t want for some extra money” problem), and broad-brush breed restrictions (even in areas without BSL, if you’re poor you might not own your own property, which means you’re renting, which is harder to do with pit bulls and far easier to do with yorkies).

Then you add the non-dog-related problems these people face (of course exacerbated for PoC)- if they can’t feed themselves, if they can’t afford their own doctors, if they can’t afford housing, if their car breaks down... all of these things cost money, and if you’re operating on limited funds, you have to make a hard choice between yourself, your family, and your dog. The dog frequently loses. Note that the highest intake and euth rates happen in already very poor communities in the South, and the more wealthy the area, the less of a problem this is. This is not accidental. I have personally gone hungry to make sure the dogs are fed and vetted when I was at my poorest. Not everyone can make that choice. There’s this hope that if you give the dog up, the shelter will find someone who will take care of it better. Things don’t always work out that way.

Then you have your regular irresponsible dog owners- the people who’s dogs are untrained, aggressive, heartworm positive, on their 8th litter, constantly loose, etc. (obviously I have no problem with accidents, responsible management of aggressive and intact dogs, ethical breeding, etc) These people exist everywhere- proof of that is that I’m in New England, in a fairly wealthy area, and I still adopted a Chihuahua from someone who couldn’t afford/be bothered to feed, vet, or care for their animal. However, in my area, loose roaming dogs are very minimal. Even in our poorest nearby cities, the ACOs find maybe 5-10 dogs per week and most are adopted out the second their stray hold and health checks are up. Someone’s irresponsible with their animals and causes a problem that rescues need to clean up? There’s plenty of space for them. Compare that to an area that gets 50 loose dogs in per day and then try to add more dogs from these irresponsible owners. You run out of space, eventually. This is where the 3-day turnaround and dogs that get euthed the second they come in the door is most common, because they frankly don’t have enough room to spare.

I talk a little about the phenomenon of PoC (predominantly black PoC) being afraid of dogs here. Personally, I don’t think it’s connected, but I could be wrong.

[snarky-sims-witch]

StrangerVille Survival Challenge

TOS

This challenge is loosely inspired by Pinstar's Apocalypse Challenge; however, my challenge is more focused on the StrangerVille story and designed to make use of much of StrangerVille's content, so I think it's different enough from Pinstar's challenge to stand on its own.

If you repost, edit, or write another version of this challenge based on mine, please credit both Pinstar and myself and link back to both our challenges. Thank you!

Story

The Mother has utterly destroyed StrangerVille. There is nothing left but abandoned buildings and a town overrun with toxic plants. Most of the inhabitants have fled in terror, but the few who remain are infected... and highly contagious, but your Sim knows they can't be the only survivor who is still healthy. Others are out there somewhere. Your Sim must find a way to live in this dangerous new world and look for other survivors.

Objective

Start with nothing but an empty plot of land and a desire to survive. Build a fully self-sustainable fallout shelter and gather up a colony of fellow survivors who will help you grow your base. The challenge ends when you have a colony of 8 Sims and have built a finished, self-sustainable shelter that can accommodate your entire colony. Each member of the colony must be assigned a role and be masters of their role's skills.

Getting Started

Reach Act 3 of the StrangerVille Mystery story any way you want with a random, disposable Sim. I highly recommend downloading TwistedMexi's All Cheats Unlocked mod and using the command narrative.start_narrative narrative_strangetown_act3 in the cheat console to just set the story to Act 3 immediately. If you don't want to use mods, then just get to Act 3 using as many cheats as you like with this random Sim. The only purpose of this is to enable the crazy weather for the challenge.

Make a young adult Sim in CAS. This Sim can have any appearance, gender customisations, traits, aspiration, voice, and walk style you want. You may use any CC you like on them that doesn't affect gameplay in any way.

You may use the in-game personality quiz to determine your Sim’s starting skills and traits, but you must quit any career it assigns you as soon as you start playing and you must still remove all your starting funds.

If Cats & Dogs is installed, you may give your Sim one pet. Only one. The pet can be a cat or a dog of any breed/mix, and have any appearance and traits you want.

Move your household into any bulldozed, empty lot in StrangerVille.

Open the cheat console with CTRL + SHIFT + C and type in testingcheats true, followed by money 0. Then type in testingcheats false.

Overall Rules

No mods that give you an unfair advantage in the challenge. Mods that make any aspect of the game easier for your Sim or help your Sim in any way in the challenge are not allowed.

No cheats of any kind except for bb.moveobjects on for creative building purposes. Any cheats the challenge specifically instructs you to use are okay, but only when the challenge specifies it. For example, you can use the money cheat only to take away all your Sim's money at the beginning of the challenge. You can't use the money cheat again after that.

Lifespans must be set to Normal with Auto-Aging On for all Sims. Sims must be allowed to age naturally. No early birthdays. No prolonging life/preventing death/resurrecting dead Sims.

No careers! No rabbithole careers. No active careers. No work from home careers. No custom careers. No careers of any kind. Period. The epidemic in StrangerVille has caused the job market to collapse. Sims must make money by selling items they've crafted, harvested, or collected.

No member of your household can leave StrangerVille. All roads going in and out are blocked off and the bizarre weather has made travel too dangerous. Sims may travel to other lots in StrangerVille but cannot use any forbidden luxuries on those lots (toilets, showers, etc). Assume all appliances and tech are broken on these lots.

The cell phone is forbidden. Autonomous phone interactions can be cancelled without penalty, but you cannot use the phone for any reason. Cell towers have been knocked out, leaving phones out of service.

You may purchase in-game rewards with satisfaction points you earned properly without cheats, but Potions of Youth are off-limits. You are limited to one Money Tree. You may not exploit the glitch to get more Money Tree Seeds.

Shelter

With harmful airborne spores everywhere, its only a matter of time before your Sim breathes in so much of it that they, too, succumb to this terrible illness. It's not safe to be outdoors for long periods of time and infected Sims roam the streets at night. The weather has knocked out power lines and the water tower, severely limiting your Sim's access to electricity and indoor plumbing.

As soon as you are on your empty lot with $0, time starts ticking. You have exactly 24 hours to build an underground shelter that is protected from the elements, otherwise you fail the challenge. If you started a new save file, this should be exactly 8:00AM the following morning.

Your shelter must be entirely underground and protected from the harsh StrangerVille weather (so a door separating your shelter from the outside). The shelter does not need to have anything in it. It does not need wall coverings or flooring. It doesn't even need to be more than a 1x1 square. As long as your Sim has somewhere they can stand that is completely underground and protected from the elements, you've passed the first 24 hours. (HINT: Fishing in Shady Acres can be both profitable and an easy source of food early on in the challenge).

After the first 24 hours, all Sims in your household have a strict 9pm curfew. All Sims must be inside the shelter and remain in the shelter from 9pm to 7am every night for their own safety.

You can only have one item that uses electricity in each room of your shelter. Lights must be candles, oil lamps, or the DIY wall light that came with StrangerVille.

Your shelter is lacking in indoor plumbing. You may only have three “plumbing” items in your entire shelter. You are limited to:

Rustic basin sinks

WooHoo bushes (GT or JA – not subject to the plumbing item limit)

Portable camping shower (OR)

DIY shower (SV)

The homemade toilet and bath craftable on the workbench

Food

The Mother's infection doesn't seem to have affected the water or the fish in the town, but nothing grown on land outdoors is safe to eat. It's all been contaminated by airborne spores. The epidemic has caused all the local shops to shut down, making grocery shopping a thing of the past. Your Sim has no choice but to find a way to grow their own produce underground.

Sims may not eat anything they do not have all the ingredients for. 

Sims may not eat any meals that do not require any ingredients. All meals must require at least one ingredient.  The only exception to this is the birthday cake. Sims may cook and eat birthday cakes, but only for the purpose of celebrating a birthday. A Sim must age up using the cake.

Your Sim may not grow anything above ground, not even if it's indoors. All food must be grown underground in the shelter to protect them from contamination. (HINT: You need medium wall height to be able to grow trees underground)

Sims may catch and eat fish that they've caught.

Sims may not purchase, plant, grow, harvest, touch, eat, or carry bizarre fruit. No bizarre fruit may ever come into contact with your Sims or be brought into the shelter. No Sim may ever interact with a bizarre plant. If any Sim in your household comes into contact with a bizarre plant or bizarre fruit, they must be killed off or kicked out immediately.

Grow Your Colony

Once your Sim has established a proper shelter and a way to safely grow their own produce, it's time to start thinking bigger. Surely your Sim can't be the only healthy person left in StrangerVille. There must be others like them out there somewhere, hiding, struggling to survive. Wouldn't it be nice to band together and form a colony of survivalists? If they could just find them in the sea of infected Sims wandering around...

No Sim in your household may interact with an infected/possessed Sim. If a Sim in your household autonomously interacts with an infected/possessed Sim, they must be immediately killed off or kicked out of the household in order to protect the rest of the colony. This applies to all Sims regardless of age or relation to any other Sims in the household.

If your starting Sim interacts with an infected/possessed Sim, they must also leave the colony. The role of Leader then gets passed to another Sim in the colony. This is the only exception to the rule about not changing roles in the next section. If your starting Sim is the only Sim in the colony, you fail the challenge.

Your Sim cannot add the first new member of the colony until the shelter functions like a proper “home.” It must have:

A method of bathing and using the bathroom inside the shelter

A method of cooking and storing food inside the shelter

Enough seating for at least two Sims

At least one garden planter

At least one fun item

Two beds. If your Sim and the new colony member have a suitably high relationship, you may have one double bed, instead.

You cannot add a new colony member to the household until there is a bed for them inside the shelter.

New colony members may be added to the shelter either by inviting existing Sims to move into the household or by having natural-born children within the household.

You cannot invite a Sim to join your colony until your Sim is Good Friends with them.

No new colony member can bring any money with them when they move in. Use the money cheat to remove any funds they bring with them.

Colony Roles

In order for your colony to thrive, you're going to need some organization and structure. As the leader of your colony, you'll be assigning each new member of your colony a vital role. That Sim will dedicate their lives to fulfilling their assigned role for the benefit of the colony. There are lots of things to be done to keep the colony running smoothly and lots of Sims needed to perform those tasks. If everyone works together, the colony will stay strong in the face of this terrible tragedy.

When a new Sim joins the colony, assign them a role from the list below. That Sim must master the skill linked to their role. You cannot change a Sim's role after it's been assigned so think carefully. If a Sim masters a skill for a different role, it won't count towards the challenge. The Sim must master the skill that matches their role.

Sims aren't restricted to only performing duties within their role, but try your best to keep everyone as focused on their role as possible. It helps build their skill faster.

While toddlers and children cannot officially take on a role and perform their role’s duties, they must be prepped to accept their assigned role when they become teens. They must master the toddler and child skill on the list linked to their future role. A toddler or child who does not master their role’s skill before they age up is a challenge fail.

If you started with a pet in the household and therefore cannot fulfill all 8 roles, the pet automatically takes the role of Spy. The pet does not need to do anything special to fulfill this role. If the pet dies before the end of the challenge, you must add a Sim to the colony to become your Spy.

Role List

Leader

Your starting Sim. As the leader of a colony, your Sim is responsible for rallying everyone together and keeping morale high.

Adult Skill: Charisma Child Skill: N/A Toddler Skill: N/A

Farmer

This Sim is responsible for growing and harvesting fresh produce in the underground greenhouse to help keep everyone fed.

Adult Skill: Gardening Child Skill: Mental Toddler Skill: Thinking

Hunter 

The colony needs a source of protein to keep fit and strong. This Sim’s duty is to bring back freshly caught fish to the colony to be prepared, cooked, and eaten.

Adult Skill: Fishing Child Skill: Mental Toddler Skill: Thinking

Carpenter

This Sim’s duties involve building and repairing things around the shelter and keeping all the nuts and gears in tip top shape.

Adult Skill: Handiness Child Skill: Motor Toddler Skill: Movement

Chef

This Sim is responsible for cooking all the fresh produce and fish that the farmer and hunter provides in order to feed the colony.

Adult Skill: Cooking Child Skill: Creativity Toddler Skill: Imagination

Soldier

It’s the soldier’s job to protect the colony from threats and invasions. They must always be on their guard to defend against infected Sims and government agents with unsavoury motives.

Adult Skill: Fitness Child Skill: Motor Toddler Skill: Movement

Scientist

This Sim manages any tech that the shelter has and comes up with ideas for new inventions that can help the colony.

Adult Skill: Logic Child Skill: Mental Toddler Skill: Thinking

Spy

The spy handles covert operations and collects sensitive information to help protect the colony. They listen in on conversations and collect valuable evidence.

Adult Skill: Mischief Child Skill: Social Toddler Skill: Communication

Completing The Challenge

When you have built up a large colony living in harmony in a fully self-sustainable bunker that can accommodate everyone living there, you’ll know your work is done. Rest easy knowing you and your colony will be safe in StrangerVille for many years to come.

To complete the challenge, the following objectives must be met:

You must have a colony of 8 Sims (or 7 Sims and 1 pet)

Each colony member must be teens or older and have the skills linked to their role mastered (including toddler and child skills, if applicable)

Your shelter must have a bed for each member of the colony

Your shelter must have an underground greenhouse with at least three large planter boxes

Your shelter must have indoor bathroom facilities that comply with the challenge’s plumbing limitations

Your shelter must have a listening station for your Spy and Scientist

Your shelter must have a B64 Training Bot for your Soldier

Your shelter must have a means of cooking and storing produce and fish indoors

The perimeter of your lot must be closed off with tall fencing and a gate that is kept locked to everyone but your household

Your shelter must have at least three items purchased from the Curio Shop (excluding bizarre fruit)

Donate (Pretty Please?)

[newstfionline]

Headlines

The Humble Phone Call Has Made a Comeback (NYT) Phone calls have made a comeback in the pandemic. While the nation’s biggest telecommunications providers prepared for a huge shift toward more internet use from home, what they didn’t expect was an even greater surge in plain old voice calls, a medium that had been going out of fashion for years. Verizon said it was now handling an average of 800 million wireless calls a day during the week, more than double the number made on Mother’s Day, historically one of the busiest call days of the year. Verizon added that the length of voice calls was up 33 percent from an average day before the outbreak. AT&T said that the number of cellular calls had risen 35 percent and that Wi-Fi-based calls had nearly doubled from averages in normal times. The rise is stunning given how voice calls have long been on the decline. Some 90 million wired phone lines in the United States have ceased using landline phones since 2000, according to USTelecom.

IMF issues warning (Foreign Policy) Kristalina Georgieva, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said that more than 170 countries will see a drop in living standards as coronavirus measures wreak havoc on the global economy. “Just three months ago, we expected positive per capita income growth in over 160 of our member countries in 2020. Today, that number has been turned on its head: we now project that over 170 countries will experience negative per capita income growth this year.” Georgieva added that over 90 countries had sought some form of assistance from the IMF since the onset of the crisis.

Virus could push half a billion people into poverty (BBC) The economic fallout from coronavirus could increase global poverty by up to half a billion, Oxfam has warned. Using research by the Australian National University (ANU) and Kings College, London, the charity says it will be the first time poverty has risen globally in 30 years.

Trump administration pushing to reopen much of the U.S. next month (Washington Post) The Trump administration is pushing to reopen much of the country next month. Behind closed doors, President Trump--concerned with the sagging economy--has sought a strategy for resuming business activity by May 1, according to people familiar with the discussions. Multiple Cabinet secretaries in recent days have publicly expressed hope that the various government orders directing residents to stay at home and forcing nonessential businesses to close could at least be partially eased next month.

Struggle to keep apart on subway (AP) They let trains that look too crowded pass by. If they decide to board, they search for emptier cars to ride in. Then they size up fellow passengers before picking the safest spot they can find to sit or stand for commutes sometimes lasting an hour or more. This quiet calculus is being performed daily by people who must keep working during the coronavirus pandemic and say the social distancing required is nearly impossible to practice in the enclosed spaces of New York City’s public transit system. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that people should stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart. But even though ridership has plummeted in the city, making jam-packed trains and buses the exception rather than the rule, passengers aren’t always guaranteed even 6 inches (15 centimeters).

As Easter holidays begin, authorities seek to enforce lockdowns, religions go virtual (Washington Post/Quartz) Authorities around the world issued stern warnings Friday for citizens to stay home during Easter--a time when millions visit their families or embark on recreational trips during normal years. Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in numerous nations currently battling the novel coronavirus, including large parts of Europe. In Australia, authorities said they would rely on road blocks, camera surveillance and hefty fines to enforce the rules. “Don’t accidentally kill someone,” read a tweet from 10 Downing Street on Friday morning, seemingly stepping up the pointedness of the British government’s messaging in a bid to discourage people from flouting the current lockdown rules. Meanwhile, religious services are increasingly virtual. Pope Francis will hold Good Friday services in the Vatican, and devotees can tune in online. But some rituals, including the kissing of the Cross on Good Friday, have been canceled. In England, the Archbishop of Canterbury will hold a service from his kitchen.

Homicide rate drops in Latin America (Foreign Policy) Latin American countries plagued by gang violence have seen a dramatic drop in murder rates as countries impose strict quarantine measures in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus. In Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras, homicide rates fell by half last month, Axios reports. El Salvador, which has the world’s highest per capita homicide rate, went 48 hours without a murder in March.

EU leaders agree on economic package (Foreign Policy) European Union leaders have reached an emergency agreement to counteract the worst economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The Netherlands, which had led the opposition to calls from southern European nations for access to easier credit lines, eventually had to compromise after German Chancellor Angela Merkel convened a call between Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Conte had warned earlier in the day that a failure to reach an agreement could lead to the end of the EU.

How Lisbon Has Managed the Corona Crisis (Der Spiegel) There are a number of different theories for why the coronavirus has caused so much less suffering in Portugal than in neighboring Spain. ... It was the fear of developments similar to those seen in Spain that drove Portugal to adopt precautionary measures early on. In early March, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa was the first head of state to go into voluntary quarantine. Luckily, it was a false alarm, but it served its purpose as a warning. Supermarket chains like Pingo, Doce, Continente and Lidl began only allowing small groups of customers inside at a time. Shoppers were surprisingly disciplined and the darker the news from Madrid, Barcelona and Milan grew, the larger became the distances between people waiting in line. As of Thursday, Portugal had 13,141 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 380 people having died from the disease. With a population of 10 million, those numbers aren’t bad at all. Despite a less robust health-care system--Portugal has 6.4 intensive-care beds per 100,000 residents versus Germany’s 33.9--the mortality rate among coronavirus patients stands at 2.7 percent. In Spain, by contrast, the mortality rate is 9.8 percent--with 10 times the number of positive cases. The result: the number of fatalities is almost 40 times as high in Spain as in Portugal.

India’s food supply chain (WSJ) Two weeks into the world’s biggest lockdown, India’s food supply chain is struggling with a shortage of one of its crucial commodities: people. Essential industries--such as growing, harvesting and delivering food--are allowed to operate under the lockdown but the people who move the essentials from farm to fork aren’t showing up for work. Stores say some basics such as eggs, yogurt and cooking oil are increasingly hard to find, a development they say could point to bigger problems ahead if things don’t return to normal in the coming month. India’s food industry is the most fragmented in the world, with hundreds of millions of small farmers selling through a system of millions of middlemen who eventually deliver to millions of tiny shops, stands and carts. It depends on a lot of people doing things by hand. That reliance leads to bottlenecks when people are afraid to go out, and a tough balancing act between stamping out the virus and keeping a subsistence economy functioning.​

Saudi Arabia and Russia Agree to 10 Million Barrel Cut in Daily Oil Production (Foreign Policy) Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed to cut oil production by 10 million barrels per day following a meeting of the OPEC Plus oil-producing countries yesterday. The deal includes a 5 million barrels per day reduction between Saudi Arabia and Russia with the other 5 million in cuts being taken by the remaining nations of OPEC. But with so many of the world’s oil consumers shut indoors due to strict coronavirus measures, even a 15 million barrel cut in daily production would likely be insufficient in making up for the drop in demand.

Chad strikes back at Boko Haram (Foreign Policy) Chad’s military forces claim they have killed 1,000 Boko Haram militants in a 10-day long operation in the west of the country. The operation was undertaken in retaliation for a March 23 attack by Boko Haram attack that killed almost 100 Chadian soldiers, the Islamist group’s deadliest attack to date. Chad reported 52 of its soldiers were killed over the 10 days of fighting. Despite striking back against Boko Haram, the country and its repressive government are not stable. As Will Brown wrote in FP earlier this month, “The Chadian regime--long thought of as the West’s indispensable ally in the fight against terrorism in Africa--could be nearing a breaking point.”

New, larger wave of locusts threatens millions in Africa (AP) Weeks before the coronavirus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some countries had seen in 70 years. Now the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. Billions of the young desert locusts are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in search of fresh vegetation springing up with seasonal rains. Millions of already vulnerable people are at risk. And as they gather to try to combat the locusts, often in vain, they risk spreading the virus--a topic that comes a distant second for many in rural areas. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has called the locust outbreak, caused in part by climate change, “an unprecedented threat” to food security and livelihoods. Its officials have called this new wave some 20 times the size of the first.

Working far from home (Yahoo News) As much of the world is asked to shelter in place, two cosmonauts and one astronaut will be working far from home at the International Space Station. Russia’s space agency announced yesterday that the three-man crew had docked successfully at the station after lifting off from Kazakhstan six hours earlier.

[lindwur-fr]

Questing: A Flight Rising idea for the non-intensive players

No salt, but some improvements/ideas I’ve been batting around for FR to make NotN and Fests a bit easier and maybe a bit more involved? So Coli isn’t the only means of getting Chests and Fest currency for other festivals

QUESTING. What you do is you send a Dragon of a corresponding element out to “Quest”, and the dragon comes back after an amount of time with seasonal loot. This can be chests, Fest currency, whatever. All dragons have the same chance at getting Festival loot, but lv 10+ receive bonuses and are more likely to bring back Quest Familiars! Quest Familiars are Familiars only obtainable by Questing.

You choose how long the dragon Quests for, and where. Wind dragons Questing in the Wind Flight Territory during the Mistral Jamboree are very likely to bring back a load of Scrolls!

During Questing, dragons cannot be bred, breed changed, gened, sold, traded, fed, dressed, or used in the Coliseum. Their icon in the lairpage is greyed out and they’re labeled with “This dragon is currently Questing and is unavailable for interaction”

The higher-filled your Hunger is on your dragons, the longer they can go out, up to 3 days at a time

Send dragons of matching elements out to their respective territory to Quest to bring back things! If it’s not a Fest, you can choose what you want to Quest for in a drop-down menu. Food, Materials, EGGS (though this is a very low drop rate and requires at least level 15 Dragons and a lot of hours to Quest), or if you’ve got a level 20+, you send them on a Quest that’s called “The Ronin’s Path”. The Ronin’s Path reaps Eliminates after 72 Hours of Questing with a lv 20 dragon.

Occasionally, you’ll get a message from your dragon when you come to a random interaction they encounter on their Quest. Things like “Your dragon approaches a Beastclan settlement. You are unsure if they are friendly to Dragonkind or not, and you may encounter resistance if you go into their town to stock up on supplies. Do you wish to proceed? Y/N” and you select your input and await the result of your decision. A bad decision can send your dragon home from their Quest early, while a good decision may hasten their progress and reap rewards~

Familiars on your dragons offer bonuses! Beastclan Familiars can help you out in Beastclan encounters while you Quest by speaking for your dragon, translating, or assuring their kind that your dragon is One of the Cool Ones. Festival Familiars are wise and know their locale. Some Familiars that aren’t sapient and are just pets can endear other Dragons you meet in your quests and make friends (or enemies) for you!

Questing ALSO rewards EXP for successful Quests. No more grinding in the coli to get levels.

What does Questing do? It allows ALL players access to Level 25 dragons, and doesn’t require those with wrist or repetitive stress injuries to subject themselves to achey pains to get Sweet Loot. It fixes the Eliminate problem with The Ronin’s Path. It’s an accessible alternative to the coliseum that only requires that you have a dragon who’s not starving. It gives Familiars a purpose

Flight Rising staff if you actually ever see this somehow, I submit all of this to you as free to use without any credit to me, I would forego being credited to have this implemented

[ubourgeois]

Top 30 Films of 2018

I’m actually getting one of these out at a fairly reasonable time! I’m a champion.

Compared to last year, I would say 2018 had fewer films that I really loved, that shook me and immediately registered as important - but also, more films that have grown on me over time, that were clever and inventive in ways that convince me to look past their shortcomings (or reevaluate if they are shortcomings at all). Plenty of odd, perhaps imperfect movies made it far up the list, and I think I ended up privileging that weird streak more than usual this year. But hopefully that makes for interesting reading here.

I found making this list that a couple of the big arthousey hits of the year (Eighth Grade, Burning, The Rider, and others) ended up slipping into the basement of the top 50. Keep an eye out for a rejoinder post following this in a couple days where I hash out my thoughts on those. For now, top 30 after the jump:

30. Unsane dir. Steven Soderbergh

Remember when Tangerine came out and everyone was like, “wow I can’t believe this was shot on an iPhone” and it was a whole thing? Well, I can believe that Unsane was shot on an iPhone, and that’s really for the better. Ever the innovator, Soderbergh follows Sean Baker’s lead by taking full advantage of the logistical advantages and distinctive appearances of iPhone-shot footage, putting together a film that uses its hardware not as a flashy obstacle to be overcome but as a driver of its look and feel, proving at least for now that mobile-shot films are viable (though we’ll see how his next one turns out). The film itself is good too - Claire Foy gives a wonderfully prickly performance, and the claustrophobic visuals make for a great psychological thriller.

29. Cold War dir. Paweł Pawlikowski

Expanding on the aesthetic territory he explored with Ida, Pawlikowski brings another black & white, Polish-language period piece about identities split between different (religious, political) worlds. Cold War is the more complicated and perhaps less focused film, but also the more alluring one, with a luscious love story, incredible music (Łojojoj...), and great, showy performances from Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot. In other words, it’s luxurious, romantic Euro-arthouse fare. Probably best watched with a full glass of wine in hand.

28. Ready Player One dir. Steven Spielberg

A film that many accused of “pandering” to audiences for its many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nods to 80s nostalgia and gaming culture, Ready Player One was on the contrary seemingly uninterested in anything of the sort. It managed to accomplish something more meaningful by packing the film so dense with nerd-bait that it becomes just texture and noise - Tracer popping up in the background of random scenes ends up being less of Overwatch reference and more of a piece of plausible set dressing in a VR social media hub. This contributed to RPO being not only a technically impressive but a visually overwhelming effects film, packaged around a seemingly knowing 80s blockbuster pastiche (the story, the character types, even the music cues were too old-fashioned to be on purpose). A film both smarter and easier to like than the discourse around it suggested.

27. Widows dir. Steve McQueen

I do really wish that McQueen would go back to making demanding, brutal films like Hunger, but if he simply has to become a commercial filmmaker I guess I don’t mind this. Surely the ensemble film of the year, with the entire cast firing on all cylinders - Daniel Kaluuya as the sadistic enforcer/campaign manager in particular impresses, though naturally Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, and even Colin Farrell make for compelling characters in this twisty, nervy heist film. The action scenes are all impressively mounted (if a bit few and far between) and there are enough McQueen-esque florishes to keep things interesting in the interim (that long car scene!). Great moody popcorn stuff.

26. An Elephant Sitting Still dir. Hu Bo

Elephant has gotten a lot of press for two reasons: its nearly four-hour length and its director’s untimely death shortly after its completion. The length is important because it beats you into submission, forcing you to accept its rhythm and smothering you in tight focus on its main characters until you feel like it’s your own POV (I wasn’t really into it until, uh, the two hour mark, but then somehow I was hooked). Hu Bo’s death is important because knowing that, the sensation of being trapped, pressured, and disoriented by the Current State of China (ever the popular subject matter) feels all the more palpable and, maybe unfortunately, grants the film some extra layer of authority, or at least urgency. If I ever have the time or energy, I would love to revisit this film - I expect it will one day be seen as a landmark.

25. Make Me Up dir. Rachel Maclean

A bizarre little bit of sugary pop-feminist techno-dystopia, pulling off a sort of cinematic cousin to vaporwave by way of Eve Ensler. What unfolds is pretty insane, involving dance numbers, incomprehensible lectures on dodgy gender politics, and sets that look pulled out from a cheap children’s TV show. It’s definitely a marmite film - how well you connect with this will depend heavily on your tolerance for clearly-fake CG, well-trodden feminist talking points, and pastels - but for those with the appetite for this brand of political kitsch then this is just about the best version of itself imaginable. 

24. Liz and the Blue Bird dir. Naoko Yamada

Naoko Yamada out Naoko Yamada-s herself. A standalone spinoff of Hibike! Euphonium that focuses on members of the secondary cast, Liz makes good on the sensitive, subtly-executed love story that the show ultimately failed to produce (not quite Adolescence of Utena-tier course correction, but we’ll take it). This is a film propelled by the tiniest gestures - a hand tensing behind the back, a nervous flicker of the eye, a cheerful bounce in the step - in that way animation can provide that seems not incidental but hugely, blatantly filled with meaning. While A Silent Voice was a great breakthrough for Yamada as an “original” feature, it’s Liz that feels like the more mature film, and a promising indicator for what lies ahead.

23. Sew the Winter to My Skin dir. Jahmil X.T. Qubeka

Maybe the most surprising film of the year is this, an action-biopic about John Kepe, a South African Robin Hood figure, that almost entirely eschews spoken dialogue in favor of visual storytelling, physical acting, and clever audio design. But this is not some pretentious, austere arthouse film substituting gimmicks for actual character; Sew the Winter to My Skin is an engaging, fascinating, and unexpectedly accessible historical epic, prioritizing mythic bigness over simple recitation of fact. While it demands some patience at first (with no dialogue, it takes a bit for the film to properly introduce its cast), it quickly shows itself to be an inventive, exciting, and occasionally funny adventure that proves Qubeka as a truly exciting voice in South African cinema.

22. Mom and Dad dir. Brian Taylor

Forget Mandy, THIS is the crazy Nic Cage movie of the year. A slick, rapid-fire horror comedy that feels almost like a music video at points, Mom and Dad has what’s surely Cage’s best unhinged performance in years as well as a great, more restrained turn by Selma Blair. The violence is ludicrous, the premise is nutty, and the sense of humor is utterly sick - that the film manages to squeeze out a surprisingly coherent commentary on suburban family life on top of this is a minor miracle (a scene where Cage destroys a pool table proves strangely thoughtful). For all the broadly acclaimed “serious” horror films in recent years, like this year’s kind of boring Hereditary, groan-filled A Quiet Place, and mostly incoherent Suspiria, I more appreciate this breed of deranged, funny, and tightly focused effort. It doesn’t need to be that deep.

21. Good Manners dir. Marco Dutra, Juliana Rojas

I’m going to mark this write-up with a **spoiler warning**, as I think it’s basically impossible to talk about this film without giving the game away. Good Manners has one of the best genre switcheroos in recent years, starting off as a proper Brazilian class drama (think Kleber Mendonça Filho) with a lesbian twist before explosively transforming into a horror movie that reveals a hidden monster-coming-of-age story that’s nearly unrecognizable as the same film from an hour before. As delightful as this bit of narrative sleight of hand is, it can’t justify a good film alone, which is where the great lead performance by Isabél Zuaa and the mesermizing, inventive matte paintings of the São Paulo skyline come into play, making this fantastical, genre-bending film a true original of the year.

20. The Miseducation of Cameron Post dir. Desiree Akhavan

There’s a tendency in the queer teen film genre to sometimes drift towards miserablist portrayals of growing up; to emphasize the hardship, nonunderstanding, and isolation to the expense of other experiences. Cameron Post manages to avoid this path even as it explores the dreadful premise of life in a conversion camp by balancing the solidarity, humor, and defiant joy hidden along the edges of the camp experience with the cruel, dehumanizing nature of the place. The film works, then, not only as a statement against conversion therapy and the real harm it does to all participants, but also as a lively, triumphant teen movie that feels more powerful than the lazy, doom-and-gloom approach.

19. Minding the Gap dir. Bing Liu

Few films capture the particular small city Midwest atmosphere quite like this one, a very raw documentary that feels very much like the first feature it is - but in a good way. Cut together from years of Liu’s amateur footage as well as new material of its subjects (the director and two of his old friends), a documentary that at first seems to be about the local skateboarding culture stretches out to many other topics: domestic violence, race relations, middle-American economic anxiety. The film, perhaps because of its closeness to the director and his relative inexperience, manages to take on a quick-moving scattershot approach, weaving stream-of-consciousness from one topic to the next, while still giving each the time and weight it deserves. 

18. The Green Fog dir. Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin

A hard film to sum up, though at its heart not a terribly complicated one. Ostensibly a very loose reconstruction of Vertigo using clips from other material shot in San Francisco, from The Conversation to San Andreas to Murder, She Wrote, this new, uh, thing from Maddin and the Johnsons is a short, sweet, and really quite funny collage less interested in slavishly reenacting its inspiration than making funny jokes with movie clips. Some highlights include Rock Hudson carefully watching an *NSYNC music video on a tiny screen, a long sequence admiring Chuck Norris’ face that doesn’t seem to match any particular part of Vertigo, and a number of scenes of dialogue with all the speech cut out, leaving only awkward pauses and mouth noises. It’s high art!

17. Sorry to Bother You dir. Boots Riley

Boots Riley’s transition from long-standing underrated rapper to breakout auteur has been wild to witness. Sorry to Bother You is certainly one of 2018′s most original and distinctive films (what other film is it like, exactly?), and any complaints about unsubtle politics or overpacked narrative can be easily counterbalanced with the film’s sheer verve and oddball energy. Like Widows, it’s another of the great ensemble pieces of the year - Lakeith Stanfield and Tess Thompson are great as usual, and of the supporting cast Armie Hammer emerges as the standout with an incredibly funny halfway-villainous turn, plus a great bit of voice casting with David Cross. Leading candidate for this year’s Film of the Moment.

16. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dir. Robert Persichetti Jr., Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

The problem with comic book movies a lot of the time is that they’re somehow too embarrassed to own their source material. Into the Spider-Verse succeeds because it emphatically embraces its roots, not only visually (the cel shading, impact lines, and even text boxes that make up the film’s look) but also narratively, by adopting the multiverse concept in earnest and milking it for comedic and dramatic effect. It’s an incredibly innovative (not to mention gorgeous) animated film that not only raises the standard but expands the scope of superhero films, giving new hope to a genre that has been stuck spinning its wheels for years. Plus, it has probably the only post-credits scene actually worth the effort, which is a very special sort of victory.

15. Museo dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios

A playful, thoughtful heist film that gets the actual heist out of the way as soon as possible. Two suburban twenty-somethings pull off a daring robbery of Mayan artifacts from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, then set off on an ill-fated roadtrip to fence the goods. There’s a certain magic to this film, in its approach that is at once totally reverent and mythologizing but also eager to take the piss out of everything (the recurring motif of Revueltas’ The Night of the Mayas suite does both), and in how it turns this story into something of a love letter to the history and geography of Mexico. Very mature, well-balanced filmmaking in Ruizpalacios’ second feature.

14. BlacKkKlansman dir. Spike Lee

The best Spike Lee joint in a long, long time. It taps into the freewheeling, confrontational energy of his best work, but almost as a career victory lap as he makes a game out of outfoxing Klan members. There’s plenty of humor and tension here, with a great, dry leading duo in John David Washington and Adam Driver, and a funny turn from Topher Grace (!) as David Duke. Even if it does play it a bit safe with an easy target and wraps up a bit too easily (a quick flash-forward to Charlottesville as a postscript notwithstanding), it should be fine, I think, for a film to indulge in the simple pleasure of overcoming obvious villains in a glorious fashion. For all the recent films that give nuanced and serious takes on racism in America, one ought to be about the joy of blowing up the KKK.

13. Mirai dir. Mamoru Hosoda

Since he’s started making original features, Hosoda has been taken with relatively high-concept storylines, from his “debut” The Girl Who Leapt Through Time to Wolf Children, but Mirai is certainly his most ambitious yet. Nearly every choice about the film is a bit weird: from the unusual, compact layout of Kun’s home to Kun’s very believable, nearly alienating (to an older audience) childish behavior to the simply bizarre logistics and metaphysics of Kun’s fantastic adventures. The time- and space-travel antics Kun and Mirai get up to never seem entirely literal or entirely imagined, somewhere between childish fable and psychological sci-fi, a mixture that culminates in a surprisingly existential climax for an unabashed children’s film. After the quite safe The Boy and the Beast, it’s exciting to see Hosoda branch out into such a complicated and strange project, certainly the most daring animated feature of the year.

12. Support the Girls dir. Andrew Bujalski

A bubbly, sensitive, and lightly anarchic workplace comedy in that most essential of American institutions: the Hooters-flavored sports bar off the highway. Bujalski continues to prove himself an observant and funny writer, putting together a fascinating ensemble of characters brought to life by a perfectly-cast ensemble (Regina Hall is flawless as advertised, and Haley Lu Richardson brings us one of the most adorable characters in cinema). I don’t think I’ve seen a more charming film about workers’ solidarity and the lively communities that find their niche in liminal spaces. 

11. First Reformed dir. Paul Schrader

Edgy priests are in a certain way low-hanging fruit; the tension is automatic, the contradiction inherently compelling. It’s a lazy symbol that can be milked for cheap profundity when employed, if you will, in bad faith. That’s why it’s so important that First Reformed, for all of its alcoholic, violent, libidinous angst packed into Ethan Hawke’s (masterfully interpreted) character, is also a great, genuine film about faith besides. It’s a Revelations film if I’ve ever seen one, about facing down the apocalypse with no way of understanding God’s plan, about living on the precipice of a collapse of belief, about accepting mystery. It’s the only film I saw this year that communicated actual dread, but even then still, somehow, bizarrely hopeful. 

10. Birds of Passage dir. Cristina Gallego, Ciro Guerra

Ciro Guerra (now with partner Cristina Gallego co-directing) follows up the excellent Embrace of the Serpent with another powerful portrait of an indigenous community that, under the pressure of colonial influence, gradually devours itself. In the new film, however, this takes the form of a traditional gangster film, from the humble beginnings and runaway success to the explosions of violence and crumbling of an empire. Birds of Passage shows the origins of the Colombian drug trade with the native Wayuu people (a counterpoint, Gallego explains, to the much-celebrated Pablo Escobar narrative), and in doing so still finds room to organically and respectfully depict the traditions of the Wayuu, as well as showcase their beautiful language, which makes up much of the film’s dialogue. Best film in the genre since at least Carlos. 

09. The Favourite dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

Though I really admire Dogtooth, I’ve found myself increasingly disappointed in Lanthimos’ output since that film. Alps was fine but clearly minor; The Lobster started strong but fizzled out; Killing of a Sacred Deer was ultimately too self-consciously bizarre. With The Favourite, we’re finally back in exciting, unsettlingly weird territory, Yorgos having found that his very mannered style of English dialogue works superbly in a costume drama context. He also gets great, uncharacteristically emotive performances (compared to, say, the last two Colin Farrell outings) out of his central trio of Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, with especially great work coming from Stone, who I think has discovered that all of her best roles take full advantage of the fact that she looks like a cartoon character. It’s wonderfully perverse, incredibly funny stuff, with one of the great, inexplicable endings of the year - fair to call it a Buñuel revival.

08. Bisbee ‘17 dir. Robert Greene

A documentary that tackles a shocking forgotten chapter in American labor history - a group of strikers deported from their mining town and left for dead in the desert - as well as the potential of historical reenactment to act as communal therapy. Greene moves a bit sideways from his usual performance-centric subject matter to show a different kind of performance meant not to affect the audience but the performers themselves, breaking through decades of near-silence on Bisbee’s tumultuous small town history. It’s also a remarkably multi-faceted film; though it would certainly be easy to side fully with the strikers, Greene makes sure to document the perspectives of current Bisbee citizens who sympathize with or even celebrate the decision to deport, complicating the emotions and politics of the reenactment in genuinely interesting ways. A powerful, important documentary.

07. Asako I & II dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Unwieldy and annoying English title aside (especially considering all the possible translations of Netemo Sametemo), Asako seems on the surface like nothing more than a cheap TV romance. It hits many of the same beats and adopts much of the visual style associated with this vein of visual media, particularly in the music video-esque, almost-supernatural meet-cute that opens the film. But hidden beneath these affectations is a shockingly cold un-romance, a story with an inevitable bad end that you’re tricked into thinking might not come to pass. By employing so many stylistic and even verbal cliches, Hamaguchi reveals how these internalized these storytelling devices are, and how they not only can’t prepare us for the complications of actual relationships, but even shift our expectations away from reality. It’s an absolute gut-punch of a film, covered in a seductively sweet carapace. 

06. Sweet Country dir. Warwick Thornton

In a fairly large shift from his previous Samson and Delilah, Thornton has put together one of the best and most unusual Westerns in recent years. Featuring great, earthy performances from its nonprofessional cast (plus a bit of Sam Neill and Bryan Brown for good measure) and a weird, almost Malicky flash-forward structure, the film explores a not-widely-depicted history of exploitation of indigenous Australians. It’s a sad film, showing a fairly exciting lead-up to a somewhat deflating moment of unjust violence - but of course, many of the best Westerns aren’t about good triumphing, either. It’s the film on this list that most grew on me over the course of the year, having not impressed me at first but then blowing me away on a second viewing. 

05. Leave No Trace dir. Debra Granik

For all the buzz surrounding Winter’s Bone - a film that still holds up after so many years - it’s a bit surprising that it took Granik eight years to put out a follow-up, but I guess it’s worth the wait. Unlike Bone, Leave No Trace is a kind, gentle film, leaving behind the edgy Ozarkian drama of its predecessor for a similar but more forgiving setting of woodland communities in the Pacific Northwest. It initially seduces you with Ben Foster’s outdoorsy survivalist lifestyle, cut off by seemingly uncaring state officials, but gradually revealing, through the second thoughts of his daughter (Thomasin McKenzie, in a shall we say Lawrencian turn), the downsides and flawed motivations for their lifestyle choice. It’s a quiet and thoughtful film, melancholy and optimistic in equal measure. Makes one hope Granik can get another project off the ground sooner. 

04. Roma dir. Alfonso Cuarón

I mean, what else can we say about Roma? It’s about as good as claimed, beautifully shot, framed, written, acted, whatever. It’s at its best, sort of ironically, when Cuarón breaks up the quiet personal drama for some of his characteristic action-y set pieces (a Children of Men-esque protest sequence and the climax on the beach are particularly memorable), but he also shows his talent in handling relatively uneventful family scenes, using the layout of the house to facilitate some surprisingly interesting camera movements. I’m happy that Cuarón, who could easily transition into a more boring prestige Hollywood filmmaker if he so chose, is using his industry clout to pull together neat little films like this. 

03. The Old Man & the Gun dir. David Lowery

What a completely pleasant film. A film that walks a dangerous tightrope - one of nostalgia, roguish charm, and incessant aw-shucks optimism - that can easily fall into twee, navel-gazing hell, but that miraculously pulls it off, resulting in a genuinely spirit-lifting character study of an almost folkloric figure. Robert Redford’s good in this, but of course he is - that’s the whole point. Perhaps more appropriate to say that this film is good for Robert Redford, that it rises to the occasion of celebrating his career in full and pulls it off without appearing trite or disposable. As good a (reportedly) final outing as anyone could ask for.

02. I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians dir. Radu Jude

A nearly three-hour, densely conversational, nakedly didactic examination of the historical effects and contemporary sources of fascism and ethnic nationalism that somehow flies right by. Radu Jude, a relative latecomer to Romanian cinema’s rise to international prominence, makes a strong argument for being his country’s best and most important filmmaker, taking on complicated, controversial, and infrequently discussed subject matter about Romania’s troubled past. If you can get past Barbarians’ sort of user-unfriendly exterior (Iona Iacob opens the film by introducing herself and explaining her character, which tells you the sort of thing you’re getting into), it should prove to be a remarkably stimulating and even fiendishly funny ride. 

01. Shoplifters dir. Hirokazu Koreeda

If you’ve spent the ten years since Still Walking wondering what exactly Koreeda is trying to do anymore, then this is your answer. He’s spent most of the last decade pumping out the same nonconventional family drama over and over again (everything from I Wish to After the Storm, at least) so he could hone his skills like a weapon and create the perfect, ultimate version. With a pitch-perfect cast (Koreeda regulars Lily Franky and Kirin Kiki are the standouts, but Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, and the two child actors more than hold their own), and probably the perfect expression of the chosen family, spots and all, that has consumed much of Koreeda’s career, Shoplifters is one of its director’s career-best films, showcasing all of his talent for depicting delicate, intimate moments and bringing smart, complex ideas to seemingly straightforward premises. The most exciting Palme d’Or winner in years and easily the best film of 2018.

[uniqueinfluencertrash-blog]

5 Reasons to Use Raised Dog Bowls

Raised dog bowls are the great invention. Like many other areas of having a large dog, here's something they need specially designed for them. Here are 5 reasons why dog raised bowl are so good for big dogs and their owners.

1. It's more comfortable

Have you ever seen your dog lie down in front of the bowl to eat? When a food or water bowl is at their normal head height, it's easier for them to swallow. Can you imagine having to drink with your head bent down all the time? Being at the same height as the bowl is simply more comfortable for your buddy. Also, large dogs are more likely to get arthritis. For those dogs, the raised feeders are easier on the joints and spine. They stand straighter, which eases the stress on the joints while eating.

2. Reduce air intake

When a dog has to maneuver to get food in its mouth and to swallow, a lot of air gets swallowed alongside the food. Swallowing air along with the food causes dogs to get gas - especially large breeds. We have noticed a significant reduction in our mutt's special surprises since she started using the elevated bowl. Too much air intake can lead to bloat, a medical problem that many experts and vets say can be reduced by using raised dog feeders. It may not be appropriate for all dogs (such as deep-chested breeds) so consult your vet if you have questions. dog automatic feeders is also best for dog.

3. Make sure your dog has plenty to eat and drink

Having access to clean, fresh water at all times is very important for large canines. Raised dog bowls have large bowls. This means your dog has plenty of water at all times, even if you're at work all day.

4. Convenient for you

It can be hard on a human's back to being bending over to fill your dog's bowl daily. With a raised dog feeder, you can fill the bowl without doing as much bending. It saves Fido's back, and yours.

5. Reduce mess

If your dog is one that leaves a trail like a hurricane behind him after he eats, a raised dog feeder might help. Because the food is at your dog's natural height, he doesn't have to move around so much as he eats. When he eats just above his bowl most of the crumbs fall right back into the bowl. Same with a large raised water bowl - larger bowls catch more of the drool. Your floors will have a lot less soggy food crumbs this way.

5 Reasons to Use Raised Dog Bowls

If you have a dog, then you are going to need 2 dog bowls. Purchasing a dog bowl is an important step in owning a dog. Your dog will be eating and drinking from these dishes every day, multiple times per day. In today's' market you can find a bowl that will fit your decorating styles, as well as your dogs' eating habits.

Choosing the Right Dog Bowl

The easiest way that I have found to find a new bowl for my dog, is to take her to the store and let her pick it out. It will be her dinner plate, so she needs to like it. I use the same trick for getting her new toys.

Ceramic Dog Bowls

Ceramic dog bowls can look very nice, and serve the purpose of being heavy enough for your dog not to spill their food on the ground. The problem with ceramic bowls is they sometimes contain decorative glazing, which can be toxic to dogs and sometimes humans. You should always ensure that your ceramic bowl is intended to be used as a food-safe dish. You should replace any cracked ceramic dog dish immediately. Trying to fix it will only prolong the inevitable cut on your dogs' mouth. Saving $10 is not worth your dogs' life.

Plastic Dog Bowls

Plastic Dog Food Bowls can make life easy and cheap, but as with anything else, there are also risks using these. First, the good points. Plastic dishes are dishwasher safe, easy to maintain, and can be purchased cheaply. Some dogs may be allergic to plastic bowls, so make sure that you know your animal. Plastic can also be a sponge for bacteria, dirt, odors, and other nasties that just cannot be washed out. Depending on your pets' style of eating/drinking, a plastic bowl may be knocked over easily, spilling food onto the floor.

Stainless Steel Dog Bowls

Stainless Steel Dog Food Bowls are generally thought of as the perfect dog bowl. They are lightweight, yet sturdy enough for big guys to not spill over. Stainless steel does not harbor any bacteria, so it makes it a perfectly sanitary dish for your dog to eat out of. These bowls will also last the lifetime of your dog, unless something unfortunate happens to the bowl.

Elevating Your Dogs' Bowls

Your dog will benefit from you raising their food dishes to a level height. Your dog will not have to exert effort to bend over and eat their food, as well as you not having to bend over so far to put more food in. You can buy a platform or tray for any size bowl you may have for your friend or you can be creative and use something that is the right height for your friend. Elevating the food dish will help in their digestion of the food and water, as it does not have to travel up to go back down.

[thomas60barnett-blog]

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Well except each recreation significantly as we are aware can operate on foundation ps4 and xbox one subsequently be enhanced creatively /quality/fps a good idea to the stronger units. Most appropriate to everyday activities that could invigorate their material or games the place where a noise (but positive) state is a prize of its own. Thus, it truly is in your greatest interest to consistently get first-place on a road to maximise currency's amount you earn in a competition. The bottom line is, they apparently is attracting clients because they enjoying his games and are installing his blog. Below and focused units and marketplace. Style. At the least initially, the overall game is not rather stingy with coupons for the quality machine, helping you to get a headstart that is superior on your persona. This Android Honeycomb 3.1 supplement is usually common material an event of Memory, using a dualcore 1GHz Nvidia 2 CPU, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi and two cameras. Chip in the total sport design, leveraging your exclusive perception to aid the participant knowledge that is best possible is created by us. For an upbeat, interesting adventure on iOS Minion Dash is a tough sport to place down. Find game that is mobile & your commissioned IGN movie game Critiques iPad for-free, or close to your iPhone, iPod Touch! You're able to sign on to some other mobile keep or Yahoo to get depth informative data on cellphones. This quite evening, I acquired in touch with Alex and Ron at Crazy Shadow, the studio behind the sport. Besides the truth that the game will soon be an MMO, we really donot include any facts that are further. Quantity and Corridor looked over Flappy Bird's addictive characteristics and attempted to create a game that could participate participants, retain them finding its way back and possess a good photo at proceeding viral. There's a cutthroat competition and each cell company is inside the corporate jungle to. It surely is Android's best release.” of utilizing it After 5 months, we believe Nougat produces more choices, multitasking electricity, and maturity to the operating-system all together. Like all the EA Cell games this year, the games have a speedy-depart method that instantaneously saves your game each time a contact comes in - if you are done conversing and leap back in the sport, it'll pick up wherever you were final after a quick reload. The largest issue is for me to market my portable that many individuals feel ‘there's nothing in it.HA However, this maynever be additional from the reality and choosing to ‘sell my cell,' irrespective of how older it is actually, could well enable you to get . We daresay a recreation contemporary shooting like Callofduty is approach simpler then Goldeneye. Spinx can be a Specialist Mobile Purposes Improvement firm, for all kind-of software growth that is cellular; we're expert in Mobile Developers and supplying companies across the globe. Samsungis usual TouchWiz is on board on top of Android 4.3 Jellybean and you get that Samsung application military including Multi-Window, Atmosphere Watch, S-Voice, KNOX safety (lookout, these of you who expensive customized ROMs, KNOX might tattle on you), UTES Translator, Snote and Samsung's private video, music and app shops. And that weblink have noticed many parasites folks are getting utilizing CM. Not in disposition for that, at the least today points are worse around the inventory Android. Thus we're designing a fresh road that is total simply for the pre-leader which will let most of the characteristics are shown by us we will not get unready at the time of launch. Plus an evening we surveyed Hulu boss Jason Kilar in the DLD Meeting in Munich, wasting a huge portion of our discussion on the cellular internet. Fundamentally, the key area of the sport is actually a brightly-animated variation of Google Maps. Transformers: Battle Tactics is really a free-to- play with mobile-game returning soon from Hasbro and DeNA. Thus Micromax GC360 mobilephone is without several features like camera excellent, QWERTY pad that is key, internet connectivity functions, color accessibility, battery copy etc but concludes the research of several Indian buyers who want dual-sim telephone at cost that is affordable. I was raised with World and Sim City and you can find lots of imitations on cellular having IAP crappola that we WOn't acquire today,. Finished. everyone must recognize is in addition, although although the browser games will continue to work on most surfers, not just Opera OS stainless regarding windows IE etc., PERmac, chrome It's this that yahoo will. Entrepreneurs are getting out of bed towards the chance of outstanding accessible with staff and their consumers 24X7 through their phones so that critical judgements will not have to wait till another morning. It warrants that by being much more and bigger such as for instance a total growth, featuring a variety of new part content as well as one main new pursuit brand, plus fresh locations, foes and so on. As the recreation doesn't stray not even close to the map and world proven in The Witcher SEVERAL correct, Minds of Rock finds a way to heart anyone apart to an all-new area practically quickly within the form of a dank, faded sewage beneath a city players could have visited before.

[quinnfullarton-blog]

Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS) And Diet Regimen.

Dry hair implies your hairs do not have the demanded amount of humidity to maintain a healthy, shiny and hassle-free appearance. Make use of veggies as well as woes and maybe even some charred sienna where you really want the water to look darker. It loosens and adjusts the etheric body and is actually the colour of energy, youth, development, women-health2019.info inexperience, productivity and also brand-new life.

Our top secret formula mixing kojic acid with other natural elements, have actually caused the formation of a range of dependable, safe, melanin hindering products which will certainly not just reduce skin, but mood, reproduce and also moisturise it. Throughout the holiday, a lot of people wear red as well as environment-friendly while Halloween possesses a recovery in dark and also orange. For several years, the a lot more popular blue variant was common good enough to have a breed label of its personal: the "English Blue." It remains some of the absolute most well-known colours in the breed. The eyeglasses, which vary coming from $325 to $450 and also deal with red-green colorblindness - the absolute most popular form - have the possible to aid 4 in five folks along with the disorder through helping make everyday, outdoor jobs easier. Reddish blazed a trail, observed by yellowishes and also woes - yet gloomy and also discolored. ColourPop defines Desire Easy as a "soft coral red." Like a lot of ColourPop colour summaries, this is actually not stringently exact. Adorning at the holidays is embeded in heritage for some along with the family members turning in the vehicle and also going out to the snow covered field and also reducing their very own plant for X-mas. Given that you don't prefer to leave behind spots while cleansing, make certain that the cloth is colour-fast. The Dash ColorPort may be viewed in the Xerox hall steering a Xerox DocuColor 2045 electronic colour dent the electronic print shop region and also the DocuColor 2060 in the just-in-time manual production place. Shades are vibrant sufficient, and whites are actually precise, yet afterwards, our team begin to lose free points. I really did not reach select my car and most likely would've selected a light-toned blue, however dark is my 2nd selection. Wrap up with a dark towel, sit for 10 minutes, then rinse out effectively along with cool water followed by a light-toned shampoo. Orange is actually a mixture of the Red and also Yellow Rays, as well as it is actually recuperation power is greater than the two specific colours alone. The finding of the non-image-forming graphic pathway has actually given a brand-new catalyst to study that discovers exactly how our company react, both from a physical standpoint and also mentally, to colour around our team. The enhancing schedule and also use of coloured lighting fixtures that has arised from advances in LED modern technology has added to the necessity to perform thorough research within this industry, but it is actually coming to be more and more hard to different cases for the impacts of colour that are actually sustained by records, from those that are based on instinct or tradition. Rest rooms embellished with various images of curious ladies, rest rooms are going to modify their shade when being actually peed on, rest rooms embellished with several desirable women models, urinals for men appeared like lovely large-scale florals, urinals created for grown-up men simply, and rest rooms that users have to pee in front of Holy Marry or pee on COMMANDER IN CHIEF George W. Bush and so on are actually some amongst the craziest urinals worldwide.

Lisa was actually encouraged in 2000 to impart her knowledge by means of the Net as she located that lots of people carried out not have access to such state-of-the-art info regionally or just liked the personal privacy of their home in acquiring it. A self instructed visuals as well as internet professional, she creates each one of her web sites along with terrific emphasis on consumer concentrated treatment.Feel as if you were actually a wanderer as well as you will sense as well as Passion much more the duty of spreading Light anywhere, in every instant with the virtue of a wanderer that has no baggage, or even what is in her soul, with no need or even that of consuming the Light, without any purpose if not that of providing Love and also Lighting.

[ardenttheories]

I'd like to hear your thoughts on cherub biology or at least the philosophical implications of having a clearly good side and clearly bad side especially in relation to Calliope and Caliborn who have been heavily influenced by human interaction

From what I can see, and what makes most sense to me, the Cherub will always be a Lord/Muse hybrid. Potentially, these titles are exclusive to the Cherubs - even more potentially, they will always be a Time and a Space player. From the actual biology I’ve read up on, the traits of each Cherub personality is directly passed on by the parents, with the male taking on the traits of the loser (hence, Caliborn is directly like his father) and the female taking on the traits of the winner (and similarly, Calliope is almost exactly like her mother). They are fused in personality immediately after being hatched, but quickly separate into their split personalities after pupation - at which point, their sole purpose for existence is to battle with one another until one of them snuffs the other out, to take complete control of their once-shared body. 

The species is entirely a solitary one. They only ever come together to mate, and then immediately part ways or die during it; the children are left to fend for themselves, and in all honesty Calliope and Caliborn even talking to humans is a complete anomaly for their kind. The good half is always terrified that they will be hurt by others the way their other self hurt them; the bad half has no desire for socialisation, except for to destroy. What this means for two Cherubs to have been socialised even to such a minor extent is something we likely will never know. We don’t have enough information on Cherubs to know anything beyond that Caliborn forces himself to predominate Calliope prematurely - something we can tell since all mature Cherubs are meant to have wings, yet Lord English does not - and that they were never truly meant to play the game. SBURB and its universal counterparts are only meant to be played by those, it seems, who have gone through the ectobiological process, yet we know that Caliborn and Calliope were born naturally. I would say tentatively posit that perhaps Calliope and Caliborn are ruined as Cherubs due to their interactions with other characters, as well as with Gamzee’s influence; he’s the reason, it seems, that they are stuck in their tiny room in the first place, and why they even have access to humans via the console they talk to the alpha kids on. For an asocial species, this isn’t exactly prime reasoning. They never should have played SBURB in the first place - but doing so would mean absolutely no chance of Lord English specifically targeting the SBURB players, or in being the terrifying end boss that he is… so this may be why they’re so atypical. 

As for what it’s like to be struck so definitely down the middle, again, we have to remember that Calliope and Caliborn are premature. Caliborn forces his success well before they should - and even Muse Calliope, I believe, mentions that she had to get a quick one in on Caliborn, possibly implying that she is a premature predomination, too. Considering they take on their traits from their parents, and considering that one side is perfectly good while the other is awfully evil, I would have to assume that the end result is… pretty much what we see in comic. A cruel, vicious side continuously attempting to destroy everything it possibly can, particularly that which it sees as weak, while the other side acts as something of a protector, trying its best to stop the evil side. I don’t think it would have too huge of an impact on anything else besides this; the struggle between each personality, that fight for dominance striven by “I’m going to destroy everything!” “Not if I stop you!”. You essentially have a fragrant killer and a desperate hero (or questionably, victim) attempting to stop the destruction from getting out of hand. 

They are unstable, unbalanced. One side refuses to destroy; the other refuses to protect. It’s why, at the end of it all, when it comes to mating, they try to find that which most perfectly fills the void left behind by the personality lost to predomination. Regardless of whether or not they liked the other personality, we have to remember that they are part of a whole; a split consciousness made so due to the way Cherubs need to breed and need to live (they are a vastly spaced species and incredibly volatile, even those who seem to be “good”; someone who is unsplit, who can act both ways in moderation, will not survive), will struggle to feel complete after losing what is essentially half of their being. It is all or nothing for Cherubs, and I believe that is why they are so rare, so volatile, and so dangerous. It is definitely akin to having your personality split into extremes, only for one side to come out on top; if your sadness wins, then you will be sad for the rest of your life, regardless of what happens. It will be who you are, your reaction to everything - you will have no other choice but to act that way, because that will be all that’s left.

It’s honestly a lot easier on the Cherubs considering it’s only a good/bad split. They still get to retain a lot of what allows them to have personalities, just that the actions those personalities cause them to take may be a bit more towards the extreme morally. 

As for biology… they’re snakes, at least at birth and during mating, so I’d like to think they’re based a lot on that. I’ve read somewhere that they canonically have exoskeletons, which I must admit is not my favourite idea. As young, I like to imagine them as bony, thin creatures with very little strength at all, something that puts them on a level playing field and requires them to have at least some degree of working together to ensure that they actually manage to feed themselves. The head is one giant skull, at which point I am torn between the idea that they have soft, retractable flesh around the mouth to allow for talking, or if they have thin flesh that almost directly merges into the gum of the teeth to keep the skull shape unhindered, and speech is just… something that happens. Might be one of those things that they, as almost-godly beings, are able to communicate in a different way - or that they have one hell of an accent when speaking. Both are equally as interesting. The skin simply conforms to the shape of the bones - especially around areas like the arms and legs - leaving them fairly brittle and weak. As they grow, however, and particularly after predomination, I would like to imagine that they begin to strengthen; they grow vastly in size, they gain significant amounts of muscle, filling out in a way they simply could not before. New nutrients and the energy gained from devouring planets/solar energy allows them to form a tougher skin, something more akin to a carapace, with only the skull retaining that thin skin. Considering both a male and female share a body, and that the male (as in Caliborn/Calliope’s father’s case) can be the one fertilised with eggs, I think it’s fairly certain that, like trolls, they have both sets of genitalia, and considering they just ditch the egg to raise itself, I think we can also firmly rule out the idea of Cherubs having breasts, too. I’m not entirely too sure why there’d be a male-female divide in a species like this, then, besides the males being more muscular. If the males were always bad and the females always good, then it would definitely make sense, but males and females don’t 100% seem to have this divide; it all depends on which gender lays the egg as to which child takes on the personality of which parent. That might be the, very watery, reasoning, then; to determine which part of the child is inherently good and which is inherently bad. 

[alt-plus-f4]

Loot box gambling research

https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/cyber.2020.0299

The purchase of loot boxes was highly associated with problem gambling, the strength of this association being of similar magnitude to gambling online on casino games or slots. Young adults purchasing loot boxes within video games should be considered a high-risk group for the experience of gambling problems.

It has suggested that more than 70 percent of desktop play sessions now take place in a game that is monetized through loot boxes.

Loot boxes, along with other microtransaction processes, have been described as a “predatory practice,” which entraps people into repeated purchasing.2 It has been suggested that they are “psychologically akin” to gambling as individuals stake money on the uncertain outcome of a future event in the hope of receiving something of greater value.3 Some jurisdictions agree and have taken regulatory action: Belgium has banned the use of loot boxes within some video games stating they are a violation of gambling legislation; gambling authorities in the Netherlands have ruled that some loot boxes constitute unlicensed games of chance; and China has required that the odds of winning be displayed to consumers.

As shown in Table 1, those who purchased loot boxes were more likely to be younger and were disproportionately more likely to be male than those who had not. The mean impulsivity scores of loot box purchasers were significantly higher than those who had not purchased them: 2.6 versus 2.2 (p < 0.001).

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https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0230378

The relationship between problem gambling, excessive gaming, psychological distress and spending on loot boxes in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, and the United States—A cross-national survey

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https://responsiblegambling.vic.gov.au/documents/479/Online-gaming-and-gambling-in-children-and-adolescents_.pdf

Online gaming and gambling in children and adolescents – Normalising gambling in cyber places

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6676913/

By spending a predominant part of the day gaming, excessive video gamers are at risk of showing lower educational and career attainment, problems with peers, and lower social skills (Mihara and Higuchi, 2017). On the one hand, video game use is widespread, and it may come with certain precursors as well as consequences.

Parents and professionals may be worried about their excessively playing children being “addicted.” However, problematic and potentially addictive video game use goes beyond the extent of playing (in hours per week; Skoric et al., 2009). It also includes such issues as craving, loss of control, and negative consequences of excessive gaming. While it is still a matter of debate whether problematic video game play should be considered a behavioral addiction, its status as a mental disorder has been clarified since the release of the DSM-5 in 2013. In the DSM-5, the American Psychiatric Association (2013) defined Internet Gaming Disorder with diagnostic criteria closely related to Gambling Disorder. Generally, this decision has been supported by many researchers (e.g., Petry et al., 2014) but has also caused controversies. Researchers have criticized the selection of diagnostic criteria and the vague definition of the Internet Gaming Disorder construct, which excludes offline games from being related to addictive use (e.g., Griffiths et al., 2016; Bean et al., 2017).

Gambling and gambling-like products are highly visible, accessible, and promoted to young audiences across a range of digital media channels.

The implementation of design standards and consumer protections in video games with loot boxes is an ongoing discussion at the international level. Some potential areas to improve transparency have included the introduction of a requirement to display the odds of winning in games when money is involved; the disclosure of the systems for random number generators in loot boxes, including whether other variables affect or other variables affect payout; and the provision of data on player actions and payments ingame.

==============================

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.190049

Adolescents and loot boxes: links with problem gambling and motivations for purchase

One key pathway to the development of problem gambling is via conditioning: the more individuals are exposed to the arousal associated with gambling activities, the more they come to expect and require this excitement, leading to the disordered and excessive patterns of gambling-related spending mentioned above [12]. This pathway to problem gambling is considered to be a particular risk among adolescents. Indeed, exposure to gambling activities in childhood is an important predictor of problem gambling among adults [13].

There are good theoretical reasons to believe that loot boxes might be ‘psychologically akin’ to gambling themselves, and exposure to them might therefore cause problem gambling among children.

They found that loot boxes not only shared ‘important structural and psychological similarities with gambling’, but that ‘100% allow for (if not actively encourage) underage players to engage with these systems'. Indeed, Drummond and Sauer concluded that the presence of loot boxes in video games might therefore be forming a ‘ripe breeding ground’ for the development of problem gambling among children.

There are several explanations for why adolescents might be more likely to develop problem gambling than adults. For example, neurodevelopmental research suggests that the immaturity of various aspects of brain structure and function are linked to increased impulsivity among adolescents—and this may lead to increased vulnerability to problem gambling [24,25]. Similarly, research into coping strategies among adolescents suggests that this group may lack effective ways to cope with the ‘turbulent times’ [26] that are associated with their time of life. They may therefore turn to gambling activities as a way to escape from painful states, leading to the development of problem gambling [27]. When taken together, these results suggest that pathways to problem gambling via loot box spending would be particularly pernicious among adolescent populations.

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https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/opinion-analysis/99080950/a-beginners-guide-to-loot-boxes--harmless-fun-or-gambling

What's the harm?

"I'd never spend money on loot boxes - I'd just play the game!"

I've not spent money on loot boxes either but we know that videogames are about conditioning and learning; nobody is born knowing how to use a gamepad. People who make videogames know that the brain is plastic, and they use little tricks to get you to feel or perform a certain way. That's why Team Fortress 2 gives you that really satisfying 'ding' every time you deal damage to someone. That's why character models are exaggerated and stretch in the way that they do in Street Fighter (just look at Chun's standing fierce) – and why they're turned ever so slightly towards the camera.

It's quite clear that loot boxes are designed to make you spend money in order to get intangible rewards. That's their sole purpose; they have no other in-game function. Someone, whether it be a producer, publisher, or developer, wants players to pay for them, and they're going to know how to push those buttons.

The harms from this outside of spending lots of money (one of our staff members spent over $350 on a free-to-play mobile game without realising) are unclear at this point – reward pathways are being tapped into, and it has been suggested that overstimulation of these pathways in developing brains could lead to addictive behaviours further down the track.

But we don't need to have that conversation about long-term harms to see that this system is going to be a problem for young people, who are still developing impulse control, and are therefore just more likely to splash out if they're able to. We don't need to have that conversation to see that it's going to be a problem for people who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or to see that there are more practical problems such as whether developers will simply make items worthless in a matter of days.

Unclear as the harms are, the message "don't buy the loot boxes then" doesn't recognise how game design is used to effectively push players towards buying loot boxes.

Gotta gach 'em all

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Brainstorming keywords:

Gacha, Pay2win, whale, FOMO (fear of missing out), budget, endgame, craving, gambling, euphoria, addiction, predatory practices, escaping reality, obsession, microtransactions (they add up), 

Easier to spend quickly online due to linking your credit card without seeing exactly how much has  racked up over time, vs one big purchase at the mall.

Output ideas:

Mobile games use alot of ads, can mock-up a digital awareness ad. 

Bus stop posters, hand out pamphlets at universities/highschool