#post session 75 ask

[ask-alterwolf-curseko]

*psst* hey atlas want some popcorn whilst we tucker him out/give him existential dread?

Ahh, no thanks. Besides, there's no way he's gonna stop no matter how much you guys try. Just... face it. Lupus is always gonna be the way he is, he'll never change himself for the better. He won't even budge to listen. He's stubborn, so... it's pretty much a time waster at this point...

[punksocks]

Masterlist:

*reading charts for $75 (~10+ pages)per session

(!!Please credit me if you’re going to use/reference my observations! Thank you!)

Astrology Observations:

-No.1

-No.2

-No.3

-No.4

-No.5

-No.6

-Family edition

-No.7

-No.8

-No.9 (18+ only)

-No.10

-No.11 (18+ only)

-No.12

-No.13

-No.14

-No.15

-No.16 Lilith Edition

-No.17

-No.18 (18+ only)

-No.19

-No.20

-No.21

-No.22 Lilith Edition Pt.2

-No.23

-No.24 (18+ Only)

-No.25

-No.26

-No.27

-Capricorn Observations (BDay Edition)

-No.28

-No.29

Lilith Posts:

-Lilith Square Ascendant

-Lilith Astrology Observations

-Black Moon Lilith & Your Untamable Femininity

-Lilith aspecting Asc culture

-Lilith Astrology Observations Pt.2

-To Tame The Untamable: Lilith & Obsession (Pt.1)

-To Tame The Untamable: Lilith & Obsession (Pt.2)

-Lilith & His Femme Fatale (18+ only)

Media:

-You (show) Astrology Analysis

-Spiderverse Astrology Analysis

-Ghibli Movies For The Signs

Analysis:

-Scorpio Asc/Pluto in 1st and Jealousy

-Opinions on the Moon Signs

-House Synastry

-Sagittarius & Where You Attract Foreigners

-Placements For Romantic Archetypes Pt.1: Accidental Playboy (18+ Only)

-Venus and Your Gifts From Aphrodite

-Decoding the Elements

-Placements For Romantic Archetypes Pt.2: The Siren (18+ Only)

-Placements for Romantic Archetypes (Pt.3): The Girl/Boy Next Door

-Capricorn Observations

—Opinions on the Mars Signs (18+ Only) (pt.1)

-Signs you’re on the right or wrong path

Advice:

-Warning Signs That You May Have A Toxic/Karmic Significant Other

PAC Readings:

-Why do people stare at you?

Asks:

(Open for aspect/placement questions (only answering 18+ questions for people over 18 !!), taking paid birth chart readings -please no birth chart pics in my inbox, closed for guessing signs)

-Likable/Charismatic Placements

-Lilith Opposition Ascendant

-Will I travel to foreign lands?

-Man’s Lilith conjunct woman’s moon

-is it normal to breakdown

-how to approach sag sun cap moon

-how to approach cap sun aqua moon

-What Art will I make and what will my audience be like?

-mars opposition asc

-Lilith appreciation (1 & 2)

-Leo mars s*xuality (18+ only)

-Lilith appreciation

-Taurus sun, Libra moon, Leo Asc

-Virgo Mars when they like you

-Lilith conjunct Venus in 8th

-Unlikeable Placements

-Neptune in 8th (18+ only)

-Gemini sun, Pisces moon, Leo Asc

-Neptune conjunct North Node

-What Lilith do I study?

-Venus conjunct Ascendant & 12th House Synastry

-Super Attraction Synastry

-How to get them back

-My opinion on beauty indicators

-Placements for Romantic Archetypes (Pt.3): The Girl/Boy Next Door

-Aquarius Sun, Capricorn moon, cancer ascendant

-Saturn in 7th & Relationships -Venus, Chiron, Lilith, & Part of Fortune in Sag in 7th

-Libra Asc, Gemini Sun, Aries Moon

-Am I ready for my Saturn return?

Polls:

-What do you want for 3k celebration? (Closed)

Vibes:

-Sada (1998)

-You Won’t Be Alone (2022)

Memes:

-One

-Two

-three

-four

-five

-Saturn in 6th

-Pisces moon/neptune conjunct moon

-Saturn lesson learned

-nosey

[the-way-astray]

Listen. She asked for tips on how to write two people making out. I delivered. I personally am quite good at writing making out, in my own opinion. I do not know that my advice will mean her writing of the making out is GOOD. I did specifically say I did NOT want to imagine you and Keefe being like Sophie and Keefe in Living in a Blur Chapter 10 when she said LIAB was her inspiration. And we all know who this is, what she's writing, and that you are entirely at fault for basically challening her.

okay, well, now i'm curious. skipped to chapter ten of this fic and first of all:

maybe this is normal in the fic community but as someone who has little exposure to fic culture . . . is it just me or is it weird to apologize for not updating a fic when you're sick???? i don't know . . . something i noticed. that seems weird . . . it's not like you're me sitting there with your finished fic at your fingertips cackling at the screen, not posting it for the sake of torturing your readers . . . like you literally do this for free . . .

anyway now to the meat of it.

this is bad. this is terrible and horrible. if alayda writes me like this i may have to find her and kill her and frame you for giving her tips. i thought kissing keefe was bad enough but it can apparently get so much worse . . . i don't want to picture keefe without a shirt on which i will be forced to do if i'm written into a liab-style make-out session with him . . . ew. and please . . . not the singular hotel bed . . . have mercy, alayda . . .

excuse me i am not responsible for this. you are. this is roughly 25% your fault, 75% alayda's fault. when did i freaking challenge her???? i told her not to do this . . . i hate you . . . you did this to me . . . i never asked for this . . . i'm just an uptown keefe hater tryna live my life . . . and you fucking gave her the tips knowing exactly what she was planning on doing with them . . .

[yourwitchmama]

Recorded tarot readings/spells/energy healing pricing and length (STATUS: open!)

1 hr tarot reading ($100) 45 minute tarot reading ($75) 30 minute tarot reading ($50) 25 minute tarot reading ($35)

Energy readings can be added to your order or they can be done by themselves. I will use tools and record your session. These will be shorter in length, which is why they are cheaper than the tarot readings.

spells/energy healing

Add protection spell ($15) Add energy healing ( $15) Add banishing/hex breaking spell ($25)

Written readings:

Click here to check out my website

Please venmo me or paypal me describing your question, and add your email (unless you’d rather DM me with details on here)

If you want a reading that goes REALLY in depth with your question, looking at any and all circumstances and energies involved, I suggest the one 45 minute to 1 hour reading. If you are looking for some guidance on a situation, the 25-30 minute tarot reading is more for you. You can ask any question you want! Your video will be sent to you via email through a youtube link (the videos are all going to be unlisted)

one free reading will be given to a random user who chooses to reblog this post! I will DM you with details in a few days!

[utilitycaster]

Well now im curious, what are your top 10 etiquette violations

I'm not actually sure there are 10 tbh in that these are relatively broad - you could split them up more finely if you wanted but they cover a wide range of behavior. Also this is...a bit stream of consciousness. I do stand by 1 as the absolute Golden Rule of D&D in that it's really just so Me Me Me (more so than main character syndrome) that it's inexcusable, but like...rules 2- 6 are kind of all in the same nebulous position in my mind as are rules 7-10. 2-6 are "really bad, have a talk and be prepared to kick this person out if they don't shape up and honestly I would probably not want to hang out with them irl much if they don't shape up" and 7-10 are "maybe don't invite them to game nights but they could be okay otherwise."

Deliberately going against the general vibe of the table. This is the broadest but also obviously worst trait. If everyone else is here to play a serious playthrough of Curse of Strahd and they're all vampire hunters and whatnot and you're playing a clown in a hawaiian shirt named Jeff you are not funny; you are an asshole. I think that person who made the post of like "I'm playing D&D with my dad's friends and they're all fighters with tragic backstory and I'm a neon firbolg who resurrects our enemies and runs therapy sessions" should be beaten with hammers. Like, be unique, but if everyone else is going for a lighthearted vibe it's not time to bust out your darkest PC and vice versa. (This also goes deeper, like, if your table has decided PC death in-game is okay, you can request a change, but if you've never spoken up about this and then your character dies and you pitch a fit, that's on you.)

"Um actually my rich family solves this" and similar circumventing of obstacles in a way that cuts off all story avenues. It's fine to offer your services to help - sometimes the party will want it! But the worst player I've played with (who still did not violate Item 1) did this and short-circuited like 75% of the plot by being like "well my wealthy merchant family can probably smooth this over" and I wanted to, well, beat them with hammers. Brian Murphy of Naddpod calls this "showing up and trying not to play D&D" and he's right.

Closely related to/overlapping with item 2 but Main Character Syndrome. If you're a wizard and there's a nonurgent trial of strength? that is for the barbarian. If they ask for help, go for it, but don't just do everything. Share the table. Self-explanatory but man do some people not get it. I'm also grouping this with "my character wouldn't help" behaviors. Like to be clear, forgoing your turn as a roleplay thing is fine, but another Naddpod D&D Court regular topic is like "the player for whatever reason would not join combat bc their character wouldn't, and we nearly had a tpk because the encounter assumed our fucking cleric would be there".

Actually violating player agency. Closely relating to 2-3. Conflict is great and good. I think it's fine to lie, cheat, and steal from your party members if your table agrees on that. There are spells or abilities that lead to possession which is also valid if your table has talked through that. But you do not get to otherwise like, force another player character to do your bidding (unless your table has, again, decided this is okay). You cannot persuasion check other PCs into going against their desires unless that's a very specific conversation you've had out of character as a table. Even in game, like, the DC on persuasion checks can be arbitrarily high - even impossible - if someone would simply never do it.

Noncombat/non-violent D&D. There are other TTRPGs that are not heavily based on war games with character classes that aren't like 90% battle abilities and you should check those out. Anyone who plays noncombat/nonviolent D&D and is proud of it is dumb as the bag of hammers I'm beating the people of items 1 and 2 for and I don't respect them. I guess this isn't so much an etiquette violation in that if your entire table wants this you can all be terrible together, but it is kind of a dick move, especially since I both love D&D and find the anti-D&D crowd to largely be the most sour grapes-ass losers of all time, but also believe passionately that there are many things D&D does not achieve well because it is in fact a specific game with specific objectives. You should, if you want to play a game that is all social encounters and skill checks and no fighting, play the many indie games that would love your patronage and suit you admirably, not the most neutered, milquetoast, unsalted margarine version of D&D. I genuinely believe that people playing murderhobos or hardcore metagamers are VASTLY preferable.

Not making a good faith effort to know the rules. You do not have to be good at D&D. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting for not knowing every rule of D&D. You only have to let the soft animal of your body have at least read the rules of your character's class, subclass, and race, and show up prepared, instead of being like "tee hee I listened to 5 episodes of TAZ Balance and am going to twirl my hair at the DM and hope they help little old me." The DM is BUSY and has SHIT TO DO. Read the fucking manual. It's okay to be wrong! It's not okay to be clueless on purpose.

Rules for Thee and Not For Me. Mostly a DM thing, and to be clear, the DM does have special rules bc they are the special one and this is obviously not about that. There are also rules that apply to NPCs/stat blocks and not PCs, and those are inherent to the balance of the game and are fine because NPCs have different abilities. But if, for example, you are requiring an athletics check of PCs to climb up on a ledge and don't permit acrobatics, your rogue NPC villain can't do acrobatics either unless they have some specific pre-written ability.

Metagaming pt 1: excessive metagaming: Part 2 will reveal the "excessive" but like. If you know trolls regenerate because you've been playing D&D for years but you are a level 4 INT 8 sorcerer in-game? you do not know trolls regenerate.

Metagaming pt 2: refusal to engage with the fact that this is a game: Sometimes you get the reverse, when people are like "well my character wouldn't realize that this magic item was important to your character" despite the other person RP-ing everything or "would I notice you were knocked out directly in front of me? It's a pitched battle!" Like. don't cheat but come on bro. This is, ultimately, a game. I will once again bring up Naddpod both because D&D Court exists AND they will do rule of funny shit (as Murph once pointed out, if you want to say you go to Ruby Tuesday's as a joke, great, if you try to use it mechanically, no, which is a healthy attitude towards immersion) AND Murph understands the concept of kayfabe.

Really extensive indecision that doesn't involve the whole party. This is mostly me but like. it's not fun, and I am impatient. If you're not an actual play livestream, you should take a break and in fact talk out of game and resume because god this drags. If everyone's on board obviously go for it but if it's one person's choice...babe the spotlight is on you, sing your solo or leave.

Basically: remember you are at a table with other people and you are telling a collaborative story in a system that is combat-heavy. I'm not bothered by (for example) someone stealing another character's item so long as they understand that this may lead to consequences for them! If you can dish it out but you're prepared to take it and your table trusts each other? Great! The problem is when people try to win against the other players, ask for special treatment they do not grant others, waste everyone's time unnecessarily, or skip to the end of the story; that's against the fundamental nature of the game. It's inconsiderate AND it misses the point.

[to-be-a-dreamer]

Session 5 Trivia "Winner" & Related Stats

Keep reading for the scoring explanation!

Okay so it took me a week because I got sick literally the day Episode 5 dropped and I've been fighting for my life (metaphorically) for the past week but I finally got the Trivia Week stats added to the Wild Life Spreadsheet! (It's also been updated weekly since my last post about it after episode 3, there's just been nothing super interesting since then) Obligatory, I think I got everything right but if I've missed anything or made any mistakes just let me know!

So basically what I did was tally up everyone's scores and then I weighted each correct answer based on the assigned difficulty. So a correct easy question would be worth 1 point, a medium is 2, and a hard is 3. That resulted in the following Top 5 ranking (full ranking visible in the spreadsheet):

BUT some players received more questions or more difficult questions than others, so I also put together a "normalized" ranking system that gives each player a score out of 100 based on the number of questions they received (this should also help a bit if I missed anything during my data collection but please do let me know if I missed a question, specifically for Jimmy, Lizzie, or Tango). Basically how this worked is that I calculated the maximum points each player could get from the questions they were given and used that to create a "difficulty rating" out of 100. I then took the actual amount of points they received and scaled it based on their difficulty rating. I don't know if y'all can see the formulas I used in the Google Sheet but lmk if anyone wants a deep dive into this method! I've only had like a semester and a half of statistics so this may not be a super mathematically sound method but it's the most fair one I could come up with.

Anyways: this normalized scoring system resulted in the graph you saw at the top of the post and a Top 5 ranking of:

Note: Impulse and Tango are tied at EXACTLY 55.555... points each and I don't know how they managed that, but Joel is about 0.136 points higher than Pearl

So not wildly different but It did shake things up a bit, especially in the rest of the rankings, and it gives you a better idea of the overall scale! For reference here's the graph again:

Some fun facts about the stats that I found:

Etho and Gem are the only players who answered every single question correctly (Etho received 4 hard questions while Gem only received 1, so he scored much higher than her in my scoring system. If you're counting purely the percentage of correct questions, Etho and Gem are tied for first and then there's a five-way tie for second)

Etho, Gem, Lizzie, and Skizz are the only players who never answered a question incorrectly, but Lizzie and Skizz were both victims of bot interference, and thus their timers ran out.

Overall, the server answered 75% of the questions correctly and had a normalized score of 36.

The distribution of question difficulties is incredibly close to evenly distributed (see spreadsheet for exact numbers)

Grian had the lowest difficulty rating, followed by Ren, Jimmy, and then Gem (He really doesn't know his own series, huh?)

Etho had the highest difficulty rating, followed by a three-way tie between Impulse, Scar, and Tango

There was a slightly noticeable correlation between the difficulty of the question failed and the resulting punishment, but the sample size is so small it's hard to say whether there was actually a reason behind this. (See spreadsheet for data and chart, it's mildly interesting)

The most drastic shift in placement due to the normalization is a tie between Tango, who moved up seven places (diff rating= 83), and Ren, who moved down seven places (diff rating = 56).

Unrelated but the snails still have the highest kill count on the server, even if you combine every single player kill.

This was a lot of fun and I can't wait to find more useless things to analyze that no one asked for!

[bitchesgetriches]

Punch Burnout Right in Its Stupid Face With Our New Burnout Workshop

In recent years your humble Bitches have been hired to give a few live, in-person speeches and workshops. We always ask the organizers to set a topic (since as you know, we can talk for hours on everything from our chickens to how everyone in the world can be categorized as either a Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard or a Dr. Richard Kimble from the 1993 classic The Fugitive). And we give our spin on whatever they suggest.

Then something interesting happened. During our closing Q&A sessions, no matter what the topic of our presentation was, the conversation with our audience would turn towards the same issue.

That issue was burnout.

Our call to action

Now, we already knew that burnout is a widespread issue. After all, we live on this planet. We’ve delved into the topic quite a bit over the years.

But seeing the pain in people’s eyes and hearing the desperation in their voices was a whole new level of fuckery. Awareness dawned on us that burnout is, for many people, a life-swallowing emergency faced without help, support, or even basic human compassion. These poor people are like sailors lost at sea. They use all of their strength to just keep floating for another moment. They’re too exhausted and depleted to swim for land, even if we told them where it was and how to get there. Our voices were reaching them far too late.

We’ve always felt it was our mission to help people. So when we saw for ourselves how many talented, bright, good-hearted people burnout was grinding into a fine powder, our new goal became clear.

Now, at long last, we’re unveiling the fruits of our labor.

The Burnout Workshop, presented by Bitches Get Riches and written by us, is complete. Unlike in the past, you don’t have to attend an in-person event to hear it. It’s available to everyone, everywhere—and you can take it right now.

The Burnout Workshop

Based on exhaustive research and hundreds of conversations with friends and readers suffering from the effects of burnout, our first-ever publicly available online course includes:

A full-ass movie-length video you can watch (and rewatch) at your own pace.

A thick and juicy 75+ page workbook crammed with exercises, personality tests, guided questions, tips, resources, and more.

Empirical research on what burnout is and why it’s so uniquely life-ruining.

Real, actionable ideas to heal yourself with no boot-licking and no bullshit.

By taking the Burnout Workshop, we want everyone to…

Practice identifying the major red flags of burnout, including the three that scare us the most.

Understand the biological processes that make stress both harmful and beneficial.

Know the physiological and psychological effects burnout causes within our bodies

Discover the 5 personality traits that make you easier to manipulate and prone to burning out.

Learn to spot the 5 environmental traits that all toxic, evil, soul-sucking shitholes have in common.

Identify your self-sabotaging behaviors and try exercises to reverse them.

Develop habits, tactics, and scripts to defend yourself from toxic environments.

Laugh politely at our obscure references, cringey gags, and gallows humor.

Learn what powers you already have, and how to wield them to get what you need.

Stop taking personal responsibility for systemic problems.

Internalize the truth that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Walk away with concrete plans for change.

Can I get a lil’ sneak up in this peek?

Hell yes. We’ve posted the introduction to the Burnout Workshop to YouTube to whet your whistle—a phrase whose mysterious and frankly disgusting origins we’ve never considered until just now. Watch it below.

How to access the Burnout Workshop

You can access the video and included workbook together through our Patreon page. You do not need to be a Patron to sign up! Click the link below to get started.

Get The Burnout Workshop Now

If you like it, please share it. We want to reach as many people as we can, and we could really use your help spreading the word!

We made the Burnout Workshop as affordable as possible. The obscene prices random influencers charge for AI-crafted horseshit is both professionally shocking and existentially terrifying to our frugal selves. Not in our workshop, friends. Like Gaston’s bare chest, every last inch of this is covered… with love. It represents hundreds of hours of our labor, including video editing from our amazing producer Ducky, who we take pride in paying a fair living wage for her efforts.

Big major super duper THANK YOU

Over the last few months while we worked on the Burnout Workshop, the blog and podcast took a backseat. (Maybe you noticed we republished a lot of stuff and haven’t even released season 5 of the podcast yet.) This project has been a ton of work for us. We did it in the hopes that this new endeavor could help us reach readers who need help desperately, and aren’t gonna get it elsewhere.

Throughout this process our Patreon supporters stood by us, funding our work and keeping the lights on around here. And they did so without complaint, despite a sharp decline in the frequency of new content. We can’t thank them enough for their trust and patience.

Which is why our Patreon supporters got the workbook for the course FOR FREE a few weeks ago! In addition, Our Moms (the highest tier of Patreon support) are getting the workbook and the course video entirely for free (we love you, Our Moms). So if you’re interested in the course, but you’d rather support our mission with a continuous donation instead of a one-time purchase, you can do all of that through our Patreon.

From the bottom of our bitchy little hearts… thank you. We’ll be back with more of our regular stuff soon enough!

Get The Burnout Workshop Now

[palidoozy-art]

Me and my group started a one-shot in Pathfinder 2E that might honestly transition to a full-fledged campaign. But because my work is never finished, I decided that for this campaign I'd try a "theme" of old jRPGs.

The tokens are heavily based off of Octopath Traveler's, and the portraits are heavily based off of the original Final Fantasy 7.

More of me rambling under the cut.

One of our players had a birthday and couldn't really make the session, so while they were absent my players wanted to try out more of Pathfinder 2e. I wanted to play more of Kjosev, so we decided we'd have a campaign set waaay the fuck back in time.

Almost 200 years ago in our weird CoS/homebrew world, there was an eclipse (caused by the Lord of Twilight Woods/Serafim) that lasted for an entire year. The world went from essentially quasi-industrial/advanced to early medieval, and roughly 75% of the population was killed off. When my players want to create new countries or races, one of the first things I ask them is "how did they survive the Eclipse?" -- because that's how impactful it was.

... so we decided: hey, wouldn't it be cool if we ran something set there? So that's how it started.

It'll also be one of the first time I get to be a full-fledged player in 3+ years, as Ellerian's player will be taking the reins and DMing (the concept interests him a lot). The Eclipse hasn't happened yet, and I don't know when it will. He's told me "I want you guys to fall in love with the world first, then I want to take that away."

The characters, from their portraits, left to right, top to bottom;

Calim (Chaotic Good Summoner) - A blind first quarter elunin (rabbitfolk/viera from my previous post) who can only 'see' through his summon, a shadow drake. He's a college dropout and constantly cracks jokes about being blind. Didn't even know he was a summoner until he finally managed to pull out an eidolon to save a slave girl.

Juno (Lawful Good Fighter) - A genderless waning gibbous elunin who serves as a member of the Night Watch. They take their job extremely seriously. The party hasn't gotten a chance to meet them much, sadly, but hopefully will get more interaction in the future.

Kjosev (Neutral Good Druid) - A dusk elf druid that I've rambled about extensively, but he's a druid of Twilight Woods. A former wizard and seer, he lost his ability to cast arcane spells after being tortured and paralyzed in parts of his hands. He adapted to druidic magic after isolating himself in the Woods. Left to try to warn people of a great calamity. He doesn't know what, specifically, is going to happen, just that it'll be bad.

Genrik (Lawful Evil Summoner) - A dusk elf who was a former teacher. He's a dusk elven supremacist, calling humans 'hairless apes' and insisting that the dusk elf kingdom will rise again. Eventually. It won't, but he seems pretty sure of himself. He only escaped the destruction by stealing a fiend (to enslave, of course) and fleeing when the armies came. He assumes everyone knows him (they don't).

So far they are extremely fun, and I am excited about it. The style also saves me a lot of time as we can just, uh. Borrow sprites from Octopath and other jRPGs.

[homestuck-fanauthor-coalition]

@orangestorapples

> Be Dave Strider. You find yourself standing in the parking lot of what's supposed to be a dog training place while you wait for Uncle D to grab… something, you aren't sure what, from the car so you can lock the doors and finally go inside. Today is the day you finally, finally get to meet the dog you and Dirk liked the best. He's an eight month old, black, Newfoundland puppy named Dewey. Apparently he's named after Melvil Dewey, the guy who made what libraries use to organize books, a really REALLY long ass time ago. At least that's what you heard from Rose when you brought it up to her the other day. So… you guess that's pretty cool. What's also pretty cool is you've never had a pet dog before, even though he's not really a pet, he's “medical equipment” that can love you back. Uncle D finally appears to have found what he was looking for, a packet of paper stapled together he had dug out of the glove compartment. “There we go! Alright, come on guys, we're heading in.” He waves the packet for a second, then he closes and locks the door and heads inside. When he opens the door, you're greeted by the sight of… it kinda looks like a pet supply store except it's just for dogs. There's leashes, bags of treats, dog food, collars, accessories, beds- anything you could need for a dog, they have it. And the place is empty. There's nobody inside, not even at the counter. “Hey… Uncle D? Are you sure this place is open?” You ask, turning to look up at him. He gives you a thumbs up and a grin. “Yeah, it's open. Just got a private training sesh just for the three of us. You're not gonna have to worry about anybody trying to watch or anything while you two learn how to work with Dewey. Pretty cool, right?” He raises an eyebrow. Dirk hums quietly, then nods in approval. “That's cool of them.” “Ain't it?” He chuckles back to him.

Chapters: 75/?

Rating: Teen and Up

Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category: Gen

Fandom: Homestuck

Relationships: Dirk's Bro | Alpha Dave Strider & Dirk Strider; Dirk's Bro | Alpha Dave Strider & Dave Strider; Dave Strider & Dirk Strider; Rose Lalonde & Dave Strider; Roxy Lalonde & Dirk Strider; Rose Lalonde & Roxy Lalonde & Dave Strider & Dirk Strider; Jake English/Dirk Strider

Characters: Dave Strider; Dirk Strider; Dirk's Bro | Alpha Dave Strider; Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider; Rose Lalonde; Roxy Lalonde; Rose's Mom | Beta Roxy Lalonde; Roxy's Mom | Alpha Rose Lalonde; Ben Stiller; Owen Wilson; Donald Glover

Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort; Angst and Hurt/Comfort; Abusive Dave's Bro | Beta Dirk Strider; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD; Childhood Trauma; Psychological Trauma; Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking; Implied/Referenced Underage Drug Use; Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session

[mia-studyhaus]

Article Review - The Athletic Heart

Today’s topic focuses more on fitness! Particularly, its effects on the heart’s shape and size. As an athlete myself, I am more than excited to share a summary of this article with you:

1. Exercise is introduced to be an integral tool in maintaining health in individuals by having its benefits mentioned, such as an improved mood, prevention of cardiovascular diseases, as well as stronger muscles. Then a question is asked: What happens if one exercises too much? The answer is: When exercise is done more than recommended guidelines (In the US, it is more than 150 minutes of medium-intensity work or 75 minutes of high-intensity work combined with two strength-training sessions), changes do occur in the body. In this article, the focus is on the heart — where structure and function are affected, resulting in what we call the athletic heart.

2. The athletic heart is not inherently harmful — yet it can make some people vulnerable to specific cardiac complications. The writer then introduces two types of exercises in order for us to understand how they cause changes in the heart that lead to these above-mentioned implications. They are: dynamic and static exercises. Dynamic exercises demand the heart to pump more blood to the rest of the body and this, when done in excess, can enlarge it due to the large volume of fluid that passes through its chambers. Static exercises require the heart to pump blood to the skeletal muscles to sustain the effort required to push or pull weights. When they are done more than required, they also cause dilation but with thickened walls to withstand the pressure from the blood flowing through. The article also interestingly notes that some exercises are a combination of both of the types above.

3. The athletic heart usually affects those who exercise for more than one hour every day of the week, and this includes any of the types of exercises mentioned above. There are two main complications of this condition mentioned in this article: Atrial fibrillation (abnormal heart rhythm) and coronary artery calcification or CAC (build up of calcium in the heart arteries). Both of these increase the risk to get affected by a stroke. Atrial fibrillation possibly occurs in athletes as the enlargement in the chambers (specifically, the atrium) could cause inflammation and scarring, along with the effects of stress and environment. While the reason behind CAC in athletes is not that clear, it does not make them more susceptible to complications.

4. Yet, to conclude the article, the writer mentions how it is still important to exercise within the recommended guidelines as this keeps the heart strong and flexible enough to pump out enough blood for daily processes even at an old age. A compliant cardiac system is useful at any age — so start exercising! Love this message at the end.

Overall, I think this is a mind-opening article to learn more about the heart’s functions (we always hear about what happens to the heart if you exercise too less, not too much) and it pushes a message to stay healthy!

Disclaimer: This is purely a concise reflection on the points presented in the article. These are not my opinions at all. I am only posting knowledge.

Follow @studyhaus for more articles!

[ask-alterwolf-curseko]

We will watch you. We will watch you scream. We will watch you do the same things over and over expecting a different outcome because you believe you are exceptional. We will watch you fail.

[Lupus is screaming/howling/barking with all his might to make the torture orchestrated by the anons end while furiously continuing to maim, still with the mindset that he'll succeed in whatever goal he fixes on himself.]

[daerwyn]

Hey, I just came by your page and I instantly feel in love with Paul/Bella story; Ticking Time Bomb!! It was amazing. I wonder how the pack going to reacted with her doing drugs. I feel like they know she doing something.

Just asking, will you be doing any update for that story. I would love to read more.

love your stories also☺️

Hello, lovely! I'm so sorry it fell abandoned!

I actually have about six completed chapters locked up in my scrivener file that I've been re-reading this morning and am going to post :) After these six chapters, there are (about) seven more that are in various stages of drafting (mostly half or 75% of the way finished) that I am going to do my best to finish as soon as I can!

Thank you so much for your interest and support <3 Enjoy!!

-- Daerwyn

(The story requires an AO3 account for reading due to its content and warnings attached.)

[grandprovidence]

Grand Providence development update 3/17/2024

Hello! This almost slipped my mind today but I am a vigilant person so to the updates it is.

The first mechanic is one that builds off of one I spoke about before, that being enemy types having general resistances and vulnerabilities. This mechanic being weapon oils and armor waxes. Armor waxes are items that temporarily add a damage type resistance to armor while oils can either add additional damage of a certain type or additional damage when fighting a specific creature type. Both of these items act as the reward that players can gain when they take the time to investigate an enemy before engaging it. They also act as a guide for new players. When a player sees an item that gives them a large boost towards damage against a specific creature they want to know what they’re about to fight to ensure their money or crafting items are not wasted. This leads to players investigating areas the enemy was seen in, asking people about the creature they may have seen, or studying an old dungeon for any hints as to what may be inside.

On the topic of enemies this is less of a mechanic but is still important to the gameplay of GP. That being the distribution of enemy types and the general levels of enemies players encounter. It’s a common piece of information that most campaigns of a TTRPG don’t make it to the later levels. This along with the fact that creatures with huge amounts of power being common makes them feel less special means that a good distribution of enemies is important. Because of that I decided to have almost 40% of the enemies be BR0 or BR1 with smaller percentages being in the higher battle ratings. I also divided the enemy types so that, in said earlier levels players are more likely to fight flora, beasts, and other humanoid creatures while in later levels players will be fighting divine, extrinsic, and magical enemies. This is twofold as a way for players to feel like their enemies have evolved with them while also allowing for a certain type of enemy to become more of a horde enemy as players continue through the game. A group of three flora enemies could prove to be a challenge to early adventurers while, later in a campaign, players can fight through a forest of thirty of that same enemy without breaking a sweat. This is to let players look back and see how far they’ve grown in strength.

The last mechanic is part of something larger. That can be said about all mechanics but this one especially. My game day post last week had me consider a lot about what games do to help game masters master their games and how I dislike letting people who are passionate enough about this hobby flounder when they aren’t level designers or writers. Because of this I am trying to make a way to take an idea for a quest or adventure, break it down into its smallest parts, and flesh out those parts so that none get left behind or neglected. My first step is to get an idea for a way to quantify an adventure. How grand is this? How difficult will it be? How much time will it take? One way is through experience and, due to grand providence not having scaling EXP, how it is assigned. Grand Providence plans for players to have around 1,000 EXP by the end of a campaign with an average of 12, 25, or 50 EXP per session for longer, average, or shorter campaigns respectively. Keeping that in mind a quest that gives 75 EXP in an average length campaign should take three sessions. To then allot this EXP I made the final mechanic of this week. For the combat, social, and exploration sections of an adventure I made EXP charts. These charts measure the overall difficulty of an encounter. Fighting a small group of minions, having a short argument with someone who doesn’t care much, or traveling a short jaunt to the dungeon? These are smaller encounters that should then take up less time in the session. Going up against a boss and their lackeys, convincing a king to change the march of their army based on little evidence, or racing against the continent on a time limit? These are all things that can take one or more entire sessions and should give an equal amount of experience to the characters. This mechanic will hopefully help run the adventures Providences have while also helping them know how many real life sessions said adventure will take, making it so one shots don’t spiral out into five session long adventures or vice versa.

My next step is the information both players and characters need. A good way to help the Providence know when players need a lead or how to give out information that could make or break a session from feeling well paced or not is proving to be difficult. If anyone has any advice on giving players information let me know, I always look forward to improving my craft!

[cuteasducks9]

I am home from Paris, and just about recovered enough to share some of my thoughts from the convention.

My number 1 take away is that Danielle, Stefania and Grey are truly 3 wonderful and inspiring human beings and I will be forever grateful that I got the opportunity to meet them. No matter how stressful the entire experience was I will cherish these moments for my whole life.

My second thought is how the fuck does this company run conventions for a living??? The disorganisation and lack of any clue what the fuck was going on by 75% of the staff was unbelievable. The clear hazards and safety issues of the way they were running photographs was evident from the very first session in which everyone was cramped into one area and there was no regard for the safety of literally anyone. My wife had a full on panic attack in the middle of a crowd of people, I had to get her outside and not one member of staff bothered to ask if she was ok. Thankfully with some air and space she was ok! (And after I had explained to someone what had happened we were actually allowed to wait relatively separate to other people, not that that really solved the chaos)!

The sheer amount of overselling of extras was a major issue from this money grabbing company. And it meant that people got an unfair amount of time to spend with guests and others like myself were well and truly rushed through certain things. And I did not get my Stefania autograph which I am not mad about because literally they wouldn't even let her take a break and I don't blame her for leaving without doing some of the autographs, unlike the member of staff who tried to blame it on Stefania (she was heavily defended by the fans who were missing out).

Anyhooo enough waffle from me, or this will turn into an absolute shit post of a rant. Might post more about the good side of my experience when I have more brain power.

Much love 🧡

[wonderfultourslaos]

Embracing the Skies: Paragliding in Vang Vieng

Embracing the Skies: Paragliding in Vang Vieng

Experience the ultimate adventure in Vang Vieng with a paragliding journey that offers breathtaking views and an exhilarating sense of freedom. Wonderful Tours Laos invites you to soar above the stunning landscapes, where lush valleys, flowing rivers, and dramatic limestone cliffs create a backdrop like no other. This guide will walk you through what to expect from your paragliding experience in Vang Vieng, ensuring it's not just thrilling but also safe and memorable.

Pre-Flight Preparation: Safety First

Understanding the Basics Before you take to the skies, our certified instructors will provide a comprehensive safety briefing. You’ll learn about the equipment, including the harness, helmet, and parachute. This session also covers basic handling techniques and communication signals used during the flight, ensuring you feel confident and prepared.

Meeting Your Pilot You’ll be introduced to your tandem pilot who is not only experienced but also deeply familiar with the Vang Vieng skies. This is a great time to ask questions and discuss any concerns you might have. Your comfort and safety are our top priorities.

The Launch: Taking Off with Confidence

The Thrill of the Runway Launching is a thrill in itself. Positioned on a gently sloping hillside, you’ll start with a running takeoff. As the wind fills the parachute, you and your pilot will lift off the ground, gradually ascending into the open skies.

In-Flight Experience: Vang Vieng from Above

Capturing the Beauty Once airborne, the breathtaking vistas of Vang Vieng unfold beneath you. Floating peacefully above, you’ll see the Namsong River carving its way through the valley, surrounded by lush greenery and rugged mountains. It’s an ideal moment to capture stunning photographs and truly appreciate the natural beauty of Laos.

Learning on the Go

For those interested, the pilot can explain more about navigating the thermals and managing the paraglider. This part of the experience is not just thrilling but also educational, offering insights into the fascinating world of aerial sports.

The Landing: A Smooth Conclusion

Preparing to Land As your flight nears its end, your pilot will guide you through the landing process. Paragliding landings are typically smooth, with pilots aiming for a gentle descent back to the launch area or a designated landing zone.

Post-Flight: Reflecting on the Experience

Celebratory Moments Back on solid ground, celebrate your flight with a small ceremony. Receive a certificate of completion, a memento of your bravery and adventurous spirit. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to relax and share stories with other participants, reflecting on the unique experience.

Relaxing in Vang Vieng After your paragliding adventure, take the time to explore more of what Vang Vieng has to offer. Whether it’s relaxing by the river, enjoying local cuisine, or exploring caves and trails, the rest of your day can be as laid-back or as adventurous as you wish.

Join Wonderful Tours Laos for an unforgettable paragliding experience in Vang Vieng. Soar above breathtaking landscapes, learn new skills, and make memories that will last a lifetime. It’s more than an adventure; it’s a new way to see the world.

Ready to soar? Contact Wonderful Tours Laos at +856 20 222 447 75 or info@wonderfultours.la.

Wonderful Tours Laos – Where every flight tells a story.

[jack-woodstock]

House Cleaning Costs: What to Expect

Maintaining a clean and welcoming home or workplace is essential, but achieving a spotless environment can often be challenging and time-consuming. Professional cleaning services are the perfect solution, offering expertise and convenience. However, one common question arises: How much does house cleaning cost?

The answer depends on several factors, including the size of your space, the type of cleaning needed, and your location. This guide breaks down the costs, highlights factors influencing pricing, and shares tips for getting the best value for your money.

Factors Influencing House Cleaning Costs

Understanding the variables that impact the cost of house cleaning services helps you make informed decisions. Key factors include:

Size of the Space: Larger homes require more time and labor, leading to higher costs. Prices are often based on square footage.

Type of Cleaning:

Standard Cleaning: Routine maintenance tasks such as dusting, vacuuming, and surface cleaning.

Deep Cleaning: More thorough cleaning, addressing hidden dirt, hard-to-reach areas, and appliances, typically at a higher price.

Specialized Cleaning: Includes carpet cleaning, window washing, or post-construction cleanup, often with premium rates.

Frequency of Service:

Regular cleanings (weekly, bi-weekly) tend to cost less per visit than one-time services.

One-time deep cleanings generally carry a premium due to the labor-intensive nature of the job.

Geographic Location: Urban areas or regions with a higher cost of living usually have higher cleaning service rates compared to rural or suburban areas.

National Averages for House Cleaning Costs

Standard Cleaning: Typically ranges between $100 and $275 for a single session.

Deep Cleaning: Costs between $225 and $425, depending on the scope of the job.

Per Square Foot:

Standard cleaning: $0.05 to $0.10 per square foot

Deep cleaning: $0.10 to $0.30 per square foot

Cost Breakdown by Home Size

Home Size (Sq. Ft.)Standard CleaningDeep CleaningUp to 1,000 Sq. Ft.$100 – $150$150 – $3001,000 – 2,000 Sq. Ft.$150 – $250$250 – $4002,000 – 3,000 Sq. Ft.$250 – $400$400 – $600Over 3,000 Sq. Ft.$400+$600+

Cost Breakdown by Number of Rooms

Number of RoomsStandard CleaningDeep CleaningStudio Apartment$75 – $150$150 – $3001-2 Bedroom$100 – $200$200 – $4003-4 Bedroom$200 – $400$400 – $6005+ Bedroom$400+$600+

Cost Breakdown by Cleaning Frequency

FrequencyStandard CleaningDeep CleaningCost NotesOne-Time$150 – $300$300 – $600Premium price due to additional labor required.Weekly$100 – $200N/ADiscounted rates for regular clients.Bi-Weekly$120 – $250N/AIdeal balance between cost and cleanliness.Monthly$150 – $300N/AHigher per visit cost due to longer intervals.

Tips for Choosing a Reputable Cleaning Service

Check Reviews and References: Positive feedback and satisfied clients are strong indicators of reliability.

Verify Insurance and Bonding: Ensure the service is insured to protect against damages or accidents.

Understand Their Services: Know what’s included in the cost—ask about additional charges for extras like appliance cleaning or windows.

Eco-Friendly Options: If sustainability is important, confirm they use green cleaning products and practices.

Assess Customer Service: Responsive communication and clear policies are signs of professionalism.

Saving Money on House Cleaning Services

DIY Between Visits: Handle simple tasks like tidying and light vacuuming to reduce the workload for professionals.

Opt for Regular Services: Frequent cleanings often come with discounts, making them more cost-effective in the long run.

Look for Loyalty Discounts: Many providers offer reduced rates to repeat customers.

Take Advantage of Promotions: Referral bonuses and seasonal deals can help lower costs.

How Amenify Can Help

Amenify offers premium cleaning solutions tailored to your needs. With a proven track record of:

50K+ five-star reviews

35,000+ ratings

24/7 concierge support

Amenify has served over 2 million homes in 800+ cities, ensuring spotless and welcoming spaces for every client. Whether you need a one-time deep clean or ongoing maintenance, Amenify simplifies the process, delivering exceptional value and quality.

Sign up today and enjoy $50 bonus credits for your next service. Make your cleaning routine stress-free with Amenify!