#question crunch podcast

[beenbettercomic]

“The Fiftieth Bowl”

This bowl of Question Crunch was hard to do.

You could listen to it with one of these links.

Or, worse yet, you can watch the YouTube video.

-Jimmy Purcell.

[thedistantshoresproject]

TDSP WEEKEND UPDATE

We're getting closer and closer to completing the sequel. Because of this, we're now in crunch mode. Here is what has been done.

Writing

-All chapters for all routes are done. -The endings for chapter 10 for all routes has been HEAVILY edited for no plot holes.

Basic Scripting

-Basic scripting for all routes are done.

Programming

-Chapter 7 is fixed. -Chapter 8 is in progress.

Walkthroughs

-All walkthrough pdfs are done, organized, and backed up.

As you can see from our pinned post, we added a walkthrough link. These are where the PDFs for each chapter for each LI route can be found and downloaded. When the game is released each week, new chapters will be posted as soon as possible. They will also be available for you to download. As for now, only chapter 1 is posted since the choices from our demo haven't changed. If there are any mistakes in the walkthroughs, please let us know!

The Captain & The First Mate spoke about the podcast. They set a date to record tomorrow, and it will be up on our Youtube channel sometime this week. It will consist of a third of answering your questions, a third of talking about the sequel, and a third of complaining about PB.

[goodluckclove]

clove, i have an intense personal problem to solve: what's for lunch? or dinner? my cooking repertoire lately has been limited to japanese food because i can have the sides all week and mains take like 10 minutes to prepare. but i feel like i need to branch out. so i pose to you a riddle (not really): what do you make when you're hungry, you have 15 minutes to cook, and roughly 1/4 teaspoon of energy with which to cook it?

See I was going to answer with some funny nonsense but this is actually a really important question. We all have to eat and we all have to eat something delicious otherwise life is significantly worse.

So like here are a few easy meals that I enjoy! I don't know the exact times because I'm usually vibing out to a podcast but I do know these all to be low effort in my eyes.

Eggy Potatoes

This is my go-to whenever I just want protein and carbs and good good flavors. It's also a major depression meal of mine and I don't usually make it for other people because it doesn't seem like a Real Meal but I made it for Riley and now it's their favorite thing for me to cook.

I take potatoes O'Brien and skillet fry them in like canola oil. Season those babies - I use garlic salt, pepper, red pepper, maybe some onion powder. Cajun seasoning or Old Bay is great if you have it. Anyways get it as crispy as you want.

From this point you can either whisk up a few eggs and add it to the cooked potatoes, or you can cook the eggs separately to your liking and add them to the top. Maybe add shredded cheese. Ketchup. Hot sauce. I'm not a cop.

Pasta Salad

This is a great way to meal prep. You can either make a bunch of pasta or buy the ready-made microwave pasta that comes in bag. Do what you have to do to get some cooked pasta. Drain and chill it in the fridge with a little bit of oil and some kind of brine (caper/olive/pepper).

Once it's chill add whatever toppings you want. Feta? Fuck yeah. Any other cheese? Sure. All sorts of veggies? Let's party. Shredded chicken/smoked salmon/cured meats? Boo-yah. Then you can dress it with either a vinegrette or like virtually any other dressing and you did it.

(those microwave pastas are fantastic for easy meals by the way. Add like olive oil and Parmesan and pepper and red pepper. Cut up some bacon or spam. Just pour like a vodka sauce over it. Yum yum.)

Charcuterie

When I can't think of what to eat I end up eating some form of charcuterie. I fucking love charcuterie.

I get three cheeses - a soft, a hard, and a medium. I like to mix my milks if I can. A spread of some kind is cool, like a mustard or a spicy jam. Maybe a seasoned butter.

Bread or crackers? I usually prefer cut bread. Like a nice Dutch Crunch. Crackers are good too though.

Also get some fruit. Cut up an apple. Carrot sticks or celery. Bam all the food groups.

I loved answering this I hope you eat something delicious.

[arnamantle]

more fucking acronyms - cuz 'ttrpg' don't have enough already

to expand a bit on what I was talking about here, I think it would be beneficial to have some more categorizations of ttrpgs that a. help people identify the kinds of ttrpgs they like to play and b. help identify some essential facets of that game. The problem with the latter is that "ttrpg", as a generalized "big tent" term, covers such a massive field of work that it nears redundancy. There are great games out there that are built to make you question your understanding of what a game even is, or what your expectations are for interacting with such systems. So, my initial proposal is, rather than try and categorize the nature of the game, categorize the nature of the player. People who are familiar with Magic: the Gathering likely know about Timmy, Johnny and Spike players, referring to three distinct styles of play based on the engagement points and motives of those players. Those terms have their own reductive issues, but there are two terms I wanna start using, at least when speaking from my own viewpoint about ttrpgs. "Dramatic Improve Role-Play", or DI-RP players. These are folks who whose engagement point in ttrpgs centers around, well, playing a role. Dramatically. With improvisational skills. Folks who come to games for the sake of creating and exploring a deep character arc, for building intense interpersonal scenes with other characters, and generally indulging in the shared theatrics that the group establishes. DI-RP folks are the ones I expect are drawn to actual play streams and podcasts, as well as GM-less, diceless and other "alternative" games that are living their heyday now. "System Manipulation Role-Play", for SM-RP players. These are the people who come to games looking to roll dice and crunch numbers. For SM-RP players, the system itself is part of the game, and the process of spending weeks building a "munchkin" character is often just as rewarding as watching them solo encounters bulid for far stronger parties. Plenty of D&D only players and OSR fanatics fall into this camp. Obviously, most people would fall somewhere in between these two poles. But, I think it could be useful for anyone who is interested in ttrpgs to see where they fall, because once you're able to identify the things that you love most about games, the easier it will be to find games that fit your play style, as well as a group that you work well with. I myself heavily lean towards SM-RP, and it took me a frustrating while to realize that, and that I honestly don't really like "role playing " that much, at least unless it's with certain people in very specific circumstances. But system manip? That's my bread and fucking butter. And now that I know that, I feel like I can fine-tune my ttrpg design to deliver a better experience for those who share my engagement type.

[bitchesgetriches]

Esteemed Bitches: Long time reader, first time asker. I recently got a new job with a big pay increase, better hours, more job security, etc., but now I've realized that I hate the career path I'm on right now. I'm a manufacturing supervisor and I don't want to manage people forever and I hate the capitalistic crunch to bleed my employees dry for revenue. I'm pretty sure I want to be an independent contributor, but I don't want to take a step back down in salary. I've been thinking about looking for a career coach or a recruiter to try to figure out what kind of different jobs I would be qualified for, would actually like, and would be in a similar pay range. Are there consultants for that sort of thing? How do I find a good one? What other resources are there for figuring out WHAT to pivot to when you know you want to pivot?? Help me, Bitch Nation!

Hey pookie muffin! Thank you SO MUCH for this excellent question. We liked it so much we answered it on the podcast this season! Thanks to you, were able to have a nuanced discussion about career pivoting. We can't thank you enough for your help.

Check it out:

Season 4, Episode 9: “I’m on the Wrong Career Path. How Do I Convince a New Industry To Take a Chance on Me?” 

If you found this helpful, consider tipping us!

[pinkacademic]

Learning Styles

Something that I don’t think the studyblr/academia communities talk about nearly enough is learning styles, even though they can be super useful in finding the best ways to study and learn new information. I’m going to add my two bits to the conversation in the hopes that it helps some of you!

Disclaimer: straight off the bat, let me tell you all- please don’t sort yourselves into a learning style like they’re houses in the boywizard magic school books. You won’t necessarily just fall into one category- I’m a mix of all three fairly evenly. More on that later, but I wanted to make that clear up front!

Anyways, there are a few versions of this concept, but the one I’m most familiar with talks about three different categories of learning: visual, kinesthetic, and auditory.

Visual Learners Visual learners like to read the information, love to follow a good chart or diagram, and are likely fond of colour-coding. You can try things like mindmaps, associating pieces of information with a doodle, and adding photographs etc to your notes. I got real value from adding a small amount of doodles and stickers etc to my notes to attract my eye to them- don’t let your work get cluttered, but try using bright colours to make your brain look at the mindmap or what have you.

Kinesthetic Learners If you’re a kinesthetic learner, you like to move. Maybe you need a fidget toy in order to concentrate, or you like to walk around while you work. If you can pick up dances really quickly, this is likely you. I remember there was one subject that I just could not retain information about while sitting still, so I used to do crunches or up-and-down planks for example while I read over the information, and then I would recite it again while doing star jumps. IOW, anything I could do while reading vs something I couldn’t do while reading.

Auditory Learners Do you love an audiobook/podcast moment? Do you follow “Mozart makes baby’s smart?” You can engage your auditory learning by listening to music (including my playlists… but only if you want to…) or by reading aloud. Most people say no lyrics, but I found singing along to something I was familiar with to be helpful.

Some of the other kinds include interpersonal learners who work best with others, intrapersonal learners who work best alone, linguistic learners who would make good teachers, and others. Ultimately, you have to find things out for yourself, but I’m going to make a more in-depth list of ideas for these three types + some ideas of how to combine them if you want more inspiration. Let me know if you have any questions or any suggestions!

[miloinouterspace]

Book Reccs

But instead of a synopsis I just quote the book

Part 1

☆ Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

"I am Dead, but it's not so bad. I've learned to live with it."

"In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts. But when I open my mouth, everything collapses."

"We're fumbling in the dark, but at least we're in motion."

"But I'm not afraid of the skeletons in Julie's closet. I look forward to meeting the rest of them, looking them hard in the eye, giving them firm, bone-crunching handshakes."

"Why is it beautiful that humanity keeps coming back? So does herpes."

☆ Every Day by David Levithan

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's this: We all want everything to be okay. We don't even wish so much for fantastic or marvelous or outstanding. We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough."

"Answerless questions can destroy you. Move on."

"I wake up thinking of yesterday. The joy is in remembering; the pain is in knowing it was yesterday."

"Because when something happens, she's the person I want to tell. The most basic indicator of love."

"If you stare at the center of the universe, there is coldness there. A blankness. Ultimately, the universe doesn't care about us. Time doesn't care about us. That's why we have to care about each other."

☆ Welcome to Nightvale by Joseph Fink

(I actually am going to give some context for this book; It's based on a fiction podcast of the same name, which is set up like a radio show in a fictional town. So this book is set in that town, and occasionally has exerpts from said radio show, but you don't have to listen to the podcast to enjoy the book.)

"People are beautiful when they do beautiful things."

"We are skipping Friday this week, but we’ll make up for it by having Double Friday next week. Mark your schedules."

"In other news, a recent report suggests that things may not be as they seem."

"Librarians are hideous creatures of unimaginable power. And even if you could imagine their power, it would be illegal. It is absolutely illegal to even try to picture what such a being would be like."

"She was angry, which is the more productive cousin of fear."

GO SEND THESE UNDERRATED AUTHORS SOME LOVE!!

[art-of-manliness]

Podcast #946: Counterintuitive Ideas About Marriage, Family, and Kids

There are a lot of popular ideas out there around marriage, family, and culture, like, for example, that living together before marriage decreases your chances of divorce, people are having fewer children because children are expensive to raise, and society is becoming more secular because people leave religion in adulthood. Are these ideas actually born out by the data? Today we put that question to Lyman Stone, a sociologist and demographer who crunches numbers from all the latest studies to find out what’s going on in population, relationship, and familial trends. We dig into some of the counterintuitive findings he’s discovered in his research and discuss the possible reasons that cohabitation is actually correlated with a higher chance of divorce, the effect that marrying later has on fertility, why the drop in the number of kids people are having isn’t only about cost but also about the rise in high intensity parenting, and how the increase in societal secularization can actually be traced to kids, not adults. Resources Related to the Episode * Related articles by Lyman Stone: * Does Getting Married Really Make You Happier? * Why Canadian Women Aren’t Having the Children They Desire * For Fertility, Marriage Still Matters * What the Latest Current Population Survey Tells Us About the Future of Fertility * Secularization Begins at Home * Study: Cohabitation Experience and Cohabitation’s Association With Marital Dissolution * Psychology Today: Are Couples That Live Together Before Marriage More Likely to Divorce? * AoM Article: The Surprising Benefits of Marrying Young * AoM Article: How to Test Your Relationship Without Moving In Together * AoM Podcast #349: The Problem With Ambiguity in Relationships with Scott Stanley Connect With Lyman Stone * Lyman on Twitter Listen to the Podcast! (And don’t forget to leave us a review!) Listen to the episode on a separate page. Download this episode. Subscribe to the podcast in the media player of your choice. Listen ad-free on Stitcher Premium; get a free month when you use code “manliness” at checkout. Podcast Sponsors Click here to see a full list of our podcast sponsors. Transcript Coming Soon The post Podcast #946: Counterintuitive Ideas About Marriage, Family, and Kids appeared first on The Art of Manliness. http://dlvr.it/SzNMZy

[queenofbaws]

hey queenie hope u feelin better i saw u sayin u were still sick not too long ago, we're out here together bestie ✊ id like to ask for anything ashley centric, shes been on my mind lately ;w; preferably her being a little unhinged if i may be so bold

It was one of those questions everyone asked themselves at one time or another, the sort of thing you wondered about when watching an awful movie or listening to some shitty true-crime podcast: Could I do something as horrible as that to save my own skin?

And if you’d asked her a month ago, a week ago, a day ago, heck, just a few hours ago, Ashley probably would’ve paled and shook her head and given a resounding no as her answer. She got weak-kneed when she saw a spider in the bathroom - in what reality would she, could she, find it in herself to do anything worse than wad up a tissue and strike out, flailing, trying not to cry at the telltale crunch beneath her fingers? No, nonono, if you’d asked her before, she wouldn’t have been able to come up with a plan of action past lying down and dying, and saving the universe the trouble.

Then Josh had brought them to the lodge and her answer had changed.

In fact, as she finished rereading the scrawled passage in the journal and turned to glance at Emily’s slumped form in the corner, blood and brains cooling and clotting on the wall behind her, she realized just how wrong she’d been; she could do just about anything, if it meant she’d live to see another day...and as Emily and Josh had found out that night, she would, too.

six sentence sat(or)sunday!!!

[beenbettercomic]

“The Forty-Ninth Bowl”

Every time I declare that I'm going to catch up on the Question Crunch strips, I forget and get even more behind. My podcast is over 80 episodes and this is for episode 49.

You can listen to this episode with these links.

-Jimmy Purcell.

[drrichardpayha]

Striking a Balance: The Daily Life of a Resident Physician

The life of a resident physician is one of the most challenging and transformative phases in a medical career. Residents often find themselves balancing long work hours, intense academic pressure, and the personal demands of everyday life. Maintaining this balance between professional obligations and personal well-being requires resilience, time management, and support from family and peers. Here's a glimpse into a day in the life of a medical resident striving for that balance.

Early Morning Routine: Setting the Tone for the Day

For most residents, the day begins before dawn. Early mornings are essential for preparing mentally and physically for what lies ahead. Many residents start their day between 4:30 and 5:00 AM, grabbing a quick breakfast or a cup of coffee to kickstart the long day. Some might squeeze in a workout, meditate, or enjoy a few moments of peace before the chaos begins.

The commute to the hospital is often brief but significant. It's the time to mentally review the day's schedule, anticipate patient rounds, and prepare for any surgeries or procedures. Residents often use this time to catch up on medical podcasts or review clinical notes on their mobile devices.

Morning Rounds: Juggling Responsibilities

Upon arriving at the hospital, the resident's first task is morning rounds. This is where they review patient cases, check lab results, and discuss treatment plans with the attending physician and medical team. These rounds require the resident to be on top of every patient's case, aware of their progress, and ready to present the latest updates.

Morning rounds are about more than just patient care. They are also a critical learning opportunity, as residents are often questioned by senior physicians and expected to offer differential diagnoses, treatment suggestions, and potential outcomes.

This high-pressure environment can last several hours, depending on the number of patients and the complexity of their cases. Residents must balance absorbing vast amounts of medical knowledge with the immediate needs of their patients while collaborating with their peers and supervisors.

Midday: Handling Emergencies and Managing Stress

As morning rounds wind down, the midday hours offer no respite. Instead, residents often find themselves responding to unexpected emergencies or attending to critically ill patients. Whether it's a patient crashing in the ICU or an urgent consult from another department, the resident must be prepared to act quickly and decisively.

Lunch, when it happens, is often a hurried affair. Many residents find themselves grabbing a meal between patient consultations or reviewing charts, leaving little time to relax. Some residents use this time to attend mandatory lectures or meetings, which provide additional educational content essential for their professional growth.

Despite the constant pressure, residents understand the importance of mental breaks. Brief moments of relaxation, even for five minutes, help them recharge before diving back into the next challenge.

Afternoon: Procedures, Documentation, and Learning on the Fly

The afternoon is often filled with hands-on procedures, patient consultations, and thorough documentation. Whether performing lumbar punctures, suturing wounds, or assisting in surgeries, the afternoon provides invaluable practical experience. This is the time when residents can hone their skills under the supervision of experienced physicians.

Documentation, though less glamorous, is a crucial part of the resident's day. Every patient interaction, diagnosis, and treatment plan must be meticulously recorded, ensuring a detailed account of their care. This task, often performed late into the evening, adds to the time crunch residents face, as it is essential for legal and educational purposes.

At the same time, residents must continue to learn on the fly. Reading up on medical cases, keeping up with the latest research, and asking questions from attending physicians are all part of their daily routine.

Evening Rounds: Wrapping Up but Never Truly Done

By late afternoon or early evening, it's time for evening rounds. The resident, alongside the attending physician, revisits patients to check on their progress and make any necessary adjustments to their treatment plans. These rounds are often shorter than the morning rounds but just as critical, especially for those patients in delicate conditions.

Residents must summarize the day's developments, update colleagues on the patients they are handing off, and ensure that nothing critical has been overlooked. This handoff process is vital in preventing any gaps in patient care as shifts change, ensuring that the incoming team is fully informed.

Late Evening: Personal Time and the Elusive Work-Life Balance

The workday for residents often extends beyond 12 hours. After their shift officially ends, many still have documentation to complete or academic responsibilities to attend to, such as studying for board exams or preparing for case presentations.

When the day finally comes to a close, residents head home, exhausted but determined. Finding time for personal activities like catching up with family, relaxing, or enjoying a hobby can be challenging but crucial for mental health. Some residents make it a point to spend time with loved ones, engage in physical activity, or unwind with a book or TV show.

The elusive work-life balance for residents is often skewed more toward work. However, with careful time management and a robust support system, it's possible to carve out personal time. For many residents, the key lies in embracing the small moments of joy and peace amidst the daily grind. This balance may not be perfect, but it's a vital part of maintaining resilience and motivation during this demanding phase of their career.

A Journey of Growth and Endurance

The life of a resident physician is an intricate dance of balancing work and life, with the scales often tipping toward professional responsibilities. However, the experience is invaluable, laying the foundation for a future as a skilled and compassionate doctor. Through resilience, adaptability, and a focus on self-care, residents gradually learn to navigate the complexities of their careers while striving to maintain their well-being.

Though the road may be long and challenging, it is also filled with moments of learning, personal growth, and the fulfillment of serving others. The balance may be hard to achieve, but the journey is undoubtedly worth it.

[uniathena7]

free courses

Clearing your IELTS is an important step for anyone looking to study abroad. A lot is at stake and you want to crack the test in one go. So seeing as you need all the help you can get it is best to enroll in an IELTS preparation course

Here is everything an IELTS online course will help you with:

Attempt Practice Tests

The best way to prepare for the big test is by attempting some practice tests. This way you will get familiar with the exam pattern and even improve your speed. You will be able to assess how well-prepared you are and work on any weaknesses you may have.

Practice exams or mock tests are a great way to identify any common mistakes you might be making. This will help you better prepare for the actual IELTS.

Time Yourself

The total time you will spend on your IELTS is 2 hours 44 minutes. This time is split into four segments. The reading and the writing tests will be 1 hour each, the listening test will have 30 minutes, and the speaking test will be 14 minutes.

So when preparing for the IELTS keep the time constraints in mind. Keep your answers to the point while ensuring that you are covering all the important points. Practice with a timer on.

Read Variety

Your reading skills will be tested to ensure that you can read words correctly in different contexts. So read a variety of materials as part of your preparation.

You might get asked to give a gist of the content presented to you, so you must know how to do that. Understanding the different parts of content and being able to differentiate them as a main idea, perspective, argument, and more is very important.

Listen To Different Accents

When practicing for the listening test, focus on unfamiliar accents. Even native English speakers have lots of various accents in their speech. You can try listening to audiobooks, podcasts, and radio shows featuring speakers from different countries or regions to help you get better.

The test will have 40 questions. It will be a mix of multiple-choice questions, sentence completion, form completion, and more. So when practicing, pay attention to how the speaker carries out a conversation. Those skills will help you understand speech patterns better.

Practice Writing

Most people struggle with the writing part of the test because of its formal language and structure. So when practising for this section your focus should be on adopting the formal style of writing.

You will be presented with 2 tasks. In the first task, you will be shown a data set such as a graph or a chart, and will be asked to describe it in your own words. The second task will be an essay.

Practice Speaking

This is the shortest test lasting between 11 to 14 minutes. You will be expected to carry out a conversation with the examiner during which they will evaluate your ability to speak in English on a random topic.

The first 5 minutes will be reserved for an introduction then once the examiner introduces the topic you will be expected to hold a conversation on said topic. You will be evaluated based on your pronunciation and fluency.

Improve Your English With The UniAthena IELTS Preparation Course

The best way to crack your IELTS is to improve your fluency in English in any way you can. Add English to your daily life by switching to an English newspaper, by watching English movies and shows, and by conversing with your friends and family in the language. While all of these are a great way to improve your English in the long term, they might not be enough when you’re in a time crunch.

UniAthena offers a free learning opportunity on the platform. Practice in 7 days with this IELTS preparation course and improve your band score. Enrol now for free.

[adeakin-professionalpractice]

What is an Art Director?

Define an Art Director

I find it incredibly endearing that at the beginning of the video “What is an Art Director?” (Open Door Creative) the art directors all struggle to really define their career. That is so exciting to me. I look forward to having a career where I can’t really sum up exactly what I do in a sentence or two. Responding to the question “What do you do for work?” with “I sit at a desk and crunch numbers all day” sounds like my personal hell. Art directors are constantly adapting to changes. They have to keep on top of emerging trends, platforms, tools, and ideas. Strategy and ideation are also two key skills that an art director must have.  Art directors are choreographers of design, their designers are the dancers. The main goal of an art director is to find the Big Idea (or receive it from their creative director) and make decisions to convey that idea effectively.

This quote from the article by A List Apart really helped me understand art direction: “[My] love is the art direction, while my smile and the deep red color of the roses are the design. They work hand-in-hand to deliver the point emotionally and physically. Design is perfection in technique; art direction is about the important, yet sometimes intangible emotion that powers the design.”

One thing about me is that I love making Spotify playlists. My method for creating playlists is similar to how an art director achieves their goal for a particular project:

I establish the mood of the playlist based on a theme or factor, most often my current emotion at the time. (Establishing the message based on the pre-determined constraints from a creative director)

I’ll consider what genres of music would fit the mood of the playlist. I’m not going to listen to classical violin covers while I’m working out. (Choosing a design style to convey the message) 

I’ll begin compiling 20-30 songs that align with the vibe of the playlist. (Hiring designers, photographers, techs, and production teams that will create things to convey the message)

I’ll arrange the songs in a way that flows into each other seamlessly and evokes the intended emotion. (Orchestrate all the parts of the production into one project that conveys the intended message!)

Topo Chico Landor.com 

Each of the three websites showcased all of their impressive projects side-by-side, making it feel overwhelming to pick just one. The bright yellow and red of Topo Chico came to the rescue! It wasn’t just the colours that inspired me to look into this project further, though. Once I had absorbed the colours, I recognized the name. I’ve never actually tasted Topo Chico, but I have heard of it. A podcast that I listen to has mentioned the sparkling water brand in several of its episodes. I remember specifically that they liked drinking a Topo Chico “with ice cream on a hot day”. They do specify that it’s not a sponsorship. Between the endorsement from a trusted creator and an appealing brand strategy, I would definitely pick one up at a store if I were to see one. After a quick look online, it seems like it is either not sold, or often sold out near me. 

Guiding Words

Classic

Play

Confident

To conclude blog post #1, I wanted to share a few comments under the YouTube video What is an Art Director? by Open Door Creative.

The first comment helped me feel inspired and excited about the possibility of an art direction career path. I'm a big strategy + big idea person, so it sounds great. The second helped me reel back into reality, but I think I'm just as excited as I was before. The challenges sound even more fun than the upsides. I particularly love the challenge to "ask some damn good questions." The colorful language reminds me of our class conversation in our first year about making shit.

[alastgoodnight]

@sportacoke continued from here!

Fwip! The little flag on her magic letterbox flips up. Naomi looks at it from the other side of the room, where she's been setting up a shoe rack and rug close to the door. A letter, so fast after she sent one out!

Naomi walks over to the box and unlocks the little door in front, and no sooner does it drop open that a paper airplane flies past her, looping around the room.

"Oh-!"

It's Ragamonster who catches it, and she has to carefully rescue the airplane from his toothy mouth before unfolding it. Foam and felt though his teeth might be, they can still reasonably crunch something flimy like paper.

"Let's see who it's from, Rags."

The stationary is simple but tidy, once she's unfolded the letter and smoothed it out on her desk; she reads through it carefully, making note of each question that merits response.

"Sportacus." She says the name out loud, and her brow quirks a bit. "Now there's an interesting name - reminds me a bit of you, Ragamonster." Rags chuffs in response, and Naomi takes out her pen and notepad. Letters go so fast here, she wants to take her time with this one - perhaps leftover anxiety from notifications on her phone.

(She hasn't looked at her phone in a while.)

It's the next day that she sits down to pen her response.

"Dear Sportacus, I can't say I've heard of Lazytown! It sounds lovely from the way you describe it, though. I hope the snow storms aren't too terrible - they can be quite frightening! We mostly get wind in Lullaby Lane, but I haven't been here long enough to tell you what the winter looks like. I'll get back to you once it's finished making its way here. I do have hobbies! I live here-"

A pause. She looks at her bed, at Ragamonster, at Willa napping on the wall. It's temporary. It's all temporary until you find the Librarian.

Right?

She turns back to the paper.

"I live here in the library, and I have to say, it was in quite a state when I got the key! I've spent the last few months fixing it up and redecorating. I finished the whole first floor myself! The second floor's still a work in progress, but now I have my friends Willa and Rags to help me, and I think it's coming along great. I think my favorite part is putting together furniture. Other than that, I have a podcast! I like to read fairytales and other bedtime stories from around the world - I think they can be very comforting."

And that next paragraph. Telling the whole truth is just too much weight to put on a friendly stranger. She taps her pen against the desk before starting again.

"I'm going to be spending the holidays with Rags and Willa this year, actually, as well as anyone else who comes to the library! We seem to have more and more new faces every day, which makes me happy. I like seeing the library grow. I celebrate Christmas, myself, so I'll probably have to see about putting up a tree and some lights. How do you decorate for the holidays? Thank you for writing back to me! I look forward to hearing from you again. Sincerely, Naomi PS: You know, I don't know how to make clothes, but I bet I could find some books on it! This is a library, after all."

As before, she carefully folds up the letter and places it in its baby-blue envelope. This time she seals it with a sticker she designed herself - a clear balloon half-full of water, a little yellow goldfish swimming in the middle. Signed and addressed, she drops it in the letterbox slot, and smiles as she doesn't hear a thump.

It knows where to go.

[jolmi]

16-03-2023

Today I was listening to a podcast on "cry research". Having a bit of experience, I can say that 75% of your research career is about crying! Sometimes you cry about how nothing is going according to you, other times about not having enough time (fact being, u are always in a time crunch!). There are some other times when you are done with everything and everyone. Keeping these aside, what made me go to this podcast was the fact that it is actually asking the question of why we cry? Why do we have tears?

We usually hear people saying that crying makes them feel better. But is it really the case? One of the research studies conducted showed that only in 50% of the cases this is true. The "'feeling better' part also has pre-requisites, mainly the question of 'what are you crying about?'. If it is something that can be changed then crying makes you feel better, but if it's something unchangeable then apparently crying does not make you lighter or happier. It somewhat makes sense to me- if I am crying because of losing someone, no matter how much I cry, it never feels better: but if it's some assignment I'm struggling with, then sometimes putting out my fear as tears clears my mind (*everything's person here:)

There was also this part in the podcast which stressed on how crying is more of a social communication than being an internal stress response. Babies cry to call parents for their help and care. Adults also cry for help. Sometimes we also cry just by seeing others cry- it is phrased as being 'empathetic'. In short "crying makes people see. Gives some kind of recognition". And the researcher argues that this social recognition is the whole crux of why we cry.

Darwin believed that emotional tears have no function. Surely we know now that it's not true. But it was ironic that there has been no neural studies or long term studies on why we cry. Although crying is something all of us are experienced of, it is still an enigma!

Finally, why is it so difficult for some people to cry?

[monstermaster13]

TftW: A Slasher in Woman’s Skin.

Bubba ‘Leatherface’ Sawyer tf/ftm.

NOTE:

This story lampoons the kind of character tf where it hyper-focus on detail and the author is clearly simping, and this also makes fun of the tumblr sexy-man status.

Being attracted to bad boys is absolutely nothing new since it has been a thing since the dawn of time, simping for villains is also not new and heck even slashers get this treatment. Amber aka AmberSawyer was one such person, she was a horror fanatic and a hardcore slasher fan-girl, her so called husbando was Leatherface, and while Leatherface wasn’t one of those lanky anime pretty boys, or a character that you’d be missing the point of them by fantasizing about them like say Roquefort, or any character you’ll or one of those edgy furry bois like Puro or Death from Puss In Boots: Last Wish, he wasn’t attractive or designed to appeal to the edgy crowd, in fact he was the opposite.

Yet she didn’t care, she was in love with Leatherface and even kept a photo album of photos she had printed of him, she had him tattooed on her left arm, and even had met the Tobe Hooper at a convention, she was in love with him…more than that, she hyperfixated on him, one evening she was listening to her favorite horror podcast telling a horror story called ‘Dad’s Old Shed’ which was about the narrator as a kid going into an old shed despite his father warning him about it, the story told of the narrator going into the shed and finding his dad’s old chainsaw and becoming possessed by the spirit of a killer.

This fascinated her and she decided to see if this story was true, so she decided to head out to the location of the shed in question, the shed was mostly abandoned and nobody had lived in there for at least a few years, but there was writing on the shed’s walls. That is when she saw the chainsaw when she entered.

“So the stories are true.”

She worried about what would happen but at the same time she was morbidly curious as she lifted the chainsaw up, charged it on and used it, surprisingly she found she was pretty good with using it right down to becoming quite skilled at it. She gave it a couple of test runs and it felt pretty good to wield it.

But what happened next..well…she felt parts of her body starting to bulk up which started with her arms and her hands, her hands also enlarged as bits of her black gloves unwrapped themselves, she looked at her chest which gained musculature as a loud crunching sound was heard, her heartbeat rapidly increased as a result.

She remembered in the ‘Dad’s Old Shed’ story how the narrator as a kid was possessed by the spirit of the killer and turned into said killer and how the narrator described the process of becoming the killer with gruesome details. She looked at her chest as her breasts retracted, her whole upperbody gaining the same level of musculature as her clothing slowly changed into an identical version of Leatherface’s outfit, it didn’t take her long to figure out…she was becoming Leatherface himself.

Her legs altered as her hips shrank down but she gained 300lbs while her privates altered into the more masculine variant as her feet grew in size, her shoulders broadened with a crunch as her back followed suit, which altered her posture a bit, as her neckline altered and contorted. In addition to this her hair turned from dark brownish to black as it became messier.

She felt her face deforming as her teeth became messed up, and a mask that looked like it was made of human skin materialized next to her and she put it on. She examined her face, which had some skin deformities on it and she realized she looked exactly like him now, as her voice deepened.

Her voice deepened and developed a masculine pitch and also a country sounding accent, at this point her transformation finished and she was a perfect doppelganger for Leatherface, which of course made her happy and she could talk, which the actual Leatherface couldn’t.

She had to admit she really liked her or ‘his’ new Southern accent and new look, she had always admired Leatherface, know she had the chance to be him and she knew just what she wanted to do, she saw a group of tourists standing by the very location of the shed and she decided to have a go at scaring them.

Of course she had more than one mask at her disposal, and she could switch out masks as well and pick a different one to express her emotions as well, but what was most different about this was that she could sing pretty damn well, something that was definitely picked up from the Slashstreet Boys version.

“I knew that story was true.”

She examined herself and then looked in the direction of the tourists, lounging out at them with her chainsaw in hand, chasing them just like in the movie, it was unreal but at the same time it was…it was like she was Leatherface while still being herself and that’s exactly what she loved about it.

Naturally she had wanted this and she had received it and she couldn’t have been happier, the fact she got to be one of her favorite horror characters was a huge bonus for her, and she didn’t lose her memories either.

And thus our story comes to an end but the moral from this…sometimes if you simp hard enough, you will get to be that character you simp over and still get to be yourself and that is definitely a plus. Just be careful, don’t get overly attached to a villain, or they might become attached to you…to the point you’ll start to take after them.